Chapter 19

Izuku and Katsuki waited by the school gates for the blond's mother to pick them up for the weekend. They sat on a bench quietly, watching other students make their way out and greet their familiars. Izuku was against the idea of going to the Bakugo's household, but Mitsuki refused to leave the boy alone for the weekend. Specially after what they were told only a few days ago. Plus, after Mitsuki got the greenette's custody, Izuku had only stayed at their house once.

The blaring of a horn caught their attention, and Katsuki rolled his eyes once he saw his mother's enthusiastic waving from the car. The boys got up from the bench and approached the gates, a security guard stopping them. Katsuki showed him the permission signed by their teacher, and the security guard let them out. Izuku trailed behind the blond, holding the straps of his bag like his life depended on it.

"Izuku, honey! It's been a while since I last saw you," Mitsuki grinned, getting out of the car to give the greenette a bone-crushing hug. Izuku accepted the tight squeeze, letting out a faint chuckle.

"It's nice to see you too, Auntie," he said, offering her a small smile once she let go. She smiled back at him, ruffling his green curls and turning to her son.

"Where's my hug, you brat?" Mitsuki asked him, smacking the back of his head. Katsuki glared at her and smacked her hand away, heading to the passenger side of the car.

"You're parked in the middle of the damn street, you old hag. Let's go already." Katsuki grumbled, ignoring his mother's question. Mitsuki rolled her eyes and Izuku chuckled, the three of them getting inside the car. Izuku spent most of the car ride watching the passing scenery while the other two bickered back and forth. The greenette felt out of place—he didn't belong there. At least he didn't felt like he belonged.

They soon arrived at the Bakugo's household, a place Izuku had visited a few times during his childhood. He would normally only go there whenever Mitsuki invited his mother to share dinner with them. It felt odd being in that place without the company of his mother. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Mitsuki was his foster mother.

"Come on, boys. Masaru is making lunch for you," Mitsuki smiled, killing the engine. Without saying another word, the two teenagers stepped out of the car with their bags and headed towards the front door.

"Pardon the intrusion," Izuku mumbled when Katsuki opened the door, taking his shoes off at the entrance. Katsuki gave him a funny look, raising an eyebrow as he, too, took his shoes off.

"This is also your house, nerd. You're not intruding," The blond told him, giving him a gentle nudge. Izuku blinked and blushed a little, taken aback by those words. He didn't expect Katsuki to say that, but it was kind of nice to hear him say it. It was like he was accepting him as part of him family.

"Welcome home, boys!" Masaru said from the kitchen, peeking his head in the hallway to smile at the boys. "I hope you guys brought an appetite with you, because I'm making some miso soup."

"Sure thing," Izuku smiled back at him, while Katsuki frowned. Miso soup was pretty much their comfort food. There were only two reasons why his father would make it. One, the weather was chilly and it was raining. Two, they had bad news.

It wasn't raining.

"Go ahead and take a seat, I'll get the table ready," Mitsuki said while coming in behind the boys, ruffling their hair. Katsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance, but didn't say anything as he placed his bag in a corner and headed to the table. Izuku followed suit, placing his bag next to Katsuki's. Mitsuki had finished getting the table ready, and Masaru came out of the kitchen with a pot of nice and hot miso soup, placing it in the middle of the table.

"Thank you for the food," everyone said after serving themselves a plate of soup. All but Katsuki started eating, who was staring intently at their parents. Izuku, being the oblivious little ray of sunshine he was, complimented the food and continued eating. Masaru noticed his son's staring and shared a look with Mitsuki before clearing his throat.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked Katsuki with a small smile. Katsuki simply gave him a deadpan look, pushing his plate aside and crossing his arms.

"Say what you need to already, will ya?" Katsuki growled out, glaring at his parents across the table. Mitsuki stopped eating and glared right back at him with a scowl.

"Watch your damn tone, mister," she huffed and put her utensils down. Izuku looked between them all with a questioning look, wondering what Katsuki was talking about. Mitsuki looked at him and offered him a small, sad smile. "We wanted to give you some time to settle down before we said anything."

Izuku became anxious at those words, putting his utensils down and frowning. "It's about mom, isn't it?"

"We heard about the...investigation," Mitsuki sighed, crossing her arms. "The police came here last week to inform us about what they found. Honestly? I'm pissed. I'm so sorry for not telling you sooner, we were told to keep quiet."

"I'm surprised you could keep your mouth shut for so long," Katsuki snorted, earning a glare from his mother.

"Do you think that this is easy for us? How the fuck were we supposed to tell you that the police believes that Hisashi killed Inko?! She was my best friend since high school, and some stupid, asshole of a man ended her! How were we supposed to tell Izuku that his father killed his mother?!" Mitsuki exclaimed, slapping her hands on the table and standing abruptly.

"It would have been a lot better to hear it from you guys than to be pulled out of class by fucking All Might and have the police tell us!" Katsuki yelled right back, also standing up. Izuku flinched back at their aggressiveness, standing up slowly and placing a hand on Katsuki's shoulder wearily.

"It's ok, Kacchan," Izuku mumbled, causing Katsuki to tense up and glance at him. He had a look of disappointment, a deep scowl present on his face. Izuku gave him a sad smile, turning to Mitsuki. "They were simply doing what they were told to do. It's not their fault."

Masaru was standing next to Mitsuki, comforting her. She was on the verge of tears, not meeting Izuku in the eyes. Katsuki took a deep breath, stepping aside and heading off towards the stairs. Mitsuki sat back down, holding her head in her hands as she let out a defeated sigh. "I never wanted any of this to happen..."

"Don't worry, Auntie," Izuku reassured, forcing a smile and looking at Masaru. "Thanks for the food. I'll go check up on Kacchan before he destroys his room."

"Please," Masaru smiled sadly at him, focusing on his wife. Izuku slowly retreated, heading for the stairs and going up to the second floor. He made a detour for the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. Sliding down to sit on the ground, Izuku ran his hands through his hair continuously. The topic of his mother was a sensitive one, and seeing the broken look of Mitsuki didn't help either.

Izuku thought of the woman as if she were some sort of second mother. She would celebrate his victories and comfort him on sad days. Hell, when she found out that her own son would bully Izuku for being quirkless she almost strangled little Katsuki. Even though Mitsuki was a tad bit aggressive, her heart was as big as her temper. She loved Izuku like he were her own.

That fact tugged at Izuku's heartstrings.

He didn't even notice that he had started crying, letting out quiet sobs. He missed his own mother. He missed the times when she would watch his favorite All Might movies with him and take him to the park to play. He missed the times she would make his favorite dish to cheer him up, or the moments she would hug him so tight and cry with him. Man, did he miss his old life.

His life before he fell in love with a certain explosive blond.

Memories of his middle school years flooded Izuku's mind. From when he first started liking Katsuki up to when his world came crashing down for the second time in his life—the first time being his father's abandonment. Those memories made him feel even worse. Izuku started to feel the familiar aching of his thighs as a panic attack neared.

Starting getting desperate, he scratched at his covered wounds as he slowly stood up. Thanks to Katsuki, he hasn't been able to cut for the past four days. That's the longest the greenette had gone without harming himself. The blond watched him like a hawk the majority of times. But he was alone now. It was his chance.

Opening the small cabinet above the sink, Izuku searched with shaky fingers for something sharp. His breathing became labored, chest starting to constrict painfully. He kept rummaging through the cabinet until his fingers came in contact with a disposable shaving razor. That should do.

Tears kept streaming down his face, fingers shaking as he did his best to disassemble the razor. He bit his lower lip to try and stop any sound from coming out of his mouth. His emotions were all over the place. He almost had it, he just needed to—

"Deku?" Katsuki knocked on the door. Startled, Izuku accidentally cut the tip of his index finger and dropped the shaving razor. A silent curse left his mouth as the item clattered on the solid ground, and he rushed to pick it up. He was breathing through his mouth, not wanting Katsuki to hear his sniffles.

"Y-Yeah?" He responded, putting the tip of his finger in his mouth. The metallic taste of blood filled his tastebuds, making him cringe slightly.

"What was that? What the hell are you doing?" The blond asked skeptically.

"What was what?" Izuku asked innocently, throwing the disposable razor in the trash. He rushed to the sink and opened the faucet, placing his finger under the water. The door to the bathroom suddenly opened, making Izuku splash some water on his face immediately to "clean" his tear-stained face in a hurry.

"You know what I'm talking about," Katsuki said, narrowing his eyes at the greenette. He had come to check on Izuku since he didn't find him in the dining table or living room. His parents had told him that the greenette left to check up on him, but he never came to his room.

Izuku ignored him and grabbed a hand towel, quickly wiping his face to get rid of the water. He mentally slapped himself for not locking the door beforehand. "I was just washing my face."

"And I was just born yesterday," Katsuki retorted, looking around the bathroom. Even though Izuku tried to hide it, it was clear that he had been crying just seconds ago. His eyes were puffy and the tip of his nose was red. That and the fact that he wouldn't breathe through his nose made it all the more obvious.

Izuku watched the blond anxiously, wondering what Katsuki was searching for. He was looking mostly at the ground, probably trying to find the razor he had already thrown in the trash can. The blond then eyed Izuku carefully, looking for any type of clue. The way Katsuki was looking at the greenette made him feel self-conscious, his freckled cheeks flushing in the slightest. Izuku opened his mouth to say something, but shut it when Katsuki suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Why are you bleeding?" The blond asked in a low tone. Izuku's eyes widened in the slightest, remembering his bleeding finger. Having felt the greenette tensing up, Katsuki's eyes then snapped over to the trash can as a thought occurred to him. Sure enough, inside of it was one of his father's disposable shaving razors, making him curse.

Dropping Izuku's hand, Katsuki opened the cabinet above the sink and searched for the rest of the razors. Alarmed, Izuku tried to stop him, but the angry look that the blond gave him made him stop in his tracks.

"Not under my watch," Katsuki grumbled out, proceeding to throw the razors on the trash can. Making a mental note to get rid of the trash bag later, Katsuki grabbed Izuku's arm and dragged him out of the bathroom. He was glad that he had decided to check up on the greenette. Who knew what would've happened if he didn't show up.

Izuku let himself be dragged, feeling utterly embarrassed and frustrated that the blond had caught him red handed. He was growing desperate the longer he went without cutting himself. The emotional rollercoaster he dealt with on a daily basis had him feeling confused and irritated. Self-harming was what kept his feelings under control. It was his most efficient coping mechanism.

As Katsuki dragged him to his room, Izuku could only stare at the back of his head. One thing was certain. The blond could either be his doom or his salvation, and he wasn't ready to find out which one it would be.