Chapter Text
”Hey, honey. I’m going to be sitting outside, I won’t be coming in, alright?”
”I know you’re a little panicky right now, but I promise you have a lot of people who love you looking for you right now. They’re the ones that called me, actually.”
”I know you and Izuku haven’t had the best relationship recently, I wish I had noticed it earlier.. but, you know. Hindsight is twenty twenty.”
”Honey? Katsuki? I have your favorite hot chips.”
She sighed. “I suppose I’ll just have to wait for a while, then. Don’t wait too long, you’ll freak out your friends, and that little Best Jeanist. You’re such a little firecracker, I’m not even surprised you got someone like him in your corner.”
A hand stuck out of the little shed. A pack of hot cheetos was put in it. Within seconds the bag was opened and slow eating could be heard from inside.
”Izuku called me in a frenzy, I heard you stole the number one hero’s access card.” Giggle. “I always knew you were clever enough for things like that, but Mitsuki never believed me. But of course, she didn’t know of this place either. She also barely thought you’d get into UA.. hm, maybe I should’ve started putting things together much sooner.”
”It’s not your fault, Auntie.”
Sigh. “I know, dear. It’s in human nature to try to find what you could’ve done better. I know it’s not worth trying to blame myself, though. You were so strong.. always hiding. Always fighting.”
”What did they say about me?”
”Oh, they’ve said nothing. But the moment Izuku called he told me about all the times you were kicked out and all the bruises he saw on you. He told me you’d been kicked out for an entire month, this time. I guess it’s not that big of a deal with the dorms, but.. still.”
”Damn nerd.”
”Et, et, et! No insulting my son in front of me, young man.” Such a soft tone. “You wouldn’t have any hot chips without me here, I think that’s worth you cutting back on the insults for a little bit, isn’t it?”
”Fine. Damn Izuku.”
”There we go! You’re such a sweet kid when it gets down to it, you know?”
...
”Right, your mother spent her entire time trying to convince you otherwise, didn’t she? You know, the only reason I didn’t say anything too much was because I was trying to respect her parenting methods. It just isn’t right to speak against how someone else is doing something if it isn’t terribly horrible. And from what I saw it wasn’t horrible, but.. hm.”
Ring, ring- cnch.
She sighed again. “They’re really frenzied about finding you, you know? That was Best Jeanist, there. He was about 45 minutes away when this all started. It’s been 2 hours since I was first called, and I imagine it’s been at least 3 since you ran.”
”It’s dark out, so I hope you don’t mind how I’m using my phone’s flashlight. We are kind of in a sparse forest, so I’d rather be able to see around me.”
”Why the fuck do you think that bothers me?”
”Well, I wouldn’t want to be seen in your state. You’ve gone through a lot, honey. I’m just trying to make sure I’m not one of the people to make it worse.”
Ring, ring- cnch.
Ring- cnch.
Ring”I think I may have to-” Ring “Answer it this time,” Ring “Sorry, honey.”
”I’m not your fucking boss, answer it.”
Auntie Inko chuckled as her phone went click and a voice started talking from the other end of the call. From the distance they were at, and the silence of the forest, Katsuki could hear it loud as day.
‘Where are you? Why haven’t you been answering my calls? Did you find Bakugo-kun?’ Best Jeanist said.
”No, I haven’t. I’ve been checking places I know he hangs around.” Inko said pleasantly. Like a liar. Like a really, really good liar.
‘His mother is barely convinced this wasn’t a lapse of security for UA, and I’m starting to be inclined to believe her.’
”Katsuki was always a wild child, Hakamada. You’re not going to be able to keep him anywhere if he doesn’t want to.”
Katsuki crept slowly out of the shed to act like he was trying to listen. He didn’t need to leave to hear, but.. he wanted to see Inko. And there she was, with her phone in her lap and the speaker on. The flashlight from the phone was bright, and probably hurt her eyes from the glare.
‘It’s been 3 hours. I know it isn’t long, but if we can get to him before Bakugo-san-’
Inko glanced at him in a worried way, and it worried Katsuki, too until she was saying- “I’m willing to testify as well, don’t worry about that. And I know Masaru will be willing if I offer to house him.”
‘I know, but.. a month, Midoriya. A month of zero contact, during work studies. The only things she heard about her son were grade reports and a few emails about when he got hurt during the work studies. There was no money sent over for groceries or anything, the lunch credits barely moved an inch because of how little he was eating-’
”He’ll be okay, Hakamada. I’m completely sure of it.”
A sharp intake of breath came from Best Jeanist. ‘You’ve found him, haven’t you?’
Katsuki suddenly nodded, trying to encourage Inko to tell him yes. He didn’t want to say it himself, and didn't want to speak out loud. His voice was likely still obviously gravely and wet from tears.
Inko nodded with a smile, “I have.”
‘Where is he? Is he okay? He left his phone here- none of his friends even saw him before he left, so he could be thinking anything right now- he was already worried about Aizawa turning him in, but with Midoriya-kun’s tip-’
”He’s been listening to this call the entire time.” Inko said suddenly.
The other end of the line went silent. Most usually when Best Jeanist would get interrupted with something, even if it was surprising information for a case, he would keep on talking. Making up on the fly how that would change how they approached the case. But now, the silence stretched on
A few seconds later, Best Jeanist spoke. His voice was softer in volume, less assertive and less rushed. Like the wind had been taken out of his sails, or maybe he had just hit a wall. ‘I would’ve preferred to tell him all of this in a much softer manner.’
“Are you acting like I can’t take this shit?” Katsuki barked, the loudest thing he had said in hours. Yet it was still soft compared to normal- quite honestly calling it a bark would be insulting to his normal state. It was more like a complaint more than anything.
‘I’m not- I just- a lot of our plans are rather assumptive, and it was going to be once we found you we were going to give you options. And- Bakugo-kun, can you please come back? Or can I come to you?’ The one thing that didn’t make Katsuki complain more was the fact that his words were barely soft, they were kind but they weren’t soft. It was worry, plain and simple.
Katsuki glanced to Auntie Inko in a silent request. She nodded at him, so he agreed.
Auntie Inko held out one of her arms, obviously inviting him for a hug. Katsuki could barely remember the last time he got a hug from an adult.. sure he’d gotten hugs from friends, but nothing quite topped being hugged and feeling like it was all going to be okay.
So Katsuki dived into her side, listening with only half his brain as Auntie Inko guided Hakamada to one of the last safe spaces Katsuki still had.
Katsuki was still resting in the arms of Inko when they got back to campus. His mother apparently hadn’t been notified- or she was on the way back -but his father was there. Masaru was as he usually was when there were issues in the house, he was a nervous mess that was very self contained.
”Katsuki!- Are you alright?- I know nothing really happened, but now the school knows-” Masaru was immediately running over, taking Katsuki from Inko like he was to be passed. Usually, Katsuki would be pissed at this but in the current moment there was nothing going through his head.
”He hasn’t really been responsive.” Best Jeanist said softly, looking worriedly at the mostly unresponsive boy.
”No, it’s alright. He’s.. been like this before, I usually just let him sit around in his room, but..” Masaru trailed off, looking extremely uncomfortable.
Best Jeanist sighed, and Inko moved forward to pat Katsuki’s head. He didn’t react.
Masaru looked down at Katsuki for another moment before looking up at Best Jeanist. “You seem pretty involved in my son’s safety.” It wasn’t unkind, it wasn’t angry, just a fact.
”..I am.” Best Jeanist confirmed hesitantly.
”I’m.. I’m going to be honest here, I am out of a job, I’m going to be living with a family friend, and I have been in a toxic environment for 16 years- almost 17, now. Or, that’s what I’m telling myself. I can’t remember those few years with her before little Katsuki was born. I am fully able to take Katsuki with me, but Izuku- Inko’s son -and Katsuki don’t have the best relationship. It’s gotten a lot better, but.. I don’t think that being so close to each other for so long would be healthy for them.”
”I couldn’t- I mean.. would it really be.. the right thing to do?”
”I knew my hand in his childhood. I know all I did was try to convince him it was his fault, or it was just normal- and I’m probably going to continue doing it. I can’t act like I won’t, but I also don’t want that for him again.”
”Masaru..” Inko said softly.
”I am going to try to go through therapy, but I know that it’s a messy road.” He took a deep breath, “But it’s not going to be easy, and- it’ll be easier if you took him in, at least for a while. I understand if this is too big of an ask, but-”
”It’s fine. He can live with me.” Best Jeanist interrupted. Maybe it was the high feelings, but he was sure of his decision.
Masaru smiled. ”We should get him checked over. Katsuki?”
Katsuki looked up at him, nothing changing on his face but he still slightly responded.
”We’re going to get you checked over by a doctor, and then you can head back to your room, alright?”
Katsuki nodded, but his eyes were still unfocused. He stayed that way throughout the entire checkup.
Katsuki didn’t know what time it was when he woke up. The first hint at what happened last night was the fact that his phone wasn’t on his nightstand. The next was how grimy and dirty he felt. The last was the memories slamming into him like a freight train.
He shot up, looking around the room- his dorm room. He was in the dorms.
The last thing he remembered was Masaru coaxing him back into his room, something about Inko.. testifying. That word stuck out like a sore thumb. Ah shit, he had fucked up. He groaned and pushed himself out of bed, trying to make quick work of getting himself ready.
He mourned the loss of a shower- but he was going to assume it was late because of the fact that the sun was shining directly into his windows. If he found out that no one was waiting for him downstairs, though- he would absolutely just be going to actually do a full morning routine instead of rushing.
He noticed he also didn’t have his backpack, and he decided to check about it later with his friends or maybe any of the gaggle of adults that had decided he was actually interesting. But, when he opened his door, there it was. Right next to his dorm room was his bag.
Katsuki pulled it in and closed his door again, digging throughout his backpack and finally finding his phone. He turned it on and was faced with hundreds of notifications, and an 8% battery flashing at him. He sighed and plugged it in, halfheartedly scrolling through missed calls and worried friends’ texts.
Well, friend- Deku- Izuku’s texts were the largest portion of all of it. It was all him being a large mess, apologizing over and over. Katsuki groaned and put his phone down. Then remembered he forgot to check the time and checked that.
It was 10 in the morning. They’d be in English with Present Mic right then. It was close to moving onto Japanese, though. Basically, it was going to be almost halfway through the day that Katsuki would get into class. This was going to be the first day in forever that he missed school, but he figured he had both a reason and a scapegoat of no one pounding on his door this morning.
Which was strange- because Four Eyes always pounded on his door.
In his spacing out a new notification buzzed into his phone. It was Shitsei.
Erasershit: Tell us when you’re awake. You’re excused from school today, and a formal investigation has been started on your mother. Best Jeanist has a heavy hand in it.
Katsuki doesn’t know if it was intentional for the text to basically be a vague debrief about last night. Either way, he was slowly grasping onto a memory of Masaru mentioning therapy and how he was going to be out of a job.
He groaned and decided this could be decided after a shower. He grabbed his shower kit and left for downstairs, deciding to put it all off for just a little bit longer.
Katsuki stared at the man across from him, who looked even less awake than usual despite the fact that it was 1 o’clock in the afternoon.
”Alright, Bakugo. I’ve alerted Best Jeanist that you’re awake, you’re going to be talking to Tsukauchi.. at some point. Masaru is in the middle of telling your mother, I think.” Aizawa said- more like muttering. He leaned further back into his chair.
It felt weird being in Aizawa’s office again- especially because the last time he was in here he had been interrogated. It didn’t make him feel any more willing to talk, in fact it felt like he shouldn’t be talking at all.
”Uhhuh.” Katsuki hummed.
Aizawa looked done with him already. “You’ll have the rest of the day off, mostly because of all of the processing that is about to go through your life right now. Hakamada is going to offer something, I suggest you take it. You don’t have to, but I’ve seen your relationship with the Midoriya’s and it’s messy at best.”
He had absolutely no idea what Aizawa was talking about, but he still nodded like he completely understood.
Aizawa’s phone buzzed and he slowly looked at it. “Hm, that’s your father. Said that we might as well call the cops right now. Such a headache..”
”The fuck is wrong with Masaru?” Katsuki asked, immediately trying to reach for Aizawa’s phone. He got batted away by a hand, but he didn’t let that stop him from reaching.
”Nothing, nothing. He requested that Hakamada come with him, so he’s probably fine. It was through the... group text. Which means that Hakamada’ll be there in a second, if he isn’t already. It’s fine.” Aizawa sighed, and muttered something about coffee under his breath.
”However, if you haven’t eaten, it’s absolutely likely they’ll take more than 2 hours there. So there’s nothing that can be done now. In fact, depending on how your mother acts… this may be a multi-day process.. Half the class was worried out of their mind, you should probably check on them during lunch.”
He got leveled with a glare that felt amazingly forceful. It pushed against his fragile mental state in an uncomfortable way, so he scoffed and looked to the side. “Fucking whatever. Fine. Shitty ass-” He cut himself off, keeping himself completely turned away.
”Think about it, Bakugo. Now, off with you. I think Hound Dog would appreciate it if you talked to him. Unofficial or not.” Aizawa waved him off, turning and starting to reach into a file cabinet.
Katsuki was about 80 percent sure that he wasn’t actually reaching for anything in there, but he got the message and he got up. No point staying if Aizawa didn’t specifically say anything about if he had any questions.
The walk to Growler’s office was strange, it raised a weird anxiety that was completely separated from the idea that he was going to talk to a therapist. He thought for a moment about the start of him going to Hound Dog, how he would stomp throughout the halls like a man on a mission with a plan to ignore the man for an entire hour. How later, he felt anxiety every time he knew he was going this direction. However now, it felt familiar.
Katsuki pushed through it until he was at the door again. These doors and their feeling of crossing a boundary that he could never come back from. Damn them all to hell. He pushed the door open after only a few more seconds of waiting, knowing that if anything Hound Dog would let him ignore things.
”Give me a moment.” Growler said, in the middle of shuffling through files. He looked up after a second and stopped. “Oh, hello Bakugo.”
”Stop with the formal shit, Growler.” Katsuki grouched, immediately sitting in his chair and grabbing a fidget off of the coffee table.
”Right, right.” Growler said conversationally, even though the look on his face was still a little worried. “You worried me quite a bit, you know. Thought I was about to lose a regular.”
”You know you don’t get paid for this shit, right?”
”Potato-e potato-h.” Growler said, “You’d be surprised how a common client becomes a part of your schedule. Especially after all these months.”
”Stop being all sentimental and feelings-y and shit. Sit the fuck doownn, I’m fine.” Katsuki rolled over in the chair, putting a little stress on his ribs with the new position but not at all caring.
”Hm.” Growler said in a way he hadn’t since the first few sessions, in that exact therapist “I’m writing that down” tone.
”Bitch.” Katsuki barked, rolling around to the other side so he wasn’t looking at Growler and was instead facing the chair.
”That’s original.” He said, amused.
”You know what else is original? My fist in your face. Huh? Huh? Ever consider that?”
”No, actually, that’s not very original at all.”
Katsuki groaned loudly and dramatically, rolling around in the chair like he was trying to writhe out of it. “Hero ass bitch.”
”That’s not original either.”
”Go take a shit in the yard, Growler Boy. You’re acting like you have something up your ass.” He stopped rolling to stare at the ceiling.
Growler didn’t react to that, but he could feel the disappointment radiating from his side of the room without even having to look over there. It didn’t hurt like it would have for the past month.
”You know this is what you signed up for as a therapist, people bitching at you 24/7.” Katsuki said- not carefully, not slowly. It was just a fact.
”In your opinion that’s what I signed up for. It’s not what I was originally trying to do, and you seem to be forgetting my role as head of student discipline as well.”
”You can’t do shit, bitch. I haven’t done nothing.” Katsuki said with a roll of his eyes.
”You mean how you’ve been threatening me, and swearing at me for the last 5 minutes at a constant?”
”See? Nothing.” He said, completely sure that this was just Growler teasing.
Growler sighed with a shake of his head, an action that Katsuki was very familiar with but felt closer to Best Jeanist’s amused one rather than Mitsuki’s disappointed one.
Katsuki snickered. He was glad he came around here, it was untangling the ball of nerves in his chest.
When Masaru and Best Jeanist came around after going to their house, Katsuki could immediately tell that something was going on. And something serious, if the way that Best Jeanist was acting protective of Masaru like he did victims of whatever villain they had been saved from.
Either way, Katsuki was immediately on edge and was tired of this conversation from the moment it started.
Masaru took a large breath in, ”Okay, Katsuki.. I’m going to start this by saying that I love you very much and that this doesn’t change that-”
”I’m done- what the fuck are you about to say? No- nothing, not at all, nope. Shut up. I don’t need to hear how you’re going to a fucking inpatient or whatever the fuck you’re about to say- no-”
”That’s not what he’s saying.” Best Jeanist cut him off. To his own surprise, he shut up. Maybe it was the protectiveness, it reminded him of when they were out patrolling. That was it.
”I’m.. I was working with your mother, that was my job. I may have a good chunk of funds but I am going to be out of a job, I’m going to be homeless- most likely -and staying with your aunt. Now.. I was reading the texts you sent in and out, along with your mother.. you don’t have a good relationship with Izuku.”
Katsuki was so done, crossing his arms and turning away immediately. He didn’t need to listen to this shitty ass angst fest.
”So.. me and Hakamada talked- and if you don’t want this, it’s fine. But.. he’s probably a better choice for you to stay with, for a while. He’s already said he’s fine with it.. and..”
”I’ve already acted as your guardian in an official capacity. I would be at least a little familiar with what I’m dealing with, and I was ready to do it in the first place before Masaru wasn’t completely labeled as a non-problem.” Best Jeanist- Hakadama cut in, diplomatic and logical as always.
They were talking like they had a long, long conversation about it. It felt like it was already decided. The way Masaru had started the conversation made sense now, in the worst way possible. But at the same time.. visiting Hakamada had been like visiting home for a while. Most of the mornings were filled with following him around the fashion part of his agency, being talked about like a shadow that had attached itself to Best Jeanist.
He remembered taking down villains and going out to dinner after, Hakamada listening pleasantly when Katsuki went on a rant about his diet and how he only liked spicy things because everything else was sissy. He remembered being listened to when he bitched about a way a certain client talked to Hakamada, and how he barely ever told him to quiet down- or that he was weak- or-
”It doesn’t have to-” Masaru started, but was cut off by Hakamada.
”Let the boy think. He’s deciding by himself.” He said simply, not angrily even with Masaru.
Katsuki nodded. He immediately nodded at that because even how he told people to shut up was kind and with explanation. Not loudly, not admonishing. And.. if he was honest even just staying with Izuku on the weekends, in that tiny ass apartment.. felt weird. He was sure that Masaru could get an apartment but.. being in such a small space with the man- and how he’d change without Mitsuki over his shoulder like he had- he didn’t want to be apart of that. It was messy for Katsuki himself, he didn’t want to know how much more it would be for his dad.
Masaru deflated. “Okay, okay. Uhm- I’ll be giving Hakamada my number, but- but you have mine, right?”
Katsuki nodded again, making a “why wouldn’t I?” face at him.
”Right. Okay. This is great, but- the courts-” He turned to Hakamada.
”They’ll be dealt with. I have an income, and connections.” Hakamada said like a promise, his eyes narrowing in threat.
Masaru nodded, “Great. Amazing. Okay, I’m.. I’m going to go sit down.” He said as he walked slowly as if he would stumble towards a nearby seat.
There was a small moment of silence as his father walked away. Katsuki took the moment to stare at the man. He looked a lot worse than Katsuki had ever seen him. There were actual bruises forming along his arms and face, but they all seemed like glance blows. Nothing serious, no matter how deep the eyebags were bruising his face.
Suddenly there was a voice breaking him out of thought as soon as his father sat down. ”Hopefully you didn’t feel pressured. This was not a decision made before you had input.” Hakamada said as he turned to Katsuki.
”Fuck you, you think I can feel pressured? Sissy.” Katsuki scoffed, turning away from him.
”Hmm, just because you don’t think you can doesn’t mean anything. This is not only a convenient thing, Bakugo. I enjoy your company, and I would like to see you grow. If that means taking you in, well, that’s just a plus.”
Katsuki didn’t look away, because there was no reason to be shy. Absolutely no reason, and he wasn’t shy in the first place. Not at all.
Hakamada chuckled, “I thought that I’ve been telling you these things. Well, I suppose not. For future reference, could I call you Katsuki? It’s slightly strange to call someone by their family name when you’re taking a family case.”
Katsuki nodded, because that was logical and if Hakamada was going to be legally taking him in it might as well happen at some point.
”Alright, you can call me whatever you like, for the record.”
Katsuki chose not to respond, because calling someone who was about to become basically family by their hero name was strange.
Light interrogations from every single person he spoke to was how he lived his life for the next week. And no matter how quickly things were moving or how how many important people were involved…. they still took a month after everything happened to have the court date. Right in the middle of all of his exams, while the brats were being hit over the head the most was when he was going to be entering court to testify against his mother.
Going about things the legal way was degrading in every sense of the word. Mitsuki still had money, she had a lot of business accounts and she was big in the industry. But her lawyers were going up against one of the biggest in the industry and the number two hero.
At the same time, however, was how much Hakamada had started taking him out to “bond” as he said it was. Masaru was there often, but not amazingly frequently, and it seemed just like always. Masaru made things more awkward, actually. He knew nothing about Katsuki beyond what he had seen in the texts that were never actually him and what his grades were like.
One such occasion had brought them to one of Hakamada’s favorite nabe places. The conversation was stilted, awkward and had too many pauses in the middle of topics. And then Masaru left for the bathroom.. or whatever he was doing.
And Katsuki, in all of his great wisdom, was opening his big fat mouth and letting anything come out again. “I’m fucking glad he’s actually trying, but goddamn it’s like he’s trying to forget all the shit he’s done. He’s already done fucked up, he can back the hell off for a little bit.” He grumbled.
”Hmm, I’ve actually been seeing it more as him making sure I’m a good pick.” Hakamada said, diplomatically as always. It was said so simply, but it gave Katsuki a moment to pause from shifting his food around.
That.. that was a good point, actually. Masaru had decided that Hakamada would be a better choice, and now that he thought about it he realized that his dad probably didn’t have a logical reason for that. He was trying to build up an idea of what Hakamada was like.. so he wasn’t just handing Katsuki off to the highest bidder type shit.
”Huh.” Katsuki said, because he didn’t really have a response to that.
”And I don’t know if you’re aware of how many times adults talking behind your back has worked for you.” Hakamada continued. Again so, so simply. Like it was just reality and Katsuki could have seen it easily… and he supposed he could have seen that easily, sure. But it was such a shift in perspective it threw him off balance.
”He’s trying his best to make sure I’m a good pick, while actively listening to your opinion by watching how you interact with me. He’s trying his best to make sure you’re not getting the worst. He’s not just deciding that I’m the number two hero and that’s all he needs to know.”
Katsuki couldn’t really respond to that if he wanted to. It was just too different of a perspective than the one he had seconds ago, one that implied Masaru cared so much more than it had always felt like… but he had cried when Katsuki told him that he loved him. He had gotten that phone, too.. all on the same day. All because he was close to getting out of that house.
Katsuki shoved noodles in his mouth as he tried to ignore the fact that he was blaming his dad less.
When Masaru came back out it was like he could tell there was a shift in the enviornment. He paused a few feet away and looked between the two of them suspiciously, before continuing on like nothing happened and sitting down.
After that, conversations passed a little easier. He did suppose not glaring at the most nervous guy in the room made everything a little easier. Until that point, though.. everything was absolutely deserved. Even if he was suddenly making all of this turn around, everything was absolutely deserved.
The class wasn’t in the know. Not even Kirishima knew, no one knew. It was the safest thing for him, people only knew that Aizawa had to step in one day after his mom visited. And even that was kept to the brats that called themselves the Bakusquad. Nobody knew that he had a court date in a few weeks, nobody knew that the reason he started checking his phone at a notification immediately was because he was fearing a change in the case that would send him right back to Mitsuki. Nobody even knew why Shitsei never told him off for doing so, even if there were complaints.
Until Izuku came up to him the moment classes let out one day.
Katsuki hadn’t spoken to him since that shitty day where he ran off for a pitiful few hours. The last interaction either of them had was Izuku sending him flurries of apology messages. Neither of them had spoken. Izuku was breaking this.. normalcy, so it was probably for a pretty big reason. A reason that Katsuki didn’t want to listen to at all.
But, even with all of that, he let Izuku pull him away and into a secluded place after class. He waved off the brats, watched Izuku reassure his little friends that he was fine, and they walked away from class to next to some lockers just a few hallways over.
”I.. uhm…. my mom was talking about- uh, needing to make sure the hospital was fine for her uhm- when she was going to be in court for you, in a few weeks.” Izuku stuttered out, wringing his hands and looking nervous as always- well, not as always. He’d been getting more confident as the year went on, and this was a weird time to return to nervous Deku rather than Izuku, the UA student.
”Fucking yeah? I have court after tests, Deku. What about it?”
”Everything’s okay, then? You- you stole All Might’s keycard. You used to want to be exactly like him, and you were stealing something from him I knew it was a lot- and then I heard the bakusquad talking about how your mom had visited, and you hadn’t come back and-”
”Shut up!” Katsuki barked, already done with the rambling and not wanting to let him go on longer. “I couldn’t keep my fucking mouth shut, so when I complained at my mom for being her- I did it in front of Shitsei, and then Hakamada-”
Izuku piped up, “Hakamada? That’s Best Jeanist, right? Why are you on a real name basis with Best Jeanist? Is he- he’s one of the people on the case, right? What’s happening with that? I know Uncle Masaru is staying over for a while, but I figured you were coming along, too-”
”My dad.. he talked to Best Jeanist, and apparently he just decided he was too fucked up to want to keep me.” Katsuki said bitterly.
Izuku gasped, actually speechless for one of the only times in his life. The look on his face reminded him of Middle School.
”So, they talked.. and.. shit, they know that we’re not fucking best buds anymore, and Hakamada had apparently already been ready to take custody of me if dad was an asshole, too. So they just decided he would be best. ‘Cuz my dad’s going to be going through therapy now, fucking now of all times when he could’ve been going earlier.”
”Kacchan, I’m so sorry..” Izuku muttered.
”And I like Hakamada, sure. He’s been the only adult to really.. take an interest in me? Not just my quirk. There’s Shitsei, but he’s my fucking teacher and he’s paid to do that shit, same with Growler.. but Hakamada? Sure, I was interning under him but.. that doesn’t always mean that someone will want to put up with my ass all the time. Fucker’s weird.”
”You’re great, Kacchan! I’m- I’m sure he cares for you, and I’m sure he’ll be great for you. I mean, we really haven’t had that great of a relationship, so it’s understandable…”
Katsuki didn’t know why he trailed off instead of rambling again, but maybe it was the look on his face. Even so, he didn’t have a chance to speak before Izuku was changing track into a different angle.
”Kacchan, I’m sure they’re making this decision because they think it’s the best for you?..” Izuku sounded unsure of this, like he didn’t know if he should be saying this specifically. It was almost strange to see him so unsure.
”Right.” Katsuki deadpanned, trying his best to make his tone as dead as he physically could.
”Uncle Masaru is doing this because he doesn’t think he would be better for you then Best- then Hakamada could be.” Izuku tried again, his eyebrows furrowed in something like confusion. Like he was almost worried.
He kept the same tone.”I’m sure that’s what you think is going on.”
”He’s not trying to get rid of you. Aunt- uhm- Mitsuki didn’t like- break you. You’re not broken.”
”You think I don’t fucking know that?” Katuski growled, trying his best to be so aggressive that Izuku wouldn’t question it. To seem so sure of himself that there could be no other reality.
”Kacchan..” Izuku muttered, something pitiful in his voice and too soft of a look in his eye.
Katsuki scoffed and turned around. He was going to go about his somewhat-new but still somewhat-normal routine. Not that it would be too interrupted, he usually used this time to talk to the brats.
Izuku was silent as Katsuki walked away, and while leaving he didn’t turn around- he knew that the look that angered him in the first place stayed there stubbornly. That Izuku still had that pitiful look on his face, and it wasn’t going to be leaving.
The court day came and passed. Mitsuki was charged with enough years in prison that Katsuki knew there was no possibility of her getting out before he had his life together. The case itself took a month, neatly ending just at the time that Katsuki would be getting out of school for break. During said break, Katsuki had to move in with Hakamada.
Furniture was bought, luggage was moved, and hobbies were discussed. Lots of hobbies were discussed. Hakamada insisted that he get into something that was beyond hero work if he could, to try to find passions beyond what would make him money. Katsuki was given an entire room to try to figure out what he was going to do.
How willing Hakamada was to change his own space to accommodate Katsuki and.. everything that connected to him was honestly overwhelming.
More money then Katsuki had ever seen spent on things other than business was thrown willy nilly, even with fashion season going on. Which Katsuki was absolutely not forced to go to, but he did. It was almost immediately a scandal for Bakugo Katsuki to be next to Best Jeanist instead of near the other Bakugo’s- which was immediately connected to how none of their models were at the event that year, either.
Court proceedings were leaked. Hakamada tried his best to do damage control, in an almost frenzied manner did he work with his agents- but it was useless. The story hit many major headlines, the son of a popular fashion agency appearing with the top fashion agency of one of the top three heroes was going to cause a stir in the first place. The popular fashion agency not being at the event at all while the son was there caused an even greater stir.
It led to many nights in, and a lot of texting for Katsuki. Not that he exactly wanted to explain everything, but “a lot of texting” over any break constituted at minimum 3 conversations before things got weird. Kirishima got a minimal explanation, where he was then told that he could tell about half to the others in the group, and to make sure that Kaminari didn’t flap his lips to Jirou.
Izuku was also an active texter at this point, as well as Katsuki’s own father. Both of them were the same kind of small talk, the same kind of just polite checking in. Masaru was definitely awkward about it at the start, stilted in a way that only came from the fact that they didn’t really know themselves without Mitsuki hanging over them, much less knowing each other during these times. Izuku had tried to get into more serious topics a few times, but quickly learned when Katsuki kept leaving him on read. That kind of growth would be left to being with Hound Dog, not the nerd.
Katsuki got settled into Hakamada’s house, and quickly enough did he get used to the buzzing of Hakamada’s busy life right along and next to his. He was right next to Hakamada a lot of the time, as they were both using the opportunity to extend his work study with Best Jeanist just for more time with one another, something that had gone through Aizawa to get the school’s permission for.
Katsuki was also there for much of the fashion side of Best Jeanist’s business. He looked over sketches from Best Jeanist’s artists, helped manage and socialize with the models, and was just generally getting adopted into Best Jeanist’s social sphere. Minus all the interviews, though Hakamada wasn’t spared from those.
Katsuki tried his best to not pay any attention at all to those interviews. Hakamada never said anything negative, but some of those companies definitely preferred- or were paid out by -Mitsuki or her agents. It was just better for his peace of mind to let go of all of that.
But with all of this time around artists- and not in fact in the modelling spot -Katsuki was getting ideas. He himself had designed his hero suit, so it wouldn’t really matter all that much if he drew something for Best Jeanist’s spring collection.. right? That was the next ollection, even though it was winter season.
So Katsuki dug through his boxes and grabbed one of his sketch books, the one he used for designing. There were also designs for Jirou, Ashido, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari’s hero outfits, but those would likely never be seen. Except for maybe Ashido, who needed more protection in general…
He could save that for another year, however. There were going to be plenty of collections, and he should ask.. probably Kirishima first if he even wanted to get something based off of his hero outfit. Especially since it was only their second year, and hero outfits were bound to change.
He was mulling over these thoughts partially as most of his attention shifted over to the sketchbook underneath him. The pencil he was using was sharpened to perfection, comfortable and familiar in his hands. He didn’t have any music playing, mostly due to the fact that it was usually quiet in Hakamada’s house.
He got lost in the scratch of pencil graphite on paper, on the ideas of what should go into the design. He kept on going and going, erasing and drawing- until a knock on his door. He blinked, checking the time to see if it was a part of the schedule or something happened. It was around dinner time.. already?
Katsuki hid away the sketchbook almost immediately, and hurried over to go grab dinner. It was quite honestly strange that Hakamada had the chance to make dinner instead of Katsuki himself making it, just a testament to how distracted he had gotten in developing that design. He wondered why Hakamada hadn’t come in to check on him.
”Dinner’s ready if you’d like,” Hakamada greeted when Katsuki opened the door. He was taking a few steps away from the door but lingering just enough for Katsuki to fall into step next to him. It was natural after living with him for these few months- even if the first couple months had been awkward.
”Yeah, right. Thanks.” Katsuki mumbled, closing the door behind him before that falling into step. He tried his best to not look too awkward, but his mind was still swirling on that design proposition and it was extremely embarrassing to think about.
Tsunagu gave him a glance but not much else, not bringing up anything else as they both filed into the kitchen to grab their food. It was mostly silent for the first few minutes as they both began to get into their food.
”Sakamata reached out today, apparently all of the media finally reached him.” Tsunagu started conversationally, not asking if anything was wrong. It calmed Katsuki down a small amount, like a reminder that this wasn’t either of his parents.
”You’re getting under rocks at this point with all of the PR bullshit? Kind of impressive, for you know.. what you are.” Katsuki vaguely gestured towards the area around Tsunagu, but not directly at him, with his chopsticks.
Tsunagu shook his head, letting out a breath like he wasn’t trying to not laugh. The small roll of his eyes was everything Katsuki needed to see to stop himself from visibly preening. Tsunagu couldn’t quite keep a small smile off of his face, however. He looked up to Katsuki to continue, “Right, right. You do know he’s been out on a long-term mission, right?.. Actually, he’s supposedly meant to still be on it.. now.”
”Oh, so he’s desperate.” Katsuki responded immediately, leaning back into his seat.
”Or he’s worried you know, it’s not every day that one of your oldest friends gets a teenager.” He corrected, just a little bit too much amusement filling his voice at how mean Katsuki was being.
”I’m the most important hero in training, thank you. Not just “A teenager”, Hakamada. You really should just get it right at this point.”
”Right. He’s just interested in the fact that I have The Most Important Hero in Training, uhhuh. Well, I guess I have to get to the point here. Do you think you’re settled in enough to have someone come over yet?”
Katsuki tried his best to not let his face twist into something distrustful, but he still wasn’t good at all of the “emotional vulnerability with no warning” thing. But again before he could speak, Tsunagu was speaking again.
”It can just be uncomfortable having someone around while you’re still just barely unpacked, Katsuki. I know I’d hate it.” Tsunagu had this amazing ability of being able to say things like that like they were facts or something about how he felt about the weather. It never felt massively important, especially with how he was putting a bite of food into his mouth after he said it.
”..I’m settled, fucker. Absolutely nothing needs to be done,” Katsuki refused, looking down and pushing his food around like he could hide behind it. Not that he fully trusted that idea in the first place, not that he believed it would work. It was, however, still an attempt.
There was a small amount of silence where Hakamada stared at Katsuki like he could break him, like he would say something that held more truth just because of a mean glare. As more time passed and Katsuki didn’t break, Tsunagu let out a sigh. “Alright, Katsuki. I’ll speak more to Sakamata about coming over. I’ll try to brief him on everything that the public has already found out at this point, just so I don’t feel like I’m repeating myself too much.”
Katsuki stayed looking down at his food, not wanting to respond to that. He was at the very least a little relieved that Tsunagu had turned the blame on himself rather than blaming it on Katsuki. Though it was probably for his sake.
They spent the rest of dinner in companionable silence, only the sounds of utensils clacking against plates to be heard.
Katsuki had been leaning over this sketchbook for days on end, even as he followed Hakamada around his agency. The only time it was ever put away was when he was on patrol, but he had decreased hours due to his age. He had taken his free time to sit in the designer’s rooms of the nearby building that was used for Best Jeanist’s modelling company. Because he had an entire company, and he was the public figure head of it.
He had found exactly one person to ask for advice on his design, and many days were spent whispering back and forth about tiny things about the design. Lunch breaks weren’t as sacred, and as time was passing the designer had to focus more on their own sketches and.. designing.
He was staring at the page much too late at night when his phone buzzed. He groaned and snatched it off of his desk, staring at the notification. Kaminari was saying something in the group chat.
Pikachu: ijau but hear me out we go to a corner store and do it there
Kikkoman Face: okay*
dude we get kicked out every time we’re together in any of the nearby corner stores.
i still have the bruises from last time
Bakugo Katsuki:Deserved
Pikachu has sent an animated image, it is a picture of a yellow square character sobbing on the floor with rain over the image.
Bakugo Katsuki: I didn’t even have to tell you to cry me a river this time
Pikachu: obviusaly you just tokd mr i deserce tge whorst
Bakugo Katsuki: Usually you spell better than this Pikachu
Snake Eyes: BURNED . we’re going to the arcade instead ykw bakuhoe just decided for us !! mhm mhm
Kikkoman face:ge just told u to get gud btw
Katsuki closed out of the chat before Kaminari could start spamming the chat now that he was getting “ganged up on” or whatever he whined about every time more than one person had to tell him he was wrong.
That was also something somewhat new, the fact that he could respond to the group chat with more frequency. Not that he was ever there for an extremely long time, but the first time he had spoken in the group chat he had gotten a multitude of surprised reactions from everyone. These days it barely got a double glance. Which was telling enough of how little he spoke comparatively between now and then.
But just as he was about to put his phone back and consider going to staring at the sketch, he saw a notification. From Kirishima.
Kirishima Eijirou:Heya dude! We haven’t talked in a while, have you moved in yet? Settled in?
It was the type of small talk that he hated. Casual checking in and worry out of duty rather then care.
Bakugo Katsuki: I’ve had all of my things unpacked for a long time. I’m completely fine.
Kirishima Eijirou: Oh, well that’s good!
Kirishima Eijirou: I may or may be nearby to grab some things from the expensive store near Best Jeanist’s side of town?
Katsuki put his phone down on the desk with some… positive contortion to his face that he had to put a stop to. That fucking dork, what kind of excuse was that? Why was he out this late at night?.. Though he did suppose it was only about 10, it was still odd to be far away from the house…
Bakugo Katsuki: Idiot.
Kirishima Eijirou: Could you come by? I just recently got the money for this and it’s about fashion so I think you’d know it
It's about hair dye.
Bakugo Katsuki: Don’t fucking move. I know where you are, there’s only one good hair dye place around here.
Kirishima Eijirou: You’ve only lived around here for a month?
Bakugo Katsuki: Don’t underestimate me. I know my shit.
Kirishima Eijirou: Ykw, okay bro! I’m staying still!
Katsuki was not smothering down a grin as he got back up to go tell Hakamada he was leaving, no not at all. He didn’t also shove the sketchbook into the inside pocket of his jacket. He wouldn’t need it with him to get Eijirou to look at it or anything.
He wasn’t even really thinking about the fact that it was decently late when he knocked on Hakamada’s door, and when it swung open to the decently awake man himself, how confused he looked didn’t shock Katuski into reality. Katsuki looked the man right in the eyes and asked, “Could I head out? Kirishima’s dumbass is apparently trying to buy hair dye this late at night and apparently “needs my expertise”. Cuz he doesn’t know shit.”
Hakamada squinted at him, and there was a mixed look on his face that reminded Katsuki that he was asking an authority figure to leave while it was late. His heart rate increased slowly as he waited within the silence of the moment.
”Text me if anything happens, don’t make any arrests, you know the underground heroes of the area. Tell them if something is happening if you know one’s nearby, and preferably before me so they’ll get to you faster.” Hakamada lectured, but there wasn’t anything more than a conversational tone. It was a friendly reminder, something to make sure that Katuski hadn’t somehow forgotten.
Katsuki nodded, turning around on his heel to leave. Just as he was about to get out of sight, he heard Hakamada call out.
”I mean it when I say don’t make any arrests!”
”I’ve got you, Hakamada!’ Katsuki called back over his shoulder, before going right through that front door. This time with his authority knowing where he was, and even approving. This was one weird ass house, wasn’t it?
When Katsuki walked into the store, the bell rung quite loud for this time of night. He had failed to mention this was both the best store, and the only one that was open so late. When he had once spoken to one of the workers, he said that they “wanted to make sure that even if inspiration struck late, they’d be there.”
Dumbasses. But honestly, he may be the biggest dumbass here. With the smile that was already just barely on his face- and how it widened just the smallest amount when he and Eijirou locked eyes. Not that Eijirou moved from his place to greet him, no he stayed right there and turned with a wave.
”Hey bro! I haven’t moved an inch since you told me to stay put! Honestly.. I didn’t think you were going to get here that fast.” Eijirou said with an almost sheepish smile on his face, the hand that wasn’t waving coming up behind his head.
”Idiot.” Katsuki grumbled. Instead of trying to talk him out of it, he walked over and shoved him by the shoulder. It caused Eijirou to stumble, which moved him at least an inch. Katsuki just continued on, stepping into the place the red haired boy had been just moments before. “You need bleach, right? Do you have a preferred brand, or are you really just fumbling?”
Eijirou had a small pout on his face, shuffling towards Katsuki’s side like he could get back into the spot. It left them weirdly close together. “I’m kind of completely fuckin’ blind, dude. I don’t know any of these brands.” He grumbled.
Katsuki sighed, surveying over the brands and trying to remember the chemicals in each one. He knew the main chemicals in most of the brands, but not as much as he would really like to know to help Eijirou. “What was the brand you used most?”
”...Generic?” Eijirou said slowly, momentarily pausing his shuffling into Katsuki’s side. He was tensed up like he had just committed a mortal sin, wich Katsuki kind of guessed he was right for assuming. Because he was right. Just using generic hair bleach was a sin.
He sighed in frustration this time- more of a huff, and pinched his nose bridge for a moment. “Fine, fine. Thin or thick? When you use hair dye, specifically, does your hair respond more to the pastes, or the ones you mix?”
”Thick, and mix.” Was the quick response, like he was happy to finally have an answer.
”Right, okay. Here you go, dumbass.” With careful precision of only moving one foot, he grabbed the correct bleach and red hair dye combo without letting Eijirou back into the spot. He was glad they placed the products so close together.
..And then he turned and walked towards the register. Eijirou was following behind him in moments, making confused sounds and fluttering around behind him. Well, confused reactions, there was words, and there was awkward hand movements as well.
Katsuki placed the dye and bleach down, waving away Eijirou with the hand that wasn’t taking out his wallet. He nodded in acknowledgment to the cashier when he was greeted, and ignored the increasingly confused and now slightly panicked sounds behind him.
And moments later he was walking out while shoving the bag into Eijirou’s chest. He made sure there was a grimace on his face while he passed Eijirou, not wanting him to think he was doing this because he cared. It was convenient, he knew that Eijirou couldn’t have been able to do that as smoothly as he could.
”Come on. I’ll help you put the dye on. It’s fucking annoying looking at your shoddy dye job.” Katsuki grouched to try to rouse Eijirou into moving. It wasn’t too annoying usually, he wasn’t usually anywhere close enough to Eijirou’s head to see how he was doing it himself. However, during training?.. Eijirou’s tendency to try to get in close was the first strike and how he gelled his hair up was the second. His roots were exposed, and if Katsuki had the chance to make sure he wasn’t going to have to look at that too closely he would.”..What?” Eijirou said, his tone oddly high pitched and awkward.
Katsuk side-eyed him to make sure he didn’t look too scared. He only looked confused, and the normal amount of scared when he was doing something new. Good enough for him. “Your roots, Shitty hair. Isn’t that why you wanted the dye? I can tell you’ve been putting it off because of the break.”
”..Right, right. Sorry, dude. How far away is your new place? Will Hakamada be fine with me being there? It is.. kind of late. My moms were gone and I got distracted, and then it was the best place nearby that was open that wasn’t a gas station-”
”Shut up, Kirishima. It’s not too far, Hakamada was fine with me leaving, and I’m sure if we use the guest bathroom he won’t even have to hear the shower. He’s fine.” Katsuki was going to intentionally fail to mention that he wasn’t going to ask. Hakamada had told him it was fine to bring friends over whenever during breaks.. Katsuki made sure that Eijirou couldn’t see how he was taking out his phone to text his guardian.
”Are you sure? I don’t want him to get mad with you.” Eijirou fretted, but he was quickly losing steam.
Katsuki quickly typed out an update text, and immediately muttered to Eijirou. ”I’m fucking sure, dipshit.”
”Right, right.. okay..” Was the response.
Bakugo Katsuki: I’m bringing Kirishima over to get his dye done, we’ll be on the other side of the apartment with the guest bathroom.
Hakamada Tsunagu: That’s fine. I’ll be going to bed soon. It’s late, and I know he lives quite a bit far away. The trains will stop soon.
Bakugo Katsuki: So he’ll probably have to stay over?
Hakamada Tsunagu: Yes.
When they both arrived to the building- not the apartment, but the building, Katsuki was already resisting the urge to shove Eijirou. There were stars in his eyes, and while he was still moving he definitely looked impressed. Not that Katsuki didn’t understand the urge, but he had been to so many fancy places in his life that they had lost their shine. He walked faster, trying to get them all through the lobbies before someone saw him.
”Dude.. this place is sick. I know your old house wasn’t.. too big, I don’t think.. but this place is.. huge.” Eijirou said in awe.
”Yeah, yeah. It’s just a bunch of penthouses, Hakamada has to move regularly between houses due to how high up the rankings he is, though he has a floor to himself in his agency. That’s supposedly only used during emergencies.” Katsuki explained, trying to not sound bitter. But Eijirou should probably know just in case he wanted to show up again and got confused by the difference in location.
Eijirou didn’t sound unimpressed, ”..Wow. That’s a lot.”
Katsuki didn’t respond, instead grabbing Eijirou’s arm and dragging him into the elevator. He closed his eyes in annoyance for a moment at the “ohhh” that Eijirou let out. He had to open them again to press the button to the floor and press the keycard where it needed to go.
”..You.. have got a lot.” Eijirou said slowly.
”Nowadays, yeah. My parents had been funneling all the money back into the business, last I remember they were talking about hiring a few people with the new popularity, and it’s not like we had scholarships then. We also had a house in mustafu, with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.”
”..So, only a decent bit of change.. not a lot.. got.. got it.”
”Shut up, Kirishima. Come on.” Katsuki growled just as the doors opened. He still had his hold on the other boy’s arm, so he was dragging him right along through the small hallway. He ignored the hushed exclaimed worries, and quickly decided the bathroom was the best first place.
They probably wouldn’t make too much sound, especially if Eijirou kept on not realising how big their house was and how muffled the sound was by design. Hakamada had always had them in, saying that he’d rather wager against neighbors hearing something then be able to hear more of his house. Katsuki had not at all been mad when he had heard that, knowing that any late night waking wouldn’t cause a commotion because of his quirk going off.
Katsuki put his free hand into a fist for a moment, tightening as much as he could to try to squeeze that thought process out. The bathroom door quickly approached as he ignored more of Eijirou’s pleas for explanation. Katsuki gave a single glance towards the black roots on the other boy’s head and shook his head. Then, he pushed both of them into the bathroom. It wasn’t as cramped as it would’ve been in either of their houses just a few months ago, instead it was spacious- even if there was still only the toilet seat and the lip of the bathtub to sit on.
Katsuki finally let go of Eijirou and actually tuned back into his words, giving an unimpressed stare to try to spur the boy into action.
“Dude, are we even sure?- I mean..” Eijirou trailed off, looking at him strangely like he was only now processing what was happening as well.
Katsuki gave a pointed glance down to the bag with dye, held close to Eijirou’s chest. That seemed to finally connect the dots in the numb skull up there, as the boy jolted and started pulling everything out and putting it on the nearby counter.
Katsuki turned towards the nearby closet, pulling out a small plastic bowl and after another glance plastic gloves and hair ties. That should be enough. He set it down just as Eijirou was staring at his own items like he was trying to remember what else he needed.
”Oh, thanks dude! I was just thinking about that!.. Do we not have a brush?”
Katsuki shrugged, reaching over to grab the bleach to check the instructions over just in case he had forgotten something. “It’s easier to do it with your hands. Unless you for some reason need to bitch?”
”No, no that’s fine! That’s- that’s fine.” Eijirou reassured. Katsuki ignored the waves of flustered energy coming off of him, which hadn’t at all calmed down since they had been in the elevator. In fact it was just getting worse.
”Alright, I’ll get this mixed so it can develop, go fuck with your phone or something. Don’t message the goddamn groupchat, it’ll just get fuckin’ weird with my phone going off.” Katsuki ordered, waving Eijirou off into the corner.
Eijirou!:DUDES BAKUBRO INSISTED ON HELPING ME BLEACH MY HAIR
Queenie: RGLIUDTIH WHEN WERE U W BAKUHOE
Chargebolt: WJJJJJJB!
WIN!
Eijirou!:HE SENT ME OFF TO THE CORNER WHILE HE PREPARES The Chemicals
HIS HOUSE IS A FUCKING PENTHOUSE NOW?? THIS BATHROOM HAS ENOUGH SPACE FOR MAYBE THREE PEOPLE TO BE IN HERE COMFORTABLY
Scotch:lh shit bro is getting acts of serviced
Chargebolt:Yeah idk boiut you but my mans going out of ihs wasy to help me dying my metaphorical hair would mke me pass out
Queenie:have u considered telling him
Eijirou!: his life is so hectic queenie! I can’t do that to bro he deserves more than me rushing
Scotch: isn’t bro supposed to be muted for saying something like that
Chargebolt: blocked!
Eijirou!: GUYS
bros he isn’t gonna even use a brush to put the dye on my head . i may not be able to keep my cool
Scotch:dye perhaps
Eijirou!:im gonna smile like an idiot sero
Scotch:Like always?
Chargebolt:either he’s comitted sewerslide or kacchan unalived him
Scotch:the notifications will get *us* unalived denki stfu
Eijirou!: the dye is in bros!! Bakubro keeps glaring at my phone. he isn’t onto me tho I got this
Queenie: r u gonna stay over u think? i’m in the middle of my night routine, soo
Eijirou!: yeah probably
Queenie:you should ask
Eijirou!: he said yes… apparently I’m going to be borrowing his clothes?
Scotch: gay
Chargebolt: bitch? what is this hypocrisy
Scotch: it’s gayer to kiss the homies goodnight, denki
”Kirishima.” Bakugo interrupted calmly, jolting Eijirou out of his attempt to put together enough thoughts to send another text. He didn’t sound as annoyed as he usually would to find Eijirou on his phone, but he supposed that was because they were usually studying.
“Yeah, Bakubro?” Eijirou asked as he looked over, cocking his head to the side. He tried to study Bakugo’s face just in case Bakugo was in fact annoyed, and he just hadn’t quite caught onto that fact yet.
”You need to get the bleach out. It’s been long enough.” He gestured over towards the tub. The very fancy tub, that Eijirou was quickly realising he had no comparison for in his own life. …Could you choose the exact temperature of that water?
Eijirou however got up to try to look at it, even if he knew how useless it would be in the long run. It took maybe a few seconds of standing there stock still- trying to use as many context clues and assumptions as he could to fully figure this thing out -before Bakugo was moving right past him and turning knobs and pulling levers.
”Goddamn, Shitty Hair, it’s a fucking shower. It won’t kill you.” He grouched, his eyes resolutely on his task as always. Eijirou took the moment to watch him work, not really paying attention to what he was doing, mostly how he was doing it.
The shower spurred to life, and Bakugo pulled away and shook his arms off. Then, Eijirou’s arm was suddenly grabbed and shoved into the stream. It was a nice temperature, even though it was a lot colder than he’d usually shower in. Just warm enough to not feel cold, but again barely a shiver when Eijirou pulled his arm away.
Eijirou turned towards Bakugo, smiling wide to show how thankful he was. “Thanks, dude! I don’t think I could’ve worked the same magic on that contraption!”
Bakugo nodded a little, but kept his eyes off of him. The action always looked so embarrassed to Eijirou, like he was almost sheepish about doing good things for other people. It was really sweet, even if it was still a little sad nowadays.
Bakugo turned away completely, eyebrows furrowed just the smallest amount. He grumbled “Go fuckin.. wash your hair, dipshit. The bleach is already doing enough damage.”
Eijirou looked over to Bakugo for a second to make sure he was still turned around before taking off his shirt. It would be a lot easier if he didn’t have to worry about getting it wet or how much dye would get caught in the fibers. Then, he reached up to grab the shower head- and because it was a rich person’s house, obviously it came straight off -and kneeled over the tub to rinse.
It was hard to hear things, and seeing things was on pause, but he knew Bakugo was doing something. There were barely audible sounds of plastic tapping against plastic, and it took Eijirou a few seconds to realise that Bakugo was stirring the red hair dye. Which was strange, because whenever Eijirou was doing his hair during breaks he usually gave his roots a few days to rest. Bakugo would know to do something like that, wouldn’t he?
He’d give it a second though, maybe ask after he was done getting the bleach out. He moved the shower head around, trying his best to make sure he got every angle he could. He took his free hand and felt around his scalp just once to make sure that everything was out, and then sat up.
He felt a little bit like a wet dog when he put the showerhead back up, that was only accentuated by how he could actually feel his hair on his shoulders. It was an abnormal feeling because of how often he had his hair up.
”Hey, uh,” Eijirou said, raising his voice to be above the sound of the shower. “Could you turn this off? I don’t know how to operate it.. still.”
Bakugo looked over, looking so done. For just a moment, his eyebrows furrowed and he looked down- but then he continued on, walking past Eijirou and making his gestures more obvious as he turned the shower off. “There. Come on, the red is next.”
”Isn’t it too damaging though? Whenever I do it myself, if I can I give my hair a few days in between dyes..” Eijirou trailed off, mostly because of how unsure he was. He honestly trusted Bakugo’s untested knowledge more than he trusted his own practiced knowledge.
”That stuff’s the best ‘cuz it’s been quirk enhanced. Doesn’t do much damage at all, and whatever it does do this dye has conditioner as a part of it. Your hair will be fine.” Bakugo explained grabbing a small dye bowl from behind him on the sink counter. He held it up a little bit, drawing Eijirou’s eyes.
”Yeah, alright… guess I’ll have you trust you, dude.” Eijirou chuckled, settling back down on the lip of the tub. Just like last time with the bleach, Bakugo’s hands were back onto his head within moments. Even with the gloves on his hands, Eijirou’s mind was still freaking out. About the fact that he was in this position, about the lack of complaints, about how it seemed like Katsuki could touch him without reeling back or looking unhappy half the time.
Even if the movement was basically methodical, it still felt special to Eijirou. He was glad that he was allowed to be silent, as he was sure he would be pushing Bakugo too far about naming feelings right in that moment. Because it was perhaps the only thing on his mind.
If you don’t mind this, would you like to not mind me officially?
If you don’t mind this would you mind us holding hands?
If it isn’t too bad could you just smile at me?
But Bakugo didn’t say anything. Eijirou couldn’t decide whether or not he liked that fact. It was keeping him silent, as he wasn’t in the state to start the conversation, but at the same time he itched o say something. There must be some sort of positive feeling there, they had been talking for almost a year now, he was about to stay over at his house goddamnit-
Or should he stop while he’s ahead? He could always just stop his momentum, try to be happy where he was with Bakugo at this point. Stay as a close friend whjo’s allowed to stay over and to share clothes and to dye each other’s hair-
Then there was the crinkle of plastic around his hair as Bakugo tucked it all underneath a caddy. Which meant it was time for the dye to develop. He didn’t even have time to look back before Bakugo had turned around and was setting a timer on his phone. Eijirou took that moment to frown, wishing for that small sliver of increased connection.
He’d probably have to wait, though. There had been a lot of things that ruined that connection for Bakugo. The parents, the new adoptive- or was it foster? -parent.. Eijirou would be here whenever the other boy was ready. Whenever that first sliver of connection was initiated. He would just have to be patient.
Katsuki had sent Eijirou off without even trying to get the other boy to look at his sketchbook. There was something, he didn’t know what, but it was something that stopped him. Maybe it was the appraising look in his eye, maybe it was the way he had fallen completely still and silent when Katsuki had been putting the dye in.
He didn’t know, but now he had no friends give their opinions on his design. He had gotten professional review and assistance, sure, but what about peer review? To make sure that the people in his class wouldn’t see it as some shoddy designer out of touch bullshit? Not that he didn’t think his design was good he knew it was good, it was just the more evidence he had for it the more he could yell it to the mountains.
It was almost the end of the current season, too. He should be showing the design soon if he wanted to get it to Best Jeanist’s standards.. especially because he was going back to school after this week…
Katsuki decided to bring it up after lunch on one of Hakamada’s days off. Lunch, not dinner, because if it went too terribly he could just walk out for a few hours without being worrying. The lunch was tense for him, and silent for the both of them. Katsuki was hunched over his food defensively the entire time, and he could see that Hakamada was sending him concerned glances.
The sketchbook in his jacket pocket felt like an alarmingly obvious weight, even though Katsuki knew it wasn’t. The sketchbook wasn’t even that big, and he had been planning to run off to his room in the middle of the explanation to grab the bigger one to show clearer details. However now, that felt like he was just asking for Hakamada to form opinions while he was gone.
Katsuki waited until they were putting away dishes. Both of them at the same time was strange, in fact they usually didn’t have lunch together, but Hakamada had asked since Katsuki was so close to leaving.
While the last dish was being placed in the dishwasher, he crossed over to the other side of the island. He took out the sketchbook and refused to look over directly at Hakamada while he lightly cleared his throat. The sounds paused, in the way that Katsuki knew that his guardian hadn’t even closed the appliance yet.
Katsuki quickly opened to the page, the final page, and set it down on the island facing Hakamada. “I’ve been working with one of your designers because- I thought I’d- design things… This is supposed to be inspired by my costume- obviously -but I was thinking about doing the rest of my class, too.”
He still wasn’t looking at Hakamada, but he felt his anxiety rise when he watched the sketchbook get grabbed and slowly moved towards Best Jeanist. It was silent, and Katsuki currently had zero way to check in on Hakamada’s facial expression so he was in the dark.
”Katsuki.. I’d love to have this in my collection. In fact, if you’d like to make an entire collection entirely based off of your designs for your class, I would love to be the company to make it.” Tsunagu said, and while his voice was a little softer than usual Katsuki could still hear a slightly professional edge that calmed him down a little bit.
Katsuki did finally look up at him though, there was a small crinkle in his eyes that was more obviously him smiling, but he was looking over the design critically. Like he was looking for a mistake. Katsuki really hoped that he wouldn’t find anything. He finally responded, “It’s your choice, I guess. It’d take longer if we released all the designs at once.”
”That’s fine, there’s no rush for a passion project,” Tsunagu brushed off. He squinted a little harder at the sketch before looking up at Katsuki. “Did Ryoubo work with you on this? I can see some of her influence in this piece.”
Katsuki stared at him, feeling like he was caught. He didn’t want to put the designer into fire for doing this, and he didn’t expect Ryoubo to apparently have such a specific style for Tsunagu to be able to point out with some studying. “She didn’t even work with me that much, so don’t go fuckin- worrying about it.”
”You aren’t in trouble for getting professional opinions on this, I was just a little surprised Ryoubo would be able to help you with this while we’re in the middle of a collection release. She hasn’t been slacking either, which is even more of a surprise. Though I will say I’m not surprised she helped you without telling me, with how all the designers have been acting around you I’m not surprised.” His eyes crinkled a little more as he smiled further.
Katsuki looked down and to the side, crossing his arms as he tried to will down the blush that wanted to come up. This wasn’t embarrassing, there was no reason for that to be embarrassing.
Tsunagu shook his head while clicking his tongue, a heavily amused action that Katsuki rarely saw. “Well, if that’s that, would you like your own collection for your classmates? You could work with Ryoubo again, or I can give my input, or you can do it all on your own. It’s your choice, especially as I don’t believe we’d be able to center an entire season around your explosive style.”
”I’ll.. make my own collection…. I can.. have it done by winter, probably.” Katsuki grumbled. He shifted side to side, but not because he was nervous or anything. He just had a lot of energy he needed to get out.
”Good! It’ll be next year’s spring collection, then. We’ll work on the details over your winter break, and you can learn how to work with models with me during the spring!” Tsunagu was still a bit quiet, and there was that calm and slightly monotone way he spoke, but he did sound excited. Like he was actually glad Katsuki was doing this.
He almost felt breathless with the rare amount of excitement. Not that he hadn’t seen it over text, but it was still very strange for any guardian to be excited about something he did- especially when he was forcing himself into Tsunagu’s designing company. Making his own entire collection.”Cool… cool. Uh.. thanks, Tsunagu. I’ll ask everyone if they’re fine with it, and everything..”
”Wonderful. I’m looking forward to seeing it.” Tsunagu said, smile still audible. He walked around the island counter that separated them then, reaching over and putting a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder.
Katsuki didn’t flinch, didn’t even need to push down the urge to. He put his hand on Tsunagu’s, and felt something small break inside of him. Had it always been this simple? Is this all that his parents had needed to do to be supportive? Was it all that hard?
Then Katsuki took a deep breath and pushed Tsunagu’s hand off of his shoulder. He had to, to stop himself from feeling too much all at once. He looked up at his guardian nervously, like he wasn’t sure if that action wouldn’t be accepted. But there wasn’t any change in the look on his face. He finally let his shoulders drop, and he smiled for a second- before running off to his room, swiping the sketchbook from where at some point it had been placed on the island.
That had been nervewracking, and hard. But growth was never meant to be comfortable, wasn’t it? It was meant to be necessary.