Incomplete [Chapter 13]

[Chapter 12]

“This is me, and Yokkun,” Koharu explained, pointing proudly to the little figures in the middle of the page. “And this is you, and this is Kacchan!”

“I can tell,” Izuku smiled softly, laying a hand gently on her back. “It's very good, I like Kacchan's hair.”

“It has lots of spikes!” she grinned. “And up here is my old Mommy and Daddy watching us from Heaven.”

“That's lovely, Koharu. I'm sure they're looking at it right now and think it's beautiful, just like I do.”

He secured it with a magnet, giving it pride of place on the fridge, and she beamed up at him in return. Izuku did his best to keep his smile from wobbling, but still it was so hard every time she mentioned them, knowing he wasn't there to save them for her.

“I love you,” Koharu said softly, burying her face in his leg. “Thank you for choosing me.”

“I love you too,” he assured her, immediately losing control over the tears as they welled up. “More than anything else in the world.”

“Anything?”

“Mm-hm,” he nodded, dropping to one knee so he could hug her back. “You and Yoshiki and Kacchan are all my equally most important people.”

“What about All Might?”

“Hmm... All Might is next after you guys. And my Mom.”

“I must be super special if I can be better than All Might.”

“Damn right you're special. The specialest girl in the world.”

“And Yokkun is the specialest boy?”

“Exactly.”

“And Kacchan?”

“The specialest Husband.”

“Okay!”

She skipped off up the stairs to change out of her uniform, and Izuku wiped tears stubbornly on his sleeve, looking again at the little family portrait Koharu had proudly brought him from from preschool. Even in a typical kid's drawing – simple, with bold, bright colours – he liked the little similarities he could see in their family. His eyes and Yoshiki's, Koharu's hair and Katsuki's, even the way Koharu drew Katsuki and Yoshiki wearing matching black-and-orange shirts.

Katsuki had finished his patrol early that morning, and after changing Izuku's bandages and reminding him not to be an idiot, he’d headed to bed for some sleep. Yoshiki was working on his homework up in his room, making the most of the peace and quiet he got when he was away from the Children’s Home, and other than occasionally checking in to see if he needed help, that gave Izuku plenty of time to make a snack (check), do some cleaning (check), and finally, to spend some time with Koharu (check!).

She'd been Katsuki's the moment they'd met, and even a few weekends into their new life together, he knew he was missing something with her that Katsuki had always had. He was determined to find some time with her, to bond more, so he wouldn’t have to feel like their relationship was lacking in comparison.

“Let's read a book together,” he suggested, when Koharu returned with her dirty uniform in her arms for the next load of laundry. “The weather is yucky outside, it's perfect to snuggle up and read, don't you think?”

“You'll read with me?” she asked, wide-eyed, as she dropped her clothes in the waiting laundry basket. “All by myself?”

“Of course! Does that not happen much?”

She shook her head, a smile spreading across her face, and Izuku returned it softly.

“At preschool we have group stories,” she explained, “but no one had time for just me.”

“I always have time for just you,” Izuku promised. “How about we start reading bedtime stories together? Every night I'll come read a story in bed with you before you sleep.”

“Yeah!”

“Awesome. Is there something you want to read now?”

She nodded, heading for the bookshelf in the corner and picking up a thick, heavy volume, dragging it back to Izuku at the couch. He laughed when he saw it, brushing a little dust off the cover, and she beamed up at him.

“Kacchan said it's full of all your best memories!”

“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “It's actually a book of pictures, not words, though. Is that okay?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Okay, let's take a look, and tonight we'll find a reading book.”

She climbed up beside him on the couch, and Izuku tucked a blanket over both their laps, opening the leather-bound photo album the Bakugous had gifted them at their wedding.

“For my sons,” Mitsuki had insisted. “You can call me Mother now!”

Izuku had been powerless to resist her love.

“You're so little!” Koharu gasped, when she saw the very first picture. “You still look the same, though!”

“Yeah, I haven't changed much,” he agreed with a smile, looking at his toddler-self following desperately after Katsuki, who always ran ahead with his wobbly but somehow confident little legs. “Kacchan either.”

No matter how many times he ran away, he still stopped eventually, waiting for Izuku to catch up.

“You've been husbands since you were just little babies?”

“Mm... Not quite. We were best friends for a long time, and then when we were a bit older we weren't really friends anymore, but when we started to learn to be heroes, we got to be friends again. Then we were boyfriends, and then we got married and became husbands.”

“But you always loved him?”

“Uh-huh! He was always my favourite person.”

Together they flipped through pages of childhood photos, a few preschool photos with linked arms and matching backpacks, then suddenly it was high school photos, dating photos, and-

“It's beautiful!” Koharu gushed, when the wedding photos popped up. “Look at all the pretty flowers!”

“Yeah,” he grinned. “Our Moms decided they wanted to choose the decorations, because me and Kacchan would be useless. They made it super pretty! See the little red and orange flowers in the altar here? Because those are Katsuki's colours, but then all the leaves and vines are green, which is my colour, so we're all mixed together.”

“You look so good together!” she praised, fingers trailing over the picture of their wide smiles, over Izuku's tear-stained cheeks. “I wish I had pretty photos.”

“We can take pretty photos too! You still have your camera, right?”

“Uh-huh, but these ones are extra pretty.”

“Yeah, they are,” Izuku grinned, hugging her lightly. “One day you can have extra-pretty photos too. Until then, we'll practice lots and get really good at taking our own!”

“Is this Kacchan's Mommy?”

She stabbed her little finger at a blonde figure, and Izuku nodded, pointing out Masaru standing next to her.

“And his Daddy too!”

“She looks like him!”

“Uh-huh! They look just the same!”

“But he looks kind and sweet like Kacchan,” she added, pointing Masaru's way. “They have the same smile.”

“Yeah, you're right, they do.”

“Are they nice like him?”

“Very. His Mommy yells sometimes, like he does, but she isn't really angry. She's very nice. She wanted me to call her Mother as soon as we were boyfriends, because she wanted me to be her son too, but I made her wait until we got married.”

“What about your Mommy?”

“She's here too!” he assured her, flipping a page and pointing her out, bawling tears of joy as her only son said 'I do'. “She was happy but sad too.”

“Is she nice like you?”

“She's much nicer than me,” Izuku laughed. “I wish I could be as nice as her.”

“I think you're the nicest!”

“Well thank you, that's very sweet. That makes you the nicest.”

“Noooo! You!”

“Nuh-uh, you!”

They dissolved into dumb giggles and Izuku set the album aside, hugging her close and feeling his heart lighten when she hugged him back tightly.

“We'll start an album just for us,” he assured her. “Us and Yoshiki and Kacchan, all together, with lots of happy photos.”

“I have one from the monkeys! It can go first!”

“You do?”

She nodded, climbing off his lap, and soon she was back from her bedroom with her little pink camera in hand, scrolling through images with her tongue poking out.

“Here!”

She handed it over, and Izuku felt himself well up again when he looked. He and Katsuki stood hand in hand, oblivious, while Koharu took the photo from in front, smiling at the lens with Yoshiki. It was a little blurry in places from her shaky hands, and yet somehow it was just so perfect.

“That can be first,” he agreed, sniffling. “I'll get it printed out.”

“I'll take lots more, too!”

“I'm looking forward to it, sweetie.”

─────

Yoshiki shook his head frantically, hiding his face in his arms, and Izuku could only watch on in alarm as the small frame shuddered with tears so desperately held at bay. He wanted to reach out, but he couldn't bear the thought of feeling Yoshiki flinch away from his touch, so instead he crouched beside the chair.

“Can you tell me what the problem is?” he asked quietly. “I want to help, but I'm not sure what's wrong.”

“I can't do it,” he choked out. “I can't, and I'm gonna fail, and everyone is gonna be mad at me.”

“I would never be mad at you,” Izuku assured him. “Never ever, I promise.”

“B- B-”

“Take your time, Yoshiki, it's okay.”

“B-But-” he stuttered, hiccuping through his tears. “If I do bad, my teachers will be m-mad, and then y-you'll be m-mad too.”

“Never ever,” Izuku repeated, finally taking the risk and reaching out, relieved to feel Yoshiki's warm back remain steady under his hand. “I'll even help you, if I can. I just need to know which bit is hard.”

He kept his face hidden, but shifted one arm, sliding a print-out across the bed for him to read. He continued stroking up and down Yoshiki's back as he picked it up with the other hand, skimming over the words.

Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks, and he glanced at the huddled form once more.

“You don't know?”

Yoshiki shook his head, and Izuku slid closer, pulling him into his side.

“You won't get in trouble for not knowing, I promise.”

“B-But she'll say I d-didn't do my h-homework.”

“She won't. I'll talk to her if I need to.”

“R-Really?”

“Uh-huh, of course. Is there something else you want to talk about?”

Yoshiki paused, but reached out silently, tapping on the empty little boxes where “Mother” and “Father” were written.

“You don't remember them?” he asked, his stomach sinking.

“I remember their names,” he sniffed. “But any time I try to remember what they looked like, I just see... Blood.”

“Blood?”

He nodded, and Izuku's jaw dropped, staring wide-eyed at the sniffling boy.

“Were you there?” he asked. “I thought you said you weren't, before. You saw it, didn't you?”

Yoshiki nodded, and Izuku lost any sense of self-control he'd had left, pulling Yoshiki out of his chair and into the warmest, tightest hug he could muster.

“Mom got trapped,” he murmured, shoving his face into Izuku's chest. “Dad was trying to get her out, but it wasn't working, and I didn't know what to do.”

“I'm so sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry you had to be there.”

“Things fell and they got squished, I couldn't help. If I had a Quirk maybe I could have saved them.” Yoshiki whispered. “But a hero picked me up and took me away.”

“I'm glad they saved you,” Izuku answered, just as quietly. “Otherwise you might have gotten hurt too, and then I wouldn't have you here with me, making my life so happy. I’m sad that you lost them, and I wish I could have met them, or saved them, but I’m glad that we didn’t lose you, too.”

Yoshiki sniffled again, his little arms wrapping tentatively around Izuku's waist, and Izuku held on tighter in return.

“Can I draw you?” Yoshiki asked, voice barely audible even in the silent room.

“Of course you can, I'd be honoured.”

“And Kacchan too?”

“Yeah, of course. He'd be super happy.”

Izuku paused, glancing at the piece of paper again, at the family tree boxes Yoshiki had been so worried about filling in.

“Do you want to meet my Mom?” he asked gently. “And Kacchan's Mom and Dad?”

Yoshiki didn't answer right away, so Izuku returned to stroking his back lightly.

“Are they nice?” he asked, after a long moment to think. “Do they know I'm here?”

“They do,” Izuku nodded. “We thought it might be too scary for you to meet them right away, so we hadn't worked it out yet. They're very nice, though.”

There was silence for a moment, and Izuku continued stroking Yoshiki's back, contemplating.

“My Mom is the loveliest person I've ever met, she likes to take care of me still even though I'm a hero now. Kacchan's Dad is super nice too, he's pretty quiet, and very kind. You know he was the only person Kacchan would hug for a long time? I wasn't allowed to even touch him. He let some of his friends hug him a little, but he grumbled and scowled and wouldn't hug them back. He hugged his Dad, though. And his Mom is just like him. She can be loud sometimes, she yells and things, but she loves us all and wants us to be happy.”

Yoshiki nodded, and Izuku smiled, glancing down at the tear-stained cheek against his chest, the long eyelashes resting on them, his harried breaths slowing a little.

“Are you tired, sweetie?”

He nodded, and Izuku took his hand as they parted, holding it tight.

“Have you been having trouble sleeping?”

“I don’t sleep as good during the week.”

“Understandable. Well, you can catch up every weekend, okay? We don’t mind if you want to take a nap, or turn in early, or sleep in late. You can sleep aaaaaall weekend, if that’s what you want. We just want what’s best for you, okay?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Why don’t you take a nice nap, for now? We'll finish your homework after dinner, me and Kacchan can answer any questions you might have.”

“I want to meet them, I think,” he mumbled, as Izuku stood up. “It’s just... A lot, I think. Do you have a Dad, too?”

“Somewhere,” he nodded, sitting down on the floor as Yoshiki climbed into bed, and handing over his spiky-furred hippo. “I haven't seen him in a long time.”

“Oh.”

“I used to wish for it, you know? I used to wish he would come back, that he would be a good Dad for me. I thought it was my fault he left.”

“Why?”

“I was... Um, I got my Quirk a lot later than most people. I was Quirkless when he left, so I thought maybe he left because of that.”

“Oh. I get it.”

“But then I got older and I realised that was a really bad reason to leave. Even if it was the reason, that just made him a bad person, so I didn't want him back if he was bad.”

“Yeah.”

Izuku tucked the blankets up around Yoshiki's chin, smiling as he leaned against the mattress, letting him see Yoshiki's little face and the green eyes that occasionally fluttered open to look at him.

“You won't leave me,” Yoshiki said softly. “Right?”

“Never ever,” he promised. “As long as you'll let me be here, I will.”

“Thank you.”

─────

Koharu clung to Katsuki's leg when the screen lit up, uncharacteristically shy as she peeked around him to see. He scowled when his mother immediately opened her mouth, ready to berate him, but thankfully Izuku intercepted with his infectious grin.

“Mother, it's so good to see you!” he beamed, waving at the camera happily. “It's been a while!”

“I missed you too,” Mitsuki smirked. “You're such a good boy. Why are you protecting my brat this time?”

Katsuki reached down to rest his hand on Koharu's back, in hopes of comforting her, letting her cling as tight as she wanted to his leg as she watched. It took a moment for Koharu to peek up, but Izuku waited until she did before adjusting the camera, to let her see herself in the frame too. Mitsuki’s jaw dropped when she saw the tiny blonde, with a big pink bow in her hair and a red and orange explosion motif on her shirt.

“Hello there,” Masaru said gently, leaning in a little and waving. “It's nice to meet you! I'm Masaru.”

Her grip remained tight on Katsuki, her eyes darting between the two of them, and with a little smile Mitsuki waved too.

“Did I scare you, hun? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. My name is Mitsuki.”

Katsuki bent down to stroke her hair, leaning in close to whisper to her.

“If you're scared, you don’t have to stay. I know it’s a lot, but they're just excited to finally meet you, that's all. If you want a break, you’re more than welcome to take one.”

She turned, rising to her tiptoes to whisper back, and the rest of the group waited patiently.

“Can I stay with you?”

“Of course you can.”

He wound his arms around her, hoisting her up into his lap, and she relaxed a little as she leaned into him, his arm holding her close.

“Do you wanna introduce yourself, or should I do it?” Izuku asked with a smile. “It's okay, you choose.”

“I'm Bakugou Koharu,” she spoke up, fingers tangling in Katsuki's shirt. “It's nice to meet you.”

“She uses your last name?” Masaru asked, tearing up already. “I didn't know.”

“Mm-hm. It’s not official yet, but she asked if she could match.”

“I like my name,” Koharu informed them. “I like Kacchan's name and Izuku's name.”

Katsuki smirked a little, Masaru's tears fighting their way out despite his valiant effort.

“Koharu,” Izuku began gently. “This is Bakugou Masaru and Bakugou Mitsuki. Kacchan's Mommy and Daddy.”

Her mouth opened into a tiny O, taking a moment to process the information, then her little hand rose to point at Mitsuki.

“You picked the pretty flowers!”

“She likes our wedding photos,” Izuku explained. “She wants her own pretty photos to match, she's been learning how to use her camera so she can take some too.”

“It was a lovely wedding,” Mitsuki grinned. “You know Katsuki cried? Big tough hero-man stood in front of all his friends and family, bawling his eyes out because he got to marry his Deku.”

“Shut up, old hag! I did not.”

“I have videos, brat, don't lie to your children.”

“I've seen Kacchan cry,” Koharu pointed out. “Two times!”

“Haaah?! Don't tell people that, you jerk! What did I tell you?!”

“Oh!” she smiled, and Katsuki saw both his parents melt when they saw it. “Kacchan is the biggest and manliest hero in the world and he never does anything silly like cry or hug or pat kittens!”

“Much better.”

She grew a little more confident in Katsuki's arms, answering his parents' questions with simple, but audible responses, and he could see both of them turning into a pile of mushy fondness.

Mitsuki mumbled something to Masaru, and with a little nod he glanced down at his phone, showing her something on his screen.

“Izuku, sweetie, would you mind checking your front door?” Mitsuki asked sweetly. “We had something sent over, it should be there by now.”

“What? You didn’t need to do that.”

“We wanted to!”

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the screen, but Izuku got to his feet obediently, excusing himself to take a look. Sure enough, when he came back it was with two big packages in his hands, wrapped in white paper with big bows.

“This is just a little something to say 'welcome to the family!' for you,” Mitsuki explained, as Izuku offered the pink-bowed box to Koharu. “Katsuki told me you like pink, is that right?”

“Pink is my favourite,” she agreed, accepting the package nervously. “It's so pretty.”

“You can open it up, if you like.”

Koharu took the utmost care with her package, working clumsily at the knot in the ribbon with her little fingers, and Masaru practically melted as he watched.

“You can tear into it if you like,” Mitsuki grinned. “You don't have to be polite in this family.”

“But I wanna keep it!” she explained, finally getting the ribbon off and winding it carefully around her wrist. “Me and Kacchan keep all the pretty ribbons we find so I can have bows when I go to preschool!”

“Oh? Is that where your pretty pink one came from?”

Koharu nodded, touching the neat little bow on her braid and smiling to herself.

“Kacchan does the best bows! They’re always straight and big!”

“Yeah, he's picky like that,” Mitsuki laughed. “Did you do your own hair? It’s very impressive.”

“Nuh-uh, Kacchan did that too!”

“Oh yeah?”

“He's got so good!” Koharu praised, beaming up at him. “We learn the videos together!”

He pulled her hair lightly, poking his tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture with a grin.

“Her hair gets tangled easily,” he explained. “So everyone said it was too hard to do anything with. We're stubborn though, aren't we?”

“The best kind of stubborn!”

With one last grin exchanged she went back to her pretty wrapping paper, smoothing it out carefully and rolling it up to keep. Finally she got to the little hard-shelled suitcase inside, white with pink polka dots, a long zip running right around the outside.

“It's so pretty!”

“We thought it would help you, while you’re going back and forth. You should be able to fit all the clothes and toys and books and school stuff that you want to take with you inside it. Take a look inside.”

She wrestled with the zip, getting a little help from Katsuki to hold it steady in her lap while she pulled, and when she flipped open the lid she gasped louder than Katsuki thought he'd ever heard.

“For me?!” she asked, her eyes watering.

“Just for you,” Masaru confirmed with a smile. “We work with lots of clothes, and when we saw these ones, we knew we had to get you some.”

“They're the most beautiful in the world!” she gushed, picking up bright pink overalls in one hand, a frilly white skirt with the other. “You got them at work?!”

“They help design and make them,” Katsuki explained. “Dad even helped design my first hero costume.”

“You have the coolest job in the world!” Koharu gushed, setting her handfuls down to take a look at the little pink dress beneath, with fabric flowers on the belt. “Thank you so much! I'll treasure it for ever and ever!”

“You're very, very welcome.”

“Do you wanna go put them in your room where they're safe?” Katsuki suggested. “I’m sure Mom will tell me how to wash them properly, so you can wear them.”

“Okay!”

She disappeared with a last quick thank you and a smile, padding up the stairs in her Uravity socks, and Katsuki mumbled a thanks of his own while she was gone. They both brushed him off like it was nothing, and Izuku smiled to himself quietly. The whole lot of them had always been terrible at expressing gratitude of any kind.

Soon after Koharu returned to her perch on Katsuki's lap, the speakers rang out again, and this time a small, green-haired woman was framed in the window that popped up. Koharu cowered again, despite the lady's sweet smile and the way Izuku lit up when he saw her.

“Mom!” Izuku beamed. “I missed you, it's been so long!”

“I've missed you too! I'm sure you've been keeping busy, though! Has Katsuki been taking good care of you?”

“Obviously,” Katsuki huffed, cracking a smile all the same. “Who else is gonna?”

“I help,” Koharu whispered, pouting a little.

“That's true, you help a lot, don't you? The master of the first aid kit!”

“I can find everything!” she grinned, forgetting her audience for a moment in her excitement. “Even the little tiny plasters!”

“Damn right you can, my hands are too big for that little shit.”

“Kacchan bad word!”

“Oops, don't tell Deku.”

Koharu mimed zipping her lips, and just one glance told Katsuki that Inko was already in love.

“Do you wanna introduce yourself again?” he asked finally, her bright blue eyes darting toward the new stranger. “Can you guess who she is?”

“Izuku's Mommy,” she whispered, leaning into him again as she looked her over. “They look the same! Except she looks littler.”

“Uh-huh, Deku's the only tall one in the family. You wanna say hi or no?”

She lifted one hand in a little wave, smiling shyly at the lady, with all the patience in the world on her face as she let Koharu get comfortable.

“I'm Bakugou Koharu,” she spoke up. “It's nice to meet you, Izuku's Mommy!”

Inko squeaked with her adoration, and Izuku couldn't help but laugh at her.

“I know,” he grinned. “She's the cutest.”

“I'm the cutest!” Koharu agreed with a grin. “Kacchan and Izuku say so!”

“Damn right you are.”

“Kacchan, bad word!”

“Don't tell Deku.”

“I won't!”

She smiled a cheeky little grin that was so much like Izuku's that Katsuki always lost track of his thoughts for a moment when he saw it. The nerd himself was smiling too, eyes shining with fondness, and Inko finally composed herself enough to wave back.

“My name is Inko,” she choked out. “It's so nice to meet you, Koharu. Izuku has told me all about you.”

“It's nice to meet you too,” Koharu smiled shyly. “Izuku told me about you, too.”

“Did he now? Good things I hope.”

“He said you're his most important person ever like me and Yokkun and Kacchan, and that you even beat All Might!”

“Well, I'm glad he still thinks of his poor old Mom,” she laughed fondly.

“And you helped with the pretty pictures!”

“The wedding,” Katsuki explained for the second time. “She adores our wedding pictures.”

“Oh! It was beautiful, wasn't it? I couldn't stop crying the entire day!”

“Everybody looked super happy,” Koharu said softly, peeking up at Inko's smile.

“Which bit was your favourite?”

“Seeing Kacchan and Izuku smile at each other!”

“Oi,” Katsuki snorted, poking her cheek playfully. “Deku never stops smiling, that's not special.”

“But it's a different smile!” she insisted. “Normally you only do it when each other isn't looking! But in the photo you were both looking and both smiling and it was pretty! And you kissed which is yucky but I know grown ups like it.”

“It's super yucky,” Katsuki agreed. “I only do it 'cause Deku makes me.”

“Hey!” Izuku laughed. “He's being silly, Koharu, don't worry. But yes, you have to be a grown-up before you get to kiss.”

With Koharu growing a little more confident, he dropped her in Izuku's lap, assuring her he'd be right back. He trudged upstairs and used the bathroom, pausing to peek in Yoshiki's door on his way back.

“Oh, good morning,” he said quietly, when Yoshiki rolled over to look at him. “You have a good nap?”

He nodded, yawning a little as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

“I didn’t sleep well,” he explained, combing fingers through his messy hair. “Sorry.”

“It's okay, Deku told me. You're always allowed to take naps if you want to, you don’t need to apologise.”

A laugh rang out from downstairs, and Yoshiki frowned a little, uncertainty washing over his face.

“We’re on a video call with our parents,” he explained. “My Mom and Dad, and Izuku's Mom too. Koharu is a little shy, but Deku is looking after her.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“You don't have to come down if you don't want to. Not right now, not at all if you would rather stay here. My Mom demanded it, she’s a stubborn thing.”

“It’s okay, I’ll come.”

“They would love to meet you, but you don't have to, okay? Take a minute.”

“I gotta brush my teeth. And get dressed. And... And can you stay?” he asked tentatively. “I don't... Can I walk down with you?”

“I can stay,” Katsuki nodded. “You know I'd never say no to that.”

“Yeah. Okay, I'll... I'll be back in a second.”

Katsuki waited patiently as Yoshiki got cleaned up, watching him immediately choose his favourite Dynamite t-shirt to wear, the one patterned like his hero costume. He'd mumbled once that he felt brave in it, and Katsuki had made sure to stick close to his side whenever he wore it since.

“I promise they'll be nice,” Katsuki assured him. “You okay?”

“I'm okay,” he nodded, completely unconvincing. “Um, w-what did Koharu do?”

“She sat in my arms and hid against me whenever she got nervous.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay.”

“You want me to carry you down too?”

“No!” he blushed. “I'm too big!”

“You're tiny, idiot. Come on, let's go be brave, yeah?”

He held out a hand, a little surprised when Yoshiki immediately took it, holding on firmly as he followed Katsuki down the stairs.

Izuku grinned when he saw them, despite the flash of nerves in Yoshiki's eyes when he saw the big television screen lit up with faces.

“Morning!” Izuku grinned, with a little wave. “You have a good sleep?”

Yoshiki nodded, still eyeing their companions warily, and Katsuki squeezed his hand a little tighter as a reminder. They were still off-screen, only Izuku and Koharu framed in their little window, and Katsuki waited for Yoshiki to take a long, deep breath. Yoshiki stepped forward, and Katsuki kept pace, letting him walk into frame of his own accord and bow at the screen.

“I-It's nice to meet you all,” he squeaked out. “M-My name is Yoshiki.”

“It's nice to meet you too!” Inko said brightly, standing up just to return his bow. “Izuku talks about you a lot, I'm so glad you're here!”

“Th-thank you,” he blushed. “I-I'm h-happy to be h-here.”

“Come sit, kid.”

Katsuki led him over to the couch where the others were gathered, nudging him in beside Izuku and Koharu, then sandwiching him on the other side in hopes of making him feel safer.

“That's Izuku's Mom,” Katsuki clarified, even though he knew it was pretty obvious. “Inko. The old man is my Dad, Masaru, and the old hag is my mother, Mitsuki.”

“Cut it out with the 'hag' shit, you ungrateful brat.”

“Make me.”

Yoshiki watched with the utmost curiosity as the two bickered for a minute, throwing insults and complaints, but no matter how he yelled at his mother or called her names, his grip on Yoshiki's hand still remained calm and comforting.

“Yoshiki-san,” Masaru said softly, leaning closer to the microphone to be heard under the argument. “We got you a little present, to say welcome to our family. Would you like to open it?”

“Y-You didn't have to d-do that,” Yoshiki blinked at him, lips trembling. “I'm already s-so lucky to h-have Kacchan and Izuku.”

“I'm glad you can all make each other happy,” he smiled. “But we've missed the first six years of your life, so it's just one little present to help make up for all the birthdays we missed!”

“Th-thank you, y-you're very k-kind.”

Izuku leaned over to grab it, handing it to him in the middle seat, and Mitsuki finally shut her mouth when she saw him accept it nervously.

“I hope you like it, kid!” she grinned. “The brat said you'd asked about getting one, but there weren't any yet. Masaru and I had some friends at work put one together for you.”

He carefully unwrapped the parcel, pulling the lid off a cardboard box, and tears immediately began cascading down his cheeks when he found the item inside. Katsuki looked alarmed for a moment, leaning over to look, but a soft smile of understanding washed over him when he saw.

“Look at you, kid,” he grinned, ruffling Yoshiki's hair. “Gonna be the coolest kid in school.”

From the box, Yoshiki pulled a shiny black school bag, hands trembling as he traced a bright orange X across the front. The straps were lined with a shiny orange fabric, and when he popped open the top, he found the inside matched. What he also found were a handful of fancy sketchpads and a bundle of expensive markers, neatly arranged inside.

“How did you know?” he asked quietly.

“Katsuki talks about you,” Masaru smiled warmly. “He was very happy that you liked him so much that you wanted a backpack modelled after him.”

“Shut up, old man, you talk too much,” Katsuki blushed. “I just thought it was a cool idea, that's all. I didn't know you were gonna go make one.”

“I have contacts with the company who makes them,” he chuckled. “It wasn't difficult to make a request.”

“It's amazing,” Yoshiki told him, without a single stuttered letter. “Thank you so much.”

“We heard you're a good artist, too,” Mitsuki added, gesturing toward the items inside. “Thought you could use some good tools.”

“I can't wait to try them out,” he nodded, hugging the bag close. “You're so generous, thank you.”

“It was our pleasure, Yoshiki-san,” Masaru assured him. “I hope you enjoy using them.”

“I will!”

─────

Koharu clung to her new suitcase as they rode the train, the usual smile missing from her little face, and Katsuki didn’t know what to say. He reached for her, patting her back lightly in the hopes it might convey his understanding, but her eyes didn’t turn his way.

“I left some stuff in m-my room, for n-next week,” Yoshiki mumbled, stuttering a little. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is, it’s your room and your stuff, you can do whatever you want with it.”

“It’s j-just,” he continued, gnawing on his lower lip. “We’re not supposed to... Um...”

“Oh,” Katsuki blinked at him, stunned. “They don’t like it when we give you stuff?”

Yoshiki cringed a little, but Katsuki nodded knowingly.

“I get it, it’s not very fair on the other kids, right? But um, you’ve got those spare shirts to give to some of them, so hopefully they won’t mind too much that you guys have new clothes too.”

The piles of hero-merch had contained a few shirts that were too small even for Koharu, and Yoshiki, the beautiful person that he was, had been quick to suggest the other kids at the Home. As much as neither of them liked the other kids, they still understood that all of them were in the same position, they were all missing out on just as much as Koharu and Yoshiki had been.

“Everyone kind of gets... The minimum,” Yoshiki continued, his voice a little quieter. “People aren’t meant to stay very long, they get moved when they get their quirks, so the money goes to all the other Homes instead. That’s what I heard them say, I think.”

“I understand,” Katsuki nodded. “I want you guys to be safe and comfortable, so you just use whatever you want and need to take, don’t worry about the rest, it’ll be waiting for you at home. Your real home.”

He finally cracked a smile, and Koharu leaned in silently, resting her head against Katsuki’s shoulder as the train slowed, getting closer to their station.

At the gates to the preschool, Koharu hugged them both goodbye, lingering a little longer in Katsuki’s arms. He assured her once more that he’d see her again in a few days, and then she was off to her class, waving back at them until she’d rounded the corner. Katsuki waited a few minutes longer, just to be sure, and then they headed down the street toward Yoshiki’s school.

“Don’t worry about the people at the Home,” Katsuki said firmly, crouching down to meet his eyes at the gates. “If there are any problems, I’ll take care of it. If they ask about the bag, you just tell them the truth, your new grandparents made it for you.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“I won’t,” Katsuki assured him, managing a small smile. “It’ll all be fine, I promise.”

“I want you to adopt me,” he admitted, eyes a little misty. “Please.”

“I will. I am. You know that, bud, it just takes time. There is absolutely nothing that can stop us from adopting you, I promise.”

“B-But if they g-get mad about the p-presents then they m-might not l-let you anym-more.”

“They didn’t tell me I couldn’t buy presents,” Katsuki grinned, ruffling Yoshiki’s hair lightly. “So I didn’t break any rules, okay? They just tell you guys not to take them so it doesn’t become unfair. So anything you think might be unfair to have, you just keep it in your room where the others won’t see, and then it won’t be a problem, yeah?”

“Y-Yeah,” Yoshiki swallowed hard, nodding. “S-Sorry.”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to be sorry for worrying. I’m glad you told me, okay? Thank you for telling me about your worries. I’m not very good at guessing on my own, so using your words like that helps me a lot to understand you better and know how to help.”

“M-Me t-too.”

“You need words too?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll be sure to use mine, too. If you ever don’t understand me, just remind me to explain more, okay?”

“Okay,” Yoshiki nodded once more, straightening up and lifting his chin determinedly. “Thank you for having me again, and for bringing me to school.”

“My pleasure, buddy. I’ll see you Friday, okay? I’m gonna be there the minute you get back, so you can come get some good sleep and hang out with me and Deku again.”

“I’ll see you Friday,” Yoshiki agreed. “I’ll um, miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, and so will Deku. So much. Have a good week, okay?”

“You as well, don’t get hurt.”

“I’ll do my best.”

He watched Yoshiki walk into the school grounds, waiting until he was safely in the building before he turned away, pulling his phone out as he began to walk. He dialled a familiar number, one he’d called far too often in the past few weeks, barely containing himself when someone picked up at the other end.

“My kid just went to school all upset because you guys told him he wasn’t allowed to have presents,” he fumed. “I buy him a couple of stuffed animals and give him some shirts I got for free and that’s a problem? You should be calling me if there’s an issue with something I did, not upsetting my kid about something I did!”

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Mister Bakugou, it’s just not very fair on the other children. You must understand the jealousy and rivalries it creates if one person has more than another.”

“Yoshiki came to me with his school uniform, and one set of clothes. You’re seriously complaining about a second t-shirt? The younger kids have much more, I’ve seen it.”

“The younger children have second hand items, passed down from older children who outgrew them.”

“Well now Yoshiki has the same number of clothes as them, and he can pass them on when he outgrows them,” Katsuki growled, ignoring the dirty looks he got for using the tone in public. “In fact, he has a bunch of shirts on him, because when we found some that were too small for them, his first thought was that the little kids at the home might like them. So once again, I’ll thank you to call me next time there’s a problem, instead of putting that weight on my six year old.”

“I’m very sorry for the miscommunication, Mister Bakugou. I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

“How many kids are there in that place, anyway?”

“We currently have forty, Sir.”

“Perfect. Thanks for letting me know.”

He hung up with barely a goodbye, still fuming, and glanced at his watch as he headed for the train station.

Yeah, he had time for a detour.

─────

Koharu’s face lit up when Katsuki arrived, putting her pencils down without hesitation to come throw herself at him. He hugged her tight, settling her quickly in her usual spot on his hip, but Yoshiki’s eyes were a lot more nervous as he joined them.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. “You don’t normally come today.”

“I brought something.” Katsuki grinned, well-aware that it was far too sharp, giving away his plotting immediately. “You wanna help me out?”

He pointed at a couple of huge shopping bags, and Yoshiki stared at them blankly, turning his eyes back up to Katsuki’s in question when he said no more.

“Mister Bakugou has kindly brought some gifts for everyone,” one of the staff members announced, her voice betraying her exhaustion – Katsuki tended to have that effect on people.

“I heard that most of you guys don’t have teddy bears or anything, so I brought some over.” He smirked, and Yoshiki cracked a smile when he saw it. “Come take a look and pick your favourite; there’s enough for everyone, no fighting over them please.”

He tipped the contents out in the middle of the room, scattering stuffed animals that the first wave of kids immediately dove on, hunting for their new best friend. He half-expected Koharu to go take a look too, but she just stayed in his arm, leaning comfortably against him.

“You guys can pick one too if you want, I brought enough of them.”

“I have monkeys,” Koharu said, as if it answered every question in the world.

“You don’t want any others?”

“No, I love my monkeys.”

“Yeah,” Yoshiki nodded. “I just want my hippos.”

“Alright,” Katsuki smiled faintly, patting Yoshiki on the back lightly. “These guys can have at it, then.”

“I gave them the shirts, too,” Yoshiki told him. “They were happy.”

“I’m glad. Did you give them out yourself or get the staff to do it? I know you weren’t sure, before.”

“I gave them to the people who said hi when I got back.”

Katsuki snorted at that, and Yoshiki gave him a little smile, a hint of cheekiness hidden beneath. He bent down to set Koharu on the ground once the madness began to die down, the pile of toys dwindling, and he did his best to make his smile not look menacing.

“Would you guys mind picking up the leftovers for me? I think your caregivers should keep them for any new kids that arrive, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Yoshiki nodded, his smile stretching a little wider. “Come on, Koharu, let’s pick them up and make sure everybody got one.”

“Okay! Don’t leave without saying goodbye though, okay, Kacchan?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

They scurried off to pack the last of the toys into a bag, and Katsuki turned to look at the two staff members who hovered over him, waiting patiently for one of them to brave opening their mouth.

“Mister Bakugou, this isn’t quite what we meant,” one of them finally spoke up. “We appreciate it, of course, but you didn’t need-”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I did need,” Katsuki interjected, eyebrows knitting together. “You made my kid feel bad for a stuffed hippo that cost like two thousand yen. I know you can’t do that for every kid, but when he’s already going without so much you can’t even let him feel good about a plushie?”

“I assure you, the kids have everything they need.”

“Are you serious? He had one pair of socks. These kids have enough to go to school looking like they have enough, without the stuff to actually back it up at home. And I don’t blame you for that, of course I don’t, I know that places like this are severely underfunded – the brochures you gave me told me all that stuff. So if I have to buy every kid here matching gifts every time Yoshiki and Koharu need something, then I will gladly do that, so that my kids don’t have to feel guilty when their excited new family members want to give them a present or two. I guarantee there are kids here who have come with clothes or toys from home when they’re brought in, this should be no different. Do I make myself clear?”

“You do, Sir,” she sighed, glancing over at the kids with their new toys. “I realise it must seem unfair, I know you do it out of the goodness of your heart, not to try to create a division, but-”

“The only division here is my kids getting picked on for being Quirkless,” he hissed. “Do you hear the things those other kids say? Do you see what they do? They’re toddlers and they’re already being taught that it’s okay to pick on someone as long as you think you’re better than them. I know you think they all have equal shares in things, but do you know how many toys have been taken or broken by those other kids? And I’m not talking about accidents. So do me a favour and just let it be, let us treat our kids the way they deserve, and soon they’ll be out of your hair, so you don’t have to keep turning a blind eye to the shit the others do.”

“Kacchan, bad word.”

Katsuki jolted, looking down at the tiny hand that reached for him, the worried look on her face when she saw his anger.

“You’re right, sorry, don’t tell Deku.”

“I won’t,” she assured him, cracking a smile when he picked her up again. “Are you okay? You’re not happy.”

“Of course I’m not happy,” he chuckled. “I have to go home and I don’t get to take you with me this time, how would I be happy?”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Angel, you know that. I’m just gonna miss you, that’s all. Send me lots of emails again, okay?”

“I will! Always!”

“Thank you.”

“Here,” Yoshiki said quietly, offering the bag of toys to one of their caregivers. “Can you please keep these somewhere for any new kids that come in? Maybe you can let them choose one to help them be brave?”

“Of course, thank you, that’s a very nice idea.”

“I’ve gotta head off, unfortunately,” Katsuki told him, holding out a fist. “You got your hippo?”

“Yeah,” Yoshiki grinned, bumping his fist happily. “Thank you.”

“No problem, bud.”

“I’ll see you on Friday?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be here the moment you get home, I promise.”

“I’ll take care of Koharu too.”

“Thank you.”

He set her down, and Yoshiki took her hand without hesitation. Her eyes were already getting watery, but she tried valiantly to be brave, and Katsuki planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Miss you both already,” he said softly. “Take care, call me if you need anything.”

“We will. Be safe!”

“Always.”

He showed himself out, waving at the front windows where he knew they’d be watching, until he’d driven around the first corner and could finally let himself relax.

If Izuku had been there, he’d have been on Katsuki’s case instantly about talking shit to the workers. Even without him there Katsuki had practically heard the voice in his head, the hissed Kacchan to shut him up before he went too far. He just had to hope and pray that they wouldn’t try to ruin his case for it, that they wouldn’t try to cancel the adoption process.

A small part of him, way down deep, knew it wouldn’t be the case. As much as he wished he didn’t, he knew the staff would be relieved to have the kids gone. Placing a Quirkless kid was too hard, let alone two of them, the group had to be relieved beyond belief that someone wanted them so much. They would take a little argument for the sake of placing their most difficult cases in a suitable home.

Katsuki groaned to himself as he waited at a traffic light, taking a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Being with the kids was so easy, why did he have to deal with adults to sort it out? Damn them all.

[Chapter 14]