Chapter Text
“Izuku glared at Hitoshi, removing the limbs from his chest. Untangling his legs, the butterfly feeling throbbed, trying to get him back under the covers. As though, Hitoshi was calling for him in his sleep. Hitoshi began to move, Izuku stiled, watching from where he sat, twisting to his side.”
"Izuku," Hitoshi yawned, rubbing his eyes, his other hand trying to locate Izuku’s body. "Where did you go?"
"Toshi!" He yelled, his hand unconsciously going to his hair for comfort. "You’re supposed to be sleeping!" He hissed, clenching his hands tightly in frustration. "I’m not," Hitoshi huffed, sitting up and pressing his head against the headboard. "What are you doing?"
"I’m—I’m um, I uh," he felt the first tear, then the second, then a puddle burst out of his eyes. "I'm sorry! I don’t know what I’m doing, nor do I know what to do; I’m so mad at you, but I really really like you; I don’t know!" He sobbed, hiccupping with every breath.
Hitoshi clicked his tongue, shaking his head, "shh, it’s okay," he held out a hand, but pulled it back. Except, before he could, Izuku gripped it and held it close to his chest. "Awe, Izu," he crawled over to the boy and wrapped his arms around his hips. He pulled Izuku onto his lap, who sobbed into his neck, shaking his head in frustration.
"What did you fucking do?" Katsuki’s voice echoed across the room. He shot from the blow up bed and sat himself beside Hitoshi. He glared hotly at him, his eyes furrowed. "What the fuck Toshi?"
"I didn’t do anything," he hissed, sending back a glare. "I woke up to Izuku getting out of bed, then he started crying."
Katsuki asked, "Izu, what happened?" He pressed a hand to his cheek and caressed him. Izuku gasped out, taking a watery breath. "Take your time."
He sobbed through his explanation, taking seconds to rub his eyes. Although, it wasn’t what they were thinking. Izuku only said one sentence. "I uh had a dream-and-ju-just now, and I now need to go save my dad."
Katsuki gripped his hand gently. "It’s just a dream, Zu; your dad doesn’t need to be saved."
"But the dream—it was—gosh—so so real!" He protested. He pushed Hitoshi’s arm and Katsuki’s hand away. "You won’t ever understand."
"I—" Katsuki’s voice was silenced by Hitoshi’s outstretched hand. "I remembered you had a dream a bit ago, and you didn’t say what it was about; does that by any chance have something to do with the dream you just had?"
Izuku took a deep breath, gasping out a sob. He buried his face in his hands. "Was your dad in it?" He pressed.
He gave them a slim nod.
Hitoshi gave Katsuki a paranoid look. "Um, can you tell us what it’s about?"
Izuku wrapped his arms around his abdomen. We're not angry at all; we're just concerned about you and happy that we managed to stop you before you left." Katsuki responded, tapping his shoulder. Hitoshi felt a throbbing pain in the back of his eyes.
Izuku sighed deeply, closing his eyes as the words flowed out.
"That fucker," Katsuki cursed, clenching his fist. "That had to be no coincidence; no way could it be just in Izu’s mind."
Hitoshi nodded and pressed a hand to his chin. "Certainly, it couldn’t be. Um, Izu, what about your other dream, the one in the forest? If you remember, what was that about?"
The boy whimpered lightly, hunching in on himself. "I guess." He told them that he recalled.
"What the fuck, you've got to be kidding me!" Katsuki slapped his forehead. "No way…"
"The correlation is obvious. A bunny, a bunny Izuku has never seen before, right? You've never seen this before, right?"
Izuku nodded dimly. "No, I haven't."
"Yeah, as I was saying, a bunny Izuku has never seen before starts popping up in his dreams? You can rule out it being his mind conducting the dream, as Izuku hadn’t seen a bunny before, at least not for a while. So, in other words, plus the whole guilt trip aspect, it was his dad. He caused the dream." Hitoshi held Izuku’s hand, squeezing it comfortingly.
Izuku let out a small sob. "I didn’t want to believe that, as I’m so scared that my dad’s not the person I thought he was. I thought going home would fix everything." He broke down into small sobs. "I was thinking it was my mind making up the dream, but as I think about it, only after the dreams did I have second thoughts about staying. I'm sorry, I almost left!" He swung his arms around Hitoshi, holding him close. "I’m mad at my dad, not you."
"Uh, that’s good to hear," Hitoshi laughed anxiously, looking over Katsuki with a quirked up eyebrow. Katsuki shrugged in return, eyes creasing.
Katsuki opened his mouth, then snapped it close at a small sounding rumble. All heads jerked to the sound, eyes inspecting it with interest. At the door,closed just a tad, a small creature poked its head through the gap and squeezed its body in. "What the?" Katsuki choked. The sound came from a small green rabbit, now squeaking and sniffing as it looked at the three. "How did it get in my house?!" Hitoshi exclaimed, shooting back into the pillows, patting Katsuki’s shoulder to calm him. Izuku stared with a petrified face at the rabbit. "Guys," he murmured, "that rabbit was the one in my dreams…"
Hitoshi and Katsuki’s eyes widened as they jerked their heads over to Izuku. "What?"
Izuku shimmed off the bed, maneuvering around the blown up bed and getting close to the rabbit. The other two followed suit, albeit slower. The bunny, with its innocent eyes, looked up at him, sneaking closer to Izuku’s outstretched hand. "Wait," Hitoshi snapped, jerking his hand to Izuku’s wrist. "I don’t know if we should touch it." He pulled Izuku back to his chest, slinking an arm around his waist, just in case he ran off. "Katsuki, I mean you too."
Katsuki flipped him off, crouching in front of the rabbit. "We shouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean it should be here. A green bunny, something that isn’t natural. It got into your house and pushed the door open. It was in Izuku’s dreams. And most of all, right now it’s looking at Izuku." He was right; the bunny, even with Katsuki in front of it, was shifting to keep its eyes on Izuku. It hopped to the side, trying to evade his outstretched hand. Katsuki flashed his other hand and placed it right beside the rabbit, blocking it from going anywhere near Izuku and Hitoshi. "This is no natural bunny, in fact," he said. Katsuki pressed his hands to its fur and curled them to keep it lodged within his grasp. The bunny didn’t look scared; if anything, it looked frustrated that it couldn’t see Izuku. It twitched its nose and neck, shaking back and forth. Katsuki smirked, and in a mere second, he activated his quirk and centered his blasts on the creature’s head. "Katsuki!" Izuku yelped, flinching at the explosions. Hitoshi held Izuku close, pressing his head to his chest. "What the fuck?" He hissed, glaring daggers in his back. "If there’s any blood on my floor, I swear, I’m going to—"
"Shut it, there’s no blood, the bunny’s dead." Katsuki shifted onto his knees, one hand still on the corpse of the creature. At its death, it made no noise, or perhaps it was concealed because of the explosion. "If my mom comes in angry because you used your quirk, I’m blaming it on you." Hitoshi huffed, plopping beside Katsuki with Izuku on his side. "Look," Katsuki rolled his eyes, using a finger to poke at the bunny’s head. "It was a painless death; probably, though, we shouldn’t give a fuck as this fucking bunny isn’t even a bunny," he gripped its neck and pointed it towards the two. Where there was supposed to be a thick skull and blood, past the layer of fur and a thin skull, there was a gray, mushy brain. "That’s not normal," he said, poking a finger at the brain. "It’s dry."
"Wait a minute," Hitoshi choked, "you used a small amount of force to just get past the layer of skull to see inside the brain?"
"Yeah, it was a hunch, but I thought maybe the brain would be messed up, like how zombie brains are." Katsuki grunted out, "See? Look Izuku."
"No, thanks," Izuku gagged, looking away. "No thanks, I get it." He gripped his hair and looked to make sure it wasn’t near the dead bunny in any way. "And I almost touched it! Gross!" He cringed, shaking his head with a film of disgust.
Hitoshi pressed a hand on Izuku’s knee, ignoring how he flinched from fear. "Kat, do you see anything weird?"
"Fuck yes, other than the gray brain, look," Katsuki grunted, pushing two fingers to feel around the organ. He twisted the head and lifted the spot he mentioned. "See that blinking red thing?"
"A tracker," Hitoshi inferred, looking at the blinking chip. It was something you’d see in a movie: a small square black chip attached snugly near the temporal lobe, blinking red every other second. "That has to be."
Katsuki nodded, poking at it with his thumb. "I agree; what else? A bomb? No way is that little thing a bomb." He flicked his fingernail under it and pulled away, trying to unsnap it. At an aggressive tug, it broke away. It wasn’t anything bigger than the thickness of a coin or the size of one. "Uh," the bottom of it was the same as the top, blinking red.
"Your fucking dad is weird as shit," Katsuki said, inspecting the chip. "He sent this thing, I bet."
"We need to tell the heroes about this; if his dad is doing stuff like this, what else could he be doing?" Hitoshi squeezed Izuku’s thigh, looking at him with a sad smile. "I’m sorry, Izu…"
Izuku flashed him a small smile, looking down at his lap. "I’m not sure if that’s a good idea...Oh! I have an idea. Why don’t we go talk with him and see if this is true-that he’s crazy? If he is, we can run away and call the heroes." Grasping an ounce of hope, Izuku looked at the two with determination.
Hitoshi sighed after a second, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Would that even work? Would he even listen? I don’t know Izu...It sounds like a stretch."
"He fucking sent a monster to bring you home; what else could he fucking do?" Katsuki growled, pulling Hitoshi’s garbage bag, scoping up the remains of the creature, and tying it up. Hitoshi pretended not to be annoyed.
"Sure, but I don’t want to jump to the worst case scenario when he could be entirely innocent. What if he's just concerned and paranoid that I’m not home, you know? I feel that we should give him a chance to state his case. If he says he just used that, um, thing to bring me home and had no ill-intent, then that’s good! Maybe I can negotiate seeing you two again." Izuku trailed off, his heart pounding with anxiety under the eyes of his two best friends.
Katsuki scowled, shaking his head. "No fucking way. As soon as we bring you home, he’ll take you away, no matter if he had ill intent or not."
Hitoshi looked at Katsuki and then at Izuku with narrowed eyes. He sighed deeply, throwing his head back as a groan left his lips. "Izu, do you really think your dad has no ill intent?"
Izuku nodded quickly, humming. "Yes! If you don’t believe it, I will ask him. Please Hitoshi," He gripped his hands, looking at him in the eyes. "Worse case, we’ll call the heroes, and I stay with you! If my dad is doing anything evil, I don’t want to be around him, so I’ll just come live with you!"
Hitoshi placed a hand on his cheek, titling his head. "The worst case is me losing you to your father."
"You won't, and I won’t let him, I promise." Izuku smiled, leaning into the touch. "I’d rather stay with you than him."
Hitoshi blushed, eyes darting away, "Um, Katsuki, are you going to come with us to Izuku’s home?"
Katsuki groaned, clenching his hands. "Only because I know you two will get hurt."
"Don’t say that, Kat." Izuku giggled. Hitoshi laughed, touching his hand to Izuku’s. "Let’s go first thing in the morning. Kat, bring your phone and have 110 on standby. You should also tell your parents you’ll be home around 1 p.m. so that if we don’t, they should worry."
Izuku squeezed Hitoshi’s hand, nodding along. "Um," he went to touch Katsuki’s arm but stopped when he remembered what his hands were covered with. "Um, you should wash your hands."
"Yeah shit," Katsuki gripped the garbage bag and headed to the door, pushing it to the side. "Hitoshi, come with me to dismantle the fucking garbage." He squeezed Izuku’s hand once more and gave him a small smile. "Try to get some sleep." He got up and followed Katsuki out.
They made sure to throw the garbage bag down the street, just in case Izuku’s father was using it to figure out where his house was. And that sent shivers down his spine. Katsuki used his quirk to destroy the tracker piece, directing his power at the black garbage bag.
Meanwhile, Izuku lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, waiting for Hitoshi to come back for cuddles. Sleep avoided him; no matter how much he tried, his brain couldn’t succumb under a blanket of sleep. Hitoshi filled his brain, and he knew it wouldn’t stop until Hitoshi came back.
Izuku felt his mind telling him the truth even though he wanted to show his dad had no malice in his heart. Breakfast was filled with jitters and anxiety. No matter how much he denied it, he couldn’t avoid the fact that his dad was nothing like Hitoshi or Katsuki. He didn’t lie; well, Hitoshi did, but he assumed it was to protect him from leaving. And besides, he couldn’t be mad, as Hitoshi didn’t want to lose him just yet. Same as he didn’t want to leave Hitoshi yet either. His dad, though, punished him, neglected him, controlled his life, and taught him everything. Even with all this evidence, he continued to feel his dad had a chance to prove he had no ill intent. After all, being overly controlling might seem good and healthy in his eyes, but in the eyes of others, it is unhealthy.
They left as soon as the sun rose. Katsuki charged his mobile throughout the night and had the phone app pre-loaded. Hitoshi remembered the way back to Izuku’s house. It wasn’t the path they used previously but rather an entirely new one. At a sketchy looking passageway, Hitoshi pointed down a long, never-ending path—the one he saw consistently.
They stalked down it, the sun beating on their faces. Izuku held Hitoshi’s hand, gripping it tightly. Katsuki walked ahead, hands stuffed in his pockets, though his eyes were darting at every noise. He spoke to his parents at one point, talking about school as they walked, before putting his phone away. To pass the time, Hitoshi whispered to him. The leaves brushed against the branches, drifting in the warm breeze. The gravel crunched under their shoes; Izuku was wearing a pair of Hitoshi’s old ones. His hair wafted through the wind, some small strands brushing against Hitoshi’s back.
"Whatever happens," Izuku mumbled as he continued what seemed like aimless walking. "I will stay with you."
Hitoshi gripped Izuku’s hand. "Nothing bad will happen, I promise."
Izuku gulped, praying he was right.
The wooden cottage, run-down with vines and greenery adorning the siding, was at the end of the path. As usual, the door was securely locked. With the exception of the tiny light that could be seen through the doorway, it was the same cottage. The atmosphere was eerily quiet, and the trees appeared to be drifting.
Perhaps Hitoshi believed it was deserted, which is why he attempted to break in.
"I get what you mean," Izuku whispered, barely even able to talk loudly. "It does look abandoned." He stepped onto the porch and pressed a hand to the door, tapping it lightly with his fingertips. "This isn’t a dream," Izuku whimpered, his heart beginning to pound. His body felt numb, standing in front of the house.
"Hey, it’s going to be okay," Hitoshi laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled down. "It will be."
Katsuki was quiet mostly, staring at the house and the forest as though he were looking for dad. "I can’t believe you’ve been living here for years," Katsuki said, shaking his head. "This is crazy," he laughed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "There’s no way this is going to end well."
Izuku dragged his gaze to the ground and said, "I guess." He fisted his knuckles and knocked three times. Nothing could describe the feeling within his chest. He felt numb; his legs were wobbling slightly, and his heart was pounding. He couldn’t hear anything else other than his heart rate.
They heard stomps, footsteps coming toward the door. Izuku stepped back, gripping Hitoshi’s hand tightly. Katsuki came around them, putting himself in front of Izuku and Hitoshi. They stayed silent as the door unlocked from the shackles and clicked open.
Izuku bit his tongue to conceal a small gasp.
His dad stood at the threshold. Unlike his normal complexion, he had wrinkles edging around his eyes and cheeks. His white hair looked gruffer, with some frail tufts. His red eyes looked fainter, almost like a pinkish tone.
His eyes fell on Izuku’s face, then to Katsuki, and finally to Hitoshi. He stared at him for a long second before dragging them back to Izuku. "Hello," Hitoshi says, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, "my name is Shinso, this is Bakugou, and of course you know Izuku We want to talk to you." He was betting he would stutter or have his voice waver, so it was surprising that he didn't.
The man steps to the side, holding the door open. "Come in." Izuku followed Hitoshi and Katsuki inside, his line of sight on the ground. He felt his dad staring daggers into his back, more specifically into his hair. He took a deep breath as he sat down on the couch, waving a hand at Hitoshi and Katsuki to sit. His dad stepped around the couch, coming to sit on the very stool he’d sit on to brush his hair. His heart clenched seeing it. In fact, the whole house and his dad made him want to cry. "Dad, um, can I heal you? You look, um-"
"No," Katsuki hissed, elbowing his side. "We have a job to do."
Izuku nodded dimly with a small whine, his hand going to his side. "Okay," he whispered. Anxiously fiddling with his finger nails, he had his gaze on his lap. "Um, so, I want to know what’s going on. Um, I’ve been having weird dreams about you and um this bunny creature and we uh saw it at Hitoshi’s house and-"
Dad’s hand went up, silencing him. Izuku shut his jaw with a click, forcing himself to breathe properly. From the corner of his vision, he saw Katsuki’s jaw clench and Hitoshi shift. Before anyone could reply to his dad’s hand, he spoke. "Izuku, can you tell me what you did wrong?"
Izuku let out a small whimper, looking dead in his eyes. "Um, I—I—I left," the words could barely leave his lips before falling into tremors.
"That’s it?"
Izuku nodded, staring at his lap and squeezing his hands shut.
He could sense Dad rolling his eyes, which was partnered with a scoff. Izuku felt his heart jolt. "Hmm, if that’s what you think, then, well, I don’t think it’s a problem telling Hitoshi and Katsuki to go away, now is it?"
Izuku shook his head in opposition. His friends glared angrily at him as a sign of their discomfort. Hitoshi told him not to use their first names by using their last names. "No, I want them to stay."
Looking at his dad, he felt himself inch closer to Hitoshi’s side, reaching for his hand. "I will treat them the same way I have treated all other intruders if they don't leave."
"You didn’t do anything to them, they-they, you’re lying, there were no intruders!" Izuku yelled, anger filling his heart. His breath was labored—practically pants.
Dad shook his head, a wrinkly hand going to his forehead. "What have they done to you, my Izuku? You were normally well behaved."
"Not anymore! You lie about everything!" Izuku fights back, his arms shaking in frustration. "Gosh! Kat," he turns to him, "tell him what he did to me."
Katsuki mentally took a step back at the recognition, nodding as the words settled. He cleared his throat, looking at the man. "You kidnapped him, simple as that. You never allowed him to leave, manipulating him to stay so that he was this source of healing power for yourself. You lied time and time again to keep him innocent and to make him stay. Hitoshi was the one who made him realize what you were doing to him. And worse of all, you took away his memories! He and I were best friends, until you took him away from me! He doesn’t remember me because of you!" Katsuki screamed, standing up, his quirk crackling at his hands. "You are-"
He snorted, covering his mouth as he chuckled, breaking into a full belly laugh. Izuku got up, his heart rate spiking. Katsuki’s words made him want to cry most of all, as he was right. If it wasn’t for his dad, he would still remember his mom, Katsuki, and everything else. As well, his dad never laughed during serious moments, only if he was trying to prove a point. "We need to go," he whispered, looking at Hitoshi and then at Katsuki. They both nodded, with Hitoshi leading the way around the couch.
"Hey, where are you three going? Izu, c’mon, not when you just accused me of being the worst parent in the world." Izuku’s eyes widened, and he slowly turned to look at his dad over his shoulder. Katsuki was right behind him, gripping his arms and pushing him forward. Hitoshi glared, waiting for him to speak to activate his quirk. Izuku’s heart pumped madly. Dad stood, hands held together, as he stared at Izuku. "Izu, sit back down. I don’t want to hurt you."
Izuku froze, his limbs shaking; even with Katsuki’s pushes, he stayed still. "He wants to leave; can’t you stop being so fucking selfish!? You only want him because of his quirk!" Hitoshi had enough and was ready to use his quirk.
Dad looked at him slowly, his eyes creasing. In a blink of time, Hitoshi was pushed back, falling back into the wall, barely even able to settle himself. Katsuki was in the same state, his hand rubbing his back. Izuku, though, was in the arms of his father. "No!" Hitoshi yelled, his body going numb. Izuku fought back, struggling to get out of his hold. His hair was snug between his dad’s hands. He was weaving it through, touching the strands. "Stop it!" Hitoshi screamed, "Leave him alone!"
"Why would I? He's my son after all." His voice trailed off as his eyes dimmed, succumbing to Hitoshi’s quirk. "C’mon! We got to go!" Hitoshi ran over to Izuku and pulled him out of his dad’s hold, dragging him through the front door. "Katsuki! Call 211!"
"I’m already fucking on it!" Katsuki was right behind them, pulling out his phone. The morning sun shone onto their faces, the warmth sending currents of heat. Izuku had broken down into tears, going limp under Hitoshi’s hand. "I’m so sorry! I thought he’d be nicer! I’m so sorry he hurt you!" Izuku sobbed out, a hand going to his cheek. "It’s okay!" Hitoshi answered back, squeezing his hand.
Izuku whined with a hum, a watery sound. Katsuki quickly walked with them, his phone to his ear. Under their harsh breaths, the phone rang three times, then a male voice spoke. Izuku couldn’t hear it, but he inferred that hearing Katsuki’s fierce voice wasn’t anything to joke about. "Mom! Come to my coordinates!" Katsuki yelled into the phone.
"MOM! What the hell, Kat!? We need the heroes or the police, not your flipping mom!" Hitoshi wasn’t having it; he waved a hand towards Katsuki’s hand. "Hang up and give it to me!" Izuku panted, keeping up with the two. His tear stains were dried up into crusts fused with his skin, his hair bellowing in the wind. "Hit, slow down, I need a b-break!"
Hitoshi jerked his head over his shoulder, eyes going wide looking behind him. Izuku looked in the same direction to see a man in a black suit with white hair. "Dad! No!" Izuku flailed his arms to protect Hitoshi, jerking in front. They only got past 100 meters from the house, a distance that wasn’t feasible unless his dad had amazing running skills. Against all their beliefs, his dad was indeed there, reaching for Hitoshi’s back. "Hit! Get out of the way!" Katsuki screamed, rushing and leaping onto his body. Hitoshi had the ounce of registration to throw Izuku to the side and take what his dad was going to give him. Izuku tumbled to the ground, only to yell and jerk to face the scene. He slapped a hand to his mouth as he silently screamed, seeing Hitoshi’s back tightening into a harsh curl, forming at the base of his spin, the exact area a black tendril made contact with his skin. "STOP!" Izuku screamed, throwing himself onto his dad’s arm and hanging his head. "Please! You’re hurting him!" Katsuki reached and held Hitoshi’s limp body; the phone, which he once held, was cast to the side and cracked from the gravel path. The tendril etched back into his dad’s fingertips. "I’ll do what you want, just please don’t hurt them, dad!"
"You will?" Dad eyed him, a hand travelling behind Izuku’s torso, gripping it close to his side. Izuku nodded, "Yes!"
"Hmm," he took a moment to think, his eyes looking over Hitoshi’s crumbled form and Katsuki’s fierce face. "I don’t think so."
Izuku raised his head, a small voice coming out of his lips. "What?"
"For you to listen to me, Izu, I have to kill them. They’re a distraction. You should've just come home with that rabbit Nomu when you had the chance," he sighed with a shrug. "But alas, this is what happens when you disobey the rules, people die. Oh, I should mention, I took your friend’s power, like I said, everyone has the ability to steal powers, just like I have the ability to steal yours."
Izuku leaned back, trying to pull away from his hold. "You could’ve taken my power anytime you wanted?"
"Of course, Izu. How much of an idiot are you? I said anyone can take someone's quirk; I could’ve taken yours at the very beginning. Except I didn’t. You know why?" Izuku shook his head, a tear falling from his eyes. "It’s because I love you, and I wanted you to be my son. If I took your quirk, I would have no reason to keep you, hm?"
Izuku denied it, shaking his head as if to refute. "No, no, no, I t-th-thought...no!"
"You fucking bastard!" Katsuki screamed, shooting towards his father, who held Izuku like a shield. Izuku used his strength to pull himself out of his arms, screaming as he did. In a tiny moment of hesitation, Father pushed Izuku into the crook of his elbow and thrust up a hand to block the explosion. Katsuki used the multitask to send a misdirected explosion towards his legs and another one to his chest. Izuku fell out of his arms and scrambled to Hitoshi. He pulled him up and dragged him towards the forest.
Izuku panted and didn’t look back. The sounds of explosions, screams, and grunts echoed across the sunny day. Hitoshi moaned as his mind became clear, taking a second to realize he was being pulled around. "Izu..? Where’s Kat?"
"He’s back with my father! We've got to go!" Izuku exclaimed, "We need to get help! Gosh, why on earth did he call his mom?!" Hitoshi bundled up his hair as they ran, heading through the trees. They weaved around bushes and under branches. "I have no idea!"
Izuku came to a forced stop, which Hitoshi, who wasn’t prepared for the sudden stop, rammed right into him. "Ugh Izu?" He rubbed his nose and said, "Why did we stop? We need to get... help." His voice trailed off as his eyes focused on Izuku’s vision. His breath was zapped out of him. There was a man in front. In a hero suit.
"All Might," Hitoshi gasped out, staring at his classic bunny ear hair. Izuku’s mouth was gaping wide, following All Might’s moves. "Don’t be afraid! I am here!" The hero posed, an arm reaching towards them. His voice went from being cheerfully protective to a deep, bellowing voice. "Now, where is the villain?"
Hitoshi gripped Izuku’s waist and pointed in the direction of the house. All Might nodded towards him and shot forward.
"Who was that?" Izuku murmured, staring at where he was.
"He’s All Might, the number one hero in Japan."
"He’s a hero?"
"Yes, one of the best. C’mon, we need to make sure Katsuki is okay. With All Might here, your dad won’t stand a chance." Hitoshi gripped Izuku’s arm and pulled him along, passing Izuku’s hair to him.
"Will Katsuki be okay?" Izuku tapped his arm anxiously.
"He will. After all, he’s one of the smartest people I know."
Izuku hummed with a stutter, grasping Hitoshi’s hand. "I just hope so."
They arrived at the scene with shocked faces. Katsuki was leaning on a tree stump, holding his chest. Blood seeped out of it, which was quickly healed by Izuku, even through his panic. Katsuki held Hitoshi’s hand as Izuku worked. The blood went back into his body, and then he grunted. Across the field and path was a bloodbath of a battle between All Might and his father. Izuku forced himself to look away, tears bursting out of his eyes. Hitoshi held him to his chest, rubbing his back as he sobbed. Katsuki commented on the battle, telling Izuku what was happening.
Izuku refused to listen, whimpering at the scream. His father’s scream. He croaked out, sobbing louder. All Might said something, then there was a loud crack. A ridge of wooden panels and concrete colliding and crumbling together
All Might threw his father into the cottage and then punched him hard.
"He’s dead," Izuku gasped out, clutching onto his shirt. "There's no way he could have survived that; no, no, no; please, no; he can’t be dead, no."
Katsuki’s heart broke. "Izu... your father isn’t what he seems. He has... multiple quirks. So many. He used one to stab me. He’s so much stronger than the average person." He tsked, "I underestimate him."
"Thank god for your quirk, Izu," Hitoshi said, patting his hair, which was still wrapped around Katsuki’s chest.
"Hey kids!" All Might’s voice echoed across the land. They all looked up, eyeing the bloody eye and nose. He crouched down, laying a hand on Katsuki’s hair. He grumbled, tossing it around. He chuckled and passed him his phone, which he quickly pocketed. He then laid his eyes on Izuku. "Was he your father?"
"Mhm," Izuku nodded. His tears stilled for just a second. "Is he d-d-no, okay?"
All Might sighed deeply, looking at the fallen cottage on the horizon. "I’m not exactly sure. Before I could land my final attack, he vanished as though he were a ghost. His clothes are still there, but his body is gone."
"Just like a fairy tale," Hitoshi commented in awe, eyes wide.
He nodded, pointing a finger in his direction. "Exactly. Furthermore, he’s not here anymore, at least I don’t think so."
Izuku muttered, rubbing his runny nose on Hitoshi's shirt, "He died. He assured me that's how he would pass away if he were to grow old. He has grown accustomed to my quirk to the point where his body has to rely on my healing powers. Until I left and he stopped using it. His body grew too old, responding as though he were...What is his age? 100 or more years old? I'm not sure. He sobbed uncontrollably.
"Awe, Izu," Hitoshi gripped his chin and pulled him to the crook of his neck. "It’s okay. It’s okay. Cry as much as you want. I'm not leaving you." Hitoshi comforted him, rubbing his back. After a wave from All Might, he picked Izuku up and followed Katsuki and All Might down the path. Katsuki unwrapped Izuku’s hair and held it in his arms.
"Get his…clothes…please?" Izuku begged, patting Hitoshi’s chest. Hitoshi asked All Might to do so, watching him speed to the wreckage and grab a black suit. He passed the clothes to Katsuki, who then gave them to Izuku’s awaiting arms. He held them to his chest, pressing his face into the shirt.
They were off, heading back down the path. Izuku sobbed quietly as they walked away from his house. All the memories and mementos are gone. His whole life was crumbling before him.
"I’m glad you called me young Bakugou; now All For One is gone." All Might said, leading the group.
"Wait, I thought you called your mom, Kat." Hitoshi huffed, glaring at him. Katsuki shrugged. "I wanted him, in case he heard—I wasn’t about to take any chances—to think I was calling my mom. so that he would let his guard down, knowing heroes weren't going to arrive anytime soon as I didn’t directly call a hero emergency line."
Hitoshi rolled his eyes and said, "I guess that makes sense."
Katsuki’s voice fell. "You still lost your quirk, Hit... I'm sorry I wasn’t fast enough to stop him."
"Don’t be. That quirk caused more harm than good." Hitoshi waved his hand. "I don’t care that it’s gone. I'm just happy he didn’t hurt Izuku physically." He squeezed him.
Hid small voice left his vocal cords. "Can we talk about something else...?"
"Of course," Hitoshi smiled, patting his head. "So, All Might, what’s going to happen now?"
"Well, young Shinso, it’s ideal that we bring young Izuku to my agency so that we can notify the police of his situation and find a place for him to live. After all, he needs to live somewhere he can be safe."
Izuku pressed his face closer to his neck. He shook his head lightly. "I want to stay with you," he whispered. "I don't want to leave you."
Hitoshi lowered his face to Izuku’s curls, pecking him on the forehead. "You’re not leaving me anytime soon, don’t worry."
"Promise?" Izuku whispered.
"Promise," he curled his pinkie finger around Izuku’s and squeezed them together. "Promise."
Izuku sighed deeply, smiling. His cheeks were aflame. "Hit... can I um," he paused.
"Yeah?" Hitoshi was utterly oblivious to Izuku’s intent, although he was starting to overthink kissing Izuku on the forehead. His cheeks flushed red. Katsuki sent him a smirk, and Hitoshi glared at him.
Izuku glanced around to Katsuki, who was outlandishly smirking, and to All Might, who was walking ahead. Izuku mustered up the courage to pack the butterflies away and looked at Hitoshi with his full view. "Can we kiss?"
"Uh-uh w-wahhh?" Hitoshi could hardly keep his focus long enough to walk. He stuttered to a stop, his eyes going wide. Katsuki stepped away from him, giving the two room as he went up to All Might. "You, um, want what?"
Izuku groaned, tossing his head back, and placed a hand over his eyes. "Nevermind, ignore what I said; it’s stupid. I don’t even know if we can kiss; friends do that, right? I think so; Kat told me... gosh, I don’t know. Just ignore me!"
"Izu."
"What?" Izuku lowered his hand, looking at Hitoshi. His stomach was filled with butterflies. "Please, just forget I said anything! I don’t even know what the heck I’m talking about!"
"Izu," Hitoshi smiled warmly. Izuku’s cheeks flushed at seeing such a smile grace his features. A small blush decorated Hitoshi’s cheeks, a prominent feature compared to his pale skin. "Yes?" Izuku’s heat thumped.
"Kissing occurs between people who love each other, well, most of the time." Hitoshi’s eyes fluttered closed, then he exhaled. "And I like you, like a lot. So... can we kiss."
Izuku’s mouth gaped open in disbelief. It took him a solid minute to clear his head before he could do anything. Something that was entirely new overtook his body. Unlike dilating anxiety, but rather jittery excitement. He nodded quickly, maybe a little too quickly. "Yes!"
"I haven't, um, kissed anyone before." Hitoshi mumbled, tracing Izuku’s back with a finger. His arms squeezed his body anxiously, holding him closer. "Of course I haven’t," Izuku giggled with a stuttering gasp. "So…we um."
"I’ll take the lead." Hitoshi leaned closer to Izuku’s lips and puckered them slightly. Izuku followed his movements and closed his eyes. The memory of kissing him previously made his cheeks redder. "Follow what I did," he told himself. Their breaths blew against each other like the wind. The warmth from the sun shone nicely on the pair. The closer their lips got, the closer their hearts beat as one.
Hitoshi first pressed his lips on Izuku. The plush skin gilded onto his own. Shots of electricity pulsed through his core. Izuku melted under the touch. As quickly as the peck came, he pulled away, looking at Hitoshi with a huge smile. "That…was wow."
He was in the same state as he. A flush, blush engrossed his face. “Utterly amazing.”
Izuku leaned for a second peck and Hitoshi kissed him eagerly.