The rest of the week seemed to go by in a flash. He continued to pester his guardian during their lunch hour and Shoto even joined him a few times.

After storming out on his friends earlier in the week, he did let them know that he was just dealing with some shit right now and being in the cafeteria wasn't something he could handle currently.

They were just happy they hadn't done anything to upset him. Katsuki told them that soon he would do a movie night with them and tell them more about what was going on with him. He just needed time to process this shit on his own.

Luckily his friends were understanding and just told him to take his time, they'd be there for him when he was ready.

He made sure to pull Kirishima to the side so he could check in on his favorite red headed idiot separately… he knew how anxious the boy got even if he tried to hide it.

"You didn't do anything wrong Sharky! It's just… fuck.. my life is sort of crazy right now and it's too damn loud in there. It won't be like this all year." The other teen just smiled and waved him off like it was no big deal.

Katsuki could tell it was just an act.

"I mean I really do miss you bro but I can see that something is really bothering you so I'm not mad or anything… but like you do know you can talk to me right? I wouldn't judge you or give you a hard time." And he did know that but he hated talking about it.

He sort of felt like Kirishima deserved to know though.

"I trust you… it's not that. I just don't know what to fucking say…"

His friend was sunshine personified so he didn't want to put a damper on his usually chipper mood but he also hated that look he kept getting….

"I'll tell you… I will. And I'll even tell you before the other losers I just can't right now. I hate talking about it." He knows that was a weak excuse but he just wanted to go home and relax.

Pretend like his life was normal for a little while.

"No worries man. Text me later… if you want to.. no pressure of anything." Katsuki felt like a total asshole and his friend was definitely not trying to make him feel guilty… Kirishima had been his first friend at UA and the first person he felt like he could really trust… well besides Aizawa maybe.

And now he's shutting him out.

It wasn't fair but he just couldn't get the words out.

He let the other boy walk away, a pit beginning to grow in his stomach as he watched him leave.

Katsuki wasn't good at keeping friends anyway… so maybe it was for the best?

The group might be better off without him.

A loud thump startled him out of his somewhat peaceful nap.

Shota had been waiting for his charge to come home, assuming he had stayed back at the dorms to chat with his friends.

Katsuki had been doing better the last few days but he wasn't expecting that to last simply because that's not how trauma worked.

It wasn't linear… pile on a major adjustment and well… it was a recipe for frequent outbursts.

"Where the fuck are you old man?" Ah yes… his happy little munchkin was looking for him.

He sat up from his spot on the couch… he decided to sleep in the office because his bed was far too comfortable. He didn't want to sleep too hard just in case Katsuki had needed him.

Looks like he made the right choice.

He padded through the hallway and stopped when he saw a very angry blonde teenager plopped down on his living room floor.

"Hello Katsuki." That earned him a heated glare but he ignored it and took a seat in front of him.

"What happened?" The kid whined desperately and appeared to be close to tears. He was clearly frustrated which Shota hated seeing. The kid was usually pretty confident.

"How the fuck am I supposed to be a good friend when I'm… I'm me!"

Yeah that was a tricky one. Shota had a similar issue when he was in school. People just flocked to him though… well Hizashi and Oboro did but Katsuki had his own minions.

Something definitely triggered this.

"Well kid… I'm me so…" that earned him a tiny huff of laughter… barely noticeable at all but Shota was good at picking up on the little things.

"Look… nobody in our hell class expects you to be like… Midoriya. Not everyone is that positive all the time." He sure as hell wasn't.

He didn't want to be either. It wouldn't be logical.

"You have friends… I know right now everything sucks but it will get better. Did something happen specifically to make you say this?" A loud groan paired with his kid petulantly pounding his fists on the carpeted floor answered that question.

"I couldn't tell Kirishima about my… situation. I know I can trust him but I'm sick of fucking talking about it and he will just want to help or I don't know… look at me with those eyes."

Yeah the hero could empathize with that.

After the USJ everyone looked at him with "those eyes." It drove him nuts.

"Yeah I'm not a fan of that either but remember Katsuki… it's your choice who knows about this. You don't owe anyone an explanation." It's hard to accept that because holding things back from your friends can be difficult but sometimes it's the best thing for your healing.

"If you're not ready then you're not ready. Don't force yourself just to appease someone else. That's not healthy or safe." He needed Katsuki to hear him because the boy was already under enough stress, he didn't need to add to it just to satisfy teenage curiosity.

Even if it was coming from a good place.

"I just want to be a good friend." The words were whispered and the man expects it's because Katsuki is feeling extremely emotional right now.

The poor kid was exhausted.

"You are a good friend… you help your friends with their homework, you make sure they eat enough, and you don't let anyone do anything too stupid because we all know if you didn't threaten to blast them into the sun… the dorms would be destroyed by now." It was true. Katsuki was the one keeping them grounded.

"I promise kid.. nobody thinks you're a bad friend. Nobody that matters anyway." He wished he could magically take all the boy's doubts away but that wasn't possible.

He knew that from experience.

He would just be a solid presence that consistently reminded him he was good enough.

"You really don't think I suck? Like because seriously… I feel like.." Katsuki didn't finish his sentence but he looked completely defeated.

"I really wish I could strangle your parents… I mean I'm pretty damn stealthy and they wouldn't see or hear me coming. I'm like a ninja… or so that's what the idiots online call me."

He was really contemplating committing a crime.

Those two shattered his student's self-worth.

The teen did smile slightly but he was still far too upset for Shota's liking.

"Can I hug you kid?"

His ward's eyes widened like he had never been asked that by an adult before.

Another reason he was very close to hurting the boy's biological parents.

He stood up from his spot on the floor and stretched his back out slightly and then opened his arms as an invitation. Letting Katsuki know he was there and he was serious.

The blonde hesitated for a moment but followed suit and allowed himself the chance to be comforted by a parental figure.

Shota wrapped his arms around Katsuki's shoulders, giving his upper arms a gentle squeeze as a way to reassure him that he wasn't going to bail on him.

The teen sank into his chest and finally returned the gesture. His hands were clutching at the soft material of the hero's jumpsuit.

"Your hugs aren't the absolute worst." A deep exhale showed the teacher that this was helping… he wouldn't be the first to let go, he didn't want to send the wrong message.

Katsuki finally pulled himself free but he stayed close.

Shota put his hands on his shoulders, letting his presence be felt.

"If you'd rather I ask Mic… he loves hugs and he's sort of like a monkey. Very clingy." He smirked at the boy's horrified expression.

"No fucking thanks!" He ruffled the kid's hair and stepped back to assess him… the lines in his forehead had smoothed out and his posture wasn't as tight.

Not perfect but better.

"I didn't think so… I was thinking though… would you like to come with me tomorrow evening to check out some new support gear? My agency called earlier today and informed me that my order finally arrived."

That got the reaction he'd been wanting all along.

"Hell yeah I do old man!" The manic grin was back on the teen's face.

"Good. If you want to invite a friend just let me know who it is… or it can just be the two of us." He could see the gears turning in the boy's head.

He wasn't sure what the outcome would be.

"What about Kirishima? I mean… but then he'd know.." Katsuki deflated but Shota could fix it.

"I'm your teacher Katsuki. I can simply tell him that I choose a few students every so often to join me at my agency… it doesn't need to be complicated." That helped ease the boy's worries.

"Yeah that makes sense. Okay then yeah… I'll go text him right now."

Shota was relieved to see his student relax so easily after a simple solution.

Hopefully that meant he was starting to really earn Katsuki's trust.

He would need to if they were going to be successful in this long battle against his abusers.

Katsuki:

Hey

Kirishima:

hey bro!

what's up

Katsuki:

Sensei picked me for some field trip thing or whatever

this Saturday

if u want 2 come

He said I could pick a friend so

Kirishima:

really?!

you want me to come?

Katsuki:

I asked u didn't I?

u don't have to if ur busy

Kirishima:

no man!

totally free this Saturday dude

what are we doing?

did he tell you..

Katsuki:

He's going 2 show us some new support gear

not sure what kind though

should be pretty cool

Kirishima:

that's awesome man!

gonna let my mom know

text me a time

Katsuki:

I'll let u know in the morning

Katsuki threw his phone onto his night stand and smiled.

He was trying to be a better friend so hopefully this will help the other teen realize he wasn't mad at him.

He wasn't good at this but Aizawa said he didn't suck so maybe that was true.

Now he just needed to figure out what to do about the nerd.

It was weird to be home without Kacchan.

They haven't always gotten along but they were always sort of around each other.

Living right next to Katsuki sort of forced their hands but Izuku really looked up to the other boy.

He was driven beyond belief and he was passionate about his goals. It always inspired the smaller teen to stay focused on his own.

So now that his childhood friend was no longer staying with his parents, it felt wrong to go home himself. He loved spending time with his mom but he just wished he could be closer to Katsuki.

He knew the explosive blonde was struggling quite significantly and he couldn't help but want to help.

Izuku was well aware of just how aggressive his mother was. She was incapable of speaking to her son without screaming… not to mention all the times she had gotten physical with Kacchan in front of him. It's like she didn't care if he saw because nobody ever did anything about it anyway.

His friend was loud and abrasive so he must've deserved it right? Discipline wasn't illegal according to any adult they ever tried to bring this up to.

It infuriated the green-haired boy.

He couldn't believe how dismissive they had been. All of them. Not one adult took them seriously.

Kacchan stopped trying because he just lost all faith… he had at least…

Now he has Aizawa Sensei and they both trusted him. Their teacher had saved them so many times already. He wouldn't let this go.

If anyone could save Katsuki… it was Eraserhead.

"Hey Izuku! How's it going kid? The brat isn't giving you any trouble at school is he?" The usually respectful hero student had been walking to his house from the train station and he almost made it…

He hadn't run into Mitsuki since the weekend Kacchan disappeared and they were all texting him frantically to find out if he was okay. She wouldn't tell him anything when he knocked.

The teen wasn't sure why she felt the need to speak to him now. He most definitely wasn't in the mood to deal with her bullshit.

"Kacchan doesn't give me any trouble." The boy didn't want to give her the satisfaction of telling her anything she could use against him. No matter how much he really wanted to give her an earful… it wouldn't do him or Katsuki any good.

"I need to get home." Izuku didn't allow her to get another word in before taking off towards his front door. She would just try to insult Katsuki again… that or she would pry for information about Aizawa and he wouldn't tell her shit.

His mother wasn't home from work yet so he went straight up to his room and decided to pull out his phone and check in on the blonde.

Izuku:

hey Kacchan

it's weird not having you around on the weekends

i wish you could come to my house

but that would be weird

probably

Izuku had a habit of rambling… even over text. Kacchan was used to it though so he didn't try to filter himself.

Katsuki:

Holy shit nerd

chill

I'm not fucking going anywhere near my old house

don't wanna see the hag

Izuku:

yeah

sorry Kacchan

Katsuki:

don't apologize

I'll ask the old man if u can come over here

he let's me invite ppl over

Izuku squealed excitedly, hoping that Aizawa Sensei would be okay with him coming over to hangout.

It would give him a chance to really talk to Kacchan about everything that has happened over the last few weeks. It has been overwhelming and he just needs to clear some things up.

His phone buzzed again.

Katsuki:

u can come nerd

Ask auntie

tell her he said u can stay over

we will pick u up tomorrow

They haven't had a sleepover in so long.

He was trying to stay calm because they had been doing so much better recently and he really didn't want to mess things up.

Izuku:

ok Kacchan !

I'll t3xt you later

*text

she will probably say yes !

He raced around his room to gather up some things to stuff into a duffel bag.. All Might themed of course.. he wanted to be ready just in case their plains changed.

His mom would be home soon and then he'd have an answer. He knew she would be cool with it so now he just had to figure out what he was going to talk with Kacchan about. He also needed to decide what he was going to say to his teacher.

Izuku had to make sure he was taking care of his friend.

He couldn't let this fail.

His friend might not bounce back this time.

Shinso Hitoshi was excited to start training with Eraserhead again.

They had taken a break for the last few weeks because of the Kamino Ward incident.

His mentor pulled him aside and informed him they could start meeting after classes again next week but it would only be for a couple days to start.

The general education student understood. 1-A had been through so much shit over the last few months. He was just glad to be doing something… anything.

His goal was to transfer to the hero course by the end of their first year.

Hitoshi also needed an excuse to be away from "home." His only reprieve was his time with Aizawa Sensei during their sessions after school.

Having those back meant the world to him.

The hero did say there would be a few things they would need to discuss on Monday but he didn't let himself freak out yet. The man was way too logical for it to be something that would actually cause his student stress.

It was most likely a chat about an updated schedule and meal plan.

The teen wasn't sure he could handle losing Aizawa.

Refusing to allow himself to sink into a dark mindset, he forced himself to finish his trek home.

Only three more years he thought… three more years and he'd be free.

Group home living was awful but he couldn't change it so there was no point in dwelling on it. He couldn't let himself spiral.

Shoving the door open to the large dilapidated building he took a deep breathe, preparing himself for the inevitable forty-eight hours of silence.

What would it be like if he had a family that actually cared about him?

Hitoshi doesn't think he'd ever find out.