Some Wannabe Hero!

Midoriya Izuku had learned at the early age of four that not all men were created equal. Some were destined for greatness and had a talent for becoming something...someone. While others, like himself, were born with the short end of the stick; forever destined to be on the sidelines. In a world full of superheroes with amazing powers known as Quirks, Izuku was given the shortest stick of them all: deaf and Quirkless.

"Izuku, sweetheart. It's time to get up." Inko signed after she shook him awake like she always did when it was time for school. Her long green hair was tied up in a usual bun and her soft eyes were always a joy to wake up to in the morning. "Good morning, baby."

Izuku rubbed his eyes as he yawned, then signed "Morning, Mom. Can I have a fried eggs for breakfast?"

"Course you can, sweetie." Inko grabbed Izuku's hearing aids from his bedside and put them in his ears for him, "I'll let you get ready, baby."

"O.K." Izuku watched her leave and hopped out of bed, still yawning as he walked to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, picked his hair, washed his face and got his school uniform on before going into the kitchen area. His mom already had his plate on the table, just waiting to be consumed. He sat down and dug in, eagerly chomping on the eggs, toast and bacon.

"You must've been starving, honey." Inko giggled. She sat across from Izuku with a cup of coffee in her hands. "Or maybe I just did a good job on breakfast."

"You always cook good stuff." Izuku signed with a mouthful of food in his mouth, "Can I have more bacon? Please?"

"I'll get right on that, hon."

Inko used her Quirk to crack a few more eggs in the pan and fry a few slices of bacon for good measure. Izuku always thought it was amazing how fluent and precise his mother was with her telekinesis. The way everything she controlled was surrounded with a green aura made it seem magical.

"You're finally a third year, baby. You must be excited."

"Today we're going to talk about careers goals."

"Really? That should be fun. You could be an author or an artist. I always see you drawing about Quirks in your notebooks."

"Maybe."

Izuku scarfed down the extra eggs and bacon Inko made before getting his shoes on and grabbing yellow bookbag. Inko grabbed her car keys from her purse and followed Izuku out the door to the garage of their apartment complex.

"I'll probably be at the hospital overnight again, sweetie. There was a villain attack the other day and there were alot of victims." Inko said as she unlocked the car doors with her key.

"O.K."

"There still some leftovers in the fridge from last night or you can use your card to order some pizza or something."

"Cool."

Inko backed out of her parked spot and drove out into the busy streets of Musutafu. Izuku rolled down the window to enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather. Cherry blossom petals covered the sidewalks and the sun was shining brighter than ever. It made Izuku feel alive as he watched the citizens of Musutafu roam streets. Sure, he couldn't really hear alot of the hustle and bustle of the city, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the sites nonetheless. There was even a villain attack going on a few streets over with Mount Lady and Kamui Woods on the scene! Izuku poked his head out the window to try and get at least a glimpse of the action, but Inko pulled him back into his seat with her Quirk. Dammit, Mom!

It wasn't long before Inko stopped the car in front of Aldera Junior High and gave Izuku a kiss on the cheek. "You be good now, baby. Text me if you need anything. You know my work phone number, right?"

Izuku nodded his head and gave a thumbs up. His mom worried too much. He got out of the car and watched her drive to work. School wasn't all that bad, after all. This is his third year! Things change in third year! New year, new me as they say. When he made it to his classroom to take his seat, he was met with nearly all of his classmates from last year. The students that recognized him immediately began to point and snicker in his direction.

Wonderful.

Luckily, it quickly ceased when their teacher walked in the front of the classroom behind the podium with a pile of papers in his hands.

"Good morning, everyone! I hope everyone had a good break." He waved around the pile of papers in his hands, "Soooo let's cut to the chase, as third year students, it's time to think seriously about your futures. I could pass these career aptitude tests, but why bother?"

He threw them in the air as Izuku's classmates began to activate their Quirks, "I know all of you want to go to the Hero track, right?"

"YEEAAAAAHH!!" The class roared, except for Izuku, of course.

"Yes, yes. All of you have some very impressive Quirks. But you know the rules, no power usage at school. Behave, behave."

"Tch, hey Teach!" Izuku could recognize that voice anywhere. Bakugou Katsuki or Kacchan, for short. Childhood friend of his, though their relationship was anything, but friendly. "Don't lump me with these losers. I'm the real deal, but these guys, will be lucky to end up as sidekicks to some dumbass D-lister. Ha!"

"Oh you think you're better than us, Katsuki?!" One classmate yelled. Others joined in, yelling and barking at the spiky-haired blonde.

"Psh! I could take you all without breaking a sweat!"

"Hmm..well Bakugou, you do have impressive test results." Their teacher replied as he looked at his clipboard, "Maybe you will get in to U.A. High."

Izuku put his head down. He knew where this was going. U.A. High School was the best Hero school in eastern Japan. All Might went to that school and so many other amazing Pros. Of course, Katsuki would want to attend there. The entire class went quiet after that with a few murmurs and whispers between students.

"He's goin' for the national school?"

"Damn, that place has a 0.2% acceptance rate!"

"Yo, that place is impossible to get into."

"That's the exact reason why it's the only place worthy for me." Katsuki stood up on his desk, with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, "I aced all the mac tests! I'm the only person in this school who stands a chance of getting in. I'll end up being more popular than All Might himself and be the richest hero of all time! It all starts with U.A High!"

"Oh yeah, Midoriya, don't you want to go to U.A. too?" The teacher asked as he took another look at his clipboard. Izuku could feel all of his classmates' eyes on him. He knew what was coming next in 3..2..1.. The class bursted out into mocking laughter. A few classmates called out to him,

"Triple D! You're kidding, right?!"

"There's no way you can get into the hero course without a Quirk!"

Izuku didn't even bother giving them a response, he knew they got rid of that rule. He could be the first deaf Quirkless hero, if he tried hard enough. He could overcome those odds!

"Dekuuuu!" Kacchan shouted as he pushed Izuku out of his chair with his explosive Quirk. He looked down at him with those piercing red eyes of his, "You're even worse than the rest of these damn rejects, you deaf Quirkless wannabe!"

He balled his fist as he gave Izuku a sadistic glare, "You really think they let someone like you in when they can have me!"

Izuku shook his head and quickly scooted back against the chalkboard behind him. He's wanted to be a Hero since he was little. There wasn't anything wrong with trying...right?

"You'd never hang with the best of the best! You'd die in the exams!" Katsuki mocked him, "Triple D: Deaf, Dumb Deku. The school is already shitty, you seriously wanna embarrass it even more by failing so hard!"

The class continued to laugh until the teacher finally got them to settle down. Izuku decided it be best to stay on the floor for a bit, just so he could compose himself. Izuku does remember a time when Kacchan wasn't so cruel to him. He remembered following Kacchan around when they were toddlers. He thought he was absolutely amazing, he was everything Izuku wasn't: Confident, loud and most of all, normal. He didn't have to wear hearing aids or sounded weird when he talked. Katsuki was normal and Izuku was glad that such an amazing kid was his friend. That is..until Katsuki developed his Quirk.

Izuku couldn't be happier when he saw the time on his phone. 3:30 PM meant school was over and he could finally get some notes on the fight he missed this morning. It was already all over the web, so it wouldn't be too hard to get enough information. He grabbed his Hero notebook to put in his book bag when he felt it being snatched out of his hands. He looked up to see Kacchan, putting the notebook under his armpit, "What do you think you're doing, Deku? We aren't done."

Izuku tried to reach out for it, but Katsuki stepped back. He got out of his chair and lunged out for it, but Katsuki was a lot faster than him. Dammit! "Stawp it, Kacchan!"

"Wow, you still sound like a fucking toddler. Gonna have to speak better than that, dumbass." Katsuki smirked, taking the notebook from under his arm and hanging it out the open window.

"Kacchan, no! Pleeze!" Izuku tried to snatch the notebook one more time, but Katsuki tripped him. He fell flat on his face, feeling utterly humiliated. As soon as he got up from the floor, Izuku watched in horror as Katsuki used his Quirk to blow up his notebook and toss it out the window behind him.

"KAACHAAN!"

Katsuki rolled his eyes at Izuku's outcry and placed a smoking hand on Izuku's shoulder,"Deku, you're a deaf, dumb loser who still thinks he can be something. I was destined for greatness, while you, you're a benchwarmer. A fucking pebble on the side of the road. So don't even think about applying to U.A."

Izuku his head hung low, his fists at his sides. Why? Why was he being treated like this? Katsuki smiled, tightening his grip on Izuku's shoulder, "You know, I think there might be another way for you to be a Hero, Deku." Katsuki smirked, "Pray that you'll be born with a Quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!"

Izuku felt himself clutching his fists with rage. He looked up at Katsuki with a look of disgust, but Katsuki simply let off a few threatening sparks from his hand, "What?"

He shoulder-checked Izuku as he walked off, not even having a hint of remorse for what he said. Izuku couldn't believe he actually said that?! What is wrong with him? He grabbed his bookbag and stomped out of the school to search for his notebook.

Idiot! If I jumped, you would've instigated a suicide! Why doesn't he think before he speaks!

He looked over and saw it. His notebook, completely drenched, burnt and floating with a pool of koi.

Stupid. Useless and...

No. No, he won't let their words get in the way of how he thinks. He shouldn't worry about how others think of him. He just has to keep his head up! Keep moving forward! Just like All Might! Izuku laughed heartily as he walked under the bridge, waving his fist around. That is, until he felt something strange wrap around his leg. He turned around and saw a disgusting mass of green sludge surround him.

"VILLAIN!"

It was too late, he tried to run, but the sludge villain tackled him, closing off his mouth and nose, while surrounding him in the filthy mass. Cold sludge held down all his limbs, tears were already running down his face. He tried to scream, thrash...ANYTHING, but the villain had him cornered.

"A medium-sized invisibility cloak..." The villain hissed, "Don't worry, I'm just talking over your body. Calm down. It'll only hurt for 45 seconds, I promise."

Izuku clawed at the sludge, every breath he took only invited more sludge down his throat. He was drowning. He was drowning and there was nothing he could do. No matter how much he kicked or struggled the villain didn't even budge.

"I'm liquid, child, you won't be able to pull me off." The villain sneered, "You're doing me a great service here. You're my Hero, kid."

The sludge was crawling up into his nose. His lungs were on fire. His strength was draining with every second. Izuku was dying. He was dying. But no one was here to save him. Maybe he deserved this. Maybe Kacchan was right. He was just a pebble. A waste of space. Then Izuku blacked out.

....

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" Izuku felt something hitting his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw a large white smile above him.

Hold on...n-no..way?! All Might?!

Izuku screamed to the top of his lungs, did he die? Did he die and this was heaven?!

"HAHAHA! YOU'RE AWAKE! THOUGHT WE LOST YA THERE!"

Izuku needed to get his autograph, his notebook! He grabbed to a good page and HE ALL READY SIGNED IT! He bowed several times to his idol to show how grateful he was. This was going to be a family treasure passed down for generations to come!

"HAHA! YOU'RE WELCOME, KIDDO! NOW IF YOU EXCUSE ME, I HAVE TO GET THIS GUY TO THE POLICE!" All Might patted the bottle in his pockets, "IT'S BEEN NICE MEETING YOU, RANDOM CITIZEN! STAY IN SCHOOL! SEE YA AROUND!"

Wait, no. He was leaving already? B-But Izuku has so many questions to ask him! He couldn't let this opportunity slip him by! He...He had to know!

"NOW STAND BACK! I'M TAKING OFF!" All Might warned before jumping up high into the sky, "THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPOOOORT....HUH?!"

Without thinking, Izuku had grabbed All Might's leg. He buried his face into his thigh.

"LISTEN, KID! I LOVE MY FANS, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH!" All Might tried to pull him off, but then looked down at how far up they were, "OH WAIT! IF I DROP YOU, YOU'LL DIE AND THAT WOULD BE BAD!"

A few seconds of flying and they landed on the roof of some building. Izuku could've swore he saw his whole life flashed before his eyes. He looked up at All Might, who seemed pretty annoyed. "NOT A VERY SMART MOVE, KIDDO! THE DOOR IS OVER THERE! I'M A VERY BUSY HERO, YOU KNOW! SEE YOU ON THE FLIPSIDE!"

"N-No!"

"NO, SIR! I DON'T HAVE TIME!"

"PLEEZE!! STAWP!" Izuku's face was burning red. His speech still wasn't the best, but he needed to know. He kept his eyes closed as he waited, but he still didn't hear anything. He looked up and All Might had turned around, but his expression was confused. He walked up Izuku, crouched down to his level and put his giant hand on his shoulder. His voice sounded a lot more calm, "Young Man, are you deaf?"

Izuku nodded his head. Then All Might quietly chuckled, but it sounded more...somber, "Okay, I'll answer one question. I don't know JSL, so take this marker here and write it in your notebook."

All Might put the sharpie in his hand and Izuku felt like he was going to faint. All Might actually listened to him! He slowly took the marker from his hand and pulled out a ruined notebook from his book bag to flip to a random page.

[Can I be a Hero, even if I don't have a Quirk?]

He handed the notebook back and watched All Might's face as he read the question. He was frowning. All Might took the sharpie back to write something before handing back his notebook and patted Izuku's head, "Young Man, Pro Heroes are always risking their lives everyday even with their Quirks, so it pains me to say that you couldn't become a Hero without a Quirk."

Izuku put his head down. The ultimate Pro Hero told him he could never become a hero. Tears formed in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. Why is he crying?! He knew this already! He knew! This was the reality. His reality. That's why he was trying so desperately not to listen. Not to see the true picture. He had a heroic heart, but without a Quirk, he was nothing. Izuku looked at his ruined notebook and clutched it against his chest. He just wanted to go home.

"No tears, my boy, no tears. I know you can still become a successful young man. Please don't lose hope." All Might hugged him, but that only made Izuku cry even more. He dropped his notebook to clutch onto his idol's shirt, not caring how loud his wails were. As humiliating as it was to be bawling in front of the number one hero, he was at least glad, All Might stayed to comfort him.

After a few minutes, All Might let him go to give him the notebook he dropped, "There's nothing wrong with having a dream, Young Man. But you should be realistic. If you need help with scholarships or anything, my personal number is in here. Now I really have to go."

"Th-Thank you, All M-Might.." Izuku squeaked. All Might gave him one more pat on the head before running and jumping off the building to go protect the city. Izuku wiped his eyes and mouth as he walked down the winding stairwell of the building. By the time he made it to the main streets, he saw a large explosion in the shopping area.

Is there another fight going on?

He ran across the street towards the crowd of people and saw it was the sludge villain? What the? But All Might caught him when he attacked Izuku. But...if he dropped the bottle when Izuku latched onto him...that meant...

This is all my fault.

"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?"

"Looks like the heroes met their match. Plus the villain captured a kid. Things aren't looking too good for them."

Izuku heard the two adults and he was to blame. His stomach was in knots. He felt sick. He covered his mouth with his hands to ground himself. If he hadn't been so selfish. So blind about his own denial about his hopeless ambitions. If he hadn't been taking up All Might's time, none of this would have happened. Kacchan was right. Izuku was useless. He's a Deku. He should just disappear. He's no hero. He's a nuisance. Izuku looked up to see the victim to the sludge villain had in his clutches and it was-

"KACCHAN!" Izuku jumped into action, running as fast as he could towards the flames. It was like his body was moving on his own! He just couldn't stop! He had to fix this, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

"No! you idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Death Arms screamed.

"Not this brat again!" The sludge villain snarled, "You're toast, kid!"

The villain winded back his fist, ready to slam Izuku into the concrete, but Izuku remembered page 25 of his Hero Analysis book. He snatched off his bookbag and chucked it at the villain. Several of his supplies spilled out, with his All Might pencil case stabbing the villain right in his eye. The impact was just enough for the villain to lose hold of Katsuki's face. Finally, letting the boy breathe and giving Izuku a chance to try to tear away at the sludge that was trapping his friend.

"Gaaah!--cough,cough--Deku! What the fuck are you doing?!" Katsuki strained.

"Kacchan! I--I coudent stan dere an' watch you die!"

The sludge just wouldn't go away. Izuku wasn't strong enough. It was pointless! He wasn't doing anything. But Izuku kept trying anyway. The sludge villain growled, "I'm getting tired of you, kid! Die!"

BOOOM!!

Izuku braced for his inevitable death, but it didn't come. He looked up and saw his Hero. A real hero came to his aid. He stood between Izuku and the sludge villain's tentacles.

"All Might.."

"HELLO AGAIN, YOUNG MAN! IT APPEARS THAT I'VE MADE A GRAVE ERROR! MY POP BOTTLE TRAP SEEMED TO BURST AT THE WORST POSSIBLE MOMENT!" All Might broke through the villain 's tentacles and grabbed Katsuki's hands, "LUCKILY, I HAVE ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B!"

The sludge villain screamed in anger as he winded up for another attack, "Damn you, All Might!"

"DETROIT SMAAAAAAAASH!!!"

In an instant, the villain was completely demolished by a powerful whirlwind produced by the Pro Hero's fist. Rainfall came down shortly after, leaving the surrounding crowd astonished. Afterwards, the Heroes collected the scattered parts of the sludge villain taken him in by police custody.

Katsuki was praised by the Heroes for his bravery, while Izuku was getting chewed out for his risky behavior, at least, Izuku was sure he was, guessing by the angry faces of Death Arms and Kamui Woods. One of his hearing aids somehow fell out of his ear when he ran towards the sludge villain and the other one ran out of battery.

Perfect.

Izuku picked up his things after everything settled down. Sadly, his hearing aid was no where to be found. He gave up looking for it and walked home. He wanted to apologize to All Might in person, but he was being swarmed by interviewers. He'll just call him later when he's not so busy. Now Izuku's going to have to explain to his mother that he lost one of his hearing aids. As he was sulking down the street, he was suddenly being pulled by an unknown hand on his shoulder. He turned around and it was...Kacchan?

He wasn't looking Izuku in the eye and simply presented him with his other hearing aid. Izuku was surprised, eagerly taking the device and popped it in his ear. "Thank you, Kacchan."

However, his happiness was cut short when Katsuki grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall of a nearby building, "Shut up! I only brought that nasty ass thing so you could hear me loud and clear, Deku! I never asked for your fucking help! I was fine by myself!"

"Stawp et, Kacchan!" Izuku whimpered. He tried to pull Katsuki's hands off of him, but Katsuki had a strong grip.

"No! You think you're better than me! Don't you?! You think I'm weak, Deku!? Don't fucking lie to me!" Katsuki screamed, shaking Izuku in pure anger, "Say it, Deku! Say you think I'm weak!"

Izuku couldn't take this anymore. He wanted to go home, so he bit Katsuki's hand and pushed him away. Katsuki roared at the top of his lungs, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU FUCKING BIT ME!"

Katsuki punched Izuku in the face. Hard. Tears formed in Izuku's eyes from the sting on his cheek. Katsuki towered over him, attempting to hit him again. Izuku stopped by kicking Katsuki in the stomach a few times. Katsuki swung with a right hook, but Izuku grabbed both of Katsuki's arms to stop him. Izuku kicked him in the stomach once again. Hard enough to make Katsuki fall down to the ground.

"I waz tryin' to helb you!" Izuku cried. He dropped himself on top of Katsuki's waist and slammed his fists down on his chest, "I waz doin' my bezt!"

"You bastaaaard! Get the hell off of me!" Katsuki yelled back. He tried to sit up, but Izuku put his hand on his face to push him back down, "I don't even know what fuck you're saying!"

They continued to wrestle each other on the ground until there was no fight left in them left in either of them. Izuku ran away before Katsuki could get up, leaving him with a bruised cheek and a bloody nose. Izuku wasn't in any better shape either. His cheek had swollen up to a noticable degree and he had quite a few scratches all over his face. He looked back to see that Katsuki was simply standing there with his hands balled to his sides. Izuku could've swore he saw a tear roll down the boy's cheek.

I'm sorry, Kacchan.

"Once again Pro Hero Lemillion continues to reign supreme in the Japanese Hero Billboard Charts as the number one hero. Not that that's surprising in the slightest."

"Of course. The world needed someone to be the Symbol of Peace after All Might's death and he was there to step up to the plate."

"I still can't believe that was so long ago. I hope All Might proud of what the generation of students he taught have beco-"

Katsuki turned off his television and tossed the remote on his coffee table. He hated watching the news nowadays. It was always the same shit over and over. Lemillion and his fucking husband, Suneater, and their friend Nejire-chan were always in the top three spots. The Big Three.

Then the reporters would always mention All Might's sacrifice when he killed All For One. That was nine years ago and they...they wouldn't stop bringing it up. The images of that battle would never stop playing in Katsuki's head. He remembered screaming All Might's name at the big screen of the city after his classmates had rescued him. After the battle had ended with a destructive United States of Smash, All Might, bloody and beaten, still raised a fist up into the air, only to fall to the ground minutes later. He was pronounced dead the next day.

No one ever said it, but Katsuki knew he was the reason All Might died in battle. If he was stronger, he would've never been kidnapped by villains. Even if he's ranked fourth in those stupid Billboard Charts, Katsuki never felt like a real hero. This guilt has been consuming him for years now. He finished writing everything he needed to do on his list and tore off everything from his calendar except for half of the first page.

The train ride to his old home didn't take long. He knocked on the door and waited until a wrinkle-free lady with his same fiery red eyes and spiky blonde hair as him opened the door. Her eyes widened in surprise before a shit-eating grin grew across her face, "Well, well, well! It's about time you decided to visit!"

"Hey Old Hag. Where's Pops?"

"Oh fuck you!" Mitsuki crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame, "I haven't seen your ass since last year and this is now you treat me!"

"I don't have time to visit you all the time, dammit! Quit bitching!" Katsuki walked pass his mother and took off his shoes, "You should be lucky I'm visiting at all!"

"Oh you motherfucker." Mitsuki closed the door, whipped herself around and slapped her son on the back of his head, "Don't give me a reason to beat your ass, boy!"

He turned around and activated his Quirk in his hands to give off a few warning explosions, "Hit me again and I'll fucking blast you to hell!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Please! Can we all have a nice, non-threatening family get together for once?" Masaru called from the couch with a newspaper in one arm and a coffee mug in the other. He nodded his head towards Katsuki, "Happy to see you, Firecracker."

"Same to you, Pops." He sat on the couch next to his father, "Anything happen here?"

"Nope, not really."

"Pretty boring without your ass here, Brat." Mitsuki plopped herself next to Katsuki and pushed his head down, while ruffling his hair, "We saw the charts today, very proud of ya."

Katsuki kept his head down and interlaced his fingers, "I'm still ranked number four, though. I haven't really changed in 3 years."

"Yeah, but ya didn't fall either." Mitsuki laughed, "Just try harder. Maybe people will like ya more if you weren't so damn bratty."

"What your mother is attempting to say is that keep at it, Firecracker. Hopefully you'll be at the top sooner than later." Masaru patted his son on the back to comfort him, "You're a great hero."

You don't need to lie to me. I know I'm a fucking screw-up. A shitty son.

"Thanks guys."

"You want some curry, Brat?" Mitsuki stood up from the couch to go into the kitchen, "I should still have some chicken in the fridge."

"Sure! Just make sure it's extra fucking spicy!" He called as he sat up. His mother's curry was the absolute best.

"Of course, I'm making it extra fucking spicy! Nobody in this house is a fucking punk!"

Masaru chuckled, "Extra fucking spicy is the only type of flavor in this house, I suppose."

"Uncle Kat! You're here! You're here! You're here! You're here!" A little girl screamed as she jumped into Katsuki's arms when he walked into the Kirishima household. She gave him a huge smile, showing off her pearly white sharp teeth, "Hi Uncle Kat!"

"Hey Princess." Katsuki kissed her forehead, "Where's your dumb dad and even dumber mom?"

"Mommy's in the kitchen making snacks and Papa's with Uncle Den and Uncle Han!"

"Maiya!" Kirishima called from the living room, "Who are you talking to?"

"Uncle Kat, Daddy! He was asking me where you and Mommy were!" She giggled. Maiya was definitely the perfect combination of her parents. She had her father's warm beige skin, deep red eyes, coal black hair along with mother's natural curls, yellow horns and striking black sclera. Lucky for Katsuki, she clearly didn't inherit their intelligence as she was pretty damn clever for a four year old.

"Let's not keep your dumb dad waiting." Katsuki walked into the living room with Maiya in his arms. Sero and Kirishima were sitting on the couch, while Kaminari was on the floor. The three of them were playing Mario Party 6 together on the Wii. Kaminari turned around and smiled when he heard Katsuki walk in.

"Eeeyyy! It's Boom Boom Explody Man! Welcome to Hanta's a dick for stealing two of my Stars!"

"You can't blame me, Ejirou was the one who landed on Chance Time." Sero said, trying to defend himself.

"I would be sorry, but you were in first for a while, man." Kirishima laughed, "Glad you could make it, Katsuki."

"I'm only here for my Princess." Katsuki sat down next to Kaminari and put Maiya on his lap. "If she wasn't here, I wouldn't even bother."

"I'm Uncle Kat's favorite!" Maiya exclaimed, "Uncle Den, I told you so."

Kaminari sucked his teeth, "He only likes you cause you're cute! I betcha if I was as cute as you he would like me."

"I can 100% confirm that I still wouldn't like your ass, even if were half as cute as my Princess."

Sero snorted, "Holy shit, talk about denied."

"Why are we all pickin' on Denki?" Mina asked, balancing a veggie plate, a bowl of chips and dip in her arms. "It's not his birthday."

"Everyone picks on him all the time, Mommy."

"Yeah, that's true." She placed all the snacks on the table before sitting on the arm of the couch next to her husband, "Carry on."

"You are one evil little girl! That's it! No birthday presents for you!" Kaminari huffed.

"Noooo! I'm sorry, Uncle Den!" Maiya laughed, "I think you're the best. Even if you're kinda dumb."

Katsuki watched all of his dumb friends and adorable niece continued to playfully insult each other. They were always so happy. He still wonders why they continued to involve him into things. They always tried to reach out to him, but he always turned them down. He hardly answered their calls, barely bothered to text them and only visited for birthdays.

I don't deserve them.

Before Katsuki left the Kirishimas for the night, he went upstairs into the couple's bedroom to hide an envelope inside the top drawer of their dresser. He labeled the back of the envelope with a simple 'Thank You.'

It was nearly sunset when Katsuki walked into the cemetery. All Might's grave was covered with plenty of flowers and gifts. It was nice to know people continued to support the former Symbol of Peace several years later. He placed the wooden bucket down beside him and dipped a sponge into it. He was always a neat freak, so he made sure every part of All Might's gravestone was spotless. It was the least he could do for what he did to his late idol. Once he was finished, he read the words engraved on the tombstone.

"Brought some candles for you, All Might. They smell pretty damn good." Katsuki placed them in front of the gravestone, wiping away unwanted tears with his arm as he did so. He used the ladle to pour water on top of All Might's gravestone before finally placing his hands flat together to pray. He closed his eyes and swallowed the lump that was stuck in his throat.

"I know I haven't visited you since the funeral and that's because...I-I've been busy." He took a deep breath, "I know it's my fault you died. It should've been me instead of you, but I'll make things right with you, All Might. That's a promise."

He raised his chin up high and used his forearm to wipe away any tears in his eyes. Katsuki wasn't going to cry. He didn't deserve to shed any tears. After pulling himself together, he collected all of things to leave.

He never looked back.

The early morning was warm. The sky was various colors of blues, yellows and pinks as the sun was rising. Katsuki had walked from his apartment all the way to the bridge. Very few cars were passing by and no one was around to stop him. This was a good sign. He looked over the bars separating him from the lush blue waters of the river.

Would it be morbid to say that it felt inviting? If he jumped now, all of the pain, the guilt, the thoughts that plagued his mind for so long would disappear. Katsuki was never afraid to die. He always told himself he would keep fighting the way he wanted to till the very end. Now there wasn't much fight left in himself. In fact, as he looked over the horizon, he didn't feel anything. He couldn't even say he felt empty. He just felt...ready. He closed his eyes and gripped the cold metal bars with his calloused hands.

"Okay, everyone! Settle down! Go back to your desks!" The kindergarten teacher called, "We have a new student!"

Katsuki and the other children sat down, seemingly excited for what was to come. There had been word going around that the new kid was a boy, which was great. He could use a few more lackeys in his Bakugou Hero Agency. The teacher opened the door for the little boy. He was pretty short and his smock looked a few sizes too big. He had chubby, freckled cheeks and his hair was bright green with wild curls. He stood next to the teacher with a nervous smile on his face.

"Class, this is Izuku. He's going to be apart our class." The teacher squatted down to the kid's level, "You want to introduce yourself, little man?"

This Izuku kid continued to smile, which only confused the class even more. Why wasn't he saying anything? The teacher must have noticed the lingering silence because he tapped his shoulder. Izuku jumped a bit and rolled up his sleeves before pulling out a notebook from his book bag. He opened it to the first page:

[It's nice to meet you, my name is Midoriya Izuku and I'm 4 years old.]

The class was in shock. A few murmurs and whispers were heard as they watched him turn to another page.

[I wanna be friends with everyone with this notebook]

[So please talk to me with it]

[I can't hear well]

"Holy crap!" Katsuki yelled, standing up in his chair. This kid couldn't hear?! How was that even possible? The teacher gave him a small smile, "Now, I want Izuku to feel welcome. So let's all be nice to him, okay?"

"Okaaaaay!" The class replied.

The teacher looked delighted, he turned back to Izuku and pointed to Katsuki's table, "You can sit over there with Katsuki."

Izuku nodded his head and walked over to him. He pointed to the chair next to him and Katsuki pulled it out for him. "Hey, I'm Katsuki."

He waved at him as he gave him the notebook. Katsuki rolled his eyes, but took out a marker from his pencil case to write what he said.

[My name is Bakugou Katsuki]

Izuku looked at his name with a raised eyebrow, "Bakooogou Katschuski?"

"No, dummy. It's Katsuki. Kat-soo-key." He even pointed at his lips to show this weird kid how to pronounce it.

"K-Kats...Kat..choo...Kacchan!" The boy looked at him as if he accomplished something. That's not his name! But the teacher said they have to be nice, so Katsuki will let it slide for now. He took the notebook and wrote:

[You can call me Kacchan]

It wasn't long before other students of his class were pretty interested in Izuku. Everyone in the class wrote their names in his notebook. A couple of them even wanted Izuku to try to pronounce their names. He was certainly the center of attention. At the end of the day, Katsuki saw Izuku standing outside the building, clutching the hem of his smock. He looked scared.

"Hey, Izuku!" Katsuki called, but he didn't turn around. Oh yeah. He can't hear right. Katsuki ran over and tapped him on his shoulder just like his teacher did. Then pointed to his bookbag, "Gimme your notebook."

Izuku pulled out the notebook and a crayon for Katsuki.

[Are you waiting for your mommy?]

Izuku shook his head as he took the notebook back.

[I don't know the way home yet.]

"Tch. Dummy." Katsuki snatched the notebook back and rolled his eyes. This kid is so weird. Well, if he goes to this school then that must mean he doesn't live very far. Katsuki could walk him home.

[Do you know your home address?]

Izuku nodded his head and wrote his address under Katsuki's question. Katsuki knew where that was! Those apartments were across the street from the playground.

[I can take you home. Gimme your hand.]

Izuku smiled, "Kacchan's my hero!"

"Mom! That'sth my hero! Ground Zero! Ground Zero!"

"What the hell?" Katsuki snapped out of daydream when he heard his Hero name being called. He turned his attention to the owner of the voice. A little boy with wild brown hair had let go of his mother's hand to run up to Katsuki with a Ground Zero themed book bag on his back. This kid was more than likely no older than five, "I'm your biggesth fan, Ground Zero! I'm stho happy to sthee you!"

"Hey kid." Katsuki squatted down to the boy's level, "How were you able to tell it was me?"

"Only true GZ fansth can sthee their heroesth in dithguise." The boy smiled, showing off his large tooth gap. "Can you sthign my backpack, Ground Zero?"

"Sure, I have a marker in my pocket." He pulled out a thick sharpie from his hoodie pocket and signed his signature on the orange 'X' of the kid's bookbag.

"Sweetie! Don't run off like that!" His mother cried when she finally caught up with the boy, "I'm so sorry, Ground Zero. You're my son's favorite hero."

"No, it's fine. He's a pretty cool kid. Definitely hero material."

The boy's eyes sparkled with pure admiration. He pulled on his mother's skirt, while bouncing up and down, "You hear that, Mom! Ground Zero sthaid I could be a hero! Thisth isth the besth day ever!"

"Thank you for all of your service, sir." The mother bowed to him, "I'm glad Musutafu is kept safe by someone like you."

"Thank you, ma'am."Katsuki watched the family walk away before turning back to look over the bridge. He stood there, watching, lingering, contemplating. Then he walked away.

-----

"Yo, Baku-bro, Maiya was so happy to see you at Game Night the other day. Really glad you came."

"Anything for my Princess."

Kirshima and Katsuki had just arrived back at their agency after a long patrol in Hosu City. It was a pretty slow day today, only managing to arrest two dumb teenagers for petty theft of a grocery store. They were into the locker room to change into their civilian clothes. It was quiet for a bit in the empty locker room as they changed, until Kirishima spoke up once more.

"Yeah, man. My baby girl sure does love ya." Kirishima laughed as he put the last of his Hero gear away into his locker, "The whole Bakusquad really cares about you too, man."

"Why do you still call us that? Not even in high school anymore." Katsuki slipped on a shirt and glanced over at his friend, who had still had a smile on his face, "And what the hell are you grinning for?"

"Heh heh, well..." Kirishima rummaged through his locker and pulled out a thick envelope with both of his hands, "I found this in my dresser yesterday. It has over 5.4 million yen inside."

Katsuki's expression was unchanged as he put on a pair of denim jeans, "Lucky you."

"I know I didn't put it in there and neither did the wife, so I asked the boys and they said no." Kirishima looked at the envelope, "So that must mean you put it there when you came over the house for Game Night. I really appreciate the thought."

"It's not a big deal." He sighed, "You can use it for Princess or go on a vacation with Acid Wipe. I don't fucking care."

"But..uh, what was really interesting was..." He opened the envelope to pull out a folded up piece of paper, "...the letter that was also in here. A very interesting letter."

"Interesting, huh?"

"I'd like to say so. I'll read it to ya if you don't mind." Kirishima put the envelope under his arm to open the paper and read it out loud, "Here's the money I owe you. Thanks for everything. Pretty short, bro."

"I like to get to the point."

"I just gotta know, Baku-bro." Kirishima re-folded up the paper and put it back into the envelope. He couldn't look at Katsuki, so he stared at the money as he asked, "Why? Why do you wanna kill yourself?"

Because I'm weak. Useless. I'm not a Hero. All I do is hurt others

"Because I don't want to be alive." Katsuki closed his locker and stuck his hands in his pockets, "Not that hard of a concept."

There was a long pause between the men, until Katsuki was startled by Kirishima slamming his locker door. The sound of the impact echoed across the empty room, "I knew it! I knew something was wrong with you!"

Katsuki watched tears formed in the corners of Kirishima's eyes. He dug his pointed finger into Katsuki's chest, "You came to Game Night on a work day, your phone is off and on top of all that, I found your death sentence calendar in your locker yesterday! Everything after April 8th was torn off, it's so morbid!"

Kirishima raised the envelope in one hand and activated his Quirk with the other, "Promise me you won't kill yourself or I'm shredding this! The 5.4 million yen you earned will go to waste!"

"Shitty Hair, calm the hell down. Don't be an idiot." Katsuki said calmly, trying to reach for the money. Kirishima stepped back bringing his sharpened hand closer to the envelope.

"I'm being an idiot?!" Tears fell down the hero's cheeks, "You were gonna off yourself!"

"Okay, Shitty Hair." Katsuki put his hands up in the air, "You got me. I'll stop. Now put your hand down."

"What are you not gonna do, man?!" He sobbed, "Be specific!"

"I'll stop trying to kill myself." Katsuki put his hands together, "I swear won't do it. I promise."

"Do you mean it?"

"....Yes, I mean it."

"Good." Kirishima sniffed as he deactivated his Quirk, "It's a promise, alright?" He handed Katsuki the envelope, "I don't want this money. Neither does Mina."

"Shitty Hair don-"

"No!" Kirishima wiped his eyes with his arm, "I don't want any money that you saved up just to die. Please take it back."

Katsuki begrudgingly took the money and shoved it in his pocket. Kirishima hugged him, squeezing him as tightly as he could, "Please. Don't scare me like ever again, man. You're my brother, my kid's uncle. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"Don't be so fucking sappy." Katsuki whispered. He swallowed the lump in his throat to keep himself together. He doesn't deserve to cry.

"Being sappy is super manly." Kirishima sniffed as he let go of Katsuki and smacked his shoulder, "Let me buy you lunch, my treat."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!" Kirishima pushed him out the door and into the food court of the agency. He bought them a couple of burgers and fries before sitting down at one of the tables. Katsuki popped a couple of fries in his mouth as he watched so many heroes talking and laughing with each other. He could only imagine the conversations they could be having.

Some hero Ground Zero is. He's so weak and useless. What a loser. Why does Red Riot even bother to spend time with him? Why is he even alive?

"Baku-bro! Earth to Baku-bro!" Kirishima waved his hand in front of his face, snapping out of his trance.

"What?! You're getting on my nerves!"

"I forgot to tell you, we're getting new patrol routes!"

"New patrol routes?"

"Yeah, I heard it from Denki. Crime rate is pretty low in the big cities nowadays, so more agencies are sending Pros over to the suburbs."

"Why neighborhoods, specifically?"

"I don't know." Kirishima shrugged his shoulders, "Probably to help Heroes connect with the people better or something. They emailed us the new routes this morning. You probably didn't see it because you were....occupied. We all start tomorrow."

"Great." Katsuki dipped his fry in his glob of spicy mustard, "Are we still paired together?"

"No, sorry." Kirishima smiled, "But remember I'm always a phone call away or text if you need anything."

"Right."

"And I'm gonna buy you a new calendar too, bro." He playfully punched him in the arm, "I'll have my baby girl pick it out, so you won't have the heart to rip it up."

"Do what you want."

-----

Later that night, Katsuki was in his apartment, laying in his bed. He decided to turn on his phone to see his new patrol route. Within seconds it blew up with notifications popping up in his inbox. Most of them were from Kirishima and Mina.

Shitty Hair: Bro, are you there.

Shitty Hair: Where r u man

Shitty Hair: Please answer your phone this isn't funny

Shitty Hair: KATSUKI ANSWER YOUR PHONE

Acid Wipe: Kat! Omg! Kat where are u!

Acid Wipe: You don't need to do this

Acid Wipe: We don't want this money

Acid Wipe: Why aren't you responding.

Acid Wipe: We love you Kat

Those were just a handful of the texts they sent him. As guilty as he felt, Katsuki didn't feel the need to respond to them. Kirishima knew he was still alive, so Katsuki was positive that he told Mina. Yep, he was alive. For now. After clearing out his inbox, he finally found the email he was looking for titled 'New Patrol Routes!'

Apparently, Pro Hero Ground Zero and Pro Hero Ingenium were going to take assigned shifts to the neighborhood streets around the Musutafu Apartments until further notice. "My old neighborhood, how nice." Katsuki sighed sarcastically, "Lots of kids over there now." He put his phone on his nightstand and pulled the covers over himself.

And plenty of bad memories.

Izuku always knew that being a single parent was one of the hardest things to be. The sleepless nights, the occasional fights and the lack of free time; all of these just come with the payless job. Even then, he wouldn't trade his little one for the world.

"Kouta! Huwwy up! Yur bweakfaz' iz gonna be cold!" Izuku called from the kitchen. He was sitting at the table that was covered with documents, his laptop and phone. "Kouta!"

"I'm coming, jeez!" A little boy with spiky black hair covered with a horned red cap walked into the kitchen. He sat down in the chair next to Izuku and pointed to his head. "I couldn't find my hat. I was looking everywhere for it."

"Waz et in my bedwoom?" Izuku moved some of his papers to make room for Kouta's breakfast, "Like I alwayz tell you."

"Tch, I just forget sometimes." Kouta pouted, clearly embarrassed, "It's not like it's in there all the time."

"Okay." Izuku kept his snickers to himself as he prepared a bowl of oatmeal with banana slices and blueberries for Kouta. He placed the bowl and spoon in front of him before sitting back down to do some more work on his laptop. The two sat in comfortable silence aside from Izuku typing on his keyboard until Kouta tapped him on his shoulder.

"Do I have to go to school today?"

"Yez, Kouta. I told you, you'd haff to go afder we finished unpackin' evwething.'"

"I still don't get why we had to move in the first place." Kouta crossed his arms and huffed, "You do all of your work on your laptop."

Izuku had to admit that Kouta was technically right. They didn't need to leave their apartment back in Tokyo City. Izuku just really missed Musutafu, he missed his childhood home after leaving it for college, he especially missed his mother. When Inko texted him last week that there was an available apartment in the third Musutafu building, he jumped at the opportunity.

"Giff it a chanze, Kouta." He sighed, closing his laptop, "You'll love et here, I pwomize."

"Hmph." Kouta finished off the rest of his breakfast and went into the living room to more than likely to go pout some more as he got his things together. Hopefully as the school year went on, he'll warm up to the city.

"Kouta, get yur shoez on." Izuku stretched his arms out before getting up from the table, "We don' want you to be late!"

"I don't think I'd mind being late." Kouta sat on the genkan to get his red shoes on. Izuku sat next to him to put on his matching footwear. Like father, like son, as they say.

"You could meet some weally nice kidz in elementary school."

"All the dumb kids wanna talk about is stupid Heroes and even stupider flashy Quirks." Kouta crossed his arms after he tied his shoelaces, "It's so annoying."

Izuku sighed, "You don' wanna be alone at school, do you?"

"Yeah I do. I like being all by myself." Kouta huffed, "I don't wanna be around some Quirk-happy wannabes who won't shut the heck up about being da numba one hero."

"Don' you want to make fwendz?" Izuku gave him a small smile, "Fwendz yur age?"

"No, cuz everyone my age is annoying and dumb." Kouta looked up at his papa with a confident smile, "I got you and Gramma, what more could I possibly need?"

"Oh, Kouta." Izuku had realized early in the years of raising his son that he was not like other kids. Kouta was unnaturally mature for his age, always reserved, kept to himself and only snapped at other kids who got too close to him. It was definitely due to his past traumas before he came into Izuku's life. To say he was at his wits' end with changing Kouta's views on hero society was the understatement of the century.

One day, he'll understand what his parents did for him.

The school Kouta was attending was the same elementary school Izuku attended when he was his age. Which meant they only had to walk a few blocks away from the apartment complex. Absolutely perfect since Izuku worked at home.

"My classroom is over here, Zuzu." Kouta pointed to a door that was labeled 'Class 1-A.' It was covered with paper planets and stars. Izuku opened the door to reveal the outer space-themed classroom already had a handful of kids sitting at their tables or playing with some of the toys.

"Welcome to first grade, guys! Come in, come in!" The young, bubbly teacher called out to them. Her warm brown hair was tied up in a small ponytail. She wore an open oversized green collared shirt over a white T-shirt tucked into her short denim jeans. Izuku nearly fainted from the sight of her. He could recognize those rosy cheeks anywhere.

Pro Hero Uravity is a school teacher!? Since when?

"Hey there, nice to meet you!" She walked over to Izuku and shook his hand, "I'm Mrs. Iida Ochako, but most of my kids call me Miss Ochako."

"A-aren't you a Hewo?"

"Am I Hero, you said?" Izuku nodded his head with a child-like wonder in his eyes which cause her to giggle, "Yes, I'm Uravity. But please just call me Ochako. No need for formalities."

Maybe I can ask for her autograph during parent-teacher conferences.

Ochako looked over to Kouta, who was hiding behind Izuku's leg. "So is this little one my newest student? What's your name, dude?"

Izuku patted Kouta's head, "Intwoduze yourzelf."

"My name is Kouta." He muttered, "Midoriya Kouta."

Ochako squatted down to his level with an outstretched hand, "I'm Miss Ochako. I can't wait to spend this new year with you. Can you put your bookbag in your cubby over there?"

"Can I keep my hat on?" Kouta asked as he begrudgingly accepted her hand to shake it. Ochako nodded her head to confirm he could, so he walked away leaving the two adults to speak with each other.

"Don't worry Mr. Midoriya, the principal told me everything about Kouta, so I'll keep a close eye on him around the kids." She smiled, "I don't know JSL very well yet, but my husband is teaching me a few things."

Izuku pulled out his notebook to write down a proper response before giving it to Ochako.

[Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I hope he doesn't cause too much trouble.]

"I'm positive he won't. I feel like he'll be a very good boy." Ochako handed him back his notebook and turned to her small class, "Okay everyone! Let's all sit on the Earth rug, it's almost Morning Time!"

Kouta ran over to Izuku to hug him, then let him go to sign, "Promise me, I'll see you later?"

Izuku kissed his son's forehead and signed, "I promise, I'll see you later."

----

By the time Izuku got back home, it was ten in the morning. He still had lots of work to do and seeing those documents piled on his kitchen table made him want to crawl into bed. Being a Quirk Support engineer was both fun and tiring at the same time. He took his seat at the table once more and opened his laptop to where he left off. His partner, Hatsume Mei, had requested him to type out 15 detailed Quirk analyses on a class of U.A students as well as some suggestions for potential support items.

Just one more student to analyze and I'll be all done. It's an easy one too. This girl's Quirk is Sponge. She's able to absorb any liquid through her skin and shoot it out in all directions. Obviously, the first thing she needs is-

"Hey baby, it's me! Are you home?" His mother called from the door. Welp, Mei can wait a little bit longer for those Quirk analyses. He closed his laptop to greet her with a smile.

"Hey mom." He hugged her and noticed a very large bag of Tupperware in her hands, "What's that?"

"Just a couple of housewarming gifts, sweetie. I wanted to bake you and Kouta something, but, uh as you can see...I kinda got carried away." She presented Izuku with the bag. Even though the treats were inside the containers, Izuku could still faintly smell them.

"There's cookies, brownies, apple turnovers and cupcakes in a few of those."

"Mom, you're gonna giff uz cafities." He laughed, "You diddent haff to do that."

"You know I have to spoil my two favorite boys." She looked around the room, "Speaking of, is he at school right now?"

"Yup. I juzt came home fwom droppin' him off." He pointed to the balcony, "You wanna hang out on the balcony and wait for him?"

"I would, baby, but I can't. I have to work at the hospital today." Inko kissed Izuku on his cheek, "I just wanted to come by and give you those desserts, my little engineer."

"Quirk Support engineer."

"Right. My little professional hero gadget maker."

"Moooooom."

"I love you, sweetheart." Inko signed before taking her leave, "I'll see you later."

"See you later, Mom."

After Inko left, Izuku turned back to the work pile on the table. He could finish it up, but he's been typing away at his laptop for three days straight on this project. He needed a break. A well deserved break and what better way to relax than to take a nice walk around his childhood neighborhood. He put the large goodie bag on the kitchen counter and went out the door for a walk.

I won't be gone for long. Just wanna clear my head.

The first thing he noticed was how much his old neighborhood had changed. There was now a small row of bushes between each of the apartment buildings. As he continued down the street, he saw how much better the playground across the street had become. A large swing set, a sandbox and monkey bars were added with the long slide and jungle gym. Izuku had to admit he was a little jealous as he watched kids running around with their mothers, enjoying the upgraded playground. Why didn't they add this stuff when Izuku was a little kid? He couldn't dwell on it for too long as he couldn't help smiling at the little girl sliding down the slide to her father.

"Catch me, Dada!"

"I'll catch you, don't worry."

"Mama! Mama!" Izuku hopped up and down like an energetic bunny at the top of the slide. His four year old self felt like a king of the entire world when he climbed up the ladder all by himself.

"I see you, baby!" Inko was at the bottom with open arms waiting for him to slide down. "C'mon down to Mama, Izuku!"

Izuku kept a nice pace as he walked around his neighborhood, remembering the good memories that him and his mother shared here before he left for school. Soon he reached a wired fence that blocked the forest he used to play in as a child. It was still just as flimsy and useless as it was over 20 years ago. Sadly, Izuku was too big for the hole on the bottom of the fence.

I could probably jump over this.

"Excuse me, citizen!" A voice called. Izuku turned around to see a giant Hero in a suit of pure white armor, aka, Pro Hero Ingenium. He ran towards Izuku in lighting fast speed. Very amazing. "I'm not sure if you realized but this area beyond the forest is forbidden to the public."

Izuku went to grab his notebook from behind his shirt and flipped to a blank page.

[I know. I was just walking by. Are you the Pro that patrols here?]

Ingenium nodded, before he signed, "Yes I am! Sorry about that! I've had to stop so many people today from intruding past that fence."

Izuku put his notebook under his arm to sign, "You know sign language?!"

"Yes! I learned it at U.A. High. A very prestigious establishment I might add!"

"Can I get your autograph, please? It would be such an honor."

"Why, of course. Anything for a fan." He took the notebook to write his signature with a navy blue glitter pen. "My wife suggested my signatures should be more flashy. Apparently, sparkly pens were the solution."

"Thank you." Izuku laughed, he couldn't be happier. Meeting two Pro Heroes in one day and one of them actually knew sign language. Not to mention, he went to the best hero school in the world, U.A High. The same school All Might had attended. He should ask Ochako if he went to U.A as well. If this was a dream, Izuku never wanted to wake up because this was the best day ever.

"You're welcome!" Ingenium pointed to the streets, "Well I must be off, my shift is over."

"You aren't the only Pro patrolling here?" Izuku was going to potentially meet up with another Pro Hero?! Did he just die and go to heaven or something? Ingenium must of sensed his excitement, but he didn't seem too thrilled about talking about the Pro taking his shift.

"Yes, I'm not. The other Pro. The other Pro is a bit rough around the edges, but very good at his job."

Well that wasn't very descriptive. There are plenty of heroes like that. Was it Chargebolt or maybe Red Riot? Oh! Maybe it was Shouto! He's a very good hero and was very public about his large family. He had five kids, it would make sense for him to patrol neighborhoods like this one. Izuku wanted to ask more questions, but he already ate up more of this Pro's time more than he should have.

"Thank you." Izuku bowed to him with a smile. Ingenium gave him a thumbs-ups before dashing out of sight. Izuku looked at his phone for the time to see it was already noon. Damn, how did he not realize he was out of the house for two hours? Well, he didn't want to keep Hatsume waiting any longer than she needed for those papers. It was high time he made his way home.

As he was walking back, Izuku figured it was a good idea to make a quick stop at the vending machine in front of the convenience store for a bottle of tea before finally bringing his little walk to a close. With the bottle under his arm, he pulled out his notebook to write down notes about this U.A student's Sponge Quirk.

[The girl's Quirk would be most effective if she had access to a body of liquid at all times. Meaning that the best type of support item for this student would be a water tank of sorts so that wa]

"Augh!" His brainstorming was cut short when he bumped into something or someone hard and tall. The impact was hard enough to cause Izuku to fall to the ground, dropping his notebook, bottle and pen onto the sidewalk.

"Watch where you're fucking going, buddy! I'm on patrol!" The voice was loud and very deep. Izuku realized he had bumped right into the Pro Hero taking his shift. How nice. He looked up to see which Hero's day he had just ruined, only to be met with glaring red eyes and spiky blonde hair looking down on him. That is, until the man's eyes softened when they met Izuku's worried gaze.

"D-Deku?"

Izuku sat there on the sidewalk confused as ever. Deku? Nobody has called him that since middle school. How does this Pro know his dumb childhood nickname? While Izuku got himself up, the Pro Hero had pulled down his black mask. Izuku froze at the sight of the Pro's true face.

"Do you remember me? I'm Bakugou Katsuki." He pointed to himself, "K-Kacchan?"

Izuku's heart began to pound against his chest. Panic was quickly coursing through his body and he could feel himself holding his breath. Kacchan? Katsuki? Why was he here? His Quirk was meant to be on the front lines, not to patrol neighborhoods filled with kids. Kids that could potentially be Quirkless. Katsuki was staring at him, he was waiting for Izuku to say something. Maybe to confirm that he remembered him, even though Izuku tried so hard to forget everything about him.

He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. It was as if his fear was preventing him from using his voice. Instead, he gave Kac-Katsuki an awkward smile, twiddled his thumbs and bolted in the direction he had just walked from.

"Hey! Where are you going!? Wait!" He heard Kacchan, no, Katsuki call for him, but his legs wouldn't stop moving. Izuku stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath when he gained a good distance away from him. He turned back and saw Katsuki was still running towards him with his stuff, "Please, come back!"

Izuku needed to hide and fast. God only knows what Katsuki is going to do to him and he doesn't want to find out. He ran back to the old fence and jumped over it like he thought he could. Sorry Ingenium, but rules were made to be broken. Specifically for situations like this. Luckily, Izuku knew these woods like the back of his hand, so he continued to run deep into it until he made it to a small river.

Izuku plopped himself behind a tree next to the familiar river and covered his mouth to mute his labored breaths. What could he possibly do now? He couldn't do this. Not after all this time. He couldn't relive those horrible memories after it took him ages to repress them. To forget them. Kacchan, er, Katsuki said he was patrolling, right? He was Ingenium's partner?! But why? His mind was racing a mile a minute with unanswered questions and thoughts of possible options to get himself out the shit hole he was in.

Sadly, all of those potential plans were shot when he heard Katsuki running towards the river. "Holy shit, he can run fast!" Katsuki panted. Izuku watched him walk across the log that acted as a natural bridge over the river. "Where the hell did he go?"

Izuku continued to stare at Katsuki looking around the forest for him. He couldn't move because he'd make too much noise. Shoot. He just trapped himself. Maybe if he was quiet enough, he could sit here and pray that Katsuki would just give up and walk away.

"Hey, there you are!" Goddammit. Katsuki jumped down from the log to the river with a large splash and slowly walked towards Izuku.

"Hey." He said in a soft tone. Why wasn't he yelling at him?

Welp, there was nothing he could do now. Izuku stood up and immediately noticed how much shorter he was than his childhood bully. Great. He braced himself for a punch in the face or his collar to be grabbed or for K-Katsuki to shove his things onto his chest, but instead he was hesitating? What was he waiting for?

"...uh....um...s-so, I, uh..fuck.." Katsuki averted his eyes as he presented Izuku the pen and tea bottle stacked on top of the notebook, "I wanted to give you these."

He used his free hand to...sign? "You forgot these."

Izuku gasped as his eyes widened in complete shock. Kacchan? Bakugou Katsuki..knows sign language?! This must be a joke. It has to be a joke.

"Why do you know sign language?"

"Why do I..know sign language? Because I.uh..I learned it in high school." He put his things in Izuku's hands, "Here take your shit. It's yours."

I don't understand this.

"I wasn't sure if you ever wanted to see me again." Kacchan shoved his hands in his pockets, "But, uh, I guess by your reaction, I guess I was right."

Why are you being nice to me now?

"So...De-....I-Izuku...I was, um, wondering..uh.." Katsuki signed as he spoke, "Can..me and you, Izuku...can we be friends again? I-Is that an option?"

"Kacchan! Kacchan!" Ten year old Izuku was on the playground with Kacchan and his friends. It was the first day of school and his mom just bought him a brand new All Might notebook.

"What do you want, Deku?!" Katsuki growled, "Go be a deaf Quirkless loser somewhere else."

"Don't be mean, Kacchan. Let's see what Triple D has to say!" One of his lackeys snickered.

Izuku ignored the rude giggles from Kacchan's group as he pulled out his notebook from his book bag. He turned to a specific page before presenting it to his former best friend with a hopeful look in his eyes.

[Can we be friends again, Kacchan?]

Kacchan snatched the notebook out of Izuku's hands and slapped him across the face with it, "Again? We were never friends to begin with you, Quirkless wannabe! Stop following me!"

Then he threw the notebook across the playground, "Go fetch!"

Izuku began to tear up from the pain in his cheek. He wiped his eyes as he walked away from the mocking laughter to grab his notebook.

"I know you asked me that before when we were kids and I was an idiot. So if it's possible we could...start o-" Katsuki stopped talking when he saw how terrified Izuku was. He was trembling so hard he dropped all of his belongings. He had covered his mouth to muffle the sobs that were erupting from his body. Izuku was so confused. Why was Katsuki acting like this? This is too much. Everything was too much.

"Don't cry, Izuku." He felt Katsuki attempt to place his hand on his shoulder, but Izuku instinctively flinched away from the hand. He couldn't risk Kacchan, no, Katsuki doing something to him.

Katsuki pulled his hand away, let out a pitiful chuckle and sighed, "You must really hate me, huh?"

"You must really hate me, huh?"

What the absolute fuck was Katsuki thinking? Why wouldn't Midoriya Izuku hate his fucking guts? Why would he want to be friends with the man who made his life miserable for their entire childhood? If anything, Izuku would want a restraining order for all the shit he's done to him. Katsuki should go, but he can't leave Izuku like this. That would just be a dick move on his part. Since Izuku pulled away from his hand when he tried to comfort him the first time, Katsuki settled for standing across from him with his hands in his pockets, watching him calm himself down.

Izuku wasn't even looking him, instead focusing on the fallen notebook. It was getting wet from the river splashing against the grass. Great. Another notebook of Izuku's that Katsuki had ruined. This wasn't how he imagined meeting up with Izuku AT ALL.

"I'll pick this up for you." It was the very least Katsuki could do. Before he could even grab it, Izuku wrapped his calloused hand around Katsuki's wrist to stop him. He was confused until Izuku turned Katsuki's hand over with his palm facing up. He watched Izuku's finger glide over his palm to spell out a single question.

"W..."

"H..."

"Y..."

"?"

"Why?" Katsuki raised his head to see Izuku's tear-stained face. His expression was unreadable. His eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth was straight and unmoving but it was his eyes that confused Katsuki the most. His eyes were shining emerald green like they always did when he was excited or determined about something back when they were kids.

What does he mean by why? Why am I here? Why did I follow him? Why do I want to be friends? Even if Izuku never wanted to see he him again after this, Katsuki needed to tell him the truth.

"I always wanted to see you again...Izuku." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I became a Pro Hero, but...I've never been a good person. I've looked down on you and so many other people all my life and it frustrates the hell outta me when I think about how I acted back then."

It never left his mind. It haunted him. Katsuki didn't go one day without reminding himself about his failures as a human being. How he always brought misery and pain to anyone who came in contact with him. He doesn't deserve his life. He needs to simply disappear.

"I fucking hate myself." Katsuki's mouth was moving before his mind could catch up, "I'm selfish and weak and fucking pathetic. Because of me we caused our idol, All Might, to sacrifice himself. Because of me I lost an old friend that I refused to understand."

"So that's why." Katsuki looked Izuku straight in the eye. His ruby red eyes crackled with a fire of determination. "That's why, Izuku. I want to understand you. I want to win back our friendship."

After a few minutes of pure silence, Katsuki finally registered what the hell he just said. He didn't mean to put out his whole fucking life story! He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. Why was blushing over something so stupid! Win back their friendship? Seriously?! Katsuki wanted to pull his hand away and run right then and there, but Izuku wasn't letting go of his wrist, in fact, he was holding onto it even tighter! What the fuck?!

"B-But you fucking hate me, right?" He backpedaled, "Forget what I said! I'm basically here for myself. You can just pretend you never met-"

"K-A-C-C-H-A-N."

Katsuki immediately shut his mouth when he noticed Izuku fingerspell his old childhood nickname onto his palm. Izuku had even put his finger up to his own lips afterwards to signify for Katsuki to shut the fuck up. He let go of his wrist to pick up his ruined notebook once again, gave Katsuki that same awkward half-smile before grabbing Katsuki's wrist without warning to lead him across the log bridge over the river.

"We're going deeper into the forest? Isn't that where..."

"Here, Izuku!" Four year old Katsuki smiled with his hands on his hips. "This gonna be Hero Agency Bakugou!"

"Hewo Anjuhcee Bakooogo!" Izuku pumped his chubby fist in the air as well with his All Might plushie in hand.

"Heck yeah, this is the best agency ever and no one can take it!"

"Nevah evah!"

"C'mon Izuku, we need sidekicks!" Katsuki marched over to a nearby tree with his bug net in hand. "Let's grab these beetles!"

"Okay, Kacchan!" Izuku followed him without any hesitation.

----

Hero Agency Bakugou was a small cave near the lake that all the rivers in the forest flowed into. Katsuki remembered having fond memories of playing Pro Heroes with Izuku before he decided to ruin everything by being an asshole over something so trivial as a Quirk.

The cave had been untouched for years. Now it was covered in moss both inside and out..more than likely from being so close to the lake. A few woodland creatures had also made their home here, running away as soon as the two men made their presence known. Izuku let go of his wrist to sit inside, then patted the mossy ground for Katsuki to sit next to him.

Don't fucking screw this up. He's giving you a chance. Make. This. Count.

Katsuki felt awkwardly stiff as he sat down. Izuku wasn't saying anything, instead he was watching the ducks paddle around in the lake. This gave Katsuki a chance to really see how much Izuku had changed without seeming creepy. Sure, Izuku still had the curly hair, the soft freckled face and those huge emerald green eyes, but he was no longer the skinny little middle schooler he was back then. He was pretty short, only reaching up to Katsuki's shoulder, but what surprised him the most was how fucking buff Izuku had become. His freckles scattered like stars all over his toned biceps and thick hands. If Izuku was able to fight Katsuki back in middle school, he could only imagine what he could do to him now.

Izuku turned to Katsuki with a sheepish smile, "Can you stop calling me, Izuku? It's weird.

Weird? But that's his fucking name. Katsuki raised an eyebrow as he signed, "What do you want me to call you then?"

"Deku. Not Izuku or Midoriya."

"But Deku means...useless."

"I know what it means." Izuku smirked, rolling his eyes, "It just doesn't seem fair for me to call you by your old nickname, but you can't call me by my old nickname."

That wouldn't be such a bad thing if Katsuki's nickname for Izuku wasn't full of hate and narcissism, but he'll do it for Izuku. So far, so good. Katsuki should ask some icebreaker questions to keep the conversation going.

""Do you live here now?"

""Yes. I moved into the Apartments a week ago. Lots of unpacking." Izuku let out a breathless snicker, "My son doesn't like the city though."

Katsuki couldn't believe it. Izuku has a kid now? He didn't think he even had it in him to have sex let alone have a child. Not that Katsuki could really say anything, he was still a virgin himself. Katsuki pushed those unnecessary thoughts out of his mind to focus on Izuku.

"So what do you do now? As a job?"

"Quirk Support engineer. I work with Pro Heroes and Hero students alot. I even met a few Pros who are never on the media. Like Eraserhead!"

"He was my teacher." Katsuki smirked, "Kind of an asshole."

Izuku gasped in the weirdest way possible. He began to sign so quickly that Katsuki couldn't even understand him. Maybe this was his own way of muttering in sign language. He was more than likely scolding him for talking shit about a classic Pro Hero.

I used to hate Midoriya Izuku for years and now here we are, sitting under a cave having a normal conversation. Why did I have to fuck everything up?

Speaking of which, Katsuki remembered Izuku used to talk alot more when they were younger. Did he become mute as he got older? It was pretty common for deaf people to become mute over time, right? Before Katsuki could even ask his question, he heard a loud vibration coming from Izuku's jean pocket.

"Looks like somebody needs you, Izu-Deku."

Izuku pulled out his phone to read the text, frowned, then showed Katsuki his phone screen with an apologetic smile.

Hatsume: Midoriya! I need those analyses today so I can make my babies!!! If you could get them in to me ASAP that would be AAAAMAAAZIIIING!!

Even in text messages, that crazy ass inventor chick was annoying. Izuku must have the patience of a saint if he works with her of all people. He stood up with his notebook and bowed to Katsuki before walking away. They can't just leave the conversation like that, can they? Katsuki still had so many questions for him. He nearly slipped on the moss as he scrambled to get up in order to catch up to Izuku.

"Deku, hold on!" He grabbed the hem of Izuku's shirt to stop him. Izuku jumped, giving him a terrified look on his face again. Shit! Katsuki backed away and signed, "I'm not going to hurt you! I wanted to know if you wanted me to walk you home."

Izuku shook his head, "I know the way home, Kacchan. You have to-"

"But I want to!" Katsuki blurted out, "My patrol route...it's around the Apartments anyway. It would be killing two birds with one stone."

"Okay." Izuku sighed, "You can come with me."

The walk back home wasn't too awkward, surprisingly. Izuku continued to tell him things that happened in his life. He went to Shiketsu High School after being offered a full ride scholarship there, he went to college in Tokyo and managed to travel to different locations in America for a few summers. He really did live life to the fullest after middle school.

Yet here I am, still doing the same shit for years.

By the time, they made it to Izuku's building, it was a little after one. His apartment was on the top floor, so he had a pretty nice view of the neighborhood. Katsuki knew Four Eyes was going to chew him out for wasting an hour of his patrol "messing around," but he can kiss Katsuki's ass for now. Izuku turned around with the biggest smile on his face,

"See you later, Kacchan."

"D-Don't mention it." He watched Izuku go into his apartment, processed everything that just happened before walking down the stairs to the streets.

"He said see you later." He whispered as he held his head up high, " Does that mean I can see him again?

----

His shift was over at five, but he stayed another hour to appease fucking Four Eyes. He was tired, annoyed and above all, sleepy. His bed was calling his name. However, when he entered his apartment he smelled...hot chicken wings? The aroma of hot sauce and rainbow of peppery spices, along with the warmth of hot oil made his stomach growl with hunger. Either this robber was the stupidest criminal alive or...

"Baku-bro!" Of fucking course. His dumbass brother was in his kitchen, wearing his apron, using his ingredients to cook dinner. Kirishima's flaming red hair was pulled back with a white bandana and he was wearing his stupid ugly red crocs. Katsuki was going to burn those one day. "Glad you finally came home! Had me worried for a minute there!"

"Shitty Hair!" He growled, ignoring his rumbling gut, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"It's a surprise!" Maiya yelled. She jumped up from under the kitchen table, laughing as she did so, "Daddy and Mommy said it would be a great idea to spend dinner at your place instead!"

Katsuki glared at Kirishima who simply shrugged his shoulders, "Yep. We'll be over here everyday after work. Mina and I came up with it."

"Then where the fuck is Acid Wipe?"

"In the bathroom, taking a shower." Kirishima threw in a few more wings and drumsticks in the boiling pan of oil, "She had to take down a villian who tried to escape through a sewer. Not the cleanest place in the world."

"And Daddy and I went to the store to buy you a present!" Maiya ducked under the table for a solid minute before popping back up with a square box wrapped in shiny orange wrapping paper with a black ribbon on top. "Can I give it to him now, Daddy?"

"Yes you can Baby Girl."

Katsuki sat at the table to take the gift. He unwrapped it with ease and opened the white box to reveal a calendar. He glanced at Kirishima who was whistling away as he cooked. Goddamnit.

"Duh! Nuh! Nuh! Nuuuuuuh! You got the Big Fist calendar!" Maiya hopped up and down in her chair as she drummed her fists on the table. "It's got pictures of your niece's favorite Hero for every month! She picked it all by herself!"

"I thought I was your favorite hero, Princess." Katsuki asked as he flipped through the calendar. He had to admit, it did have some nice fighting stance shots of the Class B girl.

"You're my uncle, so you don't count." Maiya stuck out her tongue with a playful shark-toothed smile, just like her damn father, "But you're my favorite uncle if that makes ya feel better."

"And about that calendar, bro. It's a key item." Kirishima turned around to give Katsuki a smirk, "So you can't throw it away."

"Yeah! It's forever in your inventory!"

"Alright, I get the damn picture, Hair-For-Brains. I'm not gonna toss it. After all, my Princess picked it out." Katsuki should've known Kirishima would use his daughter for evil sooner than later. He knew Maiya had Katsuki wrapped around her adorable little finger. Manipulative bastard.

"Hey, is that Katsuki's loud ass I hear?" Mina walked into the kitchen with his gray towels wrapped around her chest and head, "I see that Maiya gave you the gift. You like it, man?"

"Why the fuck do you idiots think you can just make yourselves at home in my house?" Katsuki leaned back in his chair and huffed, "Should've never given you a damn copy of my key."

"Aw, you know love us, bro. " Kirishima set down the plate of wings in the center of the table, "Now who's hungry?"

"Ooh! Ooh! I'm hungry!" Maiya clapped her hands with anticipation as she watched her father fix her plate, "Uncle Kat, did anything cool happen when you went out doing Hero stuff?"

Katsuki felt himself smile a little, "I met an old friend."

"See you later, Kacchan."

That simple little phrase played over and over in Katsuki's head for days. Izuku, well, Deku had given him a chance. He didn't deserve a chance, but he was damn well going to give it his all, so Deku wouldn't regret his decision. Sadly, the busy life of a Pro Hero doesn't allow Katsuki to spend any quality time with Deku. He has to do stupid paper work in the morning and his shift in their neighborhood is in the afternoon. The most he can do on his afternoon patrols is walk pass Deku on the sidewalks with a friendly wave or a quick hello.

"Good afternoon, Kacchan." Deku would always sign with a warm smile on his face. He still had that ridiculously large yellow bookbag that held his laptop. What a nerd.

"Hey, Deku." Katsuki smiled as he walked by before his usual resting bitch face set back in. Admittedly, it was annoying. He wanted to learn more about Deku, but it felt as if the universe was telling Katsuki he should leave Izu-Deku alone. It's not like he can't just walk up to Deku's apartment, it's more like he's being told not to go.

"What the fuck would I even do if I got there?" Katsuki muttered to himself, "Just sit around in his house? Play with his kid? Ask him to go get some coffee? No...I need a reason. A natural and smart reason. Can't look like I'm trying too hard."

Before Katsuki could even think of a good game plan, Tenya was calling his phone. He swiped his touchscreen with an annoyed huff to answer, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Watch it with the harsh language, Ground Zero!" Kasuki knew Four Eyes was doing that weird hand chop thing he always did when he lectured on the other end, "We are patrolling a neighborhood with young children!"

"I curse around Shitty Hair's daughter all the damn time and she doesn't repeat a fucking word." Katsuki said with a smirk, not that Four Eyes could see it. "So cry me a fucking a river, asshole."

"My god, you're so shameless." He gave an annoyed sigh, "How does Kirishima put up with you?"

"And you have a stick up your ass." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "How can Round Face put up with you? Now back to the original question: what the fuck do you want?"

"....Riiiight. I called to let you know that it's time for our scheduled break. I'll meet you in the playground with our food." He ended the call before Katsuki could insult him any longer. He didn't even realize it was time for their break.

Maybe some food could help. I'm starving.

The playground was empty due to it being a school day. The Pro Heroes sat next to each other on the bench with their bentos on their laps. Four Eyes was always weird sitting as proper and straight as possible, like a fucking robot. Katsuki preferred sitting with his legs crossed on the bench, plenty more comfortable. He ate a few bundles of rice as he gathered his thoughts,

Deku clearly still likes everything Hero-related. Maybe I could buy him something? Would that be too weird?

He did tell me he works from home. He shook his head and sighed, Should I even go see Deku again? Am I allowed to?

"Just so you know, Ground Zero," Tenya began as he finished the rest of his lunch, "there is a resident in this neighborhood that's hearing impaired. His name is Midoriya Izuku."

"How the hell did you find out his name?"

"His son goes to the same school Ochako teaches at. I'm going to teach her a few things, so she can communicate with him as best as possible." Tenya pulled out a small sign language dictionary from underneath his bento, "If you need a refresher or anything you can always borrow my book."

His kid goes to the school here. That's probably where he's going when I walk pass him. I could offer picking up his kid, so he doesn't have to leave the house or is that too creepy?

"I don't need your goddamn help, Four Eyes." He growled, "I took sign for three years, I know my shit. Besides why the fuck are you telling me this?"

"And so did I, Ground Zero." Tenya rolled his eyes, "Nothing wrong with reviewing some material. After all, we Heroes need to be as inclusive as possible to civilians of all kinds."

"Inclusive, huh?" Katsuki picked at the sausages in his bento. Maybe I shouldn't go see him then. Not after all the horrible shit I did to him.

"Ground Zero? Is something the matter? You seem to be a bit out of it today." Tenya asked with a concerned expression. Like Katsuki was ever going to tell Four Eyes anything about his broken mental state.

"Piss off." Katsuki turned his head away with his chopsticks still in his mouth, "None of your damn business, Sonic."

He heard his hero partner groan, "Glad to see your insults haven't improved since our UA days, GZ."

"Glad to see you still love to stick your stupid ass nose into other people's business." Katsuki hissed. He wasn't hungry anymore. He closed up his half-eaten bento and set it aside. It was like the anxiety of seeing Deku again was eating him alive. He was going to throw up if he didn't get moving.

"I'm going for a walk." He said quickly, not even giving Tenya the chance to nag at him.

Instead, Tenya sighed and yelled after him, "Just remember to be back in a half an hour! Please!"

----

Katsuki had walked around the neighborhood about three times before his body stopped shaking. He hated feeling this way, what the fuck happened to him? He used to be so strong and confident when he was young and now he's just...honest to god Katsuki doesn't know what the fuck he is anymore. It's like anything that involves Deku he hesitates. How can he be a good friend if he can't even face his friend!

"Fuck it! I'll just go up there and ask him if he wants to walk around the forest or something." He wasn't going to be a coward! He stomped over to the top floor of the third Musutafu building, first door from the left, that was Izuku's place. Katsuki pulled down his mask and cleaned off any mascara that had gotten smudged from working. He was going to do this. The door was right there. All he had to do was knock. He raised his fist up to knock exactly three times, then rang the doorbell. His nerves were getting the best of him, but he swallowed his fears and lunch as he waited.

Pops always said to count when I felt anxious. Deep fucking breaths and count, Katsuki. Dammit.

1...

2...

3...

4...

5...

"Hello?" A young boy answered the door. Katsuki looked down at the young child with spiky black hair staring at him with great contempt in his eyes. Katsuki bent down to the kid's level. So this is Deku's kid.

"Is Midoriya Izuku here? I'm uh, Bakugou Katsuki. A friend of his."

"He's not here." He growled, staring Katsuki straight in the eyes.

This kid kind of reminds me of me. Yeesh.

Katsuki was pretty sure that Izuku, er, Deku wouldn't leave a small child alone by himself. He took his eyes away from the kid to see if Deku was in the living room. He was! Sitting on the couch typing away on his laptop, probably doing some of his support engineering work. Katsuki points at him, "He's right there. On his computer."

"Not him." His voice was still just as angry, "There's nobody here named Izuku."

"Listen kid, I'm just gonna talk to your dad for like 5 minutes tops." Katsuki gave the kid a small smile, "So can you stop messing around, it won't take-."

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you anyway?" The kid's glare was filled with unbridled hatred. He gripped the door tighter as he raised his voice, "Are you actually a friend of his or something?"

"...I..." Are they really friends? He remembered he said he wanted to rekindle their old friendship, but Izuku never confirmed that he wanted to be friends again too. Was Izuku simply being polite? Was he just pitying him?

"Thought so." The kid gave Katsuki a scowl that could run him for his money. He snarled, "You dumb heroes need to stop thinking you can do whatever the hell you want. Go away."

SLAM!

Katsuki bit his bottom lip, taking deep breaths. He shouldn't be surprised that Deku told his kid all about their history together. Why wouldn't he? He probably told his kid to pull a knife on Katsuki if he ever saw him on the street. But that kid made a good point. Does Deku consider him a friend? When do people consider each other friends?

Maybe...maybe they would know.

----

"I'm home!" Katsuki called. He kicked off his shoes and threw his gym bag on the couch. There was beef stir fry sizzling on a pan in his kitchen, making his mouth water. If he wasn't so fucking tired, he'd sneak a few samples of dinner. Instead, he plopped down on his couch to grab the remote when he felt soft feminine hands over his eyes.

"Hi Kat!" Mina sang. She must've come out of the kitchen because Katsuki could smell dinner coming from her clothes. "Glad you're back."

"Get your nasty ass fingers off my face." His voice had no venom in his voice as he turned on the TV, "Where's Princess and Shitty Hair?"

"They left to buy some more groceries. So it's just me and the food. You can eat whenever you want."

"I'll grab a bowl when they come back."

"So, uh..Kat?" Mina sighed, "I just wanna know. Are you, like, cool with us doing this?"

"Cool with what?"

"Don't play dumb, man." She moved her hands from Katsuki's face to wrap her arms around his shoulders, "With us having dinner here."

"...It's fine. I don't care."

The Kirishimas have been coming over to his apartment for the past week to cook dinner and hang out for a bit before they left for the night. It was pretty annoying at first, but their presence made him realize how lonely he was in his own home.

"I know me and Ejirou kind of decided without you, but we're just...We really love you, ya big lug."

I love you guys too.

Katsuki felt Mina kiss the top of his head and squeeze him a bit tighter. He was really being a burden to them. He had to repay them in some way, but they won't accept the money he left them before. Maybe he'll take them out somewhere.

"You're too sappy for your own good." He muttered, wiping his eyes with the palm of his hand.

"Whatever you say, dude." She giggled and rested her chin on his head. It felt very comforting and warm.

"Mina, can I...can I ask you something?" He asked. His voice was quiet, so he muted the TV.

"What is it?"

"What does it mean to be "friends" with someone?"

"Hmm...do you need an exact answer?" She moved her chin from the top of his head to look at Katsuki from the side. "Being friends isn't something you can really define with logic."

He glanced in her direction, eyebrows furrowed with uncertainty, "Aren't there some cases where you have to earn the right to be friends?"

"Earn the right? What do you mean?"

"For instance, say there was a brat who messed with a boy and then..." Katsuki felt himself grit his teeth in anger and guilt, "...for some reason later on the boy forgave the brat, but the brat didn't know if he deserved to be friends with the boy."

"Then maybe the brat should tell the boy what he's thinking." Mina smirked, "Then he'd get an answer."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of Katsuki's front door unlocking. The door swung open with Maiya front and center. She kicked off her crocs and ran towards Mina to hug her, leaving her poor father to hold all of the bags.

"Mommy! Uncle Kat! Me and Daddy brought more food!"

"No, it's okay, Baby Girl. I'll just handle this all by myself." Kirishima sarcastically huffed. "Can somebody help me before everything hits the floor?"

"I gotcha, babe!" Mina called. She helped her husband bring all of the bags into the apartment, while Katsuki continued to think about his doubts. Kirishima patted Katsuki on the shoulder, "Hey bro! Nice to see you alive and well."

"Shut up."

"You're as cuddly as a cactus, man." Kirishima laughed. Maiya hopped on top of Katsuki's legs with the sweetest smile on her face. She wanted something.

"Do you have work tomorrow, Uncle Kat?"

"No. Why?"

"Can you take me to the playground tomorrow? The one you work at."

"No." Katsuki was planning on working out tomorrow, "Maybe another time."

"Oh come on, please! My friend from preschool said there's a really cool playground there and I wanna see it!" She clasped her hands together and batted her little eyelashes, just like her damn mother did back in UA.

"Princess.."

"I'll be your best friend! I'm really good at that!" She smiled. Goddamnit. He couldn't say no to those big red eyes.

"Fine, but you owe me."

"I promise I'll make you the nicest drawing ever!"

"Looking forward to it."

----

The next day Katsuki and Maiya were at the playground as promised. Maiya was swinging high on the swings, while Katsuki was sitting on the bench watching her. He was in his usual disguise, his spiky hair sticking from under a black beanie, navy blue shirt, black pants, boots and sunglasses over his bright blue contacts. Katsuki wasn't a fan of wearing disguises, but they were more so for the safety of loved ones than the Pros.

"Uncle Kat!" Maiya squealed. She jumped off of the swing at its peak and landed on her butt, "I love this place! Can I go to school here instead?"

"That's a question for your dumb dad, Princess." Katsuki said, "Also stop jumping off of the swings."

"I'm using my Quirk!" She yelled back, showing her legs and bottom were hardened and ridged just like her Daddy's power.

"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about you landing on someone." The toddler sucked her teeth and ignored his concerns and went back to swinging high as hell on the swing. He chuckled, "Damn brat."

Katsuki's eyes drifted to the Apartments that were up the street. Izuku's apartment. Maybe he could try to talk to Deku again. Hopefully that kid wasn't there. He stood up from his seat, "Let's go, Princess! I wanna meet someone."

"Ooookaay!" She jumped off the swing again, dusted off her electric blue tutu and skipped over to grab Katsuki's hand. He lead his niece to the top floor of the apartment building and had her stand behind him, while he knocked on Deku's front door. After a few minutes, the door was opened swiftly by the same kid from yesterday. Fuck.

"He's not here."

Katsuki saw Izuku was drinking some tea, while watching TV. He got down to the kid's level again and glared right back at him, "He's right there. I can see him."

"You don't see anything. Go away."

"Listen kid, why don't you-"

"Izuku doesn't want to see you, okay?!"

"Oh..." Katsuki felt his heart shatter. He should've known it was too good to be true. "T-That...that's pretty shitty. Nothing against your dad, but I, uh, I thought-"

"I want you to listen loud and clear, Hero." The kid raised his fist, while getting in Katsuki's face. "If you're just here to make yourself feel better, you might as well leave. Now get lost."

"I see." Katsuki was going to do just that until he didn't hear the door being slammed shut. He looked over to see his niece in front of the door.

"Excuse me, but can you move?"

"No, man." Maiya had hardened her foot with her Quirk to keep the door open. "My uncle just wants to see your dad. What's the big deal?"

"I don't care. Zuzu isn't seeing any dumb heroes. Now move." He hissed.

"C'mon it'll only be for a like second. Stop being so stubborn."

"Move your foot from the door!" He was pushing the door as hard as he could, but Maiya's Quirk was too strong for him.

"Not until you let us in!" She yelled.

"Alright Princess just stop." Katsuki tried to grab her, but she made sure her foot was pretty jammed in. This can't be happening. "It's okay. Let's go."

Maiya looked up at him with a frown, "But you wanna see his dad, right?"

"Of course the stupid Hero has an even stupider kid." The brat chuckled darkly. How the hell was this Deku's kid? "You two are Quirk-happy idiots."

Maiya's eyes widened, then she growled, "You wanna say that again!?" She kicked the door open with her other hardened foot and tackled the kid to the ground. The kids started to wrestle each other, pulling on each other's hair and clothes.

"Get off of me you, idiot!" The brat yelled, "Your dad is a piece of crap! Just like you!"

"Who do you think you are?!"

"Bring it on, you stupid girl!"

"You need to learn some manners, jerk!"

"What are you gonna do, Quirk wannabe?!"

"Maiya, chill out!" Katsuki tried to pull them apart, but those kids were determined to kill each other. Yep, this was an absolute disaster. "Seriously Maiya, that's enough! Leave the damn boy alone!"

"Kouta!"

Everyone froze when they heard a new voice enter into the mix. It was Deku. He looked very confused at the scene before him. His eyes shifted at the tiny children pile, then at Katsuki as he signed, "Kacchan. What is going on here?"

"I...I..uh..w-well....fuck..I.." How do you explain that your niece tried to beat up your potential friend's son? Newsflash, you don't. Katsuki was trapped, so he did that only thing he could do.

"Princess, let's get the fuck outta here!" He yelled as he ran down the stairs of the building.

"But what about the boy?!"

"Leave him!" This was a total dumpster fire. Once again, he's ruined fucking everything. When he got down to the third flight of stairs, he finally heard footsteps behind him. He turned around only to see a mop of curly green hair catching up to him. FUCK!

Katsuki stopped in front of the building, it would've been pointless for him to keep running. He watched Izuku come down the steps behind him. Not even out of breath.

"How did you get so fast?" Katsuki signed, looking a bit annoyed.

Izuku giggled, "I took track in high school."

"Are the kids okay?"

"Yes. Before I chased after you, I told them to stay in my apartment to kiss and make up. You didn't tell me you had a daughter."

Katsuki shook his head, "She's not mine. She's my niece. My very bratty niece."

Izuku chuckled at that, "Mine isn't much better. Sorry about Kouta. I hope he didn't hurt her."

"Maiya should be the one apologising, not you. She tackled him first"

"Kouta, more than likely provoked her. He's not really the nicest six year old around."

Awkward laughter was shared between them. How do you even begin a normal conversation after that? He had to try. Katsuki took a deep breath as he remembered what Mina said to him. He wanted this to work.

"I wanted to come see you, Deku, but I wasn't sure if you were okay with it."

"I was wondering when you were going to come see me."

Deku was looking away from Katsuki's gaze, he was more than likely just as embarrassed as he was.

Katsuki cleared his throat, it felt so dry as he explained himself even though he wasn't talking, "I've been thinking about how I treated you back then and it makes me think I don't have a right to see you."

"Kacchan."

"I'm not even sure if we could be considered friends and I was too weak to properly ask you."

"I'm so happy, Kacchan." Izuku smiled, "I was thinking the exact same thing. Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah, that's pretty weird." He smirked.

"So are you busy now or you on some secret mission?" Izuku pointed at his blue eye contacts.

"No, I'm off today." He gestured towards his outfit, "I don't normally wear this type of shit. It's to protect my niece."

"That's really cool, Kacchan."

"Whatever." Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling his cheeks burn a bit. Why does this damn nerd still gives him undeserved compliments?

"So do you want to come back and hang out on my balcony. Has a nice view of the neighborhood."

"Lead the way, Deku."

"Damn it. He got to see him after all." Kouta grumbled. He gripped his controller tighter while he played his video game. Zuzu had forced him and this stupid girl to stay in the living room to "talk it out," but all she's done is mess with every little thing in the living room her grubby little hands can latch on to. He didn't need nor want to interact with either of these Quirk idiots for another second.

"Are you playing Wind Waker, Grumpy Boy?!" She gasped as she hopped on the couch cushion next to him, "Ooh! You're in the Wind Temple. Let me fight the boss!"

"My name isn't Grumpy Boy." Kouta rolled his eyes and scooted away from her. Too close, "And no. You'll get me killed, Dumb Horns."

"And I know my name isn't Dumb Horns. It's Maiya." She pouted, "I won't get you killed! I've played this game like a bazillion times. Just ask Uncle Kat."

"I don't care." Kouta didn't know how much more of this Maiya girl he could take. She was so annoying. Hell, everything about her was annoying. From her hair to her clothes to her voice. Zuzu needed to hurry up and tell the Hero idiot to beat it.

"Are you always this freakin' grumpy all the time?" She whined, slumping further down the couch until her back was lying on top of the cushion.

"I'm not being grumpy." Kouta hissed, "I want you and your stupid Hero dad outta here."

"I told you, he's not my dad!" Maiya started to kick her legs back and forth as she helplessly watched Kouta fight off a couple of enemies, "He's my uncle. My favorite uncle, so you better stop being mean to him."

"I'm not gonna have some Quirk crazy loser tell me what to do." Kouta paused the game to glare at the girl, "So you better shut up if you know what's good for you."

"You're so rude." Maiya sighed, completely unphased by his threat. What is with this girl? "Can't be a Pro Hero actin' like that."

"I don't want to be a stupid Hero." He gritted through his teeth, "I never will be, you idiot."

"Why not?" Maiya turned her head slightly, "Both of my parents are Pro Heroes and they're great. They save people all the time! Pro Hero Red Riot and Pro Hero Alien Queen!"

"Ha! Of course!" Kouta's voice was full of venom as he put his controller aside. This should be good. He snickered, "Of course both of your parents are Heroes! Now it all makes sense."

"What makes sense? What's so funny?"

"You and the rest of the world are insane. Callin' each other Villains and Pro Heroes and killin' each other cuz of it." He gave the girl an intense glare, "All your parents wanna do is show off their Quirks in the stupidest way."

"Hey, that's not true! My parents are Pro Heroes cuz wanna save people!" She returned an equally angry expression, "Don't just assume things, Kouta!"

"Your parents are idiots!" He roared. Kouta dug a finger into Maiya's chest with a twisted smirk, "Just you wait. One day, they're gonna show off and won't be here anymore."

"Say that again, so I have a reason to punch you." She growled in his face. The tension was so thick you could cut through it with a butcher knife. The kids had the most intense stare down until they heard the front door being open. Izuku walked in first with the Hero close behind him.

"You good, Princess?" The stupid Hero called, clearly oblivious to the tension in the room, "Did you say sorry to Kouta?"

"We'll finish this later, jerk." Maiya whispered before turning to her Uncle with the sweetest fake smile, "Ya I did and everything's fine now, Uncle Kat. I'm watchin' him play Zelda."

"That's good."

"Can they go now, Zuzu?" Kouta asked as he slid off of the couch to greet his father, "They are leaving now, right?"

Izuku shook his head as he signed, "Kacchan and I are going to talk more on the balcony."

"What? Why?"

"To catch up, Kouta. You can play with Maiya for a while and show her around the apartment."

Kouta looked pass Izuku to glare at the stupid blonde moron Hero standing behind him. He felt his blood boil just being in the same area as him. Zuzu was seriously about to let this stupid Hero come into their home like he owned the place?!

"No, this is so stupid." He pointed at the Hero, "I don't want him in here! This is our home!"

"Kouta!"

The dumb Hero tapped Zuzu's shoulder to grab his attention, "I don't mind leaving, Deku. I can come back over another time."

"No, don't come back ever. You don't belong here."

"Stop it, Kouta." Zuzu shook his head and turned back to him, "I want you to be nice, please. Don't do this."

"But he's-"

"Shhh! Kouta!" Zuzu had his finger to his lips. That meant the conversation was over. Kouta crossed his arms, glaring at the Hero as he was lead by Zuzu into their kitchen as if it was his own. He wanted to kick him in his gut so badly. He didn't think the stupid Hero would be able to manipulate Zuzu that quickly. He had to stop this, but not now, he didn't want to make Zuzu any angrier than he already was. Feeling defeated, Kouta stomped back to the couch to find Maiya playing his game.

"I didn't say you could play."

"You were occupied. Besides I got through a lot of the dungeon for you." She smirked, "Now watch a pro at work."

"Whatever." He tried to pay attention to the TV, but he just couldn't. He was too angry himself. He stood up on the couch, turned around and watched Zuzu and the stupid Hero talk. Zuzu was grabbing the desserts that Gramma made for them from the fridge to share with the Hero.

"Gramma made those for us." He muttered, "Not for some stupid Quirk idiot."

Kouta continued to spy on them until Maiya pulled him down by his shirt. This girl would never stop being a nuisance. "Hey look Kouta, I found the boss key! Now we can finally kill the big bad bug!"

"I don't care." He watched the Hero follow Zuzu to the balcony with a plate of desserts and slid the sliding door closed behind them. He needed to make sure that dumb Hero wasn't getting any ideas. He jumped off the couch and sat at the table near the sliding door.

"You must be super fun at parties." Maiya grumbled, continuing to play the game, "Y'know maybe if you weren't...hey! Why are you sitting over there?"

"Shut up, I'm busy."

Maiya paused the game and sat in a chair next to Kouta, "Are ya spying on Uncle Kat and Mr. Midoriya, like a creeper?"

"You wanted to play Wind Waker, now go play it, brat."

"Stop callin' me a brat! I know you're not that much older than me! I'm turning 5 in August." Maiya turned her attention to the men and scratched her head in confusion, "Why is Uncle Kat talking with his hands?"

"It's called sign language, Dumb Horns."

"Really? Wow! My uncle is so freakin' cool. He's got mad skills."

"If you think so..." Kouta couldn't help rolling his eyes. Why was this girl so easily impressed by every little thing? He felt her pulling on his shirt, "What now?"

"Your dad was speaking sign language earlier, right?" She began to bounce in her seat, "That means you understand them! Tell me what they're saying! Translate! Translate!"

"Okay, I'll translate." Kouta smirked, "Zuzu is saying, 'Who's that stupid girl sitting in my living room?' and your dumb uncle says, 'Just some monkey I picked up on the street. She's really, really gross. Pretty disgusting.'"

"Stop messin' around!" Maiya punched him in his side, "Be for real!"

"Ow!" Kouta punched her back in her arm, "Fine, you dumb brat."

"You started it." She huffed, "Geez, you're freakin' rude, man."

"Whatever." Kouta watched closely as he translated,"'Do you always work on Hero gear from home?' 'No, sometimes I go to UA to help the students with upgrades. Why do you ask?'"

"Your dad makes support gear for Pro Heroes? That's so cool. Maybe I should ask him for a costume just like my daddy."

"Will you ever stop talking?" Kouta groaned, making Maiya snort. He continued, "'I was hoping you could look at my costume and make any needed adjustments of upgrades.' 'Of course I would...Kacchan. Anytime you need it.'"

"Mr. Midoriya's so sweet." Maiya smiled as she rested her cheek on her arm, "Super manly."

Kouta slumped in his chair, I can't believe this. Of all the morons you decide to bring into your life, it's him. Zuzu, you're being a dummy.

Maiya and the dumb Hero stayed in the apartment for a few more hours before they finally had to leave.

"It was kinda fun meeting you, Kouta. Even if you are rude." She said before giving Kouta a hug goodbye, which was super weird and skipped out of the door.

The Hero, on the other hand, stayed to talk to Zuzu some more. "Maybe I can come back soon. I'll check my schedule for the next time I'm off."

"I can't wait, Kacchan." Izuku smiled, he patted Kouta's head, "Zay goodbye, Kouta."

"Get lost." Kouta spat as he flipped off the Hero. He heard Zuzu gasp in surprise, but he didn't care for now. He just wanted this dumb Hero out of the house and out of his life. Kouta had to stop this. Now.

"You certainly got some spunk." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "I'll, uh, catch you later, Deku."

"Bye, Kacchan."

They watched the door closed and Izuku let out a very tired sigh, "Kouta, pleeze don' do that ever again. You don' flip off Hewoes."

"He's a dumb Hero, Zuzu. He doesn't deserve any respect from me." If anything, that Hero deserves to be thrown in a ditch or an abandoned island that was thousands of kilometers away from Japan, so he could rot in the hot sun.

Izuku looked like he wanted to say something, but decided to hold his tongue. Instead, he placed his hand on Kouta's shoulders, "How about you go take a baff an' I'll go get dinner reddy. By the time yur done, yur plate will be on the table."

"That I can do." Kouta went into his bedroom to grab his towel. Zuzu was getting a little too attached to this Hero. He needed to keep them apart, he needed to protect Zuzu from getting hurt.

"That dumb pro always comes to walk the sidewalk around noon. So maybe...if I go to the playground tomorrow, I can find him and "talk" to him." A disturbing smile grew on the boy's face, it was all coming together in his head.

"Then he'll finally get the picture of who he's dealing with."

----

"This was your father when he was your age, Sweetheart." Inko had little three year old Kouta in her lap as they went through one of Izuku's many baby books. Kouta loved it when Gramma babysat, she always told him stories about the hospital or when Zuzu was a kid.

"Who's that, Gramma?" Kouta pointed to one picture of Zuzu smiling with some blonde kid. "He has spiky hair like me."

"Oh..that's...that's, um, one of Izuku's old friends." She quickly flipped the page to new set of pictures, "They're not friends anymore."

"Why not? What happened?" Kouta turned the page back to the picture of the blonde boy. They looked very happy together.

"Well...he used to be really, really mean to your father, so....so they stopped being friends."

"But Zuzu's so nice, why would he be mean to him?" Why would anyone be mean to Zuzu? Sure he was a little too affectionate sometimes, but he was pretty much the nicest person Kouta ever knew.

"I think it was because your dad doesn't have a Quirk." Inko sighed, "It's ridiculous, honestly."

"That boy was stupid." Kouta grumbled. This boy was just as bad as those Heroes. Only focusing on flashy Quirks. He hated Quirks.

"I wouldn't say stupid, honey, just a bit misguided." She kissed Kouta on his temple, "It's good to know you love Izuku all the same. You're going to protect him from all of the bullies?"

"Yep. I'll always keep Zuzu safe!" He smiled. Zuzu only deserved the best of the best.

Saturday couldn't have come sooner, Kouta woke up the next day with a wonderful smile on his face. He had the perfect plan. The best plan to keep that Hero far, far, FAR away from Zuzu. He jumped out of bed and slipped on his usual button-up shirt and black shorts to get this plan into action.

"Where's my hat?" Kouta looked under his bed and his closet, but no hat to be found. What the hell? He peeked his head out of his room to see his father walking down the hall with a basket of dirty clothes in his hands.

"Good affdanoon, Kouta." He smiled.

"Good afternoon. Zuzu, I can't find my hat. 'S not in my room."

"My bedwoom, Kouta." He answered without missing a beat.

"Can I go to the playground today?"

Izuku stopped in his tracks to give his son a surprised look, "Why?"

Kouta knew Izuku would be suspicious about him suddenly wanting to go to the park. He was pretty adamant about being a social outcast among his peers, but Kouta had already prepared for this kind of question. "I don't wanna play with those kids, I just wanna swing on the swings."

"Do you wan' me to come wid you?"

"No, I'm not a baby, Zuzu." He huffed, which only made his father chuckle. Oh brother. Izuku put the basket down to ruffle Kouta's hair and smiled.

"Yur still my baby."

"Stop being so weird." Kouta felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. Zuzu was always such an overly affectionate parent. Then again, so was Gramma. Maybe it just ran in the family. "So can I go or what?"

"Yeah you can go. Make sure you take my perzonal zell phone and tex' me when you get there."

Kouta nodded his head, "I won't be gone long."

"I'll be here when you get back." Izuku smiled, then went to their small laundry room to wash their clothes. Kouta found his hat and Zuzu's cell phone on top of his nightstand in his room before running to the front door. Normally, Kouta would wear his red sneakers, but today was the perfect weather to wear his black steel toes boots. Kouta laughed to himself as he opened the door. Everything was coming together better than he thought.

"I'm leaving, Zuzu!"

"Haff a good day!"

"I most certainly will." He whispered before walking out the door.

As soon as Kouta made it to the playground, it made his skin crawl to see so many loud kids and a handful of parents. If it wasn't clear already, he hated people and would do anything in his power to avoid them. Unfortunately, he needed to be out of his comfort zone for today, so his plan could work. The swing set was relatively barren, so he took an empty swing and occasionally kicked his feet. Sadly, he wasn't on the damn swing for more than a few minutes until some random little girl wanted to play with him. Why was it always girls that wanted to bother him?!

"Hey kid, you wanna play freeze tag?" She was chewing gum and blew a large bubble that quickly popped, "You can be It if ya want."

"No." Kouta glared at her, he did not want to deal with this nonsense today, "Go away."

"Aw, c'mon don't be lame." She crossed her arms as if she wasn't being the annoying one in this conversation, "Do you wanna play Pro Heroes instead? You could be a good Suneater."

"I don't wanna play anything." Kouta scowled at the stupid girl, "Buzz off or I'll make you."

"Tch, you're mean." The little girl sneered, "No one likes a villian."

"No one likes an annoying brat either, but here you are." Kouta hissed. The girl seemed to have got the message because she ran back towards her friends without saying another word. Not the best way to start out an afternoon, but at least he didn't yell at her. He's not here to make friends, what he's looking for is those damn Heroes. He swung on his swing what felt like a lifetime before finally he saw what he was looking for.

"Guys! Guys! It's Ground Zero and Ingenium!" One little boy screamed. The kids gathered around near the edge of the playground to gaze at the Heroes patrolling on the sidewalk. It was pathetic. Ingenium laughed, whispered something to the other stupid Hero, before walking towards the group of kids, while Ground Zero kept walking.

"And Maiya says Heroes aren't here to show off." Kouta mutters to himself. He hopped off the swing to walk closer to the group. He couldn't just walk off the playground, some nosy parent might call for him. He needed to blend into the crowd before he took off to get to that Hero.

"Hello, little ones, so nice to see you." Ingenium said as he squatted down to their level, "I hope you all are being well-behaved!"

"WE ARE!!" The kids screamed like idiots. Kouta rolled his eyes. If he had to be around these Pro Hero-obsessed nobodies any longer, he might actually go insane. He waded through the crowd of kids and snuck pass Ingenium before he could finally run after that dumb Zero hero. He needed to deliver a special message to that idiot, that only Kouta could give to him.

----

"There he is." Kouta whispered to himself. Ground Zero had stopped to answer his phone, so Kouta managed to catch up to him in record time. He was hiding behind a large bush as he watched his target talk on the phone. Kouta cupped his hand around his ear to hear the conversation a little better.

"Maiya, I told you not to call me when I'm at work....I don't care." Ground Zero put his hand on his hips as he groaned, "That's not an excuse I'm not dropping everything just to buy you some fucking candy."

"Dumb Horns really is that annoying, even to her stupid Hero family." Kouta smirked.

"Nope....Goodbye, Princess. Go bother your father now." He hung up his phone and snickered, "That girl is something else. I swear she acts like her mother every single fucking day."

"Excuse me! Aren't you Ground Zero?!" Kouta yelled out as he walked out of the bushes to confront the Hero.

"Kouta? The hell are you doing here?" Ground Zero looked down at him with a very questioning look on his face.

"I followed you here." Kouta rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Moron."

"Why?"

"Zuzu wanted me to deliver something to you." Kouta walked up to the Hero and stopped in front of him once they were only inches apart. "He told me it's important."

"How important exactly?"

"This important." Kouta widened his stance with his clenched fists to his sides, took a deep breath, then delivered a swift, powerful blow below Ground Zero's belt.

"SHIT! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!" The Hero screamed from the sudden attack. Kouta felt a smile grow across his face as he watched the Hero continue to screech and curse several times before falling to the ground on his knees, doubling over in pain to hold onto his injured scrotum.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, kid?!" The Hero managed to cough out, he sounded as if he was going to throw up. Good.

Kouta glared at the stupid Hero as he spoke, "Didn't you know? The rule is that if you talk to Izuku, I get to hurt you."

Right after he finished his sentence he put those steel toe boots to good use. He kicked the Hero in his sides, arms and thighs as hard as he could. He wanted him to hurt. This Quirk happy moron was just going to hurt Zuzu all over again. Kouta was going to stop this nonsense before it even started. "I say I get to kick you for every second you were in our house. So I think one million kicks will do, right? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.."

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop it! You damn brat!" Ground Zero heaved, "What did I ever do to you?!"

"I already told you. You talked to Izuku, so I get to hurt you. Maybe this time you'll understand with that thick skull of yours that you'll stay away from Izuku."

"You are one evil fucking kid."

"I don't care what you have to say, Hero." Kouta kicked him one last time in his stomach, causing him to gag. "Don't talk to Zuzu ever again."

He ran off afterwards, but slowed down a bit when he heard the stupid Hero throwing up on the side of the road. His work was done, now Ground Zero will think twice before he ever decides to talk to Izuku ever again.

Izuku felt really good. Like really, really good! Never in his life did he think he would actually be happy meeting his childhood friend. Kacchan had really changed so much. He was certainly less angry and he yelled alot less, he never insulted Izuku and he was just more pleasant to be around. It was honestly...well it was honestly kind of jarring. Don't get Izuku wrong, he liked the "new" Kacchan, but he couldn't help there was something off. It felt as if he was hiding more than he was letting on. Being a Pro Hero isn't exactly the easiest profession in the world, so maybe he has a couple of dark tales he'd rather not tell or something cool like that. Maybe he had some guilt over not being able to save every civilian. It's a common feeling that most Pro Heroes have to deal with, at least, that's what Izuku has researched in his free time.

He did remember Kacchan saying he didn't like himself when they reunited in the forest of their childhood. Izuku was sure he said something else about All Might, but Kacchan was talking so fast that Izuku couldn't hear what the hell he was saying. That is, until he looked at him with those piercing red eyes and said in the most serious voice, "So that's why. That's why, Izuku. I want to understand you. I want to win back our friendship."

It made Izuku want to tear up everytime he thought about that line. He's never really felt wanted like that before and by Bakugou Katsuki no less. Knowing that Kacchan wanted to rebuild their broken relationship..that made Izuku feel...really, really good. He'll admit he felt even better when he saw Katsuki come into his apartment with his niece. They talked about so many things on the balcony, the high schools they went to, the things they've seen and their current jobs. It was great and Izuku really wanted to see him again and properly thank Kacchan for spending his day off with him. Which is exactly why he was in the kitchen right now, frying up some spicy shrimp tempura for him as a present...for the third time this week. Kacchan hasn't been on patrol for the last three days, which was a tad worrying because Katsuki was always hellbent on good attendance when they were kids.

"I hope he'z okay." Izuku sighed as he plopped the last of the batter-covered prawns in the bubbling oil, "Maybe he'z sick."

"Zuzu! I'm home!" His little boy called, "I have some stuff for you!"

"I'm en the kicchen, Kouta!"

Kouta came walking into the room with big shopping bag in his arms and dropped it on top of the table before walking towards Izuku to hug his leg, "I had fun at Gramma's house." He said with the cutest smile on his face. Izuku wished his little boy smiled liked this alot more often.

"What did you do today?" Izuku wiped off his hands on his apron before he picked up his son to sit him on his shoulders. He didn't want him getting popped by the hot oil. He felt Kouta rest his chin on his head, "Lots of stuff, we made a cheesecake and I taught Gramma how to play Mario Kart and then she taught me how to sew a needle and then I helped her water her flowers on the balcony."

"You guyz did alot of stuff. What'z in the bag?"

"The cheesecake. It's a chocolate one with kisses on top."

"That's good." Izuku fished out the last of the tempura from the pan with his chopsticks to put on a paper towel as he cut off the burner, "Uh, Kouta have you...have you heard anyding abou' Gwoun' Zewo at all? Maybe fwom yur teacher?"

He heard Kouta make a 'hmm' sound before responding, "Yeah, actually. He got suspended."

"What?!" Izuku yelled. He put down the chopsticks on top of the stove and picked Kouta off of his shoulders to sit him on top of the table so they were face to face. "He got suzpended from patrol?!"

"Yup." Kouta kicked his legs back and forth with a small smirk, "I heard Miss Ochako talking with her husband when he came to drop off her bento."

"How did he get suzpended?" Izuku was so confused. Despite his brash demeanor when he was younger, Katsuki was a goody-two shoes. Never smoked, never skipped school, hell, he never had to be asked to leave the classroom!

"He got into a fight with his girlfriend and his girlfriend told his agency on him!" Kouta had a full blown smile on his face. Girlfriend? Katsuki didn't tell him he was with someone! Why didn't he tell him? It's not like Izuku would put the Hero's personal business out there. Then again, it wasn't exactly Izuku's business either.

"I heard Miss Ochako say that this isn't the first girl he's been with. He's been alot of other girls and this is like the sixth one."

"Wow, I would've nevah guezzed." Well, Kacchan always was considered the best looking in school anyway, so he's not surprised he would be a really popular bachelor, but six girlfriends? Geez.

"Guess he's not such a good Hero like you thought, huh?" Kouta hopped down from the table to grab a snack from the fridge, "He's a real tool."

"Don' say stuff like that, Kouta. Couplez fight from time to time...maybe he hazn' found the right girl yet." Izuku grabbed some Tupperware from the cabinet above the stove, "I'm happy for him and you should be too."

Kouta pulled out a lemon popsicle and rolled his eyes, "I don't think so. He's a bad person."

Izuku put the hot shrimps in the container, sealed it up and placed it on the table, "Kouta..."

Before he could lecture him, Izuku felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. The caller ID showed up as Hatsume Mei. He swiped to answer and a few seconds later, his crazed work partner showed up on his phone screen. Well, her cleavage showed up on the screen anyway. If Izuku had to guess, Mei was more than likely adjusting her phone on her desk so it would show her face and hands. Izuku rolled his eyes as he waited, seeing his coworker's large chest used to make him feel so embarrassed, but now after working with Mei for a little over three years, he's been totally desensitized.

"There we go!" Finally, Mei sat down in front of the screen. Her wild salmon curls bounced as she settled into her rolling chair. She signed as she spoke, "Izuku! It's so nice to see ya! I need your help!"

"With what?" Izuku sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, and handed Kouta his phone, so he could sign as well.

"You need to come to UA to help me with costume adjustments for the senior and junior students."

"Okay, what time do you want me to come in?"

"Now!"

"Now? Why now? Why not tomorrow?"

"Becaaause! I want to get these done, so I have waaay more time to work on my babies tomorrow! I've got this new project in the works and it's going to need my 100% attention. This is going to be the greatest and ultimate invention that Japan has ever seen! I can't wait for you to see it!"

"So you want to cram everything into one day."

"Precisely! I'll see you in the workshop at 11, Izuku! Bye-bye!"

"See you then."

Kouta hung up the phone for Izuku and smiled, "Does that mean I get to stay over Gramma's house for the rest of the day?"

"Pack up a bag." Izuku let out a breathless chuckle, "You might be spendin' the night there too."

"Yes!" Kouta fist pumped as he handed Izuku his phone before dashing to his room to prepare for his sleepover with Inko. Izuku looked at the container filled with steaming, hot shrimp on the table. Well, if Katsuki was suspended, he might as well make this third batch of shrimp tempura into his third lunch for the week. It's a good thing he loves shrimp. He grabbed his yellow book bag to pack his laptop, two phones and his lunch.

Kouta came out of his room with a bookbag on his back. He went into the kitchen to grab the bag he brought in, "I'm taking the cheesecake, Gramma and I can eat it and watch movies."

"Okay. I'll see you tomawoah.." Izuku kissed his little boy's forehead, "Be good for Gramma."

"I'm always good for Gramma." Kouta huffed his cheeks turning pink as he wiped Izuku's kiss from his forehead before sitting down at the genkan to slip on his red shoes. It was as if Kouta picked and chose when he wanted to be embarrassed by Izuku's affection. How cute.

Kouta is such a sweet boy when he wants to be.

----

UA High School is the best Pro Hero school in eastern Japan. Everyone with eyes could see that, but it was also intimidatingly colossal. Izuku always managed to get himself lost in the building no matter how often he would visit the place and he's been working with them for a few years. It was honestly ridiculous at this point. Nothing like Shiketsu High, that's for sure.

"Where the hell iz thiz workshop?" Izuku muttered to himself as he tried to pull up the school map on his phone. He couldn't really ask the students, people already have enough trouble understanding him as it is when he talks. After about a solid twenty minutes of walking in circles, Izuku decided to give up and ask one of the damn teachers. Mei wasn't answering her damn phone, so he had to pray that at least one of them would know JSL. He found an abnormally large door labelled 1-A and walked inside the empty classroom aside from the tired looking older man texting away on his phone with his legs crossed on top of his desk. Thank goodness, it was Eraserhead.

"Yes?" He said in an annoyed tone before shifting his attention towards Izuku, "Oh, it's you. Midoriya Izuku, right?"

"Yes. I'm here to work on costume upgrades with Hatsume." He signed, "I can't find the workshop."

"I'm assuming you need me to show you?" He yawned. Izuku nodded his head. He felt kind of bad, but he needed to get his damn work done. Eraserhead slowly got out of his chair, put away his phone and led Izuku to his intended destination.

"Glad to see you're well." The Hero sighed, "What have you been up to?"

"Same old, same old. My son started first grade and I met with an old friend."

"Ground Zero?"

"H-How did you know?"

"Red Riot and Chargebolt told me. For some reason, my students that graduated eight years ago still tell me every little thing that happens in their personal lives." He snorted, "You don't know how many weddings, birthday parties and baby showers I've been invited to for the past few years."

"Then that means you know, Ground Zero got suspended recently."

Eraserhead raised an eyebrow, "Suspended? Last I heard he had to take a couple of vacation days."

That's what my son told me. He heard it from Pro Hero Uravity."

"Must've heard it wrong then because that doesn't really sound like Bakugou." He stopped in front of large set of double doors, "Here's the workshop."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Take care of yourself." He said before walking back to his classroom, leaving Izuku to rethink this whole Ground Zero business. Taking vacation days? Kouta wouldn't lie to him, would he? Ugh, Izuku couldn't think about this now, he had important work to do. He pushed open the doors and found Hatsume already working hard on what he assumed to be some sort of water cannon. She spun around in her chair, "Izuku! You've arrived! Took ya long enough!"

"You didn' giff me diwectionz, Mei!" Izuku set his bag down to sit next to her, "I tried to call you an' you didn' answer."

"Oh sorry! I was working. No need to get so mad!" She squeezed him as if a hug could solve everything. Did feel nice though, "Now are you ready to make the most amazing upgrades UA has ever seen!"

Izuku gave her a nervous smile, Mei's ambitions on upgrades weren't exactly the most legal sometimes, "I'm ready for anything."

"Perfect."

Six hours. Six hours of meeting with every single student, asking for specifications, and typing thorough analyses before building the proper equipment. Izuku never felt his fingers cramp so much as they did, he's never typed this much in one day on his laptop since college. He sighed, sliding down his chair, "I'm zo tired."

"Tired? I'm feeling energized! We got all of the projects done!"

"I can't feel my handz." He whined.

"You're fine! Don't be so dramatic! Now you can help me with my babies!" She giggled like the mad scientist she is, "Get your butt in gear we got projects to finalize!"

"Can we take a bweak? Pleaze?" If Izuku had to hammer in one more nail, he'd smash his own head in with it, "Pleaze?"

"Fine...5 minutes."

"An hour."

"10 minutes."

"45 minutez."

"15 minutes."

"30 minutez or I'm walking out thiz door."

Hatsume squinted her eyes and pursed her lips, but Izuku was firm. In the end, she groaned in defeat, "30 minutes. But no more!"

"Thank you." Izuku took the opportunity to pull out the shrimp he made. It was still pretty warm and crunchy as he took a bite. He picked up another shrimp and held it up to Hatsume's mouth. She gladly accepted the offering, getting crumbs all over her tank top in the process.

"So does Kouta still hate Quirks and Heroes?" She asked as she took another shrimp from Izuku's container, "Meaning to ask that for a while."

Izuku sighed, "He doezn' hate Hewoez...he juzt...he doezn' understand how the Hewo society workz yet."

"How is he handling you talking with that angry blonde guy? What was his name? Katsumi?"

"Bakugou Katsuki." Izuku chuckled, "He waz in yur grade, how do you not remember him?"

"I can't even remember if I've had enough sleep every night. You think I can remember classmates from almost 10 years ago?"

"Fair point." Izuku bit into another shrimp, "He'z not exactly happy with it. He flipped him off when he vizited lazt week."

"Yeah that sounds like Hero hatin' to me." Mei shook her head, "Need to get that kiddo in check before he hurts somebody."

"He'z allowed to haff hiz own opinionz. Pleaze, he would never."

----

Izuku was fiddling with some spare parts as he watched Hatsume refine her power suit. She initially wanted Izuku to give it a test run, but he liked his spine, so he eagerly declined.

"You're no fun, Izuku. No fun at all. My creations need guidance!"

"Mr. Midoriya izn' available right now." Izuku said as he was building his mini robot arm. "Pleaze leaf a mezzege affder the beep."

"Where's the beep?"

"There izn' one."

Their playful banter was cut short by a sudden knock on the door of the workshop. Hatsume smiled. Looks like she just found a potential victim, "Come on in! The door is open!"

"Thank you." The visitor was none other than Ingenium. Izuku had to admit it was always weird to see him without his cool suit, "Sorry for the intrusion. I need your assistance."

"It's A-OK! What's the trouble? Cybernetic eye? Need a hyper cannon on your suit? Built-in jets for you to go at the speed of sound?!" With each crazed suggestion, Hatsume was getting closer and closer to the poor man's face.

Ingenium pushed her away, "No, you devil woman! I only need a booster from my costume repaired."

"Aww that's so boring!" She pouted, "Izuku, can you handle this instead? My baby needs some quality TLC."

Izuku gave her a thumbs-up before turning to the Hero, "I'll fix your booster, Ingenium."

"Midoriya, I had no idea you were an engineer! It's such a great profession to have, it's such a shame you have to work with that." He pointed to Hatsume, who was busy laughing maniacally as she worked on her power suit. Izuku shrugged his shoulders, unphased by his co-worker's insanity, You get used to it."

"I find that very hard to believe." Ingenium handed Izuku the busted booster and watched him get to work. Izuku was very quick. In just a few minutes, he managed to replace the needed parts and give the booster a bit of polish as well.

"All done!" Izuku presented the part with an air of confidence. Ingenium gasped in amazement, Izuku could've swore he saw a glimmer in the Hero's eyes when he took the part.

"Thank you so much, Midoriya. It's good as new. Dare I say even better."

"You're welcome." Izuku smiled, it always felt good to help Pro Heroes. Wait...doesn't Ingenium work with Kacchan? He might know then. He has too! He's his Hero partner after all. Izuku tapped Ingenium's arm to grab his attention.

"Yes, Midoriya?"

"Do you know what happened to Ground Zero? He's been absent for a few days."

"Oh yes, well, I don't know if it's my place to say..."

"Please! He's...He's my friend. I'm worried. Is he sick?"

Ingenium rubbed the back of his neck, "Well...okay, I suppose, if you two are truly friends. Ground Zero had to go on medical leave, apparently someone's brute of a child attacked him...below the belt."

"Someone hit him in the nuts?" Hatsume called out, "Damn dat's gotta hurt!"

"Precisely, he refused to tell me who it was though."

Someone attacked Ground Zero? What the hell? Why would anyone...

"He's a dumb Hero, Zuzu. He doesn't deserve any respect from me."

His Kouta wouldn't do that.

"Yeah, actually. He got suspended."

His Kouta wouldn't lie to him.

"Guess he's not such a good Hero like you thought, huh?" He's a real tool."

His Kouta wouldn't attack a Pro Hero like that. His son was better than that. His son knew better than to attack someone, especially someone who wouldn't fight back. Kouta wouldn't go to such lengths to cause pain to others. No, not his son. So why the hell is Izuku immediately thinking it was his son who did this crime?

"Midoriya, are you alright?" Ingenium placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I assure you Ground Zero is fine. Last I spoke to him, he said he should be back in another day or two."

Izuku couldn't let Ingenium know about this. Kouta could get in some real trouble for hurting a Pro Hero when they're on patrol, first grader or not. He took a deep breath with a wavering smile as he signed, "Thank you for letting me know, Ingenium. You were a great help."

"It's my pleasure, Midoriya and thank you for repairing my booster." Ingenium took his leave and as soon as he shut the door, tears formed in Izuku's eyes. Hatsume noticed her friend's distress and frowned, "What's wrong? He said GZ will be back soon."

"Nothing, nothing." He wiped his face with his sleeve, "I'll help you with that power zuit."

----

Izuku got home at about two in the morning and didn't leave the couch for the rest of the night. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat and he couldn't even distract himself with work because he finished everything.

So he cried.

So many questions of what he did wrong and how he could've done better and how much of a failure of a father he is. Izuku always believed Kouta deserved to have his own opinions, but maybe that was just Izuku's excuse to not dwell into his son's past. To not have fix what he assumed wasn't broken.

"Izuku! I'm home!" His little boy called. Izuku looked at his watch, it was 10:30 a.m. Kouta walked over to the couch to greet him. His face immediately turned from happy to worried, "Zuzu, what happened?"

Izuku sighed. He had to confront his son about this, even though every racing thought told him not to, "Kouta, did you attack Gwound Zewo?"

"Hmm?" Kouta's eyebrows raised in surprise before smirking, "Oh yeah, yup, I did. I punched him in the balls and kicked him in his gut."

"Why?!"

"Pfft, cuz I hate him. He was gonna hurt you just like he did when you guys were kids. You're welcome."

"Kouta. That'z not yur decision to make." Izuku felt anger rising. He clutched the fabric of his jeans, "You can't juzt decide who I can and cannot spend my time with."

"Ground Zero doesn't deserve your time! He deserves to be thrown off a cliff!"

"Midoriya Kouta!" Izuku yelled, "I will not haff you talk like that anymore!"

The smirk on Kouta's face was replaced with a hurt look of confusion. Izuku had never raised his voice at his little boy. Ever.

"Go get cleaned up." Tears formed in the corner of his eyes, "We're going to hiz houze to apologize to him right now."

"I'm not apologizing to him." Kouta muttered, his fists were balled at his sides, "You can't make me."

"I wazn't azking you, Kouta. I'm telling you. Go get cleaned up."

"No, Zuzu!"

"Why are you being like thiz?!" Izuku slammed his fists on his thighs, "Why won't you lizzen to me?!"

"Because you're being a dummy!" Kouta stomped his foot, "He's gonna be a jerk to you all over again and I'm gonna protect you from him!"

"I don't need you to protect me, Kouta! I can handle thingz myself!"

The room went completely silent, until a single whimper came from Kouta. "Everything I did...it was for you..Zuzu..a-and..you care more about that stupid Hero than me!"

Before Izuku could even get another word in, Kouta ran away to his bedroom and slammed his door. Izuku lowered his head, letting loose another round of strangled sobs. He was the worst father in all of Japan.

It was nearly five in the afternoon when Izuku woke up on the couch after passing out from being both exhausted and emotional. His head was pounding from crying so much and his back hurt from sleeping on the couch. As much as he wanted to flop into his bed, he needed to check on Kouta. He knocked on his door, "Kouta, are you still upzet with me?"

Only silence on the other end. Understandable. He opened the door as silently as he could to check on him. Kouta's room was clean, his bed was made and his toys were put away. The only thing was missing was...

Kouta.

"Pops, I'm fine, it wasn't anything serious....yeah I know I should've told you sooner, but....yeah." Katsuki had his phone held between his shoulder and cheek as he typed away on his laptop to catch up on the paperwork he's always put off. Apparently, his parents were a little concerned about him not being active on patrol and decided to bombard Katsuki with phone calls. "Pops, I can't let you know about every little thing that happens to me. I'm 25....okay, alright...yeah...thanks. Bye."

Katsuki sighed, leaning back on his couch to give his eyes a break from the computer screen. He had to admit, taking five days off just for getting kicked in the dick wasn't really all that bad. He got plenty of rescue reports typed up, he managed to clean up his apartment and it gave him a chance to really collect his thoughts about this whole Deku situation he got himself into. Deku hasn't really changed that much last he remembered. He was still a deaf nerd, he was still a Pro Hero fanboy and he still talked too damn much in JSL. The only difference is he has a son, Midoriya Kouta. A son that hated Quirks, Heroes and pretty much the Hero society in a nutshell.

"What the fuck caused that kid to be so...hateful?" No way is someone born into hating the world and there was no fucking way Deku taught him to think like that. Maybe it was Deku's wife or ex-wife? Baby mama? He didn't see a woman in the Midoriya household, but then again he was out on the balcony for most of the visit. Fuck, this was confusing! The more Katsuki tried to think of an answer it only left more questions than answers.

"Hey, Baku-bro!"

"Yeah?" Katsuki answered. He turned around to see Kirishima coming down the hall from his bathroom. He was soaking wet with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Sorry to ask, but..." He gave a sheepish smile, "Can you go pick up Maiya from day care for me, bro?"

"What the fuck?" Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Isn't Raccoon Eyes supposed to pick her up?"

"That's the thing. Mina got a call from her agency for a meeting." Kirishima gestured to his long dripping red hair and towel, "As you can see, I'm very not ready to get her right now."

"You've got to be kidding me." He pinched the bridge of his nose. How could his brother be this stupid. "Fine, I'll get her."

"Thanks bro, I really appreciate it."

The day care Maiya went to was specifically for children of Pro Heroes, so Katsuki knew he would have the displeasure of running into old classmates with their kids. It was a bit annoying to be constantly reminded of how everyone else pretty much had their shit together, while Katsuki was a lonely and pathetic workaholic. When he finally got there he saw Icyhot's and Ponytail's four rowdy boys playing tag with Maiya in the playground of the day care. He decided to hide wait by a tree to avoid any awkward conversations.

"Rei! Hino! Motomi! Satoshi!" He heard Icyhot called from somewhere, "It's time to come home now!"

The boys all took turns hugging Maiya goodbye and ran off towards their father. Maiya waved at them until they were gone and started to pick at the grass with her back facing Katsuki. The explosive Hero softly tiptoed with a devious smirk on his face towards his niece before scooping her up by her waist. "Hey there, munchkin!"

"Uncle Kat!!" Maiya screamed and laughed, squirming in his grip, "You scared me!"

"You let yourself wide open for a villain attack, Princess." Katsuki held her upside down by her legs, causing her to giggle louder, "Now what do I do with my bratty hostage?"

"Put me down! I'm too cool to die!" She squealed, "At least let me have my one phone call."

"How do you even know what a 'one phone call' is?"

"Uncle Den lets me watch late night TV shows about cops and villains in prison when I spend the night over his place."

"See? This is why we don't let Dunce Face babysit you that much." Katsuki put Maiya down and ruffled her fluffy black hair, "Let's hit the road, Princess."

"Wait, Uncle Kat!" She turned around to point at the crawl tunnel at the top of the slide tower, "When me and Rei and Hino were playing freeze tag we saw that boy sleeping in there!"

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, "What boy?"

"The grumpy boy!" She ran towards the crawl tunnel, beckoning Katsuki to follow her. Maiya crawled inside the tunnel to sit with her legs folded in front of the sleeping boy, while Katsuki could only stick his upper body into one of the many holes due the that fact that he was too damn big to use the tunnel, and yup, there was the "grumpy boy," Midoriya Kouta.

"See I told ya." Maiya whispered,"He's been in here all day. Motomi thought he was dead."

"Oh my fucking God, Princess." Katsuki groaned. He noticed how banged up Kouta was upon closer inspection. His shirt and shorts were very dirty from laying on the equipment and his spiked red hat was lying right next to him as he slept.

"Princess, could you go into the day care and get me a bottle of water?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

Katsuki watched her crawl backwards out of the tunnel, while he shook Kouta as gently as he could, "Oi, oi, Kouta. Wake up. Are you okay?"

He stirred a little bit before opening his eyes and as soon as he laid his eyes on Katsuki, he glared, "Oh great, it's the stupid Hero."

"Yeah, it's me." Katsuki sighed, "What the hell are you doing sleeping out here? Better yet, how did you even get here?"

"I took the bus." He muttered, "I got tired, so I took a nap."

Katsuki looked down to see the first grader's plain black crew socks, "You took the bus without any shoes on?"

"Yup." He crossed his legs, "Any more questions?"

"I have plenty more, but I'm sure you're not in the mood to answer 'em." Katsuki watched Kouta fumble with the hem of his shirt, probably thinking about what exactly to say next.

"...Aren't you mad at me?" He asked quietly, "I hit you...alot and I made you throw up."

"Yeah, I know." Katsuki rubbed the back of his neck, "I think I have a pretty good idea about why you did it."

"Why won't you get angry? Isn't that what you do?"

"If I was a shitty teenager then yeah, I would be fuckin' pissed." Katsuki chuckled, "But now, I'm not that kind of person anymore. Besides, I brought it on myself, right? I can't get mad."

"I don't understand you at all." Kouta muttered, "You and Zuzu...are just weird."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment. Now you should get home soon. You need bus fare?"

"...I don't want to go home." Kouta looked away from Katsuki and tightened his grip on his shirt. "I'm...staying here."

"Now that's a problem. I can't let you stay here by yourself. You wanna come over my place for dinner?"

"No way." Kouta rested his head on the inside of the tunnel, "Leave me alone."

"How long have you been out of the house?" Katsuki reached out his hand, "You don't look good."

"I...said....leave...me...." Kouta passed out on the floor, causing Katsuki's heart to nearly stop.

"Kouta! Oh shit!" He reached into the tunnel to pull the boy out and held him close to his chest.

"Uncle Kat, I found some water!" Maiya smiled with the water bottle in her hand, but stopped in her tracks when he saw Kouta in Katsuki's arms, "What happened? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I think he'll be fine." He said quickly, "Let's go home, Princess."

----

"Daddy! Daddy! We have a guest!" Maiya called, she kicked off her crocs and ran into the kitchen. Katsuki laid Kouta on the couch and sat on the cushion next to him to brush some of the stray hairs out of the boy's eyes. He placed the back of his hand on Kouta's forehead, "Good, no fever. He must've fainted from exhaustion. This kid is something else."

"Hey bro!" Kirishima came from the kitchen with Maiya riding his back, "Who's this new guest Maiya is talking about?"

"You know that old friend I told you about? This is his kid. Name's Kouta."

"Sheesh, what the hell happened to him?"

"Me and the Yaoyorozu boys found him in the playground. He was sleeping." Maiya explained, "Motomi thought he was dead."

"That's pretty messed up, Baby Girl."

"Motomi's a messed up kid too. That's why I'm friends with him."

"Alright, enough talk about Icyhot's weird ass kids and Kouta being dead." Katsuki rubbed his thumb across Kouta's cheek with a worried look on his face, "He's not sick and he's breathing fine. I think he just needs to eat something."

"Got any ideas on what we could make for dinner?" Kirishima crossed his arms, "I don't wanna make something this kid won't end up liking."

"Ooh! Ooh! I know! How about some okonomiyaki?" Maiya bounced, "Everyone likes okonomiyaki."

"Sweet Pea, this is not the time to ask for your favorite food." He groaned.

"Actually, that's a good ass idea." Katsuki stood up, "Okonomiyaki is really filling, it's perfect. Shitty Hair, watch him, I'll cook dinner."

"Okay bro, I'll holler if there's something wrong with him."

"Can I help, Uncle Kat?" Maiya hopped down from her father's back to follow Katsuki into the kitchen, "I'm an okonomiyaki expert, you need my guidance!"

"Sure thing, Princess. You can be the taste tester." Katsuki tied his apron around his waist and got straight to work. If there was one thing Katsuki was good at, it was making a good ass hot meal. In a little under two hours, Katsuki had mixed up his homemade batter and poured it into the hot pan. Maiya was already drooling at the dinner table from the smell of dinner alone.

Once it was done, he presented the large savory pancake in the center of the table and poured the okonomi sauce over the sizzling strips of pork belly. He handed Maiya the bottle of mayonnaise, "Don't fuck it up."

"You got it, chef." She carefully striped the okonomiyaki with perfect precision. Katsuki has never been more proud as he watched his niece flawlessly zigzag a chopstick across the mayo to create the iconic pattern. The last thing to do was garnish with dried bonito flakes and seaweed powder.

"I wanna put that in my mouth hole." Maiya's stomach growled with anticipation, "I wanna eat all of it."

"Hey, Hair for Brains! Get your ass in here, it's time to eat!" Katsuki cut the okonomiyaki into even slices and gave Maiya her plate. Kirishima walked in the kitchen with little Kouta walking by his side.

"Looks great, bro."

"Of course it does, I made it." Katsuki placed a plate and a cup of water in front of Kouta, "Eat as much as you want."

"Hey Daddy, where's Mommy?" Maiya asked with her mouth full.

"She had a meeting today, she'll be back before you go to bed." Kirishima reached across the table to wipe his daughter's cheeks with a napkin, "Don't talk with food in your mouth, you'll choke."

Katsuki watched Kouta stare at his plate, completely untouched. "Something wrong, Kouta? I think you should eat something."

Kouta simply turned his head away, "Hmph."

"Do you not like it?" Maiya stood up in her chair, "Uncle Kat makes the best okonomiyaki in the world and if you eat it, it'll make you smile."

"Does it make you annoying too?" Kouta rolled his eyes.

"Yes!" Maiya giggled as she jumped down from her chair to sit in an empty one that was between Kouta and Katsuki. She cut a small piece of okonomiyaki from Kouta's plate with his fork and held it up toward his face, "C'mon, open wide."

"Oh brother..." Kouta opened his mouth to accept the offering. His eyes widened at the burst of flavor, "Whoa, this is good."

"See told ya." Maiya cut another piece for him with a laughing smile, "Now say 'ah!'"

"Shut up." Kouta said before opening his mouth once more. The big bad Kouta was letting little Maiya feed him dinner. It was the cutest sight Katsuki and Kirishima had ever seen.

----

"Do you wanna sleep on the couch or in my room?" Katsuki had the softest comforters he could find in his apartment. After the Kirishimas left for the night, Kouta had taken a hot bath and wore Katsuki's old black skull T-shirt with some matching shorts for pajamas. Guess it was a good thing the Old Hag made him keep his childhood clothes.

"I don't care."

"Couch it is then." Katsuki set everything up for the young boy, then grabbed his own bedsheets to sleep on his futon.

"The hell are you doing?"

"You thought I was going to leave you by yourself? Not a chance." Katsuki laid down with his head on the pillow, "I'm not as heartless as you think."

"Whatever." Kouta bundled up with the blankets on the couch, "You're still a dumb Hero."

"That I am." Katsuki scrolled through his multiple social media accounts on his phone to help him fall asleep. It was raining very hard outside and the sound was slowly lulling him to sleep. He put his phone aside and sat up to check on Kouta, who was still in the same spot under the covers.

"Hey, you awake?" Katsuki whispered. The kid only stirred a bit, so he must've fallen asleep. This gave Katsuki the opportunity to finally use the toilet. When he finally got into the bathroom, he heard a door being opened in another room.

"What the hell?" He relieved himself as quickly as he could and dashed out into the living room to find the pile of blankets on the couch were folded up. Kouta was gone! What the hell was up with this kid? "Shit! That damn brat! It's fucking pouring outside."

He needed to stop Kouta fast. There was no way he could let a damn six year old walk home by himself in the middle of a rainstorm. That's just asking for a villain to snatch him up. He grabbed an umbrella and some old high tops from his closet before he slipped on his loafers. Kouta couldn't have gone far that fast, but Katsuki couldn't take any chances. He ran down the stairs of his apartment and flew down the sidewalk. After about two blocks of running, he saw the boy bent down watching some leaves float down a sewer drain.

"Oi, I thought you didn't want to go home." Katsuki said with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

"I changed my mind." He didn't move or raise his head, "Why do you care?"

"You kind of need to give somebody a fuckin' heads up before you decide to just walk out."

"Whatever."

"I walk away to go take a leak for a minute and you disappear without a damn trace." Katsuki squatted down to Kouta's level, "Here, take this umbrella."

"No." Kouta pushed his hand away, "Leave me alone."

"What are you doing? Just take the damn thing please."

"Ugh.." He begrudgingly snatched the umbrella out of his hand, "Happy now?"

"Nope, you still don't have any shoes on. How about you wear these?" Katsuki rummaged in his pockets and revealed the small pair of blue high tops, "I used to wear them, but I can't fit 'em anymore."

He slipped the shoes on Kouta's bare feet. A perfect fit. "They're yours if you wanna keep them."

Kouta stood up and stomped his feet a few times as he looked at the shoes, "I'll think about it."

"Do you really wanna go home?" Katsuki took the umbrella back, "I'll walk you there."

"I don't care what you do."

The rain wasn't letting up anytime soon, but thankfully it wasn't pouring down any harder either. Katsuki watched Kouta lead the way to the Musutafu Apartments, but the awkward silence was killing him on the inside. He had to at least start up a bit of small talk, "So what made you wanna run away from home?"

Kouta sighed, turning his head back to glance at Katsuki, "I got into a fight with Zuzu."

"Huh, Deku doesn't seem like the type to argue. What happened?"

"It's ‘cause he found out that I kicked you in the nuts." Kouta hugged himself tighter, looking down at his shoes, "And he told me he doesn't need me anymore."

So it's my fault that he's in this mess. "Alot of people say things they don't mean when they're pissed off. 'M pretty sure he didn't mean it."

"Stop it." He pushed the umbrella towards Katsuki, "Hold it up for yourself. What's the point of bringing an umbrella, if you're getting all wet? Idiot."

"Well I was the idiot that forgot to bring another one." He placed the umbrella over Kouta again, "'Sides I'll feel bad for your mom and dad if you come back home with a cold."

"Seriously?" Kouta stopped in his tracks, "Who the hell do you think you are? You can stop playing the nice guy, I can see through your act."

"What're you talking about? What act?"

"Don't play dumb. You havin' fun playing Hero to a couple of hopeless citizens? You doing this to feel better about yourself?" His voice was rising in volume with each question. "Must be so hilarious to you because he's deaf, huh?!"

"You even went through the trouble to learn how to sign." Kouta muttered, taking a few steps forward to get from underneath the umbrella before turning around with his teeth clenched and eyes narrowed, "Big freaking deal! You think that suddenly makes you a good person?! I can't stand you fake Heroes!"

"I see." Katsuki lowered the umbrella to cover his face and stared at Kouta's shoes, "I guess...Deku told you all about me, huh?"

"Yeah, he did. All you Heroes do is ruin families with your stupid Quirks and pretend it's all for the greater good." Kouta pointed at himself, "That's why I love Zuzu. He's amazing without a Quirk because he doesn't need one. Maybe if more people were Quirkless, there wouldn't be horrible people like you around."

What could Katsuki even say to that? Everything this child said was right. He could never undo the damage he caused to Deku. Izuku's childhood would forever be tarnished by Katsuki's inability, no, his refusal to understand him. Now Katsuki had to face the consequences.

"You're right, I'm a horrible human being. I don't deserve my status as a Hero. In fact I'm anything but a Hero." Katsuki felt his eyes well up with hot tears. Dammit. "I shouldn't even be alive. But still...I-I don't want to cause your father anymore pain. I don't want to make Deku cry anymore. So I guess in that sense, I am being pretty selfish."

Katsuki wiped his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was never this grateful that it was raining. He heard Kouta suck his teeth before walking towards to lift up the umbrella. He had the most confused look on his young face, "It's guilt that's keeping you going? You seriously can't live for anything else?"

"...Yeah, sad ain't it? Before I met your father I was planning on killing myself anyway." He cleared his throat, "Now I just wanna at least dedicate the little life I have left to him."

"You wanna fix what you messed up?"

"I can't change the past, but I can at the very least make the present a little better."

"If you want my opinion you're doing a shitty job."

"You do not hold back, do you?" Katsuki snorted, "Are you sure you're a six years old? Sure as hell don't act like one."

"Meh, whatever." Kouta crossed his arms and stared directly into Katsuki's soul with those dark eyes, "If you hurt Zuzu again...not even the number one Hero can fix what I'll do to you."

"I promise."

"And stop talking about dying. It's...annoying." Kouta walked under the umbrella and held onto the hem of Katsuki's tank top, "You can take me home now. Zuzu must be worried about me."

"I think so too."

After that, the walk home was alot less tense. The distance between Katsuki's apartment to Izuku's apartment was very far, at least an hour away by foot. Which was nothing for a Pro Hero, but not so much for a six year old. Halfway through the walk, Kouta was starting to slow down and Katsuki carried him on his back without a second thought, despite the boy's protests. Now Katsuki understood why Kouta took the bus to run away. It was about midnight when they finally made it to Kouta's neighborhood.

"We're here." Katsuki nudged Kouta with his shoulder, "You awake?"

"I never fell asleep." Kouta wrapped his arms around Katsuki's neck a bit tighter, but not enough to choke him, "And uh..thanks..for helping me."

"Don't mention it."

"And sorry for punching you in the nuts."

"It's fine. I might've done the same thing if I were you."

"Oh and one more thing, I didn't correct you earlier. I don't have a mom. Just me and Zuzu. I'm actually his..." He stretched out one of his hands in order for Katsuki to see him finger spell, "A-D-O-P-T-E-D S-O-N."

"Wait...You're adopted?" Katsuki couldn't believe the answer was really that simple. Deku adopted Kouta. But when and why? Kouta has a complete opposite mindset about Pro Heroism compared to Deku. What compelled him to take this bratty munchkin of all kids? Was there a shortage in the orphanage or something?

"The Hero has a brain after all. You must've been payin' real good attention in those sign classes."

"You have no idea, kid." Quiet laughter was shared between them. The downpour had finally stopped with plenty of stars to accompany the full moon in the dark night sky. However, their light-hearted chuckles were cut short by the sound of a familiar voice yelling at the top of their lungs.

"KOUTAAA!"

"Is that Deku?" Katsuki looked for the source of the yelling and pinpointed to a dark figure walking around the streets with a flashlight. The explosive Hero could recognize that mop of curly hair anywhere. Izuku was soaking wet and must have been looking for his son for hours.

"KOUTAAA!!!"

"That is Zuzu! Let me go!" Kouta wiggled out of Katsuki's hold and ran at full speed towards Izuku. "ZUZUU!!"

Izuku turned around when he heard Kouta's cry, squatting down with his arms wide open for his son. As soon as Kouta jumped into his arms, Izuku picked him up and spun him around in his hold, laughing, crying and kissing all over Kouta's face at the same time. "Kouta! My baby! Kouta, I'm zowwy, I'm so zowwy! My baby, yur zafe!"

"I'm sorry too, Zuzu." Kouta squeezed him back, tears forming in his eyes, "I-I got you all wet and made you worry and-"

"Shh..it'z okay, baby. It'z okay." Izuku held him tighter as more relieved sobs erupted out of his body, "Zuzu'z right here, baby."

Katsuki felt warmth in his chest to see father and son reunite. At least he could do something right. He stretched his arms and legs, readying himself for the long walk back home. Until he saw Deku walking towards him with his son in his arms. He put Kouta down next to him to sign, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"It's no big deal, really." Katsuki closed the umbrella and held it over his shoulder, "I just did what anyone else would do."

"I'm so sorry about Kouta. He-"

"Don't worry about it, Deku. We talked on the way here." He watched Kouta wipe his eyes to give Katsuki a proper annoyed look, "I think him and I have reached an understanding. Right, kid?"

"If you say so." Kouta rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Bakugou."

It's May. Katsuki has been back on duty for the past week or so and everything is relatively back to normal. His schedule is still the same, he still only sees Deku for maybe 10 minutes at the most when they pass each other on the sidewalk and Tenya still gets on his nerves. He's basically back to square one with Deku except his son, Kouta, went from hating his guts to tolerating his presence. Which frankly was the best possible outcome, Katsuki could've gotten out of that kid. Luckily, all of that was going to change because he was off duty today, meaning he was going to spend it with Deku.

"If there's one thing the Old Hag always told me, is that talkin' to people is hell of alot easier when they got good ass food in their gut." Katsuki was in the bathroom using his mirror to put in his blue contacts for his disguise. The plan was to take Deku out to a little ramen place that was in downtown Hosu City. He remembered that Deku's favorite dishes always had pork in it and the ramen they had great pork ramen options to choose.

"Don't know why Deku thinks these look good." Katsuki grumbled once he finished adjusting the contact, "I look weird as fuck with blue eyes."

"Knock, knock, bro, I'm coming in!" Kirishima called from the front door, "Where are you, bro?"

"Get out of my house, Rock Boy!"

"Ah yes, thank you for the warm welcome, Katsuki." Kirishima poked his head into the bathroom's doorway, "I feel so loved when I'm around you, bro."

"I'll show you some fucking love." Katsuki grabbed a large shampoo bottle from the ledge of his tub and hit it against his other hand, "C'mere so I can beat it into you with this bottle."

"Jeezzus, you are violent." He laughed, then pointed at Katsuki's eyes, "Dude, are you wearing your civilian disguise? Where are you going?"

"If you don't get outta my personal space, I'll make sure to blast your dumbass straight to hell." Katsuki backed up his threat by shooting off a couple of mini blasts out of his open palm.

"No need for the insults, bro, daamn." Kirishima watched Katsuki walk out of the bathroom and followed him into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to help himself for any potential snacks or leftovers.

"I didn't say you could rummage through my refrigerator."

"You didn't say I couldn't either." He took a huge bite out of an apple he managed to find. "You're such a health nut bro, you're the only one I know that has fresh fruits and veggies in his kitchen."

"Very fucking funny." Katsuki snatched the apple out of Kirishima's hand to take a bite out of the opposite side before giving it back to him, "Why are you here?"

"I don't have patrol today. Mina and Maiya are having a mommy-daughter day and I'm very bored."

"So you decided to bother me, huh?"

"I mean, I would be at Kaminari and Sero's place, but they're working right now. Plus, I wanted to check up on ya."

"You've been checking up on me every fucking day."

"Well...I mean.." Kirishima shrugged his shoulders with a breathless chuckle, "I like to be thorough in my visits."

"You know.." Katsuki exhaled, crossing his arms, "You don't have to force yourself to come here."

"I'm not, bro. I'm not." Kirishima shook his head, "I come over here so I can see you. It's always nice to see you and talk to you and...you know, man."

"I bet."

"It's the truth. I promise. Why would I lie?" Kirishima gave him a thumbs-ups like the damn corny idiot he is. But for some reason, he always had this weird way to make Katsuki feel a little less shitty and push down his insecurities. "Seriously though, what's with the get-up? Are you going somewhere today?"

"Yeah, I am." Katsuki smirks and fixes his beanie, "I'm taking that friend I told you about to the ramen place down in Hosu today."

"Oh yeah, Midoriya, right?"

"Mmhm, I think it's time I properly repay him for dealing with my shit."

"Can I come? I always deal with your shit on a daily basis."

"No, I don't need your stupidity rubbing off on him." Katsuki grabbed his pulled his phone off his charger from the kitchen counter, "Now go fuck around with Dunce Face and Scotch Tape."

"Aw don't be like that, Baku-bro!" He laughed, following Katsuki out of the kitchen and took another bite of his apple, "At least let me walk with ya."

"Oh my-fine!" Katsuki slipped on his boots and turned around to dig his pointed finger into Kirishima's chest, "Don't you dare try to fucking embarrass me in front of him or so help me I'll tell Mina what REALLY happened at the bachelor party."

"Katsuki, you swore!"

"I didn't swear shit. I said I'll use the information when I need it." He laughed his way out of his apartment with Kirishima grumbling behind him. He had a feeling today was going to be a good day.

----

Katsuki stood up on his tips of his toes as he rang the doorbell. Then knocked on the door three times just like how Mama told him. He put his hands behind his back to wait.

"Hello?" A young looking lady with long green hair appeared at the front door. She looked down at Katsuki and smiled, "Hi, sweetheart. What brings you here?"

"Hi, Izuku's mommy. Can Izuku come out and play?"

"Of course he can, let me go get him." She opened the door wider with her back, "You wanna come in and wait for him?"

"No thank you. I can wait here."

She giggled, "Such a little gentleman."

In a matter of seconds, Katsuki heard Izuku running towards the front door and opening it with his All Might plushie in hands, "Hai, Kacchan!"

"About time you showed up!" Katsuki crossed his arms with a smile, "You ready to play Superheroes?"

Izuku hopped in place like an energetic bunny, "Supahewoez!"

"You talk so funny, Izuku." Katsuki laughed as he grabbed Izuku's hand, leading the way down the stairs. "I like it."

"Hey bro, is this the place?" Kirishima pointed at the apartment building, "Damn, this is a nice neighborhood, no wonder Baby Girl wanted to come here."

"Yeah." Katsuki tightened the grip on his phone as they walked up the stairs together. It's only been a month and he still feels his stomach twist whenever he gets near this damn nerd's house. He didn't want to fuck anything up. He could still fuck everything up even now.

"I'll knock on the door, bro." Three knocks and a few minutes of waiting, Deku appeared at the door in a red hoodie, black skinny jeans and those huge red sneakers. He looked nice. Yeah, nice. The nerd smiled at Katsuki as soon as he saw him, but raised an eyebrow at Kirishima. He signed, "Good afternoon, Kacchan. Who's this?"

"This is my dumbass friend," Katsuki signed, "Ki-ri-shi-ma."

"Nice to meet you, bro! I, uh, I don't know sign, but I wanna thank you for looking after my Baku-bro." He put his arm over Katsuki's shoulder, "I know he can be a handful."

Deku freaking giggled at that, covering his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle the snickers. Katsuki elbowed the red headed idiot in his stomach and threatened him through clenched teeth, "Bachelor party, Shitty Hair, bachelor party."

"What? What did I say? It's true."

"Do you want to come with us?" He closed his door behind him, "We're going to a ramen shop.

"What did he say?"

"He asked if you wanted to come with us, Shitty Hair."

"Uh..." Kirishima glanced at Katsuki giving him the most terrifying death glare. His face just read 'Get the fuck out of here.' and 'You better say no.' Kirishima was 100% willing to comply, considering he was also being blackmailed. "No thanks, bro. I only came to walk with Baku-bro. Hope you eat lots of noodles for me."

Deku bowed towards him and Kirishima did the same before taking off, leaving Katsuki and Deku to themselves. Izuku gave him another one of those awkward laughs, "Hi again, Kacchan."

"Hey, Deku. So are you ready to go?"

"Yes! I haven't been to this restaurant before. I'm excited."

"Meh, ain't nothing special. It's a small place. It's quiet. I like it."

"Is it far?"

"Yeah, it's in Hosu City, so I think it would be ideal to take the train. Is that okay with you, Deku?"

"Sounds good."

As they were walking to the train station, Deku tapped on Katsuki's shoulder to grab his attention. He seemed a bit flustered before he signed, "I forgot to mention. I got a new phone the other day."

"You did? Why?"

"Well...my old phone kind of got soaked when I was looking for Kouta."

"Oh shit, I'll pay you back for whatever you spent on it." Katsuki was already digging into his back pocket for his wallet until Izuku stopped him.

"No Kacchan, it was my fault for walking around in the rain. Don't worry about it."

"You didn't do anything wrong, if I wasn't hanging around..." Katsuki averted his eyes, "He was just-Kouta wanted to protect you...from me."

"I know he did, but that didn't make it right." Deku sighed, "I'm just glad you're okay. I only told you because...well...I'm sure you have a cell phone too. Right?"

"I do. You want my phone number or something?" As soon as the question left Katsuki's lips, Deku went into a nerdy little panic. His hands were moving a mile a minute.

"Only if you want to, Kacchan. If it's not too much trouble, I mean you are a Pro Hero and everything so you must be busy and have loads of contacts anyway. It's just I'm sure it's inconvenient for you to keep coming to my house. Not that I don't like it when you come over my house. I mean-"

"Deku!" Katsuki laughed, grabbing Deku's hands, "You're signing too fucking fast, I can barely understand you. Stop mumbling in sign."

"I'm sorry." His face was red as ever. It was kind of cute funny, in a nerdy kind of way.

"Don't apologize, here, gimme your phone."

When they got to the train station, Katsuki input all of his information in Deku's contacts, then texted himself to get his number. He didn't feel comfortable walking and texting at the same like a damn teenager. "Never hesitate to text me, I always have my phone on me."

"Okay, Kacchan. Thank you."

"No problem." Katsuki turned around towards the large map of train routes, "Let's see, we'll get there in twenty minutes if we take this one."

He pulled out his wallet to exchange money for tickets, but stopped when he felt Deku pull on his shirt. He turned his head back to glance at him, "What's up?"

"Let me pay for the tickets." He already had the money in his hands, "Please?"

"It's fine, Deku, you don't have to do that."

"No, I want to. Don't worry about it. I would feel bad having you pay for everything."

Katsuki groaned with a smile, "Okay, you can pay for the tickets, but I'm paying for lunch."

"Deal!"

They boarded the train shortly after purchasing the tickets and decided to stand on either side of the doorway. Katsuki was leaning against the wall with his arms cross, letting the gentle swaying of the train clear his mind. The warmth of the summer sunlight was making him a bit sleepy and Katsuki was trying his best to not accidentally fall asleep. He decided to distract himself by looking at Deku, who was watching the tall buildings of the buzzing city pass by the large windows.

Deku has a lot of freckles on his face, especially his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. They're like stars. Why I have never noticed that?

Deku glanced at him and smiled. Fuck, he caught him staring. Like a creep. Katsuki felt his face burn, so he jerked his neck to look out the window. A few more minutes passed and Katsuki yawned, feeling the soothing movement of the train again. He jumped when he felt his phone buzzing in his back pocket. He pulled it out and saw one notification in his Messages.

[Deku:] Are you sleepy, Kacchan?

I didn't think he'd text me that damn fast.

[You:] Not really. The train calms me down I guess.

[Deku:] Okay just making sure haha and thank you for today

[Deku:] It makes me very happy to know that you want to be friends with me again

[Deku:] Kouta told me everything you did for him when he ran away from home

[Deku:] I can't thank you enough, Kacchan. You really are my Hero

-Midoriya Izuku

Katsuki read the message a few times over before he glanced up to see Deku was still smiling at him. That smile was brighter than anything he's ever seen. He didn't deserve all of this praise, he didn't deserve the warmth and understanding Deku offered and yet, Katsuki felt his heart swell with pride. Even after everything Katsuki took from him, Deku continued to see the good that Katsuki couldn't. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling dry and his vision was a bit blurry. Katsuki took a deep breath, then texted Deku with a simple reply.

[You:] You're my Hero too

----

The ramen shop was small, but cozy. The waitress sat them down in a booth next to the bay window, so they could have a great view of the streets. She placed menus on the table in front of them, took their drink and food orders, (Beer for Izuku and water for Katsuki) and walked away to tend to other customers.

"What are you getting, Kacchan?"

"When Shitty Hair and I used to come here after work all the time, I always got the chicken spicy curry ramen. It's fucking delicious."

"I picked the tonkotsu ramen with extra pork. It's my favorite."

"Good choice."

Soon they updated each other on everything that happened in the last week or so. However, conversation between them quickly stopped as soon as it started. Katsuki drummed his fingers against the table, trying to think of any questions that he hadn't already asked. Deku reached across the table to poke him on his shoulder, "Yeah, Deku?"

"I've been meaning to ask you this about your disguise.

"What about it?

"Sorry if it's a bit of a silly question."

"You can ask me anything, Deku."

"Why did you pick blue?"

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Contacts. Why did you pick blue contacts? I thought you would like a color that was closer to your natural eye color."

"Oh, uh...I didn't pick 'em, my Princess did when she was two. It's her favorite color." Katsuki scratched his cheek with his finger, "It's a bit embarrassing to be honest."

"No it's not! It's clear you have a great relationship with your niece. I think it's beautiful. She's a very sweet little girl."

"Don't let her hear that. She'll let that get to her damn head in a fucking heartbeat."

Deku bursted out into hysterics, letting his head fall back against the back of the booth. It was so genuine and adorable contagious that Katsuki couldn't help snickering himself. The waitress came back in the midst of their little episode balancing large trays with their food and drinks.

"Spicy chicken curry ramen and the tonkotsu ramen with extra pork." She confirmed, while placing them on the table, "Is there anything else I can get you, sirs?"

"No, that's it. Thank you."

Deku didn't waste a second to dive right into his bowl. He pulled the chopsticks, blew on a rather large bundle of noodles and slurped it up.

"Oh my god.." Katsuki heard Deku whisper. He had to stop himself from giggling like an idiot from hearing Deku enjoying his meal. Conversation couldn't really continue since it was clear what was Deku's top priority right now. His lunch.

Maybe I should take him here more often.

Once they finished their meals, Izuku patted his stomach to show he was satisfied. Katsuki did the same, which caused the two to laugh together some more.

"What do you want to do now, Deku?" Katsuki said as he paid for lunch and left the waitress a very nice tip of 2500 yen on the table.

Can we go take a walk to the forest again? Maybe take a look at Hero Agency Bakugou.

"Of course."

Another train ride that Deku insisted on paying for later and the two of them were jumping over the shitty fence to walk around in the forest. It was very nostalgic to see that literally nothing had changed in the woods. He inhaled the natural musk of the wood and dirt while listening to the birds chirp and the cicadas buzz.

"God, I love this place." He sighed, "I miss it."

"Me too." Deku looked at a tree that had an adult rhinoceros beetle crawling on its bark. He carefully picked it up and placed it on his arm, "Remember when we used to catch these all the time?

"Oh yeah, we'd always scare all the girls with 'em by hiding them in your hair." Katsuki chuckled, "We'd always get in so much trouble."

"Or when we had our own Bug Sports Festival" Deku stretched his arm out to let the beetle know it could leave and it took the opportunity, "So many beetles we found put up great fights."

"I think the score is 20-18, I'm still number one."

Deku stuck out his tongue and walked past Katsuki to look at the river. He turned back to Katsuki, "You wanna just sit here instead?"

"I thought you wanted to see the agency?"

"I don't feel like walking across the log. Tired."

They sat down together next to the river, which was a bit close in Katsuki's opinion. His heart was beating a bit faster when he felt his arm against Deku's. It felt so weird. He closed his eyes to listen to the river rippling down to calm his ass down, but it was hard when all he could think about was Deku's warmth.

"Kacchan, thank you fo' today." Deku said in the softest voice Katsuki has ever heard. He's barely heard him say anything for the past month and after finally hearing that single sentence; it was still as gentle as Katsuki remembered when they were younger. He glanced at him and Deku had his eyes close with his face bright red, making all of his freckles pop against his skin.

"Don't mention it." Katsuki cleared his throat, "...I...like your...v-voice."

"Kacchan," He sighed, "You don' haff to lie."

"But I'm not lying, I swear. I really do like your voice." He was sounding so fucking weird, but fuck it. Deku needed to know, "I...I wish you would talk to me more."

"Izn' my voize wheird?" Deku was looking at him with those innocent green eyes.

"Yeah, but...I like that it's weird." His cheeks were burning again, "Being normal is fucking overrated."

"You'd haff trubbull unddastanding me." Izuku let out a breathless chuckle and brought his knees up to his chest, "Izn JSL eazeeuh fo' you?

"Well, that's just more of a reason for you to talk to me, so I can understand you better."

"Okay, Kacchan." He smiled, "If you zay zo."

"Fuck yeah, I know so." For the rest of the day, Katsuki listened to Deku talk about anything and everything, never growing tired of the nerd's voice.

[Deku:] Good morning Kacchan!

[You:] Morning Deku. How's it going?

[Deku:] Just waking up in my bed.

[You:] Lazy. It's 10:12

[Deku:] It's Saturday I'm allowed to sleep in!

[You:] No excuses, get yur ass outta bed

[Deku:] I am Kacchan I am haha

"Such a damn dork." Katsuki muttered to himself, but couldn't deny the smile that was growing on his face. He was sitting on his kitchen counter enjoying a mug of his favorite morning tea while he texted Deku. Ever since that little trip to Hosu, they've been texting each other every day. They couldn't have very long conversations often due to their busy schedules, but Katsuki will always find a 'Good morning Kacchan' and a 'Good night Kacchan' text in his notifications.

[You:] What's on the agenda for today?

[Deku:] Finding a babysitter for Kouta

[You:] Going out of town?

[Deku:] No. I have to go to the doctor. My mom is coming with me to drive me there.

Katsuki felt his heart stop for a minute when he saw the word 'doctor.' Was Deku sick or something? Did he hurt himself?

[You:] What's wrong? Is it serious?

[Deku:] It's nothing serious Kacchan don't worry. Just a check-up.

"Thank god." He let go of the breath he didn't even realize he was holding after receiving the response. "Geez nerd, are you trying to give me a heart attack."

[You:] I'm off today, I could watch Kouta.

[Deku:] What? No, no you don't have to do that Kacchan

[Deku:] I wouldn't want to ruin your day off

[You:] Deku I'm the one who offered. You wouldn't be ruining my day off

[Deku:] It's so last minute though

[You:] Do you not trust me with your kid? Am I not worthy enough to care for a Midoriya?

[Deku:] Kacchan haha, you know I trust you!

[Deku:] Its just

[Deku:] Are you sure?

[You:] Yes, I'm very sure. What time is the appointment?

[Deku:] Um, I think around 12, so I guess I'll drop Kouta off around 11

Katsuki checked the corner of his phone for the time. It was 10:28 a.m. They would be coming over pretty soon then.

[You:] I'll be waiting Deku

[Deku:] See you there Kacchan!

He left his phone on the counter and downed the rest of his tea. He needed to clean up his apartment a bit and change into some more presentable clothes. A black tank top and gray sweatpants aren't exactly the best thing to open the door in for guests. With a small huff, he hopped off the counter to change into his room.

"Sometime simple, but comfortable." He rummaged through his closet for a nice outfit. The final decision was a navy blue T-shirt with black jeans. He fixed his hair in the mirror (not that he really could do anything with it in the first place), put his sunglasses in his hair and went into the living room. He fixed up the pillows on the couch, wiped down the coffee table before going back into the kitchen to prepare himself another cup of tea as he waited.

"Izuku, what're those things in your ears? Can I see them for a second?" Katsuki asked. The boys were sitting outside Katsuki's house enjoying some popsicles. "My mommy said I'm not allowed to touch 'em. Why not?"

Izuku held his popsicle with his mouth, then removed one of the mystery devices out his ear to finally place it in Katsuki's open hand. He grabbed his notebook, which was on the other side of him, to write his answer.

[They're called hearing aids. I have to wear them all the time.]

"Cool!" Katsuki exclaimed. The hearing aid was the same color as Izuku's skin, felt like plastic and pretty warm. If he looked close enough, he could see Izuku's last name printed on it, "Does that mean you can actually hear?"

[Just a little bit better.]

"I want my Papa to buy me hearing aids!" He giggled, kicking his feet, "Then we can match!"

[I have a whole bunch at home in my mommy's room. You can have some.]

"Really?!" Katsuki had the biggest smile on his face. Now him and Izuku could be super cool together. "Let's go to your house right now!"

He gave back Izuku's hearing aid ran into the house to get his sandals on, "Mommy! I'm going to Izuku's house! He's gonna show me his hearing aid things!"

"Okay!" Mitsuki called from the kitchen. "Don't break nothing, boy, I don't wanna pay for shit!"

"Let's go, Izuku!"

"Mmkay, Kacchan!"

"Damn." Katsuki looked at his phone, feeling a bit antsy as 11 am was slowly, but surely coming closer and closer with every tick of his wall clock. "What the fuck am I going to do with this kid for the next few hours?"

Kouta was definitely a strange kid, he was way too mature for his age. Whenever Katsuki would see him during his patrol (which was rare as hell), he would be with Izuku helping him carry groceries. He remembered he saw him play some video game with Maiya, but Katsuki didn't have any of those in his house.

"Well he likes to hate Pro Heroes, but I don't think I could listen to how much of a piece of shit I am for hours." He took a long sip from his mug, "Especially since I already tell myself that on a daily basis."

Before his depressive thoughts could get the best of him, he heard his doorbell ring. "Must be Deku."

He left his mug on the counter to open his door and, yup, it was Deku and Kouta. The nerd was in a white collared shirt with some dress pants, while Kouta was in a blue hoodie and shorts.

"Hey, you're wearing the shoes I gave you." Katsuki squat down to get a better look, "Glad to know they went to a better home."

"Shut up." Kouta's face turned red and turned away from Katsuki's smile, "I only wore them 'cuz they matched the outfit."

Izuku snickered, "He wearz dem almozt evweeday."

"Almost everyday?" Katsuki smirked, "Makes sense, they're some comfortable ass shoes."

"Zuzu!" Kouta punched his father in his leg, making him laugh harder. "You have a big mouth!"

Once Izuku composed himself, he patted Kouta's head, "Thank you zo much, Kacchan."

"It's no big deal, Deku."

"I don't know why Bakugou is watchin' me," The first grader crossed his arms and huffed, "I'm not a damn baby."

"You're six years old, kid."

"That shouldn't matter."

"It actually matters alot."

Izuku snickered at their banter, "Kouta, juzt be good fo' Kacchan, pleeze."

"I'm sure, he'll be fine. After all, we're cool now, right?"

Kouta rolled his eyes, "As far as you know, Hero."

"Oh Kouta." Izuku shook his head and signed to both of them, "See you guys later."

----

Kouta and Katsuki were on the couch watching the news station together. Apparently a villain broke out of prison and was currently on the run. So far the police lost trace of the guy and are currently doing an extensive search all over Japan.

"That's gonna be another headache." Katsuki pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm probably going to be apart of that sooner than later."

"You say that as if it happens all the time."

"Yeah, it doesn't, but it's still a pain in the ass. Lots of paperwork and talking to people all of the time is too much for me."

"Who would've guessed the famous Ground Zero has social anxiety." He snorted.

"Yeah?" Katsuki stopped being ashamed of his mental illnesses years ago, "So what?"

"Seriously?" Kouta snickered, "What kind of Hero are ya? Aren't you Pro Heroes supposed to be brave and fearless and all of that stupid stuff."

"I'm willing to lay my life on the line." Katsuki crossed his arms, "I just don't like people that much."

"Man, you really aren't like other Heroes. Kinda remind me of my teacher."

"Really? Who's your teacher? I might know her."

"Miss Ochako."

"Round Face, huh?" Katsuki smirked, "Haven't seen her happy ass in three years. I didn't know she took the teacher route."

"Yup, she's pretty alright for a Hero, she doesn't annoy me." Kouta stretched out his arms, "Am I just gonna be sitting here on the couch all day?"

"I don't really know what you like, kid. Is there somethin' you wanna do?"

"Not be here watching TV, that's for sure."

"I'll think of something we can do to pass the time." Katsuki stood up from the couch to grab his phone in the kitchen. He googled all kinds of locations and action that would be entertaining for Kouta, but everything just seemed too childish for him. (As weird as it is to say that.)

"There's gotta be something, what's around here?" Finally, a place popped up that seemed to just the right thing for the kid, a cat café. All kids love animals, right? It was a few streets down from Katsuki's apartments, but they could walk there. Katsuki smiled as he walked to his front door to put on his shoes, "Hey Kouta, get your shoes on, I found something we could do."

"Better not be something dumb."

"It won't, trust me."

The building was small, but cute. It had a large window next to the door, so you see all the damn cats doing their thing in the play area. Kouta went up to the window with a spark of curiosity in his eyes. Then quietly gasped to himself when one of the cats noticed him through the window by patting the glass with its tiny paw.

"C'mon, kid, we're going here today." Katsuki opened the door for him, "You wanna play with the cats first or eat first?"

"Cats." Kouta ran inside with Katsuki not too far behind him. He was greeted by a young man that was sitting behind the front desk, "Welcome, how long will you be staying for?"

"I don't know, uh, like, an hour...I guess."

"Perfect, right this way, please." The man lead them to the play area, "Please no roughing with the cats, we'll let you know when your time is up. If you would like to order food, you'll have to eat in the café area."

There were ten cats roaming around: sitting, eating, sleeping and doing other cat things. There weren't that many people here, in fact, the only other customers were a young couple, who were playing with a large long-haired black cat with a blue scarf around its neck.

"Bakugou, look at all the cats." Kouta squealed, he sat on the floor to let the cats come to him and a few of 'em did. "You guys are really cute."

"I'll be over here, if you need me, kid." Katsuki pointed to the chairs that were near the couple.

"You aren't gonna pet the cats?"

"I'll let you pet them for me."

"Tch, don't be such a loser." Kouta stood up and pulled Katsuki towards the kitty pile, "You need to lighten up."

"Alright, alright." They sat side by side giving each cat as much attention as possible. Katsuki was pretty surprised at how sociable these kitties were, usually animals tend to avoid him like the damn plague, but not these felines. One specific tuxedo cat with a black nose seemed to take a liking to Kouta the most, the same one that saw him through the window. It brushed his head against his knee, jumped into his lap and licked his face, making the boy giggle.

"He has big green eyes like Zuzu." Kouta smiled as he scratched under the cat's chin. "I bet you're as amazing as him too, huh?" The cat purred and fell to his side, clearly enjoying the chin scratches.

"You like cats, Kouta?"

"Yeah, but I like all animals." He kissed the top of the tuxedo cat's head, "They're not annoying."

"Do you want a pet?"

Kouta sighed, "Yeah, I always wanted one, but Zuzu said we couldn't have one at our old place. Pets weren't allowed unless they were a service animal."

"The Musutafu Apartments allow pets."

"Really?!" Kouta exclaimed, but then quickly composed himself when he realized hs little outburst, "H-How did you know that?"

"I used to come over Deku's house all the time when we were kids. Some of his neighbors had dogs and cats and shit. I remember one had a fucking boa constrictor."

"Then maybe Zuzu will let me have a cat." He smiled, hugging that cat a little tighter, "That is, if what you're saying is true, Bakugou."

"I'm sure you'll convince him one way or another."

Their hour with the kitties was up sooner than Kouta would've liked, but Katsuki promised next time, they would come back. To end off their little trip, Katsuki suggested they get some treats from the actual café section of the cat café. As they waited in line to order, Kouta pointed to the menu hanging on the wall behind the counter, "All the food and drinks are dumb cat puns."

"Oh my fucking god." Katsuki groaned, of course a place like this would have something as stupid as puns. "I'm gonna have to say these stupid names out loud too."

"How else are they supposed to know what you want?" Kouta smirked, "By the way, I just want some sweet tea."

"You just love enjoying my suffering, don't you?"

"Most definitely, Hero."

"A hot mocha meowcchiato and a small iced sweet kit-tea, please." Katsuki said quickly when it was his turn to order. He couldn't help rolling his eyes as he slid his debit card to pay for his drinks. So fucking stupid. While he stood by, watching the barista do his thing, he noticed a small shelf with on display. They were all Pro Hero themed keychain plushie dolls featuring Lemillion, Suneater, Nejire-chan, Ground Zero and Froppy, the top 5 Pro Heroes in the JP Hero Billboard Charts.

He picked up the Lemillion doll and showed it to Kouta, "Hey, ain't this something your dad would like?"

Kouta took the doll from his hands, "Yeah, he's a huge nerd about the Hero stuff. He's always buying merch all the time."

"Think I should buy him one?"

"I think he'd like that. Get the Froppy one though, I don't think he has much stuff of her."

He exchanged the Lemillion plushie for the Rainy Season Hero and put it on the counter, "Hey, when you're done with our drinks, I wanna get this too."

----

They stayed at the cat café for another few hours before Katsuki decided it would be best to take Kouta home instead of waiting for Deku to come pick him up. It wasn't a far trip by any means (at least for him) and carried Kouta the whole way there on his back just like last time. Thankfully, the boy didn't protest at all.

"Why do you like walking everywhere so much?" Kouta asked as he grabbed the spare key from under the welcome mat when they made it to the apartment."There is such a thing as cars and buses, you know."

"I like to walk, don't judge me. It's what keeps me fit." Katsuki watched Kouta opened the door and followed him in. "Hey Deku! We're back, I decided to bring this munchkin home!"

No answer. Strange. They took off their shoes and looked around the living room, but Deku was no where in sight. Kouta shrugged his shoulders, "Probably asleep. He always does that after doctor visits."

"Really?" Katsuki looked at the Froppy plush and squeezed her a little, "Maybe I can wake him up with the present. Where's his room?"

"Over there, the room on the right." He slipped off his hoodie, revealing a plain black buttoned up polo shirt. "You should wake him up too, he's probably been sleeping all day."

"Right." Katsuki was careful to slowly open the door to Izuku's room. It was very dark, other than a small blue lava lamp on his desk. All Might figurines were lined up on his dresser and desk along with a few posters on the wall. They were clearly from the Golden Era of All Might's glory days, kept in perfect condition and all of them were signed by the former number one himself.

What a damn otaku.

He looked over to his left to see a large queen-sized bed parallel to the corner of the room and the short stack himself lying on his side in it, facing away from Katsuki. He was wearing his green jinbei and black sweatpants this time. Looks like Kouta was right.

"Hey Deku, Kouta wanted to surprise you with this gi-" Katsuki stopped when he heard sniffling coming from his friend. He noticed both Deku's hearing aids were laying beside him at the head of bed. He watched Deku slowly reach up to pat his right ear...twice. Then he whimpered, immediately, curling up into ball before breaking down. He was softly sobbing into the pillow he was clutching onto. It was heartbreaking to say the least.

"What happened?" Katsuki whispered, even though he already knew the answer. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. He swallowed hard, debating whether or not to intervene. Technically, he was invading Deku's privacy because Deku didn't HEAR him come in, but at the same time...could he leave him like this or should he leave him like this?

"I'll...I'll come back later." He backed out of the room and shut the door. Katsuki felt sick to his stomach, he remembered hearing those pained cries before because he was the one who caused them back then...all those years ago.

"God-fucking-dammit." He leaned against the door to compose himself, he couldn't let Kouta know about this. It wasn't Katsuki's place or business anyway. He walked down the hall into the living room and saw Kouta playing some video game on the couch.

"Did you wake him up?" He paused the game to look at Katsuki, "Did Zuzu like his present?"

"No. No, your father is hard as hell to get up." Katsuki crossed his arms, putting on a fake smirk, "He looked pretty damn tired when I walked in there."

"I figured."

"Kouta." Katsuki put the doll on the coffee table before sitting on the couch with him to watch him play, "How often does Deku go to the doctor?"

"Not very often. Gramma says he only needs to go when he has to."

"When was the last time he went?"

"I don't know, I think a year ago. It was when we were livin' in Tokyo at the time."

"I see..."

The room was cold, bright and above all, unnerving. Izuku sat restless in his chair as he waited for his test results. His knees were shaking, his hands were sweating and the ever-growing pit in his stomach continued to drive him insane. Izuku has hated the doctor's office ever since he was four years old. These damn facilities have always brought him pain and disappointment no matter how many times he's been here. Ironic, considering his mother was a nurse. Speaking of his mother, she was right beside him rubbing his back in an attempt to calm his nerves. Izuku signed a 'Thank you,' over and over to her because, well, that's all he could do. It felt good knowing that his mother would always be in his corner, even in the worst of times in his life. Like right now, for example.

"You'll be okay, baby." She said in her soft, reassuring voice, "You'll be okay."

"Ms. Midoriya and Mr. Midoriya." The old audiologist called as he came into the room with his papers. He sat on a rolling stool in front of mother and son with a serious look on his face, "I have the test results."

"Yes, h-how are they?" Inko removed her hand from Izuku's back to fold her hands together in her lap. "Any changes?"

"Yes..." The audiologist flipped through the multiple papers in his large folder, "Izuku, based on your results. Your hearing loss has progressed to a significant degree from moderate to severe."

"Oh my god." She put her hand over her mouth, "It's deteriorated that much?"

"Yes, he's going to need stronger hearing aids from now on." He showed them the exact measurements, vitals and all kinds of graphs from the audiogram that Izuku didn't even understand. He stopped listening to them, feeling even more sick to his stomach. He let Inko ask all of the medical questions for that, it's not like he was even in the right mindset. His worse fear was realized again. His hearing got worse again and now he needed stronger, larger, uglier hearing aids again. The fact that he might lose his hearing completely sooner than he thought was earth-shattering. He wanted to cry, but not in front of the doctor.

"We'll get you fitted for your new ones in the next few days, Mr. Midoriya." The audiologist turned to Izuku once he finished explaining everything to Inko, "I know this is a very devastating situation, do you have any questions?"

"No. Thank you for your time." Izuku smiled as he signed through his pain, but his doctor could tell he was trying his damndest to keep it together.

"Thank you. Please try to get some rest." He signed before walking out the room to care for his other patients. Izuku sat there, fists clenched on his thighs, head down and mouth quivering. Tears rolled down his cheeks as soon as he heard the door clicked shut.

"Thiz izn't fair." He sobbed, covering his face with his hands. "Thiz izn't fair."

"Oh, baby." Inko hugged him, but he didn't move, "I'm so sorry, baby. I wish you didn't have to deal this."

Izuku woke up in his room, feeling very groggy and had a bit of a headache. He had cried so much, that must've passed out from emotional exhaustion alone. He slowly sat up in his bed and wiped his face, he could feel the dried tears staining his cheeks. His phone was on his nightstand and his soon-to-be useless hearing aids were right next to his pillows. Just seeing those damn things made Izuku want to toss them in the trash. He reached over to his phone to check the time, it was nearly seven at night.

"Shit!" He was supposed to pick up Kouta from Kacchan's house hours ago. He hoped Kouta didn't think Izuku forgot about him or that Kacchan thought Izuku was using him! He put in his hearing aids and ran out of his room, only to be stopped by the smell of food. What the hell? He creeped over to his kitchen with a sight he'd never thought he'd see in a million years. His son and his childhood friend were in the kitchen...cooking together. Kacchan was standing in front of the stove and Kouta was sitting on the counter eating a small strip of fried pork.

"So why did you cut the pork loin before you covered it with the flour and the breadcrumbs and stuff?"

"Prevents it from curling. Can you hand me that little bowl of egg over there?"

"Sure."

As nice as this sight was...why was Kacchan here? Why is Kacchan cooking katsudon?

"Hey, Zuzu!" Kouta waved to him, "Just in time for dinner. I was gonna wake you up. You sleep like a log."

Katsuki turned around with a smile on his face, "About time, thought you died in there."

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he sat at the table. Kouta jumped down from the counter to sit next to him.

"He brought me home and then wanted to make dinner." Kouta grabbed his chopsticks, "Thank you for the food, Bakugou."

"Kacchan, you didn't have to do this." He sighed, "I know how to cook."

"I keep tellin' ya, Deku. I'm doing this cuz I want to. I like to cook." Kacchan served them large steaming bowls of katsudon before sitting across from Izuku. It looked amazing. The breading was golden brown covered in a warm runny egg and the rice was pure white fluffiness cooked to perfection. "So quit your blubbering and enjoy your favorite. I worked hard on this just for you."

How did Kacchan remember Izuku's favorite food was katsudon?

"The pork is spicy too." Kouta said between bites. Pieces of rice were scattered on his chubby cheeks, "It's pretty good."

"I'll make some extras for your lunches tomorrow." Katsuki used his chopsticks to point at Izuku, "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

Izuku gave him a small smile before digging in himself. It was delicious with the perfect amount of spices just as his little one said. Their little apartment was filled with laughter and warmth that Izuku couldn't be more grateful for. He wasn't putting much input in the conversations Kacchan and Kouta were having, but watching them was more than enough.

----

"Kouta, it's time to take a bath. Kacchan and I will clean up the kitchen."

"Okay..." Kouta hopped down from his chair before giving Katsuki the 'I'm watching you' gesture as he walked away to the bathroom, leaving the two of them together...alone. Other than the clinking of dishes, there was silence between the men which, admittedly, was kind of uncomfortable. Izuku caught Katsuki looking at him with concern on his face, but he decided to ignore it. However, once they were side by side at the sink with Katsuki washing and Izuku drying the dishes, it was harder to pretend there wasn't any tension in the air.

"Hey." Kacchan whispered as he wiped down a glass, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Izuku had no choice to talk. Dammit. "Why do you azk?"

"You weren't talking that much tonight." He still wasn't looking at Izuku, "I was wondering if you wanted to say something. If anything was on your mind."

"I juzt didn' want to tawk." He clutched onto the bowl he was drying a bit tighter, "Iz dat a crime?"

"Deku." Kacchan sighed, "Don't give me that."

"Giff you what?" He spat. Kacchan was being very annoying for no reason.

"Dammit Deku I...I saw you." Kacchan put down the glass and dried his hands with a nearby towel. He refused to look at Izuku as he spoke, "I went into your room earlier to give you something and then I saw you."

Izuku's blood ran cold. He stiffened up and glanced at Kacchan, who was still staring at the soapy water. He said quickly, "It waz notheen' impordent."

"Nothing important?" Katsuki asked for confirmation and Izuku nodded his head, "Then why were you crying?"

"...I.." He swallowed the lump in his throat. What could he say? He was shaking again and couldn't move. He didn't want to remember what happened this afternoon, he was going to have to deal with it all over again in a few days anyway. Should he even tell Kacchan? How would he even react? How do you tell someone you might not be able to hear them ever again?

"It's okay, if you don't want to tell me, Deku. I understa-"

"N-No..I..my heawing...it..it.." Fat tears rolled down his cheeks. He was such a crybaby, "My heawing got worze. I need new heawing aidz."

"Deku.."

"An' I'm goin' to need uggleer, bigguh onez than da onez I alweady haff!" He put the bowl and towel down to cover his face with his hands, " I-I went fwom moderate to zevere in one year! One g-goddamn year!"

Izuku knew that Kacchan couldn't understand him. He was talking too fast, stumbling over his words and he was crying, but he couldn't stop talking. His voice getting softer, cracking with every single word, "An' I'm zo scared I won' be-be able to hear a-aneething or a-aneeone and...my hearing aidz won' help and...dere'z notheen' I can do...to stawp it."

He broke down weeping, hunched over wiping his face over and over. The thought of never hearing his son's voice ever again. Never hearing his mother's voice again. It mortified him to his core. Without his hearing, he would become an useless excuse for a father to Kouta. A unreliable son to Inko. He would be nothing. Izuku continued to cry until felt a warm hand on his shoulder which made him jump. He raised his head to see that it was Kacchan. His face was full of sadness, that usual fiery red brightness of his eyes were replaced with a deep mahogany.

"Deku. Come here." He opened his arms wide for a hug. Izuku was cautious as he walked into Katsuki's awaiting arms, resting his cheek into his chest. He felt his strong arms wrap around him, surrounding him in warming comfort that was no doubt from his Quirk. "No matter what, Deku. I'll be there with you every fucking step of the way. It's not the end of the world, you can adjust."

"I'm...I can't.."

"Yes you can." Kacchan hugged him tighter, "I know you can. You're stronger than you think you are."

"I'm not...don' zay that." He shook his head, "It'z not true."

"Yes you are, why the fuck wouldn't you be?"

"Becauze I'm juzt a Deku!" He clutched Katsuki's shirt, crying harder, "I'm...I'm juzt a Deku. I'll be even moar uzelezz than I alweady am."

"Deku...you're not..you're not useless." He felt Kacchan rest his chin in Izuku's green curls, "You never were."

"Then why did you zay that? Why did you awwayz zay that I waz?" These questions Izuku tried so hard to push down in his mind had finally slipped out of his mouth, "Why did you stop bein' my fwiend?"

It was finally towards the end of his third year and Izuku had been accepted into both Pro Hero schools in the Department of Support course: Shiketsu High School and U.A. High School. This was his reality! All Might and Mom were so proud of him. That's right, All Might! He kept his promise on helping Izuku get into a good school and now he was blowing up Izuku's phone about a celebration dinner. His treat! Izuku just pick the place.

[All Might:] I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU, YOUNG MIDORIYA! THIS IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT BEST STEP TOWARDS YOUR FUTURE!

[You:] Thank you so much, All Might. I couldn't have done it without your help. It feels like a dream!

[All Might:] HAVE YOU DECIDED WHICH SCHOOL YOU'LL BE ATTENDING?

[You:] Not yet, both courses are really good. But Shiketsu is offering more scholarships.

[All Might:] IN THE END IT'S YOUR DECISION, MY BOY! I WILL SEE YOU LATER!

[You:] Bye All Might! Thank you again!

Izuku was smiling at his phone in the empty classroom, he was so excited! Finally, things have turned around for the better. He's felt more confident with All Might talking with him, his speech has improved and to top it all off, after the whole sludge villain nonsense, Kacchan had stopped bothering him completely.

"Where do I wan' to go?" He asked himself while nibbling on an apple slice from his bento, "Eitha skool soundz amazeeng."

"Oi, Deku."

Izuku turned his head to see Kacchan with his own lunch in his hand, standing in the doorway, "Hey Kacchan."

"The fuck are you doing in here?" He said as he closed the door behind him.

"I awwayz eat the da clazzwoom." His peers never want to be around the weird-sounding deaf kid.

"Hmph." He sat in the desk next to Izuku and placed his bento on top of it, "You got accepted into both schools?"

"Yez."

"Which one are you going to?" His voice sound a bit threatening as if Izuku should say the correct answer. Izuku pulled out his burnt notebook from his bookbag to write down what he wanted to say and handed it to Kacchan.

[I don't know yet. U.A is closer, but Shiketsu is offering more scholarships. But since you got accepted into U.A too, we should go together! It would be fun.]

"It would be fun?" Katsuki asked in annoyance. He gave Izuku back his notebook and crossed his arms, "I want you to listen to me very, very carefully. I hate you."

Izuku gasped. Kacchan was looking directly at him with a firm look on his face that was oddly calm. He tried to give the notebook back, but Kacchan pushed it back towards him with his hand, "We don't need to use that. Put it away. I'll speak slowly so you can understand and I'll listen to everything you have to say."

Izuku did as he was told and turned his chair so the two of them were facing each other, "Okay."

"Good. I'll admit back when we were kids, I had no idea what things were like for you." Katsuki scratched his cheek with his finger, "But you didn't try to understand me either. You know what I mean?"

He honestly didn't, but Izuku nodded his head in agreement anyway to not upset Kacchan.

"So instead of getting a clue like a normal person, you kept giving me those dumbass notebooks, being so weird and trying to act like you were better than me."

"Kacchan..."

"So that's how I changed things, I beat you up constantly to show you that I didn't want your ass around. But nope, you just kept following me shouting Kacchan like the useless moron you are." He slouched his back against his chair, arms still crossed, "Then you decided to get back at me by making me look like a fucking joke with the sludge villain and get accepted into both Hero schools. You ruined so much shit for me, you get that right?"

Izuku's lips quivered as looked down at his twiddling thumbs with watery eyes, "I'm sowwie."

"Oh my god, Deku." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't want a damn apology from you. What I'm saying is, I don't want you around me anymore. I don't want you to follow me to U.A. We're not friends. You're just a Quirkless, useless loser."

Tears ran down Izuku's cheeks. Kacchan sat there watching him, not even making an effort to comfort him, instead staring with a bored expression, "Think of it this way. Ain't it better that we go our separate ways? I mean, I hate you alot and I'm pretty sure you hate me too, right? So why don't we stop pretending we're something we're not?"

"Let's shake on it." Katsuki extended his hand with a smirk, "Starting now from one hater to another."

"But yur wrog. I-I don' hade you, Kacchan." Izuku sobbed, "I...I h-hade myzelff."

"What did you say?" He rose from his chair and fists clenched, "What. Did. You. Say?!"

Without warning, Katsuki cracked Izuku across his face, the sound of the slap echoing in the empty classroom. A large red mark appeared on Izuku's cheek. Katsuki grabbed him by his collar to yell in his face, "Now what? What're you gonna do, Deku? Gonna say 'sowwie' again?"

Izuku didn't give him a response, instead closing his eyes and bracing himself for another slap. Katsuki dropped him back in his chair and grabbed his bento, "Why the fuck did I even bother with your stupid ass? Known each other for 10 years and you haven't fucking changed. You still have no intention to be real with me."

Katsuki stomped out of the classroom, slammed the door shut on his way out. Izuku was left alone once again to hold on to his stinging cheek.

"Why did you hate me, Kacchan?"

"I...I don't know." Kacchan said, his voice was low. Soft. Remorseful. "I don't know why I did so much shitty stuff to you, Deku. I-I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

"I know you want to win back our fwiendship, but..." Izuku sighed, "I still don' unddastand I what I did wrog back then."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Deku. It was all me." Katsuki held him tighter, "I was a fucked up kid who did fucked up things and now I want to fix all of my fuck-ups. Everything I did to you, it was just downright...f-fuck!"

Izuku looked up to see Katsuki was crying. He could see his face was wet with tears as well. It startled him, to see Kacchan so emotional. So broken. So frustrated with himself. Just like Izuku.

"Deku...do you still hate yourself?" He whispered, voice wavering. The question lingered between them for seconds, then seconds turned to minutes. "Deku?"

"Yez." Izuku buried his face into Kacchan's chest. He couldn't lie, not to Kacchan. One part of him wanted to be angry and hurt by everything he endured, but the other part of him understood that he was reason for everything going wrong. It was his fault for being Quirkless. It was his fault for being deaf. He was a burden. His deafness was nothing more than an obstacle. An inconvenience. His disability that was a liability for others. Izuku was less than a person that should disappear.

He felt Kacchan lift his chin with his thumb and pointer finger, so they were looking straight into each other's eyes, "All I want, Deku, is for you to like yourself."

"Kacchan..." Izuku turned his head away from Katsuki's gaze with a sigh, "I'm not worff it."

"Yes you are, Deku." He ran his fingers through his blonde spikes with a huff, "I...Deku..let me-please I..shit..I want to make this better. I want your forgiveness."

Izuku glanced at Kacchan, he had that same damn expression when they met the first time in the forest. It's not like Izuku didn't want Kacchan to be friends with him again, but at the same time, he didn't want to burden another person into his life with his problems. Kacchan was going to be miserable if he was with him.

"I do fo'giff you, Kacchan."

"No, Deku. I don't want you to forgive me because you feel like you have to. I have to earn it. It's not going to be a real win, if my ass didn't work for it." He let out a small chuckle, "And I don't care how long it takes. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't ever say you forgive me unless you really mean it."

"Okay."

Kacchan held Izuku in his arms for what felt like forever. He couldn't even remember the last time Katsuki hugged him. Feeling him so close, listening to his heartbeat, syncing with his breathing; it made Izuku's own chest beat harder, faster and louder in his ears. He didn't want Kacchan to let him go.

"Kacchan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do...Do you still hate yurzelff too?"

"Yeah..I still hate me too."

"K-Kacchan?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you...stay fo' tonight?"

"...Of course."

"Hey. Wake up, nerd."

Katsuki felt a small, soft finger poking his cheek repeatedly. He batted the hand away, knowing full well who it was without opening his eyes. "Get outta here, Kouta. I'm sleeping."

"You're in the way. I can't play my Switch cuz you're on the couch. Plus people who are asleep don't talk." The brat proceeded to poke him in the cheek again, so Katsuki pulled his cover over himself. What the hell was with this kid?

"I thought we were cool!" Katsuki whined from underneath the blankets, "It's too early for this shit!"

"I wanna play Breath of the Wild." Kouta grumbled, "I always play my console every Sunday morning and you're in my way."

"Can't you just sit on the floor?" He turned on his side, so his back was facing Kouta, "That's what I did when I was your age."

"Hell no. This isn't the 1980s."

Katsuki swiftly removed the cover from his upper body to give the boy a look, "You little shit, I was born in 1999."

"I know, but at least that got you up." Kouta gave him a shit-eating smirk before he crawled on top of Katsuki's legs to sit down on the couch, "Good to know you're self-conscious about your age. That's more ammunition for me."

"I'm not self-conscious, you ass." Katsuki sat up a bit, so the munchkin could actually sit on the couch cushion and not crush his legs, "What you said was just really fucking stupid."

"That's why I said it." He grabbed his controller from the coffee table and started up the game. Katsuki watched Link run around slicing up Bokoblins and Chuchus for a few minutes before getting up to stretch his legs. He wasn't really a fan of simply watching someone play a video game, but he figured Kouta would rather die than hand him the controller. He walked into the kitchen to grab a water bottle from the fridge.

"Bakugou! Are you stayin' here all day?" Kouta called from the couch.

"No, I have to head back to my apartment and get some shit done at my agency." He smirked as he leaned against the counter. "Why are you asking? Are you gonna miss me if I leave?"

"Eewww. Hell no." Kouta paused the game so he could stick his tongue out at Katsuki, then scrunched up his face in disgust. "Don't even make jokes like that. I'd rather eat a bowl of natto than have you bumming around here all day."

"Damn brat!" Katsuki threw his head back in genuine, loud laughter. He really was like him when Katsuki was a little brat himself. "Someone needs to teach you some goddamn manners."

"Ain't gonna be you that's for sure, Hero." Kouta blew a raspberry at him before sitting back down to play the game. Katsuki would've walked over and wrestled the little brat, if Deku hadn't come out of his room with the wildest bed head he's ever seen. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with one hand and scratching his stomach under his shirt with the other.

"Morning, Deku."

"Morneeg." He yawned, "Did you sleep okay?"

"I slept pretty damn good actually. That couch of yours was surprisingly comfortable."

"That'z gud. I waz afwaid you would haff a hard time." He smiled, "Are you staying fo' bweakfazt?"

"Breakfast? Nah, I have to go. I don't have patrol, but I need to get some damn papers done at the agency." He finished the rest of his water bottle before scrunching it in his hand, "Wanted to see you before I go."

"Okay." Izuku fiddled with his thumbs, "Thank you fo' spending the night here."

"No need to thank me, Deku. I had a great time. Maybe you and the brat over there can stay over my place one day."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Katsuki grabbed his sunglasses from the kitchen table, "Welp, I think it's prime time I get outta here."

"Okay." Izuku walked with Katsuki to the front door to open it for him. How nice. The sun was bright as hell and nearly burned Katsuki's fucking retinas. Geez.

"See you later, Kacchan."

"See you later, nerd." He signed then he jumped off of the banister and used his Quirk to fly to his apartment. He kind of...sort of...just slept in his clothes that he wore yesterday and needed a good, hot shower before he headed off to work. He made it to his apartment in literally no time and didn't waste a second to peel off his clothes when he entered his home. Clouds of steam and the smell of his favorite cinnamon body wash filled the apartment. He felt like a new person and with a quick change of clothes, he was out the door to his agency.

----

"If I have to stare at this fucking screen for another hour, I swear I'm going to throw this damn computer out the fucking window." Katsuki rubbed his burning eyes with his fingers before rolling backwards in his chair to be as far away as possible from his desk. As soon as he walked through the fucking door, he was bombarded with paperwork by his damn assistant. For the past six hours, he’s been stuck working on this missing villian case. He fucking called it. Apparently, this dirty, low-life criminal who’s been locked up for years managed to break out by killing two prison guards. Fucking peachy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zero, but the Police Department wants the Top 5 Pro Heroes to help with this case." His assistant said with another pile of papers in her hands for Katsuki, "I tried to explain to them that you were busy with other things, but they wouldn't budge."

"Fuckin' hell. I don't understand why I need to fill out so many fucking forms! I'm a Pro Hero dammit!" Katsuki had to make sooo many phone calls and emails with the police chief, detectives, the other Pros and the number one Hero himself. It was exhausting. He was ready to throw the goddamn towel if he was going to spend more time on this computer than actually going out to DO something. He pointed to his assistant, "If anything, this should be your job, not mine."

"I'm not having any fun with this either." She shrugged, "Crime is so low nowadays that Pro Heroism is more about documenting every single thing you do than actually saving people."

"That's because fuckers are always ready to sue the same fucking people who risk their lives to save 'em." He groaned, then pulled out his phone from his pocket to check some notifications. "Is that the rest of these damn documents or what?"

"That should be the rest of them. I'll leave you to it, sir. Just call me if you need anything."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks." He watched her walked out of his office and shut the door behind her. Katsuki needed a fucking break otherwise he was going to blow up his computer, which wouldn’t be the first or last time he’s broken it from pure frustration/boredom.

“Wonder what Deku is doing now?” Katsuki pulled up his contacts to send his friend a quick text message.

[You:] I hope you're having fun building toys. I'm ready to blow my damn brains out filling out all of these stupid forms.

Was it weird that Deku was always on his mind? Katsuki has realized that he’s been slowly revolving his life around him. He visits Deku in his apartment during his lunch breaks from patrol, he texts him every single day and spends his days off with him too. Hell, yesterday was a perfect example of that.

“Maybe it is kind of weird.” Katsuki muttered to himself as he waited for Deku’s response. He's not obsessed with the nerd. At least, he doesn't think so. Katsuki just likes being around him. Hell, who wouldn't want to be around Deku? Deku has incredible knowledge about machinery and Quirks, he's very funny when he wants to be with a laugh that's so fucking contagious and he's so damn compassionate about everything he does. Now, after their conversation last night, Katsuki was more determined than ever to make sure Deku liked himself. His phone vibrated in his hands and a small smile grows across his face when he sees the sender.

[Deku:] I'm not building toys right now. I'm drawing them.

[Deku:] See?

Deku sent him a picture of a badass blueprint of what looked to be a some sort of battle suit. It looked cool as hell.

[You:] Who the hell are you building that suit for and how much money will it cost for me to get one?

[Deku:] A project for Hatsume. Her prototype exploded, so I’m designing the 2.0

[Deku:] Haha. Idk we’re doing this during our free time.

Katsuki was in the process of typing another cheeky response, when he heard multiple loud knocks on his door. “What the fuck do you want? I’m busy.”

The door was kicked open, nearly startling the shit out of Katsuki before he realized that the only morons to bother him in his office were none other than his idiotic friends: Scotch Tape, Dunce Face and the biggest idiot of them all, Shitty Hair. All of them were still in their Hero costumes, meaning they were either just getting ready to leave for patrol or they had just came back from patrol. Based on Katsuki’s luck, it was more than likely the latter.

"Hey, Bro!” The three of them shouted in unison as they surrounded his desk. Sero and Kaminari sat on either sides of his desk, while Kirishima settled on sitting in one of the chairs like a normal fucking human being. Katsuki put his phone in his desk drawer and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why today of all days?

“What do you extras want?”

“No need to be so hostile, man.” Sero gave him that dumb smile, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen ya.”

“Plus we have some great news for you, bro.” Kaminari added, then turned to Kirishima, “Tell him, dude.”

“Tell me what?”

“It's high time for our manly annual camping trip, Baku-bro!” Kirishima clapped his hands in excitement, but Katsuki was more confused than ever. Camping trip?

“What the hell are you talking about? Annual camping trip?”

“Yeah bro. The Bakusquad go out to the campgrounds every year to hang out.”

“We’ve been doing this every year ever since we graduated.” Kaminari shrugged his shoulders, “Remember dude, we tried to invite you every year, but you always said no.”

“I think we stopped trying when we were all like 21 or something.” Sero added, “You are very, very difficult to convince, man.”

“So why are you guys annoying me about this camping trip now?” Katsuki crossed his arms, “Thought I made myself perfectly clear when I kept saying no.”

“Cuz it was my idea, bro.” Kirishima pointed to himself with that shark-tooth grin of his, “Let’s face it, man, I don’t like that you never want to hang out with the crew. I don’t want to..well..leave you here, while the rest of are having fun.”

“You’re the literal definition of a workaholic.” Sero said, “We heard you’re taking that missing villian case soon, so why not take a little vacation before diving straight first in this investigation?”

Kaminari reached over to ruffle Katsuki’s blonde spikes, “C’mon Katsuki, your personality isn’t garbage anymore like in high school, so I think it’s a perfect opportunity for some more bonding time.”

“Fuck off, Pikachu!” Katsuki slapped his hand away and gave him the finger, “When is this dumb camping trip thing anyway?”

“Towards the end of the month. Three days, two nights and one campsite full of fun.” Kirishima explained, “You can bring anyone you want to, like, uh, that Midoriya guy you told me about! He can bring his kid too.”

“Oh shit, Katsuki has another friend that he hasn’t told us about?” Sero pretended to be shocked and hurt, “I thought we all told each other everything, man.”

“Last time I checked, my life doesn’t revolve around you, dipshits.” Katsuki rolled his eyes, “I have to ask..De..M-Midoriya first. He’s getting new hearing aids and I have to make sure he’ll have them if I decide to go on this trip.”

“That’s fine, bro and if it’s a problem, we’ll just postpone it for a few days. It's no big deal.”

“Oh I see.” Kaminari snickered, “You’re friends with a deaf guy so you can yell and scream all you want and he’ll never be able to hear a goddamn thing you say.”

“Someone wants to get hurt today. Get your ass over here, Dunce Face.” Katsuki stood up from his chair and jumped over his desk to tackle Kaminari to the floor. The moron started to laugh uncontrollably as he tried to release himself from Katsuki’s hold.

“Help! I’m being assaulted!”

Sero and Kirishima laughed as well, “You did this to yourself, bro!”

----

Katsuki and the Kirishimas walked into his apartment after a long day of paperwork and patrol. Maiya was passed out in Kirishima’s arms because according to her teacher, she along with the Yaoyorozu boys, decided to skip naptime to play Rock-Paper-Scissors under their blankets the entire time.

“She’s always getting into trouble with those damn kids.” Katsuki smirked, “Icy-Hot is raising some brats himself.”

“Honestly, they all influence each other to act out.” Mina grabbed Maiya from her husband, “Remember when Maiya dared Hino to chew that gum they found under the lunch table at school?”

“Or when Rei used his ice Quirk to cover our entire kitchen floor into an ice rink?” Kirishima added, “Took forever to thaw out all of that ice.”

“Yeah, I think I dodged a fucking bullet by not having any damn kids.” Katsuki kicked off his boots, “If you need me, I’ll be in my room. I need to lie down.”

“Gotcha bro. We’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

Katsuki flopped down on his bed face first into his pillow before flipping over on his back to breathe. A damn camping trip. He’s agreeing to go to a damn camping trip with his stupid friends. As Katsuki dwelled on it, how the hell did he even make friends in high school? He was 100% positive that no one liked him at U.A High.

Katsuki had just demolished that fucking joke, Todoroki Shouto. Looks like that icy bastard wasn’t as much hot shit as he thought. He proudly wore his gold medal the day after the Sports Festival because he fucking earned his win. He said he was going to beat everyone and he fucking proved himself.

Katsuki was always first in the classroom, but decided to leave for the bathroom really quick to clean his medal. When he got back, he stopped in front of the slightly open door when he heard giggling among his classmates.

“What the fuck are they laughing about?” He stood against the wall to listen, like hell he was going to ask what they were talking about. It’s not like they were going to tell him anyway. These dumbass extras never tell him shit.

“I just don’t understand why he acts the way he does.” That sounded like the Earphone Girl, “Like I’m not mad that I lost, I’m happy for him. It’s just I don’t like how much of a sore winner he is.”

“I get what you mean..” That was fucking Round Face, “But, like I don’t want to..say anything. It kind of makes me feel better hearing you guys think the same thing. Heh, heh.”

“His ego is toxic and filled with hatred.” The stupid Bird Boy added, “It’s difficult to not see his harmful behavior towards everyone.”

“He’s so vulgar and such a bully.” Even fucking Ponytail has some shit to say, “It makes me wonder how he was raised, he doesn’t listen to anyone.”

“His personality is shit simple as that.” That sounded like fucking Baggy Eyes, “All he does is sound like an ass.”

“We haven’t even know the guy for that long, so it’s amazing everyone knows his personality is crap mixed with sewage.” Dunce Face said. Then everyone fucking laughed. Those assholes! Bakugou fucking Katsuki was the number one in their class and they had a problem with him? Fuck that! He stomped right in that fucking classroom and the laughter stopped immediately.

“If you low-life shitty fuckers have an issue with me you tell it to my fucking face and not have your dumbass meetings!” He let out explosions in both of his palms with a snarl. “You extras are just jealous that I’m going to be the best Pro Hero here!”

Baggy Eyes stood up to walk up to him and looked him directly in the eye with a bored expression, “We all have an issue with you. Your personality is garbage and everyone in this class would be better off without you. No one likes you. No one wants to be around you. No one is or ever will be jealous of you. Happy?”

The entire class went silent after that, anxiously anticipating for Katsuki’s explosive reaction. But the explosion never came, instead Katsuki uttered a soft, “Fuck you. Fuck all of you.” Then he stomped out of the classroom without grabbing his bag. For the first time in his life, he skipped class and hid in the school library until the bell rang for second period. He went back into the empty classroom and saw on the center of the chalkboard a very large message that was written in several different types of handwriting.

Katsuki grinded his teeth together as he read the message. Those extras didn’t know him. They were in the wrong! Pro Heroes are supposed to be strong! Those bastards were being fucking oversensitive. Fuck! Why were his eyes watering?!

“Fuck them!” Katsuki growled as he kicked the wall in anger causing all of the chalk and erasers on the rack to fall onto the floor. “Shit!”

He quickly picked up all of the chalk and decided to erase the message. It’s not like he could even tell who wrote the fucking thing anyway. He went to his desk to grab his bookbag and all of his books inside his desk were gone. Bastards. Katsuki didn’t have time to look for them he was already late for class. Instead, he wiped his eyes and walked out the room, but not before he slammed the door closed behind him.

“I guess that’s how the old saying goes, what goes around comes around.” Katsuki pulled his phone from his back pocket to his messages again, “I needed to pay for being an asshole. It made sense that nearly everyone pushed me away and I ended up alone.”

[You:] Hey Deku. When will you get your new hearing aids?

[Deku:] I’ll be fitted for them on Wednesday and get them a couple days later. My doctor is pretty fast.

[You:] Perfect. Do you want to meet up on the beach next week?

[Deku:] Yes!

----

Next Sunday morning, Katsuki was at the Dagobah Municipal Beach Park, waiting under the gazebo for Deku. He was in a red tank top and black jeans with some brown Timberlands. The calm waves crashing against the coastline was nice and peaceful. He was sitting on top of the railing with his hands folded on his lap. He was going ask Deku about this stupid camping trip thing that Shitty Hair was so hyped about. Well, Katsuki knew the real reason Kirishima wanted him to come was because he didn’t trust him to be by himself. He figured Katsuki was going to take the first chance he got to take a plunge over the damn city bridge if he wasn’t there.

“So fucking overprotective.” Katsuki looked up and finally saw Deku on the sidewalk with his phone. He was in a long-sleeved, navy blue button down shirt under a black winter vest, dark denim jeans, those damn red sneakers and his yellow bookbag. Nothing out of the ordinary, but what really amazed Katsuki was Deku’s hair. Something seemed different about, but he was too far away to tell.

“Oi! Deku! I’m over here!” He called as loud as he could as he waved to him. Deku looked up from his phone, as soon as he noticed Katsuki he waved back with a huge smile on his face. Damn nerd. When they finally met each other at the gazebo, Katsuki could clearly see Deku’s hair was being held back by a black headband, revealing his brand new hearing aids as well.

“Hey, Kacchan!” Deku smiled, “What are we-"

"Wait a minute! Before we talk...what's up?" He pointed to Deku's new hairstyle, then pulled his own hair back with his hands, "Your hair. Today, it's held back by a headband."

“I..um..wanted to s-show them..uh..to you.” Deku immediately turned red, blocking his face with his arms, "I-I...got my...my n-new heawing aidz y-yezterday."

"You got your what?"

"H-Heawing aidz."

"Hearing aids?" Katsuki spoke as he signed. He continued when Izuku nodded his head, "Sweet. Can I see them?"

He reached out for his ear to take one out for him, but Deku flinched away, taking a few steps backwards. He looked just as surprised as Katsuki before giving him a cute chuckle, "Sowwie. Guezz my bodie iz still scared of you."

"Don't apologize. It's okay. It's my fault anyway." He watched Deku walk towards him and pull out his device before putting it in Katsuki’s open hand. It was a pretty large behind-the-ear type of hearing aid. The plastic outer ear piece and the receiver earmold were black in color with orange X’s. Katsuki felt his cheeks burn when it finally hit him what kind of design Deku got for his hearing aids. He couldn’t help but laugh as he gave it back, “You got Ground Zero themed hearing aids? There weren't any better choices?"

Izuku put the hearing aid back into his ear with a smile and signed, "I thought they were cool. I wanted them."

Katsuki shook his head. Deku was going to be the fucking death of him, "So I’m assuming you can hear better with these new ones now?"

"Yeah, alot bettah.” Deku looked away from him, “I-I diden't weelize how deep your voize waz...Kacchan."

“Y-Yeah…” Katsuki cleared his throat, “So, uh, here's the deal. My stupid friends are having this camping trip thing and they said that I could invite another friend and we're friends. Right?"

"Yez." He giggled. “Zoon we’ll be the bezt of fwiendz.”

"Right, so do you wanna go to this stupid camping trip thing with me at the end of the month? You can bring Kouta. It'll be three days and two nights.”

“I’d luff to go Kacchan, I think it’ll be weally fun.” Deku took off his book bag to rummage through it, “I, um, g-got you a pwezent too, Kacchan.”

“A present? For what?”

“The Fwoppie doll.” Deku pulled out a small green gift bag, hands were shaking and the blush across his face made his freckles pop against his skin, “I wanted to giff you a t-thank you gift.”

“Tch. Goddammit, Deku.” Katsuki smirked as he took the bag, “Thanks. Can I open it?”

Deku nodded his head.

He pointed to the bag, “Like right now?”

“Yez!”

“Okay, just making sure.” He laughed, then removed the colored paper to reveal the gift. It was a gray knit beanie with a black pom pom on the end of it. It was very soft, stretchy and thick. Everything about it was perfect, so he put it on without a second thought. He signed, “Thank you so much, Deku.”

“Y-You like it? I wazn’t sure about the color, so uh, Kouta picked it fo’ me.”

“I love it.” As soon as Katsuki said those words, Deku looked so happy and so relieved. It made Katsuki smile just from seeing him smile. He never wanted Deku to stop smiling. “C’mon, let’s walk the beach.”

“Wite behind you, Kacchan!”

The sun was shining. The weather was hot and Katsuki was sitting outside his apartment on the sidewalk waiting for his moronic friends and his niece to pick him up to go to this damn camping trip. His backpack was next to him filled with proper camping gear and clothes.

"This is going to be so freaking stupid." Kouta huffed. He was playing his Switch with his pair of headphones around his neck connected to the console. He was wearing a small bookbag that was more than likely filled with other games. Yup, the bratty munchkin was sitting out here with him too. Katsuki decided it would be an easier carpool for Kirishima if the Midoriyas simply came over his apartment to wait with him. While they watched for Kirishima's van, Deku was inside the apartment getting some extra work done. 

"What's stupid? Your game? You losing or something?" Katsuki looked over Kouta's shoulder to confirm his suspicions, but it was clear Kouta's character was in first place in Mario Kart. 

"What's stupid is this Hero camping trip that you managed to trick Zuzu into going to." 

"Tch, I didn't trick him, Demon." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "He said he wanted to come. All I did was invite him." 

"Well don't expect me to play nice with your stupid Hero friends." He glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "I won't hesitate to spit in their faces." 

"You can do it to Dunce Face." He said without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I give you full permission to spit directly into his eyes."

"Who the hell is Dunce Face?" 

"You'll know him when you see him." Katsuki yawned. "If you think this trip is stupid then why did you come anyway? Did Deku force you or something?" 

"No, I could've stayed with my Gramma." He said so matter-of-factly. Which, obviously confused Katsuki even more. "Zuzu doesn't force me to go to places I don't want to."

"Then...Then why the hell are you here?" He raised an eyebrow, "You hate to be around groups of people and you hate Pro Heroes. This camping trip is going to have both of those things." 

"Yes. I am aware." 

"Kouta. Stop bullshitting with me." Katsuki was not in the mood for this kid's mind games. "Why the fuck are you willingly coming to this trip? Are you planning to murder all of my friends?" 

"You wish." Kouta paused his game to look Katsuki straight in the eyes, "I'm only coming to make sure you don't try to make a move on Zuzu."

"WHAT?!" Katsuki yelled. He felt his face burning from embarrassment. Make a move?! Where was this kid getting these accusations? "What the fuck are you talking about, brat?!" 

"Oh brother." Kouta had the nerve to roll his eyes. "I'm talking about how I know you like my Papa." 

"I don't like Deku!" He hissed. His face still on fire, his heart was racing and he felt weak explosions unintentionally emitting from his palms. Motherfucker! This damn brat was making a fool out of him. "Don't say dumb shit like that!" 

"Psh, you're a bad liar. Think about it." Kouta smirked, then proceeded to list off some dumb reasons with his fingers. "You spend all your free time with him by going out to restaurants and stuff, you buy him dumb little gifts and I've noticed you two have been hugging each other good-bye a lot." 

"That doesn't mean I like him, you little shit! W-We're just friends!" 

They were just friends. Kacchan and Deku were friends. Nothing more! Even if for some reason, Katsuki did happen to maybe find Deku a tiny bit attractive, it wouldn't matter anyway because Deku doesn't like him like that! Hell, he isn't even sure if Deku is into men! Not that Katsuki would care because he doesn't have some childish crush on his childhood friend! Kouta was just spouting nonsense. 

"What do you know about crushing on anyone anyway?" He pointed at Kouta. "You're six! You're not supposed to know about this type of shit!"

"Tch. I know about this stuff cuz you're not the first person to try to get with my Papa." Kouta balanced his Switch on his lap to cross his arms, "You ain't special, Bakugou. I've been driving stupid nobodies away from him since he adopted me."

"You evil child." 

"And you're not the first person to call me that." 

"And I probably won't be the last." Katsuki grumbled, "So wait...does that means he's never dated anyone before?" 

"Yup. Before I came into the picture, Gramma told me he just focused on school and work." 

"Okay...so why are you telling me all of this then?" 

"Because for some reason, Zuzu wants to hang out with you too." Kouta sucked his teeth, "And like I said, you're not the first person to like him, so if you try to screw up anything with him. I can make you disappear just like the others." 

"Jesus Christ." Katsuki sighed. What the fuck was this kid? Who the hell were his parents before Deku? "You act too fucking grown for your age. Are you his son or his damn bodyguard?" 

"I'm both." He smiled. "I don't think you'll mess up, but I do trust you like 20% of the time, so take this as more of a warning than a promise."

"That's honestly a lot more than I thought it would be."

"I'm just full of surprises, ain't I?" 

Kouta unpaused his game again, leaving comfortable silence between the two of them. This gave Katsuki a chance to let the embarrassing blush on his face slowly fade away from his cheeks and his gross sweaty palms to finally stopped emitting explosions on their own. Goddammit, this fucking kid, saying bullshit like that. Katsuki doesn't like Deku! He doesn't have a right to like him! He screwed up any possible romance when he decided to be an absolute asshole to him back then. Katsuki's best bet was to try to be friends and earn Deku's forgiveness. 

After a few minutes, a large red van pulled up in front of them. The driver's window rolled down revealing Kirishima with his long, red hair in a bun with a pair of sunglasses on his head and Mina in the passenger seat next to him.

"Get in, bros. It's camping time." 

"About fucking time, Shitty Hair." Katsuki sent Deku a quick text to let him know their ride was here before walking up to Kirishima's window. "The fuck was taking you jokers so long?" 

"We had to make sure everyone had their stuff together, bro." Kirishima pulled his sunglasses over his eyes, "You guys put your stuff in the trunk and sit it in the back. Baby Girl, Denki and Hanta took the middle row. Hope you're ready for an hour long drive." 

"I'm not." Katsuki groaned as he watched Kouta pull the door open to get inside. "You taking the middle or window seat?" 

"Window." Kouta looked up from his game, "Here comes Zuzu." 

Katsuki turned around to see Deku coming down the stairs with a smile that was filled with so much excitement. Out of the three of them, he was definitely looking forward to this thing the most. Though, Katsuki was pretty sure it was because this was the perfect opportunity to get some autographs from Pro Heroes.

"Hey Kacchan! He signed, "This is going to be fun!"

"I hope so, nerd." Katsuki climbed into the van, followed by Deku. He usually hated sitting in the middle seat, but he knew Deku liked to look out the window during long trips. As soon as Deku shut the door, Kirishima drove away to their destination. 

"Uncle Kat!" Maiya turned around in the middle of her seat in front of him to reach over and poke his forehead. Her hair was in two cute buns with mint green ribbons, "I'm super happy you could finally come!" 

"Me too, Princess." He kissed her forehead, making her giggle. "Now sit down in your seat." 

"Aye, aye, Captain!" 

----

This camping trip was possibly the worst decision Katsuki has ever made. Here he was sitting in this godforsaken van listening to his idiot friends and niece talk annoyingly loud to one another as they drove closer and closer to the damn campsite. Kouta made sure he couldn't hear a damn thing by having his headphones as loudly as possible to drown out the sound of the ridiculousness that was his friend group. Lucky brat. Katsuki slumped in his seat, bored as hell, while also ready to jump out of this damn vehicle. 

"Okay, okay Denki. What should we play next?" Sero asked, chuckling like a damn child. 

"I don't know, man." Kaminari snickered with him, "I think we played all the road trip games I can think of. What do you think we should play, Mimi?" 

"If I have to listen to Dunce Face and Scotch Tape play I Spy one more goddamn time.." Katsuki grumbled to himself dragging his hands down his face. He felt like he was going to fucking explode. 

"Let's play, Punch Buggy!" Maiya squealed, "I'll start! Punch Buggy, Uncle Han." 

"Ow! No using your Quirk, Mimi!" 

"That's how Daddy and I play, don't be a wimp." 

Katsuki couldn't help snorting at that one, at least his niece was making this road trip a little more bearable. Well, not just his niece, Deku, with his emerald green eyes filled a childlike wonder, would occasionally pulled on his sleeve to point at something he saw out the window. He signed, "Kacchan, look! There's so many tall mountains and the lakes are so beautiful! I think we're getting close to the camp!"

He looked so damn excited with his freckled cheek squished against the glass of the window like a damn puppy. Katsuki smirked at him, signing, "I hope you're right. My legs are falling asleep.

"We're here, everybody!" Kirishima called as he pulled into the empty parking lot of the campgrounds. Looks like the nerd was right. He turned around in the driver's seat with a smile on his face, "Let's get all our stuff and head up. It's gonna be a pretty long hike up the mountain trail." 

Kouta put his Switch and headphones into his bag before opening the van door on his side and hopped out to stretch his arms over his head. "That was probably the worst sixty minutes of my life." 

"Ditto." Katsuki climbed out of the same side as Kouta to get a good look at this damn trail. He had to admit, it looked really fucking nice. The dirt road was leading into the thick, beautiful viridian forest. The sound of birds chirping and the gentle breeze swaying the trees made him feel so calm. The road trip was garbage, but maybe this camping trip wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. 

"Oi, Deku. C'mon! Get outta here and check out this view!" 

Deku emerged from the van with his backpack on his back. His legs were shaking a bit, more than likely from sitting in the same spot for so damn long. Kouta signed, "Are you okay, Zuzu?"

Deku nodded, but after taking two more steps, he fucking tripped. God, he was always so damn clumsy! Luckily, Katsuki caught him just in time by grabbing his biceps. "What the hell, Deku? You trying to bust your damn head open?" 

"Sowwie." He let out a breathless chuckle, "I'm okay." 

"Here. Take this off. Sit down." Katsuki pulled off his bag without even bothering to listen to Deku's inevitable protests of how he was fine. "Don't need you falling down on the hike there." 

"Okay." Deku sat on his bookbag without further comments, but Katsuki could tell he was pouting. Damn nerd. 

"Baku-bro! You guys alright over here?" Kirishima called with their backpacks in hand. The others were right behind him with their camping gear. "Almost thought you guys left without us!" 

He handed Katsuki his bag before facing the group, "Before we go, let's introduce ourselves to the Midoriyas, huh?" 

"Whatever." Katsuki turned to Deku, "Oi, my dumb friends wanna meet you." 

"I know who they are! They're all Pro Heroes!"

"You didn't recognize Shitty Hair the first time you met him." 

"I was so used to seeing him with his mask it didn't even occur to me that was him." He smiled sheepishly and turned to Kirishima, "Sorry, Red Riot."

"Is he apologizing?" Kirishima whispered. Katsuki nodded his head, "Bro, don't worry about it. That's what disguises are for!" 

"Anyway, I'm sure you don't know their real names. So.." Katsuki pointed to each of his stupid friends as he signed, "The blonde one is Kaminari, the tall one is Sero and the pink girl is Mina and you remember Maiya, right?"

Deku nodded his head and waved to everyone, in turn they they waved back. Maiya skipped over to Deku to give him a hug, "Hi, Mr. Midoriya! It's nice to see you again!" 

"Oh brother, enough with the introductions." Kouta raised his voice in a huff, "Can we just go now? You Pro Heroes are so annoying." 

"Kouta! You're still a jerk!" She hugged him too, which absolutely mortified him based on the look on his face. He tried to push her away with his hands, but Maiya was not going to budge. 

"Gross! Ever heard of personal space, Dumb Horns! Get off of me!" 

"I thought we were friends now!" She let go him to put her hands on her hips. "Did me feeding you my favorite food in the whole world meant nothing to you!" 

"What planet are you from?!" 

"Alright, kids, that's enough!" Kirishima clapped his hands to get their attention, "Now that everyone has their stuff, let's get to the camp! The hike is long so try to keep up and don't get separated from the group!" 

"Bro, stop acting like our chaperone." Sero snickered, "We've been to this place for years." 

"Yeah, but Baku-bro and Midoriya haven't, so shut it, bro." He playfully punched Tape Boy in the arm, "Enough messing around, y'all. I wanna get there before sunset." 

"C'mon, Little Mama." Mina said as she held out her hand for Maiya to grab, "Don't let go of my hand, okay? I want you with me." 

"Okay Mommy!" 

Katsuki watched his friends walk ahead while he waited for Deku to put his backpack on. Kouta pulled on Katsuki's shorts, "Hey. I want you to carry me."

"And why the hell would I do that?" 

"Because you did it twice and I don't feel like walking." Kouta pulled on his cap. "And I don't want to be around your crazy niece. She's. Not. Normal."

"Point taken. At least you're honest." Katsuki chuckled as he picked the boy up and sat him on top of his shoulders. He turned to Deku. "You ready to go?" 

"Yez!" Izuku tugged on the straps of his bookbag following him and the rest of the Bakusquad to this campsite. This hike wasn't that long about six or seven miles give or take. The bright rays of the summer sun was seeping through the leaves of the trees. A couple of deer and moose could be seen curiously watching the "silly humans" walking in their territory. The smell of pine trees and soft dirt filled Katsuki's nose. He should probably go on nature walks more often, at least when he had the time.

The entire way he was having all kinds of conversations with Deku. It was amazing how they can easily talk about anything. From what their favorite piece of All Might merch to their most annoying coworkers to who would die first if the three of them were stranded here in the forest.

"Definitely Zuzu." Kouta said quickly. "You overthink like crazy and mumble too much that you'd attract animals." 

"No fair! Kacchaaan!" 

"Gotta go with the brat here, Deku." Katsuki tried to muffle his snickers. "You'd probably get mauled by a bear or something."

"That's exactly how he would die." Kouta laughed. "He would be the one unlucky enough to find a bear." 

"Ha! At least you'd make a good meal for the bear, Deku." 

Izuku crossed his arms and pouted, clearly not amused from their laughter. "You guyz zuck!" 

It was sunset by the time they got to the campsite. It was surrounded by pine trees with another trail leading up to the top of the mountain to let them see a beautiful view of the entire forest. The group saw Dunce Face and Maiya chasing each other around the unlit fire pit, while the Kirishimas and Sero set up everyone's tents. Welp, those ninety minutes of fun and peace were fun while they lasted. 

"Nature will bow to our will!" Kaminari shouted to the sky.

"We are the ultimate hunters!" Maiya yelled as she punched her fists in the air. 

"It's eat or be eaten!" 

"Humans are on top of the food chain!" 

"I'm assuming he's Dunce Face." Kouta asked in an annoyed tone.

"What gave it away?" Katsuki pulled his hand down his face. "The stupidity or the sheer amount of dread you feel when you're around him." 

"You know I can hear you, asshole!" Kaminari called as he was wrestling with Maiya, carrying her under his arm. "Why are you so mean to me? I thought we were bros, bro!"

"I'm not mean. I'm honest." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Let's face it, you're an idiot, Dunce Face. I still question to this day how you managed to graduate high school." 

"At least I'm a fun idiot." He stuck out his lower lip, "Do you see how he treats me, Mimi? How am I not your favorite uncle?" 

"Everyone is my favorite uncle when I want something!" She laughed, then pointed to a path leading deeper into the forest. "Now let's go on the mountain top! I wanna hear my echo!" 

"Just be back before it starts getting dark!" Kirishima called as he punched a stake from one of the tents into the ground with his Quirk. 

"Okay, Daddy!" 

Katsuki lifted Kouta off of his shoulders to put him on the ground. "You wanna hear your echo on top of the mountain with them, kid?" 

"Absolutely not. No way am I going to be around a stupid Pro and that crazy girl." He shivered at the thought, "She might push me off the cliff by accident." 

"Tch, don't be so overdramatic." 

"Hey, Kat! If you need something to do how about you and Midoriya make dinner?" Mina said, "Ejirou, Hanta and I can finish up with the tents. There's ingredients for curry in my bag." 

"Fine." 

----

Nightfall came along with thousands of stars scattered across the navy blue sky. Everyone was gathered around the warming campfire enjoying their dinner of curry and bottled lemonade, while making fun of each other, talking over one another and laughing between bites. Along with a few bits of gossip of their old classroom that Katsuki absolutely did not care to keep up with. 

"Hey guys, can we just appreciate how Bakugou fucking Katsuki actually came to a Bakusquad Camping Trip?" Sero raised his bottle. "I think that deserves a toast!" 

"Please don-" It was too late. All of them raised their damn bottles, except for Deku and Kouta. Whistling and absurdly loud cheers rose from his friends. 

"Hell yeah! Hooray for Baku-bro!" 

"Good job, Uncle Kat!" 

"I always believed in my heart that he had social skills." 

"Woo! Let's shoot for next year, Kat!" 

"I hate all of you, bastards."

After dinner, it was time for the making of s'mores and plenty of stupid ghost stories from Kaminari and Kirishima. It was already midnight when the fire began to die down, meaning it was time to turn in for the night. The squad told each other good night as they went inside their tents. Kirishima set up three large tents for the crew: one for the Kirishimas, one for Dunce Face and Scotch Tape and one for Katsuki and the Midoriyas. 

"Why can't you sleep outside?" Kouta asked as he unzipped his sleeping bag.  "You smell like an animal and act like one too, Bakugou." 

"Why can't you sleep in the campfire?" Katsuki mocked, "You act like a demon spawn, so I figured it'll remind you of home." 

"Play nize, you two." 

"He started it." 

"Kacchan..." 

"I'm just saying." Katsuki laid down in his sleeping bag next to Deku, but Kouta decided to squeeze himself between them. Whatever. He laid there listening to the creatures of the night, crickets chirping and owls hooting, try to lull him to sleep. He turned on his side to get a little more comfortable, then on his stomach a few minutes later, then on his back again. 

"Goddammit." He unzipped his sleeping bag to sit up and noticed Kouta was softly snoring away. Deku was on his side, facing away from him.

"Deku." He whispered, but no response. He raised his voice a bit. "Deku!" 

"Hmm?" He sat up as well with phone in his hands, "Yez Kacchan?" 

"You can't sleep either?" 

"No. That's why I didn't take out my heawing aidz." 

"In that case, you wanna find some constellations with me?" 

"We haffen't done that since we were three." 

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah." 

They both climbed out of their tent as quietly as possible to not disturb Kouta and sat down on the dirt side by side with each other. The stars were absolutely beautiful as they scattered across the night sky. Katsuki felt very warm all of a sudden, being so close to Deku, he looked down and saw their pinkies were touching. Why were their pinkies touching? He turned his attention back to Deku, his eyes were shining the brightest green he's ever seen. The way he was smiling and gasping as the occasional shooting star flew across the sky.

"Fuck." Katsuki's heart skipped a beat. He did fucking like Deku, denial was one hell of a drug. It didn't matter though, he didn't deserve him anyway.

"Cannonbaaaaallll!" 

Maiya screamed as Kacchan threw her as far and as high as he could into the crystal clear lake, plunging into the water with a mighty splash. When she resurfaced a few seconds later, her entire body was hardened giving her a more monstrous appearance, easily clashing with her adorable white polka-dot cyan one piece swimsuit.

"How was that, Daddy?!" She squealed as she swam over to him and deactivated her Quirk, "I think that one was even better than last time! Don't you think?!" 

"I think so, Baby Girl, but this contest isn't over yet!" He called back to Mina and Kaminari, "Babe! Denki! Think you guys can give me a quick boost?" 

"Hell yes we can!" They laughed, swimming over to grab Kirishima on either sides of him and flung him out to the center of the lake. He hardened his entire body just before impact to cause an explosion of water to erupt. He resurfaced, still in his Unbreakable Form and raised his fist triumphantly amongst the whistles and cheers from his friends and family. 

"Damn you look ugly as hell in that form, Shitty Hair!" Kacchan laughed. "Should start calling it your Unbearable Form." 

Sero bursted into hysterics, "That's it, I'm calling him that from now on! I'm stealing that!"

"Don't hate, Baku-bro, don't hate!" He swam back to the group with his Quirk deactivated. "Try to beat that, Sweetie!"

"Uncle Kat! Uncle Han! Throw me again!" She pointed out towards the center of the lake. "I have to make an even bigger splash than Daddy!" 

"Okay Princess, get your Quirk ready and I'll blast you across the sky." 

"You got it!" 

Izuku smiled as he watched Kacchan and the Bakusquad enjoy the clear, blue waters. In the middle of their afternoon nature walk, Kirishima remembered there was this beautiful body of water in the forest and guided everyone here to have some real summer fun. He was sitting on the grass near the edge of the lake with his feet in the water. He didn't really want to risk losing his hearing aids and decided it would be just as fun to watch from the sidelines. According to Kacchan, the game they were playing was something they did to Kirishima when were teenagers. Then when Maiya manifested her Quirk two years ago, they made sure to include her as well. It was cute, but also a bit dangerous in Izuku's opinion. He definitely had a mini heart attack when he first saw Mina chucking her giggling daughter into the middle of the lake before Kacchan explained everything. 

"I told you she was nuts." Kouta muttered. He was laying his head on Izuku's thigh to keep him company. Such a sweet boy. "What kind of a kid likes to be thrown around like a ragdoll?" 

"Diffewent kidz like diffewent thingz, Kouta." Izuku ran his fingers through his son's hair. "I think she'z cute. She actz juzt like her pawentz." 

"You say that about every kid we meet is cute." 

Izuku snickered, turning his attention back to the group. Kacchan was sitting on top of Sero's shoulders with Maiya in his arms. 

"Get ready for this shit, Princess!" 

"I'm ready!" 

Kacchan lifted Maiya over his head, tilted his himself backwards a bit before hurling her into the center of the lake once again. She plunged into the water with her hardened body, splashing it everywhere with her eruptive cannonball. The squad cheered and applauded the toddler when she resurfaced. 

"Daddy! Mommy! That one! That was most definitely the best one!" She smiled, "My body felt harder than last time when I splashed!" 

"That's great, Baby Girl!" Kirishima scooped up his daughter and raised his hand with his Quirk activated, "Give me a Hard High Five!" 

"Heck yeah!" They slammed their hands together before crashing their hardened foreheads together as well. It was absolutely precious to Izuku to see someone have so much love for their child. Maiya was going to be an amazing Pro Hero with the way Mina and Kirishima were raising her.

"Oi! Deku!" Kacchan swam over in front of them with his hair completely soaked. Then, without warning, shook his head, getting water all over Izuku and Kouta.

"Kacchan!" He laughed, trying to block his face. Kouta crawled over towards Kacchan and pushed him, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards into the water. 

"Oh shit!" He shouted before falling into the water. Kouta smirked as he watched him come back up, "What are you? A stupid dog?" 

"No, but you're a brat." Kacchan harshly slapped the surface of the water to create a large wave that completely soaked Kouta. "And now you're wet." 

"Zuzu, can I kill Bakugou now?" Kouta asked as he took off his cap to shake off some of the water. "No one will miss him." 

"Don' zay that Kouta." Izuku chuckled. "I would mizz him." 

"Gross." Kouta crawled back to his spot on Izuku's thigh, while Kacchan stepped out of the water to sit next to Izuku. "I didn't mess up your hearing aids, did I?" 

"No." Izuku signed. "They're waterproof."

"Are you sure you don't want to swim?" Kacchan smirked. "I promise they won't toss you out there like Princess and Shitty Hair. If they try, I'll fucking throttle them." 

"Zuzu is perfectly fine here with me, Bakugou." Kouta flipped over, so his chin was resting on Izuku's thigh and he could face Kacchan. "We were betting on who's gonna die first: the dumb red Hero or the dumb red Hero's daughter." 

"We are not." Izuku snorted. "I don't want to risk the chance of losing them. Hearing aids are expensive, you know." 

"Right, right. Are you...are you having fun, Deku?" 

"Yes. I'm having lots of fun, Kacchan." Izuku was having fun and it was the truth. He was a bit scared about hanging around Pro Heroes for three days, but all of them treated him like one of their own. They were all so compassionate and caring, it would make sense Katsuki would be so close to them. They really did act like one big happy family. 

"That's good, nerd."

----

"I am so freaking sleepy." Kaminari groaned. It was pretty dark out when the crew got back to the campsite.

"Tomorrow's our last day, bros, so let's make it count." Kirishima yawned. "We need to come up with something super fun."

"Whatever you say, man." Sero said. "Now I'm going to go pass out now." 

Playing in the water gave everyone a good case of swim fatigue, except for the Midoriyas since they didn't swim. It was inevitable that everyone decided to go straight to their sleeping bags in their tents instead of cooking dinner. Well, everyone, but the Izuku, Kouta and Kacchan, the three of them were sitting outside of their tent to watch the clear night sky.

"Aren't you sleepy, Bakugou?" 

"Not really." He stretched his arms over his head. "My arms are just real sore from tossing that damn kid in the water five fucking million times." 

"Hmm." Kouta stood up from the ground and pulled on Izuku's arm. "Zuzu, let's go up on the mountain." 

"Why?" 

"Cuz I wanna see the view. Now that Dumb Horns is asleep, I can enjoy it in peace." 

"Kouta." What was Izuku going to do with this boy? He stood up, then stretched his hand out towards Kacchan. "Are you coming with us?" 

"I didn't ask him. I asked you." Kouta pulled on Izuku's other hand. "He can go make friends with poison ivy or something." 

"You...you are a piece of work." Kacchan sighed, clearly trying to hold his tongue, then turned his attention to Izuku. "I'll catch up with you, guys. I want to dry off a bit and change my clothes. I won't take long." 

"Okay." Izuku let himself be dragged by his son towards the trail leading up to the mountaintop. It was kind of funny. Kouta has been acting more clingy than usual during this camping trip. Never leaving Izuku's side for a moment's notice, especially with Kacchan around. Well, Izuku would rather deal with this than his little one threatening the Pro Heroes. 

"Look Zuzu. We made it." Kouta led him further towards the cliff before they sat down side by side. He pointed out to the horizon. "Damn, you can see everything thing up here." 

The moonlight bathed the entire area in a calming, luminous light. The trees were a dark pine green in color and the lake the Pro Heroes were just swimming in reflected the full moon and stars on its surface.

"It'z zo pwettie." 

"It is, ain't it? This might be favorite place in this whole trip. Maybe we should come here again." 

"It would be nize." Izuku smiled with a soft chuckle. "Thank you fo' being a good boy duwing this trwip." 

"I'm not being good." Kouta huffed. "I just haven't decided which Hero to kill yet." 

"That'z not true. You haffen't cauzed anee trouble fo' the Hewoez." Izuku gave his boy a kiss on his forehead, making Kouta groan and blush in embarrassment. "I'm vewy pwoud of you, Kouta. My baby boy." 

"Why do you do these things to meeeee?!" Kouta whined. He fell backwards to lay on the ground and covered his reddened face with his cap, causing Izuku to laugh. 

"Well, ain't that cute?" A deep, gruff voice called from the shadows. Confused, Izuku and Kouta turned around to find the source of the voice that was invading their privacy. Kouta stood up with his fists clenched at his sides, "Hey! Who the heck are you?! Being a creep!" 

"My bad. I guess I am being a bit creepy, right?" What appeared before the Midoriyas was a ridiculously tall, bulky man that wore a black hooded cloak and a white hockey mask. His presence was extremely unnerving. 

As he stomped closer towards them, Izuku stood up as well, to step in front of his son, blocking him with his body. "Can we help you?" 

"Yeah. You can actually." He stopped to tap his mask. "See, I've been on the run for a few weeks now, so I came up here to get away from those fucking police officers and here I find a little family stargazing." 

Of course. A villain. Izuku had to get Kouta out of here. He picked him up, holding him tight in his arms and started to walk backwards towards the trail leading to the campsite. He couldn't risk leaving this villain out of his sight for a second.

"Hey, by the way, you've got a nice hat there, kid." The villain grabbed his mask and threw it over the cliff, revealing his face. He had a large scar covering the left side of his face and a prosthetic eye in his left eye. "Trade me for that lame mask. Been having to wear the damn toy to hide myself, isn't that annoying?" 

"Zuzu...it's him...Muscular." Kouta whispered. He could feel his little one shaking in his arms and clutched onto his shirt as tightly as he could. "He's the one who killed Mama, Papa and Auntie." 

Three years ago, young Kouta and Izuku were sitting together in front of their television when a follow-up report interrupted their show. The news reporter looked devastated as she spoke to the camera. 

"Water Hose. Two Heroes sharing one name. Mandalay. Member of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. But these young Heroes' bright futures were cut short by one criminal's heinous actions. A truly tragic story. The villain tried to escape the crime scene but has been apprehended today by a top Pro Hero and will be going to prison for a very, very long time." 

Kouta had a blank expression on his face as he watched the report. It broke Izuku's heart. He couldn't believe this could happen to such a young boy. This villain ruined his life. Izuku was in the Beast's Forest to deliver upgraded Hero gear when the villain made his assault on the Pro Heroes that day. Mandalay told Izuku to protect Kouta with his life and get away from the area as far as possible. Luckily, he did with Kouta completely unharmed, but at what cost?

"Midoriya..." Kouta asked in a small, quiet voice. "Can you change the channel, please?" 

"Okay, Kouta." 

After finding out what happened to his family, Kouta refused to be taken in by the surviving members of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Instead, he wanted Izuku because he wasn't a "stupid Hero" and was Quirkless. The Heroes had no other choice but to give in. Why deny this child's wishes when he's been through so much grief already? Izuku wasn't exactly ready to be a parent yet, after all he was still in school, but he would make it work for Kouta.

"Thank you."

Izuku tried to run towards the camp, but Muscular jumped in front of them. He tore off his cloak to show off excessive amounts of his muscle tissue growing over his biceps, then raised his fist. "Let me get a shot in to cheer up! Come on!" 

Before Muscular could crush them, Izuku leapt out of the way, holding on to his son as tightly as he could. They rolled in the opposite direction with clouds of dust and debris surrounding them. Izuku put Kouta down behind him to guard him. 

"Zuzu, what are you doing?"

Izuku wasn't going to let this man hurt his son. Mandalay had told him to protect him with his life and dammit, he was going to keep that promise. 

"It'z going to be okay, baby." Izuku looked back to wipe his son's tears with his thumb. "I pwomize." 

"You two just keep getting cuter." Muscular scoffed mockingly. "A father trying to save his soon-to-be dead son. This is perfect. I'll make sure to torment you for trying to play the Hero, so show me your blood!"

He didn't waste a second to charge at Izuku with another powerful punch ready. He raised his forearm to block the attack, but was sent flying into the rock of the mountainside behind them. His arm was definitely broken, he felt it snap as soon as he took Muscular's punch.

"Oh whoops." Muscular laughed. "I almost forgot to answer your question. You can help me by letting me know where your little campsite is so I can find Ground Zero." 

"The hell do you want him for?!" Kouta screamed. "He's got nothing to do with us!" 

"I heard him and a bunch of other Heroes at the lake today. I have a beef with him." Muscular went for yet another punch. "He was the one who got me stuck in jail all those years ago!" 

Izuku dodged out of the way as he held on to his broken arm, trying to keep the villain as far from Kouta as possible. He couldn't keep this up, this villain would get bored from him eventually and go after Kouta instead. How could he save his son as a Quirkless nobody?

"Not talking, huh? Fine, have it your way! When I'm done playin' with you, I'll just find him myself!" He kicked Izuku in the stomach, sending him crashing into the mountainside once again. Izuku fell down to the ground face first. He felt a warm wetness running down one side of his face. 

"ZUZU! NO!" 

"Blood! Just what I wanted to see!" Muscular cackled. "This is so fun! You ready to die before your kid? Cuz I am! Why aren't you talking to me?! You're so weird!" 

That muscle Quirk of his so fast. It's so strong. There's nothing Izuku can do. He's Quirkless. He can't counter this! The only thing he can do is be this villain's punching bag and hope the Heroes will come stop him before he kills Kouta. 

"Be honest with yourself, man! Did you seriously think you can beat me?! With the way you're fighting, you either have a stupid useless Quirk or no Quirk at all! I might be doing you a favor by killing you! Let's make this easier for the both of us, huh?"

"Hey!" Kouta threw a rock at Muscular's head. His eyes were filled with tears. "Mama and Papa! Water Hose! Auntie! Mandalay! Did you torment them to?! Before you killed them!" 

"Huh? Oooh, now I know why you two look so familiar!" Muscular laughed. "You got away when I killed those nobodies! They were your family? Ha! Then it must be fate."

"Fate? What are you talking about?!" 

"Water Hose.." He pointed to the prosthetic. "It's thanks to them I have an artificial eye in my left socket right now." 

"This is all your fault!" Kouta cried. "Nothing in this world is right anymore and it's all because of crazy people like you!"

"Hey, it's no good shifting the blame like that, kid." Muscular turned his attention to Kouta and stomped towards him. "It's not like I wanted to kill them because of my eye. I wanted to kill people and they wanted to stop me. It happened due to all of us doin' what we wanted."

"Ain't nothing wrong with wantin' to do something you can't do." He grew more muscle tissue over himself, winded up for a punch. "LIKE YOUR WITTLE MOMMY AND DADDY!" 

"KOUTA!" Izuku screamed. He could barely move, the second impact into the mountainside messed up his back. His son, his baby, his everything was going to be killed in front of his eyes and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. This was a nightmare. An absolute nightmare.

----

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" 

A booming voice yelled before a strong explosion blasted Muscular into the mountainside. Izuku covered his eyes from the lingering dust and when he looked up, he couldn't help crying tears of relief. It was Kacchan. He ran towards Izuku with Kouta clinging onto his back. His eyes widened when he saw how banged up Izuku had become. He sat him up against the wall of rock causing Izuku to hiss in pain. "Oh my god, Deku. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

"It'z okay." He used his good arm to hug his son the best he could. Kouta was safe, that's all that mattered. "You didden't know."

Unfortunately, their celebration didn't last long. They looked towards the sound of rocks crumbling to see Muscular had emerged from the mountainside. "Ya miss me?" 

"Of all the nights you decide to show your ugly mug. It had to be tonight." Katsuki glared at him. "Fugitive."

"Being locked up ain't my style, it's very boring in jail." He smirked. "Hope you didn't think that shit would take me down though. But I'll give credit where credit is due. It wasn't bad, Ground Zero!" 

"What are we gonna do, Bakugou?" Kouta was sobbing uncontrollably now, burying his cheek into Izuku's chest. "He's...H-He's so strong! He almost killed Zuzu!" 

"Oi, oi, Kouta." Katsuki rubbed the panicked boy's back. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll kick his ass and save both of you. Just try to stay put."

"You Pros sure do love to mouth off about justice bullshit." Muscular loosened his neck and gave a wicked smile. "But I'm glad to finally meet you Ground Zero. I've been wanting to see your blood for a long time." 

"Wish I could say the same." Kacchan emitted threatening explosions from his palms. "If you wanted to die that badly, all you had to do was ask."

Muscular covered his entire upper body with his muscle tissue and charged at Kacchan to crush him with an earth-shattering punch, but he jumped over it. He kicked him in the face causing the villain slide backwards with his heels digging into the rock. 

"I think playtime is over now, right? You're pretty damn strong, so I need to take you seriously." Muscular snarled, barreling towards him. Just as Kacchan was going to dodge out of his way, Muscular grabbed his leg to slam him into the rock, busting his head open. Then he stomped on one of his legs. A loud snap was heard and Kacchan screamed in agony.

"Kacchan!" 

"Fuck! You fuckin' dirty, low-life...asshole! AP Shot: Auto Cannon!" Katsuki rolled onto his back to outstretch one hand, while forming a circle in front of it with his other hand to emit an arsenal of explosive bullets in Muscular's face to stop him from stomping his other leg. 

"You piece of shit!" He screamed, clutching onto his burning face. His skin was steaming and the scar on his left side reopened with blood dripping down his chest. In his rage, he kicked Kacchan in his stomach, sending the Hero flying over the cliff of the mountain. 

"KACCHAN!" 

"BAKUGOU!"

"What an asshole, am I right?" Muscular pouted, turning his attention towards the Midoriyas with one hand covering his eye. "Doing that stupid move on my face! That shit hurt!"

"Go away!" Kouta cried. "Leave us alone!" 

"Nah, I feel like attacking now, all of a sudden." Muscular laughed, walking towards them. "You know it goes."

This couldn't be happening. This monster was so determined to take Kouta away from him. Izuku wasn't going to let this villain fulfill his sick fantasy. He was going to protect Kouta with his life.

"Kouta..run." Izuku pushed his son off of him. "Go to camp. Get the otherz." 

"What? No! I'm not leaving you here, Zuzu!" He sobbed. "You'll die!" 

"Kouta...pleeze." He wiped away Kouta's tears. "Just thiz once...lizzen to me. It'z okay. Run. Pleeze." 

"Papa...no.." Kouta whimpered. He held Izuku's hand against his cheek. "I...I won't...I-I can't...I can't lose you too." 

"You guys are making this so much fun for me! I hope you know that!" Muscular used his Quirk to cover his entire body with muscle tissue, giving him a hulking appearance. "If you want, I'll kill you both at the same time. 'Kay?" 

"Like I would let you kill them!" Kacchan yelled from the night sky, using his Quirk to propel him upward. He emitted several explosions to twist his entire body into a colossal-sized tornado before barreling towards Muscular at the speed of a missile. "I'm not the fucking number four Hero for nothing!"

"HOWITZER IMPAAAAAAAACT!!!!" 

He released the catastrophic explosion onto Muscular before he could even react. The entire area was engulfed with his unbelievable power. Izuku held on to Kouta to prevent him from blowing away due to its strength. Once the dust had cleared, Muscular was down for the count, completely unconscious on his back. Kacchan landed in front of the defeated villain, looking exhausted. 

"K-Kacchan?" Izuku called out.

He slowly hobbled over to Izuku and Kouta with his broken leg, plopped down on his butt next to them with that typical Kacchan smile. "I told you I would kick his ass." 

"Bakugou!" Kouta sobbed into his arms, hugging him as tightly as he could. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Scaring us like that! You idiot!" 

"I kept my promise, yeah?" Kacchan whispered. "It's okay now. I'm here."

Kouta buried his face into Kacchan's stomach. "Bakugou...you're...y-you're my Hero."

"Fuck..." Katsuki muttered, after all the adrenaline left his body, he was left in an extreme amount of pain. His head was pounding, nearly every muscle was aching, his arms and hands were burning and his leg, holy fuck, his leg. It was throbbing. The skin surrounding the fracture was covered in bluish, purple bruises and grossly swollen. He knew that fucking Muscular bastard snapped his tibia in two when his stomped on him. Fucker. It wasn't the worst pain he's ever experienced during his Hero career, but damn some medical attention would be pretty nice right about now.

"Bakugou, take off your shirt." Kouta said, still laying his head on Katsuki's stomach. He had finally calmed down when everything was said and done. "I'll use it to clean your face. It's covered in blood."

"No problem." Katsuki slipped it off without protest. He actually forgot there was blood on his face, after going through so many battles you just get used to the feeling. Kouta sat up as he took the shirt in one hand and then shot water with his other hand to soak the shirt.

"Holy shit. You have a Quirk?" Katsuki asked in surprise, causing Deku to snicker a little and Kouta to roll his eyes. "All this time...I thought you were Quirkless."

"Yeah, I have a Quirk." Kouta began to wipe down Katsuki's face as gently as possible. The feeling of cool water on his skin felt amazing."I just don't like to use it, dummy."

"Thank you for using it now." Katsuki smirked, "You're the real MVP, Kouta."

"Whatever." The munchkin's cheeks started to blush. He turned away as soon as he was done with Katsuki and moved on to clean off Deku's bloody face. "So what are we gonna do now?"

"That's a good question." Katsuki turned to Deku to assess the severity of his wounds. His arm was broken, his back was injured and he was probably suffering from a bit of head trauma after slamming into the mountainside. Then he shifted his glance to the villian. Muscular was completely unconscious; he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. After all, he was hit with a direct super-hot Howitzer Impact, but Katsuki didn't feel comfortable leaving the Midoriyas here with that insane serial killer.

"Kouta…" He groaned, he really didn't want to have to ask this. "You're gonna have to go to the campsite and get the others for help."

"What? No!" Kouta shook his head, "I'm not leaving Zuzu here."

"I know, kid, but I can't move." He gestured towards his swollen leg. "My leg is broken and I don't want to move your dad. His back is fucked up."

"B-But...he's still there." Kouta pointed to Muscular. "What if he...?"

"He's not gonna wake up, I can assure you that." Katsuki put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I need you to be brave, Kouta. I promise, I'll keep Deku safe. I won't let anything happen to him."

"Kouta.." Deku cooed as he brushed Kouta's cheek with his thumb. "We'll be waitin' fo' you to get back wiff help."

"Okay...I'll go. You better keep your promise, Bakugou." Kouta stood up, hugged both of them and quickly ran off down the trail to the campsite.

"Deku, can you hear me?" Katsuki asked as he signed. Thankfully, Deku nodded his head a little, so he continued. "Can you tell me what hurts?"

Deku couldn't sign properly due to his arm, so he fingerspelled his answers. "L-E-F-T A-R-M, H-E-A-D-A-C-H-E, B-A-C-K, S-T-O-M-A-C-H."

"Do you feel sleepy?"

Deku nodded his head. Shit. He might have a concussion. It's too dark to check his pupils, so Katsuki will just have to go with the worst case scenario. "Stay with me, Deku. Don't fall asleep. Okay? Keep talking to me."

"Okay, Kacchan." He shifted a bit to sit up straighter against the mountainside, causing him to wince. " I don' think I can aneeway. My back hurtz too much."

"I don't want to take that chance." Katsuki scooted closer to Deku to place the back of his hand on his forehead. "You're burning up, Deku."

"Yeah…" He whined, he coughed a bit before spitting on the ground next to him. "I think we mite haff to cut thiz trip short."

"Are you sure?" He couldn't help playing with Deku's green curls, being careful to not tangle his fingers and hurt him. Some sections were surprisingly soft, while other sections were hardened from dried blood. "I think we could make a wheelchair out of some sticks and rocks or some shit."

"Kacchaaan…" Izuku said attempting to sound annoyed, but he giggled softly afterwards. He tilted his head towards Katsuki's touch with a content sigh, "Zo zillie."

"Katsuki! Midoriya!" That sounded like Shitty Hair calling for them. Katsuki looked up and saw his brother with Kouta on his back, along with the rest of the crew, except for Dunce Face. Kirishima looked very panicked as he kneeled down in front of him, "Bro! Kouta told us what happened. Denki already sent a message to the police and paramedics. They'll be here in twenty."

"Katsuki, was Midoriya already injured when you fought Muscular?" Mina asked as she pulled out a small eyelight from large first aid kit that was strapped around her waist. She sat down next to her husband, in front of Deku and lifted his chin. "Midoriya, sweetie, I'm just gonna shine this light really quick to check your pupils."

"M'kay."

"Yeah, he protected Kouta from that bastard before I showed up. He told me his back hurts alot, so don't move him." Katsuki called out to Sero, who was tying up Muscular with his Quirk. "Hanta! What's the status on the villian?!"

"Still knocked out, but he's breathing. You did a real number on him, man. I think he has second degree burns on his face and upper chest area!"

It's times like these that shock Katsuki the most. To see the band of Pro Heroes work as fast and efficiently as they could with limited resources, he was both proud and weirded out. They're all so damn goofy and childish 99% of the time, that it's honestly jarring when they do start to act like the professional first responders they were trained to be. Katsuki never left Deku and Kouta's side until the paramedics came to take them away.

----

"Forward march and here we go! Members of the Agency Bakugou!" Five year old Katsuki was leading Izuku and his lackeys to the agency in the forest to find some more sidekicks. Izuku was really good at finding beetles, so Katsuki wanted him right behind him as they stomped across the log.

"Sound off, men!" He yelled as he popped out his Quirk with a smile. "Pro Hero King Explosion Murder!"

"Pwo Hewo All Mite Jun-aaAAHH!!" Izuku screamed, slipping off the moss on the log. Katsuki tried to catch him, but missed his hand. Their fingers just barely grazed each other. The boys gasped, helplessly watching their friend splash into the river.

"Oh no!" The capped boy frowned. "Izuku, don't die!"

"Hey?!" The black-haired boy called, "Are you okay down there?"

"Psh, don't worry, guys." The red-winged boy pointed at the river. "Izuku is super tough, see?"

He was right! Izuku did come back up and shook his head to get some of the water off. The boys clapped in relief, "Hurry up, All Might Jr.! We can't find sidekicks without ya!"

Izuku didn't respond to their calls and he wasn't looking up at them, instead he was patting both of his ears. Katsuki's mood quickly soured as he watched Izuku continue to touch his ears until he heard whimpers coming from the boy. He looked up at them teary-eyed and pointed to the water. "Heaweng aidez! Heaweng aidez!"

"What's wrong? Why is he crying?"

"I knew he wouldn't be okay from that fall!"

"I can't understand what he's saying."

Katsuki raised an eyebrow as he continued to watch Izuku frantically splash around in the water. Why was he so upset? He looked closely at Izuku's ear. It was empty...then it clicked. Katsuki threw his stick aside as he screamed, "HE LOST HIS HEARING AIDS IN THE RIVER! WE GOTTA FIND 'EM! HE CAN'T HEAR NOTHING WITHOUT 'EM!"

Without another second to spare, Katsuki jumped into the river with a loud splash. His friends stayed on top of log watching them like helpless citizens. How did they want to be Pro Heroes like All Might, if they were too scared to jump off a dumb log?

"You can find them, Kacchan!"

"Do you think he'll find 'em? Those hearing things are pretty small."

"Of course, he'll find them. He's the best."

Katsuki resurfaced, gasping for air. The river was pretty cold. He glanced at Izuku repeatedly diving into the water to find his hearing aids. Katsuki did the same a couple of times, until he happened to notice two All Might themed hearing aids tangled with a twig under the water. Jackpot! He grabbed them and popped out taking a deep breath with his prize in his hand. "Over here, Izuku! I found them!"

Wait. Izuku was facing away from him and continued to dive underwater. He couldn't hear him. Shoot. Katsuki inhaled, puffing out out his chest to project as loudly as he could.

"IZUKUUUUUU!!"

Katsuki woke up feeling very tired and uncomfortable. The bed was unnaturally stiff and small. He tried to turn on his side until he felt a pinch in the inside of his elbow.

"What the fuck?" It was an IV. He had an IV in his arm. He stared at it in utter confusion longer than he'd like to admit until he remembered he was admitted to the hospital for a villain attack. That Muscular bastard. Deku and Kouta. "My leg, is it..."

He pulled the cover off of himself to see the damage. Surprisingly nothing. No cast. No bruises. No swelling. It was a little sore, but his leg was completely healed. Which was great, but why the hell was he so tired?

"Katsuki! You're awake!" An older woman with familiar emerald green eyes walked into his room with a bedside monitor next to her. She wore navy blue scrubs and had her dark green hair with streaks of gray tied up in a ponytail. "I'm so happy."

"...Ms. Midoriya?" He asked then received a giggle from her in return.

"The one and only." She smiled, "I'm going to be your nurse today."

"That's...okay..." Katsuki felt so uneasy around her. How should he act? What should he say? He couldn't just pretend all the shit he did to her only son didn't happen.

"I'm going to take your vitals now, shouldn't take too long." Inko plugged in the bedside monitor into the wall socket, "How have you been feeling, sweetheart?"

"Pretty tired, I guess."

"I figured, you've been asleep for three days. Any pain, babe?" She wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Katsuki's upper arm and clipped the pulse oximeter on his finger. Then pulled out a small notepad and pen from her pocket. "Scale from zero to ten. Zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain ever?"

"My leg feels a little weird." He kept his eyes on his leg, trying his best to not look at Inko. "K-Kinda sore. Like a two? I guess?"

"I can get you some Aleve for you, if you want?" The monitor ran for a few more seconds before beeping with Katsuki's vitals. Inko muttered as she wrote them down in her notepad. "Blood pressure...110/78, heart rate...78, pulse ox...95. Good vitals all around."

"I'll be fine." Katsuki looked away, feeling a rush of guilt every time he glanced at this woman's face. "It...It doesn't hurt that much."

"Oh honey, it's really no trouble at all." She removed the cuff and oximeter before she let out a small huff, "Katsuki. What's wrong? Is something else bothering you, honey?"

"I-I...aren't you....d-don't you hate me?" Katsuki twiddled his thumbs, "After everything...with D-Deku..and..."

"Hate you? Oh goodness, no! I don't hate you!" She laughed softly, it was near identical to Deku's laugh, then she sighed, "You've done so many great things for my boys. You saved their lives. How could I hate someone like that?"

"Maybe now...but back then. I-I was...absolutely disgusting." His vision went blurry as he stared out in space, digging his fingernails into his hands, "There's no excuse for how I treated Deku when I was a stupid kid."

"Katsuki...even back then I never hated you." She sat on his bedside to hold his cheek, "You weren't stupid, you were just misguided."

"I really do regret what I did back then." He felt a tear fall down his cheek, "I did so many horrible things to him. I...I'm r-really...I'm really sorry about everything."

"You know, when Izuku had told me he found you again, I was really scared that you didn't grow." She kissed his forehead and hugged him tight in her warm embrace, "But you've changed so much, Katsuki. Thank you for coming back into Izuku's life."

A few more tears managed to escape from Katsuki's eyes when Inko hugged him. He didn't know whether or not to hug her back, his hands were hovering over her hips, shaking uncontrollably. Did he really deserve all of this praise? Sure, he wasn't the same kid he was back then, but he was still selfish. He still insulted the people he cared about on a daily basis. He still...he still caused the number one Hero to die because of his incompetence.

"...Y-Yeah.." He whispered and put his hands on his bed in the end, letting Inko hold him as long as she wanted before she parted away.

"And stop crying, honey." She laughed, wiping Katsuki's eyes with a tissue from her pocket, "I'm just as much as a crybaby as Izuku."

"H-How are they?" He perked up, "Deku and Kouta? Are they alright?"

"Kouta's completely fine. Just a few scratches on his knees." Inko looked at her notes from the notepad, "Izuku's nurse told me he's still asleep, but he's fine. Recovery Girl healed both of you and it took quite a bit of energy."

"Can I go see him?" Katsuki asked as he tried to sit up, but Inko stopped him by placing her hand on his chest and lightly pushed him down on the bed.

"No sir, you're not going anywhere. You are strictly on bedrest. Your body still needs rest from Recovery Girl's Quirk."

"I'm only a little sore." He grumbled, sitting up once again, "Deku...he got fuc-messed up more than me. I-I'm fine, really."

"Katsuki, you used really strong explosions in that fight." She used her Quirk to surround Katsuki in a green aura to stop him from moving, "In fact, Recovery Girl had said if you used your Quirk just a few more times, you would've gave yourself nerve damage."

"Oh.." Katsuki looked at his hands, remembering the burning sensation he felt that night, "That makes sense."

"Exactly. Here I'll put the head of the bed up for you if you don't want to lie down." Inko held onto the correct button on the bed rail to sit him up and handed him his call light, "Is there anything else you need, sweetie?"

"Can I...get some water?" His hand moved up to his throat, "My throat is kind of dry."

"I'll be right on that." She unplugged the bedside monitor and walked out of his room with his door opened slightly. Katsuki relaxed in his bed as he looked out the window to view the soft morning sunshine.

"I hope Deku's okay."

----

It was already twelve in the afternoon and Katsuki was bored as hell as he waited for his lunch tray. There was nothing to watch on his TV and he finished all of the e-books on his phone. The worst part was that he couldn't even move around because he was deemed a high fall risk.

"I fucking hate the hospital." Katsuki whined, throwing his head back against the pillows. How much longer was he going to endure this? He felt a strong vibration coming from the side of his bed. It must've been his phone. "Who's calling me?"

[Shitty Hair]: is calling...

"What the hell does he want?" He swiped his finger across the screen to answer, "Yeah?"

"Ah, Katsuki! You..You're awake!" Kirishima cried with some relieved laughter, "Bro, h-how are you feeling? Are you eating okay? Did Recovery Girl manage to patch you up?"

"...Fine, fine and yes." Katsuki placed his phone between his shoulder and cheek as picked up the bedside remote to play with the height of his bed. "How's everyone else?"

"After they put Muscular in Tartarus, everybody has been pretty good. Maiya drew you a ton of pictures when we come visit you." He sighed, "We really missed you, man. Worried about you."

"I kicked that villain's ass." Katsuki smirked, "Good thing, I came up there when I heard those crashes. Who knows what would've happened if I didn't."

"He did some major damage to you too though. When they brought you in, you had a broken leg, a few broken ribs and skull fracture on your face."

"Damn." Katsuki didn't even remember having trouble breathing when he was talking to Deku. Maybe that's why he was so tired this morning, he was worse than he thought.

"He was a dangerous S-rank villain, not really someone you wanna fight alone." Kirishima let out a small chuckle. It sounded a bit forced, "I-I mean, he could've really, you know, fucked you up even more."

"Didn't matter how much he could've fucked me up." Katsuki put his bed in the lowest position before he stopped messing with it, "All that mattered was that...M-Midoriya and Kouta were alive and safe.

"Bro, Pro Heroes aren't supposed to be-" Kirishima paused, then exhaled sharply on the other end, "N-Never mind, man. I gotta go. My lunch break is nearly over."

"What the fuck? Who stops talking mid-sentence?"

"I do! Forget I said anything. I'll see you later, bro! Get well!" Kirishima said quickly before hanging up on him. Katsuki stared at his phone in confusion. The fuck was up with him? He couldn't dwell on it for too long because he heard his door being knocked on. "Yeah?"

"Bakugou!" Kouta cried as he kicked the door open. He had his spiked cap on and wore a purple long-sleeved polo shirt, khaki shorts that barely covered the Super Mario bandaids on his knees with those navy blue high tops. He was holding his black leather backpack by the straps, "I came here to see if you finally died and now I'm disappointed."

"Well fuck you too, you lil' hellspawn." Katsuki smirked, "You just come here from school?"

"Yeah." Kouta tossed his backpack onto Katsuki's bed before climbing onto it himself to sit next to him. "Gramma picked me up and brought me here. She said I can help around her floor by giving patients water or give the nurses a message when the patient needs something."

"How're you holding up?" Katsuki watched the munchkin take off his cap and balanced it on the corner of one of the bed rails, "Ms. Midoriya tell you about Deku?"

"I'm doing alright. I'm living with Gramma right now." He smiled, "She told me Zuzu is still sleepin' but he'll wake up soon. A couple more days."

"That's great. Nice how things worked out, huh?"

"Yup and I've been meaning to ask you." Kouta grabbed his backpack, opening it to rummage for something, "Why did you save us? You barely know anything about me."

"That's just what Pro Heroes do. We save people. Doesn't matter if we know 'em or not."

"Such a cheesy answer. Typical of a Hero, I guess." Kouta pulled out a large dark green manilla envelope from his backpack. It had [BAKUGOU] written across the back of it in black letters. He shoved the envelope with both of his hands into Katsuki's chest, "Here. I wanted to give this to you."

"What's inside it?"

"Why would I tell you? It's an envelope, stupid, you open it." Kouta hopped off of Katsuki's bed with his bag and walked towards the door without looking back, leaving his cap behind, "I gotta go, so...thanks again."

Kouta shut the door, leaving Katsuki with a bit of anxiety in his chest. "Hope this brat, didn't lace this thing with poison or some shit."

He ripped open the top of the envelope and inside there was a letter that was folded up. He pulled it out and put the envelope aside. The letter was written with a navy blue marker on a thick piece of white construction paper. Kouta's handwriting was very neat.

[Dear Bakugou,]

[At first I really hated you. You were a stupid Hero and you used to bully Zuzu. But after you helped me out when I ran away that one time, I guess you weren't half bad. Even when I kept being mean to you, you weren't rude to me or Zuzu. Now that you saved him, I guess Pro Heroes aren't as bad as I thought. Thanks. You're pretty cool and I trust you about 25% now.]

[From, Kouta]

[P.S. I put a bag of Jolly Ranchers in the envelope. You're welcome.]

[P.S.S. You can date Zuzu. I approve.]

Katsuki couldn't help snickering as he finished the letter. He turned the envelope upside down and sure enough, a small bag of sour Jolly Ranchers fell out. He folded the letter back up and placed it back into the envelope before indulging in his present, popping a blue candy in his mouth.

"This fucking precocious brat."

Katsuki has been stuck in this damn hospital for a little over a week, exactly nine days in total. Apparently, the doctors wanted to keep an eye on him for an extra six days after his three day coma. Completely ridiculous in his opinion, but what the fuck ever, he wasn't going to cause any trouble for the nurses, especially Inko. Besides, he couldn't complain too much because today was the day he was finally going to be discharged later this afternoon to be picked up by his parents. Katsuki couldn't be happier to get the hell out of here. Inko had already taken the IV out of his arm an hour ago, so he could finally move around without any limitations. He was sitting in the window seat to gaze at the gorgeous view of Musutafu.

"It's June fucking 8th..." Katsuki muttered to himself, crossing his arms as he continued to watch the gorgeous cityscape, "Two months...and I'm still here."

He was so sure he was going to kill himself two months ago, but here he was in the flesh and blood. It was kind of weird to still be alive as morbid as it sounded. It didn't matter anyway, Katsuki was only staying alive for the Midoriyas and he was going to keep being alive for them as long as he's needed. Was it an unhealthy thing to keep "living" for? Probably. Did Katsuki care in the fucking slightest? Nope. His new purpose was to support Deku and Kouta in anyway he could no matter what. Once that purpose was fulfilled...

"K-Kacchan?" Speak of the devil, Katsuki turned around with a smirk on his face to see his friend open the door. Deku looked so fucking cute in his hospital gown with those dumb non-slip socks on his feet that were too fucking itchy for Katsuki to wear. His hair was in complete disarray, bright green curls twisting in every single direction.

"Hey, Deku." He was attempting to sound as natural as possible, but it sounded more breathless than he intended. Fuck. "What're you doing in my room?"

"I diddent want to stay in mah woom aneemoar." Deku closed the door behind him before walking towards the window seat to sit across from Katsuki. "And I wanted to zee how you were doin'."

"Better now that I'm outta that damn bed." Katsuki scooted a bit closer to Deku to play with his hair. He couldn't help messing with those soft curls, it was a bit addictive, "I'm getting discharged today. When are you leaving?"

"Twomawoah." He sighed as he scratched the back of neck, "It zuckz."

"Hospitals are never fun, nerd." Katsuki continued to finger and detangle Deku's hair, "You wanna...do something after you get discharged tomorrow? We can do whatever you want."

"Um...can we...go to the b-beach park again?" Deku looked up at him with a nervous smile, "If that'z o-okay, Kacchan?"

"Yeah, that'll be great. Like I said, whatever you want."

They sat together in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence. Katsuki has managed to untangle every curl when he was done, leaving his fingers smelling like Deku's shea butter conditioner.

"That felt nize." Deku giggled, "I almozt fell azleep."

"That'll be 5500 yen plus tax, nerd." Katsuki smirked with his hand out, "I did an amazing service. I believe I deserve compensation."

"Kacchan..." He rolled his eyes, "You diddent zay aneething about payment."

"Ain't nothing in this world for free, Deku." Katsuki shrugged his shoulders, "Unless you have something better?"

"I haff a much bettah way to wepay you." He scooted closer towards Katsuki so he could wrap his arms around his waist in a tight hug. He nuzzled his face into Katsuki's chest before resting his chin on top of it to look up at him with those bright green, "Thank you fo' evweething, Kacchan."

Katsuki felt like he was going to short-circuit right then and there. He held his breath, while his face was burning like hell. This damn nerd was going to be the death of him. He squeezed Deku back, holding him closer to feel the comforting warmth between them. Katsuki didn't want to let him go, but he knew Deku had to get back to his room eventually, no matter how much his mind told him no.

"Kacchan?" Deku wiggled out of Katsuki's grip and raised an eyebrow, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He was trying his best to ignore the stupid blush that was on his cheeks, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your heart." Deku put one of his scarred hands on Katsuki's chest, "It'z beating weelly fazt. Are you nervouz about zomething?"

FUCK! Katsuki shook his head, feeling his palms let loose a couple of small, weak explosions. Deku was looking at him with even more concern in his eyes as he watched his palms emit more pops and Katsuki felt like leaving this plane of existence. He sat on his hands to stop the stupid crackles, "I'm fine! I'm fine! I..uh..shit...just m-my Quirk acts fucking stupid sometimes."

"Should I get my mom?"

"No! It's...It's not serious." Like hell would Katsuki let Inko find out he has the hots for her son. "I promise."

Deku seemed unconvinced, but a knock on Katsuki's door was the perfect diversion from his utter embarrassment in front his damn crush. How the hell could the number four Pro Hero still lose control of his Quirk when he's fucking emotional? So damn ridiculous. He pulled his hands from under his ass once he didn't feel anymore unwanted crackles and called out, "Yeah?"

The door was kicked open--What the fuck was with everyone kicking his door?--by none other than his bratty, overexcited niece. Maiya was wearing a denim jumper over a white T-shirt with bright red Converse and a matching bow in her hair.

"UNCLE KAT!" Maiya squealed, running towards Katsuki and jumping on his lap, "I missed you a whole bunch! This is the second time you've been in the hospital!"

"I missed you too, Princess." Katsuki squeezed her back and kissed her forehead, "Where's the extras?"

"Over here, bro!" Kaminari waved as he stood outside the doorway with the rest of the Bakusquad, all of them walked in his room in their Hero Gear.

"Sorry we couldn't come sooner, bro. Visiting hours in the hospital never wanted to line up with our schedules." Mina chuckled, "Good to see that you and Midoriya are okay."

"Yeah man, we can't stay long, but we still wanted to pop in to spoil ya." Sero smiled with two gift bags in his hands, "Nothing much just some spicy chips, a signed get well card from all of us and a sketchbook full of art by Mimi."

"I drew a whole bunch of Big Fist! She's the best Hero that makes anyone feel better!" She smiled and turned her attention to Deku, "The other bag is for you, Mr. Midoriya! I made you a Get Well Book too!"

"Thank you." Deku signed which caused Maiya's eyes light up as she signed back, "You're welcome!"

"When the hell did you learn sign language, Princess?"

"Kouta!" She giggled, "Daddy let me come visit his house and he taught me some a couple of signs! Very effective teacher."

"I'm surprised he wanted to teach you anything."

"I kept annoying him until he taught me some stuff." Maiya hopped off of Katsuki's legs to grab the gifts bags from Sero's hands before skipping back over to the men. "Here ya go!"

Katsuki pulled out the sketchbook and flipped through the numerous crayon drawings of the 1-B girl. Maiya was obsessed over Big Fist just as Deku was obsessed over All Might when he was her age. He ruffled his niece's dark curls, "Thanks squirt, I'll make sure to put this with all the other Get Well books you made me."

"I knew you'd like it! My pictures have healing powers!"

Kaminari squatted down with his arms open, "Let's go Mimi, gotta get you to preschool now."

"Kay, Uncle Den." Maiya kissed Katsuki on the cheek and gave Deku a hug, "See you guys later!"

"See you later, Princess." Katsuki watched Kaminari, Sero and Maiya leave out his room, while Mina and Kirishima walked towards them. Mina had a smile on her face, while Kirishima still had his face brace on, blocking his expression.

"You two are looking so much better now!" Mina hopped a little in place, "Makes me so happy, guys, seriously. Both of you showed some real heroism that night."

"Shut up." Katsuki smirked, he noticed Deku was red as ever from the compliment. Figures, he was never good at accepting them anyway. "Are you idiots going to be raiding my house when I come home?"

"With some celebratory spicy curry and ice cream." Mina chuckled, "We wanted to invite you too, Midoriya, but Recovery Girl told us you're stuck here for another day."

Izuku nodded his head in annoyance, then stood up as he signed to Katsuki, "I'm going back to my room. I wanna go through my gift bag."

"O.K."

Katsuki watched Midoriya take his leave before turning back to the Kirishimas, "My parents are taking me back home later, so I guess I'll see you tonight."

"Hope you're ready for some good ass curry. My mom gave me this recipe, so I know it'll be good." Mina winked, then turned around to walk out, "You comin', babe?"

"I'll be out in a second." As soon as Mina left the room, Kirishima took off his face brace and placed his hands on Katsuki's shoulders, "Bro, do you think you and I can...talk tomorrow? At the beach park? Bro to bro?"

"Uh, sure." Katsuki raised an eyebrow, "We can do it in the morning. Izuku wants to hang out that day too."

"Perfect bro. I have to work that afternoon anyway." Kirishima let him go, then put his brace back on. Katsuki yanked on the ragged cape around Kirishima's waist to stop him from taking his leave.

"Shitty Hair. What exactly is this about?"

"I think it would be best if we waited till tomorrow, yeah?" Kirishima smiled as he scratched the back of his head. "See you then, man."

Katsuki let his brother leave his room, more confused than ever. What the hell was Kirishima planning? The fuck did he want to talk about? He groaned in frustration with each question popping into his mind. There wasn't really anything he could do about it until tomorrow.

Later in the day, it was a quarter past twelve when his parents finally came with a change of clothes for him. Nothing special, just a simple black T-shirt and matching sweatpants with his favorite brown loafers. He gave his room one final look before leaving to reunite with his parents at the front desk of the hospital. Recovery Girl was waiting for him with a clipboard in her hand.

"Now Bakugou, I don't want you to use your Quirk for at least two weeks." She lectured as she wrote out some discharge notes, "I've already contacted your agency to not put you on the front lines."

"Are you kidding me?" Katsuki huffed, "I thought you healed me up."

"I did, but that doesn't change the fact that your nerves need rest." The Pro Hero lightly tapped him in his head with her cane, "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be, honey. I don't want to have to give you Quirk blockers for being a noncompliant patient."

"Yes, ma'am." Quirk blockers were the most annoying medicine ever made. He's been on them before when he got into a really long fight with a villain during his first few months starting out as a Pro Hero. He won the battle, but couldn't use his Quirk for a month due to the damage on his nerves. Not a fun time.

"Good boy." The old nurse smiled. She handed Katsuki a small stack of papers, "I want you to follow up with me after two weeks to check your arms and you'll be good to go."

"Thanks."

"Tch. Why don't you act like a gentleman towards me?" Mitsuki asked as she followed her husband towards their car. "I'm your fucking mother."

"Because you're an old hag. Witches don't deserve manners."

"Ooooh, you are so lucky that you just got outta the hospital, boy." She slapped her hands together, "My hand has been aching to pop your little ass upside your head."

"Pops, how did you marry this thing?" Katsuki pretended to gag, "I thought Bakugous were known to have standards."

"I'm gonna kill him, Masaru." She pulled on her husband's shirt, "I'm gonna kill him and you're going to help bury the body."

"Don't bring me into this." Masaru snorted as he unlocked the car door for wife and son before getting in the driver's seat, "Honey, I won't be helping you bury our son if you murdered him."

"Fuckers." Mitsuki growled, making both Bakugou men snicker. As Masaru drove to Katsuki's apartment, she turned around in her seat, "Seriously though, you alright, brat?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He sat back in his seat with a smile on his face, "Why the hell do you care, Hag? Don't try to act all nice now."

"Oh fuck off, kid. You sure do love to give us a fucking heart attacks." Mitsuki reached over her seat to ruffle his hair, "Next time when you beat the shit out of a pathetic low-life, make sure to not fuck yourself up in the process."

"Whatever."

The car ride home was shorter than Katsuki would've liked. It was pretty nostalgic to talk to his parents again. He couldn't tell them everything, they were busy enough as fashion designers and they didn't need to stress about their suicidal and depressed son. He was already enough trouble for them as it is being a Pro Hero. Once Masaru parked in front of his apartment, Katsuki hopped out of the car to stretch his legs.

"Hey, don't I get a hug goodbye?" Masaru asked as he got out of the car, "Or are you too good for hugs from an old man?"

"You're not an old man, Pops." Katsuki hugged Masaru tightly, relishing in his father's familiar cologne that he's worn for as long as Katsuki could remember. "Thanks for driving me home."

"Anything for you, Firecracker." Masaru let him go, then patted his shoulders, "I'm so proud of you."

"Get over here, brat." Mitsuki wrapped her arms around Katsuki's neck and kissed his cheek, "Don't go doing something, stupid. I'll kick your ass if you do."

"Tch. Like you could anyway."

"Don't you doubt me, boy."

A few more insults were thrown between mother and son before the couple had to leave. Katsuki watched their car drive away until his disappeared around the corner, then walked up the stairs to his apartment for some well deserved rest.

----

The early morning sun was bright as ever when Katsuki made it to the beach. It wasn't hard to find the hard-headed moron, his long bright red hair stuck out like a sore thumb under the gazebo. The summer winds were particularly strong today and Kirishima's hair flew in every direction as a result.

"There's my main man, Baku-bro." He smiled, then pushed his hair out of his face with his hands, "Glad you could make it, bro."

"Yeah, yeah." He sat next to Kirishima on the railing, "How's everyone else?"

"Mina's getting Baby Girl ready for school." Kirishima wasn't looking at Katsuki as he spoke and one of his legs were bouncing in place. "How are you doing? Like your body and stuff."

"I'm fine. Off duty for two weeks. Now what the fuck is up?" It sounded more confrontational than he meant to, but this has been eating him up since yesterday. Seeing how nervous Kirishima was made his stomach twist. "Did...Did I do something wrong?"

"N-No man...well...h-how do I put this?" He threw his head back with a frustrated sigh, "It's just...I don't know...I-I don't like how handled that fight with Muscular."

"What the fuck do you mean by that?"

"I mean that...I don't like that you fought him by yourself." He still wasn't looking at Katsuki, instead staring out at the crashing waves, "What you did was super dangerous and really reckless, dude."

"Eijirou...we're fucking Pro Heroes. Our jobs are dangerous all the damn time." Katsuki crossed his arms, "That's what we signed up for when we enrolled to U.A."

"That's not the point, Katsuki." Kirishima finally turned to face him, eyes watering, "You went by yourself when you could've woke us up. We could've helped you. Kouta told me Muscular kicked you off of the cliffside! You could've died!"

"Why is that a problem?!" Katsuki jumped off the railing, yelling in Kirishima's face, "Pro Heroes are supposed to die for the greater good!"

"No, they're not, Katsuki!" Kirishima shouted back. He stood up as well with his fists clenched and shark teeth bared, "Pro Heroes are supposed to save, not sacrifice! Just because All Might-"

"Shut up!" Katsuki started to walk away from him. He didn't needed to be reminded of his failure, "Don't fucking bring him into this, Eijirou!"

"No, Katsuki!" Kirishima followed him, "I know you're still blaming himself over his death! It's fucked up your perception of what being a Pro Hero means."

"BECAUSE IT WAS MY FAULT!" Katsuki screamed. Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes and his entire body was shaking, "It was all my fault. If I never got kidnapped, he would still be here! I'm a terrible fucking person! Why can't you understand that?!"

"Because it's not true, Katsuki! Goddammit! This is what I'm talking about!" Kirishima threw his hands up in the air, "I had a feeling even back in high school that this was something that was bothering you, but you never told me! Hell, you didn't tell me the truth when I confronted you about all of that suicide money you gave me and Mina!"

"Why? Why do you wanna kill yourself?"

"Because I don't want to be alive. Not that hard of a concept."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore! I'm not staying here!" Katsuki tried to stomp away, but Kirishima grabbed him by his shoulders and forcibly turned him around. "Let me go!"

"Katsuki, we're talking about this now! I'm so tired of you taking the blame for something that was completely out of your control!" Kirishima was crying now, "You got so messed up from All Might's death that you want to kill yourself! Can't you see that's wrong on so many levels?"

"Let me go, Eijirou!"

"It wasn't your fault, Katsuki! Why can't you just let it go?!"

Katsuki couldn't take it anymore. Kirishima couldn't understand how Katsuki felt. He didn't have to deal with the burden of knowing that he was the sole cause of the death of the number one Pro Hero. He didn't have to suffer through constant shifts of self-loathing, depression and obsessive thoughts. He couldn't understand. He could never understand. It was Katsuki's fault and Kirishima was denying it. Without even thinking, he clenched his fist to punch Kirishima in his jaw. He stumbled back, releasing Katsuki from his grip. Kirishima looked at him in both shock and confusion, until anger overtook his face.

"What the fuck, bro?!"

"Shut the fuck up, Eijirou!" Katsuki went in to punch him again, but Kirishima blocked it with his forearm. "Shut up! Shut up!"

Katsuki grabbed Kirishima by his collar and threw yet another punch, this one slamming into his nose. Kirishima countered by slamming his head into Katsuki's forehead. The brothers' adrenaline were spiked with nothing but sadness and frustration with each other. Swift, hard blows were thrown between the two of them and neither showed any sign of backing down.

"Kacchan? Kiwisheema?" A soft voice called. It had to be Deku, he wasn't supposed to come here this early, "What are you two doing? That'z enuff!"

Deku walked towards their fistfight without hesitation. He grabbed both of their shirts to push them away from each other, standing between them like a human shield, "I zaid that'z enuff! Stawp et! Why? What iz wrong wiff the both of you?"

Neither man could answer, panting and gasping for air from their vicious quarrel. Kirishima's nose was bleeding nonstop, while Katsuki had a growing bruise on his forehead and a swollen cheek. With all of his energy drained, Katsuki fell down to the ground, putting his head down on his knees and his arms crossed, "We're not friends anymore, Eijirou. Back off and leave me alone. I hate you."

"You're right, we're not friends. We're brothers." Kirishima panted as he wiped his nose, "I'll give you some space. I know you don't mean what you say."

"..."

"I'm sorry, Midoriya. Looks like I ruined your time together. I didn't mean for it to get this far." Kirishima said as put his hand on Deku's shoulder, then called out to Katsuki, "You can call me anytime, bro, if you change your mind. Don't forget that."

Once Kirishima walked away from the beach, Deku walked in front of Katsuki offering his hand to help him up, but Katsuki batted his hand away.

"What are you doing here, Deku?" He kept his head down, gritting his teeth, "You weren't supposed to be here."

"I got dizcharged early. Do you feel bettah now?"

"Deku...I hit him. I hit him over and over again. I was so angry. I didn't want to stop." He whimpered, "Why? Why am I the type of person that's only satisfied until I've hurt someone? I haven't changed at all. I'm a terrible fucking person."

"Kacchan...you're not a bad perzon. You're amazing."

Katsuki looked up at his friend, seeing his soft face and welcoming green eyes with a small smile that wasn't of pity, but of comfort. He felt his breath hitch as the tears he was holding back suddenly ran down his cheeks. He wanted to say so many things to Deku, tell him that he didn't deserve to be stuck with a pathetic Hero for a friend, tell him that he could leave him here and never turn back, tell him that he was the reason for the fall of their number one idol. But he couldn't say anything, all Katsuki could do was let the loud sobs erupt from his chest, each one growing louder and louder with every breath he took, borderline screaming.

"It's all my fault!"

After Kacchan broke down in front of Izuku, he initially refused to continue with their plans to walk on the beach. Claiming that he ruined everything with his "stupid fight with Shitty Hair" and that Izuku could leave now if he wanted. That he didn't deserve to spend the day with Izuku after his horrid behavior. It was so much to take in that Izuku had to stop himself from crying several times.

"Kacchan, what happened?" He had to know what led to this, Kirishima, as far as Izuku knows, isn't the type of person to start a random fight. Especially with someone whom he considers his brother. As soon as the question left his lips, Kacchan shook his head and put his head back down in shame.

"Pleeze Kacchan. No zecretz." Izuku begged. He couldn't let this one slide, a simple "No." or "I'm fine." wasn't going to deter him from getting an answer. Kacchan finally told him everything after a few more teary-eyed pleas.

He told Izuku everything Kirishima had said and what Kacchan had said back. Kacchan had blamed himself for All Might's death for years and nearly killed himself before he reunited with Izuku. Kirishima had been trying his hardest to make Kacchan's suicidal thoughts disappear and was angry at Kacchan for willing to sacrifice himself for Izuku and Kouta when they were attacked by that villain.

In other words, this was all Izuku's fault. None of this would have happened, if he hadn't been so useless in defending his son. When Katsuki had finished his story, Izuku felt some unwanted tears run down his face as he spoke a single word.

"Thanks."

"Are you sure you don' want to come with us, Kouta?" Izuku was in the bathroom, spraying his hair with aloe vera juice. "We're going to a Hewo art museum. You might like it."

The Hosu City Pro Hero Art Museum was somewhere Izuku always wanted to go, but never had the time. Luckily, Kacchan agreed to come since it was his last day on medical leave and he wanted to make up for the fight he had with Kirishima on the beach.

"Positive." Kouta said in disgust as he leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, "No way am I gonna be the third wheel on a gross date."

"K-Kouta!" Izuku saw in the mirror how quickly he turned bright red in the face. "Et'z not a d-date!"

"Lies." Kouta giggled, "I see the way you look at him, Zuzu."

"Stawp et, Kouta! I don' like Kacchan!" Izuku stormed pass his son to put on the outfit he picked out. A navy blue button up shirt with short sleeves, khaki skinny jeans and red sneakers. "We're fwiendz. That'z et."

Their relationship had really changed for the better, but Izuku couldn't overstep Kacchan's boundaries. No matter how much those weird feelings kept rising up when they were together, Izuku had to suppress them. Kacchan didn't like him like that. Kacchan needed a friend. Izuku didn't think Kacchan was handsome. Izuku didn't think Kacchan was an amazing man. Izuku didn't love Kacchan. But the more time he spent with Kacchan, the harder it was to ignore those feelings.

"I betcha you could kiss him when you go out on this date." Kouta put his arms behind his head, "He probably wouldn't mind."

"Shh! Kouta!" Izuku put his finger up to his lips once he finished putting on his shoes, but Kouta only laughed harder. He was being teased by his own flesh and blood. Izuku has never felt more betrayed in his life. Thankfully, the doorbell rang, so Izuku nearly sprinted to answer the door. Of course, it was Kacchan on the other side. He wore a black T-shirt with a bomb design on the chest, matching cargo shorts and high top Vans.

"Hey." He smiled, while he continued to fumble with the bracelet on his wrist. "You look nice."

"T-Thank you...Kacchan." Izuku managed to cough out as he unconsciously stared at how nice the shirt perfectly hugged Kacchan's muscular form. N-No! He shouldn't be checking out his friend. They were friends!

"Hey Bakugou." Kouta squeezed himself between the men to greet the Hero, "Nice shirt."

"Hell must've froze over if you're complimenting me, squirt."

"Don't get used to it, I'm just in a good mood." Kouta looked up at Izuku, "I'm going to Gramma's place now."

"Okay. Be zafe. Have fun."

"You have fun too, Zuzu." Kouta gave him a mischievous smile which was nothing but unsettling as he walked down the stairs to his mother's apartment. His son was way too young to know anything about romance and crushes.

"I juzt haff to get my watch an backpack." He opened the door wider for Kacchan, "You can come in if you want."

"I'll wait out here."

"O-Okay. Be wite back." Izuku shut the door and leaned his back against it before sliding down to the floor. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest, this was so ridiculous. He didn't love Kacchan anymore. He couldn't love Kacchan, it wouldn't be fair to him. Kacchan didn't deserve a deaf, useless Quirkless man as a partner. He could easily find someone better. He needed to calm down and stop being so selfish. After a couple of deep breaths and a few slaps to his freckled cheeks, Izuku ready to go back out there with his things.

I'm not in love with Kacchan.

After taking a thirty minute train ride, they made it to the art museum. It wasn't a typical museum though, all of the exhibits were outside surrounded by trees, a clear waterfall and a colorful garden with flowers and hedges. Izuku gasped as he saw the beautiful statues of Pro Heroes in their greatest battle moments on both sides of the cobblestone path. Pro Hero Lemillion saving a little girl from the Yakuza leader Overhaul, Pro Hero Ingenium defeating the Hero Killer Stain and Pro Hero Endeavor and Pro Hero Hawks killing a Nomu named Hood. Those were just a few of the amazing victories that were carved into these priceless works of art.

"I can't beleeff there are zo many statchooz. They even haff Kamui Woodz' debut battle ovah here!" Izuku squealed, grabbing Kacchan's hand to drag him to each statue and explaining the battle behind it. He wasn't even sure if Kacchan could understand him, he was talking so fast, but Kacchan asked insightful questions and silly comments between his rambles.

"I was expecting alot more statues. Ain't this a Hero Museum?"

"That'z becauze only about thirty perzent of Pwo Hewoez get into thiz muzeum! They zay et'z not about the wanking of the Hewo, et'z about how impactful the battle waz to the people."

"Impactful, huh? I guess that's why Four Eyes is here." Katsuki pointed to another marble statue, "Is that Eraserhead over there fighting a Nomu?"

"I think et iz Pwo Hewo Ewasahhead, Kacchan!" Izuku continued to tug on Kacchan's arm to admire every statue they came across. He could feel his heart swell when he felt their fingers interlock with each other as they continued to walk.

The end of the path lead to a large golden statue of All Might using his United States of Smash attack to finally kill All For One. It was surrounded by flowers of a rainbow of colors along with a monument that listed all of the citizens All Might had saved next to the statue. The list was in order by the year All Might saved them and Izuku felt Kacchan grip his hand a little tighter when they found their names.

"Damn." Kacchan whispered, pulling his hand over his face, "I'm on there twice."

Izuku sighed, "Kacchan..I-I..."

"Don't you dare apologize, nerd." He smiled at him. Kacchan was trying his best to keep it together, but he could tell the pain behind that false happiness. Izuku knows a forced smile when he sees one, "It's fine, alright? Don't worry. What's next? I think we've seen all we could see here."

"Okay Kacchan." Izuku said as he quickly walked away from the statue, "Do you want to gwab lunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starving. I saw a stand nearby that was selling sandwiches. I'll pay for 'em."

"No, et'z okay, Kacchan." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, "I'll pay. I got paid yezterday."

"Do you what you want, Deku."

Izuku bought them katsu sandwiches with iced black teas before they sat at a picnic table to enjoy their meals. The pork was fried perfectly between the warm, soft pieces of bread and the fresh spinach underneath the meat gave a nice, satisfying crunch to each bite Izuku took. He finished both of his sandwiches in such an absurd amount of time that Kacchan had slid his other half of his sandwich towards him.

"You clearly need it more than me, you glutton." Katsuki chuckled as he took a sip of his tea. Izuku felt his cheeks burn and shook his head.

"I-I'm okay, Kacchan!"

"Deku, this sandwiches are filling as hell. I'm not gonna be able to eat it." He picked it up and held it up to Izuku's mouth, "Just take it."

Izuku bit the sandwich before taking it out of Kacchan's hand. He heard him giggling as he watched Izuku eat and it only made it 1000% more embarrassing. It was sunset by the time they finished their not date and boarded the empty train home. They sat on one of the benches together, letting the setting sun bathe them in soothing, orange rays. Kacchan had his arm on the top of the bench behind Izuku.

"Kacchan..." Izuku whispered, clutching the straps of his backpack, "I'm sowwie."

"Deku, what are you apologizing for?" Katsuki frowned, "I told you, I'm fine. It's okay."

It wasn't okay. Kacchan was only saying that to make him feel better. Why did he always have to screw everything up? He felt his eyes well up with tears and let go of his straps to sign, "Nothing good comes from being around me. You'll always be unhappy if you're with me."

"Deku, that's not true. I..I like..being around you." Katsuki turned his head away, "Besides, I'm the one who made you unhappy."

----

"We're home!" Izuku called out as he kicked off his shoes. As soon as they walked into his apartment, he noticed his mother's shoes on the genkan, along with the spicy smell of dinner filling his living room. "Kacchan, will you stay fo' dinnah?"

"Dinner? Uh, sure." Katsuki slipped off shoes, "Smells good."

"I thought I heard the stupid Hero's voice." Kouta popped his head from behind the couch, "The hell are you doing here again?"

"Your dad invited me for dinner, Demon." Katsuki didn't hesitate to ruffle Kouta's hair, causing him to hiss at him like an angry kitten. "So how about you tone it down with the attitude."

"Zuzu, he's touching me!" He whined as he tried to push Kacchan's hand off of his head, "I'm gonna catch his stupidity!"

"Deku, he's touching me!" Katsuki mimicked in a higher pitch, "I'm gonna catch his brattiness!"

Izuku shook his head, ignoring their antics for now and headed into the kitchen. Inko had several pots, pans and other kitchen appliances floating around in her soft green aura to make dinner.

"Good evening, sweetie!" She smiled as she was stirring a pan of mapo tofu at the stove, "Did you have a good time on your date with Katsuki?"

"Mom!" Izuku groaned, he quickly signed, "It wasn't a date! Kouta is lying!"

"Oh I'm sorry, honey. I just figured..." She trailed off, failing to hold in her laughter. "It's just..well, Kouta has told me so much that's happened between you and Katsuki lately."

"Don't believe everything he says!" At this point, Izuku knew it was a pointless battle to keep fighting about his unrequited crush. He was having a hard enough time convincing himself. How the hell could he convince his mother and son?

"I'll keep that in mind, baby." Inko used her Telekinesis to set up the table before untying the apron from around her waist, "Kouta! Katsuki! It's time to eat!"

"Why are we letting Bakugou sit at the table?" Kouta asked as he sat in his chair, "I thought animals weren't allowed to sit at the table."

"I'll show you an animal, you little hellspawn." Kacchan sat across from him and next to Izuku, "Keep talking shit and I'll come over there and bite your ass."

"Try me, loser." Kouta stuck his tongue out and pulled down his bottom eyelid with his middle finger, "I'll knock your teeth out."

"I'll blast you back to Hell where you belong." Kacchan used his middle fingers to stretch his mouth and stuck out his tongue. They continued to make faces, blow raspberries and flip each other off until Izuku clapped his hands to grab their attention.

"Kouta! Kacchan! Play nize!" Izuku scolded. If he had to see one more middle finger he was going to lose his mind.

"He started it!" They yelled in unison, pointing at each other. Inko started to laugh, while Izuku rolled his eyes. The rest of dinner was amazing, filled with laughter from Kacchan's old high school stories and Inko's stories from working at the hospital with insane patients.

"Thanks for helping clean up, Katsuki. I really appreciate it." Inko smiled as she handed Kacchan another dirty plate. They were standing at the sink, side by side, while Izuku and Kouta were cleaning up the table.

"The least I could do, Ms. Midoriya. Think you could give me that mapo tofu recipe? Real good stuff."

"Sure, baby. It's really easy to make."

"Don't try to butter up my Gramma, Bakugou." Kouta called, "I know what you're trying to pull."

"Will you leave me alone?! Damn!" Katsuki whined, then he turned to Izuku, "Tell him to leave me alone, Deku."

"You're in our house, I'm allowed to bother all guests." Kouta said matter of factly, "It's a Midoriya rule."

"No et'z not, Kouta. Play nize." Izuku didn't know why he bothered trying to discipline his little one when it came to Kacchan. It was almost as if the two liked arguing with each other. "Aftah we clean up, take a baff."

"Okay." Kouta looked up at Inko, "Gramma, can you stay over our place tonight?"

"Sure, sweetpea. We can make some shiso juice too and watch some movies too."

"Nice." Kouta's smile quickly morphed from innocent to evil as he made direct eye contact with Izuku, "Is Bakugou going to stay here again, Zuzu?"

Izuku was going to kill this boy. He glanced at Kacchan, but he couldn't see his face. He managed to sputter out, "O-only if he w-wantz too."

"I don't have to stay, Deku." He said quickly. "It's fi-"

"Oh nonsense, honey!" Inko laughed, "If I'm staying the night, you're staying the night! I'm positive Izuku has some clothes you can wear to sleep in. In fact, Kouta and I can finish up here. Right, Kouta?"

"Yup."

"Izuku, be a dear and help Katsuki find some clothes he can sleep in."

"W-Wha?" Before Izuku could even protest, he felt the cloth he was using to wipe down the table being yanked out of his hands by his mother's Quirk. Kacchan looked at helplessly him as he shrugged his shoulders, it was clear he didn't want to argue with Inko. It was really two against one and there was nothing he could do about it. With a sigh, Izuku let Kacchan follow him to his bedroom. He opened the door for him and promptly shut it behind them. His room was dark other than his lava lamp softly illuminating his room with its blue color.

"I'm sowwie about them, Kacchan."

"It's, uh, it's cool, Deku." He had his arms crossed as he looked around the room. It felt a little embarrassing to have Kacchan see all of Izuku's hero merch, "I guess they expect us to stay in here for a while."

"Hmhm." Izuku groaned and sat down on his bed, "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah, but I'm picking it. You'll pick some superhero movie that we've no doubt seen a million times as kids." Kacchan grabbed the All Might themed laptop from Izuku's desk and sat next to him in his bed. They were so unbelievably close that Izuku could smell Katsuki's cinnamon cologne from his clothes. He inhaled deeply to keep himself calm as he watched Kacchan log into his streaming account.

"No scawie moviez." Izuku was not in the mood to be scared out of his mind.

"Guess that means Alien is off the table, huh?"

"Yez!" Izuku cried, causing Kacchan to laugh, but he didn't find it very funny. He repeatedly hit him on his arm, "Kacchaaan!"

"Chill out, Deku. I won't put it on. Here. This one's a good one." He clicked on a movie that looked to be an action thriller, then slid down the bed to lie down on his back with his head on one of Izuku's pillows. He balanced the laptop on his thigh so it could be between them. Izuku did the same, instead laying on his side to see the screen better. Admittedly, it was a little hard to pay attention to the movie when his mind was focused on the feeling of Kacchan's body heat against him.

Pull yourself together, Izuku.

----

An hour a half later, the screen went black with the typical white credits scrolling up the screen. Izuku was still laying on his side as he rubbed his eyes, "That waz a good movie, Kacchan."

The only response he got from him was a soft groan. One look at the slow rise and fall of his chest was enough evidence that Kacchan had fallen asleep halfway through the movie. He was fidgeting and mumbling a concerning amount as he slept on his back, "...No...stop...d-don't..."

"Kacchan?" Izuku whispered, but the restlessness continued. As if on instinct, he reached over to sweep his thumb across Kacchan's cheek in order to calm him down, "Kacchan...et'z okay. Juzt a bad dream. I'm wite here."

He leaned his face towards Izuku's touch along content sigh escaping his lips as he softly muttered, "...Deku..."

Izuku felt his cheeks burn, he tried to resist the urge to smile when he heard Kacchan mutter his name. It was more than likely nothing, after all Kouta does the same thing when Izuku does this to him whenever he's going through a nightmare, but...never mind. It was nothing. He had to stop reading into things.

He sat up as quietly as he could as he picked up the laptop to place it on his desk. Now that Kacchan was asleep, he could change into a T-shirt and sweats before sitting at his desk. He wasn't tired, so he used the light from his laptop's screen to read one of the many Pro Hero history novels he kept on his desk. After flipping through a few pages, he heard his door creak open.

"Zuku.." His mother cooed, "You're going to ruin your eyes reading in the dark like that."

"Sowwie, Mom." He sheepishly smiled, "I can't zleep."

"Want some shiso juice? Kouta and I made some while you two were in there."

"Sure." He closed his laptop and followed his mother into the kitchen. He sat at the table to watch Inko use her Quirk to pour the juice into two large glasses with some sparkling water and ice. He always felt like a kid again when he watched her use her Telekinesis, reminding him of his school days when she made him breakfast.

"I was having trouble sleeping too." She placed the glass in his awaiting hand and sat down across from him. "There you go, sweetheart."

"Thank you." They sipped their drinks in comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence.

"Zuku, you've spent so much time worrying about Kouta and now Katsuki." She slid the glass back and forth between her hands, "Now I'm starting to worry about you all over again, baby."

"How?"

"You've been so caught up in Kouta and Katsuki's lives that you never leave any time for yourself."

"I can zay the zame thing about you, Mom." He smirked, "Instead of uzing thoze vacation dayz you've got zaff'd up, you're alwayz at the hozpital taking shiftz to care fo' patientz."

"That's something that I'm doing for myself, so that doesn't really count."

"What a coinzidenze becauze I'm doing all of theze thingz fo' myzelf too."

"Really?"

"Yep." He took another sip of his drink before setting it down, "Speaking of Kouta..haffen't you notized, Mom? He'z changed zo much! He'z been getting more and more cheerful lately. He doezn't zay how much he hatez Hewoez aneemoar as much. I'm zo pwoud of him."

"You've changed too, honey." Inko smiled, "You talk so much more than you used to, it's like you've had a bit more bounce in your step lately."

"You think zo?" He drummed his fingers on the table, staring at his glass, "I alwayz feel like I'm not doing enuff or that I'm cauzing eveweeone problemz by...being me. I haffen't changed a bit."

"Don't sell yourself short, sweetheart, you've got a heroic heart. Of course, Kouta's no slouch either. I'm so happy to have some mighty fine boys in my life." She used her Quirk to float a basket covered with a cloth on the table. "Here baby, eat some of the manju, too."

Izuku hit his fists alternately on the table like an excited child. He could never get tired of his mother's baked goods, "You got it!"

The Midoriyas spent another hour talking and eating until it came time for both of them to turn in for the night. When Izuku re-entered his room, he noticed Kacchan had settled himself under the covers, quietly snoring away on his side. Izuku slipped under the covers, snuggling close against his chest. His thoughts began to wander as he drifted off to sleep.

Have I changed? Maybe Mom thinks so because Kouta changed thanks to Kacchan. But I don't feel any different. I still don't like me. I...I don't like anything about me. I just want to...disappear.

Katsuki had been working his ass off these past few weeks after missing two weeks of work. He stayed at the agency until midnight, brought work home and even offered to take over other Heroes' shifts when he was done with his own. That damn Four-Eyed bastard kept trying to lecture him whenever they were on patrol to not overexert himself, but fuck that. He hated coming back to his apartment after his shifts, that same loneliness he felt in the beginning of the year was creeping back. It didn't feel like a home anymore...but this was his punishment. The Kirishimas had stopped coming over his apartment for dinner upon his own request. This is what he deserved for losing his temper and screwing everything up like he always did. Even if Kirishima said he would take him back with open arms, Katsuki didn't know how to even approach him. Was it even possible to go back to the way things were?

Today, however, he was stuck at his apartment. Nobody needed him to take over their patrol and he finished all of his paperwork, so the best way to spend his day off was to lie down in his bed in complete darkness of his bedroom. He didn't trust himself to move from under the covers...he might do something he might regret. That is, until the sound of his phone vibrating on his nightstand startled him out of his potential thoughts. He reached over to grab it and slid his finger across to answer, not even bothering to check the Caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Bakugou!" It was the demon child, "Where the hell are you? I didn't see you walk down the street today."

"I'm off. What do you want?"

"I need your help with something. It's extremely important that you come over our house."

"What is it?"

"That's classified information. Just come over here now."

"Alright ya damn brat. I'll be there in ten minutes." He ended the call and rose out of his bed. He finally had something to do that could distract him. Thank god. Unfortunately he had no clue what "something" Kouta was up to which was pretty terrifying. He fixed himself in the bathroom to look as presentable as possible, then changed into a tank top and denim jeans with some Converse. As he walked out of his apartment, he could feel the warm, summer breeze through his hair.

"Nice." He said softly, then jumped off the banister and used his Quirk to fly to the Musutafu Apartments. Just as he predicted, he was there in ten minutes. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants as he walked up the stairs to their door. He could only get one knock in before he saw Inko open the door.

"Katsuki! You made it!" She smiled, pulling him into the apartment. "So glad you're here. I hope the trip didn't take too long."

"I used my Quirk to get here." He looked around the living room as he took off his shoes. Green and orange helium balloons covered the ceiling and streamers of the same colors were strung across the walls. "What's going on?"

"There you are!" Kouta had a large golden party crown with plastic jewels on his head, "Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to assist us in making Zuzu's birthday cake."

"Wait. It's his birthday today?" Katsuki didn't even realize it was the fucking middle of July. How fucked up was his perception of time? "Oh shit."

"Don't you dare feel bad, Katsuki. We know you've been so busy with work it must've slipped your mind." Inko led him to the kitchen, "Now we've got to get this cake done quick. Hatsume is keeping Izuku at work for another hour with some projects."

The birthday cake they were baking was a matcha cake with vanilla buttercream icing. Katsuki and Inko worked together to mix the ingredients, while Kouta tasted everything to make sure it was perfect. After the cake was baked, cooled and chilled, Inko took over to decorate the cake. She frosted the green cake with the white buttercream until it was completely smooth, then used some green matcha icing to pipe French tip peaks along the top and bottom of the cake. She placed blackberries in a circle in the center and the finishing touch: a chocolate rectangle with the number 25 carved into it.

"Whoa! That looks amazing!" Katsuki and Kouta gasped, Inko took a bow clearly very proud of her delicious work. Everything was in order, the birthday cake was done, the party decorations were set and now all they had to do was wait for the birthday boy who would be coming in a matter of seconds.

"I'm home!" There was the man of the hour. Katsuki smirked to himself when he heard Deku gasp at the decorations in the living room. As soon as Deku came into the kitchen they all cheered and shot out party poppers filled with colorful confetti. Deku yelped out in surprise, then immediately covered his bright pink face with his arms, embarrassed by his reaction of the unexpected guest, "K-Kacchan! What are you doin' hewe?!"

"For your birthday, nerd."

"C'mon Zuzu, it's a party!" Kouta ran up to his father with the birthday crown, "We're supposed to be celebrating!"

"Kouta..." Deku whined, but he still bent down to pick him up, so Kouta could place the crown on his head. He giggled, giving him a thumbs up, "You look great."

"Time to blow out the candles, Deku." Katsuki arranged five green candles on the cake, then lit them with a lighter, "Make a wish."

Deku exhaled loud as hell, still embarrassed by all of the attention. It was honestly really, really cute. He walked up to the table, put Kouta down in the chair and blew out every single candle in one go.

"Hope your wish comes true, Deku." Katsuki sat down at the table, then grabbed the knife, "Now let's eat this cake, I can't wait anymore."

Katsuki passed around large slices of cake, while Inko used her Quirk to pour everyone glasses of shiso juice. He was never a fan of sweets, but he could easily eat this entire matcha cake and then some. The subtle sweetness of the green tea and the small amount of vanilla was the perfect combination. It was pretty clear Deku liked it too. He was making the cutest sounds as he ate his piece that Katsuki made a mental note to always make this cake for his birthday.

"Gramma, this is so good. You're lucky I called you Bakugou or you would've missed this." Kouta smiled at him as he raised two fingers in a V-shape, "I declare a victory."

"Speaking of winning..." Izuku started, "Kacchan, haff you zeen the Hewo Billboard Wankz? You went up fwom fourff to third."

"Hmm? I Whah?" Katsuki had a mouthful of cake in his mouth, "How? I haffen't done aneedin' diff'rent. I'm still the same asshole."

"Oh that's not true, baby." Inko smiled, "Moving up to the top three Hero spots? That's such a great achievement. Your parents will be so proud."

"Yeah, Bakugou. Just take a 'W' for once." Kouta stabbed the last piece of his cake and used it to point at Katsuki, "By the way, you're coming with us to see the Fireworks Festival tonight."

"I'm going to see the what now?"

"The Musutafu Summer Fireworks Festival. It always starts on Zuzu's birthday and you're coming with us. Right, Zuzu?"

Deku turned his face away from Katsuki, "Only if he wants to."

"You're totally coming."

Katsuki stayed at the Musutafu Apartments until night fell. It was nice to have that familiar feeling of having people around him again, even if he wasn't really apart of the Midoriya family. He was sitting on the couch with Kouta, waiting for Inko and Izuku to finish getting ready.

"You finally gonna ask Zuzu out?" Kouta whispered in the most nonchalant voice ever. "It would be a pretty good birthday present."

"Can you...stop asking me this?" Katsuki groaned, "Deku doesn't...he wouldn't...I'm sure he could find someone else better than me."

"Uuuuuuugh." He dragged his face down with both of his hands, "Okay. What if I told you that his standards are extremely low?"

"Fuck you, you little brat." He shot up his middle finger to emphasize his words, "Why are you so determined to pair us together?"

"Because watching you make googly eyes at him all of the time is starting to get annoying."

"Okay boys, we're ready!" Inko called from down the hall in a pale pink yukata with a red obi tied around her waist; her long green hair was tied up in a high bun. Katsuki and Kouta awed from the sight of her.

"You look really pretty, Gramma."

"Thank you, baby." She turned her head back towards Deku's door, "Izuku, sweetie, let's go. I told you, you look very handsome."

"Moooom." He whined, slowly coming out of his room. Katsuki felt his breathing stop just from the sight of Deku. His yukata was forest green just like his hair with a pale yellow obi tied around his waist. He looked so amazing and Katsuki knew he was blushing because his face felt like it was on fucking fire.

"You...l-look...nice, Deku." He coughed out, which managed to make Deku's face completely red. Katsuki was never good with compliments, but he had to at least say something.

"T-Thank you, um, Kacchan."

"Welp, let's get going." Kouta smirked as he hopped off of the couch, "I wanna get to the Festival before the fireworks start."

----

The Musutafu Festival was crowded to hell and back. It was if everyone and their fucking mother was here to see the fireworks. Thank goodness it was dark enough that Katsuki could blend in without being recognized. The last thing he needed was to get overrun by a bunch of crazed fans. There were games with prizes and food stands at every corner, but Kouta ignored ignored every single one. He lead the three adults to what he would deem the perfect spot for watching the show.

"Right here!" He pointed to an area that was pretty isolated from the rest of the other families, "Bakugou, put the tarp here. This the perfect spot."

"Alright, alright."

As soon as he set it down, the fireworks began. A rainbow of burning colors shimmered in the clear night sky before promptly fading away. The crowd cheered, screamed, laughed and everything in between at every powerful burst. Katsuki always loved fireworks, partly because it reminded him of his Quirk, but also that it showed that even something as chaotic and unstable as an explosion could be amazing. That's why Pops always called him Firecracker. The first round of fireworks ended just as quickly as they began and Kouta stood up from his spot.

"Perfect time to grab some snacks." He pulled on Inko's sleeve, "Gramma, I want some yakisoba."

"I can come with you, Kouta." Deku signed, but Kouta shook his head.

"I want Gramma to come with me. You stay here. Keep our spot warm." He smiled and ran off with Inko trailing behind him. That damn brat knew what he was doing. Katsuki glanced at Deku, who was rummaging through his yellow bag before he pulled out a bottle of green tea for him.

"Thank you." Katsuki took a sip from the bottle, then set it aside to sign, "Thank you letting me come with you guys today. I hope you're having a good birthday."

"It was amazing. When is your birthday, Kacchan?"

"My birthday? April 20th."

"April 20th?" He gasped, a sad smile grew across his face, "Oh no, I missed it. That's too bad."

"It's fine, I didn't celebrate it this year anyway. I can't believe you're actually 25." Katsuki snorted, "We can celebrate next year together, okay? It can be a big party, you know?"

The second round of fireworks began. All of them were pure white in color like stars in enormous bunches with each explosion becoming larger than the last. Katsuki noticed Deku stare at the brilliant show with a soft smile before closing his eyes. Once the sky was clear and quiet, they presumed their conversation.

"Why did you close your eyes?"

"I can feel the sound."

"Oh, I get it. That makes perfect sense."

Deku looked up at the night sky again, then quickly stood up from his spot to put on his geta sandals.

"What's wrong? Where are you going?"

"I have to go home now."

"What? Why now?" Katsuki shook his head, "But the show isn't over yet. The fireworks just started."

"I need to get some work done, Kacchan." The soft smile never left his face, "I really need to get it finished tonight."

"Okay, but that sucks though." He stood up with him, "I'll walk you home."

"No thank you, Kacchan. I don't mind walking home alone." Deku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's shoulders and held him as tightly as he could while he buried his cheek in his chest. Katsuki held him close, rubbing his back as he lightly sniffed the conditioner scenting his curly green hair. Once they let each other go, Deku looked at him as if he wanted to say something, but settled on a warm smile.

"Be safe on the way, nerd." Katsuki signed, "See you later."

"Thank you for everything, Kacchan." He turned around, quickly disappearing into the crowd. Katsuki tried to watch him as much as he could, but it was simply too dark. Really dark. Deku can handle his own, right? He doesn't need Katsuki being his fucking bodyguard, but at the same time, it wasn't good to be walking home alone at night.

"Shit. Maybe I should go with him after all. J-Just to be sure."

"Hey! Bakugou!" Kouta yelled. He ran up to Katsuki with two bowls of yakisoba in his hands, "What happened to Zuzu?!"

"He wanted to get some work done. You just missed him."

"Oh brother, what a damn nerd. He's not allowed to do work on his birthday!"

"What a shame too." Inko held up a large crepe with strawberries sticking out of it, "We bought him one of those crepes that he likes."

"Well, why doesn't Bakugou go give it to him? It's not like our house is that far away."

"I would, but I don't have your house key."

"Here." Kouta handed Inko one of the yakisoba, so he could pull her house key from her purse. He dropped it in Katsuki's awaiting hand, "Give Zuzu the crepe and while you're over there. Grab my Switch. I saw some kids over there playing with theirs and I wanna kick their butts."

"Thank you so much, Katsuki." Inko handed him the dessert, "I'm sure he would really appreciate it."

----

"Finally." Katsuki muttered to himself as he walked up the stairs of the Musutafu Apartments. If he wasn't holding this damn crepe, he would've made it here so much quicker with his Quirk. "Dammit, Deku. Why did you have to get the apartment on the top floor?"

"Hey, I'm coming in. Damn it's dark." He said as he opened the door once he unlocked it and placed the house key on the small shelf before walking in. "Deku, where are you? It's me, Kacchan."

He put the crepe on the kitchen table, then walked into the living room. It was unusually quiet and very, very dark. He expected Deku to be sitting on the couch with his laptop on his lap or something.

"Lemme grab this brat's Switch before I forget." He crouched down to the system until a bright flash of light followed by loud rumbles came through the screen door that led to the balcony. Katsuki smiled, "Holy shit, you can see the fireworks from here."

Deku was out on the balcony in his yukata still watching those fireworks. Katsuki sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. If the damn nerd wanted to see the fireworks from home, he didn't have to lie, but then Deku started to climb on top of the railing.

"Wait. What the hell?" Katsuki stood up, console forgotten. Was Deku trying to sit on the railing? To get a better look at the fireworks? "Deku? What the fuck are you doing? Deku?"

He was standing on the railing now. His sandals were neatly put to the side. His green curls were flowing with the gentle breeze of the wind. Then it hit him. Katsuki felt himself stop breathing. No, no, no, Deku wasn't doing this. He couldn't be doing this.

"Deku!" He screamed, his body moved on its own, running towards Deku to stop him from making the worst decision of his life. There was a crash. Katsuki found himself on the floor. He must've tripped and ran into the table. His legs were throbbing, but he ignored it. Looking up at Deku with tears in his eyes. Deku was going to jump. Katsuki had to save Deku. He had to save Deku! Get up! Get up! Get up! He slammed his fists down, sprinting for the balcony.

It was the end of the year, Katsuki was once again the top of his class. No surprises here. For some fucking reason, he was called into the stupid teachers' lounge along with the Quirkless deaf loser.

"The hell did you call me for, Teach?" He shoved his fists in his pockets, "I want to go home and you're wasting my time."

"It'll only take a second, Bakugou. I'm sure you can spare five minutes." Their teacher leaned back in his chair, "I want to congratulate you both on being the only two students attending Pro Hero schools."

Two schools, huh? That means Deku finally fucking listened and went to the other non-U.A. second-rate Hero school. Katsuki couldn't help letting his smirk grow across his face, he was finally going to be rid of this walking disabled moron forever. "Thanks, Teach."

"You're welcome. I'm very proud of both of you, especially you Midoriya. I wasn't expecting you to choose a Hero school. What are you studying?"

Deku signed some fucking nonsense that the teacher was able to understand. "Quirk engineering, huh? A very, very hard profession to get into, but I know you'll pull through."

"Is that all, Teach? Can I go home now?"

"Yes, you can go home now. I hope for the best for your futures."

They walked out of the lounge and of fucking course, Deku was following him. You know what? It's the last day of school and Katsuki was in a good mood, so maybe he'll humor the pebble for a little bit. He turned around, "Hey, you wanna come with me to the park? We can sit on the swings."

The moron gave him a confused look, but still nodded his head regardless. It was sunset when they got to the park and no one was there. Deku sat in his swing, while Katsuki stood on his. They were silently swinging, listening to the squeaking of these old things, until Katsuki broke the silence.

"See? I knew you could actually fucking listen for once even if your ears don't work." He jumped off of his swing, then leaned against the pole of the swing set next to Deku, "This is it, nerd. We're never gonna see each other again and I'm gonna be the top fucking Pro Hero. Even better than All Might."

"Yeah..." The nerd's eyes were getting misty. He sure was good at being a fucking crybaby. The fuck was he being upset for? This was what both of them wanted! Whatever.

"All I can say is good riddance and I am very glad to finally be rid of your annoying presence." He smiled as he grabbed his bag, "Have a nice life, you sad, deaf Quirkless loser. No one in their right mind is going to miss you."

Deku didn't say anything, aside from some crocodile tears running down his cheeks. He grabbed the chains of the swing and held back a sob. Katsuki snorted at the pathetic display, shaking his head before walking away.

What a fucking pebble.

"Kacchan?" Izuku's small confused voice was heard from over the railing. With the help of the fireworks, he could see Izuku's face. He was crying so much. By the skin of his teeth, Katsuki managed to grab Izuku's wrist with both of his hands when he jumped off the railing.

"Why? Izuku?!" Katsuki sobbed, he didn't care if he was crying. He nearly lost his best friend. Where did he go wrong? Would things have gone differently if he never fought Eijirou? If he never went to that camping trip? If he listened to Kouta when he told him to leave? If he never chased Izuku into the forest? If he hadn't met him in the first place?

He didn't have time to dwell on the what-ifs. Izuku was a lot heavier than Katsuki realized as he started to feel himself slip over the railing himself. His feet were slowly lifting off the ground. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! "Izuku! You have to grab onto the railing!"

Izuku was staring at him with those large innocent eyes that Katsuki caused to well up with tears time and time again. Then he looked down at the darkness below. He wasn't moving. Was he waiting for Katsuki to let him go? It didn't matter how much his arms strained or how much his legs throbbed from that damn table. He was going to stay here or die trying. He was going to be strong. Just like All Might.

Please God, if you're out there, watching this. Give me one ounce of strength, I won't run away from my problems anymore. Just do this one thing for me. Please. Starting tomorrow, I won't cling to the past anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'll never call anyone stupid nicknames ever again. Starting tomorrow, I'll listen when people speak to me. Starting tomorrow, I'll be a better person.

"Pleeze..." Izuku whined, "Let me go.."

"No! Never! Izuku! I'm staying here until you climb back up! You just have to grab onto the railing! I know you can do it!" Katsuki was beginning to lose his grip on Izuku. His hands were sweating too much. He can't let Izuku die. Not like this. If he can't have that tomorrow, then he will gladly take Izuku's place.

I'm so sorry, Izuku. I'm sorry for everything, Izuku. I should've asked him what he really thinks of me, but it's too late now.

Izuku raised his arm up and grabbed one of the metal bars from the railing. Katsuki pulled him up as much as he could, but his feet were too high off of the ground. When Deku made it up on the edge, Katsuki fell off of the balcony. The last thing he heard was Izuku's voice.

It felt as if time had stopped when the entire world learned of Ground Zero's suicide attempt. News stations were going to great lengths to cover the mental health of Pro Heroes, several social media groups were creating supportive hashtags or hefty donations towards Ground Zero's medical bills and Pro Heroes of all kinds were very vocal about their hope for Ground Zero's speedy recovery.

Eijirou had heard from Recovery Girl and her hospital staff that Katsuki had suffered damage to one of hips, both his shoulders and was knocked out from the impact of the fall. According to Recovery Girl, if Katsuki hadn't fell into the bushes, he would've died. It's been two days since that night and Katsuki still hasn't opened his eyes.

It was...so much to take in, but Eijirou had to be strong for the sake of his family. Kaminari hadn't stopped crying since he heard the news. Sero's usual cheeky smile was replaced with a neutral expression and a silent demeanor. Mina has been locking herself in their bedroom for a couple of hours in the day lately. She always needed time for herself to process anything tragic. Today was no different, which is why Eijirou was sitting in his office now, explaining everything to the Bakugous through facetime on his computer.

"Recovery Girl said his brain didn't sustain any major damage, so he'll be okay when he wakes up." Eijirou sighed, "All we can do now is wait."

"I don't understand why he did it." Mitsuki sobbed, wiping her eyes with her hands as she shook her head, "Fucking hell, did I do something wrong? Was I too hard on him? I should've known my damn baby was in so much pain. I'm a terrible ass mother."

"That's not true, Mitsuki. It's going to be alright, darling." Masaru cooed as wrapped his arms around his grieving wife. She clung to him, burying her face into his chest as she continued to cry. He turned back to the camera, clearly trying to keep it together for her. "We're in New York now, but we'll take the first plane back home as soon as possible. We're very sorry for not being there, Eijirou."

"I understand, don't stress over it. Remember you guys can call me anytime for any updates."

"Thank you for everything."

"No problem. I'll see you both later." Eijirou ended the call, then leaned back in his chair. He couldn't stand seeing how broken Katsuki's parents were over this, he couldn't imagine what he would do if his own little girl tried to take her own life.

"Daddy?" Maiya slowly opened the door with the biggest frown he's ever seen on her face. She was still in her Big Fist onesie and her curly black hair was wild from sleep. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, just a little stressed, Baby Girl." He pulled his long hair into a messy bun. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"I'm okay too." She walked into his office, then closed the door behind her with her back against it, "Daddy, am I allowed to ask this question?"

"You can ask me any question, Little Mama."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she asked, "Why did Uncle Kat want to die?"

After she asked the question, she started to sniffle. Eijirou hoped and prayed that she didn't have to go through any of this. His baby shouldn't have to know about the negative side of her uncle, but it would be impossible to shield her from the pain. He opened his arms for her, "Come here, baby. Give Daddy a hug."

"I know you said he wanted some space, but.." Maiya crawled onto his lap, wrapped her little arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder, "Didn't he know that we loved him?"

"Sweetheart...Uncle Kat has a disease called depression." Eijirou started, rocking Maiya softly as he rubbed her back. It reminded him of when she just a small newborn, crying for attention. "His brain makes him feel very sad sometimes, very tired sometimes or even a combination of the two and sometimes his brain will lie to him."

"Lie to him?"

"His brain will tell him that everybody hates him or that nobody would care if he died or..." He took a deep breath when he felt his eyes water, "...t-that he wants to die and sometimes it's hard for Uncle Kat to not believe those lies."

"Why does his brain tell him all that stuff if it's not true?"

"Because that's just what depression does to the brain, Baby Girl." He swallowed hard, squeezing his little girl tighter, "It makes his brain a liar."

"How do we make his brain tell the truth?" Maiya sighed, "Tell it that we do love Uncle Kat and that we would be really sad if he died."

"I'm thinking about getting him a therapist." He smirked, "You know what that is?"

"Isn't that like the people who lay you down on a sofa and ask how you feel and show you those splotches on a piece of paper?"

"Pretty much." Eijirou chuckled, "A therapist would help him not listen to his brain so much."

Maiya wiggled out of Eijirou's hug, so she could sit in his lap. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and gave him a brave shark-toothed smile, "I hope Uncle Kat gets better. I'm glad he's alive, even if he doesn't want to be."

"Yeah, I'm glad too." He pinched her cheek, "Do you still wanna go to school, sweet pea? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Rei, Hino, Motomi and Satoshi would be worried if I didn't come to school."

"You're so brave, sweetness." He kissed her forehead, then her chubby cheek, "I love you so much, Baby Girl."

"I love you too, Daddy." She kissed him back on his cheek, then raised her hand, "Hard High Five?"

"Hard High Five." They activated their Quirks to high five each other, then crashing their foreheads together. Eijirou couldn't ask for a more loving daughter. She was going to be an amazing Pro Hero one day.

"Ei! Mimi! I'm making bacon pancakes!" Mina called in a singsong tone from downstairs, "Hurry up, before I eat 'em all!"

"Oh no! We gotta go, Daddy!" Maiya giggled as she slid off of his thigh and made her way to the door, "Mommy doesn't make threats! She makes promises!"

"I'm coming, baby." He wiped his eyes as he rose out his chair to follow his little girl. Today was going to be a long day, but at least Maiya was able to brighten it up just a little bit. As he walked into the kitchen, Mina was already fixing their daughter's plate. He opened the fridge for one of his protein shakes when he felt his wife kiss the back of his neck.

"Hey, Horn Bud." She said sweetly, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I called our agencies. They're letting us go to the hospital today after we drop off Maiya."

"Are Denki and Hanta coming with us?"

"Their agency won't let them call off, so they won't be coming until later in the afternoon." Mina sighed, "Denki was really upset about it."

"I can only imagine." Eijirou pressed his forehead against the door of the fridge, "I'm not ready for today, babe."

"Neither am I."

----

Mina and Eijirou walked into the hospital, hand in hand with their disguises. The building was fairly quiet. Not too many people were sitting in the waiting room and Kirishima didn't know whether or not that was good thing. He really wanted something to take his mind off his anxieties of this visit. Mina must've felt his stress because she rubbed her thumb against his hand as she squeezed it tighter.

"Deep breaths, Ei." Mina whispered. He loved his wife so much. Always able to calm his nerves with the simplest gestures. When they made it to the front desk, a young nurse was typing something on her computer.

"Hello, how may I help you today?"

"We're here to see Ground Zero." Mina pulled down her mask, "We're Alien Queen and Red Riot."

"Ah yes. Mr. Zero was moved from the intensive care unit yesterday. His room is on the fifth floor. Number 528. You both can go up there now." The nurse placed a clipboard on the desk, "Just sign your names here, please."

"Thank you so much." Mina signed their names for the both of them and handed the clipboard back, "You have a wonderful day."

"You too, Alien Queen."

The couple rode the escalator to the fifth floor and as soon as they walked off a little boy with spiky black hair sticking out from under a red cap ran up to them. He was in a navy blue polo shirt, khaki shorts and matching sneakers.

"Kouta?" Eijirou let go of his wife's hand to bend down to the kid's level, "What are you doing here, buddy?"

"Mr. Kirishima...Mrs. Kirishima." He pulled on the hem of his shirt, "I'm glad I caught you. I left messages to your agencies, but Fatgum said he's not allowed to give out personal information and Mrs. Kirishima's agency never responded."

"Sorry about that, Little Man." Mina cooed, "They don't answer non-emergency calls."

"My Gramma said they're not allowing outside visitors into Bakugou's room." He turned his face away, blush growing on his cheeks, "I just wanted to know..i-if he's okay."

"He's okay." Eijirou smiled, petting Kouta's head, "They said he's feeling alot better."

"He got moved out of the ICU yesterday." Mina pinched his chubby cheek, "We were going to his new room, do you wanna come with us?"

"Um...d-do know if Bakugou will-"

"Mr. and Mrz. Kiwisheema!" The three of them turned to see Izuku walking towards them. His arm was in a sling and had a sweater draped around his shoulders.

"Midoriya. Katsuki told me all the stuff he put you through when you were kids." Eijirou put his head down, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble he's caused you. I know what he did in the past was unforgivable and I want you-"

"Pleeze fowgiff me!" Midoriya knelt down on the ground in front of him, bowing with his head touching the floor.

"Nonono, what on earth are you doing?" Eijirou cried, dropping down to his knees. "C'mon, get up! Please don't blame yourself for this. Katsuki has been going through alot and-"

"Mr. Kirishima..." Kouta knelt down in front of Kirishima, bowing his head as well, "Bakugou was trying to save my stupid Papa."

"If I hadden't...he wooddent haff..." He could hear Midoriya's tears fall to the floor as choked on his words, "...I'm zo zowwie."

"Please don't." Ejirou's heart shattered. He had no idea Midoriya tried to take his own life and Katsuki stopped him. He knew his brother could have easily saved himself with his Quirk, but he refused. Katsuki wanted to take his place. Eijirou couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He swallowed the growing lump in throat as tears ran down his cheeks. He hunched over Midoriya, holding onto his shoulders as he softly whimpered, "C'mon both of you, please raise your heads. I'm just glad that you're okay. And you too, Kouta. So please...please get up."

Despite Eijirou's pleas, Midoriya and Kouta didn't move. It wasn't long until Mina joined them on the floor. All of them sat together, holding each other close as they grieved over this horrible accident. A person they loved felt that no one cared about him. A person they loved believed that he didn't matter. A person they loved had attempted to take his own life. This was a nightmare that Eijirou wished he could wake up, but it was real.

Once he calmed down enough, Eijirou forced Midoriya out of dogeza by pushing upwards by his shoulders, so he could hug him tight. "Let's all go visit his together room, okay?"

"O-Okay.."

Katsuki's room wasn't that far down the hallway. Eijirou was the first one to walk in at the sight of his brother. It made his stomach twist to see tubes of all different sizes were coming out of Katsuki's unconscious body. The sound of the steady beeping monitor was both relieving and unnerving to hear. Eijirou and Mina sat together in the window seat, while Midoriya pulled up a chair next to the head of Katsuki's bed. Kouta sat in his lap and rested his little head against his father's chest as they watched the slowed rise and fall of Katsuki's chest.

"M-Midoriya.." Mina called, "If you're wondering...Recovery Girl said that he'll wake up...we just...just don't know when."

Midoriya pulled out a small notebook with a pen from his front pocket and stretched out his arm, signaling them to take it. Eijirou took it from his hand, flipping it to the first page.

[I understand if you never want me around Kacchan ever again. I was burden. I destroyed your relationship with him.]

"Midoriya, are you talking about what happened on the beach?" Eijirou sighed, pulling on his bun to loosen it to let his hair fall pass his shoulders down to hips. "Don't blame yourself for that. It was between me and Katsuki."

"Why wouldn't we want you around, Midoriya?" Mina said, "You're Katsuki's best friend, it's clear he cared so much about you if he risked his life to save you."

Midoriya's eyes welled up with tears again, a soft whimper escaped his lips. Kouta immediately hugged him, rubbing his back to soothe him as best he could. Eijirou got from his seat and placed his hand on the man's shoulder,

"You matter too, Midoriya. We're all happy you're still here with us."

----

Later that night, Kirishima was in his bedroom sitting up against the bed frame with his laptop. He heard Mina finish up washing her face and turn off the bathroom light before climbing into their bed with him. She leaned on his shoulder to see what was on his screen.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a therapist." He clicked on another tab, "Specifically one for Pro Heroes."

"Why? Are you okay?"

"No, it's not for me, it's..it's for Katsuki...because I'm useless."

"Oh babe."

"You know, back at U.A. I remember he told me something and told me to swear to never tell anybody."

"Yeah, bro, it's super sad, man." Eijirou was walking down the colossal halls of U.A. High with Todoroki. It was the end of the day and he was coming over his house to study. School had been out for a few days after All Might passed away and today was their first day back, "But I hope All Might is looking down at us with that cheesy smile on his face."

"He was a really nice man. I looked up to him as a kid." Todoroki had a small smile on his face, "He sacrificed everything for our futures. All Might really is the Symbol of Peace."

"No doubt about that, bro. Hey, you mind if I grab my notebook from our classroom. I forgot it."

"Sure, go on ahead. I'll meet you in the lunchroom, then we can walk to my house."

"Sounds like a plan. I won't be long." Eijirou walked as fast as he could to their classroom, which for some reason, the door was already open. He heard multiple snickers coming from the classroom, so he peeked over the door frame to see what was up. Monoma and Shinsou were writing something on the chalkboard, while Jirou, Kaminari and Mineta were sitting on the desks watching them.

"Shinsou, you draw that over there." Monoma pointed at the right side of the board. "Let's see here...Congratulations..."

"What do you think you're doing, Monoma?" Jirou snickered as she shook her head, crossing her legs on the desk.

"You really shouldn't do that, man." Kaminari added, "Don't you think it's a little fucked up?"

"Haha! Nope!" Monoma laughed, putting the finishing touches on his message before throwing the chalk against the board, "I think this will do just fine."

"You're such an asshole, dude." Mineta smirked, "Where's your guilty conscience?"

"C'mon, I'm not that bad, at least not as bad as him." He sat on one of the desks in the front row behind him, "Check out my masterpiece. Looks good."

Eijirou still couldn't see the board due to Shinsou being in the way, but he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone poke his back. He quickly turned around. It was Bakugou holding his bookbag.

"The hell are you doing?" He grunted, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, uh, hey bro...spying I guess?" He smiled sheepishly, "I heard laughing in the classroom and-"

"I don't care. Move. I need to get something." He pushed past him and walked into the classroom, only to drop his bookbag when he read the message.

"Oh my god who wrote this!" Monoma shouted dramatically. He hopped off the desk to grab an eraser. "Some people! Here, I'll erase it for you. I know you get these alot, let me do this for you. Okay?"

The group started covering their mouths to muffle their disgusting snickers while Monoma erased the message. Bakugou's eyes were only on the board.

"There! All done!" He slammed the eraser down and dusted off his hands with a smile, "Tsk, tsk, I have to say, I'm glad you're living up to your 'Hero' name, King Explosion Murder."

That's when the classroom erupted with mocking laughter from them. Bakugou ran out of the room, leaving his bookbag behind. All Eijirou could see was red. How could they do this? It wasn't Bakugou's fault! He stomped in there with his Quirk activated and punched the doorframe to grab there attention.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys!" He screamed. The laughter ceased immediately, "You're all unmanly as hell! This is a Hero school! Set a damn example!"

Eijirou didn't even give them a chance to explain themselves and ran down the hall after Bakugou. He needed to make sure he was okay. Thankfully, he noticed a slightly singed door to the boys' bathroom. As soon as he walked into the bathroom, he heard sniffling coming from the handicapped stall.

"It's just me, Baku-bro." He was still a bit winded from running as he knocked on the door, "Can you unlock the door?"

He heard some shuffling, a click and then some more shuffling. He pushed the door open, finding his friend sitting in the corner of the stall with his head down on his knees and his arms crossed. Eijirou bent down to his level to put his hands on his shoulders.

"Bro, how long has this been going on?"

"...."

"Is it just them? Are other people messing with you too?"

"...."

"Do you want me to tell Aizawa? He'll expel them, so you won't have to deal with them. Just..just talk to me, bro, please."

Bakugou rose his head, looking absolutely furious despite more hot tears falling down his cheeks. He made undivided eye contact as he spoke in a broken whisper. "I want to die."

"Oh my god." Mina gasped, "Even back in high school he..?"

"Yeah." He closed his laptop and set it aside on his nightstand, "I was never so scared in my life, but I knew I had to help him. After that day, I was determined to make him happy. That's why I always was so adamant in including him into everything we did, no matter how much our class bitched."

"You never wanted him alone."

Eijirou's eyes quickly welled up with tears, his voice lowering to a whisper, "I thought that if I spent enough time with him, he'd stop saying he wanted to kill himself."

He should've said something back then. He should've put it into words instead of actions. He should've told Katsuki to not kill himself. He should've told Aizawa. He could've gotten him the help Katsuki needed. But he didn't and now he had to live with this never-ending nightmare. In seconds, he was hunched over, covering his face with his hands as sadness and guilt consumed him once again. He was so tired of crying, but he couldn't stop.

"I...didn't know what else to do..."

July 22nd. Exactly one week after Bakugou's suicide attempt. Nothing at home has been the same. Kouta has been avoiding Zuzu like the plague ever since he came home from the hospital. He doesn't want to be around him. It's irritating to be around him and he doesn't know exactly why. Kouta has caught Zuzu crying from guilt at least once a day whether it be at home or when he goes with him to the hospital to visit Bakugou. Sometimes he'll even spend the night over the hospital, leaving Gramma to take care of Kouta for the rest of the day. Speaking of Gramma, she's been visiting their apartment alot more often, trying her best to console Zuzu, but it's always a temporary fix. Once she leaves, Zuzu is back to being depressed by locking himself up in his room or leaving the house in the middle of the night to go take a walk to the forest behind the fence.

All of it was irritating. It was irritating to see the Kirishimas at the hospital so upset. It was irritating to be everyone be so damn sad! Including himself! He's been fighting back tears at home so Zuzu wouldn't bother him and at school so not to worry Miss Ochako. It was a little harder today more than ever because it was the last day of school before summer vacation. All of the kids in his class were annoyingly happy about what they were going to do and what trips their parents were going to take them.

Kouta was slumped on his desk with his arms folded as he watched his peers leave the classroom with smiles on their faces. Earlier in the year, Kouta made it clear that he didn't want to be friends with anyone in the class by being as rude and aloof as possible. But now? Just seeing everyone so happy while he's drowning in his own misery, made him wish he wasn't such an asshole to his peers. He really needed a friend right now to tell him everything was going to be okay. A friend that would play with him to take his mind off of everything at home, but that friend isn't here right now. His first and only friend...was in the hospital.

"Kouta? Kouta, sweetheart?" He felt hands wipe tears out of his eyes. He looked up at the owner of the soft hands. It was his teacher, Miss Ochako. She bent down to his level and pulled out a packet of tissues from her pocket for him to use. Kouta didn't even realize he was crying.

"Kouta, what's wrong? You've been pretty quiet today."

Should he even tell her? What good would it do? It's not she could magically fix everything that was going on in his life. He wiped his eyes with the tissues, then turned his towards the window. He couldn't look at the worried frown on her face, "Nothing in particular...a-and what do you mean I'm pretty quiet today? I'm...I'm always quiet."

"I've been around you long enough to tell the difference between the usual 'Kouta is being Kouta' quiet and the rare 'Kouta is really sad' quiet."

"That just makes you creepy." He huffed, "Don't be such a damn weirdo."

"I'm just worried about you, honey." He felt her rub his arm with her hand, "Nobody cries for no reason."

"S-So what?" His stupid eyes were blurry again, he wiped them with the tissue as quickly as he could, "It's got nothing to do with you anyway."

"I'm sure it does."

"How?" Kouta finally faced her, gripping on his tissue so hard he was stabbing himself with his nails, "How does any of my issues have anything to do with you?"

"Because...I think you could use the extra comfort." Miss Ochako stood up from her spot to grab her bento from behind her desk. She came back, pulled up a chair to Kouta's desk and placed the lunch on top, "You can have some of mine if you want."

"I...I'll just take this, if you don't mind. I don't have much of an appetite today." Kouta took half of the peeled orange, slowly popping each slice into his mouth. Peaceful silence was shared with just the two of them in the classroom. He poked her arm to grab her attention, "What...what are you doing for summer vacation?"

"Work as a Pro Hero parttime for a little bit." She popped a bundle of rice in her mouth, "Then I plan on going to my in-laws' house for my husband's 25th birthday party. What about you?"

"...I don't know." He sighed. It was the truth. With the way things are going now, he might just spend everyday hearing monitors beep and staring at an unconscious Hero for hours on end.

"It's okay to not know. You have all the time in the world to find out." Miss Ochako had a weird way of making Kouta feel vulnerable around her. No matter how cold and standoffish he was to her, she never stopped being nice to him. Just like freaking Bakugou. It had to be because she was a Pro Hero. It made his skin crawl to talk about this, but he had no one else to turn to in his situation. He couldn't keep it locked up forever.

"Miss Ochako, I'm gonna...give you a scenario here." He pulled out a sheet of paper from under his desk and his marker case, "Okay?"

"I'm all ears."

"This is me." Kouta drew a red circle on the paper, then a green circle right next to it, "And this is the person I love. Me and this person are really close, but...then something happened."

"What happened?"

"This person tried to leave me behind to go somewhere...real far away." He drew a tall black vertical rectangle with a small green circle on the corner of it. He felt his teeth clenched as the words left his mouth. "So now, I'm really, really angry at this person for trying to go to the..Faraway Place."

"I see..."

"But I also..feel really, really bad for being so upset with this person because I know he's sick, like mentally, but I can't stop being pissed at him." He used a black marker to scribble all over the first green circle he drew in frustration, "To the point, where I don't like being around him anymore. He's always sad and crying and it's draining me, but I still feel bad. How do I stop feeling so pissed off?"

"I don't think you have to stop feeling angry, Kouta. I say it's okay to be mad." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "There's no reason for you to feel guilty about being angry. You're just hurt that the person you love almost went to the Faraway Place."

"Am I a bad person for thinking this way?" Kouta squeaked, he felt his eyes well up with tear before large wet spots dotted his paper. "I don't want to be mad at him. I don't like being mad at him, b-but it's like anytime something goes wrong I...I get angry!"

"Shh..Kouta...it's alright, sweetheart. It's gonna be okay." She walked around his desk to hug him. He sobbed into her chest and tightened his fists into her shirt. "I'm right here."

He couldn't take these negative feelings anymore. The constant questions that were spiraling in his mind were too much to bear. Why did Zuzu try to jump? Was he not happy with his life? Was Kouta not good enough for him? Did he think Kouta wouldn't care even after what happened to his biological parents? It was as if everything before him was crumbling and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He didn't even have the energy to pick up the pieces.

"I feel so alone..." He whined, "I wish none of this ever freaking happened."

"I know, honey, I know." She cooed, running her finger through his hair, "Is...this person going to be picking you up today like he always does?"

"Yeah and then we're going to the stupid hospital right after like we always do." He wiped eyes, "I shouldn't have started crying. I don't want him seeing me like this."

"Do you think he would be okay with me taking you to the hospital instead?" She asked, "That way you can cry some more if you need to or you know, pull yourself together before you have to face him."

"I..I guess as long as you text him to let him know."

"Better make that text message now then." Miss Ochako gave Kouta one more squeeze before getting up from her spot to walk to her desk. He reached out to pull on her shorts to make her stop, "Yeah Kouta?"

"Thank you for talking with me." His face was no doubt turning an embarrassing red, "I...I appreciate it."

"I'm just honored that you trusted me enough to talk about this. This isn't an easy thing to handle for someone your age." She smiled, "You're a very strong boy, Midoriya Kouta. Never forget that."

----

Kouta found himself standing at the front entrance of the hospital with Miss Ochako holding his hand. She drove him to the building after he let himself break down a few more times in the classroom. He didn't realize he bottled up that much stress.

"This is it." He said in a shaky voice, he tightened his grip on Miss Ochako's hand, "I'm sure...the person is in the room I told you about."

"Yeah." Ochako got down on her knees to hug Kouta, "Good luck, Kouta."

Kouta squeezed her back, breathing in her cherry blossom perfume. He didn't want to let her go, but he had to comfort his father. No matter how much Zuzu gets on his nerves, that's still his Papa. His Papa is hurting and he needed someone to be there for him. Kouta felt a few more tears rundown his cheeks, but he buried his face into her shoulder to wipe them away, "Truth is, I'm really scared."

"Do you want me to come in with you?"

"No, I'll be fine." Kouta let her go and wiped his eyes for the final time. He knew the hospital like the back of his hand and much of the staff knew him because of Gramma working here. Meaning he could walk around the floors without anyone bothering him or asking where his parents were. He rode the elevator to the fifth floor and Gramma was sitting in the waiting area with a bottle of water in her hands.

"Hey, baby!" She waved him over with a tired smile. "Did you have fun at school today?"

"Not really." He grumbled, sitting next to her to rest his head on her shoulder, "Miss Ochako talked to me though."

"Thinking about Katsuki, sweetheart?"

"N-No..well..not just Bakugou." He started kicking his legs, a stupid thing he does when he's nervous, "I...um...I've been thinking about Zuzu too. Like how do you feel about him...n-now?"

"I still love him just the same, darling." She sighed, "Do you feel different about him?"

"I..." Kouta swallowed hard and took another deep breath. He could feel his heart wanting to rip out of his chest, it was beating so hard. He couldn't look at her, "...I-I don't know.."

"I see now." Inko pulled Kouta closer into her warm embrace, kissing the top of his head. "What's the matter, honey. You can tell Gramma anything."

"..It's just...I just...I wish he told us something was wrong with him."

"Me too, sweetie." She sighed, "I had no clue he was hurting so much."

"Why do you think he did it? You think...it's because he's deaf....or...Quirkless?"

"Sometimes I think it's a mix of that."

"When did Zuzu find out he was Quirkless, Gramma?"

"He wasn't that much younger than you, sweetheart. He just started kindergarten, so I think he was about five years old." Inko smiled, "I remember it like it was yesterday."

Mama!" Izuku cried, running to Inko to pull on her skirt while she was washing dishes. He was hopping up and down with the biggest smile on his face, "Mama! Mama! Mamaaaaa!"

"Yes, baby?" Inko giggled, squatting down to his level to sign, "What? What is it?" 

"Compuda! Compuda!" 

"Okay." As soon as she finished signing, her son ran to her bedroom. She chuckled to herself as she dried her hands, "That child. It can only be for a little bit, though."

They were going to the doctor's today to not only get Izuku new, stronger hearing aids, but to see about why his Quirk was delayed. Katsuki already had his Quirk just when school started, so it was a bit strange why her little one didn't have his yet.

"All Might! All Might!" Izuku screamed, running back into the living room, "Mama!"

"Okay, okay, sweetie." She laughed, picking up her son to carry him to her bedroom. Izuku squirmed in his mother's hold when they sat in the computer chair together. He began to rock back and forth on her legs with adorable anticipation. 

"Fasda Mama, fasda!" He cried as he watched her type out her password. 

"Honey, just give me a sec. I'm sure the video isn't going anywhere." She clicked on the bookmark on her web browser, which linked to the YouTube video her little boy was obsessed with, "I'm sure you left over 10,000 views on this yourself. I don't know why you like it, baby, Mama thinks it's scary." 

"Not scarwee, Mama!" Izuku smiled, "Eet's All Might!" 

Inko clicked play and scooted the chair closer so Izuku could see better. The video started out with a very grim scene. People scattered everywhere surrounded by broken buildings and roaring flames. 

"Who is he?!" A young man turns to the camera with tears in his eyes, "The guy has already 100 people at least and it hasn't been 10 minutes! This is-This is crazy! I can't believe it?!"

"HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" Then he appeared. A seven foot tall man, muscular with golden blonde hair. He had several victims on his back and in his arms. Izuku bounced on Inko's legs, squealing away at the sight of his idol. 

"Mama! Mama! Look!" He pointed at the computer screen, "Eets him! Eets him!" 

"I see, I see, baby." 

"HAHAHAHAHAA! FEAR NOT CITIZENS! HELP HAS ARRIVED! BECAUSE I AM HERE!"

"Yeaaah!" Izuku cried, pumping his fist in the air, "He's da coolest in da uneeverze!" 

"In the universe, huh? He must be really cool then." 

Once the video ended, Izuku stood up on her thighs and smiled, "Wen I ged mah Qwirk, Imma be a hewo like him, Mama! Ahahahahaaha!" 

"Then we better get to the doctor then, baby." Inko clicked out of the video tab and turned off the computer, "Let's get your shoes on, All Might Jr.!" 

"I'm Supa Mighty Boy!" Izuku yelled, hopping off his mother's legs to run to the front door, "Or Mighty Boy! Or Capt'n All Might!" 

"What about Super All Might, I really like that one." 

"Supaaaa!"  

"I bet you'll be the greatest hero, baby." 

At least, that's what she believed. Inko knew Izuku was already in a tight spot when he was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss in both of his ears when he was two years old. She wanted her baby to live his dream, continued to encourage him and never gave up on him. Inko always told him that he still had a heroic heart and that even if he was different, he could still have an amazing Quirk to become a Hero. But...all of that changed when they went to the doctor's office that day.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Midoriya, but it's not gonna happen." The old doctor said without any hint of remorse in his voice, "He's Quirkless."

Inko looked at her little boy, who was completely oblivious to the conversation as he played with his All Might action figure. His hearing aids were being upgraded. Maybe that was a good thing.

"I..I..my God. I don't understand. H-How?" She shook her head, her voice faltering as she spoke, "Most of the other kids in our neighborhood have begun to show signs of having a Quirk already." 

The doctor sighed, shuffling through a few papers in a folder, "Ma'am, what powers do you and your husband have?" 

"Mama! All Might!" Izuku squealed, jumping down from stool to run around the doctor's office. "Zoom! Zoom!"

"I-I have telekinesis and my husband can breathe fire." Inko used her Quirk to engulf her son in a green aura to make him float and sat him back in the stool, "They're useful enough, I suppose." 

"Izuku should've already manifested one of these Quirks or a combination of both..." The doctor pulled out an x-ray of Izuku's foot to show to Inko, "..but after looking at his x-rays..he's not going to. He has two joints in his pinky toe. And as you know people with a Quirk have only one." 

"So, he's never developing a Quirk." Her little boy's dream was crushed, "Oh Izuku, baby."  

"To be straight with you, Mrs. Midoriya, even if he did have a Quirk, he still wouldn't be able to become a Pro Hero."

"What do you mean?" 

The doctor rolled his chair over to Izuku's side to gently tug on the toddler's ear, making him giggle. "He's deaf. You can't become a Pro if you're born with a disability. That's been a law since Quirks were first discovered." 

"W-What?" 

"It's not really common knowledge, but yes. I apologize for not telling you sooner." 

After that visit, Inko took Izuku home, put in his new hearing aids and signed to him that he couldn't get a Quirk. It took so much willpower to not cry in front him, even as he bawled into her arms himself.

"Mama..." He squeaked, "Can I be a Hewo too?"

Was there anything she could say to make him feel any better? It was her fault that her little one was born this way. Her body did this to him. She caused him to lose his hearing, she caused him to not have a Quirk and now she was causing her son, her baby, all of this pain. She squeezed him tighter as unwanted tears fell down her cheeks,

"I'm so sorry, baby."

"Dang..I..he never told me he wanted to be a Hero." Kouta whispered. That was his Papa's dream since he was a child. He just trashed on that dream over and over and over. He was a bad son. "I..I thought he was just a...dumb fanboy."

"He never told you because you didn't like Heroes." Inko kissed his cheek, "Don't think this is your fault, baby."

"No..I-I know." He knew it wasn't his fault. He didn't push Zuzu off the railing. But... "Is he in Bakugou's room now?"

"Yep."

"I'm...I'm gonna go see him now." He hopped out his chair, "Him and Bakugou."

"Okay honey. See you soon."

Kouta walked down the hallway to Bakugou's room and slowly slid his door open. It was no surprise that Zuzu was once again, crying at his bedside. He entered the room, despite his entire body telling him he should leave. It felt as if he was interrupting a private moment, but he needed answers.

"Zuzu..."

Zuzu turned around, surprised as he wiped his face with his sleeve, "Kouta?"

"Yeah, um...can I...stay here?" He was so damn awkward with this kind of stuff. "Or...?"

"Of course you can stay." Zuzu pulled up another chair next to him, "Miss Ochako brought you here, right?"

"Mmhm, I figured you wouldn't want to be...I don't know, interrupted, I guess. With Bakugou." He dug his hands into his pockets as he walked up to the chair Zuzu offered, "So I asked her to take me here."

"Kouta, you wouldn't have interrupted anything." He pulled Kouta's hat off his his head and placed on the corner of his chair. "How's everything with you?"

"Bad. Everything sucks." His eyes started to water again. Ugh! "Everyone is sad and you're always crying and it's pissing me off."

"Kouta..."

He digs his hands into his pockets, grinding his teeth as he forced himself to calm the hell down. He stared at Bakugou as he slowly asked the question that his been on his mind since this mess began, "Why did you do it, Zuzu? Why did you jump?"

Zuzu didn't say anything. Kouta can't look at him because if he does, he'll start crying again. He's tired of crying. "Was it because of Bakugou? Was it that you're deaf? That you're Quirkless? Was it...was it because of me?"

"Kouta, no!" Zuzu cried, hugging him as tight as he could,"You're the bezt thing to evah happen to me!"

"Then why?!" Kouta yelled, his vision was blurred, hot tears welling up his eyes once again. His stupid emotions were betraying him, "Why did you jump? Why did you try to leave me?"

"I thought you and eveweeone elze were bettah off wiffout me." He sobbed, "Kouta...Papa dozzen't like himzeff. My mind alwayz tellz me, I'm a burden, that I'm uzelezz. I'm alwayz, alwayz, alwayz in zo much..pain. I wanted et to stawp."

"Zuzu...you're so stupid!" Kouta wrapped his arms around his father's neck, crying into his shoulder, "I..I would've been in some gross orphanage i-if you didn't take me in. I love you, Zuzu, you're my papa."

"I'm sowwie, Kouta. I'm so sowwie." He kissed Kouta's cheek, "I love you too."

"Stop listening to your stupid brain. It's wrong." Kouta whimpered, "Promise me you'll go get help. I don't want this to happen ever again."

"I pwomize. I'll get bettah, Kouta." Izuku kissed Kouta on his forehead and brought him closer towards him to whisper.

"I pwomize."

"Staying over for the night again, baby?" Inko asked as she walked into Kacchan's room with a bedside monitor to take his hourly vitals. Izuku watched her perform her assessment, sitting in a chair on the other side of Katsuki's bed with his laptop on his thighs. Inko carefully wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Kacchan's arm and started the monitor.

"Yez."

"Okay, you don't have to worry about Kouta, tonight then. Kirishima offered to let him stay over his house. Apparently his daughter really likes him." She smiled at him with those soft green eyes of hers, "Flaws and all."

"I haff to thank him." Izuku tried to type up the rest his report for his work, but he couldn't stop watching his mother. It's been weeks since his attempt. She still hasn't yelled at him, screamed at him or showed any indication of disappointment. Inko has been helping him, hell, going above and beyond for him with that comforting, soft smile on her face. It made him feel so guilty.

"M-Mom..." He said quietly, "I-I'm zowwie..."

"Hmm? What are you apologizing for, sweetie?"

"I-I..et'z juzt..." He balled his fists on top of his keyboard, shaking as his eyes welled up with tears, "You haff been doing zo much fo' me effen aftah what I did..."

"Oh, Izuku, baby." Inko quickly pulled the blood pressure cuff off of Katsuki's arm once the monitor finished assessing his vitals to comfort her son. She placed his laptop aside on the nightstand, crouching in front of him to hold his calloused hands, "I'm always going to be in your corner no matter what."

"But why?" He whined, squeezing her hands, "Why do you still help me? I waz...zo zelfish and I...tried to a-and I...w-why don' you hate me?"

"Because I'm your mother, baby." Her eyes were shining as she tried to hold back her tears, "I couldn't hate you even if I tried. No matter what you do, no matter who you become or just...anything! I'll always, always, always love you, Izuku."

"B-But...the balconie.."

"You made a mistake, sweetie." She placed one of her hands on his cheek to wipe away his tears with her thumb, "Everyone messes up once in a while. The world would be a very boring place if it was perfect, Izuku."

He snorted at that, "Mom..."

"There's a handsome smile." Inko stood up to hug her son close to her chest and kissed him on his temple, "I know you have a long road ahead of you, baby. We'll all work hard to make sure you never doubt how much we care about you."

Izuku wrapped his arms around Inko, squeezing her waist as he softly cried into her scrubs. He didn't deserve such a loving mother. He still couldn't believe he managed to delude himself into thinking that no one truly cared if he died, but that was further from the truth than he realized.

"I luff you, Mom."

"I love you too, baby."

Inko softly hummed to calm him down, letting him snuggle his cheek close into her chest. While he couldn't hear it well, the vibrations he felt on her skin were just as soothing. Izuku let her go once he finally composed himself, so Inko took the chance to write down Katsuki's vitals. She used her pen to point at his laptop, "You take a break from that, honey. You've done enough work for today."

"Okay, Mom..."

"Just call if you need anything, baby." Inko kissed him on his forehead before she walked out the door, leaving Izuku alone with Katsuki once again. He scooted his chair closer towards his bed so he could hold his hand like he always did, brushing his thumb across it. Kirishima said that Kacchan would wake up from his coma soon, but it was already the beginning of August. Deep down, Izuku was starting to lose hope. No matter how many times Izuku came to the hospital to visit him, it was the exact same sight. His best friend lying in a bed, getting thinner and paler as each day went by. It should've been Izuku in this bed, not him. This was all his fault.

"I'm zo zowwie, Kacchan." Fat tears rolled down his cheeks once again, he laid his head on Katsuki's shoulder as he sobbed. He's been crying so much, for so long. He was getting migraines from it, but he couldn't stop, "I'm zo, zo zowwie. Et'z all mah fault. You diden' dezerff thiz."

"KACCHAAAAN!" Izuku was completely helpless watching his friend fall into the darkness below. Kacchan didn't use his Quirk! Why?! Why didn't he use his Quirk?! He climbed over the railing, running and tripping over anything and everything inside the living room to grab his phone. He needed to text Mom. She could call him an ambulance.

You: Mom call an ambulance Kacchan fell off the balcony.

Once he sent the text, he ran down the stairs outside to behind the apartment where Kacchan had fell. He was immediately bombarded with bright lights of red and blue. His neighbors must have already called the emergency number when they saw Kacchan fall. Policemen and Pro Heroes were surrounding Kacchan, a few of them looked Izuku's way.

"Whad ih yoah nabe?"

"Do yoa knoah whad habbend?"

"Why wazz Grown Zewwo heer?"

Izuku felt his ears in his confusion. His hearing aids weren't there. His eyes widened, realizing he left them in his apartment. The policemen glared at him until one of the Pro Heroes muttered something to them, then he let him be. Izuku didn't care, the only thing he could focus on...was Kacchan.

The authorities weren't letting him get any closer, but it didn't matter regardless. It was too dark to see his injuries and the flashing lights of the ambulance was giving him a headache. Izuku was hearing a chaotic whirlwind of confusing, muffled noises. Everything was too much. He couldn't understand anything, he was being useless again.

Izuku felt his heart racing and his chest tightening. He fell down to his knees, covering his ears as he started to quietly sob, gasping for air with every cry. He was an idiot. Kacchan is hurt because of him. He should've never tried to grab the railing. He should've let go of Kacchan's hand.

"Et'z all mah fault!"

"Et'z all mah fault, Kacchan." Izuku hiccuped as the tears never stopped falling down his face. He squeezed Katsuki's hand, "Pleeze....pleeze wake up, Kacchan. I mizz you. I mizz you zo much. I want to cook fo' you. I want to hear you ahgue with Kouta. I want to go back to the fohezt and sit under the agenzie. I want to hug you. I want to tell you-"

Izuku froze when he felt his hand being weakly squeezed in return. No. No, there was no way. He had to be imagining things. Another sick twisted delusion that his broken mind came up with. That is, until he felt another weak squeeze of his hand, along with a soft, raspy groan.

"De...Deku...?"

"K-Kacchan?"

Please God. Don't let this be a dream.

Katsuki slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before looking around the dark room. He sat up with an extremely confused look on his face, "What the hell?"

Please don't take this away from me.

He let go of Izuku's hand to touch all of the wires that were connected to him. He was slightly panicked as he tugged on his catheter and nasal cannula, he turned to Izuku, "Deku? What is all this? What's going on?"

Please let this be real.

Izuku stared at him, still frozen in utter fear that this was a dream. He shakingly took his pointer finger to poke him and gasped when he felt his chest. This wasn't a dream, this was his reality. Katsuki was awake. Katsuki was alive. He heard him let out a low grunt in an attempt to clear his throat, "Are you okay, Deku?"

"Kacchan. Eveweding iz okay." More tears ran down his face as he reached for the call light on Katsuki's nightstand, "I'm wite here."

In minutes, Inko was at the door, but as soon as she saw Katsuki sitting up in bed, she had to cover her mouth to stop herself from releasing a scream of pure joy, "Oh my god, Katsuki..."

"Ms. Midoriya..."

"I...I need to take your vitals first." She ran out of the room and came back with a bedside monitor, a pitcher of water and a few tears in her eyes as she performed a full assessment on him. Once she was finished, she removed all of the tubing and poured Katsuki a glass of water, "I'm so happy you're awake. You really scared us."

"Sorry..." Katsuki said softly as he nursed his water cup once Inko handed it to him. His voice was still pretty scratchy, but overall everything else was normal. Izuku stayed in the chair, trying his best to keep his emotions in check. He wanted to pounce on Katsuki and never let him go, but he couldn't do that while his mother was in the room. He didn't know what to do with himself, so he quietly sat in his chair fiddling with his fingers. He distracted himself by dividing his attention between Katsuki drinking his water and Inko charting the updated vitals on her clipboard.

"I don't think anyone was more scared than Izuku." She smiled, "He visited you every single day when you were in that coma."

"He did..?"

"Yes sir, he did. You're one lucky kid, Katsuki." She put her pen in her bun, a sign that she was done charting, "Do you two want anything else before I leave?"

"No...we're good, ma'am."

"Then I'll give you two some privacy and make sure you thank him too, Katsuki." She smiled, walking out and closing the door behind her once again. There was a long, agonizing period of pure silence that lasted for a few minutes, but it felt like hours. The men looked at each other, then immediately turned away when they noticed their faces were burning red. Katsuki put his cup on his bedside table once he drank all of the water before finally facing Izuku. He gave him an awkward wave, "Oi..."

"Oi..." Izuku giggled, even as the tears never stopped falling down his face. He wiped his eyes in a feeble attempt to stop crying as he started to sign, "Kacchan...I'm zo happie...you're back."

"I..I didn't think I would be back, to be honest. I was so sure I was..." He looked at his arms, they were covered in scars. Izuku noticed the usual fiery red in Kacchan's eyes were replaced with darkened maroon. He had no clue if it was due to Kacchan's sadness or his coma. Possibly both.

"Deku, I...I need to tell you something." He closed his eyes for a second before taking a deep breath. Signing as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Izuku."

"Kacchan..."

"I never apologized for all of the bullshit that I did to you when we were kids...or for all the bullshit I put you through these last couple months." Katsuki's eyes began to water, but he continued, "Y-You were going through so fucking much, but my stupid ass ego ruined our friendship. I should've had a conversation with you, instead I was just a terrible ass friend and...made you jump."

Izuku violently shook his head, signing, "No, Kacchan! You're wrog! Et'z becuz I coudden' change and that'z why you fell! Et'z me! If I waz normal. If I wazn't deaff. If I wazn't Quirklezz. We would've nevah grown apart! Evweeding iz alwayz mah fault! Zo I thought I should juzt dizzapeer! I waz zo zelfissh!"

"Deku, no-"

"I'm zo zowwie, Kacchan!" Izuku covered his face, breaking down into heart wrenching sob, "I'm zowwie!"

"Deku...stop. Don't cry." Katsuki took a shaky breath, trying his hardest to not break down with him. He placed his hands on Izuku's shoulder, "None of that is true, it's not your fault you were born this way. J-Just...Just look at me."

Izuku raised his head, surprised to see that Katsuki had a few unwanted tears falling down his cheeks, "I...I thought the same way, Deku. That's why I-I didn't use my Quirk...at the balcony. Figured everyone would be better off without me."

"That'z why...I waz there too..." He whimpered, "Kacchan...I'm zo broken."

"We're broken, Deku." He sniffed, wiping his eyes, "I don't think we've been not broken for a long time."

"I pwomized Kouta, that I would make changez to bettah myzelff." Izuku moved from his chair to sit next to Katsuki on the bed. He grabbed Katsuki's hands to clasp them together, "I waz hoping...that maybe you could...teach me how to liff. Pleeze Kacchan?"

"Teach you how to live?" Katsuki stared at his hands, then up at Izuku, giving him a look of pure confusion, "M-Me?"

"Yeah.." Izuku nodded his head with a watery smile, "I want you wite by my zide."

"Fucking hell, I..I want that too." Katsuki couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He let them fall down his cheeks, smiling as he squeezed his hands tighter together, "I-I want to be with you, Deku."

"Me too." Izuku never let go of Katsuki's hands as he leaned in towards him, slowly closing his eyes. His heart skipped beats, his stomach was in knots, but the moment he felt Katsuki's soft lips against his..it was as if time had stopped. He didn't even realize Katsuki had slipped his hands out of his grasp to wrap his arms around his shoulders, gently pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. They parted just for a moment to breathe, gazing at each other's eyes before kissing each other once again and again and again.

"M-I-N-E." Izuku traced the word against Kacchan's thigh with his finger.

Katsuki whispered against his lips with a smile, "Yours."

----

The next morning, Izuku woke up to Katsuki untangling a few of his wild, green curls. He must have fallen asleep in his bed.

"Kacchan..." He snickered to himself as he watched how focused he was on fixing his hair, "What are you doing?"

"Morning, nerd." Katsuki sat up in bed, but didn't stop messing with his hair, "Been waiting for a while for your ass to get up."

"Why diddent you wake me up?"

"Because I think you needed way more sleep than I ever did." He smirked, but Izuku was not amused in the slightest.

"No bad jokez, pleeze." He whined, wanting to go back to sleep, but the hospital bed was so damn small.

"They say laughter is the best medicine, you know."

"Well I'm nawt laffing..." He pouted, snuggling closer into Katsuki's torso, he didn't have his usual burnt sugar scent yet, but feeling the warmth of his skin was enough for Izuku. He felt Katsuki slide down the bed, so they were facing each other eye to eye. He placed his hand on Izuku's cheek, softly brushing his thumb across it.

"Missed your dumb face."

"My faze izn't dumb, Kacchan."

"It's pretty fucking stupid, if I'm honest." Kacchan chuckled, but his cheeky smile dropped a bit, "Listen, nerd. Last night...was...fucking crazy, emotions were high and shit, but I want you know that I am really sorry. I meant everything I said."

"Kacchan..." He put his hand over Katsuki's, "I alwedie fo'giff you."

"Don't make me start tearing up again, Deku."

"Okay." Izuku kissed Katsuki on his forehead, then moved his cheek before finally kissing him on the mouth. Katsuki smiled against his lips, his hand moved to run his fingers into Izuku's curls, while Izuku's hand found a nice spot in his hip, "Kacchan..."

"Holy shit! About time, Zuzu!"

"Uncle Kat, Mr. Midoriya is finally your boyfriend now?!"

"Kouta!"

"Princess, what the fuck?!"

The couple sat up the bed without a second thought to see two kids with very smug looks on their faces standing at the doorway. Izuku slid back down to hide under the covers, while Katsuki dragged his hand over his red-hot face in pure and utter embarrassment. The kids practically raced each other to climb on top of Katsuki's bed to tackle him with hugs on either side of him. Kouta was quiet as he snuggled close to his chest, while Maiya started to cry tears of joy, "Uncle Kat! You died! You died and came back from the dead!"

"I never died, Princess." He brought them closer to him in a tight hug, "I'm sorry, guys."

"Don't do any stupid shit like that again..." Kouta muttered, "Or I'll kill you myself."

"I won't. I promise."

"KATSUKI!" Kirishima shouted, dropping his gift bag to rush over to him. Before Katsuki could even react, he was already being squeezed by his brother who was sobbing into his shoulder, "I'm so glad you're okay! If you didn't wake up, man, I don't know what I would do! Don't even think about that shit on the beach, brothers fight all the time! It doesn't matter! Please, man...d-don't do this ever again! My heart can't take it!"

"Ei..." Katsuki started to tear up, "I'm sorry."

"Daddy! Stop crying!" Maiya whined through her own tears, "You're making Uncle Kat cry!"

"I'm sorry, I can't help it, Baby Girl." He let him go to wipe his eyes, "I'm just so happy."

"By the way..." Katsuki couldn't help but notice Kirishima's long black hair tied up in a high ponytail, "Why the hell is your hair black? You look like a damn samurai."

"Oh, it was for good luck." He sniffed as he ran his fingers through it, "I swore I wasn't going to dye it red again until you woke up. So I've kind of been Black Riot these past few weeks."

"Tch, you didn't have to do that for me." He smirked even as a few tears ran down his cheeks, "It looks good though. You should keep it for awhile."

"Yeah! Me and Daddy match now!" Maiya turned around to pull the cover off of Izuku's face, "Mr. Midoriya, are you going to tell Daddy that you're dating Uncle Kat?"

"Whoa, when did this happen?" He laughed, "You've only been awake for a few hours!"

Izuku groaned as he sat up in bed, "So embarrassing."

"It's a long story that I don't feel like telling now." He rolled his eyes, ignoring the burning sensation on his face, "But yeah, I'm not single anymore."

"Proud of you, brother."

"KATSUKI! OH MY GOD!" The rest of the Bakusquad walked into the room with Mina and Kaminari ready to dogpile Katsuki with hugs. They sobbed as they pounced on him, while Sero stood next to Kirishima to watch.

"Don't ever try to leave us ever again, Bakugou Katsuki!" Mina kissed all over his face, leaving several pink lipstick marks on his skin, "You're everything to us!"

"You wanted to die because you were suffering!?" Kaminari shouted through his tears, "What were you thinking?!"

"Calm down, Den. You're being way too loud, we don't need the entire hospital hearing us." Sero put his hand on Kaminari's shoulder, but he nudged him away.

"I don't care who's listening! I have to be loud so Midoriya can hear me too!" He sobbed, "All of us were so worried about you guys! Life fucking sucks sometimes, but it's like that for everyone, right? Look, you have to just accept the shitty parts of yourself with the good and just move forward...okay?"

"Never thought I'd hear life lessons from you." Katsuki let go of the kids, so he could hug Kaminari, "I'm sorry, Den."

"No man, I'm sorry. I was so dumb."

Sero walked over to the bed to give him a playful punch in his arm, "I'm really glad you're okay, bro. We missed you."

"Oh! Uncle Kat, we got you a gift! We got you a gift!" Maiya squeezed herself out of the group hug to slide off the bed to grab the gift bag Kirishima had dropped and climbed right back up on it to present the gift, "Here!"

"A gift, huh?" Katsuki let go of Kaminari, so he could open the bag. He pulled out an enormous wreath of paper cranes in various colors of orange, black and dark green. "Holy shit..."

"It's one thousand paper cranes! There's a alot of wonky ones in there, so sorry about that, but everyone worked suuuper hard on it and did their very best! I got my whole class to help and Rei and Hino and Motomi and Satoshi and Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu too!"

"It's beautiful, Princess." He kissed Maiya's forehead as he stared at the gift in awe, "I've never gotten anything like this before, this means so much to me. Thank you."

"Yeah! We spent my birthday making the last of the cranes! It was super fun!"

"Wait..." Katsuki looked over at the calendar on the wall. It was August 8th. Three days after Maiya's 5th birthday. "Shit! I missed your birthday! Fuck, I'm sorry, Princess. I'll buy you your present when I get out of here."

"Noooo, don't be sorry!" She crawled over to squish Katsuki's cheeks with her chubby hands, "See when I blew out my birthday candles, I wished for you to wake up really soon and you did! You're my birthday present!"

"Okay. I'm gonna lose my lunch listening to all this sappy crap." Kouta pushed him off of Katsuki to cross his arms, "So Bakugou since you're alive again, what are you gonna do when you get discharged?"

"I think it's a little early to be thinking about stuff like that, Kouta." Kirishima chuckled, but Katsuki shook his head.

"Nah, the brat asked a good question and lucky for him I do have an answer." He put the cranes back inside the bag and took a deep breath, "I think I'm taking some time off from being a Pro...I think it would be best for me."

"Really, bro?"

"Yeah...I need to clear my mind, you know, get away from it all." He glanced at Deku with a smirk, "Try to get my brain to stop thinking the bullshit I go through is worth dying over."

"What about a job, Uncle Kat?"

"That I don't know. But I have plenty of money saved up, so I should be good for a couple of months." He scratched the back of his neck, "That's including the fucking hospital bills..."

"Why don't you just live with us?" Kouta pulled his visor down to cover his face, "It would be easier, right? I'm sure Zuzu wouldn't mind."

Izuku sputtered, his face bright red as he quickly signed, "Only if Kacchan wants to!

"Well, looks like I'm moving out too."

"That sounds perfect." Kirishima smiled, "We'll support you every step of the way, Baku-bro."

"Yeah, Ei already found a couple of therapists that specialize with Pro Heroes." Mina added, "You two can go through them together."

"I really don't deserve you guys."

----

The Bakusquad and the Midoriyas stayed with Katsuki for rest of the morning until it was time for them to go on patrol, while Izuku had to leave to deliver some papers to Hatsume in U.A.

"I'll zee you latah." Izuku gave him a soft peck on the lips, making Kouta stuck out his tongue in disgust, "Kouta!"

"What? Just because Bakugou is your boyfriend now, doesn't mean I have to be nice to him."

"You are a fucking demon." He flipped off Kouta and the first grader did the same, "See you, nerds later."

While the Midoriyas walked out the door, Kirishima, on the other hand, stayed behind to sit on the edge of Katsuki's bed, "Mind if I stay here a little while longer?"

"Am I going to be in trouble again?"

"Tch, shut up, bro." He snickered as he pulled his hair tie out to let his hair fall past his hips, "To be honest, for once, I don't want to go to work. I just want to stay here and hear your voice."

"Fucking creep." Katsuki grabbed the wreath of paper cranes again to admire the colors, "I can't believe you guys actually made this. Where the fuck did you find the time?"

"The Squad and I would get together after work and make cranes everyday. It was all Baby Girl's idea."

"This is definitely something she would want to do."

"She even convinced some of the interns at work to make some cranes." He laughed to himself, "You should've seen her, sitting in my office showing a bunch of sophomores and seniors how to make paper cranes."

"That's my girl." Katsuki reached over to lightly punch him in the shoulder, "I feel like you wanna tell me something else."

"Alright you caught me. I just want to apologize to you, man." He scratched his cheek, "I...I wasn't there for you when you needed me again. I'm the same coward I've always been."

"Ei.." Katsuki grabbed Kirishima's hand, "Shut up. It's never too late to change."

"Bro...you're gonna make me cry again."

"It's not your fault, Ei. Even back then, you did what you could."

"Goddamnit, bro."

Kirishima practically threw himself onto Katsuki again, tightening his hug as he softly cried into his shoulder. Katsuki did the same, muttering more apologies in between his soft whimpers. Even after everything, after all the pain, the fighting, the regrets, they were still brothers. They could never change what happened in the past, but they could, at the very least, look forward into the future.

"Thanks for never giving up on me, Ei."

"It's what bros do, man. It's what bros do."

“You have arrived at your destination!” Inko sang, parking in front of the Musutafu Apartments. After a week of monitoring and tests, Katsuki was finally released from the hospital. During that time, Kirishima had offered to move all of his things into Izuku’s apartment and helped him find a therapist that he would meet every other day. He really didn’t know what the fuck he would do if he didn’t have that dorky shark-toothed Hero helping him out as much as he did.

“Fucking awesome.” Katsuki climbed out of Inko’s car to take a good look at the apartments. He stretched his arms out, inhaling as much fresh summer air as he could, “Thanks again for taking me to Deku’s place, ma’am.”

“You mean your brand new home.”

“R-Right..”

“Bakugou!” Kouta ran down the stairs to hug his leg, “You're here! You’re here!”

“Hey, squirt.” Katsuki bent down to pick him up and Kouta wrapped his arms around his neck for a big hug, “Never thought I’d see the day where you actually wanted to hug me.”

“Considering the circumstances, I think I need to hug you and Zuzu at least three times a day.”

“I welcome them with open arms.” He laughed, “And what kind of six year old uses the word circumstances, huh? Ain’t that word a little big for you?”

“Just because it’s big for your tiny Hero brain, doesn’t mean it’s big for me.” There was no venom in his little insult, in fact, he was smirking.

“Such a fucking brat.” Katsuki flicked his little nose, “I can’t believe I agreed to live with you.”

“I can’t believe I offered.”

“I can’t believe I haven’t blown you to bits with my Quirk yet.”

“I can’t believe I haven’t drowned you with mine.”

“Now, now boys play nice.” Inko got out of the driver’s seat and locked her car doors, “Today is supposed to be a fun-filled, non-violent day.”

“He started it, Gramma.”

“You’re a fucking liar, brat.”

“You’re the damn liar.” Katsuki and Kouta continued to playfully bicker between themselves as he carried him up to Izuku’s apartment. Inko was right behind them, laughing along the way. Once they got to the door, Katsuki pushed it open where he was met with the familiar smell of his favorite spicy curry and an array of orange and black balloons bouncing around the living room.

“What the fuck is all of this?”

“Holy shit! About fucking time!” Mitsuki walked out of the kitchen, in a purple tank top and jean shorts with her hair in a high ponytail, “There’s my damn baby!”

“Ma?!”

Katsuki rushed to put Kouta down to hug Mitsuki as tightly as he could, softenimg when he inhaled that lavender perfume of hers. She squeezed him just as tight, rubbing his back with one hand and held his head close to her shoulder with the other.

“Missed you, munchkin.”

“I missed you too.” His eyes were getting a little misty, “I’m sorry..”

“Hey, you better not cry on me, kid.” She pushed him off of her, so she could cup his face to wipe his eyes with her thumbs, “I ain’t trying to mess up my makeup.”

“Tch, not even makeup can fix that ugly mug of yours.”

“Oh fuck off, you damn brat.”

“Where’s Pops?”

“Outside on the balcony with your little boyfriend.” She smiled, ruffling his hair, “Go see him, I’m sure he’d love to see his bratty son alive and well.”

“H-How did you know he’s-”

“Your boyfriend told me.” She laughed her way back into the kitchen, leaving Katsuki with a red face and an annoyed scowl.

“Damn nerd has a big mouth.” He walked up to the screen door to see his father and Izuku laughing with each other. As soon as he slid it open, they turned around with wide smiles on their faces, “Uh, hey.”

“Hey Firecracker.” Masaru didn’t waste a second to hug his son, he sniffed as the inevitable tears built up in his eyes, “I’m so happy you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry, Pops.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s okay.” He cooed, “It’s not important right now. What’s important is that you’re safe.”

“I’m working on myself…” Katsuki wiped his eyes into Masaru’s shoulder, “I promise, I’ll be better.”

“I’m so proud of you, Firecracker. I know you’ll pull through.”

“T-Thanks.”

“I think your mother could use some help in the kitchen.” He let go of Katsuki to give him an old smile, “We’ll call you when dinner is ready. Love you, son.”

“Love you too, Pops.” Katsuki watched his father slide the screen door closed behind him, then turned to Izuku, who was still standing next to the railing to watch the clouds, “Hey nerd.”

“Hi, Kacchan.” He turned around with a cute smile across that freckled face of his, “I mizz’d you.”

“Missed you too. The hell were you and my Old Man talking about out here?”

“Notheen' impordent, he waz tellin’ me storwiez about you in high school and stuff. I like your parwentz.”

“Please. You say that now, but try livin’ with the Old Hag for eighteen years, then see how much you like her.”

“Kacchan.” He giggled, “That’z not true. Auntie iz nize.”

“When she wants to be.” He smirked, walking up behind Izuku to wrap his arms around his waist, while resting his chin on top of his head, “Enough about my stupid parents. How have you been holdin’ up, Deku?”

“Okay, I guezz.” He shrugged, “I haff a therapist now, she’s nize. She’s deaf too.”

“Talk about a lucky break.”

“Mmhm. She zaid that I focuz too much on making othaz happie and I nevah think about myzelff, becuz I hade myzelff. She zaid that...my dizabilidiez and...the way I grew up...was traumatizing…” Izuku sighed as he rested his head back on Katsuki’s chest, “Zo...et’z gonna be a procezz to fix the whole...zelf-loathing mezz.”

“Pretty sure I contributed to a lot of that.” Katsuki squeezed him tighter, “I’m sorry.”

“Kacchan..” Izuku rubbed small circles with his thumb over the blonde’s hands, “Stawp apologizing. Et’z okay.”

“I’m sor-....okay.” Katsuki closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, “I-I know you forgive me and everything...I just..”

“You gotta fo’giff yourzelff?”

“Hey, you’re not my therapist.” He chuckled, “Speaking of, I got a nice addition to my grocery list of mind fuckery. Major Depression, Social Anxiety and now PTSD.”

“Nize. Zoundz like a lot of fun to haff.”

“The fucking best.” Katsuki snorted, burying his nose to smell the coconut scent from Izuku’s curls, “My therapist was pretty happy when I told him that I wanted to take a backseat with the Pro Hero work, but...now I have nothing to do with all this free time.”

“What do you like to do, Kacchan?”

“This is gonna sound pretty fucking stupid, but I don’t..really know? If I wasn’t busy with Hero work, I would workout or read, I guess. I used to go mountain climbing with Pops when I was like fifteen, but that was kind of it.”

“I think a lifestyle change would be perfect.” Izuku held his chin with his hand, “Maybe a new hobbie or goal.”

“A lifestyle change, huh?” Katsuki knew Izuku wasn’t wrong in the slightest. His ultimate goal in life was to become the number one Pro Hero. A goal that he was so dedicated to achieve that it was downright obsessive and it ended up nearly killing him in the end, “...Maybe I should do something that isn’t associated with trying to save the fucking day. More slow-paced.”

“Good thinking, Kacchan. Any ideaz?”

Katsuki had to really think about what the hell he could possibly do now that was essentially on a heroic hiatus. He was a top Pro Hero for so long, causing his options to be pretty damn limited, if he didn’t want to be swarmed by the paparazzi and the media. Should he choose something that he wanted or what everyone expected him to choose? He didn’t want to disappoint anyone with his new career choice, but..

“Kacchan, you’re muttering.” Izuku turned around in Katsuki’s hold to face him, looking up at him, giggling, “I think I might be rubbing off on you.”

“Oh shit.”

“Kacchan, you wouldent dizappoint me at all. Do what you want to do.” He kissed his cheek, “Othawize, you’ll regwet it and I’ll zupport you evewiewee step of the way.”

“...I…maybe..I-I think I have something I might..want to do.”

“What do you wanna do?”

“Okay…” He sighed, “B-But don’t fucking laugh or I’ll kill you..”

“I pwomize I won’t lauff.” Izuku gave him that confident smile like he always did. His emerald green eyes were sparkling brighter than the sun itself, “I’d nevah lauff at your dreams, Kacchan.”

“...Damn..fucking nerd.” He looked away with his burning red cheeks, “I...I think I wanna try being a h-hairdresser..”

“Hairdresser?” Izuku signed and Katsuki slowly nodded his head to confirm, “I dident know you liked to do hair, Kacchan.”

“Yeah well…I was around ‘em a lot when I was a kid cuz of my parents being fashion designers and shit and when I interned for Best Jeanist, hairdressers were fucking everywhere and I always thought it was kinda, I don’t know, therapeutic to brush and cut hair.”

“Iz that why you alwayz fixed my hair?”

“Fuck, I guess?”

“I think you’ll be a great one, Kacchan! You can practize on me anytime you want!”

“God, you’re too fucking nice sometimes.”

“Maybe I should make a change too!” Izuku had a confident smile as he signed, “I always thought about going back to school to get my Ph.D in Quirk engineering!”

“Damn Deku, you’re already surpassing me by having a college degree. Don’t need to rub it in my face even more.”

“Kacchan…” Izuku rolled his eyes, “Et’z not a competition.”

“Well I’m making it one. Let’s both do our fucking best, future Dr. Midoriya.” Katsuki held Izuku’s cheeks to kiss him, he felt him wrap his arms around his waist, smiling against his lips. They swayed together in each other’s arms as they kissed, finally being reunited without anything stopping them. Things were going to be so different between them from now on. A fresh start for the both of them, you could say and Katsuki was ready for the journey ahead.

“Hey, could you guys stop sucking on each other’s faces and come in here in the living room.”

“KOUTA!!!” Izuku screamed, pushing Katsuki away to cover his blushing face. Katsuki stumbled backwards, nearly falling on his ass before catching himself by slamming his back against the sliding glass door.

“You better have a good fucking reason to be out here, brat.” He glared at the cheeky first grader, “The fuck do you want now?”

“I saaaaid that you have to come to the living room. They’re talking about you on the news and Mr. Bakugou wants you to see it.”

“They talk about me on the news all the fucking time, Demon!”
“Hey, I’m just the messenger, you dumb Hero.” Kouta snorted at his father’s embarrassment, “Get used to this Zuzu, cuz I’m gonna ruin these gross moments with Bakugou a whole bunch of times.”

“Tell them we’ll be there in a minute, Kouta.” Izuku dragged his hands down his face with an annoyed groan, “Pleeze..”

“Okay!” Kouta slid the door shut and Izuku walked up to Katsuki, still very red in the face.

“Sowwie, Kacchan. I dident mean to push you.”

“It’s whatever, nerd.” The couple walked into the living room together, finding both of their families gathered around the TV.

“Okay, so what the hell is so damn special that you wanted our asses in here?”

“Sit your little asses down and then you’ll find out.” Mitsuki pointed to two empty couch cushions next to Kouta, “Unpause it, Kouta.”

“Unpausing.” Kouta pressed play once Izuku and Kouta sat down next to him. The television showed a news reporter with a picture of Ground Zero’s cocky smirk in the corner of the screen.

“It’s been a long time coming and now the world can finally rest easy knowing that Bakugou Katsuki, better known as Pro Hero Ground Zero, has made a full recovery from his suicide attempt last month. He will be taking a well-deserved hiatus from the Hero scene until further notice.”

“I can’t believe you brought me in here for the news.” Katsuki groaned until Kouta punched his arm, “Fucking ow, you little monster.”

“Shut up and keep watching, stupid Bakugou.”

“I think I can safely say...that all of us are very, very glad to know that you’re still here with us, Ground Zero.” The reporter started to wipe her eyes, trying to keep it professional as she could, “We’re rooting for you and will continue to do so, if and when you come back...better and stronger than ever before. We love you, GZ. So please. Never give up. Keep on fighting. After all, you’re our Hero.”

The screen faded to black before showing a montage of hundreds, possibly thousands of Ground Zero fans showing their love and support for their favorite number three Hero through screenshots and videos all over social media. Children, teenagers, even adults of all ages were holding up signs and poster boards with [WE LOVE YOU, GZ], [GET WELL SOON!!], [PLUS ULTRA, GROUND ZERO] in beautiful orange and black letters.

stupidpuppers @stupidpuppers
I’m just so happy GZ is okay. I almost killed myself last year, but now I’m getting help. I’ll keep on fighting with you Ground Zero! #WeLoveYouGZ

futureprointhemakin @fuccinpluzzultraaaaa
GZ is my all time favorite Hero and if he died I would’ve died. Never forget that Pro Heroes under all that badassery are fucking human! They’re risking their lives for us! Always, always show your love and support for them! #WeLoveYouGZ

Takahashi Yuto @takahashi1995
I’ve been a fan of Ground Zero since he made his debut and I cried when I read what happened to him. I lost my sister to suicide. GZ please. It’s not worth it. There are so many people in this world that care about you. You were put on this Earth for a reason. #WeLoveYouGZ

Katsuki’s eyes were glued to the screen as the montage continued. There were so many fans that struggled with the same things he did. Millions screaming his name, filled with joy that he was still alive. He couldn’t believe it, there was no way that he made this much of an impact on these many lives and yet, the proof was all there. Katsuki covered his mouth when tears built up in his eyes. Kouta paused the video when he heard Katsuki sniffling, “Bakugou?”

“I’m so fucking tired of crying, I don’t know what the hell to do.” He laughed as he wiped his eyes with his arm, “Fucking hell.”

“Kacchan..” Izuku held his hand, “They’re not wrong...we all luff you.”

“I know. I know all of you do, it’s just…” He whimpered, “...hard to believe sometimes. God, I’m being a damn idiot. I-I’m sorry, I’m ruining the party. I-”

“Hey, Katsuki. Look at me..” Mitsuki walked up to him to hold his cheeks with her soft hands. She gave him a smile before kissing his forehead, “It’s okay. Deep breaths, munchkin.”

“R-Right.” Katsuki listened to his mother to calm himself down. He had to remind himself that his recovery was going to take some time. It could take months, years even, before he could feel...normal again.

“Damn, I freaking told you..” He felt Kouta hug his side, squeezing his waist as tightly as he could, “I’m gonna have to hug you three times a day. Maybe even more.”

“I’ll take as many as I can get, squirt.” Katsuki chuckled, pulling him closer towards him, “I think you’re gettin’ soft on me.”

“Shut up..” He groaned, “Can we go eat now or something?”

“Good idea, Kouta.” Inko smiled, “Katsuki gets to fill up his bowl first.”

“Fuck yeah.”

----

“God-fucking-dammit!” Mitsuki was rummaging through the cabinets while everyone else was cleaning up the kitchen, “Can’t believe it ain’t in here!”

“What’s not in there, Hag?” Katsuki asked. He was on dish duty, while Kouta was helping him dry them all.

“Dark chocolate! I’m gonna bake those chili chocolate brownies you like. But there ain’t any chocolate here.”

“Yeah, I think Zuzu used the last of it when he baked some cookies last week.” A smirk grew across Kouta’s face, “I got an idea. How about Bakugou go get some from the store?”

“I’m washing the stupid dishes, brat.”

“So? I bet Gramma can help me. Right, Gramma?”

“I don’t mind taking over, Katsuki. It’s really not a big deal.”

“Besides, everyone else did something today except for you, so I don’t think it’s out of the question.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Katsuki wiped his hands with a dish towel, throwing it at Kouta’s face, “Fine, I’ll go get the fucking chocolate.”

“I’ll come with you, Kacchan.” Izuku put the last of the leftovers into the fridge and followed his boyfriend, “I don’t want you to be alone.”

“You don’t have to, nerd.”

“I’m doin’ it cuz I want to.”

“Oh I see.” He crossed his arms, “Using my own damn words against me.”

“Yep!”

As soon as they walked out, Katsuki noticed how peaceful and quiet the neighborhood was at night with only the sound of the cicadas echoing across the street. He wasn’t entirely sure if Izuku could hear them too, but it didn’t seem matter to Izuku since he was more focused on the night sky dotted with stars. The convenience store wasn’t far from the Musutafu Apartments by any means and they were there in less than 20 minutes.

“Should we buy some other shit for Kouta too?” Katsuki asked, after grabbing a couple bars of dark chocolate, “I feel like the brat would appreciate some snacks.”

“That’s a great idea, Kacchan.” Izuku couldn’t help letting out a giggle, “And you say Kouta is getting soft.”

“Shut the hell up, Stupid Deku.” He huffed, face burning, “Just tell me what he likes, so we can get the hell outta here.”

They grabbed a few small boxes of candy and small chips for Kouta when Izuku suddenly tugged on Katsuki’s shirt to point on something on the top shelf.

“What?”

“Look Kacchan! Hero Chips!" He pointed at them, “I had no clue they still made them! Look! Kacchan! Look!”

“I see I fucking see.” He picked up the bag to get a closer look. Pro Hero Lemillion was on the front of the bag posing in the same way All Might did when his image was used back when they were kids, “How could I forget how much we spent our allowances on these damn things to get that rare All Might card?”

“Let’s buy some!”

“We’re buying two of them, you crazy fanboy.” He tossed two bags of Hero Chips in his basket, “You’d buy out the entire stock if I let you.”

“No I wouldn’t.” He pouted, but Katsuki rolled his eyes. If there was anything he could say about Izuku, it's that he was the most obsessive Hero fanboy he ever met. Izuku could not be trusted with money when it came to any kind of Hero merch.

“Yeah, I’m so sure. Now let’s go pay for this shit.”

Once everything was paid for, Izuku didn’t waste a second to grab the Hero Chips from their bags when they walked out of the store. They opened them at the same time, immediately hit with the strong smell of salt, pepper and vinegar. Katsuki popped one in his mouth, nostalgia hitting him in waves.

“I can’t believe we ate so many bags of these fucking things trying to find a stupid card.”

“It waz worff it though. They don’t make that card aneemoar, so et’z zuper rare!”

“Hold on, are there still cards in these?” Katsuki dug further into the bag until he felt a small plastic package and pulled it out, “Yep. Let’s see…”

“Wait Kacchan! Let’z open them at the zame time!”

“Oh brother, alright. On the count of three. Ready? 1...2...3.”

“Ooooh! I got Pro Hero Lemillion! So luckie!” Izuku cheered, “I haff to laminate it when I go to work tomowoah. Thiz zo cool! Et zays on the bag that he’z the rarezt one too! Makez sense cuz he’z the numbah one Hewo. Hey Kacchan, have you evah met him? I heard he’z reallie nize and...Kacchan?”

“...I...I got...m-me…” Katsuki stared at the card that had his wild, fake confident smile. “God this is so fucking weird. Is it weird that I hate seeing my merch?”

“Kacchan?”

“Well..not necessarily hate, but...I don’t know...like, when you see Ground Zero, you think of this badass, intimidating motherfucker who gives no fucks about anything.” He sighed, gripping the card, “But then you see Bakugou Katsuki who’s this depressing mess with anxiety and PTSD. I feel so two-faced when I see stuff like this. I-It’s like I’m playing a character, Deku.”

“I get it, Kacchan. Pretending to be happie juzt to make the people awound you happie.”

“More like trying to get everyone to leave me the fuck alone.” Katsuki shook his head, “And look where that fucking got me. Bottling all that shit up just made me a coward and weak.”

“Hey..” Izuku tapped his shoulder, “I know what it feels like to always keep a smile on your face when you just want to cry. It’s not fun having to hide how you really feel, but that doesn’t make you weak. Not in the slightest. I'll always think you’re amazing Kacchan no matter what.”

“Deku...I-I…” Katsuki glanced at Izuku, opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the words that he wanted to say. His heart was pounding against his chest and his hands were sweating. He didn’t know what he was so afraid of. Deku has constantly supported him no matter what and yet, the words wouldn’t come out. Finally, after a few seconds, which felt more like hours, he managed to sputter, “...h-hope this therapist will...make me less insecure..and get me back on track soon.”

“There’z no rush, Kacchan.” Izuku gave him a bright, cheesy smile that always seemed to wash away any doubt in Katsuki’s mind, even if it was temporary. ‘Remembah, that we’ll boff do our bezt and change for the bettah.”

“Yeah, yeah you're right.” He put his thumb up, smirking with his nerd, "It's not a race. We’re both gonna change for the better.”

“Ugh…too cold...” Katsuki pulled the comforter over himself as he turned in his bed to face Izuku, who was sleeping soundly next to him. Before he even knew it, the beginning of September was upon him. The chilly air from the autumn weather gently blew into their bedroom from the open window, causing the retired Pro to shiver a bit under the blankets. One of the many “perks” of having a Quirk like his is it makes him more sensitive to the cold than the average person. Katsuki could just get out of bed to close the window, but he was too lazy move from under their comforter. Luckily, he thought of a better idea instead by pulling his boyfriend towards him by his waist to cuddle.

“Hmm...Kacchan…” Izuku muttered with a soft chuckle, slowly opening his emerald green eyes to smile at him. “What are you doin’?”

“I’m cold.” Katsuki said, then wrote on Izuku’s palm with his finger. “C-O-L-D.”

“Nawt that cold…”

“V-E-R-Y C-O-L-D 2 M-E.”

“Oh no.” He snorted. “Do you want me to cloze the window?”

“N-O. S-T-A-Y H-E-R-E.” Katsuki pulled him closer into a tight hug, kissing him on top of his viridian curls. He could smell the coconut conditioner in his hair, it was fresh, fruity, and made his hair so damn soft to rub his cheek into. “I love your hair conditioner so damn much.”

“Kacchan…” Izuku lifted up his chin to give him a small peck on his lips. “Lemme go. Need my heawing aidz.”

“Tch. Fine.” Katsuki reluctantly let him go, so Izuku could sit up in bed to grab his hearing aids from his nightstand. He watched him quickly pop them into his ears as he turned them on at the same time.

“There we go.” He giggled, giving him a small smile. “Now I can hear mah Kacchan.”

“You’re not missing out on much.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t even talk a lot.”

“Makez heawing your voize effen sweetah.” Izuku scooted over a bit to wrap his arms around Katsuki’s neck to kiss his jawline before planting a kiss on his lips. “I like your voize, Kacchan.”

“Not as much as I like yours.”

“I beg to diffah.”

The couple fell back down to lie in bed as they connected their soft lips over and over, enjoying each other’s warmth, cuddling under the covers. Katsuki naturally played with Izuku’s curls as he kissed him, he couldn’t get enough of the man. The smell of his hair and the softness of his lips was enough to drive the blond wild, that is, until a few knocks on their door interrupted their tender moment together.

“Hey! Can I come in or are you guys being gross?!” Kouta yelled on the other side of the door. “Zuzu! Can you hear me?!”

“I can hear you, baby!” Izuku laughed, sitting up in bed, while Katsuki pouted. “You can come in. We’re nawt doin’ aneeding.”

“Yes we were…”

“Hush, Kacchan.” Izuku watched his son push open the door. He was wearing an adorable navy blue T-shirt and matching shorts with his coal black hair very wild from sleep. He climbed up into their bed to sit between them, giving him a cute and mischievous little smile. Izuku kissed him on his forehead before he ruffled his hair. “Gud morneeg, Kouta.”

“Morning, Zuzu. Did I interrupt something?”

“No, baby.”

“Yes.”

“Kacchan!”

“Ha! Good.” Kouta turned to Katsuki to poke his cheek. “I’ll make sure to ruin everything for you, Bakugou.”

“You’re a fucking demon.”

“And you’re a dumb blond. What else is new?”

“Hey. Stawp it, you two.” Izuku put his finger up to his lips. “Let’z nawt fight zo early in the morneeg pleeze.”

“Bakugou started it, Zuzu.”

“Wow. Lying right in front of Deku. You damn brat.”

“What did I juzt zay?” Izuku laughed, shaking his head. “I’m makin’ bweakfazt. What do you want?”

“Oatmeal with bananas and blueberries!”

“That spicy miso soup you made yesterday was fucking great. I’ll take that please.”

“Spicy miso soup?” Kouta turned around, raising a judgemental eyebrow. “Why the hell would anyone want something spicy so damn early in the morning?”

“Don’t judge me on my food choices, you damn demon.”

“I’ll judge you all I want, you stupid Hero.”

“I’m going to cook now.” Izuku hopped out of bed to stretch his arms out, then scratched his belly as he walked out of the room. “Pleeze don’t kill each othah while I’m in the kicchen. Behave.”

“He’s talking to you, brat.”

“You too, Kacchan.” Izuku said, popping his head back in their room. “Behave.”

“Haha!”

“Tch! I didn’t even do anything…” Katsuki grumbled, sitting up to grab his phone from the nightstand to check up on the news. He felt Kouta crawl closer towards him to rest his cheek on his arm. “Can I help you?”

“Nah, I’m good. Just reading what’s on your screen.” Kouta quietly watched Katsuki scroll on his phone with his finger to catch up with all the latest news. Now that it’s been a month, the news of Katsuki taking a hiatus from Hero work had finally died down. It was getting pretty tiring seeing news article after news article wondering when he’d come back when he specifically said he would come when he was ready.

“I fucking knew IcyHot would have another kid.” He snorted to himself when he noticed the headline of an article that quoted Pro Hero Shouto and Pro Hero Creati publicly announcing having a sixth child. “Hopefully it’s a girl this time.”

“Bakugou. Baakuugooou. Baaakuuugooo-ooou."

"Whaaa-aaaaat?" He put his phone down to look at the brat. “What do you want, you little pest?”

"I'm bored."

"Well go be bored somewhere else."

"But I wanna be bored here."

"Well if you wanna be bored here...” Katsuki pointed to the several bottles on top of Izuku’s nightstand. “..the least you can do is be useful and hand me my pills."

"You mean your happy pills?"

"They're not happy pills.” He rolled his eyes. “They’re ‘making sure my brain doesn’t make me do anything stupid’ pills."

"Fair enough." Kouta crawled over to Izuku's side of the bed to grab his bottles." It's just the two bottles, right?

"Three. One for the depression, one for the anxiety and the other is a pain med."

"Woow. Therapy, medicine and retiring from being a Pro.” He grabbed the pill bottles, double-checking to make sure it was Katsuki’s prescription before handing them over. “You got it all."

"I got all the cool prizes for being fucked in the head."

"Cool. You need some water?"

"Already got a water bottle, kid." Katsuki poured a proper amount of medication from each bottle into his hand and popped them all into his mouth and took a drink from the water bottle on his nightstand. “There. Now I can function like a normal human being.”

“Quick question, Bakugou.”

“Yeah?”

"So like….are you technically my dad or something?"

"Your dad?” Katsuki noticed the pink slight tinge on Kouta’s cheeks. He hid his smirk by drinking more water from his bottle. “I don’t know. Do you want me to technically be your dad?"

"I mean….I guess I wouldn't hate it.” He crossed his arms with a pout. “It's just...saying Bakugou all the damn time is a mouthful and I think calling you, I don’t know...Kacchan too...would be easier or whatever.”

“You can call me Kacchan too, if you want, Kouta.” Katsuki pulled him into a hug to kiss him on his forehead. “For the record, I would love to technically be your dad.”

“Did...Did you just kiss me?” Kouta put his hand on his forehead. “Holy shit, you actually kissed me.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah...that’s okay.” He rolled his eyes, attempting to look annoyed as possible. “I swear you and Zuzu are always trying to kiss somebody.”

“Hey now, I don’t kiss anybody.” Katsuki poked his chubby little cheek, which made him smile. “Only very few people are worthy of my kisses.”

“You’re so freaking stupid. Stupid Kacchan.”

“What else is new?”

“Kouta! Kacchan! Time to eat!”

“Let’s go, brat.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, ya dumb Hero.”

Both of them rolled out of bed to meet Izuku in the kitchen, he had just finished setting the table. Katsuki picked up Kouta to sit him in his chair, while he walked up to Izuku to give him a kiss on the lips before sitting down himself. His bowl of miso soup smelled so delicious, he couldn’t wait to dig into it.

“Thanks for breakfast, babe.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You guys are so gross!” Kouta stuck out his tongue. “I wanna keep my breakfast down ya know!”

“Kouta…”

“I’m just saying!”

Izuku worked on some new Hero gear blueprints, while Katsuki and Kouta ate. It was a peaceful silence other than Izuku’s typing on his laptop. This was how their mornings have always been since Katsuki moved in, quiet and domestic. He missed this feeling for so long, the feeling of being a part of a family. His mind never let him believe that he was genuinely loved by so many people in his life, but now, with the help of his medication, his therapist and now the Midoriyas...he knew it was true.

“Hey, Zuzu! Kacchan! We should do something today!”

“Zomeding?” Izuku looked up from his laptop.“What do you want to do, Kouta?”

“Yeah, do what exactly, squirt?”

“I don’t know, but you guys don't have therapy today, Zuzu is off and Kacchan has all the freetime in the world now that he’s unemployed.”

“I still have a job, you little shit.” Katsuki glared at him. “It’s called a hiatus.”

“That’s just a fancy word for unemployed.”

“I’ll show you unemployed.”

“Zuzu! Kacchan is threatening me!”

“Kacchan…”

“He started it!”

“You are arguwing wiff a six year old.”

“I argued with my niece when she was two. What’s your point?”

“Kacchan!”

“What?! I’m just saying!”

Before their bickering could get any louder, the three of them heard a few knocks on their door. Katsuki decided to get up to answer without a second thought, only to be surprised by the visitor. “Shitty Hair? The hell are you doing here?”

“Mornin’ bro.” Kirishima wore a denim vest over a black hoodie, matching joggers and white vans. His long black hair was spiked up as usual, reaching down past his waist. “Nice to see you alive and well.”

“Hilarious.”

“I know.” He smiled with a playful wink. “What’s going on with Midoriya and Kouta?”

“Eating breakfast.” Katsuki leaned against the door frame as he crossed his arms. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m here to informally invite you guys to the park!”

“Why?”

“Well, since our campsite vacation got cut short, I wanted to do a little redo. Everyone is already at the park and I came to grab you.”

“Hold on one second.” Katsuki turned his head back towards the kitchen. “Hey, brat! It’s your lucky day! We’re going to the park with Shitty Hair and the other morons!”

“Is the weird girl gonna be there?!”

“Yup!”

“Uuuuugh! Fine! As long as we get out of the house!”

“Finish up and get dressed!” Katsuki smirked at Kirishima. “Give us fifteen minutes to get ready.”

“Awesome, Baku-bro.”

----

“Why is it so fucking cold?” Katsuki grumbled to himself, shoving his face further into his scarf. The local park was beautiful with the leaves on the trees changing into several shades of red, orange and yellow as they fell onto the grass. Izuku was holding onto his right arm, while Kouta held his left hand. “It feels like the temperature is in the negatives out here.”

“It’s not that cold, bro. It’s like ten degrees Celsius.” Kirishima laughed, looking back at him with his shark-toothed grin. “Besides look who’s here waiting for ya!”

“Daddy brought Uncle Kat and Mr. Midoriya and Kouta!” Maiya squealed as she ran towards Katsuki, he let go of Izuku and Kouta so she could jump into his awaiting arms. He picked her up to kiss her cheek, he knew he would start to warm up once he started to play with his favorite niece. “I missed you, Uncle Kat!”

“Missed you too, Princess.” He noticed that Maiya was in a Red Riot hoodie over her denim overall jumper. “The hell are you wearing your dumb dad’s merch for?”

“I’m practicing advertising!” She looked down at the hoodie to point at the logo. “If people see a cute girl like me wearing this jacket, they’ll want to buy one too! Then Daddy and Mommy will be even more super duper rich!”

“What the fuck?” Katsuki glanced at Kirishima, who shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Ei, explain.”

“I think she got on some business channel when Denki babysat her last week. She’s been obsessed with merch and advertising now.”

“I thought we agreed that Dunce Face wasn’t allowed to babysit Princess.”

“Listen man, he was the only one available at the time. I already regret my decisions.”

“Already talking hot shit about me, man?” Kaminari threw a red frisbee at Katsuki, which he easily caught with his naturally fast reflexes before throwing back at him. “You’ll never change, huh?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“But I’m your favorite idiot.”

“No.”

“Uncle Kat! Uncle Kat! Can you play frisbee with us?” Maiya gave him those huge puppy eyes like she always did when she wanted something from him. “Pretty please? I’ll be your best friend!”

“I thought I was your best friend already?”

“Well now you’ll be my super best friend!”

“Ugh, fucking...fine, you little dork.”

“Yay! Do you wanna play too, Kouta?”

“Fine...I guess.”

“Aww c’mon Kouta! It’s fun!”

“I said fine, Weird Horns!”

“My name is Maiya!” She wiggled out of Katsuki’s hold, ran over to Kouta to grab his hand and dragged him towards Kaminari. “Now let’s play! Let’s play!”

“You don’t need to grab me!” Kouta looked back at Izuku. “I’ve made a terrible mistake! Zuzu! Help me!”

“You’re fine, Kouta! Have fun!” Izuku laughed, then turned to Katsuki. “I’m going to sit on the picnic bench and watch. If that’s okay?”

“That’s okay, Deku. Do what you want.” He kissed him on his cheek. “I’m just playing catch with a bunch of kids.”

“Uncle Den is playing with us too, Uncle Kat!”

“I know, Princess!” Katsuki called. “I’m playing with a bunch of kids!”

“You’re an asshole, dude!”

The Kirishimas, Sero and Izuku all sat at the picnic tables as they watched Katsuki and Kaminari play with the kids. Maiya used her Quirk to really send the frisbee flying across the grassy fields of the park. She was just like her father, using her strength in any way that she could. Katsuki was able to catch it, of course, after all, Maiya was only five years old. Her throws may be strong, but Katsuki’s reflexes were stronger. The four of them played catch with the frisbee for about an hour until Kaminari decided to chuck into the woods.

“Oh shit! My bad!”

“Oh nooo! The frisbee!” Maiya cried as she watched the toy disappear into the rows of trees. “Dang it, Uncle Den!”

“Yeah, Dunce Face. What the fuck?” Katsuki shielded his eyes to avoid the bright sun hitting them. “We’re playing with damn first graders.”

“That was an accident! I wasn’t thinking!”

“That’s not a fucking excuse. You never think!” He rolled his eyes at him, then looked at the woods. “It couldn’t have gotten that far. I’ll look for it.”

“Thanks Uncle Kat! You’re my favorite uncle ever!”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Princess.” Katsuki walked through a couple of trees and bushes until he was one the other side of the park. There were more picnic tables scattered about just like on their side.

“Did you find the frisbee yet, bro?!” Kirishima yelled from the other side of the woods.

“Nope!” Katsuki looked all around until he finally spotted something red, round and plastic sitting on top of a picnic blanket. He jogged over to the blanket to snatch up the toy. “Never mind! I found it!”

“Hey! What are you doing?!” A voice called from somewhere in the woods. Katsuki looked up in front of him and saw Jirou waving at him, along with Shinsou and Monoma walking behind her. “That’s our stuff!”

“I know!” He stood up with his hands up as he held up the frisbee. “I was just grabbing this.”

“Oh my god, Bakugou?” Jirou’s eyes widened. “Bakugou, is that you?”

“Yeah…” He watched her slowly walk up to him, taking a moment to size him up. She seemed to be in complete disbelief that he was still around or something. “Haven’t seen you in awhile, Ears.”

“Y-Yeah..” She rubbed her arm, glancing away from his gaze. “Bakugou, I...I’m so glad that...that you’re alive.”

“Mmm…”

“Listen…” Shinsou spoke up, rubbing the back of this neck. “We were...really fucking stupid kids. You don’t have to forgive us for what we did back then, but just so you know, we’re so sorry.”

“We?” Monoma raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by “we”? I don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Neito are you being serious, right now?!” Jirou hissed. “We all bullied Bakugou back in high school! If anything, you should be apologizing the most! You actively bullied him!”

“Oh yeah, my actions were way worse than the girl who only laughed and went along with it.” He rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself.”

“Monoma!”

“And besides, if Bakugou wasn’t such an ass and acted like a normal person, then he wouldn’t be bullied in the first place.” He flipped his bangs with a sadistic little smirk. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Shinsou glared at him. “How could you say that? We don't have any right to blame Bakugou for what we did to him.”

“I’m only saying what everyone else was thinking back then. Isn’t that right, Bakugou?”

“I-”

“Baku-bro, what’s taking so long? I thought you said you found the frisbee!” Kirishima walked towards him with Kaminari close behind him. However, once he saw Monoma and the others, his smile immediately dropped. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Oh great, more of Bakugou’s little friends.” Monoma crossed his arms. “Jirou wants me to apologize for something that happened almost ten years ago.”

“Probably because what you assholes did back then was fucked up!” Kirishima stomped up to Monoma, growling with his fists clenched, but he was completely unphased. “It didn’t just happen ‘almost ten years ago’ you all gave Katsuki hell for three years straight!”

“Shitty Hair, just-”

“Because he deserved it. He acted more like a Villain than a Hero more than anybody in U.A. That’s literally why he got kidnapped.” He turned to Kaminari. “Isn’t that right, Kaminari?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb. Since Jirou wants to play the blame game, if I recall correctly, you bullied Bakugou too.”

“Yeah, I did...our freshman year. What I did was fucked up, but I already made amends with Bakugou! Don’t lump me with you!”

“Ei, it’s fine-”

“Why won’t you just apologize?!” Kirishima roared, getting into Monoma’s bored face. “When All Might died, that traumatized him and all you did was mock and laugh. You blamed him for a death that he couldn’t control and now you don’t even want to take responsibility?!”

“If he never got kidnapped, none of it would have happened.” He shrugged his shoulders. “That’s simply a fact. Everything that happened to him were consequences of his own actions.”

“How the fuck can you call yourself a Pro Hero?!”

“Shitty Hair!” Katsuki called out to him. “Just forget it! Let’s go.”

“But-”

“I said let’s go!” He gripped onto the frisbee, glaring at Monoma’s smug little smile. He wanted to punch him so fucking bad, but he knew it wouldn’t be worth it. “I don’t want his half-assed apology.”

“Fine..” Kirishima followed Katsuki and Kaminari to their side of the park, but stopped to turn around. “I hope one day you finally get your head out of your ass and start acting like a Hero, Monoma!”

Once they got to the other side, Katsuki felt very, very tired all of a sudden. He gave Kaminari the frisbee before sitting at the picnic table with Izuku and Mina. He crossed his arms on top of the table and rested his head on them.

“Kacchan..?” Izuku whispered to him. “Kacchan, what’z wrog?”

“Katsuki..” Mina frowned. “What happened over there?”

“Monoma.” He sighed. “Monoma was on the other side of the park.”

“Oh no…”

“That sorry excuse of a Hero didn’t want to apologize for all the bullshit he put Katsuki through!” Kirishima ranted as he plopped down at the picnic table next to his wife. “He’s disgusting, babe! You should’ve heard the nonsense that he spewed! I should’ve punched him in his fucking face before we walked away!”

“Sweetie…” Mina wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. “Don’t let that asshole ruin your mood.”

“God…” Kirishima rubbed his temples. “Katsuki, man, I’m so sorry. This was supposed to be a fun day and it got ruined again!”

“Tch...don’t fucking apologize. You didn’t do shit.”

“Still...this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“It’s fine! I...I just need to cool off…” He sat up to sign at Izuku. “Come with me. Please.”

“Of courze, Kacchan.” He followed him down a small trail in the park that led to a small lake in the woods. They could see a few ducks swimming around with their little ducklings following them. Katsuki dragged his hands down his face, letting out a loud and frustrated groan.

“Kacchan?”

“I’m okay...I’m just annoyed.”

“Who waz Kiwishema talking about?”

“Monoma Neito. I never told you...because I didn’t think it really mattered, especially after everything I did, but...I was bullied in high school.”

“What?!”

“He was one of my bullies.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. The memories of what they did to him made his stomach twist. “Fucked with me pretty much every day. It only got worse when we had to move into the dorms.”

“Kacchan…” Izuku looked as if he was going to cry. He stood in front of him to hold on to his face with his hands. Katsuki pulled one of his hands out of his pockets to put it over top of Izuku’s hand, leaning against his touch. “I’m zo sowwie.”

“The hell are you apologizing for? It’s over now...in the past.” He sighed. “I mean, I guess you could say it was just karma biting me in the ass.”

“No one dezerffs to be bullied, Kacchan.”

"I guess..." Katsuki sighed. "I just wish that I didn't see them, at least not fucking Monoma...he was the worst out of all of them."

"Oh Kacchan..." Izuku gave him a tight hug, then looked up at him. "He diddent apologize?"

"Yeah, he didn’t and I should've expected it from someone like him...but it still...I don't know...I think I'm just more annoyed that he pissed off Shitty Hair."

"It soundz like he still haz some gwoeng up to do..."

"Growing up?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah I think so too, but Monoma has always been a stuck-up asshole...like yours truly."

"Kacchan, stawp it no you're not." Izuku smiled at him. "You changed for the bettah."

"I think we both did."

"Do you want to go back to the othahs?"

"I will in a minute. I just wanna stay here...with you for a bit."

"I think I like that idea, Kacchan." Izuku snuggled his cheek closer into his chest, “I like it a lot.”

When Katsuki and Izuku came back, the celebrations truly began with plenty of games and plenty more food to share. By the time the Bakusquad and the Midoriyas finished their little picnic in the park it was late into the afternoon with a beautiful sunset in the sky. Maiya and Kouta had fallen asleep on the picnic blanket, both tired out from playing nonstop together.

“It was really fun having you back here, Baku-bro.” Kirishima quietly laughed as he picked up his little girl, letting her chubby cheek rest on his chest. “Sure there was a little asshole bump in the road, but I think it all went well.”

“I told you to not worry about it, Shitty Hair. Quit bringin’ it up.” Katsuki picked up Kouta as well, supporting his head as he rested his chin on his shoulder. “It’s fine, I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Sorry...I-I know I’m being overbearing and annoying again, but I can’t help it when it comes to you, Katsuki.”

“You’re such a fucking sap, Ei.”

“Sappiness is a very manly trait, bro.” He winked at him with that shark-toothed smile. “You got therapy tomorrow?”

“I sure do.”

“Call me when you’re done. We can get something to eat later.”

“Am I paying for this?”

“It’ll be my treat, whatever you want...within reason.”

“I think Princess needs to step up her advertising game, so you can get fucking rich and become the world’s highest taxpayer.”

“Hahaha! She’s working on it. Cuteness can only get you so far.”

“I beg to differ when it comes to my Princess.”

“Kacchan! C’mon! We’ll mizz the twain!” Izuku called from the sidewalk. “Let’z go!”

“That’s my cue to get out of here.” Katsuki chuckled. “Thanks for inviting us, Shitty Hair.”

“No problem, bro.”

Katsuki and Izuku didn’t have to wait long for the train to come by to the station. The train was practically empty with only a few older men and women sitting on the benches. As soon as they boarded, they stood on either side of the doorway. Katsuki leaned against the wall, while making sure Kouta was comfortable in his arms. He looked through the window, watching a few wispy clouds dot the warm orange sky. Katsuki always did love sunsets...they were always so beautiful. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, immediately pulling it out of his back pocket to answer.

[Deku:] Is he heavy? I can take over if you want.

“Tch..you’re talking to the former Number Three Hero, nerd.” He looked up at Izuku, who was smiling behind his phone like the dork he is. Katsuki lowered his voice a bit so that only Izuku could still hear him along with that cocky, confident smirk. “You think I can’t handle a first grader that weighs like 23 kilograms?”

“I was just making sure. You’ve been holding him since you left,

“Cuz I wanna hold him.” He proved his point by squeezing Kouta a little tighter. “It’s gonna be one of the few instances where the brat will let me show more affection.”

“So silly.” Izuku let out a silent laugh. “I was thinking...do you want to go to Hero Agency Bakugou before we go home?”

“What’s the occasion?”

“Just for old time’s sake. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

“It has…” He looked out the window to watch the trees and poles blur into nothing but colors. “Let’s go...together.”

“Do you want to bring Kouta?”

“I don’t see why not..this kid is out like a damn light anyway.”

---

The neighborhood was pleasantly quiet as they walked down the sidewalk together. No one was on the streets, hell not even any kids were playing the playground. The fence that was blocking the forest was still just as useless as ever. Izuku hopped over the fence with ease, while Katsuki used his Quirk to fly over, so he wouldn’t have to hand Kouta over to him.

“He’z zo cute in your arms, Kacchan.” Izuku giggled, pinching his son’s chubby little cheek. “I should take a picture.”

“Don’t tell him that he’ll never sleep on me ever again.”

“Haha! Zo zilly.”

“Excuse me, citizens! This area beyond the forest is forbidden to the public!” Ingenium came running towards them on the other side of the fence. “Oh...it's just you, Bakugou and Midoriya.”

“Hey Four Eyes, haven’t seen you in a while.” He smirked. “Here to rain on our parade, I assume?”

“Hmph. Considering it’s you, Bakugou I should.” Tenya slipped off his helmet, rolling his ruby red eyes. “So this is how the Number Three Hero turns out during his hiatus, living a life of crime?”

“Ha! Yeah, I’ve gone full blown villain by hopping fences.” He laughed. “Shit, you wish I turned into a shitty villain, then maybe you can finally catch up to me in the rankings.”

“Being in the Top 10 is more than enough for me, thank you.” He smiled as he adjusted his glasses. “But I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Bakugou. You and Midoriya. Now if you excuse me, I have to finish up my patrol.”

“What? No lecture? No slap on the wrist? What the fuck? I feel robbed, Sonic.”

“You would want that, wouldn’t you?” Tenya put his helmet back on before walking away from the fence as he waved. “I’ll let it slide for now. Consider it a warning.”

“Ingenium iz zo cool.” Izuku awed, his eyes shined as they always did when he encountered a Hero. “I can’t belieff you’re zo mean to him, Kacchan.”

“Hey, he’s always mean to me first.” Katsuki flicked Izuku in his forehead, making him yelp. “Don’t sympathize with that Sega reject.”

“Kacchan!” Izuku huffed, lightly punching him in his arm. “So rude!”

“But you like it though, nerd.” He stuck his tongue out at him, then walked in front of him to lead the way into the forest. “C’mon, let’s find the Agency before it gets dark and colder than it already is.”

“Et’z not that cold.”

“Says you.”

Similar to the park, the leaves on the trees were a rainbow of autumn colors. Plenty of leaves fell into the river streams which was a very pretty sight to see. Katsuki stepped aside to let Izuku walk across the log bridge first. “Careful, nerd. Don’t need you falling and nearly losing your hearing aids again.”

“You still remembah that?”

“How could I forget? I saved your All Might hearing aids.”

“It waz ovah twenty yearz ago.”

“So? I have the memory of a fucking elephant.”

“My Hewwo...” Izuku giggled, he carefully hopped on top of the log, balancing as he walked across. Katsuki was right behind, holding Kouta tight and supporting his head. He knew he wasn’t going to slip or drop Kouta, but it more than liking those parenting instincts starting to grow.

“Izn’t it cool that thiz log iz still hewe afta all thiz time?”

“It’s the only way to get on the other side without getting wet.”

“You think Kouta and Maiya will start playing out here someday?”

“Probably...Princess really likes him, even when he is being a little shit towards her.”

“Hmm...why does that sound so familiah?” Izuku pondered, tapping his chin with his finger.

“Shut the hell up!”

“Hahaha! I’m just saying, Kacchan!”

Finally,after what seemed like forever, Katsuki and Izuku found Hero Agency Bakugou. The small cave was covered in both leaves and moss now, but still the same in every way otherwise. Izuku crawled into the cave first, sitting on the mossy ground. Katsuki did the same, sitting right next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

“Hewe Kacchan.” Izuku had his hands open, ready to take him. “Hand me my kid.”

“But he’s mine…” Katsuki pouted. “I’ve had him all this time.”

“He’z my kid.”

“Tch.” Katsuki, reluctantly handed the sleeping Kouta off to him. Izuku held him, placing his little head on his shoulder, then moved over to sit between Katsuki’s legs, resting his head on his chest. “Hey...I didn’t say you could cuddle me.”

“You dident zay I couldent eithah.”

“You little dork..” Katsuki wrapped his arms around him, then kissed his forehead and started playing with his green curls. He loved this so much, hearing the sounds of the calming waves of the rivers and the lush sound of the leaves rustling in the trees. The warmth of his boyfriend and technically son resting on top of him was the best feeling in the entire world. It was nothing other than perfect. “Hey...Deku.”

“Yes, Kacchan?”

“Do you...do you regret what happened? Like...do you wish things were different between us?”

“Hmm…” Izuku hummed. “I would be lying if I nevah thought about the pazt or wondered how life would be if I waz nevah deaf or had a Quirk…”

“Really…”

“But! I’m zo, zo happy with our futurah together. Becauze no matter how much I think about it...one thing iz for zertain...I could nevah live a life without you, Kacchan.”

“Izuku…” Katsuki felt himself tear up, so he closed his eyes as he lowered his head until their foreheads touched. “I couldn’t live a life without you either.”

“We’re in a good plaze now....” Izuku turned his chin up to kiss him on his lips. “..and I can’t wait to spend the rezt of our lives together, Kacchan.”

“I can’t either..”

“I luff you, Katsuki.”

“I love you too, Izuku.”