Chapter Text
1 Week Later.
Bakugou let the door fall shut behind him as he exited his first therapy session with Hound Dog. He wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about the whole situation he’d ended up in, but he would admit to himself that it had gone better than he expected.
Last week, when he and Izuku had ended up at the police station for questioning, Bakugou had a panic attack while waiting for their parents to pick them up. It was his second one for the day, as it turns out his episode when Shinsou was taken from him was a panic attack as well. All it had taken was a single offhanded comment from one of the cops loitering in the waiting area, and he was suddenly back in the clutches of the Sludge Villain.
The off-white walls of the police station had faded away and left him fighting alone, lost in his own mind again like he had been at the beach. It had taken nearly ten minutes for someone to bring him out of it, and even afterward, it only brought him back to the present to freak out more. All the man had asked was if he and Izuku were the kids from the attack the day before and Bakugou was gone.
Tsukauchi, Bakugou had finally learned the detective’s name, had tried to move the two boys into an unused investigation room for some privacy, a monumental effort in and of itself. At the time, Bakugou didn’t understand what was going on and started fighting like a cornered animal when they were being ushered away, Midoriya himself bursting into tears and panicking in response. Detective Tsukauchi had the misfortune of dealing with them both until they calmed down, as he was the one who’d brought them in, and he immediately had a talk with each boy’s parents once they finally arrived.
After hearing a basic run down from their parents of what had happened with the two teens the day previous, Detective Tsukauchi made it his mission to get the two boys the help they needed. Anger had roiled in his gut once he found out how badly the Bakugou’s and Midoriya’s had been wronged. The confusing snippets of conversation from the children that he’d overheard at the beach suddenly made more sense as their parents tore into every officer present.
Katsuki hadn’t questioned the chaos his parents were causing at all in the moment. At the time, all he’d wanted to do was curl into a ball and sleep for as many days as possible, and from the way Izuku had closed off beside him, the shorter teen felt the same.
The rest of the evening had passed in a blur of apologies from officials Katsuki and Izuku couldn’t be bothered to care about, and phone calls to set up their appointments with Hound Dog. Bakugou didn’t pay much attention to the details of that though, not surprised to find out that the detective had connections with another pro hero after seeing how familiar he was with Present Mic and Eraserhead.
He’d only spoken up once, to ask what was happening with Shinsou while everyone was wasting their time with his and Midoriya’s already resolved issues. He’d received a lengthy lecture about properly dealing with trauma at that, and nearly tore his hair out in frustration. Even after the lecture, no one had actually answered his questions concerning the Raccoon boy. The only bright side was when Izuku lost it for a moment and Venom rampaged in the bullpen, loudly proclaiming all of the officers to be pussies and demanding that he be fed if they wanted him to retreat.
After things had finally calmed down and been sorted out, the Bakugou’s and Midoriya’s took their leave and Katsuki spent the days leading up to his appointment training and ignoring the nagging sense of dread he felt.
Now that his first session was over and done with, he thought that maybe this set up wouldn’t be so bad and he internally berated himself when he realized he had been worried for no reason.
For starters – he was at UA. He was on the campus of his dream school! It felt like he was getting a behind the scenes look at what his future would be after Aldera. It sucked that the reason he was here was for therapy, but he might as well take it for what it was worth. Hound Dog had spent much of their allotted hour assuring him that it wasn’t weak to talk to a therapist about what he’d been through. Bakugou was skeptical, but he did feel slightly better by the end of it. It helped that Hound Dog mentioned there were many heroes that went to therapists – it was part of the job. Heroes sometimes saw the worst of the world, and therapy was a tool they used to help overcome those moments that might otherwise stop them from doing their best in the field. It was just another step Bakugou needed to take towards being number one.
Keeping that in mind, Bakugou pushed himself off the door and began walking down the empty halls to pass the time before Izuku’s meeting was finished. Midoriya had done his session with Hound Dog yesterday, and in that time he’d somehow managed to get himself on the radar of the school principal, who he was back to see today. Midoriya had told him he’d been cornered by the principal when Venom was hovering over his shoulder and firing off directions when they were both completely lost. Instead of getting upset, the principal had invited him to tea and chess and asked him to return today. How that green-haired nerd was able to get himself into these kinds of situations, Bakugou didn’t know.
Actually, now that he was the one wandering the halls, maybe he did know. This place was designed like a maze, and with every turn he took, Bakugou got more and more annoyed. He was the one lost now, much to his own chagrin. Before Bakugou’s anger could get the best of him, he’d turned on his heel and started making his way back to where he thought he’d come from, figuring that backtracking would work in his favor.
After what he was sure was at least half an hour of him wandering around aimlessly, and thoroughly lost, Bakugou was starting to get bored and worried. At this rate, he’d have to wait and hope someone would find him like the principal had found Izuku. Once someone did, he’s certain he could explain himself easily enough. But that would mean he needed to not be alone.
Staring ahead of him and seeing no one, Bakugou loudly let loose a stream of curses.
“That’s quite the vocabulary you’ve got there, little listener!” Bakugou spun around at the sound of someone else’s voice, his hands coming up defensively. Despite the familiarity of the tone, Bakugou was still surprised to see Present Mic smiling at him, his glasses pulled down so that he was peering over the tops of them. Next to him were two other familiar faces – one of them was the dark-haired hero, Eraserhead, and the final one was none other than Raccoon boy. Bakugou ignored the two adults in favor of zeroing in on the teen between them.
“Hey! It’s you!” Bakugou shouted as he stepped towards the trio, with his finger pointing directly into Shinsou’s chest. Shinsou merely nodded, looking somewhat wary, but Bakugou wasn’t deterred. He was a bit excited as his eyes quickly swept over the purple boy’s form, and he let himself relax slightly when he took in how much better the boy looked. He still had dark circles underneath his eyes, and he was practically a stick, but he was no longer sickly pale, and his eyes were alert. Bakugou would consider that a win for now. Glancing away to the heroes on either side, Bakugou crossed his arms, suddenly self-conscious about his predicament.
“Mind telling us what exactly you’re doing here?” Eraserhead’s gruff voice spoke up. Bakugou shuffled his feet a bit, hating that he had to admit that he’d been careless enough to get lost. Breathing out a sigh, he opened his mouth to explain and was immediately cut off by a light laugh coming from behind him. Katsuki turned around and there, walking up the hallway, was Izuku and what looked like an oversized rat creature in a suit. Turning his attention from whatever conversation they’d been having; the rat man beamed and strode forward.
“Ahh, hello Bakugou, Midoriya has told me a lot about you!” Bakugou’s eyes shot up to peer at Izuku, who was doing his best to look innocent and failing. “I’m principal Nedzu.” Bakugou reached out mechanically to shake the paw extended to him, trying to hide his panic and awe at meeting the principal of his dream school. He said nothing but nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets when the introduction was over.
He continued to stand silently as the principal began to speak to Shinsou, who looked like a deer caught in headlights at the attention he was receiving. It didn’t take long for Midoriya to bound forward and make the boy even more nervous, asking the purple-haired teen how he was doing, as Venom popped out to watch the interaction and playfully snap at Bakugou. Bakugou rolled his eyes but didn’t retaliate, determined to keep up a good impression in front of Nedzu.
“Well, as nice as it is to see such fresh, young faces, I must be taking my leave now! Midoriya, you should know your way out from here. If you need more direction, I’m sure Aizawa or Yamada would be willing to help!” Nedzu spoke soon after. He gave one final wave before he strode away from them, turning back and calling out to Izuku at the last second. “Oh, and Midoriya? Can I count on seeing you at this same time, next week?” Midoriya nodded vigorously and Bakugou saw the color drain from Eraserhead’s face.
“Yes sir!” Midoriya answered with intensity.
Before Bakugou could open his mouth to ask Midoriya what that was all about, the green-haired teen gave a startled squeak. It was as if Bakugou had blinked and all of a sudden Nedzu was wound up in Eraserhead’s capture weapon. The suited animal seemed undisturbed and laughed as he tugged on a random loop, the wrappings falling away effortlessly.
“Explain.” The dark-haired hero demanded with a growl, seemingly unbothered by how easily the rat creature had slipped from his bindings.
“Ahh, Aizawa. I would have liked to keep it a secret for a little longer, but my excitement seems to have gotten the best of me! I am taking Midoriya on as my personal student for the time being. I can tell you more later, but for now I have a meeting with – oh here he is now!” Bakugou pushed aside his thoughts on the bombshell Nedzu just dropped; watching as the principal turned on his heel and greeted a towering, skinny blonde that looked as if a stiff wind would knock him over. Katsuki turned to Midoriya, fully prepared to make a withering comment, if you will, when he noticed the look of panic and discomfort on Midoriya’s face.
Looking back over at the tall stranger, he stared hard. There was a familiarity that took a second for him to understand, but once he did it made everything in his brain click into place and he launched himself at the newcomer with a sudden hostility. Rage made his vision dim as he cursed himself for being so slow on the uptake, focusing all of his senses on the asshole of a hero in front of him. Before he could reach the shocked man, capture fabric wound itself around him and locked him in place. The newcomer stood, eyes wide as he coughed into his hand, blood splatters coating the thin white handkerchief he held up.
Bakugou didn’t care. His mind was racing – remembering how Midoriya said All Might had deflated on the rooftop. Remembering how Izuku had described the shrunken form of his once hero, and how the man had tried to use that as further proof for why Izuku couldn’t be one himself. He remembered the details that seemed to match up with the skinny man in front of him, confirmed by the fear and anxiety he’d seen in Midoriya’s face when he came into sight, and he saw red.
“You!” He screamed, tugging at the bonds restricting him as his palms crackled. The gaunt man chuckled nervously as he stepped back.
“Hello, young man. You look as if you recognize me, but I assure you, we’ve never met.” Bakugou snarled as he finally loosened the capture scarf from around him, springing free and skidding to a stop directly in front of the skeletal man.
“Cut the shit, Small Might! What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?!” Bakugou was jabbing his finger into the giant’s chest as a scent reminiscent of burnt caramel filled the hall, small pops letting loose in a constant stream. He slapped away the large hand that had come forward placatingly, narrowing his eyes and taking a step forward even as the man stepped back. Good impressions be damned. “I told you to stay away from me and my brother!” At his words, Midoriya rushed forward nervously.
“Kacchan! It-it’s okay! Let’s just go.” Midoriya was tugging nervously on his sleeve, his eyes darting around to their audience as he tried to pull the enraged blonde back. His words caught the attention of the man being threatened, and All Might turned his attention onto Izuku, his eyes softening in surprise.
“Young Midoriya. I…” Midoriya stared with wide eyes as he backed away and shook his head, not daring himself to speak but wanting the man to know he wasn’t interested in listening to him. Bakugou had stepped back with him, stubbornly staying in front of Midoriya like a shield. “I see.” All Might said softly, letting his words drop into a tense silence as he, for once, took the hint.
Bakugou glanced at Midoriya’s face and knew he was having a different conversation altogether. Judging from the intense look of concentration and sweat starting to drip from Midoriya’s brow (and the fact that Venom was nowhere in sight), he assumed the alien wanted to make his presence known and Midoriya was trying to hold him back.
“Don’t even think about it, Venom.” Bakugou growled. “This isn’t the time or the place.” He continued to glare at Midoriya until his shoulders slumped and he sighed, nodding his thanks in Bakugou’s direction. Katsuki was sure that, if Venom really wanted to come out and attack his target, he would have, but took the small win for what it was worth.
Katsuki then let his eyes dart around and he took in the looks on the faces of the other people with them. Apart from Nedzu, who held a calculating gaze, the trio that Bakugou had first run into were looking at them with confusion and (in Eraserhead’s case) suspicion. Though his distrust wasn’t directed at either kid standing in front of him. Surprisingly, it was Shinsou who spoke up first.
“You guys are brothers.” It was phrased like a statement, but Shinsou’s head was cocked to the side as if he were asking a question. Bakugou glanced at Midoriya before staring back at Shinsou and shrugging. He wasn’t sure how to go about clarifying things with the awkward tension still permeating the air, but Shinsou seemed to understand that and gave him a curt nod.
“Does anyone want to explain what’s happening right now?” Aizawa, as principal Nedzu had called him, asked. Bakugou and Midoriya had started backing up from the number one hero, stopping only when they ended up right in front of the man who had asked the question. Aizawa noticed this and reached out to pull them closer, his eyes now boring daggers into the blonde giant who stood frozen a short distance away.
As much as Bakugou wanted to shrug the man’s hand off his shoulder, it did help ground him in this moment and he steeled himself to answer Eraserhead’s question, not thinking twice about why he was so quick to trust the dark-haired hero.
“That asshole,” he started, gesturing to the skeletal man with a sneer, “is All Might, and he hurt ‘Zuku.” Bakugou felt like an idiot, tattling on the hero like a whiny child, but at the same time he felt a vindictive sort of glee. Aizawa merely blinked at him before looking at Nedzu, whose features were unreadable.
“Now, now young Bakugou. It was never my intention to hurt young Midoriya. I was merely–” Bakugou took a single step forward as the hand on his shoulder tightened.
“Fuck you! You told ‘Zuku he couldn’t be a hero! You knew how much it meant to him. I don’t give a shit what your intentions were!” Aizawa pulled him back and towards Midoriya, who Bakugou finally noticed was shaking a bit.
“Wow. What a dick.” Bakugou snapped his head to the side, looking to see Shinsou staring at Small Might with a displeased expression. When the purple-haired boy looked away, he realized that everyone’s eyes were now on him and ducked his head, blushing furiously.
“Toshinori, is this true?” That was principal Nedzu’s voice cutting through the hall. The towering blonde turned to him with a sheepish look before glancing back at Midoriya.
“I was merely stating a fact. He asked me if he could be a hero even though he’s quirkless. I told him he could not. He would only be putting himself and others in harm’s way without a quirk to protect him.” The silence that followed was stifling. Compared to the confusion in Shinsou, Eraserhead, and Present Mic’s eyes, there was a cold fury in Nedzu’s that Bakugou was sure chilled the whole campus.
“I see.” Nedzu said in a clipped tone. “Toshinori, we will be continuing this conversation in my office. Midoriya, Bakugou, if you two could please wait with Yamada and Aizawa. I’m sure Shinsou would appreciate the company of people his age. I’ll meet you all in the teacher’s lounge once I get to the bottom of this.” With that, Nedzu clasped his paws together and briskly left the hall, Toshinori following close behind with his shoulders hunched. After a few beats of silence, Present Mic shook himself out of his stupor and clapped his hands, speaking for the first time since he’d first greeted Bakugou.
“Well, little listeners! Let’s get you all up to the teacher’s lounge. I’m sure we could all do with a nice, refreshing drink while we wait!” The voice hero, Yamada, shot a sharp look at Aizawa as they all quietly made their way to the teacher’s lounge. Bakugou watched Aizawa shake his head minutely before he shifted his focus to Midoriya, who was hunched in on himself and staring at his feet with teary eyes.
Katsuki knew that ‘Zuku was lost in his head right now, and as much as he wanted to pull his friend from his spiral, he knew that Midoriya needed a moment to himself.
Izuku.
Midoriya shook his head as he collapsed into the small sofa of the break room, sniffling quietly. He didn’t want to listen to whatever Venom was going to say, he just wanted to forget this whole day.
Things had been going fine, amazing even. He had his meeting with Nedzu, who revealed that he knew Venom was an alien and not a quirk, and reassured Midoriya that he was simply interested in knowing how he came to tame the creature. At that, Venom had burst out, indignantly claiming that he hadn’t been tamed; he’d chosen Midoriya.
It made Midoriya feel warm inside when he’d heard those words, knowing that he was suddenly wanted by someone outside of his family, and he’d opened his mouth to explain everything that had led up to the bond between him and Venom. Their game of chess became nothing more than a distraction as he delved deeper into everything that had happened in the week previous, and Midoriya quickly lost, though he wasn’t too surprised. Holding out against Nedzu for as long as he had seemed like a feat in and of itself and the principal reassured him as much.
He’d strategically left out as much as he could about All Might as he talked, going no further than to mention that he was saved twice by the hero. If Nedzu thought it was strange, he didn’t show it, and he backed off enough to change topics and ask Midoriya about his goals for the future.
At their first meeting, the two actually hadn’t discussed much. It was more a ‘getting to know you’ arrangement that piqued Nedzu’s curiosity enough to invite him back. The teen now sat wondering if this would be the point where Nedzu would laugh at him and dismiss him entirely.
Pressing on anyway, Midoriya hesitantly explained that he wanted to be a hero. He told the principal that he had been studying analysis before Venom had come along, planning to go the underground route since he was quirkless. But now that Venom had agreed to help him, he was going to try harder so that he could succeed. He wasn’t sure yet if he still wanted to go underground or not though.
When Nedzu had asked if Midoriya had a copy of any of his analysis on hand, he’d carefully pulled out his most recent notebook and slid it across the principal’s desk. There was a tense bout of silence as Nedzu read, and Midoriya felt dread begin to pool in his stomach. Thoughts were racing through his head and Midoriya was starting to feel self-conscious as the minutes ticked by.
Suddenly, the chimera threw his head back and positively cackled before proclaiming loudly that Izuku would be his personal student from that moment on. Midoriya had sat there, stunned, for a full minute before he reacted. Tears had poured from his eyes, and he couldn’t thank Nedzu enough. After he had calmed down, Nedzu gave him a list of obscure heroes to research until their next meeting. Nedzu said he would like to see how much information he could gather on his own before offering up more resources to the teen.
Midoriya had left the office feeling lighter than he had in a long time, with a fun task ahead of him on top of that, and when he’d seen Bakugou talking with Shinsou he was even happier. He knew how worried Bakugou had been about the boy, even if he wouldn’t admit it. He had been worried about Shinsou too, yet there he was, safe and looking loads better than when they had first met.
And then, everything took a turn for the worst. All Might, in his small form, had rounded the corner and Izuku couldn’t breathe. Hurtful words he’d tried to bury echoed in his head and all of the work and training he’d been looking forward to doing suddenly seemed impossible. What good was trying when he’d already received his answer? What would happen if everyone here found out what All Might had said? Would they agree, would they hate him like everyone who came before? Who was he to try to prove the number one hero wrong?
He stood, stock still, and hoped he’d go unnoticed. It might have worked too, if Bakugou hadn’t glanced at him for a mere second and pieced everything together. Sometimes Izuku wished he wasn’t such an open book to his friend. More than anything, he wished he didn’t go into such detail when he explained things all the time. It’s his own fault Bakugou recognized the hero in the first place.
Now, he was sitting in the teacher’s lounge and wallowing quietly, while Bakugou fumed. The cup of hot chocolate in his hands cooling slowly. No one was saying anything and Midoriya could only shrink down on himself more and pretend he didn’t exist.
“Hey.” Shinsou suddenly whispered, his eyes still downcast but his head turned to face him. Midoriya looked up and made a noise of acknowledgement, fiddling with his shirt as he waited for Shinsou to speak.
“What that guy said, about how you can’t be a hero, it’s not true.” Midoriya’s breath caught in his throat as he froze, the words washing over him while he struggled to process. “I just – I know what it’s like, to want to be something other than what everyone already assumes you to be.” Shinsou’s eyes hardened for a moment before he subtly shook his head. “You’ve already proved him wrong anyway. I mean, you saved me that day on the beach. You both did.” Shinsou glanced over to Bakugou, who was observing quietly, before looking back down in his lap. “So just… yeah. You’re both already heroes to me. And, um. Thanks.”
Midoriya gave Shinsou a watery smile and wiped the last of his tears away, the words of the purple-haired kid alleviating some of the weight on his chest and warming him more than the drink in his hands. Before he could do anything more, Bakugou’s gruff voice cut in, the blonde deciding he’d been quiet for long enough.
“Did we save you?” Midoriya watched as piercing red eyes bore into indigo, and Shinsou made a confused hum. Bakugou nodded his head over to where the two heroes had been chatting quietly as they poured coffee, not letting his eyes stray from their mark. “Are they keeping their promise to take care of you? Are you safe now?”
Midoriya watched as Shinsou looked up at the two pros and then nodded his head slowly, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yeah. For once, I think I am.” They fell into a comfortable silence then, each stuck in their own heads as they waited for whatever would happen next.
They ended up waiting only a few minutes before Present Mic sidled closer to sit in front of them and threw his hands up.
“To hell with this!” The voice hero leaned forward conspiratorially before being tugged back by Eraserhead’s capture weapon. Aizawa gave a stern look to the blonde adult and reeled the man back in.
“Hizashi. No.” Hizashi brushed him off with a wave of his hands and let his eyes flit back and forth from Midoriya to Bakugou.
“So… You two are brothers? I’m guessing not related by blood, as you look nothing alike. Were you two adopted? Maybe just one of you?” Hizashi was waggling his eyebrows like he’d just discovered the hottest gossip as he waited for an answer. After receiving nothing but stares from all three boys, he pressed on undeterred.
“You know, Shinsou could use some friends in his corner who know what it’s like to live in the system. Even if you weren’t in it that long. You’ve already seemed to hit it off from the first time you met…” The hero let the implication hang in the air as he watched the two boys, ignoring Shinsou’s whine of embarrassment. Bakugou sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.
“We’re not related, you freaking cockatoo. Izuku and I are best friends. I just said that because we’ve grown up together and we see each other every day; he might as well be related to me.” Izuku swiveled his head over at those words.
“Well, maybe it’s more that you’re related to me. I mean, you’ve picked up more of my tendencies than I have yours.” Bakugou squinted his eyes at him as he scoffed.
“Don’t be so sure of that, nerd. Just because you aren’t super obvious about it doesn’t mean you aren’t a little shit too.” He huffed, annoyed. Izuku tugged on the thread unraveling Bakugou’s patience, enjoying his irritation a little too much.
“Whatever you say Kacchan. Last time I checked though – you were the one picking apart that battle with Kamui Woods and Mount Lady. And I have yet to blow up a single classroom.” Bakugou reached over and smacked Midoriya in the head.
“Shut up, jack ass! I do other things besides just exploding shit!” Midoriya laughed dismissively and then squealed when Bakugou lunged at him, nearly spilling hot chocolate all over himself and Shinsou. Before Bakugou could reach him, Aizawa had him wrapped in his capture weapon, his eyes glowing red.
“Knock it off, you two.” They both froze as Present Mic chuckled lightly from the side.
“I see what you mean though, you totally could have fooled me.” His face shifted into something more somber as he looked at both boys closely. “About what happened earlier though, with All Might.” Midoriya and Bakugou both looked away as Aizawa not-so-subtly kicked Hizashi’s shin, letting his capture scarf fall from the latter teen. Hizashi pushed on, resting his hand on Aizawa’s shoulder as his voice softened.
“What he said to you was wrong. He was wrong. A quirk is just a tool, and it doesn’t make someone a good hero. Their actions do. And as far as Sho and I are concerned, All Might has failed to be a good hero for either of you.” Bakugou snorted and zeroed in on the two adults.
“You’ve got that right. Never meet your heroes, or whatever they say.” It was quiet again, no one quite knowing what to say, until Shinsou cleared his throat and announced he had a question.
“Go ahead, Hitoshi.” Present Mic encouraged. Midoriya watched as Shinsou opened his mouth and then closed it – a frustrated sigh escaping through his nose as he closed his eyes into a pinched expression.
“All Might. He was different – like a shell of himself.” Shinsou settled on.
“Small Might.” Bakugou snorted out with a smirk. He didn’t say anything else as he waited for Shinsou to continue, but seeing the teen fidget, Midoriya realized that was probably all they were going to get.
“Um. He said it was a secret, but I don’t think it really matters if you know or not; you already saw him in his skinny form.” Midoriya blinked and cleared his throat as everyone’s eyes shifted over to him.
“All Might said he was injured during a fight with a villain. A fight that he’s done everything in his power to keep hidden from the public. He was able to stop the villain, but he almost died from his injuries. Because of that, he can only do hero work for a few hours every day before his energy is used up and he reverts to his small form. That’s all the information he gave me.” No one said anything as they took in the words. The two pro heroes felt a chill go down their spine at finding out there had been a villain powerful enough to nearly take down the number one hero, while the younger boys all reflected on the idea that All Might wasn’t as untouchable as they thought he was.
“When did you have the chance to talk with All Might about this? It doesn’t seem logical to have this sort of conversation with just any fan in passing.” Midoriya chuckled nervously as he looked away from Aizawa’s piercing eyes, the man’s head cocked to the side as he waited for an answer.
“Oh. Well, you see.” Midoriya fidgeted on the spot before sighing. “All Might saved me from the sludge villain the first time it attacked.” At the heroes’ confused faces, Midoriya continued. “I was attacked a little while before the sludge villain attacked Kacchan, and All Might showed up out of nowhere right before I d–” Midoriya stopped for a second before he shook his head as he pressed on. “He took care of the villain and afterwards, I wanted to ask him if I could be a hero, even without a quirk, but he was in such a rush that he tried to leave before I could ask. So… I sort of grabbed onto him as he went to jump away. When we landed again, he went into his skinny form and explained it to me because I was freaking out.” Bakugou let out a heavy sigh, having already heard this story the week before.
“You…you grabbed onto him.” Midoriya nodded at Hizashi, who was staring at him with wide eyes. “When he jumped away – jumped, as in launched himself into the sky.” Midoriya nodded again and Shinsou whispered a heartfelt ‘dude’.
“While that recklessness does need to be addressed, I’d like to know how Bakugou was able to be attacked by this same villain shortly after you, Midoriya. If All Might saved you beforehand, how did the second incident even happen?” Aizawa sat back expectantly, awaiting an answer Midoriya was dreading to give him. It was Bakugou who finally spoke up, self-consciously shifting in his seat as he grumbled out a response.
“I kicked a soda bottle.” It was quiet as everyone, apart from Midoriya, stared blankly at Bakugou.
“You kicked a soda bottle.” Aizawa repeated, voice filled with confusion and dissatisfaction. Bakugou bristled as he sat up defensively.
“Yeah. I kicked a damn soda bottle, and that sludge villain was in it, and it broke out. And I already know I fucked up, so whatever you’re gonna say, keep it to yourself.” Aizawa sighed heavily as his hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose, Hizashi sitting beside him and making a sound somewhere between a wheezing laugh and a wail.
“Do you mean to tell me,” Eraserhead started, dropping his head into his hands, “that All Might – Japan’s number one hero – subdued a villain, and then tried to restrain said villain within a piece of trash?” Bakugou paused, letting his guard drop back down now that he knew he wasn’t about to be chewed out, before he shrugged his shoulders. Midoriya leaned forward and waved his hands in front of him, his ears burning with shame.
“It was my fault, Eraserhead sir.” Aizawa let his head swivel back to the green-haired boy, his eyebrows raised incredulously. “All Might had the bottle in his pocket before he went to jump away. When I latched onto him, I must’ve knocked the bottle loose and it fell.” White-hot shame coursed through Midoriya as he bowed his head, his eyes already blurring with tears. “I’m the reason Kacchan even got attacked in the first place.”
Before Midoriya could let his thoughts spiral, Bakugou sprawled across the sofa to reach Izuku, his way impeded by the body of Shinsou, who was trying desperately to not get crushed.
“I already told you, you damn nerd! It’s my fault for kicking that stupid bottle! Stop trying to make this all about you, that’s why you almost died a second time!” Bakugou punctuated his words with several punches to Midoriya’s thigh as Shinsou tried to hold the blonde back.
“Both of you stop.” It was Present Mic, voice pitched low in a surprising show of seriousness, who’d spoken. “Neither one of you are to blame for this. This falls on All Might. He didn’t follow proper procedure on restraining a villain, and because of that, people were hurt.” Midoriya felt uncomfortable at Present Mic’s words, part of him wanting to agree with the voice hero, while the other part of him wanted to continue explaining how this was all his fault.
He’s right. It’s All Might’s fault. We should find him and eat him.
Midoriya startled and lifted one hand to grab at his head.
“Venom, we talked about this!” He hissed in a whisper. A small squeak escaped him when he felt the mental impression of the shrug that Venom answered him with.
I want that drink. Venom stated in response, completely ignoring Midoriya’s words in favor of bringing the green-haired teen’s attention back to his forgotten hot chocolate.
Midoriya acquiesced, feeling his body vibrate at Venom’s satisfaction with the hot chocolate, before he looked up and saw four pairs of eyes fixed on him.
“What’d the parasite say?” Bakugou asked finally, his eyes curious even as he raised an eyebrow.
“Parasite?!” Venom screeched as he burst from Midoriya’s middle back. Bakugou glared harder, refusing to back down as he leaned forward and swatted at the creature, though Midoriya could tell from his eyes alone that he’d been startled.
“Calm down, Freak Face! I was just teasing.” Bakugou snatched his hand back when Venom snapped his teeth at him, looking offended and irate. “You know what? Fuck you!” Bakugou rose to his feet and Midoriya mimicked him, if only to back away from the impending fight.
“I’m not a parasite!” Venom roared, bobbing above Midoriya’s shoulder as he widened his mouth to show his rows of sharp teeth. Bakugou scoffed and crossed his arms, stepping around Shinsou’s legs to get closer, too prideful to back down.
“Could’ve fooled me, jackass!” Midoriya placed his cup on a nearby table and then lifted his hands placatingly in front of him.
“Can you guys stop? I really don’t want to do this right now.” It had been a tiring week of breaking up the petty squabbles between Bakugou and Venom. For some reason, the two seemed to be doing everything in their power to get on the other’s nerves. Midoriya couldn’t understand it, especially when he could feel Venom’s approval of the hot head. It was like they were both just looking for excuses to fight each other. Thinking about it now though, that did make sense if he thought about both of their personalities.
After a tense moment, Venom backed off, grumbling into Midoriya’s side as he slipped from view once again. Sighing in relief, Midoriya grabbed his mug again and raised it to his lips to help calm Venom. It seemed the word choice on Bakugou’s part had deeply offended the alien and Venom enjoyed the drink quite a bit the first time. Midoriya just hoped it would be enough.
“He doesn’t like that word, Kacchan.” Midoriya reprimanded after he’d swallowed and was sure Venom wouldn’t pop out in a rage again. “It really bothers him.” Bakugou stared long and hard before plopping down into Midoriya’s vacated spot, adjusting himself afterwards when he realized he was nearly on top of Shinsou.
“I won’t call him that again or whatever.” Bakugou finally relented, a vein throbbing in his temple. Midoriya knew that was as close to an apology as Bakugou got, and it seemed to be enough for Venom, so he nodded.
“What the fuck is that?” Shinsou asked with wide, innocent eyes, his mouth hanging open slightly in utter shock.
Midoriya thought back to Shinsou’s last encounter with Venom, how the alien had snatched him up with no warning, aggravating his injuries further before tossing him back to Bakugou. Maybe it was for the best if he didn’t bring Venom out around Shinsou.
Rude. Venom grumbled.
Yes, it was. Midoriya shot back, still thinking about the beach. Venom didn’t say anything after that and Midoriya focused on the two heroes in front of him.
“Problem children. Explain.” Izuku turned to see both Present Mic and Eraserhead standing warily, their faces perfect masks of suspicion and perplexity.
“That’s the thing from the beach. You called it Venom? That’s its name?” Present Mic was looking back and forth between Bakugou and Midoriya as he waited for an answer. Midoriya slowly nodded his head. “And it’s your… quirk?” Midoriya nodded again and Present Mic looked completely baffled.
“He’s, my quirk.” At the slow nod he received from the tall blonde, Midoriya sighed. “He’s sentient. We think he’s a mutation.”
“No, no, I get that.” Present Mic stated. “I’m just not understanding why you bothered to ask All Might if you could be a hero without a quirk, when you obviously do have one? Whatever it may be.” Yamada added with a gulp. Aizawa was glaring at him while he waited for an answer to the question posed by Yamada.
“Ahaha.” Midoriya chuckled nervously. “It’s kinda complicated?” He cursed himself for making his words come out as a question, ignoring Bakugou’s groan as he dropped his head into his hands.
Aizawa simply glared harder, his face showing that he wouldn’t be backing down from getting his answer. Midoriya let his shoulders slump, defeated.
“I didn’t have a quirk when I talked to All Might on that rooftop. I’m quirkless. Or – um I was.” Midoriya began, ignoring the way Shinsou parroted ‘rooftop’ under his breath with a baffled expression.
“After he left, I started to make my way home and heard explosions that I recognized. I knew they belonged to Kacchan, and when I saw him being attacked by the same villain that attacked me, I knew it had to be my fault. So, I ran in to try to save him, but ended up just putting myself in danger too.” Izuku hung his head in shame at the reminder of how powerless he had been in that moment. “Right before things got too bad –” Bakugou scoffed and cut him off.
“You were about to die ‘Zuku. Things were way past ‘too bad’.” Midoriya just sighed heavily, continuing on.
“Anyway, before things got too bad,” he shot a look at Bakugou, “All Might showed up and saved us.”
“No, he didn’t.” Bakugou growled. Midoriya lifted his eyes to the ceiling and took a deep breath, pausing just long enough to let his annoyance ebb away before speaking once more.
“Because of all the stress and strain my body had been put under, and because I was saved at just the right time before–” Midoriya paused and looked down, not able to bring himself to say the words.
“Before you died.” Bakugou stated for him with crossed arms, trying to drive the point home. Midoriya threw his hands in the air, petulantly reminding the red-eyed teen that he’d almost died too. “Whatever.” Bakugou muttered without any heat, and Midoriya dropped it.
“So, anyway, Um. I guess all that stress and stuff piled up and I developed a quirk.” Midoriya looked at the incredulous faces in front of him. “Um. At least, that’s what I figured must have happened. I wasn’t really in the right mindset to process that I felt differently until I got home – er, I mean, to Kacchan’s house.” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“You probably couldn’t think straight because All Might threw a punch at you so hard, you split your head open on the pavement.” Bakugou snarked. Midoriya groaned and turned to the disruptive blonde.
“Kacchan, enough! Just let it go! He didn’t mean to hurt me; he was trying to get rid of the sludge villain.” Bakugou scoffed and muttered ‘right’ sarcastically, under his breath.
“Bu-but. That means…” Yamada trailed off as Aizawa growled.
“Forced quirk activation.” The dark-haired man elaborated. “Cases of it are rare. Cases of someone surviving it, even rarer. Usually, the body is pushed so far past it’s limits, that even after developing a quirk, the person succumbs to their injuries within the following days.”
Midoriya didn’t actually know that little tidbit of information, though it made sense that their teachers and schoolbooks would skip over the nitty-gritty details of this particular topic.
“Um. That’s probably because of Venom.” He squeaked out, his cheeks burning from all the attention. “He healed me. By the time Kacchan and I had walked home, I didn’t even have a concussion anymore!” He hoped it would be enough to satisfy the two heroes.
“The concussion that All Might gave you, when he split your head open.” Bakugou helpfully supplied in a false cheery tone. Midoriya just sighed. Bakugou wasn’t letting it go.
“I really don’t like that man.” Shinsou announced with distaste. “Also, you said you talked to All Might on a rooftop…” Despite the phrasing, the question was clear, but Yamada had cut in with a question once again.
“How did he heal you? Wait, what do you mean by ‘walked home’, listener?” Aizawa nodded along with his eyes narrowed, whether it was in anger or something else, Midoriya didn’t know.
“Why weren’t you two treated on the scene and then escorted home, or to the hospital? That would be most logical.” Midoriya shrugged at Aizawa, not wanting to go into the details of their hasty retreat from All Might and the EMT’s refusal after finding out his quirk status.
“Did you at least get some type of treatment before you left?” Yamada asked, somewhat desperately now.
“One of the paramedics gave us a tube of ointment.” Bakugou stated bluntly. Present Mic whimpered in displeasure.
“I’m still curious about the rooftop thing.” Shinsou had his hand raised as if they were in a class and having this discussion.
“Oh? You mean the thing where All Might told ‘Zuku he couldn’t be a hero without a quirk, despite knowing he was quirkless, and then left him alone on the roof of some random building? That rooftop thing?” Bakugou was now glaring at Midoriya, who was looking helplessly between everyone as the angry blonde answered their questions. Shinsou’s face had paled considerably as he put his hand down with a look of shock.
“Yeah.” He whispered, “That rooftop thing.”
“He was in a rush.” Midoriya stated weakly, not even sure why he was trying to defend the man.
“He did WHAT?!” Aizawa shouted, his eyes glowing red almost subconsciously.
“Oh no. Sho – baby.” Hizashi reached out his hand and wrapped an arm around the dark-haired hero’s shoulder.
Aizawa angrily threw the arm off him as he stomped over to the door, which slammed shut and bolted closed before Aizawa could manage to make it out of the room. Looking around wildly, Aizawa tugged at his capture scarf.
“Let me out, you damn rat!” Eraserhead shouted in a rage. Nedzu’s voice echoed through some hidden speaker, sounding somewhat mechanical as he replied.
“No can do, Shouta. As much as I share your anger, and believe me I do,” Midoriya felt a chill go down his spine at Nedzu’s tone. “I cannot allow you to murder the number one hero. You’re far too valuable to me, and right now, those children need someone to be there for them. I am trusting you and Yamada to handle this, while I handle Toshinori.” With that said, a sharp click resounded and Midoriya knew the principal had taken his leave.
He felt mortified to know that Nedzu had probably been listening in on them the whole time, but not as mortified as he felt when he realized he was locked in a room with an angry Eraserhead. Turning his head slowly, he took in the dark-haired hero’s angry posture.
“Um.” He started hesitantly. “Can we maybe just pretend that none of this conversation ever happened?” All he received were deadpan stares from everyone. “It’s really not that big of a deal…” Midoriya let his words trail off when he noticed Aizawa bristle and suck in a sharp breath.
“It’s a very big deal, kid. It seems Bakugou is grasping the seriousness of this situation much better than you are, for whatever reason.” Bakugou’s lips turned up in a smug smile and Izuku frowned once again, not understanding why everyone was making such a big fuss out of this.
“I mean, yeah, it really hurt my feelings when All Might said I couldn’t be a hero, but it’s nothing I haven’t heard before and I don’t think even that would have been enough to really stop me from trying in the long run. And it sucked when I found out Kacchan was being attacked and I couldn’t do much of anything to stop it, but in the end, everything worked out okay and now I have Venom!”
“‘Everything worked out okay’? Are you insane?” Katsuki was staring at Midoriya angrily, mouth gaping as he rose from his seat. “You almost died because you ran in to try to help me and told the sludge villain to take you instead. And it fucking listened. As much as I can’t stand to say it, if All Might didn’t show up when he did, you would be dead.” Bakugou stood and started pacing.
“And the worst part, is he still ruined it. He almost killed you himself, when he knocked you over with that one punch. You smashed your head open, and he didn’t even apologize! He just told us it had to be done so that he could stop the villain. Like you were collateral damage! What the fuck! And then he told you again that you couldn’t be a hero. Even though you were the only one who tried to do anything! I was dying. There were three other heroes and a crowd people there, and no one – no one tried to help me. And that fucker really had the nerve to say that it only proved you couldn’t be a hero? You’re really okay with that?” Bakugou twirled around to face Midoriya head on, whose mouth was dropped open slightly as he stood, unsure what to say.
“GODDAMMIT! Do something ‘Zuku! Get mad, scream, throw something! Don’t just sit back and take it! You always just brush this shit off, it’s not okay!” Bakugou exploded a table out of anger before he tossed a chair across the room. Midoriya watched it shatter against the wall and said nothing. This only seemed to anger Bakugou more as he came to stand in front of Midoriya and shake him by the shoulders.
“You had to watch me almost die because no one cared enough to do anything! You had to face the man who crushed your dreams, and then sit there as he crushed them again! We had to walk home, injured, because the paramedics wouldn’t treat you once they found out you were quirkless! Doesn’t any of that make you angry!?” Midoriya’s breathing stuttered as he unfroze, tears pouring down his face as he pulled himself away from Bakugou’s heated hands. In a sudden surge of anger, Midoriya lunged forward and shoved Bakugou to the ground, breathing heavily as he tugged at his own hair.
“Of course, it makes me angry, you asshole! Of course, I’m not okay with any of it!” Midoriya dropped to the floor and curled in on himself, hiding his face in the crook of his arm as he sobbed, all of his anger suddenly turning to sorrow. “But what was I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do now? This has been my life for the past decade, Kacchan. I’m tired. I don’t want to hold grudges against everyone who ever hurt me. I can’t. All I can do is move on and maybe prove that I am enough after all! Not to anyone else, but to me. Even if I don’t believe it. Even if I don’t feel like it! I just have to pretend, because that’s all I fucking have!” Bakugou’s eyes were wide and shocked as he slowly came forward, wrapping an arm around Midoriya’s shoulders.
Midoriya leaned into the embrace, letting himself fall apart for just a few moments longer. “It’s just not fair. All I’ve ever wanted to do is help people, but all anyone sees when they look at me is something to hate!” Bakugou grit his teeth as he rubbed circles into Midoriya’s back, shaking his head subtly when the two adults with them tried to inch forward and help.
Midoriya was fully content to stay like this, wallowing and depressed, when Venom’s voice cut through his head with a nudge.
The purple one needs help.
Midoriya’s self-pity evaporated as his head snapped up to focus his gaze on Shinsou, who was staring blankly ahead, his eyes glazed as he clearly sat in a dissociative state. All of a sudden, any thoughts concerning his own mental well-being were gone as he focused on the dazed teen. Cursing and pushing Bakugou off him and in the direction of the other teen they’d forgotten was in the room, he stood. Izuku mentally berated himself for having a shouting match and throwing all his issues out in front of the boy, whose past he knew wasn’t good. He wobbled to the machine holding hot chocolate, shakily getting a cup down from the cupboard and filling it with the dark liquid. Hopefully they hadn’t ruined their chances of making a new friend.
When he came back to the couch, Present Mic and Eraserhead were standing back and watching for when to step in, their faces full of surprise. Bakugou was murmuring softly and holding Shinsou’s hands, rubbing soothing circles into Shinsou’s knuckles with his thumbs.
“C’mon, you purple fucker. You’re doing good. We’re in the teacher’s lounge at UA. ‘Zuku and I were being stupid, but we’re done now. Wherever you’re at in your head, it’s not happening right now. You’re safe. I won’t let that shit happen again.” Shinsou’s breathing hitched and Bakugou lifted the pale teen’s hand to his chest, exaggerating his own breathing as Shinsou’s picked up in a panic while he slowly came back to the present.
The way he spoke softly and made large, languid movements was a testament to how often he’d done this kind of thing. It might have seemed strange to anyone else, seeing the normally loud blonde handling the situation so well, but Midoriya knew better. Bakugou had been by his side since they were toddlers, and he’d been there to pick Izuku up every step of the way. Talking him out of his worser panic attacks was almost normal, and even if it wasn’t, it sure as hell was coming in handy today.
“It’s okay Shinsou. You’re safe. You’re at UA with me and ‘Zuku. You’re sitting on the worlds ugliest puke green couch, in the most boring room in UA, and you’re having a panic attack. Match my breathing. In and out. That’s it.” Izuku waited for Bakugou’s cue, and when the blonde reached out a hand, Midoriya placed the mug into it, stepping back to watch Bakugou mold Shinsou’s fingers around it.
“You feel that?” Bakugou asked. Shinsou nodded, his eyes wild and confused as he stared at Bakugou’s chest so that he could still follow his breathing, now that his hands were occupied. “What’s it feel like?” Bakugou asked, covering Shinsou’s hands with his own.
“Warm.” Shinsou rasped, blinking rapidly as he sucked in a breath a bit too fast.
“Yup. Hey, you’re still doing fine. Why don’t you take a sip?” Bakugou helped the teen lift the mug, and they all watched as Shinsou sagged around the cup, his eyes closing as he drank deeper. It stayed quiet for a moment before Hizashi stepped forward, the shock of everything that had happened in the past few minutes seeming to have finally worn off.
“You okay, Hitoshi?” The adult spoke softly. Shinsou cracked his eyes open and nodded, his gaze flicking over Bakugou’s form, who was still kneeling in front of him. He blushed as he set down the cup, laying on his side as he curled up on the couch, feeling exhausted and having not completely gotten rid of the spacey feeling.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered, purple eyes locking onto the tiles of the floor. He refused to look anywhere near the occupants of the room. Bakugou jerked his head harshly in a single shake and tch’ed.
“You’re not the one who needs to be sorry.” Bakugou turned so his back was braced against the couch, letting his head fall and his eyes slip closed. He let out an angry sigh as he sat in silence, unable to bring himself to say more. Midoriya scooted forward and faced Shinsou and Bakugou, pillowing his head on his arms and resting them on his knees while he sat on the floor.
“That’s as close to an apology as he gets.” Midoriya elaborates, a yawn forcing its way out of his mouth. “But we are sorry. Really.” Midoriya watches as Shinsou nods his head blearily and his eyes flutter shut. He continues to stare at the two, watching as Shinsou’s breathing evens out and the harsh lines in Bakugou’s face smooth away. Suddenly, a small laugh escapes him as a realization dawns on him. Venom rumbles his agreement as Aizawa asks him what so funny.
Shaking his head, Midoriya let’s his eyes fall shut, the stress of everything that happened today going on the backburner as he wonders how long it’ll take the hotheaded teen sleeping in front of him to realize his budding feelings for their new acquaintance. He lets himself succumb to his exhaustion and falls asleep fairly quick after that epiphany. Turns out, getting super emotional and breaking down can be really exhausting, and it seemed all three boys were at their limit.
Hizashi and Shouta stare at one another in silence before looking back at the three sleeping teens in front of them. With a quiet groan, Aizawa walks off and all but collapses into the stool by the coffee counter, his head dropping gracelessly onto the marble top.
“I’ll admit,” Hizashi starts in a whisper. “I wasn’t expecting them to all end up falling asleep like this. But look at them! They’re adorable!” Hizashi continued to gush as he whipped out his phone to snap photos from whatever angle he could get. Aizawa just lifted his head and repeatedly dropped it back onto the countertop, banging it only enough to jar him and not enough for Yamada to interfere.
“How? How did we happen to find the three most danger-prone kids to ever exist – with no self-preservation instincts on top of that – and get them all in the same room?” Hizashi chuckled as he came to sit next to his husband, sliding a cup of coffee across the surface between them.
“If you really think about it, they kind of found each other all on their own, we were just there to watch it happen.” Hizashi stared at the three sleeping faces with a soft smile, happy that his new son had found two friends that would be good for him. Aizawa grumbled around his coffee cup, trying to act tough even in the face of the three sleeping teens.
“Well, they better not find anymore.” Aizawa had to use his quirk on Hizashi so that he didn’t wake the kids with his burst of laughter, and then they began to plan out a schedule and training routine for all three boys. Now that they knew what happened to each of them, respectively, neither hero felt good about letting them continue on the way things were.
Not if they could help it.