Chapter Text
Shouta left the two teenagers tied up in an empty room. There was no guarantee the cops would make it down this far any time soon and he had bigger problems them a couple brats on a power trip.
A clicking sound caught his attention. Crouching low he crept forward easily; a well-trained mind could overlook the pain.
A frail looking man, with skin seemingly hanging from his bones and a white over coat was fumbling with a set of keys at a door, humming some ridiculous kids tune.
Before his eyes it seemed as if an invisible switch flipped. The man straightened and gave his head a shake.
“That little brat! Im going to dissect that shit and the little purple haired freak too!” The man growled out.
There was no evidence in that statement that would say for sure he was talking about Katsuki, but Shouta knew his kid and knew what most adults thought about his brash, often aggressive nature.
“I don’t think that will be necessary.” He could have asked, he could have made the man tell him everything but he was on a time crunch and now he knew he was heading the the right direction. Also, with those keys he could check everywhere.
No more words were wasted, and Shouta did not pull any punches as he tackled and tied up the man he was sure would be responsible for at least some of these kid’s trauma. A few extra knees might have found their way in, not that any one could prove that.
With keys in hand he double timed it down the hall the man had just come.
*
Katsuki carefully sat Hitoshi down, the boy had passed out and his dead weight was a lot. Panting, he held his hands to his chest took a minute to breathe.
It might help if he knew where the fuck he was going but the best he could figure was up. So far, he hadn’t come across any stairs or elevators, but they had to find some eventually.
“Let’s go sir. We can take the tunnel out; this is a lost cause.”
Shit! He knew that voice. Katsuki grabbed Hitoshi under and arms, held back a sob, and pulled him back around the corner to an open door. It was a small closet that held a variety of cleaning items but it would have to do. As quick and as carefully as he could he tucked Hitoshi in the bottom.
He was about to squeeze in too when a sudden pain sliced through his right shoulder.
The world went fuzzy and it felt like ages to turn to look up at Over-rated and Asshole-sensei. He needed to blow them up, get them away, but lifting his hand took even longer than turning his head had.
Before it was even halfway raised a back hand sent him crashing backwards. The door was slammed shut as Kurono walked forward.
They hadn’t seen Hitoshi. That, at least, was good. The man lifted him by the front of his shirt to hold him aloft.
“How did you escape Katsuki?” The man demanded. Over-rated sneered.
“A question for later. You were right though Chronostasis, he will make some good insurance.” The young man growled out. “Hold out his hands, I will destroy them properly this time, don’t want any more surprises!”
The universe seemed to final throw him a bone so to speak.
A growl brought all eyes over towards the door. A dog stood there. One of the ones he had released from the other lab. It was missing it’s left eye, fur was missing in patches, and it looked to be mostly skin and bones.
“Nasty.” Over-rated sneered. But he didn’t have time to say anything more before the dog lunged forward and grabbed the man’s leg. It seemed to understand the danger though because it kept jumping away and attacking a different spot or his stupid teacher.
Katsuki was tossed to the ground so Kurono-sensei could defend himself from being bit.
He was still slow, the bastards quirk still working. He froze when he heard a growl right by his head. Slowly he looked up, terrified he was about to be torn apart.
The dog cocked its head then turned swiftly to straddle his body, a deep growl vibrating through its chest. Her chest actually.
Katsuki breathed a bit easier but now he had to worry about these assholes hurting the dog too.
Both men reached forward with their quirks ready to grab both him and the dog when everything froze. The men’s quirks fell away and they were left standing there for a long second before they finally understood their own predicament.
His footsteps were light, even in his heavy black boots and blood dripping down his leg.
Aizawa leapt over Katsuki’s form and threw himself into the two men, a knife gripped in his right hand. He wasn’t fucking around apparently.
He outmatched them and he was trying to end it quickly but he couldn’t stop everything. Anytime Kurono landed a punch Aizawa would have to blink and/or take his eyes off one of them.
A spike shot up through the ground narrowly missing Katsuki’s own face.
With a yelp he scrambled back. Looks like the quirk was wearing off. The dog followed him back as they pushed against the wall.
“Look out!” Katsuki screamed as Overhaul ran forward with his hand outreached. He was going to destroy Aizawa!
Without thinking he lifted his arms and let loose a large explosion. Pain screamed up his arms but he gritted his teeth.
The hall shook and everyone dove out of the way as the ceiling started to come down.
Katsuki closed his eyes and threw his arms up over the head. The dust and smoke choked him as he tried to breathe. The dog whimpered but didn’t move from his side.
Then he heard it.
“Katsuki … (cough) … Kats?! Where are you?”
In pain but determined, Katsuki slowly pulled himself up, the dog letting him use her as a crutch.
“Here … I’m here.” He breathed.
Suddenly he was wrapped in strong, familiar arms and he couldn’t stop the whimper that fell from his lips.
“I got you.” The man breathed as he was carefully lifted, as if he was the most precious thing in the world. Unfortunately, the collapse had blocked their original exit but at least the two assholes were trapped on the other side.
Darkness threatened him but his job was not done.
“W-wait … no, wait!” Katsuki wiggled to get down. The dog happily walked up to his side as his feet hit the ground. Katsuki gratefully rested a hand on the dog's head. “Come on. He is back here.”
Aizawa wanted to leave, he could see that, but they needed to get Hitoshi first.
It was a quick walk back to the closet. He reached for the handle but a warm hand over his own stopped him.
“I’ll get it kid. You stop using those hands, they are hurt.”
There was no fight left in him to argue so he just gave a nod.
Hitoshi was still passed out inside. Watching his dad lift the other boy into his arms was the best thing he had ever seen. He should have been jealous, but he couldn’t. Hitoshi deserved it.
The next half an hour went by in a blur. Aizawa navigated the ruined complex until they were finally outside.
“Mic! Mic, I got him! Get me an ambulance over here now!” Aizawa yelled over the sounds of the police sirens and yells.
Katsuki gripped the dog's neck as people started to swarm around. The dog gave a growl when one man came too close.
Mic appeared in the crowd and pushed others back to get to him. At risk of being bit, the Cockatoo still wrapped him in the hug. And even gave the dog and quick pat.
“Ohhhh! Oh Katsuki! I am so glad you are here. You’re safe!”
“Oi! Oi, ya big crybaby, let me go …. I … I’m fine. Go help Hitoshi, he is sick he needs a doctor.”
“Hitoshi?” The man looked up to see his husband gently lying the other boy on the ambulance gurney. “Looks like Shouta has him. Come on. You can ride in the same ambulance, ok?”
“What about her? Don’t leave her here!” Katsuki felt the panic rolling through his stomach as he hugged the dirty dog close. She just wagged her tail happily. It was Kaze all over again.
“I can help with that.” A calm voice came over the others. Katsuki looked up at the Jean-clad idiot from the heroics class. “I’ll take her to the vet that looks after my cats, the woman is a dear and can heal her right up.”
Katsuki glared at him, why would this asshole help him?
“Then what? She stays in damn cage?” Katsuki wiped a few tears that escaped. “Who knows how long she was locked in one of those already. T-they aren’t very nice you know. They’re cold.”
The implication that he knew from firsthand experience must not have been lost on them because the damn Cockatoo hugged him tighter. He allowed it and even let his heavy head rest on the mans shoulder.
“You have my word Katsuki that I will stay with her till she is healed, then I will bring her to my house until you are ready for her.”
He didn’t believe him, but he was nice enough and the dog seemed to like him. She was wiggling under the man’s hand as he petted her ear.
“Her name is Queenie.” Katsuki breathed as he was lifted into Mic’s arms and the warmth was too much to keep his eyes open.
“Mic.” He heard his Dad say. “We are ready to go, here I’ll take him.”
“Nope. You get your butt in that ambulance Shouta! Don’t think I don’t see that bloody rag around your leg.” The sternness melted away after that. “I’ll pass him to you.”
“ ‘toshi?” Katsuki couldn’t even bring himself to make a whole sentence.
“He is right here kiddo.” Aizawa whispered as he was moved onto his lap in the ambulance.
*
Katsuki woke to the scary sight of a sterile looking room. His hands were bandaged, sitting on his chest and a pole with a bag of clear liquid was off to his right. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize it was a hospital and not the nasty lab. The sight of his Allmight plush under his arm was the thing that let him even out his breathing.
Beside him Hitoshi was sleeping on another bed with his own bag of fluids and what looked to be a new stuffie under his arm. A purple cat. It was fitting.
Crawling from his bed he carefully pulled his IV pole over to be beside ‘Toshi’s before he crawled up into that bed.
He gave the other boy a smile as he snuggled in close.
*
The next time he woke up it was because Hitoshi had woke up and had gone stiff.
“Wha?” Katsuki rubbed his eyes. He followed Hitoshi’s stare over to the plastic chair where Aizawa was looking back at them.
“That’s Aizawa.” Katsuki supplied.
“Eraserhead.” Hitoshi breathed. Katsuki blinked and looked at the boy. The purple haired boy blushed hard. “He … he is my favorite hero. He used to patrol near my group home.” He admitted sheepishly.
“Didn’t know I had fans.” Aizawa smiled. “Would you guys like to move rooms now? The rest are waiting for you down the hall.”
Katsuki sat up straight. He forgot Dabi was there when he was taken.
“Are they ok!?”
“They are now, yes. Shoto is all healed, the same men had tried to take him. Dabi had the worst of it, but he should be allowed to go home tomorrow.”
Katsuki did not wait to hear anymore. He scrambled down from the bed and headed for the door. He paused only long enough to make sure the Hobo carried ‘toshi. The boy was still very weak from the ordeal.
With a nod when this was done, he took off down the hall.
Throwing open the door with a bang his eyes found Shoto first, Izuku was also there with his mother. A pile of cards between them. They were good. Katsuki gave a mental nod then his eyes switched to the other bed. The Chicken sat at the side with a goofy grin on his face, while Bacon-strip sat propped up in the bed, bandages wrapped around his torso and new burns on his arms and face.
“Hey short-stack!” The teen sounded out of breath. Katsuki didn’t much care, he cleared the room and was up over the edge of the bed before anyone could move. He threw his arms around the teens neck and started chanting his apologies.
It was his fault the other boy got hurt.
“Whoa! Whoa there Kats!” Dabi pulled him out to arms length. “You did nothing wrong. Those men came for you and that was on them.”
Although he didn’t quite believe that he nodded anyway. He glanced over to see Aizawa setting Hitoshi on the bed with Shoto and Izuku. Izuku almost vibrating out of his stupid pants at the chance to befriend the purple troll.
Everyone was there. Everyone was ok.
Looking down at his hands, still wrapped in bandages he let out a shaky breath. Good.
After listening to them all in the room and watching them Katsuki knew what he needed to do. And when the detective came to question him about the kidnappers he knew he had to take his chance.
*
Katsuki held his shaking, bandaged hands to his chest. The moisture was gathering in his eyes, but he stood tall as he repeated himself again.
“I wanna go home. Phone the hag.”
Shouta felt his heart clench. Of course, the boy wouldn’t want to stay with him after he had failed him so many times. He should have known, but for him to want to go back to his abusive parents over Shouta was hard to handle.
The detective kneeled down so he could talk to Katsuki eye to eye.
“Bakugou, your parents have lost all rights to be your guardians, you can’t go back there.” He cleared his throat and gave Shouta a small, sympathetic looked before continuing. “Now, if you don’t want to stay with Eraserhead and Mic anymore I can call your social worker and we can find you another foster home.”
The boys lip trembled a bit, but he pushed on stubbornly.
“Fine. Just … just do it then.”
“Bakugou … can I ask why you don’t want to stay with Eraserhead anymore?”
Shouta wasn’t sure his heart could handle hearing the reason, but for the kid's sake he kept his mouth shut and face stoic so as not to add to his sons already heightened emotional state.
Katsuki glanced at him then down to his hurt hands that he had pressed hard into his chest. Hard enough they were probably hurting.
“I do … want to stay … I do. But I can’t.” The tears at started to fall now. Shouta couldn’t take it anymore, he kneeled down too and tilted his head to look up into the six years down turned face.
“Why don’t you think you can stay? Me and Mic love you kid, you belong in our family.”
He was not expecting the loud sob that tore its way through Katsuki’s throat as he stumbled back away from him.
“Fuck you. Fuck you! Don’t say that!” He screamed wiping at his tears angrily. “You have to take Hitoshi! You have to keep Queenie! It was too crowded when the snowflakes were there, I know that! I know you don’t have the room but without me you can keep them. Keep them safe … please.”
A tense silence fell as the adults took in this sudden declaration.
Taking the silence as a bad sign the six-year-old fell to his knees and dropped his head onto his hands hard enough that both adults flinched at the thud.
“Please … please take them. It’s all I want. If you do love me you’ll keep them safe. They deserve a good home! ‘toshi needs a good dad like you and the cockatoo!”
Shouta felt his heart break for a second time, he shared a bewildered look with the detective before a muffled sob turned his gaze to the door where Mic stood crying. His hand clenching a still bandaged Dabi’s shoulder.
The long second passed and Shouta finally came to his senses.
He swooped in, pulling Katsuki into his chest and wrapped him in a tight hug, careful not to hurt the boy’s injuries anymore.
“Katsuki you are not going anywhere! You hear me?” He whispered harshly, trying to keep his own emotions in check. “We are going home. Then the first thing we are going to do is help Mic take the wall down between the two smaller bedrooms so you, Shoto and Hitoshi can fit a third bed in your room. Then you are going to help me take that damn hellhound of yours to the vet for a check up before we go buy her the biggest, fluffiest damn dog bed we can find. Alright?”
“I … I can stay too?” It did not sound like his little explosion boy, it sounded so small, and afraid that Shouta was just teasing, and he was going to resend the statement at any moment.
“You are not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. That is your home and you are my son!”
Red eyes peeked up at him, reading his face before the tears returned tenfold.
“Dad!” He sobbed as his tiny bandaged hand flew up and around his neck.
A second pair of arms wrapped around them. Shouta could feel Hizashi’s tears dampening his shirt.
After a long moment burnt hands entered his vision and Shouta carefully released Katsuki into Dabi’s hold.
“Come on squirt. Bed time. Let the adults sort out the sleeping arrangements ya?”
Katsuki yawned big and rested his head on Dabi’s shoulder.
“OK … Can I sleep with you tonight?”
“Sure. Looks like the other bed is pretty full anyway.”
Sure enough when Shouta peeked in a few minutes later there was a cuddle puddle on one bed with Mrs. Midoryia looking over Shoto, Izuku and Hitoshi. Then squeezed on the other bed was Dabi, with Katsuki tucked under his arm and Keigo’s red wings wrapped around both of them as they quietly snored away.
“You have some good boys here Mr. Aizawa.” Mrs. Midoryia said softly with a smile as she tucked the blanket back around Izuku. Hitoshi’s purple mop of hair was barely visible between the other two boys.
“I really do.”
*
Nine years later.
“Come on you fuckin’ zombie, I’m gonna be fuckin’ late!” Katsuki roared up the stairs.
Shouta wasn’t sure he had enough coffee in his system to deal with the level of energy that was floating around his house right then.
Hizashi stood beside him, their shoulders lightly bumping as he chuckled.
Shoto looked up from his cereal with a deadpan stare.
“Shouta and Hizashi are evaluating the entry exam. You can’t be late if they aren’t even there yet.”
Sound logic but it earned his bowl of cereal a small explosion that sloshed it over the sides onto the table.
“Shut it Icyhot! I want to beat the fuckin’ nerd there!” Red eyes flashed up that stairs again. “Mindfreak, I swear to the gods if you don’t get a fuckin’ move on!” His hands crackled in warning.
Shouta definitely needed more coffee.
“Calm your tits Kats,” Hitoshi mumbled as he stumbled down the steps with eye bags that rivaled Shouta’s and a bed head of purple hair.
“The fuck you just say to me you walking troll doll?” Katsuki roared.
“You know, we could be sleeping in right now.” Hitoshi helpfully pointed out as he stole Shouta’s cup and downed the thing before he could pull it away again. “You could have just taken the recommendation that our Dads gave us, like me and Shoto did. You don’t even need to take the exam!”
“Pfft!” Katsuki folded his arms across his muscled chest. Nine years, the brat had never missed a training day. “Yea, I could take the easy way but where’s the fun in that? I’m gonna show all the fucking extra’s that I belong there! And not just cause my dad’s the fuckin’ teacher!”
“He just wants to show off.” Shoto added.
This time the cereal full on exploded.
“Katsuki.” Shouta looked up from the bits of colored cereal flecked over his black jumper.
Brat didn’t even look sorry.
Fortunatly the front door burst open and took all focus away from the argument.
“Alright, we are here! I’m supposed to be driving some fetus’ to some test?” Dabi laughed as he sauntered into the kitchen, Keigo right behind. Casually he plucked a piece of red fruit loop from Shoto’s hair and flicked it away as he leaned over his brother in a somewhat hug.
“No, just one fetus.” Shoto calmly pointed out. “We were just saying he doesn’t need to do the exam he just wants to show off.”
“You know what Icy hot …!” Katsuki lunged over the counter to grab Shoto but fortunately Shouta was expecting just that.
Katsuki gave a yelp as the capture weapon pulled him back and plopped him hard into one of the kitchen chairs. Shouta narrowed his eyes slightly making Katsuki roll his. No words were needed.
“Go feed Queenie then you all can get going. We will meet you after the exam.”
Katsuki mumbled under his breath but did as he was told. The room quietly watched him as he went into the living room and plopped down beside the grey dog. She was old now. Couldn’t stand without a little help. But as Katsuki laid down beside her, her tail started to beat out a happy tune.
Some day they were going to have to talk to Katsuki about taking her to the vet, but it wasn’t this day.
Far gentler then when he dealt with his brothers, he helped the dog stand and then carefully measured her out a portion of wet food. While she ate, he stood behind her with his hands radiating heat over her sore hips.
Only after she was laying back down, he turned to see everyone watching him.
His face and tips of his ears blared red.
“The fuck you all staring at huh? Come on, we are going to be late.” With that he stomped out the door not bothering to wait for any of them.
“Such a softie.” Dabi quietly laughed before ruffling Shoto’s hair then attempting to do the same to Hitoshi but the kid was now caffeinated and quickly moved out of the way. Soon it was just the two of them standing in the kitchen.
“How’s the underground route treating you?” Shouta asked, knowing Dabi had worked a couple cases now. Dabi passed him his keys before replying.
“I found him.”
Took a minute for Shouta to understand what he meant.
“Oh. Need an extra body for the raid?” He would love to get his hands on Overhaul, once and for all. Even after nine years his hatred had not lessened.
“We are pretty good for numbers but … I did want to let you know that there are rumors that he has a little girl he is using to make the quirk erasing bullets.”
Electric blue eyes caught his own and right away he knew what he was being asked and what he was going to do.
“I’ll join you. And your brothers will make sure she never has anything to fear again.”
The young man gave him a wide grin.
“Good.” They walked out the door where everyone was piling into the two cars. Keigo and Katsuki were fighting over the front seat in Dabi’s own black sedan.
Katsuki, being the same height but heavier than the now number four hero of Japan, had no problem suplexing the man out of his way before laughing as he dived inside.
“Don’t let him bully you!” Dabi chuckled as he helped the ruffled young hero to his feet.
“I didn’t let him do shit! Have you wrestled with him lately!? Little shit is strong!”
Shouta gave a ghost of a smile as he looked over the scene. He wouldn’t change it for anything.
Now to get his feral child to the UA entrance exam, then on to finding his new kid.