Letting You Down Easy (But Just Give It Time)

It was dark. Too dark for him to even see his own hand in front of him. It was also too small. If he had been any bigger, he was positive he wouldn’t fit. Though it wasn’t saying much, since he barely fit now. He hated it. Not being able to move as much as he wanted. Instead he was forced to either sit, back straight against the wall for room or just stand up straight.

He wasn’t sure what he hated more honestly. The cramped feeling the locked room- closet, more like- or the silence.

He knew he wasn’t alone in the house. And if he tried hard enough he could probably pick up on some background noise. But being locked in here made it difficult to focus on it. Instead he chose to focus on himself. Keeping his breaths even and quiet.

He stared at the floor intently as he did so. He hated being put in here. However, the only person he could blame for being locked in was himself. He knew the rules, but of course he was too stupid to follow them. Only Bakugou was dumb enough to try asking for a cup of water after they told him so many times that he wasn’t allowed to ask for stuff.

He flinched, suddenly hearing voices. A loud booming voice made it instantly clear that Mr.Kozato was back from work. He clenched his fists as he heard heavy footsteps walking down the hall he was in. He took a deep breath, trying his best to calm down the panic that was building up in him, as he looked up at the door. He sat up straight as he heard a key unlocking the door.

His body went rigid as the door swung open.

Katsuki shot straight up, breath quick and short. He blinked rapidly, attempting to get his vision to focus on where he was. The unfamiliar bed did not help his disorientated state at all.

Little by little, his vision began to focus. He began to make out his surroundings. He clutched the covers of the bed as he looked around, almost frantically.

He was in a big and spacious room, not in that fucking cramped closet. The window of the room let in some of the light from a nearby streetlight so he wasn’t in complete darkness. He was in a whole different foster home, not that stupid closest. He took a couple of deep breaths until his breathing was back to normal.

“Fuck,” He muttred to himself. He wiped at his face, feeling the sweat on his forehead despite the room not being hot. He leaned against the bed frame and stared at the empty room.

The room didn’t have a clock and Katsuki didn’t own a phone, so he had no idea what time it was right now. Not like it really mattered though. As much as he hated it, he was wide awake and knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep even if he tried.

It’s not real, he thought to himself. It was just a stupid dream. You haven’t even been in that house for years and you haven’t seen those assholes in years so you shouldn’t even be thinking about it. Let alone freaking out over it you fucking dumbass.

His hands wiped at his face frustratedly. He let out a huff of breath and got off the bed. Everything suddenly felt too stiff and closed in. He paced around the room quietly, hoping it would help.

It didn’t.

He glanced over at the window, curiously, before walking over to it. Looking out the window he could see the sun wasn’t out yet. However the sky wasn’t as dark as it should have been. If he had to guess, Katsuki would say it was almost sunrise. He glanced over at the bed before looking back out the window.

“Fuck it,” He said quietly. He went over to his bag and hurriedly changed outfits. He threw on his shoes and carefully opened his bedroom door.

He could hear some snoring, but other than that the house was quiet. He quietly made his way downstairs, cringing when the floor would creak under him. Thankfully no one, including the cats, woke up as he made his way to the front door. He carefully opened the door, thanking any and every deity that it didn’t make any noise, as he slipped out of the house.

It wasn’t his first time doing this. Sometimes a morning jog was exactly what Katsuki needed. It helped him clear his head and gave him all the space he was desperately looking for. Though usually he knew what neighborhood he was in and could find a nearby park to run in. This time he was in a new area, but he was stubborn as hell and refused to let that deter him. So Katsuki picked a direction and began to run, letting himself take in the new surroundings and allowing him to forget about everything else.

Out of breath and sweaty, Katsuki returned to Yamada’s house feeling satisfied. The sky was lit up orange, the sun fully coming out now. If he had to guess, he would say he had been out for about an hour. He hoped that the house was still asleep and he could just slip back in.

“Fuck,” He muttered, the hope quickly disappearing. As soon as he turned up to the house he noticed the porch light was off now. Which was annoying cause now this meant he would have to sneak back in. He scowled, but approached the door. Next time he might have to think about jumping out the window.

He slipped off his shoes and let his hand hover over the doorknob. He took a deep breath and, just like before, delicately opened the door as quickly and quietly as he could. It was honestly luck that the door didn’t creak.

The floor was a different story. Despite trying to keep his step as light as possible, the floor cracked under him as he walked in. He cringed but hurried to walk in and close the door behind him.

Immediately he heard music playing and someone moving around. He assumed it was coming from the kitchen since no one appeared to be in the living room. He carefully walked forward, doing his best to remember which spots had creaked earlier when he was leaving the house. If it hadn’t been for his amazing memory, Katsuki was positive he wouldn’t have made it to the bottom of the stairs as successfully as he had. But of course, karma just fucking hated him.

“Nice to see you’re back,” A voice said. Katsuki jumped (though he would never admit it because Katsuki does not startle easily) and begrudgingly turned around. He glared as he looked at Aizawa, who was holding a cup of coffee and looked slightly amused staring at the boy.

“Where were you?” He asked. Katsuki raised the shoes he was still holding.

“Jogging,” He muttered. Aizawa gave him a surprised look, probably not expecting that answer. This time it was Katsuki’s turn to be surprised as the man nodded.

“Next time leave a note,” He said. Katsuki narrowed his eyes, waiting for the man to continue. He was expecting a punishment, a threat, yelling at the very least. Not acceptance and permission to continue doing so. When it hit him nothing else was coming though he just nodded.

“Fine,” He mumbled, but it came out softer than he would have liked. If Aizawa noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead he took a sip out of his coffee mug.

“Since you’re already up, go ahead and take a shower kid,” He suggested. “Some breakfast should be ready by the time you come back down.”

He blinked at the man, uncertainly, but agreed nonetheless. However walking upstairs and away from Aizawa did not ease his confusion at all. It was almost like he was numb, trying to understand why the man was so calm catching him sneak back inside. It might have only been his second day here, but Katsuki was pretty much ready to grant this family title of ‘Weirdest people he has ever stayed with.’

When Kastuki walked out of the restroom, he did not appreciate seeing Hitoshi as soon as he opened the door. Having the purple bastard stand in front of him, Katsuki couldn’t help but notice his eyebags and how dark they were. It looked like this kid hadn’t actually slept in a whole month. The bastard gave him a smile.

“Good morning!” He said, cheerfully. Though almost instantly the smile disappeared, being replaced by a tired look and deadpan tone. “Are you going to move or what?”

“I’m waiting for you to say the magic word,” Katsuki replied, crossing his arms and sending the boy a glare. Hitoshi rolled his eyes.

“Okay shorty, how about this, move your short ass before I kick you out,” He said, glaring down at him. Katsuki rolled his eyes but moved, making sure to shoulder the boy as he walked past him. He clenched his hand, ready just in case he tried anything with his back turned. Instead Hitoshi just scoffed and walked into the restroom.

What a prick, Katsuki thought to himself as he made a quick stop at his room before heading back downstairs.

Walking into the dining room, he wasn’t surprised to see Yamada and Aizawa at the table. However he was a little surprised to see Eri there as well. She was dressed and seemed to already be as energetic as she was yesterday.

“Good morning Bakugou,” Yamada greeted, noticing him. Katsuki nodded at the man, taking the same seat he had yesterday. Eri looked up from her food and gave him a wide smile.

“Good morning Kacchan!” She said, brightly. Katsuki stilled. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the little girl. Finally, he shook his head and looked over at his own plate.

“Don’t call me that,” He told her.

“But Zuku called you that yesterday,” She said and he was positive that if he looked over at her she would be pouting. So instead he just rolled his eyes. He was going to tell her that Deku called him that because he was a dumbass, but instead he looked over at her, a small idea hitting him.

“If you start calling that nerd Deku, then I’ll think about letting you call me that,” He offered. She tilted her head.

“Call Zuku, Deku?” She asked. He nodded. “Will he be okay with that?”

“Of course!” Bakugou said, a small grin on his face. “He would love it.”

“Okay!” She nodded. She excitedly turned back to her food, most likely eager for Deku to enter the room now. Katsuki glanced over to see Yamada looking amused. He ignored it as he focused on his own plate and continued eating.

He kept his eyes down as he ate. He wouldn't exactly call it quiet, but at least no one was talking to him. But he did look up when he heard laughter and footsteps entering the room.

“Good morning,” Deku said politely as he took a seat. Hitoshi nodded.

“Hey,” He said, taking a seat next to Deku.

“Good morning Deku!” Eri said, just as excited as she had earlier. Katsuki coughed and hid his mouth behind his hand to hide his grin over Deku’s surprised look. He quickly regained his composure and raised an eyebrow towards the damn nerd, curious over what he’d say. Unsurprisingly, it was Hitoshi that tried to say something to her.

“Eri, maybe you shouldn’t -”

“It’s fine Hitoshi,” Deku said, cutting off his brother. “Eri can call me that. I really don’t mind.”

Eri smiled widely over the permission, oblivious to the look Hitoshi sent Deku. Katsuki wasn’t sure if he found it less surprising that Deku was allowing it or that Hitoshi was glaring at him. That didn’t stop him from glaring back though. The bastard was the one to break it this time, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of, what Katsuki assumed was, coffee. He let out a huff of breath as the fucker set his mug back down on the table.

“Is it okay if Denki comes over after school?” Hitoshi asked, looking over at his dads.

“So long as you actually do your homework this time,” Aizawa answered.

“That was one time!” Hitoshi said, a blush appearing on his face. It was probably the most expressive Katsuki had seen him.

“Is he going to bring ice cream again?” Eri questioned, slightly sitting up in her chair towards the purple haired boy. Hitoshi shrugged.

“We’ll see,” He said to her. Katsuki snorted.

“Which means no,” He told her. Hitoshi glared.

“It means we’ll see,” He said. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“She’s a kid, not a dumbass,” He stated. Before Hitoshi could reply to him, Yamada cleared his throat.

“Eri, we should go before you’re late,” He said, standing up. Eri nodded and headed out of the dining room. He glanced down at Katsuki. “Bakugou, you should come with us so I can just take you to your exam afterwards.”

Katsuki stared at the man, but stood up. He might not know this family enough to read them, but he wasn’t stupid. He could easily understand this really wasn’t a suggestion.

“Good luck on your exam Kacchan,” Deku called out to him before he walked out after Yamada.

“You’ll need it,” Hitoshi smirked. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“It can’t be too hard,” He said, glancing down at the annoying bastard. “I mean, they let you in.”

“Bakugou,” Aizawa said, his tone being a mix of tired and a warning. Katsuki rolled his eyes and walked out of the dining room. He headed over to the front door where Eri and Yamada were waiting for him.

“Sit with me in the back!” Eri said, grabbing his hand once they walked out the house. He growled quietly as she pulled them towards Yamada’s car. Her grip was stronger than anticipated, probably because she suspected he was going to pull away. Part of him was tempted to, but decided against. He was already getting on Aizawa’s nerves so no need to get on Yamada’s bad side as well. At least not before this exam.

“Oi, put on your seat belt,” Katsuki muttered annoyingly as he sat in the back with Eri. She let out a small giggle as he reached across and grabbed the stupid thing. He ignored Yamada looking at him through the rearview, honestly the man needed to get better at being less obvious, as he helped Eri click it into place.

“Thank you,” She said happily, slightly swinging her legs. Katsuki leaned back in his own seat and crossed his arms.

“Whatever,” He scoffed.

The nerves didn’t hit him until Yamada drove away from Eri’s school. He didn’t realize how much the energetic girl was distracting him until she was out of the car. Now as Yamada drove towards U.A. he couldn’t help but grow nervous.

Sure Bakugou had taken an entrance exam before. But never for a school like this. U.A. was pretty much a dream school for any kid. Especially a kid like him. He knew what people thought of him because of his behavior and attitude. And he was smart enough to recognize that a reputation like that wouldn’t do him much good once he got out of the damn system. So he worked his ass off and made sure he was always at the top when it came to school. If people wanted to call him an asshole, that was fine, but they would have to fucking admit that he was a smart one. And if he got into U.A. then that would make all his hard work worth it. Even if he didn’t stay with Yamada and his family for long, getting into the school and having it on his record would, at the very least, open up a new door of opportunity. With three years left in the system, he knew he needed anything and everything that could help him.

He had been so deep in thought, Katsuki hadn’t even realized the car stopped moving. He blinked and looked over at Yamada, who was already looking back at him.

“You okay?” He asked. Katsuki nodded.

“You don’t have to be nervous. I’m sure this exam will be a breeze for you,” Yamada said. He scowled.

“I’m fine,” He grumbled. Yamada nodded, but didn’t look convinced. He sent him a small smile before getting out of the car. Katsuki took a deep breath before following after the man.

He felt his breath hitch as he looked up at the school. The photos he had seen before of the place didn’t do it any justice. It was a lot bigger and intimidating in person. He wasn’t even sure if that was the nerves talking.

“Pretty cool, right?” Yamada asked him. Katsuki crossed his arms and shrugged.

“Looks like any other damn school,” He scoffed. Yamada chuckled.

“Wait till you get inside then,” He told him. Katsuki rolled his eyes and followed him inside.

Immediately Katsuki felt out of place. Even if they were empty, he had no doubt that the halls were larger than most of the schools he had attended before. Not to mention a whole lot cleaner. The whole atmosphere the school gave off was enough to simultaneously impress and intimidate Katsuki. Obviously he would never admit this, especially when he could see the smug grin Yamada was trying to hide from him.

“About what I expected from a school for the elite,” He said, voice as neutral as possible. If Yamada was suspicious of anything, he didn’t say so. Instead he led Katsuki over to the front office. The two waited there, Katsuki wasn’t sure for what, in silence. After a few minutes he decided to break it.

“I thought you were a teacher here? Don’t you have to go teach a class or something?” Katsuki asked him. Before Yamada could answer, a door opened. The two looked over to see a short man, which honestly said a lot when it was Katsuki saying it, with white hair standing there.

“Katsuki Bakugou?” He said. Katsuki raised an eyebrow, but nodded. The man nodded and put his hand out. “I’m principal Nezu. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too,” He said quietly, shaking the man's hand. Nezu gave him a small smile before looking over at Yamada.

“I’ll let you know once he’s done,” He told him. Yamada nodded.

“Good luck listener,” He said, ruffling his hair. Katsuki scowled, ignoring how his face warmed, as Yamada pulled his hand away. Yamada sent him a smile before walking out of the office.

“Come along, Katsuki. Everything is already set up for you,” Nezu said. Katsuki nodded and followed the shorter man to the back. As they walked Katsuki listened intently to everything Nezu told him about the exam. His nerves weren’t entirely gone once they reached his testing room, but they had calmed down quite a bit.

“I’ll be back once the time is done, if you finish beforehand you can just walk out of the room,” Nezu told him as Katsuki took a seat. He gave him a smile as his hand laid on the doorknob.
“You can start as soon as the door closes.”

Katsuki glanced down once he heard the click of the door closing. He ignored his bouncing leg as he grabbed a pencil. He took a deep breath as he looked at the test. He absolutely would do his best right now, because he couldn’t afford not too.

With that happy thought, Katsuki opened up his test and started on the first question.

He assumed an hour or two had passed when Nezu came back to the room. He had, thankfully, finished his exam. But he wasn’t too pleased knowing that he had barely finished in time, answering the last question seconds before the door had opened back up.

“You can go ahead and head back,” Nezu said, collecting the test. He looked at Katsuki and gave him a kind smile. “I hope to see you again Katsuki.”

It threw him off how genuine the man sounded. He hoped his surprise didn’t show as he nodded at the man. “You too.”

Katsuki quickly headed back to the front part of the office. Yamada was already there, waiting for him. He wasn’t sure where the man went earlier, but he assumed his classroom because he was now holding a stack of papers. He raised an eyebrow, hoping the man would catch onto the unspoken question.

“Just some essays I need to grade,” Yamada explained as the two walked out. He grinned and looked down at him. “So, how’d it go?”

He shrugged. “Fine.”

“Well while you were in there I had a small idea, so do you mind a quick stop before we head back?” He asked. Katsuki shrugged.

“Not like I got much of a choice,” He said, getting into the car. He didn’t hear a reply as he closed the door.

Yamada didn’t try any more small talk as he drove and Katsuki didn’t really question where the man was taking him. He was sure that even if he did ask, he wouldn’t get an answer. So instead Katsuki stared out the window, letting his mind wander and trying his best not to think about that exam.

When the car finally came to a stop, Katsuki immediately regretted not asking any questions. He scowled as he stared up at the building. He glanced over as he heard Yamada let out a small laugh.

“Don’t look like that, it shouldn’t even be that full right now,” He assured. Katsuki sighed but got out of the car. He didn’t know why they were here, but he just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.

“Why are we here?” Katsuki demanded as they entered the stupid mall. He’d be the first to admit, he rarely ever got to go to malls. So it’s understandable why people would think he’d be excited. However, his very few trips were enough for him to realize he hated them. They were loud, crowded, and everything inside was expensive as fuck. So he would have happily rejected the idea of going in the first place.

“Because Shouta and I thought you could use some more stuff,” Yamada said. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“I have enough stuff,” He mumbled. If Yamada had heard him, he didn't respond. Instead he told Katsuki to follow him towards some store the boy had never set foot in. Katsuki crossed his arms, but did so.

It didn’t take long for Katsuki to get uncomfortable. He had caught a look of a price tag for one shirt in the first store Yamada dragged him to and had proceeded to reject everything Yamada tried showing him. This also happened in the next two stores.

The fourth store seemed cheaper than the previous ones. Admittedly this store also seemed more like Katsuki’s style. That didn’t stop him from rejecting the multiple items Yamada showed him. Finally he decided to just grab the cheapest plain black shirt he could find in the store. He thought Yamada would at least be happy he had grabbed something, but of course the man had to surprise him by grabbing two more of the same shirt when he realized Katsuki wasn’t going to grab anything else. If he wasn’t annoyed by it, he would almost be impressed with how persisten the loud man was.

As they walked out of the store, Yamada started talking to him. “Bakugou, I know you don’t want to do this-”

“Are you kidding?” Katsuki cut him off. “I’m having the time of my life here!”

Yamada gave him an unimpressed look. Katsuki grinned. “I mean, what can be better than being dragged to multiple stores and having to look at clothes I most definitely do not want. I think next we should go look at shoes that have no business being more than twenty dollars. Or debate over overpriced meals that could easily be made at your house.”

Bakugou stopped his small rant as he realized Yamada was staring at him. He glared at the man, noticing the sad look in his eyes. He crossed his arms, suddenly feeling too exposed.

“Stop that!” He snapped.

“Bakugou.” He cringed at the tone. He averted his eyes from the man.

“I don’t need your fucking pity,” He growled.

“Katsuki, look at me,” Yamada said softly. Katsuki slowly did. The man was still giving him the fucking sad look, but now he had a small, almost comforting, smile on his face. “I don’t pity you kid. I’m just sad that you refuse to realize you need some of these things.”

“I don’t need anything,” He argued. “I have enough already.”

“Bakugou, you only have one bag,” Yamada stated. Katsuki tried not to wince at the man’s kind, but honest tone. “I’m almost positive that that bag can only hold five other outfits at best. And your shoes are obviously worn down. You need new ones.”

“That bag can hold six more outfits,” Katsuki said, not liking how weak his voice sounded. Thankfully Yamada didn’t comment on it. Instead he let out a small laugh.

“My mistake,” He said. He gave Katsuki a soft smile. “Kid, I know the idea might make you uncomfortable, but you need more clothes and some new shoes. So just focus on that. Right now, I’m your guardian so let me focus on the money. Okay?”

Katsuki glanced away from the man. It was almost too much. Some of the foster parents he’s had that tried buying him stuff always gave up when they realized he wasn’t going to grab anything, opting to focus on themselves or their actual kids. He wasn’t use to someone being this persistent with him, especially with something as fucking stupid as shoes. Finally he let out a small sigh and looked back at Yamada.

“Where the hell are you dragging me to next?” He asked. His voice was still rough, but it was about the nicest he had sounded since entering the building. Yamada smiled down at him.

“Come on, there’s a store down here I think you’d like,” He said.

There was no drastic change during shopping after that. Katsuki was still uncomfortable, knowing that someone was spending money on him. Though it became easier to ignore with Yamada’s reassurance each time he picked out some clothes he genuinely liked. Yamada also helped by showing him some things that were more in his comfort zone.

After being dragged to a few more stores, including one to pick up some basic shit he would need for school, Katsuki was honestly shocked by the amount of bags he was carrying. Then again, he wasn’t really expecting to walk out of the mall with anything so even just one bag would have been a surprise.

Right now he was leaning against a random wall while he waited for Yamada. The man had insisted the two needed a snack break. Katsuki had been tempted to stop him, argue how any type of food sold at the mall was a scam that forced people to either pay for overpriced food or leave the mall. Instead he just asked the man to buy him some water.

As he waited by himself he couldn’t help but stare at the store across from him. It was a comic book store that had his favorite series on display. Katsuki always found a way to read the series, either finding issues at the library or going into bookstores and reading them there. Most of the time, employees never cared that he would always read something but never buy it as long as he stayed quiet. But he hadn’t had the chance to read the latest issue of the series. Seeing it now on full display across the hall from him was almost enough for him to ask Yamada for it. He decided against it though and instead just stared at the comic, thinking of where the story could have gone from where it last left off.

“Personally, I’m more of a Present Mic fan,” Yamada said, startling him. He jumped and glared at the obviously amused man. He scowled but took the water bottle he held out to him.

“A loud and annoying blonde? Sounds about right,” He said. He grinned hearing the offended noise Yamada let out.

“That’s uncalled for when All Might is just as loud and annoying,” Yamada said.

“All might is not loud and annoying! He’s strong as hell and ready to fight any bastard that gets in his way,” Katsuki argued.

“He’s an idiot for continuing to fight people while he’s heavily injured,” Yamada said.

“If anything that just shows how much of a badass he is!” Katsuki stressed. “No other hero has the fucking guts to do half the shit he’s done.”

“How do you even know about All Might?” Katsuki questioned. Yamada slightly shook his head.

“Izuku. That boy loves those comics and All Might so much,” He answered. It was honestly kind of gross seeing how soft Yamada got just talking about his own family. He ignored it as he rolled his eyes.

“Of course he does,” He mumbled. He remembers how the damn nerd would get excited over anything superhero related, so it made sense that he was a fan of the series too.

“You know, we have time for one more store,” Yamada said. Katsuki shook his head. Before he could say anything though, Yamada kept talking. “I know I said to focus on things you need, but you’re also allowed to get things you just want Bakugou.”

Katsuki stayed silent. He wanted to reject the idea. He hadn’t done anything to earn the comic and he already spent so much of Yamada’s money today. But the thought of actually owning his own copy, even if it was just one issue, was so appealing to him.

“Just that issue. Nothing more,” Katsuki said, glaring at the man. Yamada nodded, letting Katsuki take the lead this time as they walked into the store.

As he held the bag the comic book was in, Katsuki knew it was the best thing anybody had ever bought him. Though obviously he would never admit that. Especially to Yamada. The man was already too smug for his liking and Katsuki refused to add fuel to that fire.

“Any thoughts on what we should have for dinner?” Yamada asked as they walked back to the car. Katsuki shrugged.

“Soba?” Katsuki suggested. Yamada nodded.

“Sounds good! Want to help me make it?” He asked. Katsuki hesitated before nodding.

“Sure,” He agreed. It had been a while since he cooked something and it was the least he could do since Yamada spent a lot of money on him. He couldn’t help but grin at Yamada’s smile upon him agreeing.

When they got back to Yamada’s house, Katsuki carried his bags up to his room. There was still a bunch of time left so he decided to just spend the rest of the day up in his room. He didn’t mind Yamada or being around the man, but after a surprise trip to the mall Katsuki felt like he earned some peace and quiet.

The room was still pretty bare, but he wasn’t all that interested in decorating it. However he did like that the room felt less empty with the drawers and closest actually having items in them now. As he finished up putting away the last of his newly bought stuff, he glanced down at his bag. He glanced back over at the closest, debating if he should unpack it.

Finally, he shook his head, deciding against it. Besides it’s good to keep his personal items in his bag. It made it a lot easier and quicker to grab everything when the inevitable happened and he had to leave.

Ignoring the depressing thought, he grabbed the new comic book. For a minute all he could do was stare at the cover. It didn’t seem like a big deal, but Katsuki just couldn't believe that he now officially owned his own copy. Though his excitement finally took over and he leaned back against the bed frame as he opened up the book.

Katsuki was in the kitchen with Yamada getting ready to start dinner when everyone had started coming back to the house later that day. The first one back was Eri, who, apparently, usually rode back with some friend of hers. She had come into the kitchen, loudly saying hello to Yamada and Katsuki once she noticed he was also in the kitchen. The next ones back, much to his dismay, were fucking Deku and Hitoshi, who had walked home since Aizawa had some sort of after school meeting. Though they were also accompanied by some blonde kid.

“Hey Mr.Yamada!” The blonde boy said, following the others towards the kitchen.

“I thought I told you you don’t have to call me that,” Yamada said to him. The boy shrugged as he let out a small laugh.

“I know, but it feels weird if I don’t call you that,” He replied. Hitoshi’s eye roll and Yamada’s grin at the response were enough clues for Katsuki to figure out this kid was probably here a lot. And even though the purple bastard had said it this morning, he really couldn’t be bothered to remember this kid’s name. But apparently that wasn’t going to be an issue since the kid had noticed him standing behind Yamada.

“Oh, you’re Toshi’s new brother right?” He said. He grinned and put a hand out towards him. “I’m Denki.”

“Not his brother,” Was his reply, ignoring the boy’s hand. The blonde boy, Denki, let out a nervous laugh.

“Right, my bad,” He said. Katsuki rolled his eyes at his obvious panic, most likely not expecting this behavior. He quietly scoffed at Hitoshi’s glare, turning away from Yamada and the three boys. He ignored whatever else was said between the four of them as he began to cut some of the vegetables Yamada had gotten out for dinner.

When Aizawa finally came home, Yamada and Katsuki were almost done with dinner. And if he was being honest, he really enjoyed cooking with Yamada. Most of the conversation had been about the food or the cooking and the rest of the time had been spent with the radio playing in the background. It was the first time in a long time that Katsuki felt relaxed when it came to cooking.

“Do me a favor and set the table while I finish this up,” Yamada said to him. Katsuki nodded and grabbed some things to take to the dining room. Though he was a little surprised to see Hitoshi and Denki sitting there, some papers and books sitting in front of him. He didn’t let it show and instead set the stuff down on an empty side of the table.

“Oi,” Katsuki called out. “Get the hell out of here.”

“Says who?” Hitoshi asked, not looking up at him. He rolled his eyes.

“Your dad,” he deadpanned. “Said to set the table so you and your friend gotta move.”

“Boyfriend,” Hitoshi said.

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Hitoshi finally looked up at him. “Denki’s my boyfriend dumbass. Not my friend.”

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at him, almost challenging him to say something. Which was pretty stupid. If he had a problem with that type of shit he would have said it yesterday after seeing Yamada and Aizawa. Though not wanting to give him any satisfaction, Katsuki just widened his eyes, feigning shock. “Wow.”

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes at him, suspiciously. “What?”

Katsuki shook his head in disbelief. “I just can’t believe people weren’t lying when they said love is blind.”

Hitoshi stood up, clearly unamused. Katsuki would almost say he was fuming with the way his current glare was much harsher than the previous ones he sent. Before he could say anything there was a sudden crash coming from the kitchen, causing all three to tense up.

“Papa? You alright?” Hitoshi called out. All three of them relaxed when they heard him laugh.

“Yup! I just dropped something,” Yamada called back. Hitoshi rolled his eyes fondly. He glanced down at Denki and muttered something before heading towards the kitchen. With the blonde boy being the only other person in the room with him, Katsuki suddenly felt awkward. With the strained grin and way he was averting his gaze by looking down and working on some paper, he was sure Denki felt the same way. Curiously, he glanced down at the paper noticing how the other boy kept erasing something and looked a little frustrated.

“What the fuck,” Katsuki said softly, causing Denki to jump. He ignored the way his eyes snapped to him as he looked at the math problem. “How did you get that? The answer is 6.”

“How the hell is it 6?” Denki demanded. Katsuki huffed. He grabbed his paper and pencil and turned it towards him, quickly writing something out on it. He turned it back towards the boy and pointed at what he had written.

“You’re overthinking it dumbass. All you have to do is find the common denominator first,” He told him. “After that it’s pretty fucking simple. The next two problems are exactly the same.”

Denki stared at the paper before glancing up at Katsuki, eyes wide. He rolled his eyes and gave him his pencil back. He crossed his arms and watched as he looked down at the paper again.

“What the hell? That’s so much easier!” Denki said, easily doing the next problem as he followed Katsuki’s example. He looked up and shot him a much more genuine grin. “Dude, thank you!”

“My name’s Bakugou. Not dude,” He told him. Kaminari nodded, obviously happy.

“Thanks Bakugou!” He said, working on the next problem. Katsuki rolled his eyes and stood back when Hitoshi returned from the kitchen.

“You staying for dinner?” Hitoshi asked Denki, clearly ignoring Katsuki. Denki shook his head.

“Would love to, but my parents want me home tonight for some reason,” He said. Hitoshi nodded and helped him pick up their stuff. With them out of the way, Katsuki made quick work to finish setting up the table.

He wasn’t surprised when dinner that night had been just like the previous night. Awkward and slightly strained, with Eri and Yamada making up most of the conversations again. Though this time Deku was more talkative than he had been yesterday. Katsuki suspected it had something to do with the obvious tension between Hitoshi and himself since the purple bastard wouldn’t stop glaring at him. And since Katsuki wasn’t some pushover, he didn’t hesitate to glare back.

However he was a bit surprised when Aizawa and Yamada asked him to stay behind again that night. He made sure his chair was as far from the table as it was yesterday. He knew he was being worse today with their kids than he was the previous day, so he wouldn’t be surprised if the two men decided he did need to be punished after all.

He watched, body as stiff as a board, as Yamada ran out of the room. He wasn’t sure what he was grabbing, but he suspected it couldn’t be good. But of course, the men had to surprise him again. Because instead of anything Katsuki had seen before, Yamada came back in holding a gift bag. And instead of looking angry or annoyed, both men gave him excited looks.

Well, Yamada looked excited. Aizawa had a neutral look on his face that Katsuki was beginning to associate with the man. However there seemed to be some progress because his eyes looked softer than he was used to seeing.

Yamada grinned and pulled something out of the bag. Katsuki watched instantly as the man slowly and carefully slid it across the table to him. He froze as he glanced down at the box.

“What the fuck?” He breathed out. Yamada gave him a nervous grin.

“I know you most likely don’t want this since you don’t see the need, but we thought it was important for you to have one. Especially because it would make it a lot easier to reach one of us in case something ever happened and we weren’t around,” Yamada said, slightly rambling.

“When the fuck did you even buy this?” Katsuki questioned. Yamada nodded towards Aizawa.

“Shouta picked it up after school!” He explained.

“I thought you were at a meeting,” Katsuki said to him. Aizawa shrugged.

“I mean, technically I did need to have a meeting to buy that,” He said. Katsuki let out a deep breath, half tempted to throw the phone at him because even he knew that was clever at all. Instead he just nodded, knowing Yamada wouldn’t let him deny this.

“And this is for you to open,” Yamada said, passing the bag over to him. Katsuki narrowed his eyes at them before looking inside. However he was pretty confused just to see some more clothes in there. He raised an eyebrow and grabbed the first thing his hand touched. His eyes widened as he pulled out a familiar looking blazer.

“Is this - Does this mean…” He trailed off, truly speechless for once. Yamada nodded.

“You passed the entrance exam!” He said, excitedly. “You officially start classes tomorrow.”

“Congrats kid,” Aizawa said. Katuski slightly blushed at the attention. Yamada’s proud look and the way Aizawa’s lip twitched, almost like he was going to smile, was a lot to process.

“Thanks,” He muttered. But as quiet as he was, he could easily feel himself becoming excited.

He got in! Katsuki Bakugou got into fucking U.A. and no one could take that from him. It almost felt like a big fuck you to his past foster homes that thought his grades were nothing but luck and pity.

When Yamada gave him permission to leave the dining room, Katsuki didn’t hesitate. Though he did mumble out a thank you to the two men as he took the new phone with him.

As he walked upstairs he couldn’t help but think about how dramatic Yamada was. But at the same time he was entirely surprised. Of course someone as loud and excitable as him would live for theatrics like that. Those thoughts didn’t last long though as waves of happiness hit him. Despite the confidence he tried to muster over it, he couldn’t believe that he actually made it in.

Once he had gotten up to his room, the first thing he did was take a pair of the uniform and laid it out on the desk chair in his room. He also decided to organize the school supplies Yamada had gotten him earlier and prepared his backpack. Tomorrow was his first day and he knew that being over prepared was already a much better choice than rushing to do everything tomorrow morning.

Once Katsuki finished and he started getting ready for bed, someone knocked on his door. He stilled, hoping that whoever was on the other side would leave. Though he let out a sigh when they just knocked again, more frequently this time. He swung the door open to see Eri standing there, holding two different stuffed animals. He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the small girl.

“What?” He asked. Eri gave him a small smile, however this one was different than all the other ones he had seen the girl throw around. Because for once she didn’t look excited or energetic, if anything she seemed almost nervous. Before he could question it, Eri held out the white bear she had with her towards him.

“What is that?” He asked her.

“This is Max! And he’s here to help you!” She said. When Katsuki made no movement towards the bear, she started talking, some of her energy coming back as she did so. “I heard you walking around in the morning. And when I told Kota he told me you probably had a nightmare. Kitty always helps me when I have them so I brought you Max so he can help you!”

Eri made another move and thrusted the white bear towards him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed it. He glanced at the bear before looking at the girl. “He’s gonna protect me?”

Eri nodded. “Max is strong! He’ll protect you from every bad guy.”

Katsuki let out a small chuckle. He might be an asshole, but even he didn’t have it in him to reject the small girl’s gift. He’d never admit it outloud, but he was kind of touched that she was trying to help him in her own way. So he just nodded. “Thanks kid.”

“You’re welcome Bakugou!” She said, smiling widely. His lip twitched, a little amused over her stumbling to say his last name.

“You can call me Katsuki,” He told her. She let out a small gasp and sent him an even wider smile as she nodded. He was really starting to believe there was no limit when it came to her smiling.

“Goodnight Kat!” She said to him excitedly. He stilled for a second at the nickname. Though he wasn’t able to say anything as she turned and ran back to her room, quietly laughing to herself. But as he was closing the door behind him, he realized he didn’t really feel the need to say anything to the girl.

He stared down at the white bear as he glanced around the room. With a sigh he just decided to set it down next to his pillow. Only because there was nowhere else to put it in the damn room that didn’t look strange.

And if Katsuki found some comfort in the bear later that night after a smaller nightmare, well no one really had to know that.