A/N: Hello everyone! I'm alive! I'm so sorry it's been so long since the last update. I actually need to re-write the next chapter of this story before posting it, because I sorta skipped ahead, and I feel like you all deserve to see some good ol' bonding and repentance from Bakugo. Besides! I'm sure you all want to see Shouta give him what's for. :)
So please be patient, I promise you this story is NOT being discontinued.

Chapter 15: Reconnection

Katsuki woke up warm. There was something next to him that made him feel safe and he reached out an arm to pull it closer. It stiffened, and he realized with a start that it was alive. He opened his eyes and locked on familiar green hair.

Zukkun.

And like someone flipped a switch, everything from yesterday (or was it today?) came crashing back. Zukkun snuggled closer to Katsuki in his sleep. He was grateful his brother decided to sleep a little longer. Katsuki needed some time to process everything.

Auntie Inko was gone. That was a very hard pill to swallow. She was so happy and kind and always knew how to give the best hugs. She always seemed to know what he wanted even when he, himself, didn't know how to express it. And it made him angry that not only did someone kill her, but that he didn't even know.

And on that note, his brother had been kidnapped, probably tortured, and definitely traumatized. Again, Katsuki hadn't known. It made him feel sick, to realize that he'd been twiddling his thumbs at home playing videogames while Zukkun had been fighting for his life, the life of his mother, and the life of his adoptive father.

Wasn't that a concept, though? That he'd been adopted by two pro heroes. Katsuki eyed the Present Mic figurine that stood quietly on his dresser. He didn't have nearly as much hero stuff as Zukkun did—last he checked, at least—but he did have a little something for some of his favorites. And Mic's radio show always managed to help calm him down after a bad day.

The idea that Zukkun knew the man on a personal level made his head hurt. Though, now that he thought about it, there was that week long stretch not too long ago where Present Mic abruptly vanished from his radio show. He'd gotten a stand-in for a few days before just resorting to playing music. Said he had some urgent hero work to do. It wasn't too unusual—it'd happened several times before—so Katsuki didn't think much about it.

But now he realized that that had been because Zukkun had gotten kidnapped. When Mic came back to his show, he'd sounded a little off. More tired, a little less obnoxious. He'd figured that the mission had gone south or something. Apparently it had, if Auntie Inko was...

Another thing that made him mad was himself. He'd almost killed Izuku. The image of his brother stepping off that rooftop with a smile on his face, thanking Katsuki for his stupid advice that he'd given in the heat of the moment—without fucking thinking... It made him physically ill.

Years of bullying... Katsuki had thought that his actions were obvious. He just wanted to get him to show some backbone. Stand up for himself so he could become the world's first Quirkless Hero and prove everyone wrong. So they could become heroes together like they'd always planned.

So why had things become so twisted? Why had Zukkun not noticed? Why had Katsuki not noticed? Now Katsuki felt like a villain. He'd nearly pushed his own brother to suicide, and left him alone for a fucking decade. Why was this little ball of innocence even tolerating him right now? Katsuki felt dirty. Like he was a stain or disease that would dirty and infect anyone he touched.

He stiffened a little when Zukkun snuggled closer to him. He found himself relaxing against his will into the comforting warmth. Zukkun could always calm him down, and he wrapped an arm around the smaller boy to pull him closer. His brother was willing to give him a second chance. He was not going to waste it. Katsuki was going to do some serious soul-searching and repent. Somehow. He wasn't entirely sure how to go about it, but he'd figure it out somehow!

That's when he noticed Zukkun's phone laying on the floor. Damn, he'd come over right after school, so it would've been 3ish—4 at the latest—when they crashed... It was almost 8 pm, now.

He reached over and looked, wondering why the screen had suddenly flared to life. 36 messages and 6 missed calls? Holy shit. "Uh... Zukkun? I hate to wake you up, but you've got a crap ton of missed messages and six calls. I think someone's worried about you."

Zukkun shot up like someone electrocuted him. "SHIT!"

Katsuki would never get used to hearing him swear. He watched, amused, as Zukkun immediately dialed a number.

"Dad! Dad, no. I'm fine." A pause. "Yes, I'm still at Kacchan's house." Pause. "No, he hasn't blown me up, we were just hanging out and I lost track of time." Pause. "We fell asleep. It's been kind of a harsh day..." And another pause. "Yeees?" He said it like a question. "I'll explain the details later, but Kacchan and I are back on good terms. Oh! That reminds me, can he come over sometime? I'd love to show him my room! And we can play some of those videogames that Pa got me!"

"Video games?" Katsuki found himself mouthing with confusion. Zukkun had never been the kind to like video games. Pa must've been Present Mic, then. He seemed like the kind of guy to spoil his kids.

"I know, I know." He paused again. "Yeah, I'll text you the address, and Pa can come pick me up." A smile stretched across Zukkun's lips. "Love you too, dad. I'll see you soon." He ended the call. "Sorry about that, Kacchan. My family gets really worried if I don't check in with them. It's understandable, all things considered."

"Yeah, I'll expect you to keep me in the loop, too." Katsuki grinned. "You've still got my number, right?"

"Of course I do! What, you think I'd actually erase it?!"

"Just checking, damnit. No need to make a fucking fuss outta it." He huffed.

"Dad's starting my training again." Zukkun noted aloud. "I think he'll have me start accompanying him on patrols again soon."

Something in his brain froze. "You're allowed to go on hero patrols?!"

"I can't fight or anything. Just observe. But it's so fun! I get to watch my parents take down actual villains! Though dad usually works in the dead of night. We typically get home at, like, four or five in the morning. So weekends only."

"You still keeping up with those analysis diaries?"

"They're notebooks, not diaries. And yes. I am." He smirked, pulling one out of his backpack. Katsuki thought the backpack was designed after a pro, but he didn't recognize them. Maybe it was Eraserhead? Katsuki never paid attention to the underground heroes.

Katsuki took it with a curious hand, flipping through it. It looked... like a fucking diary. He gave Izuku a flat look.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot I wrote it in code." He scratched the back of his head. "Here, lemme read it to you..."

His jaw dropped as he listened to a far too detailed breakdown of a hero's Quirk and fighting style. With this kind of intel, someone could easily defeat this hero. With or without a Quirk.

"Ever tried doing that on villains?"

"Yeah, Dad had me start a villain analysis notebook a few months before we got kidnapped. I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things. Dad went back to teaching just last week."

"He's a teacher?"

"At U.A."

"You're fucking shitting me!"

"Nope! My whole family teaches at U.A.! Pa teaches English, Dad is the homeroom teacher for 1–A Heroics—isn't that awesome?!—Auntie Nemuri is the teacher for Art or something like that, and Nana's the school nurse."

"Damn, Zukkun. You've got fucking connections. I'm seriously fucking jealous."

"Why should you be? You're part of this family, too, Baka-go." He smirked at the old childish jab.

The two made their way down into the living room where his mom had put out a plate of sweets and sandwiches for them. He supposed she was taking Auntie's death really hard (and to be honest, so was he, but it hadn't really set in, yet). The two had practically been sisters... they'd known each other since before their Quirks manifested. He'd probably be a wreck, too, if Izuku...

He shook his head, angrily swiping away a few stray tears as he joined Zukkun on the couch. It was nice to be able to let so much of his anger drop off his shoulders. Zukkun just had that effect on him. He just couldn't be angry around him (at least when he wasn't being a dumbass). He leaned his shoulder against him, Zukkun leaning back. It was their silent way of letting each other know that they had their back.

"I forgot how good your mom's cookies were!" Zukkun looked to be in bliss. "Pa would kill for this recipe! You should've seen him on Christmas when mom gave him her cookie recipe. He almost cried." Zukkun chuckled.

"You get anything cool for Christmas?" He was curious. What did heroes get people for Christmas?

"Yeah! I got some really awesome stuff... Oh! I should show you everyone so you know who's who." He smiled, pulling out his phone and showing him the photo.

It looked to be taken at Christmas, and Zukkun sat with a kitten on his lap. A vaguely familiar woman in the background smiled with an arm happily draped over Auntie Inko's shoulders. And Auntie looked good. Katsuki remembered that stress hadn't been too kind to her, but she was looking much better now. Then. He reminded himself. Then. There was no now for Auntie Inko. He mentally shook that thought from his brain. He'd dwell on that when Zukkun was gone. For now, he turned his focus back to the picture.

A dark-haired scruffy looking man smiled tiredly as he ruffled Zukkun's hair. He wore black and grey kitty pajamas and had a scarf wrapped around his neck, similar to the one Zukkun was wearing in the photo. A blond man, who Katsuki recognized as Present Mic after a moment, draped an arm around the dark haired man with an exuberant grin on his face, flashing a peace sign to the camera.

"That's Auntie Nemuri. Her hero name is Midnight."

"The R-rated hero?" He blinked. That was unexpected.

"Yep! She's super gentle and nice. She can't stand seeing me cry, and sometimes I can smuggle a few cookies up to my room with her help." Zukkun chuckled. "And that's Pa. Yamada Hizashi, hero name: Present Mic. He's a big teddy bear, and loves to buy me things. He actually got me a laptop for Christmas. He's starting to chill on the gifts, though. He's super fun and always has a good thing to say about someone. He's the optimist of the family." He pointed to the guy who looked perpetually exhausted. "That's dad." His smile became gentle. "Aizawa Shouta, Hero Name: Eraserhead. He's rough around the edges, and super strict with training, but he's a big softie. He'll do anything to protect me. And he's a brilliant fighter and an incredible hero."

"He looks like a hobo."

"He gets that a lot." Zukkun laughed. "You should see how many times the police on his patrol ID him, thinking he's some homeless man fighting crime. I've never seen him look so done."

The two chatted and laughed for about ten more minutes before a knock at the door interrupted them. Zukkun went to answer it, and his face lit up when he saw who was on the other side. "Pa!" He hugged the man, and Katsuki became abruptly aware that this was Present Mic. A Pro Hero. At. His. House. Fuck. Did he finish those dishes that he said he'd do later? Did he pick up that random pair of boxers he'd left laying near the laundry room last week? Shit, why was he so messy?

Zukkun invited him in (it was practically his house, too), and led him over to the couch. "Pa, you've gotta try Auntie Mitsuki's cookies! They're amazing!"

"Wow, you're in a good mood, kiddo." The hero looked so weird with his hair down. Well, it was pulled into a messy ponytail, but it wasn't up in his hero hairdo. "You must be Bakugo Katsuki."

"Yeah." What the fuck was he supposed to say?

Zukkun chuckled, shaking his head. "Kacchan, you don't have to be so nervous. Yeah, he's a pro, but come on. He's my pa. Just be yourself." He flushed.

"Damnit, sometimes I hate how well you fucking read me, Zukkun."

Present Mic blinked at the nickname.

"You know you loooove me, Kacchan~" He sung, dancing away as Katsuki went to grab him. Zukkun gave a laugh and Katsuki gave chase, growling. He wasn't really angry, and the old game of chase actually had him laughing as he finally tackled Zukkun to the floor.

"You may have caught me, but can you keep a hold of me?" Zukkun challenged.

"Let's find out." Katsuki grinned.

Zukkun twisted out of Katsuki's grasp, and preformed a wonderful overhead flip, twisting Katsuki's arm behind him. But the blond wasn't having any of that, and aimed a punch at his brother, who caught it and twisted.

This went on for a few minutes, until Katsuki finally thought he had the upper hand. Thought, being the keyword. Because next thing he knew, he was on the ground, pinned with a knee in the back and a hand on the back of his neck.

The observing blond, who Katsuki had honestly forgotten about, applauded.

"Shouta would've loved to see that kind of spar." He grinned. "Zuku, you've gotten better!" Zukkun flushed at the praise as he got off Katsuki's back and held out a hand to help him up. "And Bakugo-kun, you're a very good fighter." He flushed as he took Zukkun's hand. They clasped hands at the wrist, and he noted that Present Mic stiffened out of the corner of his eye.

That's right... Zukkun mentioned that people touching his wrists can send him into flashbacks. He looked at Zukkun critically, making sure he was okay, but he looked just fine as he pulled Katsuki to his feet.

"It's fine, Kacchan." Zukkun smiled at him, and again Katsuki wondered how he always seemed to know what he was thinking. I feel safe around you. Was implied, and it made his face heat up.

"Next time, I'll be the one pinning you." His lips twitched as he spoke, giving away the smile that wanted to form.

"Haha! We'll see about that!" Zukkun bumped shoulders with him.

"We should get home before Shouta comes over, himself." Present Mic stated, a soft smile on his face. He looked so different when he was out of costume. Quieter. Katsuki sort of liked it. It suited the normally loud hero a lot more than his portrayed obnoxiousness.

"Okay, pa." Zukkun was disappointed.

"The fuck are you sad about? I'll see you at fucking school tomorrow, nerd." He relaxed a bit when Zukkun brightened at the reminder.

"Yeah! Oh! And don't forget the math homework tomorrow! If you need help, text me tonight, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just get home already, I don't want your shitty ass to get in trouble."

"Hard to get into trouble at home when I'm talking to him right now."

"When the hell did you get so snarky?"

"Kacchan, I've always been a snark."

"Yeah, I fucking know." He glared at Zukkun, who glared back for a moment.

Then, abruptly, the two burst out into laughter, wide grins adorning both their faces as they hugged.

"See you tomorrow, Kacchan."

"All right. See you tomorrow, Zukkun."

"It was good to meet you, Bakugo-kun."

"Call me Katsuki. You're gonna be seeing a lot of me." He smirked.

"Then call me Hizashi, kid."

"Call him Uncle Zashi. He'll love it." Zukkun chimed in, making Hizashi laugh.

"I suppose Uncle Zashi works, too."

And with that, they left, leaving Katsuki with a warm fuzzy feeling that he didn't know what to do with. What the fuck? I think... is that contentment? The fuck? He smiled as he went back to his room.

Hizashi was surprised. With all the things he'd heard about Bakugo Katsuki, he'd expected an angry, volatile, explosive bully. No matter how much Izuku tried to water it down, he and Shouta both knew that things were probably worse than he said. So when Izuku told them that he was willingly going over to his bully's house after school, the family had been understandably worried and anxious. Especially since there had already been one incident today.

And then hours went by with no word from him. They'd all tried calling him, and sent him about a million messages, and no answer. Shouta pointed out that maybe his phone was on silent. Or it was possible that he didn't hear it. But Hizashi knew that he was a few minutes away from heading over there.

Izuku's curfew was 8:30 on a school night, and it was 8:04, now. The only reason why they hadn't barged into the Bakugo household was because nobody's gut was screaming that something was wrong. Well, that and Chiyo insisted that they wait until his curfew. And nobody wanted to anger Recovery Girl when she was in Nana mode. And here, Hizashi thought he'd gotten out of dealing with in-laws.

Then Shouta's phone rang. Izuku explained a few things to Shouta, and once he got off the phone, turned to Hizashi in disbelief. "He fell asleep."

"He... fell asleep? At his bully's house?" Nemuri echoed.

"He said that the two have patched things up." He didn't seem convinced. Hizashi wasn't either. This other kid had hurt Izuku for years. They weren't forgiving him for that any time soon.

"Hizashi, could you go pick him up? I don't trust myself around Bakugo just yet." Shouta spoke up, and Hizashi nodded.

"Of course, Shou."

Walking up to the house, he was somewhat nervous. What kind of family was he walking into? His mind conjured up a group that was hostile and angry. He shook the thoughts from his mind as he knocked at the door, and Izuku was the one who answered. He looked happy. There was this easy, relaxed aura that Hizashi had never seen around the kid before. Sure, he was relaxed and safe with them at home, but this was something different... deeper. Like some great weight that had dropped off his soul that he'd been carrying around for years.

And then Izuku invited him in like he lived there. The blond kid seemed nervous, and Hizashi couldn't figure out why. Was it because he'd bullied Izuku for most of his life? In that case, he should be nervous.

But then Izuku spoke up, calling him out on being high-strung because Hizashi was Present Mic, the Pro Hero.

He found himself getting a fairly good picture of their relationship as the two tussled and bantered. They were close. Really close. It almost reminded him a bit of himself and Shouta, to be honest. It warmed his heart. The clincher for him to trust this Bakugo kid was when he could grab Izuku's wrists and not have him react negatively. Even Hizashi had to be careful about Shouta and Izuku's wrists.

He did wonder idly where Bakugo's parents were, though. Once they'd left the house and made their way to the car, Hizashi spoke.

"You two are close."

"He's like a brother to me." Izuku answered, a soft smile on his face. "We've known each other since we were born. Kacchan was actually there on the day I was born, so I mean that literally."

"Where are his parents? I didn't see them."

"His dad's at work right now, and his mom's... Auntie Mitsuki took mom's death hard. They had been friends since they were, like, three. They'd known each other since before their Quirks developed, and mom had been Auntie Mitsuki's maid of honor in her wedding. I think she's still in her room coming to terms with it. " Ah. That explained it.

"So what happened between you and Bakugo-kun? Not that I'm not happy, but I thought he was a bully to you?"

"Well..." Izuku looked sheepish. "Would you believe me if I told you it was all a big misunderstanding?"

"Wha?" Hizashi almost looked back in disbelief, but he was driving, so that would be a bad idea. "How is ten years of bullying a misunderstanding?"

"Well... He was encouraging me in his own way... He thought I could be a Quirkless hero, but not until I learned to stand up for myself. And I'll admit, it was obvious looking back on it. He never really hurt me on purpose; he was just scared. I was dreaming not doing, and he was scared that if I continued on like that, I'd die. So he was trying to get me to stand up for myself, and kept getting angry when I just rolled over. He just never thought to explain this to me because he thought it was obvious."

Hizashi let the words settle in his brain. What the fuck? Was what his mind oh-so-helpfully supplied. Hizashi had always been the kind of guy who valued open communication. So this made no sense to him.

"Maybe you should explain that to Shouta, and he can try explaining it to me, because I'm very lost."

Izuku laughed, making Hizashi pout. "Meanie." He stuck his tongue out at his son. Today had been a long day, and explanations could wait until tomorrow.