Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You can always call me when you need help.”

I hovered over the call button labeled, “Aizawa-Sensei.” A part of me was telling myself to suck it up and deal with the pain. Don’t burden someone else with your issues. Nobody needs to hear you be weak. But the other part of me knew that I wouldn’t be able to do this alone. I had done it alone for so long and now I finally have an escape, why shouldn’t I take it? 

I clicked the call button.

I hung up seconds later.

I waited for another call.

It never came.

I got out of bed, it was late, around 2 am. I knew that Mr. Aizawa didn’t sleep all that much at night and he usually was awake. A part of me knew this and that’s why I called again. This time I was at the bus stop. Sitting on the bench shivering as a gust of early-spring wind flew past me, chilling my ears and face. 

I waited on the phone.

“Bakugou? Is something wrong?” The deep voice of my teacher filters through the dark silence that was the night. I couldn’t speak. It was as if my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth with a metal ball lodged in my throat unwilling and stubborn to let me speak. “-kugo? Hey, Kid------ wro-----right?------”

“Help.” It was as if I took a breath of fresh air. Not refreshing. But it was enough. “Help me. I can’t take it anymore. It’s awful I can’t do this anymore. I just want to run and run away till I can’t see my own feet anymore. I’m sorry, I can’t do this anymore. I just want to get out. I don’t want to be here. I’m at the bus stop. Please.” 

“Hey, kid, take the night shuttle to Shizuoka, alright? I’ll meet you there.”

“O-okay. Thank you.”

“No problem. You can always call me.”

In a blur, time passes and I’m getting off the bus. In the distance, I see a man with a light-colored scarf and dressed in black standing next to a car. In slow motion, I cross the distance needed. 

I’m met with a hug.

“Hey, kid, you’re alright now. Shh, you’re okay. You’re safe .”

And I let go.

Chapter Text

I’m taken to Aizawa-Sensei’s house.

I’m led past a concerned-looking Present-Mic and a confused Shinso.

Ha, called it.

I’m sat down on a couch and minutes later I’m handed something warm. Rather two warm things. A steaming cup of tea and a rather large cat with a missing eye that curls up on my lap. 

It’s peaceful silence.

Unlike “home”

Where silence is just waiting for the next bomb to drop. 

Long, stretching minutes pass by. He’s waiting for me to say something.

“Thank you,” I whisper. I’m too tired to put up with my screaming facade and Aizawa’s already seen me cry so why does it matter.

The man on the sofa diagonal to where I’ve settled on looks up in surprise. If you thought I could never say the words “please,” “thank you,” and “sorry,” you’re wrong, bitch.

“No problem, Kid. You want to talk about it?”

I guess there isn’t too much harm in explaining myself, plus, I owe it to this man who willingly picked me up off the streets at 2 am without complaint.

“I guess it just got to be too much. I couldn’t stand staying in that house for another minute knowing what they’re doing and them knowing what they were doing.” It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the full truth. The fresh scar on my arm is proof. I was just really tired. The adrenaline had worn off by now and I was only just realizing what I had just done.

I fucking ran away from the house.

At 2 in the fucking morning.

The hag’s going to fucking murder me when she finds out. Oh no, oh no no, fuck. Why did I think this was a good idea? It’s not like I can escape from her forever, almost everything I own is in that house. I’m going to die. She’s going to beat me till I can’t breathe-

“Don’t think about telling the police about this. It’s for your own benefit”

“Katsuki, your mom is correct. You really need to work on your math. Tomorrow we’re starting training. You are to wake up at 7 am sharp and no spending one hour dillydallying. DO YOU UNDERSTAND.”

“You understand don’t you?”

“Why can’t you understand what I’m trying to teach you?”

“Why are you so stupid”

“You’re just like a filthy dog”

“You don’t-

“BAKUGOU”

I’m suddenly aware of the way my chest is feeling tight. How my head starts to feel like it’s floating. My legs feel numb and I can’t even move my hands. The scarred face in my vision is slowly swimming in and out of focus-

“C’mon, breathe with me now. In for 5, out for 4, in for 5, out for 4. There we go, good job.”

A few more minutes pass and I’m suddenly aware of how Aizawa-Sensei actually helped me? That “episode” thing wasn’t as bad as it usually is and he didn’t ignore or tell me off for crying.

“M’ sorry, I probably woke you up.”

“It’s nothing, kid. Do you feel better now?”

I nod

“Good, how about you head to bed and we can talk more about this tomorrow? You seem pretty tired after all of this. Sound good?”

“Where would I sleep?” I ask. It doesn’t look like he has that much room in this small apartment.

“We have a guest bedroom you can stay in if you want. You can also bring Pirate up with you too.”

I assume Pirate is the enormous fluffy mass on my lap right now. I nod in agreement and trail after the man clad in black.

It’s not much but it’s what you’d expect in a guest room. A full-sized bed decked out with fluffy bedding, a desk, a bookshelf with a few knickknacks here and there, and a large standing lamp. 

“Call if you need help. Hizashi and I are always here to help. Shinso too if you need him.”

The minute the door shuts to the room I collapse onto the bed not caring whether or not I’m getting germs from the outdoors to the comforter below me. I’m too tired. My mind tries to make me think about all the horrible things that could arise but another part of it shuts that train down before it could even start. For once in a long time, I go to sleep as soon as I’m comfortable in bed and I don’t think about anything else. 

I just rest.

For now, I guess.

Chapter Text

I awake to the smell of something similar to bacon. The voices outside the closed-door are, cheerful. They’re laughing and making sarcastic remarks to each other. No hard feelings and no hidden intentions. Or I think so.

It’s odd. But it startles me. The events of last night replay back in my mind in a flurry of pictures and emotions. I curl up under the sheets. It’s not that I’m afraid of Aizawa and his family, I know that they’re good. But I really just don’t want to face today’s actions. I don’t want to think about how flawed my family is and how I’ve only just started to realize all of its repercussions.

But I get up. Not because I’m “motivated for a new day” but because I don’t want to seem lazy in front of them. I had forgotten about the bruise on my back but it comes into my senses as I sit up from my prone position. 

How long has it been that I didn’t wake up to screams and shouts? Or someone bursting into my room commanding me to do so many tasks that I can’t possibly do all at once? Far too long. 

I was at home for spring break. I guess you could say that I got used to the dorms and the atmosphere there being so cheerful and carefree. Going home and going back to what I used to be used to was, alarming. It showed me all of the problems that I never knew that I had and my parents had. Goddamn it why do they have to be so stubborn? 

I don’t have a change of clothes so my only option is to go to the main area, where everyone else is. I look at the clock and in bright, glaring red numbers, it screams at me “9:33” I haven’t slept in this late since, well, I was sick and I had a fever. 

Taking the plunge, I crack open the white door of the small bedroom. 

It makes a loud creaking sound.

Jesus Christ, didn’t anybody oil those hinges? I make a note to do that later.

“Ah, it seems Sleeping Beauty has awoken!”

I cringe at the nickname, it was always something my mom had said to me in that almost venomous tone of her’s.

“Yeah well, I didn’t feel like dealing with you dipshits this early in the morning,” I snarl hoping that I put just as much of my usual irritability.

“There’s bacon on the table with waffles. Dad decided to make a “western-style” breakfast this morning so have fun,” Shinso drawled out towards me.

When was the last time my mom made breakfast for me?

I take a seat at the table where Aizawa and Present Mic are already at and start slowly eating what was in front of me. I didn’t usually eat breakfast but I didn’t want to be rude. 

“The fuck are you fuckmunches looking at me like that for?” I spit at the two who’ve been giving me side glances every few minutes.

“You’ve been sawing at your food for at least two minutes, don’t tell me my cooking is really that bad?” Mic explains with a slight joking tilt to his voice.

I didn’t even notice I was doing that.

“Yeah okay, where’s the bathroom?” 

Aizawa gets up and guides me to the bathroom. He says that he’ll be back with clothes and a toothbrush for me and to use anything I want.

After he leaves I slide down against one of the walls in the bathroom. Goddamn it, I didn’t expect this to be so hard. Nobody’s even attempted to help me in the slightest and here they just go and let me into their home without a second thought. They even made food for me. God fucking damn it.

“I’m worried for the little listener, Shota, he doesn’t seem all that good,” I faintly hear Present Mic say through the wall of the bathroom.

“Yeah, me too, Yamada, we gotta take small steps and do this right. He hasn’t even opened up to us properly-”

I turn on the shower.

I can’t fucking deal with their pity right now. 

Not when I feel like I’m gonna cry at every single pin-drop.

The few meager bites of the barely-breakfast I had eaten churns in my stomach. I wonder how many calories were there. 

Try as I might, my ears are just able to pick up the faint tones of Mic and Eraserhead talking over the rush of the heated water of the shower.

I start to strip to get into the shower and I finally take a look down at the condition my body was in.

Fuck.

Chapter Text

What the fuck does Eyebags even wear half the time? I pull on the black shirt with a cat print on the chest and a pair of black ripped skinny jeans that I’m borrowing from Shinso. Does he only shop at fucking Hot Topic? 

“Bakugou, here, have a seat,” Mic invites me after I step out of the bathroom.

At this moment, I know what they want from me. I know that they want me to talk. Do I do it?

“We want to help you.”

I can’t help but scoff.

“Ha, like everyone else did?”

“I promise kid, just tell us what’s going on and we can help you get better okay?” Aizawa says.

It’s clear he hasn’t had that much experience with these types of situations. But, I guess I do owe them an explanation for just barging into their home unannounced last night.

Deep breathes. You can handle this. Head high, emotions away. This is all that’s mandatory.

If Mic and Aizawa were surprised at the look in my eyes, they didn’t seem like it.

“The hag- my mom isn’t-uh- normal, you could say that.” I think about all of the things she’s done to me, to my dad, to her . “She’s what you would call ‘emotionally abusive’ I guess. She’s always angry and she yells at every pin that drops and everything that goes wrong. It’s not really that bad, to be honest, I just overreacted last night.”

They look like they want to interject, I don’t let them. Don’t fucking pity me. Stop looking down on me, Jackass.

“I just realized that some of the stuff she does isn’t normal last night and I just didn’t want to be there. I just called you on a whim. I don’t think I was even thinking clearly.”

“Did your mom ever hit you?”

“Sure sometimes but it was always when I was being a little shit and tryna piss her off and I never got seriously hurt.” Except for this time my brain unhelpfully supplied.

They exchanged looks with each other. I couldn’t exactly pin what emotion it was though. No matter how many times I saw that look in front of me I could never decipher what it was.

*DING DONG*

*BANG BANG BANG*

I knew exactly who that was.

And I absolutely despised it.

Chapter Text

Imagine your life is protected by a wall. A wall that’s built and rebuilt so many times that you lose count. ‘Back to reality’ I thought with a laugh. 

That wall I had so carefully built in the short amount of time I was here, flaked away. As if Shigaraki had peeled it from the top down. Flaking away into dust. And the person who stood behind it was Bakugou Mitsuki.

“Hi, I’m looking for Katsuki. Do you have any idea where he could be? I was looking for him this morning and I couldn’t find him anywhere. I thought that since you were his teachers you might have some idea,” a sickly sweet voice protrudes from the short hallway separating the outside from the main apartment rooms.

“Ah, yes, he’s actually here right now. I’ll go get him. Give me a few minutes,” Aizawa-sensei responds.

“Hey, kid. Why don’t you grab your stuff? Don’t worry about changing out of those clothes, Hitoshi has the exact same shirt somewhere.”

Are you really just going to give up? That quickly? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.

“We’re not letting you stay there for long, okay? Mic and I are going to do our best to get you out of that house. You’re not the first kid to have been taken from their parents. You just can’t stay here until then. I promise you we’re going to do our best.”

And there goes my world. The moment I think I know what’s going on and what other people are thinking, either my mind twists it into something unimaginable or that person does the unimaginable.

I nod and get up to retrieve my phone from the guest room. I hope that this might become my new room. But what is hope going to do for me? No. Don’t think that way. Hope is strong. You will overcome this. But then why do I feel so stuck all the time?

I don’t know.

“Thank you for taking care of him. I hope he wasn’t a bother!”

Noises of disagreement follow that last sentence.

I follow blindly to the car that I know is parked right around the corner. It’s silent now, but I know that she’s going to blow the second we get in the car. The glint in her eyes tells me that.

The hag once told me that when she gets angry, it’s almost like she can’t control what she’s doing.

Scary, I know.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING GOING OUTSIDE AND GOING TO A STRANGER’S HOUSE. YOU COULD’VE GOTTEN HURT AND THEN I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE MEDICAL FEE. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I WAS SEARCHING FOR YOU? ONE HOUR.”

I hold back a scoff at that phrase. Some people have to look for their kids for days. Some people don’t have their kids run away from home. I’m learning how to not take the words she says to heart. But to analyze and pick and choose the words that actually are meant to help me and aren’t a part of an ulterior motive. 

I stay silent.

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

I was zoned out.

“HEY. YOU ANSWER ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU. YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT.”

“Okay.”

We’re home .

Great, now I have to deal with another dickwad.

As much as I want to just go up to my room and stay there for the rest of the week, I can’t because it’s time for me to be the hag’s “personal servant.” And then afterward, possibly in the next few days, she’ll cook a really yummy meal for dinner like that’s a good enough apology for her actions.

“Katsuki, your mother and I were so worried about you. YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED OUTSIDE THE HOUSE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. GIVE ME YOUR PHONE.”

No. I don’t want to do that. No. Please no.

I stare at the hand that’s in front of my face. I reach into my pocket and I make quick work to power it off before I hand it to him. No notifications for them to snoop over. Less ammunition. Less blackmail.

My dad stomps away while I head to my room already anticipating what’s coming.

“Your bathroom is filthy. Your room is so cluttered with useless things it’s no wonder you get terrible grades.”

Fuck you. Bitch.

In a swipe, everything on my table is thrown on the ground. She starts ransacking my room and taking things off of my bookshelf.

“LOOK AT WHAT YOU MADE ME DO. IF YOU WEREN’T SUCH A FUCK-UP I WOULDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS.”

Fuck you, anger management problems. 

I chant, ‘mentally ill patient’ in my head like a mantra over and over again to stop me from blowing up at her. Don’t speak and it won’t be as bad. 

“CLEAN IT UP. AND WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, VACCUM THE STAIRS AND THE LIVING ROOM.” With that, she’s finally done. 

I wait till she’s down the stairs and I can hear her go into her office and start “doing work” before I slide down against my bed and let a few tears leak out. I know I can’t cry for long because then my eyes would become red and the hag would definitely notice that I was crying and definitely call me out on it. I’m lucky she was able to hold back a little. 

I look at the pile of trinkets and stationery that I had collected over the years scattered all across the floor. With a sigh, I slowly creep downstairs to the basement to get a few cardboard boxes to collect the things that I don’t need and bring it back down to the dump of our basement.

Chapter Text

The next two days go past in a blur. Just a mix of waking up to the loud voices outside my door. Trying to master the careful balance of keeping my door open and my door closed because the she-devil would blow out her eyesocket if she saw my door was closed. 

“Hiding something, brat?” 

Ugh. Annoying. 

It’s been two days since the incident. I still feel like I’m treading on eggshells. I can’t wait till it’s tomorrow and I can go back to the dorms. I don’t know if I can keep my streak of staying emotionless if I stay here any longer than that. 

God, how did I survive fifteen years in this house?

*BANG*

Ah, the door.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR DOOR CLOSED HUH?”

“I’M PACKING YOU HAG.”

“HOW DARE YOU TALK BACK TO ME. COME HERE.”

She grabs my hair, fingers digging into my scalp through my hair surely leaving bruises. 

“HOLD YOUR HAND OUT.”

Just to piss her off, I hold it palm down.

*crack*

Wrong move. I underestimated.

“Don’t you dare use your quirk. If you do, I’ll tell U.A. that you were trying to attack me. From your track record, it wouldn’t be too hard to. Brat.”

*smack* *smack* *smack* *smack* *smack* 

One to the face, one to the ribs.

The world feels like it just floated away from me. I’m almost not in control of my body. Just, there. I register the loud sound waves hitting my eardrums. But I don’t hear them. Like Earlobe bitch’s quirk, my ears go static. 

Don’t feel.

Don’t talk.

It’s fine.

After all, if she dealt with it, why can’t I?

I wonder what she’s doing right now. I shouldn’t care. Should I? She was the one who left me with them. My older sister. She was born 5 years before me and so the moment she graduated and got into a school in Hokkaido, she left the family and hasn’t contacted my parents or me in almost 2 years. Fair, I wouldn’t want to be in this shitty family if I could.

In the corner of my eye, I see my dad walk up to the master bedroom avoiding the mess that’s the hag dragging me by my right arm, nails breaking through the skin, and causing a few red droplets of blood come out.

“Wash all the toilets. Then wash the dishes. You’re a boy, you should know how to wash the toilets. You don’t end up like your father, useless and a coward, right?”

I don’t answer. I don’t appreciate what she’s saying but it’s not like I can argue with her.

With a huff, she leaves. 

Ignoring the sharp pains around my already bruising wrist, I get to work. I’m just guessing along the way and basing it off of what I’ve seen the hag do in the past. I think I’m doing it right. I hope. I really do hope.

A few small tears drip out of my eyes. I hurriedly try and wipe them away but it’s just my luck, the hag was just walking past the bathroom to check on my progress.

“What are you crying for? You that weak? Such a fucking crybaby. Pathetic. Get back to work. God damn, you’re so lazy.”

Auntie Inko is so much nicer. I wish she was my mom. She wouldn’t want me though. I’m too much of a hassle.

Looking up harshly, I manage to hold the rest of my tears back. I continue to work until it’s almost two pm. I can hear my mom watching YouTube at the dining table. Good to know that she’s in a better mood. I then open up the cabinet in my bathroom that holds some first aid items that I keep just for these kinds of situations. 

I put some bandaids on the cuts after I washed them thoroughly. I didn’t dare do this earlier because then I might’ve been caught by the hag and then the materials would’ve been taken away. 

Assessing the damage to my left wrist, it’s not broken, that I know but the heavy bruising and swelling that’s already starting to occur tell me that it’s not just a small injury. There’s nothing I can really do since I don’t have any ‘special’ tools or something like that so I guess I’ll just wrap it tightly in the meantime. Damn, I really should’ve gotten an ice pack from the fridge while I was downstairs. Oh well. 

I finish packing the rest of the stuff I brought back into the duffel bag I took to the house. 

“Dinner time!” I hear her call from downstairs.

It smells pretty good, I guess. Seems like she’s ‘trying’ to make up for her actions with food. 

I head downstairs and I make sure to discreetly hide my left wrist under the tablecloth. A generally easy feat. I grab an ice pack from the fridge and swiftly make my way back upstairs. Skipping the steps I know creak and make the distinct pattern of someone walking up the stairs.

I head to bed early because I have to wake up early for school but sleeping is also one of the best ways to avoid the wrath of her.

I had found my phone on my desk when I got back upstairs from dinner. Seems like the old man had returned it finally. I turn on my phone and damn were those a lot of messages.

“Yo bro, you wanna join the call?”

“Hey, what’s the answer to question 10 on the 3rd math worksheet?”

“@explodoboom79 @explodoboom79 @explodoboom79 x158”

1927 unread messages.

“Mom asks if you wanna come to our house for dinner tonight” “Oh nvm, your mom said no” “Have a good night, Kacchan!”

I finally find the person I was anticipating a text from. Dare I say I was excited .

“Bakugou, we need some proof from you about Mitsuki. Do you have any photos of your injuries?”

Well, you’ve got a storm coming for you.

Using the large mirror in my closet, I’m able to take pictures of the cuts from the nails, the still swollen and bruised wrist, the bruise on my chest, and I tried to take some from the bruises on my head but I had too much hair.

I find a few pictures of the particularly “bad” ones that I had in the past and I select a few to send to Aizawa. I hope he’s not going to give up on me. I really have put almost all of my trust in him. That’s, alarming.

Chapter Text

“Bye! Have a good time at school. Make sure you pay attention in class. Remember, when you read books, make sure not to just “scan” the book.” 

I nod in response. “Bye. I’ll see you guys during summer vacation.” 

I get on the train to head back to UA. It’s relatively early so I don’t think I’ll run into Deku. Honestly, I’m not sure if I would be willing to meet him right now. I don’t feel like dealing with his endless chatter and nosiness but it would be a nice distraction. 

I don’t see anybody I know so I just sit in an open seat on the train. I put in my earbuds and drown myself into the world of music and wondrous melodies. 

I enjoy listening to all different types of music. It honestly depends on how I feel that day. Today I feel like giving the world absolute jack-shit. If anybody says that I’m wrong, fuck you.

Just as I’m walking up the steps to UA Alliance, my endeavor to my room undisturbed is crushed by a certain sharp-toothed redhead.

“Oi, Bakugou! Wait up!” loud slaps of shoes on pavement follow that shout.

“Whaddya want, Shitty Hair.”

“Hey! My hair isn’t that much different from yours! Anyways, how did your spring break go? Are you excited for our second year? I can’t wait to see what we’re gonna be doing this year.” Kirishima excitedly asks.

“I-uh spring break was fine. I hope we get to learn more about the basics about a hero like rescuing people and shit like that. We never really focus on that aspect and it sure didn’t go well at the license exam. Ever wonder why all of class B was able to pass?”

“Huh, I guess you’re right Bakubro,” Kirishima says with a grin.

“I told you not to fucking call me that!” I shout over my shoulder as I step into my dorm room. I’m only given a booming laugh in return.

Finally. I’m “home” or something that’s the closest to being my home. It’s somewhere I feel comfortable. Not one-hundred percent, but it’s better than that house. 

Maybe going for a walk would help me clear my mind. I swiftly gather a few things that I felt like bringing with me into a small backpack and head out. It’s early enough so I still shouldn’t bump into too many people. Although, it’s late enough that I might run into quite a few people. Ugh. I should get going.

“Hey, Kacchan! How was your spring break!” Deku chirps and changes his course when he spots me heading towards the woods.

“Fuck off, Shitty Deku. Break was fine,” I drawl to him. I’m not in a very people mood.

“That’s good! I was just training with All Might! I’ve been working on using black whip with one hand and airforce on the other. I wonder how float is gonna work along with all the other ones. I was thinking that I could probably combine black whip with Airforce and that might give me an even larger ranged attack….”

“You’re doing it again, Deku.”

“Oh shoot, haha,” Deku says as he rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “So, where are you headed off to?”

“I’m going to the forest to get some peace and quiet from all of you extras.”

“Oh! You really shouldn’t call everyone else and extra. It’s not very nice!”

“I say what I want.” That’s been a banter of ours for a while now. I’m surprised that he hasn’t gotten bored of it yet.

Satisfied, Deku stops and starts to head back to the dorms with a, “Well, I better get going. I haven’t eaten breakfast yet! See you later Kacchan!”

“BYE,” I yell back since he’s already halfway gone.

Finally some peace and quiet.

I finally reach my spot. It’s not much but last year I realized that just going into the forest helps me calm down. It’s filled with noises that you don’t really notice until you really think about it. It’s like a symphony mixed together to make harmony. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this routine. I take the cloth out of my bag and put it on the tree stump. I sit with my left side facing the sun. I take out my pen and sketchbook. 

It’s a simple view really but the more I draw it. The more I look at it. The more things I find. Since it’s spring, there are a lot of flowers just waiting to be etched onto the bleached wood chips. 

I can’t help but think about my actions in the past. Goddamn it. Why does my mind keep doing this to me? At the same time it’s not exactly my fault right- no. don’t you dare do that. Using others as a scapegoat? Weak. pathetic. I just don’t understand why I did it. Everyone told me that I was powerful. I was so strong because I had a strong quirk. But why couldn’t anybody have seen underneath all those lines? All those lies? 

If I could go back in time and say things to my past self, it would be that it wasn’t weak to ask for help. I know that now, but that’s after so much thinking. So much hardship. So much inner turmoil. The thoughts that nobody knows. 

Absentmindedly, I rub at the barely visible scar on my inner left wrist. Nobody knows it’s existence. They always asked me why I always wore that leather cuff. I wouldn’t take it off no matter what. I never told them the truth. 

I guess I was so afraid of Deku leaving me behind. I was afraid that his thoughts would become reality and everyone would figure out how weak and pathetic I really was. Why then? When I gave so many hints to people. Why wasn’t anybody able to see past them? Why was it that when it’s all over and I know how to handle things rationally that they can see. Where were they when I almost died ? Where were they when I was at the hands of myself?

I can’t draw anymore. Not when the pen is shaking in my hands and the nitroglycerin I produce could easily burn down this forest. I pull out the handkerchief that I had Power Loader make for me last year and wipe away some of the excess sweat on my body. I’m glad I have a better alternative to burning off the sweat now. 

In my mind, I rewind the thoughts I have over and over. But I never come to peace with them. I should start heading back to the dorms. I should eat breakfast and finish unpacking. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

Chapter Text

“That’s all for today, Bakugou, come see me before lunch. I’ve already told Ectoplasm to let you out of class early so don’t worry about it too much.” With that, Aizawa-sensei finishes his lecture for Homeroom. 

I slightly incline my head in a nod.

I spend the rest of my morning thinking about what could happen. It’s a good thing that we were only doing review for today and not learning that many new topics. I don’t think that I would’ve done well. 

What if it’s not about the hag? What if he just wants to expel me? What if me showing up unannounced in the middle of the goddamn night really did upset him? What if he lied about wanting to help me? Who would want to help me anyway. I’m just being weak after all. 

In what feels like a flash, Ectoplasm-sensei is calling me to go to the teacher’s lounge. Goddamn it, the fucking extras are looking at me. It’s fine, calm down, just keep your head down and get to your destination.

With a deep breath, I open the door to the teacher lounge. From what I can see, Aizawa-sensei is the only person in the room aside from me. He probably told the other teachers to stay out. I’m grateful, that means I don’t have to deal with the other teachers hovering or pretending “not to look.”

“What did you want to talk to me about?” I voice after the few seconds I was in the room.

“Our case against your mother. Although, would you prefer me calling you Katsuki in private instead of Bakugou?” Aizawa-sensei asks.

“Katsuki is fine,” I mutter looking away from him. I knew it. Well, what else could I be here for? Getting expelled. I shake the thought from my mind. Gotta stay civil.

“Now, we do have quite a bit of evidence with the pictures that you had sent me. I’ve talked to Detective Tsukauchi about this and he said that he was gonna help. We just need a few in-person and written statements from you. Then we just have to do some paperwork and we’re all set to file the case.”

Oh god that sounds like a lot of effort. He looks really tired, am I really that much of a burden?

Somewhere buried deep inside, a memory comes up from when I was a toddler.

“Don’t tell the police about this. You don’t want to be taken away and sent to somewhere else, right?”

Her towering figure looks down at me in the basement. Right in front of the room that she threatened to lock me in so many times. A stern expression on her face and the venomous words that I only now realize the gravity of flash behind my eyes. 

“Oh uh, it’s actually fine now. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. Honestly, all the arguments were all caused by me. I just keep provoking my mom and it’s kinda not fair for me to blame her for stuff like this. So you don’t have to be in this case anymore. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” Timidly, I try and start to back out of the teacher lounge. Everything I said was true, right?

“Bakugou, you called me in the middle of the night crying and touch-starved. Don’t you dare try downplaying this situation. I’m going to help you,” Aizawa-sensei scolds.

“But it was just me provoking her! I know that she has anger issues and-”

“And she shouldn’t hurt her own son just because she can’t control her emotions.”

I just don’t want to cause more problems than I already have. If I’m not with Mitsuki where would I go? In a foster home? I can’t keep going to UA if that happens. I wish I never did anything. This is why I don’t get daring and spill my big mouth to strangers.

“With all of the information you’ve already given us, we can’t just back out of this investigation now. I’m sorry, Bakugou, but it’s our duty to do so.”

I blanch. This is not how I expected this to go. He actually wants to help me? I don’t understand. Why hasn’t he given up on me by now? Like everyone else has. 

“ I’m not giving up on you. ”

It’s funny, how the first time a sentence is said to you with such emotion backing it has such a strong effect on you.

And again, I curl into myself and let the tears overflow from behind my eyes. With muffled whimpers of “why?” repeatedly chanted, Aizawa-sensei brought me into another hug; and that was all I ever wanted. 

Chapter Text

*clack* 

*clack*

*clack*

*creak*

“Is this class 1-A’s dorms?”

The cluster of heads in the common area snap to the woman that’s standing in the entrance of 1-A Heights Alliance. 

_~=+=~_

“You wanted to see me, sensei?” I question after tipping open the door.

“Yes, sit down Bakugou, we have a lot to discuss,” the man with the capture scarf relayed. Said man reaches into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulls out a rather large stack of papers.

“This is all of the paperwork that has to be completed before you’re free of her. Because you’re not eighteen yet, we can’t take you out of her care that easily. I already have the police force notified,” Aizawa states.

“Am I going to have to go to court?” I ask. It’s a pretty valid question. I don’t think I really want to, but at this point, I just want to get out.

Sensei shrugs, “Not if she and your father comply. Although, in this situation, whether or not we have to go to court is up in the air. There’s a reason why the forms for UA are 10 pages long and has a ton of fine print.” 

“What the fuck do the UA forms have to do with anything?” Is there something I’m missing here? 

Aizawa chuckles, “Because we put you guys through dangerous activities every day, UA has a part where if necessary, UA is able to gain temporary guardianship or find a suitable guardian for our students. There are limitations however, that’s why we still have to do all of this, but it does make the process shorter and easier.”

“Has this been done before?” I murmur, it seems like they know exactly what they’re doing.

“Ah, well, I didn’t have the best home life myself and out of the many years Yuuei has been open, I would assume that they would have to have to interfere with at least a few bad homelife situations,” he explains. It makes a lot of sense, I just feel like UA interferes a lot more than your usual high school. I guess it isn’t your usual high school though. 

We spend another 20 or so minutes just going over the paperwork. I’m now heading back to the dorms. From afar, I recognize the stature of the person who’s standing in front of the front doors to UA Heights. Why the fuck is she here? I turned in that assignment, right? I know that there were some technical difficulties but that shouldn’t have brought my grade down that much. 

As I walk nearer to the entrance, I hear her trying to convince Glasses and Shitty Hair to let her in. I swear to god this is the one time that I’ll be grateful for that stick-up Glasses’ asshole. 

“What are you doing here, Hag?” I question. 

“I’m here to take you home, Katsuki. We have things we need to discuss,” the Hag responds with a piercing glare at me. She grabs my wrist, the one that still isn’t fully healed yet, and drags me off-campus. I can feel the stares that the rest of the class is giving me. It’s not every day that I just let someone “drag” me off-campus. I know. But that’s just how it is in my household, haha funny joke. 

I get into the car across campus. I don’t even question how she got in here at this point. It doesn’t matter. I fucking can’t wait to get out of this shit hole. 

The moment she pulls up to the house I book it out of there. Up the flight of stairs and into the closed door. Don’t fucking follow me, Witch. 

“Get back here! We need to talk!” She screeches from outside the door. 

While my body is filled with ice-cold fear, I stand there and command, “Go away.”

She’ll go away eventually, right? 

“Open the fucking door! Show me some respect. You ungrateful brat !” the Hag screams from outside the door. As if I couldn’t hear you loud and clear.

“I’ll show you respect when you show me some respect! You guys act like children throwing tantrums ! I’m done ! Okay!? Just leave me alone !” I finish off with a yell. I fall to the middle of my room shaking. I can’t believe I just did that. I start to zone out and I miss the next few screams that fall through the door, thankfully. I have to stay strong.

Don’t open the door. “I know what you did!”

Don’t give in. It’ll be over soon. 

“Don’t fucking act like you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re destroying the family! After everything we’ve given you, this is how you repay us?” Stay strong. Please. 

Don’t do it. 

The banging starts. 

I can’t deal with hearing any more of this right now. I lift my hands up to my ears and let out a very tiny blast. Just enough to shock my ears into not hearing. 

Silence.

Perfection.

Chapter Text

Run run run. 

Where are you going?

 I turn to my left, there’s a tree. There’s a swing on it.

“I don’t like swings,” my subconscious supplies. It brings bad omens.

I have to get out. It’s dawn and they should be waking up soon.

Who’s waking up soon?

I keep running. 

Jump on top of the building, climb the fire exit. Get on top of the building, keep running.

There’s a rope that I can swing from and land safely on the ground. I take it. The wind rushes in my ears and ruffles my hair. When did I get black hair?

I land and meet up with Kirishima. He has black hair too. That’s odd. We walk towards a barn and a house. It looks like Mina, Kaminari, and Sero are there too. That sounds like fun. As I walk down the hill to reach the house at the side of the road, the ground beneath me gives out. What happened?

My eyes snap open in a startle. My heart is pounding out of my chest. It takes me a few minutes to calm down and realize where I am. I’m still on the floor of my bedroom. Right. I’m back “home.” 

It’s 5:46 am and I can’t fall back asleep; or rather, I don’t want to fall back asleep. I just know that the nightmares are just going to plague my sleep. And so I get up. Might as well take a shower when I feel like I’m burning up. Get rid of this excess sweat I’m producing. 

After I finish up my morning rendezvous, I end up losing track of time alternating between doing homework and scrolling through social media on my phone. My phone had been blown up with thousands of messages and calls, mainly from Shitty Hair, but I ignored them all in favor of doing other activities.

I hear the front door of the house open. It’s not hard to miss since it has a large ass wind chime on it but I’ve been tuning out other noise for a while now so it’s no surprise if I missed the doorbell. Huh, there's a voice that I don’t recognize. I open my door and take a peek outside. It’s Present Mic? What the fuck is he doing here?  

Sickly sweet voices filter through the air and to my ears, still slightly injured. 

“Katsuki, come here!” my mother’s voice slices from downstairs.

I hurriedly step down the stairs and to the front door. 

“Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Bakugou. I assure you that Yuuei is a very safe place for him to continue his studies. Katsuki is a very bright kid,” Present Mic tells my parents. Once I’m standing next to him, he asks me if I have anything I have to bring with me before I go. I think about it for a moment but I really don’t have anything left. I shake my head and he motions for me to follow him back to his car. 

That was a lot less dramatic than the last time I was out of the house. Figures. 

With a wave goodbye, I’m taken by the shoulder into Mic’s car.

Chapter Text

Days pass.

“Katsuki,”

I raise my head to the voice across the table. Aizawa took me out to eat for our break. 

“What,” I say after I finish swallowing my food.

“When are you going to tell the Midoryias?”

A bomb explodes in my brain.

“WHAT?!”

The people surrounding us turn their heads to our table.

I look around and then sit down. “What the fuck do you mean tell Deku?” I ask, quieter this time.

“I’m sorry for dropping this bomb on you so suddenly but I talked with principal Nezu and he told me that I can’t adopt you. It would be against UA’s code of conduct.”

“What about eye bags?”

“He wasn’t one of my students before Mic and I adopted him.”

Oh.

Okay.

But is it really okay? Did Inko ever know?

“How does that work?” I question.

“The Midoryias gaining custody over you? Just some paperwork and an inspection. Something I’m sure that will pass.”

“Okay.”

I mean, they’re nice people. At least I’ll have a home .

-----

“Of course. We would love to have Katsuki,” Inko affirmed with a soft smile on her face.

With a bow, Aizawa speaks his parting words, “That settles it. The court case should be in a few weeks. Katsuki and I have been talking to our lawyer and we’ll have this all sorted out. Thank you Ms. Midoryia.”

Waving goodbye, I can’t help but feel like I’m at the beginning of something new, a new chapter. 

But at the same time, I just feel so lost. 

I feel like everything is crashing down around me, and I can’t stop it. I want everything to stop. I just want everything to stop. And just listen.

But we can’t get what we want now, can we? Everything in life must go on. Regardless of what mishaps you have. Time does not simply stop moving when you want it to.

Chapter Text

The court house was an ordeal in itself. A lot of yelling.

“HOW DARE YOU”

“We should have given you up when we had the chance. You're a mistake.”

“I am your mother. ”

“Katsuki, this is just a misunderstanding, right?”

“ORDER”

------

It’s over. 

I feel like I can finally, 

breathe. 

-

“After everything we gave you, this is how you repay us?”

“I am a victim too! Look at your father, look at how he treats this family!”

“Your mother is crazy.”

-

“Kacchan! They have special edition All Might beds!” 

“I AM NOT GETTING AN ALL-MIGHT BED, SHITTY NERD!”

-

“This is your home now Katsuki.”

It’s

Nice.

“I helped mom decorate a bit for you! Do you like the special editions I added?”

“I am not sleeping with All Might facing my bed, Deku.”

“Izuku! I thought you had put that poster away!”

“Okay okay! I’ll put it away!!”

-

“You’re tearing apart this home!”

“That place was never my home . It was only there for shelter .”

-

“How do you like our home Katsuki?”

It’s really.

Nice.

And warm.

And 

It feels

Like

Home.