Aizawa usually didn't miss work but today he made an exception. He needed to meet with the social worker assigned to Katsuki's case to determine what the plan was moving forward.

The teen had been stressed after hearing he may be required to attend family therapy sessions with his parents but to his knowledge, that would only occur if reunification was an option. That couldn't be decided until the abuse allegations were thoroughly investigated.

The blonde's treatment team included a variety of different people so there was a distinct possibility that one thing had changed but he wasn't made aware. He wasn't looking forward to this encounter but it was necessary for Katsuki's mental health.

Mr. Mori was pretty new but he had a solid reputation. He was said to be an empathetic man who had experience working with adolescent boys in a variety of settings. This could work in his favor. The Bakugo's were prominent figures in the fashion industry so they had a lot of people in their pocket, those willing to bend the rules for the couple.

Aizawa wasn't worried. He knew people in high places too.

"Hello Mr. Aizawa. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, my last meeting ran over just a bit. What can I help you with today?" It was odd working with someone so young but Shota already had a good feeling about this guy. He was kind but he didn't seem like a pushover. He held himself with just enough confidence to let the hero know he had strong values and wouldn't be swayed by money or power. Eraser's job was to read people so it didn't take much for the man to pick up on what kind of person you were.

Shota had dealt with the Musutafu Department of Children and Family Services a lot over the years as a hero but this was his first experience as a guardian. This time was personal so he had to tread carefully.

"There are just a few things I'd like to clarify." Shota wasn't going to drag this out. He just needed a couple answers. He wanted to get straight to the point.

"Katsuki is under the impression that he is required to participate in family sessions with one or both of his parents." A simple statement. He didn't want to make assumptions or divulge any information about the kid's response to that possibility. Not yet at least.

"That will only take place after all parties partake in individual treatment for an extended period of time. What I mean is, Katsuki needs to be ready mentally before we add his parents into the mix. Same goes for Mitsuki and Masaru." That made more sense. He could work with that.

"Also, until the investigation has been settled, he will not be permitted to interact with either parent without you present. I'm sorry if that wasn't made clear. I hope this hasn't caused Katsuki too much stress." Now this was good news. He knew Katsuki was worried about the possibility of his parents, well his mother especially, trying to contact him or corner him after school but now that Aizawa has the facts, he can ensure that doesn't happen.

"Thank you for clearing that up. I will communicate this with Katsuki this evening. Speaking of the investigation, has there been any progress?" The social worker sat up a bit straighter at that, Aizawa prepared himself for the worst but kept his face neutral so he didn't give himself away. He was nervous that the Bakugo's reputation would get them cleared before they even had a chance to gather evidence against them.

"It has been difficult…" The man was clearly trying to figure out the best way to express his thoughts. There was a sinking feeling in the hero's gut, the next sentence wouldn't be positive.

"Due to the lack of proof, of any kind, prosecution on any charges is basically impossible." Shota clenched his fists and was ready to respond but he was cut off.

"However, the circumstantial evidence that has been provided was enough to create doubt which is good for us. The judge will not allow Katsuki to return to his biological parent's home until a treatment plan is completed. That means both Katsuki and his parents will need to meet their goals before permanency can be decided." The tension bled from Shota's limbs as he let out the breath he had been holding. That gave him time to figure things out.

"The investigation is still pending but that is just a formality really. It will remain open until all the requirements have been met which will take time. Mitsuki must attend anger management classes and from what I've heard, she is refusing. That will impede any progress. Masaru has attended his first individual session but again, until everyone is stable, family therapy cannot begin." Aizawa finally let himself relax completely.

"Thank you. This will definitely help ease Katsuki's worries." He didn't say anything else because he was overwhelmed himself. He didn't expect it to go this way. He was prepared to hear that the charges were dropped and that Katsuki would be transferred back to his parent's care.

He was so relieved that he was wrong.

"Of course. We can schedule a meeting soon so that Katsuki can ask me any questions as well. I'd also like to come observe him in your home." Aizawa agreed easily and left feeling lighter than he had in over a week.


Katsuki slammed his tray down, not paying attention to the bewildered looks he was getting from Four Eyes and Round Face. He really should call them by their actual names but some habits were hard to break.

The nerd was way too excited by this development and he almost regretted sitting down but then he remembered why he had in the first place and chose to ignore his previous thought.

"Kacchan!" Why was he always so excited to see him?

Did he have zero sense of self-preservation?

"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" He didn't really want to explain himself but it was sort of necessary since he never sits with them. He really wished they would just let it go but he knew he wouldn't get that lucky.

"Those losers are too fucking loud. I can't deal with it today." They didn't question him any further and they went back to their previous conversations. The fucking nerd was watching him closely though, waiting for him to spill the beans but Katsuki pretended he didn't see the other teen staring at him.

He would talk to the idiot later.

"If you need me to speak with your friends about volume control I would…"

"It's not a big deal. I don't need you to do anything. I will handle it later. Drop it." The class president snapped his mouth shut, his arms twitching at his sides as he forced himself not to make his signature chopping motions. Katsuki rolled his eyes but stood to leave, avoiding all attempts by Dek—Izuku to stop him.

He glared at the other boy hoping he understood that he would talk to him later. If anyone would be able to read his facial expressions, it's Izuku.

He still didn't like the way the nerd's name sounded in his head. He was so used to calling him Deku… maybe he could come up with a different nickname. The nerd still called him Kacchan and he fucking hated that.

He almost felt bad when he saw the sad looks his friends were giving him. He needed to talk to them soon but he just didn't have it in him to do it just yet.


Mina:

he is officially ignoring us babes !

did we do something wrong?

Kirishima:

he never sits with Midoriya

LIKE EVER

Kaminari:

YEAH BRO

WTF

oops

sry about the all caps

ne ways

he didn't even say hi to me today

He didn't yell at me either !

Kirishima:

time for an intervention guys !

We can't lose our bro!

Mina:

we can buy him his favorite spicy snacks !

set up a movie night in one of our rooms!

Kaminari:

he loves Disney movies

Maybe Mulan and Hercules?!

Kirishima:

I'll ask him tonight!

Wish me luck !

Mina:

u got this babe !

Kaminari:

yeah Kiri

He loves u bro

ur his best friend

Kirishima put his phone aside, electing not to reply to the last set of messages because he wasn't sure if they were true anymore.

He thought Bakugo valued their friendship but something had been going on with the explosive teen lately. He had always been sort of reserved when it came to his personal life but this was different. He had completely avoided them at lunch and sat with the Dekusquad which had never happened before. The blonde has a long and complicated history with Midoriya so he isn't sure when they had the time to work things out but he was starting to worry.

Bakugo isn't the type of guy to talk about his feelings and it hadn't been that long since Kamino but he was growing impatient. He wanted his friend back. Their group wasn't the same without Bakugo, without all the screaming and constant stream of obscenities.

Hopefully his direct approach wouldn't be shut down because he was starting to take the other teens distance to heart.


Aizawa had returned to UA around the time of dismissal which was perfect since he wanted to talk to Katsuki before the kid had the chance to get too mixed up with his peers. He was aware that the teen had been keeping to himself more than usual over the last couple of days but the hero didn't feel the need to step in yet. He was confident his usual friend group could handle it on their own.

After speaking with the social worker, he decided it would be a good idea to visit Detective Tsukauchi. They had worked together on many different cases and he wanted his expert opinion on how to go about working around the Bakugo's reputation and if he had any knowledge of compromised officers in his department.

Unfortunately, there were some new employee's that the detective wasn't too familiar with yet so he couldn't vouch for them but he did express that it would be difficult to win total custody from such a prestigious couple. Japan is a country that values honor and approval. A familys position in the hierarchy will influence the outcome of the case, especially if there isn't concrete evidence of significant abuse or neglect.

It wasn't what Aizawa wanted to hear but he expected it. It didn't discourage him though. He knew he could gather the evidence, it would just take some time and luckily he seemed to have it. At least for now.

He didn't waste any time tracking his ward down. He hoped sharing some of the news with him would help settle the kid. It could obviously have the opposite effect but he wasn't one for hiding things. He wanted to be transparent with Katsuki. Trust was already a delicate thing so he didn't want to do anything to ruin what they had built.

Katsuki was headed to his bedroom when Aizawa walked into the Heights Alliance main room. He called out to him to prevent him from sneaking off but it appeared to be a relief once he got a good look at the teens face.

"Can we go back to your apartment?" The teacher was a bit put off by the lack of fire in the boy's words but didn't bring any attention to it. He didn't want to cause a scene since it was clear Katsuki wasn't in the best mindset.

Once they made it back to his private space, Aizawa put on a pot for hot chocolate. Katsuki sat quietly at the small dining room table, shoving his face into his hands, a clear display of exhaustion and frustration. Aizawa hoped their conversation helped brighten his mood but he was willing to bet it wouldn't be enough.

The milk didn't take long to heat up so he made their drinks quickly and joined Katsuki at the table. "What's going on kid?" The teen looked up briefly, offering a halfhearted shrug as a response.

"If you want, you can stay with me tonight." The boy perked up at that.

So he didn't want to be around his classmates. Aizawa couldn't blame him really. They could be sort of overwhelming.

"Yeah.. it's too damn loud in the dorms." The teacher agreed with him. He found himself becoming overstimulated if he stayed in the main living area with his students for too long. Katsuki was dealing with a lot right now and he was already someone who stayed in his room away from the noise so Aizawa couldn't imagine the chaos being helpful for the blonde.

"I agree kid. You're always welcome to hideout here if you need a break." Katsuki was surprised by the offer if his expression was anything to go by. The kid clearly wasn't used to such simple acts of kindness. That infuriated the hero but he kept it to himself. He didn't need to unload his feelings onto the already stressed out child.

"I have some updates about your case." Katsuki didn't make any sounds of protest so he assumed it was safe to continue.

"The social worker assigned to us explained that you wouldn't need to participate in family sessions until after both you and your parents have made consistent, steady progress on your own." He paused to give the teen a chance to speak up but of course he was silent.

"Additionally, your mother has to complete an anger management course which she has yet to register for." Katsuki snorted at that, the first reaction he'd received and honestly Aizawa felt the same. They both knew that would be the part of this that his mother would fight tooth and nail to get out of.

"The hag won't fucking do that and you know it." Aizawa smiled because he woman didn't have a choice.

"It's mandatory Katsuki so if she wants to regain any parental rights over you, she will need to do everything required of her by the courts. This isn't negotiable." This might not be an easy process and she might be able to skirt around parts of this but she could only do so much. Aizawa wouldn't allow them to cheat the system at the expense of his student's safety.

"Whatever old man." Katsuki wasn't convinced and the hero knew that but he was at least communicating verbally again. That was a win.

"This is going to be a total shit show kid but I'll be by your side the entire way. I'll do my best to keep you safe. I won't promise you that everything will be okay because we both know that would be bullshit but I can promise that we are in this together." He couldn't promise that things would go smoothly and that he wouldn't get hurt. He hated when people did that with him so he wouldn't do the same. It was impossible to know how this would go. Especially with how their school year had gone so far.

"This is going to fucking suck isn't it?" Katsuki groaned but he didn't sound defeated, more annoyed than anything.

"Yup but you won't be alone. If it starts to suck too much, just unload some of it onto me kid. Let me help." He stood to clear their mugs, watching as Katsuki considered his words.

A fierce smirk took over the boy's face.

"You're going to regret saying that teach."


When Kirishima knocked on Bakugo's door, nobody answered. His room was right next to his and he hadn't seen the other teen all afternoon. Usually he would work out in the gym but after classes let out, the boy disappeared.

He didn't want to invade his privacy so he decided he'd just call him instead.

"What the fuck do you want Shitty Hair?"

Kirishima smiled wide at the sound of his friends voice. He never realized how much he missed the ridiculous nicknames until he heard the blonde yell it into the phone.

"Hey man! Where are you bro?" He definitely wasn't in the dorms because the redhead had already searched the common area and he didn't hear the phone ring through the bedroom door so he must've been out somewhere which was strange.

"Don't worry about it Shitty Hair. What did you want?" The teen sounded the same as usual, the normal bite calmed Kirishima's nerves, making it easier for him to gather the courage to ask what he had been planning to.

"The squad wants to hang soon bro! Movie night and spicy snacks… you in?" He held his breath, waiting for the denial he assumed he'd receive. Bakugo hadn't given them the time of day since they moved into the dorms which in the grand scheme of things had only been a few days but it was still out of the ordinary. He would at least growl at them for bothering him. He hadn't so much as acknowledged them this week.

"Whatever but you better not fucking ask me stupid questions or I'll leave." He said yes? Shit he wasn't expecting that.

"No problem bro! We just miss you Kat." He said the last part quietly because he was sort of embarrassed but it was true. They all missed their loud friend.

"It hasn't been that long Shitty Hair… but fine I'll sit with you at lunch tomorrow. Tell those other losers to be fucking quiet though. It's too damn loud." Kirishima smiled when his pal hung up. The blonde always did that and he was thrilled that things seemed to be back to normal now. Maybe he was freaking out over nothing?


Shoto:

May I come over again ?

I have extra cold soba

I can bring you some hot sauce..

Katsuki rolled his eyes because Todoroki wasn't the best cook but he wasn't completely helpless in the kitchen like some of his classmates. He had already eaten with Aizawa but it was nice that someone had thought of him.

Todoroki was someone he didn't mind. The other teen was similar to him in the sense that they were both social disasters. He was constantly yelling at everyone because he didn't know how to express himself without being aggressive and Todoroki was too direct most of the time and didn't understand how to appropriately interact with his peers. They were a product of their environments but Todoroki wasn't a flaming douche like his father.

Katsuki:

I'm not in my room Katy Perry

2 fucking loud

Katsuki wasn't sure if he wanted company or not. He should probably figure it out though because the other teen would most likely ask.

Shoto:

where r u?

He didn't think Todoroki would say anything (he had hinted at things earlier that week when Todoroki was in his room but he wasn't explicit) and his teacher already gave him permission to tells his other classmates. They both assumed it would get out at some point since they all lived in the same building but the hero left it up to Katsuki to decide when he disclosed it since it was his private information. Aizawa had told him that he could handle any fallout (or obnoxious questions by his nosey ass peers) that may occur.

Katsuki:

my parents suck

already told you that

our teach got pissed at the hag during the home visit

so now I'm staying with him until shit gets figured out

needed a break

Shoto:

I see….

I guess you don't need me to come then..

Fuck.

He couldn't tell if Katy Perry wanted to come over just to be nice or if he needed a break too. Heights Alliance was great but having twenty teenagers in one place at all times could be a lot.

Katsuki:

let me fcking ask the old man if you can come over

*fucking

Shoto:

Okay.

I won't tell the others…

This is why he liked Todoroki. He knew how to keep his mouth shut.

He was already sitting in the living room so he didn't even look up from his phone to ask. "Hey teach… can the half and half bastard come over?" He's pretty sure he heard his teacher snort at the nickname but he wasn't positive.

"Sure kid. I'll go pick him up so the others don't ask questions. The won't bother me if I do it." And that was true. Even though he threatened his class with violence on a weekly basis, they weren't afraid of him. Not that he wanted them to be. He was sort of happy that they could call him on his bluffs.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Feel free to make some popcorn or something and then you boys can watch a movie when Todoroki gets here." Aizawa left and Katsuki got up to find some popcorn.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to tolerate the rest of his class tomorrow night but that was a problem for later. Right now he was focused on making it through the rest of today without freaking out too much.

His thoughts had been all over the place the past week or so and he wasn't accustomed feeling anything but anger outwardly. Everything just felt like too much but right now he was going to make some damn popcorn and let Katy Perry pick a movie for them to watch.

The rest would just have to wait.