"Baby."

"Hm?"

Katsuki hums, chest to chest with Izuku as they lay in bed for a lazy morning. He's barely awake, tiny kisses pressed into freckled skin as scarred hands rub and massage at his back and sides.

"You and Shouto ran away like...what, four years ago?"

"Mm. I was sixteen, yeah."

Izuku's grip unintentionally tightens and he quickly has to catch his breath and calm himself. Sixteen years old. Which meant that Katsuki was just fifteen when his parents...

"What are you thinkin', Izuku? I don't like it when you're like this and I know that somethin' bad is going through your head." Katsuki moves to wrap his arms around Izuku's neck and hold him closer. Izuku relaxes with a sigh, wrapping his own arms around Katsuki's much smaller frame. As much as the blonde would rather die than admit it, he's so small and fragile. And after what happened, he understands better why Shouto was out for his head in the beginning and why he was so adamant about keeping Katsuki safe.

"I just...I wanna know who hurt my baby." He says, damn near a whisper but by the way Katsuki chuckles against his ear, he hears it anyway. "I wasn't your baby back then, you know."

Izuku sits up so fast that Katsuki damn near rolls off of the bed, startled when the older man turns on him with a glare.

"You keep making jokes and laughing this shit off but this isn't something that should just be taken for shits and giggles, Katsuki!"

"Oh, would you have rather I gave into crippling depression and anxiety and killed myself instead? Cause that's where I was headed." Katsuki points flatly and Izuku blanches, stomach churning. Katsuki wipes a hand over his face with a sigh.

"Baby. I know how shitty it is. I am the one that it happened to after all, so you don't have to tell me twice how seriously fucked up it is. And it hurts. And I still have fucking nightmares about it sometimes. Your concerns mean so much to me, baby, and I'm so glad that you care enough about me to even be this upset but if I'm ever gonna be okay, I have to try and move on. You know?"

And...welll, shit, Izuku doesn't have a damn thing to object to because Katsuki is absolutely fucking right.

"...I'm sorry, kitten. I must sound like such an asshole to even keep talking about it---"

"You're fine, baby. Just promise me you're not gonna bring this up to my parents right now, please. Not only is it fucking embarrassing but it's not gonna end well for anyone involved---most importantly you and my folks." He requests and Izuku let's out a frustrated huffs. "Why do you keep protecting them after everything they've done?" He doesn't understand.

Katsuki shrugs, a solemn smile pulled at his lips.

"Cause they're my parents. Only ones I've got. Even if...even if they don't love me? I don't think I can ever really stop loving them. Resent them, maybe. But I'll never really hate them."

Izuku snaps his mouth shut. He probably shouldn't mention the conversation that he's had with Masaru just yesterday. As much as he wants to shatter whatever ties Katsuki has left to those monsters, his baby has been through enough.

Izuku sighs.

"Alright. Okay, baby. Whatever you want."

Katsuki's smile spreads as he climbs into Izuku's lap to steal a kiss.

"Thank you, daddy. C'mon, I'll make you breakfast before you have to go to work."

"Sure, Kitty. You're staying here while I'm working today?"

"Mhm. If that's okay."

"Of course. Call Shouto and your friends over if you'd like, I don't want you to be bored."

Besides, he's not gonna be home for a while anyway. He's got some...work to take care of this evening. Katsuki should be kept occup---uh...happy.

#

"Hey, Izuku! Checked those numbers this morning and those missing shipments made it to their location overnight. You're a real life saver!"

As much as Izuku wants to puke at the mere sight of Masaru's face, he pulls on a tight smile.

"Of course, sir. Pleasure is all mine! Oh, say---I've got a question for you." He adds just as Masaru is about to turn and leave his office. The megane pauses, twisting around so he could see Izuku's face.

"I'm doing number comparisons to see what our past feats were within the last five years, see how we've improved and where we're lacking compared to competition. We did a merger about four years back and I can't remember the name of who we merged with---"

"Oh! That was a very big milestone for us, I know exactly the one! It's what bumped us up to number two in rankings! Luca Stefano with the Altadonna brand. Mitsuki and I worked very hard to close that deal."

He seems so proud of himself.

Izuku grips his stylus so hard that it snaps and shatters. He clears his throat after it startles them both.

"That's all I needed. I'm going to be leaving a little early today, feeling a bit under the weather."

Masaru nods with a concerned smile. "No worries! I'll hand the bulk of the work to Kayama. Thank you for all your hard work!" He says---almost robotically---and then he leaves.

Izuku slams his broken stylus into the trash bin and gathers his things.

#

Izuku was expecting something extravagant. Tall skyscraper building made of chrome and glass---busy lobby areas and bustling with life. He expected a picture very close to what the result of perfection would look like but instead, he got something else entirely.

He's here in the slums, looking at the paint chipped front door of some ratchet ass house that looks like it might topple over at any moment if the wind blew too hard.

He checks the address on his phone again, having extensive research on where to find this Stefano guy. He looks from his screen to the mailbox and then his screen once more.

Yeah. Definitely the right place.

He knocks on the door with purpose, heavy and imposing. Nothing happens for a moment so he knocks again---much harder and much more aggressive. The door swings open mid-knock and some scruffy looking brunette glares at him, cigarette clasped between his lips.

"Hell you want?" He says, thick accent spewing very broken Japanese at him. Izuku's gaze narrows and he steps forward, towering over him from across the threshold.

"Luca Stefano?"

The man looks him up and down. After a while he scoffs and grips the edge of the door.

"Tell Gianni I ain't got it. He got a problem, he can come talk to me personally." And he tries to slam the door shut but Izuku grabs it and shoves it open again, shoving him out of the way and slamming it shut. He goes to lock it but it's broken---anyone could have walked in there. If this guy owes debts then how has he managed to stay alive this long?

He grunts, glare sharpening on him.

"I'm not here for money and I don't have any affiliation with this Gianni person you've mentioned. I'm here cause I've got questions. Depending on your answers, you might actually survive this conversation." He gets straight to the point and Stefano seems to understand that he's not being given a choice so he groans and pulls himself into a lone chair seated in the hallway and takes a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke right into Izuku's face.

"Alright. Ask away, big man."

Izuku rolls his eyes, tapping away at his phone.

"Four years ago at an after party during Paris Fashion Week, you met with the Bakugous about merging brands. Right or wrong?"

The guy gives Izuku a once over, eyeing him skeptically before looking him dead in the eyes.

"Yes. Merger went through and they bought me out a couple years later. What's it matter?"

Izuku's jaw tightens. He pulls up a selfie Katsuki had taken on his phone and shoves it into his face.

"You remember him?"

And the bastard licks his fuckin' lips before he takes another drag. He chuckles suggestively.

"How could I not?" He says with a self-satisfied smirk.

Izuku blanks out and slams him into the wall by his head, palm gripping his face tightly as he tries to struggle with a choked gasp.

"You mother fucker! What kind of sick bastard rapes a kid and feels good about it---"

"I didn't fucking rape him, the kid's parents told me he wanted  me to make him take it!"

"He was fucking fifteen!" Izuku screams, nearly on the verge of tears as he slams his head against the wall again with more force. Stefano screams---struggles more---but Izuku holds fast and slams him again.

"He screamed and he begged and you silenced him so he couldn't tell you no!"

And again.

"And when he fought you, you beat him and nearly killed him by tearing him apart inside out, you sick, disgusting fucker!"

And again.

"You deserve to rot in hell!"

And again.

He hears a crack! that snaps him out of his rage and realizes that he's not fighting back anymore. Izuku releases him and let's him drop like a rag doll. Stefano coughs and wheezes, blood staining his pristine white shirt.

He won't die. But he might be on the floor for a day or two.

Serves him fucking right.

Izuku kneels down close to make sure he hears him.

"Every time I see you---on tv, on a billboard, in a fucking magazine---anytime I even think about you profiting off of my baby's suffering, I'm gonna come back and beat your ass again until I feel satisfied."

And then he stands to leave.

He feels lighter, somehow.