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Midoriya was in the common space of the dorms working on homework with Todoroki but he was having trouble focusing. All he could do was replay the events on the previous evening and it was making him worry more by the minute.
It had been a typical Saturday evening – a few of them watching a movie on the TV, some of them reading or napping. Nothing was out of the ordinary. That is, until a little after midnight when the front door slammed open and Kacchan stormed into the building without a sound. Midoriya would have missed it if Kacchan hadn’t briefly looked his way, but his eyes were puffy and cheeks obviously tear-stained.
Kacchan was supposed to be staying at his parents’ house for the weekend and wasn’t supposed to be returning until Monday morning before classes – or that’s what Midoriya overheard Kaminari saying. Midoriya knew Kacchan’s parents were harsh but he’d never seen him look so hopeless before.
“Midoriya?” Todoroki started and Midoriya jumped in surprise. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Midoriya tried laughing it off. “I guess I spaced out.”
Todoroki looked like he was about to say something else but before he could, the front door opened. Midoriya turned to see who it was and felt his chest turn cold at the sight of Aizawa-Sensei. Everything in him was telling something was wrong.
Iida was quick to greet their teacher and was already inviting him in as Midoriya stood to do the same. Aizawa-Sensei stepped in and moved to the side to let someone else in. Iida bowed and Midoriya heard his mother’s warm greeting before he saw her.
“Mom!” he yelled and raced to the door. His mom turned to him with a giant grin and her arms open for a hug. Midoriya felt all of the built-up stress leave him as his mother held him tight in a grip that could rival All Might’s.
“What are you doing here?” Midoriya asked as he pulled away. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, dear,” his mother said. “I just thought I’d drop off some care packages. And I’d like to check on Kacchan.”
At the mention of Kacchan, Midoriya felt Aizawa-Sensei tense. Midoriya had seen his teacher angry but this felt different. A new level of angry that even Kacchan had never reached.
“Bakugou?” Todoroki asked. “He did seem off last night.”
“I haven’t seen him this morning,” Iida added.
“Yes, well,” Midoriya’s mother started. “I can’t imagine he would want many people to see him upset.”
“Would you like to sit down, Midoriya-san?” Aizawa-Sensei cut in. “Iida can go find Bakugou.”
It was as he said this, though, that they heard the self-proclaimed Bakusquad from the hallway.
--
Bakugou really, really didn’t want to be around the others today. He would much rather stay in bed all day and pretend he didn’t exist. Anything other than being forced to face the events of the night before.
How could he have been so careless as to leave his phone open in front of his mother? It was all a joke. Eijiro always sent him a goodnight text usually followed by numerous heart and kissy-face emojis.
It was a joke. He and Eijiro weren’t even dating – yet, his brain added unhelpfully. Bakugou could handle her sneers and passive-aggressive comments. He could handle the beatings and skipped meals. But something in him snapped last night.
“Don’t tell me you’re friends with a… a fa-“
“Don’t call him that,” Bakugou hissed before she could finish. That was mistake number one. Never interrupt your mother when she speaks.
“Excuse me?” her eyes filled with rage. Bakugou didn’t look away this time. This time it wasn’t about it him – it was about Eijiro.
“Don’t call him that,” he repeated. “What does it matter?”
“What do you think it’ll do to your reputation?” his mother screeched. “What will it do to mine?”
Bakugou stood and towered over her for the first time in his life. “I don’t give a shit about your fucking reputation, hag.”
Bakugou couldn’t believe what he was doing. He knew better than to stand up to her. He was supposed to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He was supposed to let her rant and rage and get through the weekend with as few injuries as possible.
He knew the slap was coming before his mother even moved her arm. He expected more blows to follow but they never came. When he glanced at his mother all he could see was a murderous look in her eye.
And a suffocating calmness.
“Get. Out.” She hissed.
“Wha-“
“GET OUT!” she screeched. She put her entire weight into the punch that came next. “Get out of my fucking house.”
“Mom-“ But Bakugou knew better than to argue. He knew it would only make it worse. But maybe this was it. Maybe this was the worst.
“You’re no son of mine.”
Those five words have been echoing through his head since. He had grabbed his phone and walked out of the house. He doesn’t remember the walk back to school. He does remember coming to his senses as he was about to enter his dorm only to be stopped by Eijiro.
“Katsuki.” Eijiro grabbed his wrist before he could walk away and Bakugou couldn’t help but tense up. “Wait here.”
Bakugou doesn’t know why but he nodded and watched as Eijiro rushed into his dorm. He came back carrying the giant blanket Eijiro usually keeps folded at the foot of his bed.
“It’ll keep you safe,” Eijiro smiled and forced the blanket into Bakugou’s arms.
“It’s just a blanket, hair for brains,” Bakugou grumbled.
Eijiro just smiled, “I know.”
Eijiro turned to walk away but Bakugou grabbed his shirt before he could. Eijiro turned back, confusion written on his face.
“Thank you,” Bakugou mumbled.
“Of course, Bakubro!”
Bakugou would never admit that he burritoed himself in the blanket as he fell asleep. Just as he would never admit that he cried himself to sleep, or that he held on to it tighter when he woke up from the nightmares.
He had already been awake for hours when he heard his friends knock far too loudly on his door.
“Bakugou!” he heard Kaminari yell. “We’re hungry!”
“Feed yourself!” he yelled from under his blankets.
“But I’m allergic to anything that’s not your cooking!” Kaminari whined. He could hear the others snicker at his antics. Even Bakugou let out a soft chuckle.
“Bakugou!” Mina this time. “Kiri looks like he’s about to die from a lack of vitamin you!”
“Oi!” he heard Eijiro yell and Mina’s giggles as she was most likely dodging his shoves. Bakugou rolled his eyes and begrudgingly removed himself from his cocoon of blankets.
When he opened the door he was met with the scene of Eijiro holding Mina in a loose headlock and mussing up her hair. Kaminari and Sero stood off to the side cheering them on.
“What do you idiots want?” he asked.
Eijiro released Mina from his hold and pulled on his arm to drag him towards the elevators.
“Pancakes!” they all yelled. Bakugou rolled his eyes. They always wanted pancakes. At least they let him put fruit in them. Bakugou was absolutely positive that without him they would never put anything healthy in their bodies.
Bakugou let them take the lead on the way to the kitchen and checked his phone. His eyes widened at the five missed calls from Aunt Inko and several messages asking him if he was okay. There was also a call from Aizawa-Sensei. Leave it to the two of them to know something was wrong.
“- check on Kacchan.” Bakugou perked up at the sound of his nickname. Then he realized who had said it. He shoved his phone into his pocket and ran past his friends.
“Bakugou?” Mina called after him but he was already rounding the corner.
“Aunty!” he called as soon as he saw her. The group at the door all turned to watch him and his friends had caught up to him. He didn’t pay any attention to them, though, because as soon as Aunt Inko saw him she gave him a caring smile and opened her arms. He ran to her without a second thought, desperate for any kind of affection from her.
She wrapped him in the tightest hug he’d ever had and only patted his hair as he clung to her like a child. He didn’t care about the others watching him. He didn’t care that all they ever knew was loud, angry Bakugou. He didn’t care because Aunt Inko wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
“Oh my sweet, Katsuki,” she said softly. Bakugou let out a sob and held her tighter. It had been years since anyone had held Bakugou like this. Years since someone allowed him to cry. Years since he was allowed to be vulnerable.
“Why don’t we move to the couches?” he heard Aizawa-Sensei say and he slowly pulled away from Aunt Inko. He rubbed away the tears in his eyes and stepped aside to let her walk ahead.
He looked around and noticed his friends not-so-subtly watching him from the kitchen. “Don’t be rude, assholes,” he yelled at them. “Come introduce yourselves.”
He shoved his hands in his pocket and followed the others to the couches not bothering to see if his friends were following. He watched as Iida and Aizawa-Sensei set down giant gift bags on the table, Deku and Todoroki quickly moving their school work out of the way.
“I’m sorry, I only have gifts for Izuku and Katsuki,” Aunt Inko started. “But I made plenty of snacks and sweets for the rest of you.”
“We are truly grateful for your kindness, Midoriya-san,” Iida said with a deep bow. Todoroki joined in and gave a small bow as well. Bakugou’s idiot friends all ran past him and lined up in front of Aunt Inko to thank her as well.
“Aren’t you sweethearts,” she giggled. “I’m so glad my boys have such sweet friends.”
“I’m Kirishima Eijiro,” Eijiro said with another bow. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Bakugou felt a blush rise on cheeks as he watched Aunt Inko fawn over Eijiro and saw the rest of his friends try to hold back snickers. He was never going to hear the end of this from Mina. He sent them a glare but that just made them giggle more.
As the rest of his friends introduced themselves Bakugou walked around the couch to sit on the floor. He hadn’t realized he had sat down beside Aunt Inko’s legs until he saw Deku looking at him with a shit-eating grin.
Before he could threaten him, Aunt Inko sat down and pulled two of the bags on the table to her. “This one is for you, Katsuki,” she said and handed him the bright red one. She handed the other one to Deku who had sat down at his mother’s left side.
He watched his friends start digging through the bag full of sweets before looking in his own. The first thing he saw was a hoodie. Pulling it out he saw that it was from the new All Might merch line and immediately put it on. He rummaged through the sweets and books Aunt Inko had packed in it and eventually got to the last item.
Bakugou stared at it in shock before finally taking it out of the bag. He unfolded the battered blanket just to make sure it was what he thought it was. The blue was dull now but the embroidered “Kacchan” was still a vibrant orange.
It was his blanket.
It was the blanket Aunt Inko got him for his fourth birthday. The blanket he kept at the Midoriya’s out of fear of it being destroyed or taken in his own home. The blanket that protected him from nightmares and the harsh words of his mother that lingered in the back of his mind.
The blanket he’d given up hope of ever holding again.
He could feel the eyes of his friends as he stared at the blanket – tears threatening to spill. So instead of risking having to explain what was wrong, he wrapped the blanket around him and over his head, pressed his face into Aunt Inko’s leg like he’d done a thousand times when he was a kid, and promptly fell asleep.
--
Bakugou woke up to laughter and a comforting pressure against his forehead. He sat up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and immediately noticed Eijiro staring at him from across the coffee table. Bakugou felt himself blushing as Eijiro gave him goofy smile and leaned his head against his arm.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Eijiro said as his eyes softened. Bakugou hummed in response and quickly turned his attention Aizawa-Sensei who stood up from the couch he was sitting at.
“Good, you’re awake,” he started. “Midoriya-san and I need to speak with you.”
Bakugou felt his stomach hit the floor at the thought of what that could mean. Aunt Inko spoke up before Bakugou could get lost in his head.
“Don’t say that like he’s in trouble,” she scolded. “Let him eat something first and then we can talk.”
Bakugou looked up at her and felt the knot in his stomach loosen. It was then that he noticed that the only people there were Aizawa-Sensei, Aunt Inko, and Eijiro. How long had he been asleep?
“You want udon?” Eijiro asked softly.
“Don’t you dare try to cook anything, shitty hair,” Bakugou shot back but he knew Eijiro knew that meant yes. Eijiro just laughed and stood up. He walked over and helped Bakugou to his feet. Instead of thanking him, Bakugou wrapped his blanket around Eijiro’s shoulders.
“What’s this for?” Eijiro asked.
“It’ll protect you from my wrath,” Bakugou said and walked towards the kitchen. He wouldn’t admit that he let a small smile grace his lips when he heard Eijiro laugh and followed him to the kitchen.
If they had looked back they would have seen Inko wiping tears from her face. They would have seen their teacher give them a smile only to be replaced with a scowl at the reminder of what his student’s happiness cost them. It was a treacherous road ahead of them and Aizawa would be damned to see them face it alone.