A/N/: Well! Here we are with another chapter. Seriously guys. I'm so in love with your responses. I love that you love Etsuki cause I was really unsure about her at first. I know original characters can be weird, and the fact that you guys love her makes my heart happy!

This chapter was a BREEZE to get through! It's got some Deku POV which is always fun! (Honestly the POVs are going to be a little back and forth in this chapter.) I hope you enjoy it!

Katsuki

When hospital visiting hours were officially over, his parents took Etsuki home. She was a mess when she left. Tears, little explosions. The whole shebang. She didn't want to go, but he couldn't have her there all night. He actually needed to get some sleep. And sleep meant a whole fuckton of drugs that she didn't need to see him on.

When she was gone, though, the room felt empty. It was just him, his window, and the monitors beeping around him. Fucking boring. The night nurses had just come around, too. They'd loaded his drip back with that wonderful dose of medication that was gonna alleviate his pain and knock him the fuck out. So, all he could do was wait til it kicked in. His parents had left him his phone at least. He planned to scroll through social media or maybe even text Deku. Or, at least, that's what he thought he'd be doing.

There was a knock on his window and the room lit up a brilliant shade of green. No. Viridian. His eyes shot to the window. And there he was in all of his green bean glory. Fucking Deku. He was in black civilian clothes with a hood pulled up over his viridian hair. It looked as though he was trying to go incognito. Leave it to that fucking nerd to try and break into the hospital. Katsuki knew what he'd do about it, too. He ripped the blankets off of himself, gingerly pushed himself out of bed, and made his way over to the window while still keeping the IV in his arm and the heart monitor on the tip of his index finger. He was just barely close enough to flip the lock on the window, and after he did so, he sat back down on bed as soon as it was open. His chest heaved from that small amount of activity alone. Fuck. It was pathetic that standing up and moving a whopping four fucking feet had him winded. He settled himself back into bed as Deku slid the window open and silently stepped into the room.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Deku?" he asked tiredly.

"I didn't want to come when visiting hours were open because I figured you'd want to see your family," he said sheepishly as he closed the window.

"You're a fucking dumbass," he said. "Give me the fucking blanket, would you?"

A small chuckle echoed from the greenette. "Of course, Kacchan."

Katsuki laid back against the pillows as Deku busied himself with tucking Katsuki back into bed. If he didn't feel like such utter shit and if walking didn't fuckin exhaust him, he would have gladly told Deku to fuck off. But he needed the help, and he was gonna get it while he could. Shit, he was exhausted.

"How are you feeling?" Deku asked after the blankets were pulled back over Katsuki.

The blond narrowed his eyes. "How the fuck do you think?"

"Right. Stupid question," Deku said. "So, pretty bad?"

"You sure I didn't get hit by a truck or some shit? Cause I'm pretty damn convinced that I did at this point," he grumbled.

"No, ah, you crash landed right in front of the news crews. I only just managed to catch you otherwise you could have been hurt so much worse!"

"Yeah, yeah... What do you want me to do? Thank you?"

"No, nothing like that, Kacchan. I just..." he said softly, hesitating right at the end. He seemed to find his nerves rather quickly, though because he just steamrolled right on. "I just want to know what happened. One second you're showing me sexy pictures-"

"You thought they were sexy?" he asked with a smirk. Shit. He didn't mean to say that. These drugs were kicking in fucking fast.

"Yes. Of course, I did, but that's not the point. You weren't supposed to be there."

"Well, you sent me one word, and it happened to be the fucking trigger word of the week. 'Course I fuckin' came."

"But no one told me you were there. And then all of a sudden, you're crashing down. Injured. Bleeding. Barely holding onto consciousness. Kacchan, I was terrified."

Katsuki hummed quietly. "Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to. Just had to get help. Didn't want to die there."

"Well, no one wanted you to die there! But what were you doing there in the first place?"

He sighed gently. "I don't wanna talk about this, Deku. My head hurts too much, and moving to that damn window took everything out of me."

"I don't know why you got up!" Deku said quickly. "I could have gotten it open!"

The blond rolled his eyes. "And how the hell could you have done that?"

"Uh, Black Whip? I can send it through small cracks and crevices. It's actually pretty handy, especially when-"

"Don't start rambling, dammit," Katsuki gritted out. "You'll make my head hurt more."

"Sorry, Kacchan."

He waved his free hand flippantly before letting it settle on his stomach. "Look. I just want to sleep."

Katsuki, after sharing that information and before Deku could get that downcast, kicked puppy look on his face, scooted over slightly in his bed so that there was a space beside him. He patted said space with his hand.

"What? Do you want me to come lay down with you?" the idiot asked.

"No, I'm making space for the fucking ghost in the goddamn room," he bit out. "No fucking shit, I want you to come lay down with me. Drugs are kicking in."

A massive grin spread onto Deku's cheeks. "Okay, Kacchan!"

He immediately made his way over and toed off his bright red sneakers - which totally ruined his incognito ninja outfit, by the way. He then climbed into bed with Katsuki. Deku's heavy presence beside him was comforting. He was warm and sturdy when Katsuki currently felt anything but that.

"You're warm," Katsuki muttered, sidling up to the green bean.

"Is that, uh, a bad thing?" Deku asked.

Katsuki shook his head as he leeched at Deku's body heat. "No. Fucking place is freezing. It's nice to feel warm."

"Oh, well, good then," Deku replied, and he too scooted closer.

"I'm surprised you came at all," he said.

"Of course I would, Kacchan," the green bean said tenderly. "I didn't want you to be alone tonight. Not when you're hurt."

The blond sighed gently and leaned his head against Deku's shoulder, closing his eyes. It was comforting to have Deku there, even if he wouldn't admit it. After having the shit beat out of him yet again, it felt good to have someone he trusted there. Because, yes, he trusted Deku explicitly. Yes, he could sleep with Deku there because it made him feel safe. Bastard was a dumbass, but his presence was all Katsuki needed to slip off toward his dreams.

"Do you want to take off your cochlear's?" he asked.

"Uh uh," he mumbled, allowing himself to snuggle in close to Deku and his warmth. "Wanna hear you say goodnight first."

Deku hummed. "Alright, well," he said. "Goodnight, Kacchan."

"G'night, shitty nerd," he grumbled back before slipping off to an exhaustion-induced oblivion.

It wasn't until the next day that Katsuki had to face reality again. The severity of the situation - of those additional thirteen missing children - really sank in the next day when Tsukauchi and Tsuragamae came to question him. They came to his room at half-past eight with Deku in tow. The expressions on both of the policemen were relieved yet grim.

"I thought you were a goner when I saw Hero Deku catch you," Tsukauchi said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You didn't look too good, Dynamight. I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, yeah. No villain is gonna get rid of me that easily," he grumbled.

"Speaking of villains, who was there? We arrested a few no-names from the courtyard at the center of the orphanage, but they haven't spoken a word," Tsuragamae asked, getting straight to the point as always.

"I doubt it was any of them," Deku chimed in with that ever-analytical brain of his. "They all have low-level quirks. And it looked like you fought someone with a fire quirk. None of the people we arrested had a fire quirk. Whoever you had a run-in with, well, they were a lot stronger than anyone we arrested."

"If it's as Deku says, then... Well, it couldn't have been them. Your attackers certainly did a number on you, kid."

"I ain't a fuckin' kid anymore," Katsuki pointed out before letting his head flop back onto hsi pillow. "The no names you mentioned. Couple of Meta Liberation Front members, specifically Dabi and Kurogiri."

"The Meta Liberation Front?" Tsuragamae said, eyes growing wide with shock. "I thought we got rid of them when you were in school."

Katsuki snorted at that. "Yeah. That's what I thought, too. But they've got this new guy. Our Pied Piper. His quirk... It isn't like anything else I've ever seen."

"Describe it," Deku demanded, those viridian eyes of his so very intense.

"When I got there, he had all of the kids in this daze. They were so damn quiet. Like their brains weren't even thinking for themselves. And then, he touched one of the older girls on the head, and she just started attacking me."

Deku furrowed his brows. "Well, it sounds like some sort of mind control quirk. Almost like Shinso, but as opposed to answering a question, all he needs to do to control you is have some sort of physical contact with you. I wonder if there's any other factors that we need to take into account," the damn nerd said as he paced across Katsuki's hospital room, his chin pinched between his thumb as his forefinger. "Based on what you said about the kids when you first found them, they sound as if they were already in some sort of mind control trance. I wonder how he gets them into that trance. It can't be based on touch alone. That's way too overpowered for a quirk. And how do you get them out of the trance if that's the case. There has to be some sort of way-"

"Deku, jesus fucking christ. You're gonna fucking kill me with your fucking muttering," Katsuki groaned, raking his free hand through his hair. "We get it. Mind control quirk. There's a fuckton you don't know, and you want to know more. We're fucking solid. We don't need your what-ifs."

The greenette smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Kacchan."

"The analysis will be helpful regardless, Hero Deku," Tsuragamae said before turning his dog-head having ass back to Katsuki. "Can you explain what happened after she attacked?"

"I couldn't get close enough to subdue her. I didn't have my gear-"

Tsukauchi looked as if he was about to say something about that, but Katsuki held up a hand to stop him.

"Save me the fucking lecture. I don't care to listen," he growled, and the detective looked away from him sharply. "The kid he sicced after me had a water based quirk, and without my gear to build up my sweat, I couldn't activate my quirk to subdue her. Besides, I wasn't exactly trying to send explosions at a kid. As I kept her at bay, he started going on about this grand ass speech. Saying some shit about the number thirteen, and all that. Basically was gonna have Dabi kill her. So, I jumped in front of her."

"And now here we are," Tsuragamae said.

"And here we are," Katsuki said, spreading his arms wide. "He seems to think that the MLF can come back. That it is back, but I didn't get much information out of him. I think he's taking kids with powerful quirks to rebuild their ranks."

"And the thirteen missing children?"

"When I saw them last, they were alive, but... H-He..." Katsuki started, his voice cracking. His eyes shifted down to his hands which were curled into fists in his lap. "He got all thirteen."

His words were met with silence. No one spoke a fucking word, and Katsuki couldn't even bring himself to look at the expressions on their faces. He already knew what he'd see there. Disappointment. Dismay. Blame. How could he bring himself to face that? He was too damn weak. He couldn't. So, he kept his eyes on his hands, the only safe place in the room.

"It's all my damn fault," he whispered. "If I had stopped to get my gear, I might have had a chance at stopping them. I could have saved them."

"That's not true, Dynamight," Tsukauchi said. "From the sound of it, they were preparing to leave when you showed up. I doubt that if you had stopped to grab your gear they would have still been there."

"He's right," Tsuragamae said. "While it's unfortunate that we were unable to rescue the children, the information that we have now can aid us in rescuing them and the other children that they have taken."

Katsuki nodded even though he didn't believe a goddamn word that they said. How could he? It was obviously his fault. He could have done something more. He should have just ignored that girl and went for the piper. He should have done everything differently. But he hadn't, and he'd lost thirteen children.

And sure, they were orphans. Sure, there weren't parents who would be hunting him down and blaming him for their disappearance. Yeah, the media would spin some unfortunate story about them, but in the end, everyone would likely forget about them because that was the cruel reality of the world. Children that didn't have homes and were left to the system were always forgotten about.

But Katsuki wouldn't forget about them. He'd learn each and every one of their names. He'd memorize their pictures so that when the day they were rescued came, he could say their names, give them a hug, and make sure they knew that they were safe. That he would never allow this to happen again.

He wasn't there yet, though, and he wouldn't be until he was fully healed. For right now, he could do nothing but blame himself and agonize over the thirteen children that he'd lost.

Katsuki wasn't released from the hospital for a full week. And upon his discharge, he'd received a slew of instructions for caring for the burns on his back and several prescriptions for painkillers and antibiotics. Katsuki immediately took the painkillers and tossed them deep in the depths of his medicine closet at home. There was no way in hell that he was going to rely on them. He didn't fucking need painkillers to survive. He could muscle through this no problem. He wasn't weak.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

While a lot of the healing had happened from Recovery Girl's quirk - which, fuck, he was thankful for because it shaved months off of his healing time - he still had a fuckton of healing to do. The surgical team had done skin grafts on him to salvage the spots on his back that were burned the worst. Recovery Girl had healed the donor sites for the grafts as well as the burns themselves, but the road to recovery wasn't as smooth sailing as he'd thought it would be.

While his skin looked all healed, everything beneath it had a ways to go. This journey to recovery was evidently gonna be a painful fucking one. He'd fished those painkillers out of the closet that same night he'd thrown them in there because apparently regrowing nerve endings was a painful fucking process. And by painful, he meant murderously agonizing. And they said that it could take weeks for the nerve endings to fully regrow.

To say that he was pissed was an understatement.

Lucky for him, the burns had done nothing but bolster his ranking and status within the media. They'd painted him as an off-duty hero that had risked his life to gain information on the Meta Liberation Front. They described the way he'd thrown himself in front of a little girl to save her life. They never let anyone forget that he had nearly lost his own life in the process. He didn't hear a word about how he'd lost those thirteen kids. They had hardly mentioned them. They were just another loss to the Meta Liberation Front.

But Katsuki didn't forget. They were at the forefront of his consciousness even as he cooked lunch that afternoon. He'd been trying to get himself to pick the damn knife up off of the counter for the last ten minutes so he could slice the chicken. The first time he'd held it, it had shaken so horribly in his hand. He'd immediately laid his other hand overtop the one holding the blade to try and steady it. Not that it did any good. It just caused both of his hands to shake. He'd ended up throwing down the knife to the counter in frustration. Because what the actual fuck was getting into him?

Well, he fucking knew what was getting into him.

To say that he was a wreck would be an understatement. On top of the pain from his injuries, Katsuki was beyond fucking depressed. How did one just cope with such a brutal loss? Ordinarily, he'd just throw his everything into work, but he couldn't. He was on fucking medical leave for another three weeks.

So, you know what he'd done? He'd surrounded himself with the little bundle of light that was his daughter. Etsuki was and always would be the ray of sunshine that got him through his days. Her smile, her laughs, her fucking magical little hugs. They always pulled him out of the deepest depressions in the past when he'd first left Kiruka, and he was damn certain she would do it again.

And this time, she wouldn't be the only person keeping him afloat. This time around he had Deku, too. Fucking Deku with his freckles and his bright smiles. He'd come up to the hospital with Etsuki every single fucking day that he was there. He was constantly checking in on Katsuki through text, even when he was supposed to be working. He was fucking perfect, not that Katsuki planned on telling him that. He already had a big fucking head. He didn't need it to be any fucking bigger.

But those two could only do so much to help him, and he couldn't allow himself to be entirely reliant on them. How would he ever get any better if he couldn't fucking function without one or the other around? The answer was simple: he wouldn't. So, he'd taken it upon himself to deliberately put Etsuki down for a nap on the couch an hour before Deku was due to arrive for lunch.

And what fucking good that was doing him. He couldn't even get lunch fucking started because he couldn't hold the goddamn knife. He was so fucking frustrated with himself it was ridiculous. He had to get his shit together. If he couldn't, he was fucking fucked.

He sighed and reached for the knife once again. Here went try number fucking four.

Izuku

Izuku was early. Kacchan had texted a very specific time. 1:00 p.m. And he was early. By like a solid forty-five minutes. But he couldn't exactly help himself! He was excited! Kacchan had invited him over. And while they were getting closer, Izuku didn't have enough time with Kacchan. Especially now that they weren't working together. Izuku's current patrol partner was Iida, and while he loved working with the co-owner to his agency, it definitely made hero work more rigid and less freeing like Kacchan seemed to make it.

Could anyone exactly blame him for wanting to see him sooner? Besides, if Kacchan was still cooking, Izuku would gladly help with what he could. And if Kacchan kicked him out of the kitchen, well, he would just go play with Etsuki or something. Heck, he was sure there was some cleaning to be done with Kacchan still healing. He keeps himself occupied.

So at precisely 12:17, he knocked on the front door of the Bakugou residence, a bright smile plastered onto his cheeks and a bouquet of bright orange tiger lilies in his hand. It only took a few moments for the deadbolt to shift and for the door to open. Low and behold, behind it stood a very bleary-eyed Bakugou Etsuki.

The little girl rubbed at her eyes and frowned a cute little frown. If she were older and fiercer, he was sure she'd look exactly like her father. But for now, she was just too dang cute.

"Hey, Etsuki!" he said brightly before crouching down so that he was on her level. "You know, you really shouldn't open the door. You never know who could be behind it. It could look like me but not be me. Quirks can be very tricky like that. Next time you should get your daddy."

She blinked once, twice, three times.

"You woke me up from my nap," she said crankily before turning on her heel and marching into the house.

Izuku followed her into the genkan. But she didn't even bother to wait for him. He watched her stalk down the hall before entering her room and slamming the door behind her with a loud slam! He winced, noting never to wake that child up from a nap in the foreseeable future ever again. If he wanted to remain thoroughly un-exploded, he'd have to avoid invoking her cranky wrath.

He smiled to himself and shook his head. Even angry, Etsuki was cute. Just like his Kacchan! Speaking of Kacchan, usually he'd be at the door by now. But Izuku was still alone in the genkan with no ill-tempered blond in sight. His smile morphed into a frown as he toed off his sneakers and walked into the house. He found Kacchan in the kitchen, cooking.

Or, well, attempting to cook. Izuku frowned as he took in the blond who stood at the counter. In his very shaky hand was a knife. Izuku watched as the blond attempted to cut a chicken breast that was on the cutting board before him. He watched as Kacchan dropped the knife on the counter - twice.

Izuku worried his lower lip with his teeth. This was bad. He couldn't remember seeing Kacchan like this ever. Shaking hands. Stiff posture. Rigid movements as he tried to control the tremors. It wasn't like the explosive man at all.

"Kacchan," he said softly.

The blond jumped, and this time, the knife clattered all the way to the floor. Izuku winced. Maybe he should have been a bit more mindful of Kacchan's state of mind. He seemed pretty startled by Izuku's sudden appearance. After dropping the knife, the blond planted his hands firmly on the counter while his shoulders rose and fell rapidly. Yep. Startled.

Izuku approached him slowly and turned him around gently. What he saw was definitely a shock. Katsuki looked like an absolute mess. His normally spiked hair fell flat against his head as if it hadn't been styled in days. There were dark circles under his eyes alluding to many nights without sleep. And there was just this foreign look in his eyes. Something akin to sadness and horror and guilt. Kacchan seemed haunted, and even though he wasn't a mindreader, he had a feeling he knew what was eating at him.

"Kacchan, what's wrong?" he asked, his hands resting on the man's cheeks. He rubbed soft circles there, hoping to soothe whatever emotions Kacchan was feeling.

"I- I just can't- I can't help but blame myself for this mess," he said quietly. There was a certain level of pain in his voice that had Izuku's heart shattering.

"It's not your fault, Kacchan," he said tenderly. "No one blames you."

"But they were right there... I- I should have been able to stop them."

"And you did stop them. You stopped them from killing that girl," he replied. "She's alive and still can be rescued because of you."

"But- But what if that's not good enough next time?" he asked. "What if next time it's Etsuki? I don't know what I would do, Deku..."

"Kacchan, there won't be a next time. They won't ever get Etsuki," Izuku insisted. "We're going to get them. That's a promise."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I know because you'll never let anyone take her."

"But I let those monsters take thirteen others," Katsuki said as he sank down to the floor.

Izuku went with him, keeping his hand firmly rooted on his cheeks. "Kacchan, that wasn't your fault. You had to choose to save them now or save them later and keep a little girl alive," he said. "And in the end, everyone thinks you made the right choice."

"If only I'd been stronger," he whispered.

"Katsuki, you're the strongest man that I know. Nothing will convince me otherwise."

"How do I convince myself of that?"

That was it. There went Izuku's heart. It shattered into a million tiny pieces. Here was this man that he regarded so highly shrouded in these dark thoughts. He was in pain both physically and emotionally. And all that Izuku could think to do was wrap his arms around him tightly and insist that none of this was his fault.

"Kacchan, you just have to trust me on this, okay?" he said softly.

He felt the blond nod his head stiffly. Even if it wasn't the most firm answer, Izuku would take it. It was a start.

"Maybe we should get out of here for the night," Izuku suggested. "We can take Etsuki to your parents. I think she could use a grandma sleepover, don't you?"

At this, Katsuki shook his head. "My parents took care of her the entire time I was in the hospital. I can't ask them to do it again."

"I wanna see Uncle Shota," Etsuki's crabby voice suddenly rang out.

Both he and Kacchan startled. He hadn't even heard her bedroom door open! She was so dang quiet, and evidently sneaky, too. And who was Uncle Shota? Last he checked, Kacchan didn't have any siblings. Unless this was an uncle on her mother's side? Or even another one of those fake aunts and uncles that she always seemed to have?

"Who?" he asked tentatively.

"Uncle Shota. I wanna see him," she grumbled.

"She means Aizawa," Kacchan said from beside him. "She's been calling him Uncle Shota lately. Don't know why. Happened all of a sudden when I was in the hospital."

Izuku immediately snorted. He and Katsuki had known Mr. Aizawa for years, and they weren't even allowed to call him by his birth given name. But here comes Etsuki, steamrolling her way through life. Somehow, she'd convinced Aizawa not only to tell her his first name, but also to allow her to call him 'Uncle Shota'. It was both endearing and impressive. He'd always known Aizawa to have a secret dad side, what with adopting Eri and all, but it was rare to see in action. Apparently Etsuki had triggered it.

"So you'd rather hang out with Aizawa than me?" Kacchan asked, a slight tone of jealousy in his voice.

"Y-u-p!" Etsuki said with an overexaggerated 'p'.

"He's dead to me," Kacchan grumbled.

Etsuki rolled her eyes, and Izuku couldn't help but loose a giggle. The pair of them were just too perfect for one another.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Etsuki said with a flap of her hand. "Add him to the list with all of my other aunties and uncles, Daddy."

"You really wanna break my heart, don't you, Gremlin?"

Again, she rolled her eyes. "Now daddy's being dramatic!"

"I would fucking never."

"Somehow I don't believe that, Kacchan," Izuku said.

"You and Aizawa are both dead to me," Kacchan growled.

The blond suddenly stuck his hand in Izuku's face and pushed him so that he fell out of his crouch and flat onto his ass. Izuku blinked owlishly at him in return as the blond stood and walked away. He watched him go, the fondest of smiles on his lips. How could he not find Kacchan endearing, especially when he was spewing explicatives under his breath as he dialed Aizawa's number and left the room.

He was suddenly alone with his romantic interest's three and a half year-old daughter. Etsuki crossed over to him and plopped herself directly in his lap. She yanked her blanket over them both and snuggled in close.

"I thought you were taking a nap," Izuku said with a light chuckle.

"I was, but now I can't sleep."

"Oh? So what are you trying to do now?"

"Sleep."

"In my lap?"

"Your legs are squishy and comfy. Daddy likes them, too."

Izuku's eyes widened a fraction and a blush spread across his cheeks. Sure, he already knew that Kacchan loved his legs. He was well aware, but for his kid daughter to know that, too! Well, that was embarrassing! Just what did Kacchan say to this girl? How was Izuku expected to be a part of her life if she knew all of the knitty gritty details? Kacchan would have blackmail material for days! No - years!

"Don't you think the, uh, couch would be better?" he asked with a nervous laugh.

Those bright blue eyes of hers zeroed in on Izuku, and he swore high and low that they were piercing straight through to his soul. "Are you gonna carry me?"

Shoot. If it meant that Etsuki wasn't right on top of him causing his legs to go numb. Well. "Absolutely."

He scooped the small girl into his arms and carried her over to the couch. He settled himself down there with her and waited for Kacchan to finish with his call. Nearly a half hour passed by the time the blond returned from his bedroom with his phone sitting in his hand. By then, Etsuki was out cold, a stream of drool rolling down her cheek. And Izuku sat with her, too terrified to move considering the mean mug he'd received when he first got there.

"I've never seen her so comfortable with anyone so quickly," Kacchan said after a beat.

Izuku smiled down at the little girl. "I'm glad I make her comfortable. I wouldn't want her to be afraid of me."

Kacchan approached them both before crouching down in front of them both. His hand tenderly swept a few stray hairs from Etsuki's face. There was an expression of unconditional love spread across his face, one that Kacchan would likely deny if Izuku pointed it out. But it was perfect and it was beautiful. It was Kacchan.

"You've changed a lot since UA," Izuku said softly, lifting his own hand to rest on Kacchan's cheek.

The blond wrinkled his brows. "How the fuck..? I'm the fuckin' same."

Izuku shook his head. "No. You're not. You care more now," he said. "You wouldn't have been caught dead looking like this toward anyone in high school."

Kacchan fixed him with a look that told Izuku that he was fucking stupid. "Well, no shit. I love her. What the fuck do you think I'm gonna do? Hate my own kid?"

Izuku immediately waved his hands in front of his face in a placating sort of way. "I didn't mean it like that, Kacchan!" he insisted. "I just meant that your relationship with her changed you!"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't think I could ever think that there was a single bad thing about you, Kacchan."

The blond quirked a brow. "You mean other than me skipping out on paperwork."

"Uh, yeaaah, please don't do that."

"Thought so," Kacchan said.

It took Izuku well over twenty minutes to convince Kacchan to just. Go shower and let him handle the clean-up from his attempt at lunch. He had insisted on giving Izuku detailed instructions on how to concoct a tayto sandwich for Etsuki should she wake up before he got out of the shower. By the time he'd gotten rid of the ornery dad of a blond, Izuku already had a plan in motion on how they'd spend their afternoon. He just needed to do a few quick things. Like. You know. Raiding Kacchan's fridge. Luckily, Kacchan being a parent meant that his fridge was fully stocked.

Izuku spent that time throwing together a few quick bento boxes. He found a cute little tote to put them in - one of Etsuki's surely as it had Tangled characters all over it. And by the time that was done and the raw chicken was put away for tomorrow's lunch, Kacchan was still in the shower, and Etsuki was padding into the kitchen.

She sat quietly as he made up her tayto sandwich. He placed it in front of her and sat down beside her. The little girl was quiet the entire time she ate due to her post nap haze. Izuku didn't mind. He took that time to observe her. The little nuances about her. She looked just like Kacchan with her hair. The way her brows knitted together when she was frustrated or thinking was the same as her father, too. She got the same little blush across the bridge of her nose and on the tips of her ears when she was excited. Heck, she used the same, er, coarse language as her father when she got really excited. The only real difference between them were their eyes. Etsuki had those bright blue ones that had to come from her mother whilst Kacchan's were that stunning crimson. But either way, she was Kacchan incarnate. And he found her just as adorable.

Once the little girl was finally done eating, she rested her chin on the edge of the table and let out a little huff.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked her, resting his own chin on his palm and offering her a smile.

She nodded her head faintly. "Yeah. Naps are good."

"And tayto sandwiches?"

"Yep. And tayto sandwiches," she said. "They're yummy."

"I've never tried one."

"You should."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret," he said with a grin.

Etsuki lifted her head and leaned closer to him, her little body half way onto the table. "Secrets?"

"Mhmm! But you have to promise not to tell your daddy!"

Etsuki quickly made the lock and key motion with her hand before stuffing the imaginary key down into the waistband of her pants.

"These lips are sealed!"

Satisfied, he leaned in close to her. "I made tayto sandwiches for my picnic with your daddy today," he whispered.

Etsuki's eyes widened with glee. She stood on her chair and danced a little, her palms still flat on the table. "Yes, yes, yes! Daddy never eats them!"

"I'm surprised with how meticulously he described making them."

"What does metic- meticu-" Etsuki groaned and plopped back into her seat with a huff. "What did that big word mean?"

"Uhm, it means to care a lot about the little details," Izuku said.

"Oh! Daddy really, really cares about the little stuff. I try to, too. Daddy says that's why I notice everything."

"Everything, huh?"

"Uh huh," she said. "Is your pickanicka a date?"

Izuku's eyes grew wide. When she said she noticed all of the little details, she meant it. He wouldn't be surprised if Camie was the one to put those thoughts in her head, too.

"I, uh," he stammered.

"It's okay. I won't tell daddy. I know he thinks I'm too little," she said with a comical amount of wisdom to her tone. "But I has a secret for you, Mr. Izu-senpai."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I know daddy likes you a lot," she said. "Like a lot, a lot. He checks his texts from you all the time."

"Does he now?" Izuku asked, continuing to feed into the well of knowledge that Etsuki was apparently hiding.

Did he feel bad about getting this intimate information about Kacchan from his chatterbox of a daughter? Sure. But was he going to pass on said information? Not a chance.

"Yeah, and when he sees them, he smiles, too. I like it when daddy smiles. He's been sad a lot."

Izuku furrowed his brows. "He's been sad?"

Etsuki nodded, a small frown forming on her bowed lips. "Uh huh. Since the hosapatal."

To be quite honest, Etsuki's words made sense. When he'd watched in the door, Kacchan had been a mess. Shaking hands. Tired expression. The aftermath of the rescue must seriously be taking a toll on him. Izuku couldn't imagine the trauma he must be facing… And on top of it all, Izuku knew there was something else going on. Something that Kacchan hadn't told him. Something that the man had alluded to the last time they'd had sex.

Don't hit me. And- And don't make me bleed.

Those words had shown so much vulnerability in Kacchan, something Izuku had never imagined he'd ever see. And sure, he'd never imagined he'd do a lot of the things he'd done with the angry blond, but that… Those words hinted at something Izuku couldn't even begin to fathom, something I refused to pry at until Kacchan was ready.

"Are you okay? Ya know, since your daddy has been sad?"

Etsuki nodded. "Uh huh. I'm strong like daddy. Or. Well. Like daddy mostly is. When he came home from the hosapatal, he hugged me a lot and he cried a lot."

"He cried?" Izuku asked, his heart shattering even further.

"Yeah. Don't tell him I told you. He doesn't like when people know that he cries."

"I won't," he whispered.

"Daddy said it's okay to cry when you're sad, so when he cried, I told him the same thing. It made him hug me really hard."

"Well, he loves you so much. And I'm sure he missed you."

"Yeah, and he's really sad, too. Daddy doesn't cry a lot. But this time he did," Etsuki said. Then, she suddenly asked, "Do you think he's gonna be okay?"

Izuku's lower lip wobbled because this child - this tiny, little girl was worried about her father and his happiness at such a young age. These weren't worries she was supposed to have. It wasn't her responsibility to bear, and yet, her heart was big enough to manage. Izuku couldn't help but feel proud of her.

"Yeah, Etsu," he said, ruffing her hair. "With you around, he'll be just fine."

The little girl giggled, making attempts to shove away his hand. And when she'd finally succeeded - and by that, he meant both of his wrist were wrapped in her long, blonde hair - she smiled a brilliant smile at him.

"Mr. Izu-senpai?"

"Yeah, Etsuki?"

"I know daddy likes you a lot, and if he likes you, then I like you, too."

"Thanks, Etsuki."

"Uh huh. And Mr. Izu-senpai?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for making daddy smile."

"Always."

"C'mon, firecracker! Time to get a move on. Aizawa said you're spending the night, so let's get you packed!"

Etsuki immediately leapt off of her chair and landed on the floor. And in that cute, childlike voice of hers, she gave a wild, "FUCK YES!"

Kacchan and Izuku both gave her looks of bewilderment. Because what three year-old used language like that.

And I'm a deadpan, Kacchan said, "I can't believe I've done this to my own child. She's got a worse potty mouth than me."

"Yeah," Izuku said with a shake of his head. "You don't say."

Katsuki

Katsuki had always had a hard time understanding Midoriya Izuku. When they were kids, he was this useless, quirkless, freckled kid who was too obsessive. Katsuki had often mistaken his kindness for patronization. His sincerity for tricks. His tenderheartedness for weakness. His perseverance for stubbornness. It had taken him almost all of high school to realize that he wasn't anything like he thought. He wasn't useless or patronizing or deceitful or stubborn. He wasn't any of those things. No. On the contrary, he was sweet and sincere and caring. And Katsuki cared a shit ton about him.

Not that he'd tell him that. Why give Deku a bigger than he already had?

But nights like these reminded Katsuki of just how amazing Deku could be. Again, not like he'd tell him that. The blond walked beside the greenette as they made their way through the park. Deku had one of Etsuki's tote bags in his hand, and while he looked absolutely fucking ridiculous carrying the big, pink thing, he also looked so damn endearing. He was all smiles and freckles as they walked down the path. It was nearly dusk, which Katsuki thought was odd. Why the fuck was the nerd bringing him to a park at night?

It wasn't until they got to the crest of one of the hills in the park and Deku laid out a blanket and pulled out a few bento boxes that he realized what was happening. A late night picnic. The damn nerd had set up a fucking picnic. Katsuki smiled the tiniest of smiles to himself as he settled down on the blanket beside Deku.

"So, this is our first date, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

"Is it bad?" Deku asked, those big, viridian eyes of his suddenly wide with worry.

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. "Nah. I guess it's kinda cute."

That brought yet another broad smile to Deku's cheeks. That smile melted Katsuki's rough exterior.

"Oh, good! I'm glad you like it," the greenette said shyly. "I wasn't sure that you would."

Katsuki fixed him with a look. "Deku. I'm with you," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters."

The brightest flush spread across Deku's cheeks. It made the corny line so very worth it. It meant that he could see all of these sides of the man who was weaving his way deeper and deeper into Katsuki's heart, then it would always be worth it to put himself out there. For Deku, he felt like he could do anything.

They dug into the bento boxes - Deku had back simple finger foods from his kitchen. It was quiet and nice, and while it wasn't a real meal, it was better than what he'd had all day, that being a whole lotta nothin'. Their conversations were casual and comfortable. They were far away from those conversations about his past and his botched rescue that left him scarred and in pain. Instead, they talked about Etsuki and work and why he exactly called Kirishima shitty hair.

"What do you mean? His hair is fucking shitty!"

"I mean, I always thought it was pretty cool," Deku insisted. "It helps with the whole hardening thing with how straight it is. And, like, it's red!"

"No, it's not."

"What do you mean?"

"It's black. He dyes it red. Actually. No. Fuck that shit. I dyed that bitch ass's hair every other week for three fucking years," Katsuki admitted. "Look, do you know how hard it is to maintain red fucking hair?! Bleach jobs ain't easy. Shitty Hair is lucky I didn't fucking leave him out to dry."

Deku rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Mina would have done it for him," he said before freezing. "Wait. You know how to dye hair?"

"I know how to do a lot of things, Deku," he said.

"What else do you know how to do?"

"I know how to suck real good fuckin' dick," he replied with a smirk.

Yet another flush spread onto Deku's cheeks. "Kacchan!" he whined. "We're in public!"

"Didn't stop you the last time. There ain't even any people out here, either," he said. "C'mon. Don't deny that you enjoyed it."

"Well, yeah, of course I enjoyed it," Deku said, an easy nonchalance sliding onto his features. "You were such a good boy, Kacchan. You took me all in, no hesitation. Just thinking about it gets me hard."

And those words coming out of Deku's mouth, those tantalizing words of praise, had Katsuki getting hard in his pants. In fucking public. Well. Semi-public. They were really the only ones in the park, and it was dark as fuck, too.

"Does it?" Katsuki asked. "Tell me more?"

"You're so good to me when I fuck you, too, Kacchan," he said. "Your ass swallows me whole. I'd fuck it at any chance I get."

"Fuck, that sounds perfect," Katsuki hummed as he set aside his empty bento box. He leaned in closer to Deku until their lips were only a hairsbreadth apart. "Wanna take me here and now?"

Deku sucked in a sharp breath, and suddenly those plush lips were pressed against Katsuki's. Hook, line, and sinker. He had Deku in the palm of his hand. Or rather, Deku had his ass in his hands. Those scarred, crooked fingers had grabbed hold of both of Katsuki's asscheeks, pulling the blond closer and closer until their chests were pushed together. They were practically on top of one another, breathing each other's air. But Katsuki didn't mind. He'd gladly get drunk off of Deku if it meant that he could just forget for a little while.

Deku's hands roamed across his body, sending little electric currents wherever he passed. Katsuki felt alive. Each of Deku's touches stimulated a different part of his body. And each time their hips brushed together, his cock grew in size until it was straining against the fabric of his jeans - mind you, the tight fucking jeans that Camie insisted that he buy.

"You know what's even better, Kacchan?" Deku asked.

"Huh?" he asked, lips searching for Deku's again.

"That picture you sent me," Deku whispered as he sidestepped Katsuki's lips entirely.

Katsuki bit back a groan because all he wanted was Deku's lips on his. He wanted to taste the sweet taste that was Deku. But evidently, the damn nerd had other plans. And those plans included way too much talking.

"Yeah. Yeah," he confirmed with a grumble. "Picture. What about it?"

Deku's hands were then slipping up and under Katsuki's shirt. "I've been really excited to touch these, Kacchan."

Katsuki wrinkled his brows in question when Deku's fingertips brushed over his nipples. He sucked in a sharp breath because - oh fuck - that felt fucking different. His teeth clamped down over his lower lip as Deku invoked a wave of sensitivity over his nipples.

"How does it feel, Kacchan?" Deku asked.

"Weird," he said immediately. "But not bad. Fucking good."

"It doesn't hurt?" Deku asked.

"Why would it hurt?" he asked.

"Uh, Kacchan, I looked it up. Nipple piercings can take over six months to heal," he said.

"Well, I haven't had any fuckin' problems," he said. "Honestly, I forgot that they were even pierced with all the shit I got goin' on."

Deku raised his brows. "I don't see how that's possible unless-"

The greenette paused, his expression shifting into one of those irritating, overly analytical ones. Here he went, getting all weird on him.

"Ya gonna get to the point, or nah?" he asked.

"I think all that healing Recovery Girl did on you healed your piercings, Kacchan," he said as his fingers pinched and twisted Katsuki's pebbled nipples.

The blond bit back a groan of pleasure. Fucking christ that felt amazing. Way fucking better than any other time he'd had his nipples played with. Deku might be fucking right about that theory of his. Thank you Recovery Girl.

Deku immediately raked Katsuki's shirt up his chest. He pushed the fabric up past Katsuki's chest and with a seductive smile, Deku held it in front of Katsuki's mouth.

"Open up," he said.

Katsuki blinked once, twice, three times. He parted his lips and allowed Deku to shove his shirt into his mouth as an impromptu gag.

"Good boy, Kacchan," Deku said.

Katsuki hummed lightly at the praise. Something about it just got his libido on the fucking rise. He loved it when Deku told him how good he was doing, when he stroked his already inflated ego. Know that he was doing well enough to please the greenette. Holy fucking shit. It was intoxicating.

And now, with the fabric of his shirt clenched between his teeth, he felt his erection swelling further. God. Why the fuck did he have to wear such tight jeans? It was a horrible fucking idea. But the way that Deku's fingers skimmed over his nipples, occasionally twisting and pinching them, left him ignoring the tightness of his pants. It kept him focused on Deku's fingers and the way that it felt to be touched by the man.

"I love the way they look Kacchan," Deku said, his viridian eyes rising up to meet Katsuki's. The blond's breath hitched. "You, with your nipples pierced with my colors. God. I want to fuck you so badly right now."

Katsuki groaned quietly through the fabric.

"Oh, do you want me to fuck you, Kacchan?" Deku asked.

He nodded. Why the fuck wouldn't he want Deku to fuck him?

"Sorry, Kacchan," Deku said, pecking a kiss to Katsuki's cheek. "Not gonna happen. Not yet, at least."

This time, Katsuki loosed a whine. Why the fuck was Deku so damn cruel? Here he was, practically better for that big, fat cock to be rammed inside of him, and here Deku was denying him. Fucking prick.

"Oh, Kacchan," the green bean said as he kissed his way down Katsuki's chest. "Don't glare at me like that. I'll have to punish you."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. Punish him? What was that supposed to fucking mean? If it was Deku punishing him, well, maybe he wanted it?

Deku froze just between Katsuki's pectoral muscles. He grinned up at the blond with those round, freckled cheeks of his. "You'd like that wouldn't you, Kacchan? C'mon, babe. Do you want me to punish you?"

Katsuki hesitated before he gave a quick nod of his head. The action only made Deku's lips spread into a wider grin.

"Well then. I'll punish you, Kacchan," Deku said. "How can I not when your nipples are standing so perfectly for me?"

Before Katsuki could even think to respond with some sort of expression, Deku's lips were encircling his left nipple. The warmth had him moaning into the fabric of his gag. His eyes fluttered closed, and he allowed himself to get carried away in the sensation of Deku. His tongue darted out and swirled around the pebbled flesh on his chest. They were such simple, small ministrations, but fuck. If they didn't have him aching in his pants-

Katsuki's fingers crept toward the front of his pants. His cock needed relief, and it needed it now. Deku's tongue and his hand would have him cumming in seconds. But he never even managed to open the button on his jeans. No. Blackwhip had itself wrapped around his wrists in an instant, pulling his hands taught to his sides. Katsuki whined. He'd been so damn close. And now he was completely at Deku's mercy. He couldn't move his hands, and he couldn't fucking speak. And sure, he could easily drop the fabric that was clenched between his teeth, but he didn't want to. He liked being under Deku's control. He just wished Deku would relieve that fucking ache in his cock.

"Ah, ah, ah," Deku said as he pulled his lips away from Katsuki's nipple. That caused another groan of frustration to leave his lips. "I didn't say you could touch. I must not be punishing you well enough if that wasn't clear."

Katsuki shook his head.

"Oh? You disagree? Well, I don't," he said.

Deku dove right the fuck back in. His hand worked his right nipple while his mouth worked his left - this time with tongue and teeth. His tongue did those quick little swishes and his teeth gave little nibbles here and there. The sensations were so fucking overpowering. He couldn't tell what was worse. The sensitivity of his nipples or the rub of his cock against the fabric of his boxers.

But the best part of it all - the sensations that rushed over his skin drowned out the pain from his back for the first time in days. Katsuki couldn't feel it at all because Deku was the aphrodisiac he needed to forget about it. And if Deku was his drug, well then, count Katsuki as addicted.

And right when Katsuki was feeling fucking euphoric, Deku ground his clothed cock against Katsuki's. The blond groaned loudly and his load blew right into the fabric of his boxers.

Those plush lips parted from his skin. "Good boy, Kacchan," Deku said, his hand sliding down to rub Katsuki's spewing cock from the outside of his jeans. "C'mon. Cum for me."

Katsuki whimpered as he cock spewed the last of his orgasm. His breaths came out in heavy pants as dropped the gag and allowed his chin to rest on Deku's shoulder. It was an unconventional orgasm and one like he'd never felt before, but it was fucking perfect. Katsuki was in fucking heaven.

He allowed himself to rest there on Deku's shoulders for several long moments, and while he rested there, he allowed himself to become transfixed by the stars. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually looked at them. Probably not since he and Kiruka had first started dating. They'd gone stargazing for all of ten minutes before she'd said it was stupid and asked him to go inside. He missed looking at the stars. They'd always reminded him of- of...

Katsuki froze and pulled away from Deku. The greenette, who had been in the aftercare phase of Katsuki's orgasm, rubbing tender circles into the blond's back, looked worried.

"Kacchan, is everything okay?" he asked, his brilliant viridian eyes worried and a frown etching its way onto his freckled cheeks.

The blond nodded faintly and lifted a hand to run his thumb over Deku's cheek. "I was just thinkin' about how much I loved looking at the stars."

"Oh. And that made you pull away?" Deku asked, a hint of doubt in his tone.

Katsuki shook his head. "I realized why I love lookin' at them."

"And why's that?"

"Because," Katsuki said as his thumb traced circles over Deku's cheek. "They remind me of your freckles."

"Oh my god, Kacchan! We are so late!" Deku hissed as he dragged Katsuki through the door of a little dive bar. "That was such a bad idea!"

"I don't even know where we're going, so don't blame me," he snarled back. "Besides, I didn't hear you complaining on the hill. And besides. How is this any of my fault! You were the one that made me nut in my goddamn pants! If we didn't have to stop back at my place, we-"

Deku slapped a hand down over Katsuki's mouth, and the blond was all of three seconds from blasting his ass straight through the front door of the dive bar. If Deku hadn't pointed inside to the table of their former classmates - and Camie - he would have. But the sight of Grapes sitting at the table had him shutting his damn mouth and cooling his temper real damn fast. There was no way in hell he'd be caught dead with Mineta Minoru knowing his fucking business. Fuck. That. Shit. Contrary to popular belief with his vulgar mouth, Katsuki wasn't open to talking about his sex life. Especially not his very fucking bisexual borderline gay sex life - considering his ex had thoroughly turned him off toward women - that he shared with fucking Deku of all people. He was Japan's fucking sweetheart hero. Why would he want fucking Grapes to know who was shoving their dick up his ass? Oh. That's right. He didn't.

Katsuki grabbed hold of Deku's hand and shoved it away from his mouth. "Alright, alright. I get it. You can fuckin' stop now."

Deku breathed out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kacchan. Don't get me wrong. I love Mineta and all. He's a great friend, but the last thing I need is him knowing anything about our sex life," he said.

He snorted. "Yeah. I second that shit. Fuck Grapes, and his big ass mouth."

He opened the door and stepped into the little dive bar, and Deku followed right behind him. He was immediately met with a cool burst of air conditioning and the sounds of roaring laughter. They walked into quite a fucking sight. Squished around a small rectangular table was half of his former classmates and a few extras. Uraraka, Asui, Kaminari, Shinso, Yaoyorozu, Camie, Mineta, Ashido, Kirishima, Iida, Sero, Tokoyami, and Icy-Hot.

Katsuki groaned. He didn't mind half of the extras at the table, but there was something about Icy-Hot that he just didn't fucking like. He didn't know much about Todoroki beyond their school years. He didn't care to know shit about him. His dad was a top ranked hero. Fucking cool. Who gave a fuck? Icy-Hot had everything handed to him on a silver fucking platter, and Katsuki just didn't fucking like him. He didn't like the way he looked at Deku, either. There was something about that strong fucking eyecontact he made with Deku the second they walked through the door that rubbed Katsuki the wrong way. He felt fucking territorial.

The roar of greetings that met them as the rest of the group noticed them was deafening. And if Katsuki wasn't already deaf with little fucking sound enhancers in his ears, he wouldn't have given a fuck. But there was something about the fucking frequency of these assholes that was just too fucking loud. Pain shot through his ears, and he found himself covering his ears to block out the noise.

"AY!" he roared back at the group. "Could you keep it the fuck down?!"

Iida was the first to stand from his seat. He did that stupid arm choppy thing of his and started directing the group to be quiet. Once all of their eyes were on him, he flipped them off and promptly sat down in one of the two empty spaces between Kaminari and Icy-Hot. And because he fucking hated Icy-Hot and the looks he gave Deku, Katsuki sat down directly next to him. He was terri-fucking-torial. Sue him. Deku sat beside him without any complaints.

"I didn't think you were gonna come, man!" Kaminari said, reaching around Deku and clapping a hand on his back.

Katsuki bit back a growl of pain coming from the burns on his back, masking it instead with a shrug. "Was in the neighborhood. Deku convinced me," he said through gritted teeth. "Now get your hand off of my fuckin' back. Massive burns, remember?"

The electric blond's eyes widened. "Fuck. Sorry man!" he said. "I'm glad you came, though, man!"

"Yeah! I didn't want him to miss out on this!" Deku said enthusiastically. "It's been forever since we've all gotten together, and this'll be the first time Kacchan could come!"

"I think that is certainly something to raise a glass to!" Iida said.

"You don't need to raise a glass to shit, Specs," Katsuki interjected. "It's not-"

But the rest of the group was already giving out a cheer and raising their glass along with Iida's. He rolled his eyes and slumped in his chair.

"To the return of Bakugou!" Iida said. "We hope you stay to help Musutafu and the Shizuoka Prefecture for many years to come!"

There was a round of cheers, even some coming from Deku to his left. Katsuki just flipped the table off. That caused several laughs from his classmates. And from there, he was able to just settle in. There was something relaxing about being in the company of his former classmates. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed some of them, not that he'd ever fucking admit to that shit. He was some fucking sap. But regardless. Being in their company brought a sense of familiarity to him that he hadn't felt since he'd first left Musutafu. Five years. Five fucking years of isolation from these fucking extras that he was able to click with pretty damn easily.

Fuck. It was good to be home.

Katsuki was able to slip back into the routine of banter between his friends easily. He listened in on the conversations, and jumped in when he had some quick quip or bit of snark that he could add. The only thing that would have made it more enjoyable would have been a glass of fireball on the rocks. But with all of the fuckin' meds he was on, he couldn't. He was all for getting fucked up, but he didn't exactly like the idea of mixing his meds with alcohol. That always led to bad life decisions.

So instead, he settled in with his glass of coke and did his best to enjoy a rare night away from the depression that loomed over him these last few weeks. And somehow, the most wild fucking game of truth or dare started. He never planned on getting involved. Why the fuck would he get involved? He didn't do that shit. But evidently, his former classmates had their own vendetta to achieve.

"Okay, okay!" Ashido said, swinging her glass of wine wildly. She was already plastered, which was to be expected. "Tokoyami! Truth or dare!"

"Truth," the dark, broody bird-man said.

"Okay! Uhm..." Ahsido said. She had a hand on her chin as she thought of the best possible truth. "Have you ever gotten laid?"

Tokoyami furrowed his brows. "I don't understand. I lay in my bed every night."

Mineta who sat beside him rolled his eyes. "She means have you ever had sex," he explained.

"Well," he said. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Don't bristle your damn feathers," Katsuki snapped. "It's the point of truth or dare. Askin' uncomfortable, stupid questions or takin' just as stupid dares."

Tokoyami nodded vaguely. "Well, then, yes. I have."

"Aw man!" Kaminari said, his head thudding to the table.

"I'll be collecting on that bet, Kaminari," Mineta added with a chuckle.

Katsuki watched as Kaminari dug out a handful of yen before shucking it across the table to Mineta.

"Cheer up, babe," Shinso said from beside Kaminari. But the blond did not. On the contrary, he just gave a low moan of despair. "I've got a good one for Todoroki."

That had the dumb fuck sitting right up. "What?"

"Todoroki, truth or dare."

Katsuki glanced at the Icy-Hot fucker who he'd been ignoring most of the goddamn night. He had this passive look on his face that Katsuki just wanted to punch off of him. But he didn't think that Deku would be very pleased with the very blatant act of aggression toward his friend, and the last thing he needed was to piss off Deku before they finished what they began earlier. So, he decided to play it safe and keep to himself.

"Dare," the monotone fuck said.

Shinso's lips curled up at that, and Katsuki had a feeling that he was in for a real fucking treat. He leaned back in his chair and grinned wolfishly. If it meant that the Icy-Hot bastard was gonna get his shit embarrassed, then he was completely fine with it.

"Alright. I dare you make a giant dick out of ice," Shinso said.

The most comical expression formed on Icy-Hot's fuckin' face, and Katsuki had the pleasure of viewing it with a front row seat. His cheeks got just as red as the scar that was painted across his eye. Katsuki almost giggled.

"Why would I do that?" Icy-Hot asked.

"I swear to mother fucking- Why does no one at the table get the meaning of fuckin' truth or dare?" he asked with a growl.

"I don't think all of us exactly agreed to play, ribbit," Asui said innocently.

"He picked dare. That's agreeing by default," Kirishima explained.

"C'mon, Shoto!" Camie said. "You got this! Show us a big, fat, juicy one!"

"I don't know why you're encouraging this, Camie," Yaoyorozu said. "You're gay."

Camie only shrugged. "I can still admire well-formed physical anatomy."

"It kinda defeats the purpose if you don't like said physical anatomy, doesn't it?" Uraraka asked, her chipmunk cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

"I dunno. I don't like dicks, either, but I can still admire a well-formed ice sculpture of one," Sero said.

"You're not admiring shit, Soy Sauce Face," Katsuki interjected, pointing his glass in the direction of his bland-faced friend. "You're probably gonna sit there wishing you had a decent dick."

Hoots of laughter sound from all around the table. And in those instants of distraction for their friends, Deku leaned in close. He could feel his warm breath ghost across the shell of his ear as he spoke.

"And you're probably sitting there wishing you were getting that dick," Deku whispered loud enough for only Katsuki to hear. "Or rather, my dick."

The glare he sent toward the greenette was fucking explosive. If only looks could fucking kill. They were supposed to be keeping shit on the downlow, and here that was the shitty nerd saying shit out loud where other people could fuckin' hear.

"Alright! Alright!" Kaminari said. "I want to see an ice dick!"

Beside him, Katsuki heard Icy-Hot sigh. But low and behind, his quirk activated with a rush of cold air. And suddenly, in the center of the table, was a well-crafted and way too detailed dildo-sized dick made of ice. There were a few gasps from around the table before more laughter broke out. Even Katsuki cracked a damn smile at Icy-Hot's expense. The half and half bastard was blushing up a storm, and it was fucking golden.

"I'm keeping it forever!" Kaminari suddenly said, snatching up the ice sculpture from the center of the table.

"You can keep it until it melts," Shinso said with a roll of his eyes.

"Shoto! Don't let it melt!" Kaminari said. "Please! I need to immortalize this!"

"No, you really don't," the Icy-Hot bastard insisted. And with a concentrated wave of his hand, the dick was gone. And Kaminari's head thunked back down to the table.

"My life is incomplete," he moaned.

"You're being dramatic, Kaminari," Ashido chirped.

"Yeah. You have Shinso's dick," Uraraka added. "What do you need an ice dick for?"

"You guys really have no idea of the possibilities with gay sex, do you?" Kaminari whined. "That could have been the best fucking adventure!"

"We don't need to know about your sex life, Pikachu," Katsuki interjected. "Save us the details."

More laughs surrounded the table.

"Alright! I think it's my turn to ask!" Iida said. "Considering it is his first night back with us, Bakugou. Truth or dare?"

And suddenly, all of the eyes at the table were focused on fucking him. He set down his glass of coke on the table and frowned. He didn't want to get involved in this shit. He hated stupid shit like this. If he accepted a dare, he'd have to do some dumb shit in front of these fucks, and there wasn't a chance he was gonna let that happen. And if he agreed to truth, he'd have to answer a question. But this was Specs. How bad of a question could this stiff mother fucker ask.

"Truth," he replied.

"I think we would all like to know. What have you done with the last five years that you've been away? We've all seen the news. You're a high ranking hero, but that doesn't tell us much of who you are these days."

Katsuki immediately frowned as a spike of anxiety coursed through him. Okay. Maybe Specs' question could be bad. Sure, it was innocent, but it was gonna pry into shit that he didn't want to fuckin' talk about. He didn't want to talk about Kiruku and her bullshit. He didn't want to talk about his failed fucking marriage. Fuck. That. Shit. But with all eyes on him, he wasn't gonna back the fuck down. He wasn't a fucking wuss. He sucked in a deep breath to quell his rising anxiety and looked everyone square in the eyes.

"Got married. Got divorced. Not that crazy. All I'm doin' these days is raising my kid," he said with a shrug.

"WAIT!" Uraraka said, slamming her palms down on the table. "You have a kid?"

"Uh. Yeah?" he said, although it came out more of a question than anything.

"Do you not watch the news, Ochako? Ribbit," Asui asked.

"I mean, I do! But I didn't hear that!" she explained.

Katsuki shrugged and dug his wallet out of his back pocket. He flipped it open and pulled out the photograph of his daughter that he kept there. He took a quick look at her grinning face before handing the picture to Uraraka.

"Her name's Etsuki. She's three and a half," he said. "Don't fuckin' ruin my picture, Cheeks. I'll fuckin' blast your ass."

As if this was some stupid comedy movie, all of the women at the table crowded around Uraraka holding the picture, even Camie who'd seen his kid in person countless times since he'd moved back. Oohs and aahs sounded from them as they fawned over the little girl.

"She's so damn cute!" Uraraka gushed. "I didn't know you were capable of producing anything cute, Bakugou!"

"Fuck off, Cheeks!" he snarled. "You don't know shit!"

Beside him Deku laughed. "Well, she is adorable, Kacchan. And you're, well, explosive. I think even I was a little surprised when I first met her."

"You've met her, Izu! Not fair! Bakugou, you have to bring her around!" Uraraka pleaded.

"I think she'd be fun to have around, ribbit. You should," Asui added.

"And considering she already thinks of Camie as an aunt, she could have four more," Yaoyorozu said.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at all five women at the table. Asui, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Ashido, and Camie were gonna confuse the fuck out of his kid. "She's not gonna understand the difference between blood relative and her fake as fuck aunts and uncles at this rate."

"I don't exactly see why that's a problem, Bakubabe," Camie said with a shrug.

"You're dumb as fuck. That's why," he said as snatched back the photograph from Uraraka. He returned it to its home in his wallet before leaning back in his chair once more with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Guys. I think you're seriously neglecting some pretty good truth or dare time by fawning over Bakugou's admittedly cute kid," Mineta said from across the table. "Midoriya, you're up!"

Beside him Deku laughed nervously. "And here I thought I'd managed to stay under the radar," he said.

"Not a chance! I need the gossip," Mineta said in that annoying voice of his. "If I ain't gettin' any, I've gotta live vicariously through all of you."

Katsuki paled. He didn't trust a damn thing that was coming out of this grape-headed fuck's mouth. Any questions he asked would be innately sexual. Fucking christ. He sent Deku his best incognito, pleading look. He did not need Mineta asking about their fucking sex life.

"I think I'll pass," Deku said, waving his hands in front of him.

A couple of awes sounded around the table along with a few groans.

"C'mon, Midoriya! Do it!" Kirishima said. "We gotta see the manliness in action!"

"I'm good. I'm seriously, Kiri-kun," he insisted.

"Izu, I'm not afraid to show everyone the video from the reunion," Uraraka threatened.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the broad. He knew exactly what video she was talking about considering Camie had offered it to him just before the orphanage fire. Using it against Deku was a dirty fucking move.

"What video from the reunion? What did I miss?" Mineta asked. "I wasn't there! My agency wouldn't let me off!"

"You didn't miss anything, Mineta," Deku said quickly with one of those innocent, broad smiles of his. "Dare, please."

"I dare you to tell me what happened at the reunion," he said quickly.

"Uh uh," Ashido said with a wag of her finger. "You know the rules. No daring for questions."

Mineta groaned and mumbled something about shitty secrets and equally shitty friends before sighing. "I dare you to kiss the person you're attracted to most at the table."

Katsuki furrowed his brows. What the actual fuck was Grape Head trying to do? Fucking prick. He really didn't need his dumb ass daring Deku to kiss anyone because Katsuki wouldn't be able to take it if Deku kissed anyone but him. He knew Deku was gay, so people like Uraraka were off of the table. But he was seated next to Icy-Hot who'd been making eyeballs at Deku all goddamn night. If Deku so much as attempted to kiss that half and half bastard, he wouldn't know what to do. He was sure that crushing depression would surface and swallow him whole-

All of Katsuki's thoughts short circuited as Deku's scarred hands curled around his cheeks. His heart completely stopped as those soft lips pressed ever so gently against his. His eyes grew wide for a second before he realized Deku had picked him. The greenette had avoided everyone else at the table and picked him. He really shouldn't have been surprised considering how many times they'd already fucked, but he was. Katsuki was over the fucking moon. Deku had chosen him. His eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into the kiss. One of his hands fell onto the back of Deku's neck while the other curled into his hair. Everyone else around them melted away, and it was just him and Deku. Sharing a goddamn kiss from fucking heaven.

Well, that is until Mineta opened his big fat mouth.

"What the actual fuck?!" he asked, standing up on his chair.

Katsuki and Deku broke apart abruptly and reality came flooding back. A heavy flush spread on Katsuki's cheeks immediately. He hadn't exactly been intending on giving the entire group a full fucking show of his feelings toward Deku. And well. That's exactly what the fuck had happened. And considering how they were reacting, none of the extras seemed particularly appalled. There were hoots and hollers from the rest of the group in what Katsuki assumed was support of what had just gone down. Well. Other than Mineta.

"Is someone gonna explain to me what the fuck just happened?" Mineta roared.

"Isn't it obvious? Ribbit," Asui started with a roll of her eyes. "Midoriya finds Bakugou attractive. And, ribbit, I think Bakugou feels the same way."

"B-But! I totally thought he was gonna kiss a babe! Uraraka, for fucks sake! They're always hanging out! Or even Camie! Hell, Yaoyorozu! But Bakugou?"

"Uh, man, I think you've gotta Deku all wrong," Kirishima said.

"Yeah, Izu's gay," Uraraka said rather blatantly.

"Ocha!" Deku cried out.

"What? It's not as if the entire world barring Mineta doesn't already know," she defended.

"Still! You don't need to out me like that," he whined.

"Midoriya, babe, you totally came out of the closet years ago. Don't try to hide it now," Camie said.

"And Bakugou? You kissed him back!" Mineta roared.

Katsuki shrugged. "It's ain't any of your business what kind of tail I'm chasing, Grapes," he replied. He then picked up his glass and took a sip of his coke, his eyes shifting toward Deku. The greenette had an amused expression on his face.

"Honestly, it's about damn time this happened," Kaminari said.

And that had the explosive blond damn near spitting out his drink across the table. Instead, he swallowed it down rather painfully before shooting a glare at the Pikachu fuck.

"What's that supposed to fuckin' mean, Sparky?"

"He means you two have been flirting with each other since our first year at UA," Icy-Hot said from beside him.

Katsuki's head whipped around to look at the half and half fuckwad. What the actual fuck? He hadn't been flirting with Deku at all. Sure, he'd found his ass attractive and all that shit, but flirting? Well, that was a step too far ahead.

"If Shoto of all people noticed it, then I think it was pretty obvious," Kirishima said.

"Yeah. It's a miracle Mineta didn't notice sooner," Shinso added.

"We're happy for you guys. Honestly," Kaminari concluded.

"What the fuck do you mean you're happy for us? There's nothing goin' on between us!"

"Uh, Bakubabe. That kiss was borderline porn. There's no point in denying it," she said.

Katsuki groaned loudly. So maybe there wasn't a point in denying it. Maybe all of these extras knew he had the hots for Deku? Who gave a fuck? Obviously not him. He didn't give a damn what any of these bitch ass punks thought. Nope. No worries. He totally wasn't freaking out. He didn't freak out. Not at all. He was totally calm and not worried that Mineta would out him as bisexual after his countless attempts at keeping it quiet. Not worried one bit.

And he only actually believed those thoughts when he felt Deku's arm wrap around his waist from behind as they sat next to one another. His curly, viridian head laid upon Katsuki's shoulder. It was moments like these that made him worry less and think more in the moment. He knew that if Deku was there, he'd be perfectly fucking fine. No. He'd be more than fine. He'd be good.

End Note:

Beta: A whopping four feet has you winded, Bakugou? A whopping 8 inches will have you winded later.

Author: *Mouth opens and closes like a fish* How can I include that? How? FUCK. I can't include that 8 inches until next chapter.

Trust me. This chapter was gonna have more of the goods, if you know what I mean. *eyebrow waggle* But the length of it got away from me. I was getting close to 15k, and I had to just. Cut it. I'm moving it to next chapter. Sorry guys!

I really wanted to just. Add Deku to this chapter so I could show the physical trauma that came from Katsuki failing to rescue kids. And like. I didn't think him looking in the mirror would do him all that much justice. Deku is just so analytical. It was too perfect to pass on a chance to write in his perspective. I seriously hope you liked it! Opinions, please!