Chapter 3

Momo woke up, feeling as though she'd been hit by a truck. Her body was sore and her mind fuzzy. She felt something gripping the front of her nightgown tightly and looked down to see Itsuki, fist balled in the fabric. He was curled against her front, also lazily blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, Mama," he mumbled slightly, giving her a warm smile. She had no idea when the last time the little boy had gotten a bath, warm food, and a warm bed. Momo felt a twinge of sadness at the thought but also felt relief that he wouldn't be returned to that lifestyle ever again.

"Good morning, Itsuki," she greeted warmly, petting the boy's hair. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded excitedly, his smile bright and infectious. "Your bed is so big! I don't think I've ever slept on a mattress not on the floor! And it's so clean!"

She grit her teeth slightly, but maintained her cheery disposition. "That's wonderful! I'm glad you liked it. You'll never have to sleep on a dirty mattress on the floor again, I promise."

"You really mean it?"

She patted his arm, dotingly, "I really do. Now, how does breakfast sound to you, little man?"

He seemed bewildered for a moment, before asking, "We get dinner and breakfast here? Mama… did I die when those bad guys took me? Is this heaven?"

"... No, Itsuki. Where you were was not a good or normal place. It's typical for people to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. You're a growing boy, so we need to make sure you're eating, okay?"

He smiled like the sun as he nodded his head up and down at a rate that almost made Momo worry he might break his neck. "Okay mama! Let's hurry! Papa might be down the stairs already!"

"P-papa?" Oh, Katsuki was not going to like this.

"Yeah! The man from yesterday! You're mama, he's papa! You're both heroes!"

He ran over to the door and looked to her excitedly. Confused as to why she wasn't bounding after him, he shot her a curious look. She beckoned him to follow her.

"We'll go shopping properly later… But the people from the office we went to last night let us borrow these clothes for you. We'll go down for breakfast once you've gotten changed for the day."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… we change out of our pjs before we go down and meet everyone else. I also need you to comb your hair. Do you need help with it?"

Befuddled, Itsuki played with one of his shaggy locks. "Brush it?"

"We washed it last night, but you have to brush it every day…"

"Every day?"

Momo felt angry again. The villains apparently hadn't taught the boy an inch of grooming skills. She took out a soft brush and sat the boy in front of her on the bed.

"Yes, every day. We brush our teeth every day. We bathe every day. We change our clothes every day. We eat three meals and some snacks every single day."

"That's… a lot of stuff to do every day, mama. Do we have to? I didn't do that stuff before…"

"I know… But things are going to be a little different from now on. Well…" she sighed. "Very different. It's good for you to be clean and to take care of yourself."

He seemed to contemplate this. "Does this mean it won't be itchy all the time anymore?"

"... You will definitely be less itchy if you wash yourself and change your clothes regularly, yes."

Itsuki brightened once more. "Ok, I'll do it then. Being itchy is really annoying."

Upon finishing up with that task, the two of them made their way down the stairs until they found themselves in the common area on the first floor. A few of the others were already busying themselves with breakfast and getting ready for activities for the day. It was the weekend, so they didn't have class, but a majority of them were probably heading into town for the day.

Itsuki clung to her skirt, suddenly anxious at the sight of the other people. All the people who were… staring at him now. Strangers who… were… looking right at him…

Then he saw Katsuki and he raced right over to him, leaping into the blond's lap. Ignoring his other, more reluctant, caretaker's shout of surprise he waved Momo over.

"Mama! I told you papa was already downstairs! Hurry!"

Katsuki shot her a look, as if the boy calling him 'papa' was her fault in the slightest. I knew he wouldn't like it…

"Good morning, Bakugou."

"Ponytail, why is the brat in my lap."

"Itsuki," she chose to ignore him, "what would you like for breakfast?" At his look of confusion, she quickly figured he would eat whatever was placed in front of him. "Bagels it is then."

Katsuki tried maneuvering his miso soup around the kid in his lap, and he was quickly becoming annoyed with how difficult it was. But he wouldn't yell at the boy. He would complain, and gripe, and throw stink eyes at Ponytail all day long. But he wasn't going to turn any of that, any of his aggression, on this small child. Though… he was seconds away from throwing a tantrum at their stupid, dumbass classmates who thought it was appropriate to stare openly at them.

"The fuck are you all looking at?"

"Bakugou!"

"... The hell are you all looking at?"

Momo huffed and shot Itsuki a look. "Do not repeat what Bakugou says, Itsuki. No bad words."

Itsuki giggled. "Papa says bad words."

"Yes he does. Do not repeat them. Bakugou-"

"I'll say whatever the fuck I want, Princess. Now what in the hell are you freaks all looking at!?" he growled at the group that had settled themselves nearby at the tables in the dining area.

"Who's the kid, dude?" Kirishima questioned, looking over the young boy in his best friend's lap. "I didn't know you had a kid?"

"Are you a moron?" Bakugou grumbled. "The kid's six. I'm 18. How am I gonna have a six year old brat, dumbass." He sighed, heavy and agitated. "Ponytail, tell them what's with the kid. I don't want to deal with this."

Momo walked back over, breakfast for herself and Itsuki on two plates. Itsuki began grabbing eagerly for his food, Momo chiding him over table manners for a moment before looking to all her classmates.

"This is Itsuki. He's a bit shy, so please be patient with him."

"Itsuki as in… Katsuki?" Ochako grinned. "What a coincidence you have there."

"Shut it you oversized balloon," Katsuki grumbled. "Anyways, the kid's staying with us for a bit. Don't bug him."

"Yeah…" Sero said. "But… what's his deal? Where'd you guys get him from?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Mina called out. "He's calling you mama and papa and everything! What's the deal with that?" She looked all too excited at the prospect, her romance radar going off the rails.

"We rescued him on our patrol yesterday," Momo said, wiping a bit of cream cheese from Ituski's mouth. "He was taken by a group of villains. We're keeping him safe and protected at UA until his birth family is found."

Katsuki huffed, noting how Momo didn't feel it necessary to tell them about the possibility of adopting the kid permanently after graduation. They didn't know if they'd find the real family… but hey, he wasn't going to tell them if she didn't. He took another large spoonful of miso, making sure there was a good amount of tofu.

"So he's gonna be living here?" Ochako asked. "With us?"

"Yes," Momo said. "Well, with Bakugou and I. At least… if that's what Itsuki wants-"

Itsuki suddenly looked panicked. "I don't have to stay with people other than you and papa, right!? I don't wanna! I wanna stay with you-"

"And you will. No one's taking you away, Itsuki. You just got here." Momo cupped his cheek. "You're safe, alright?"

"Okay…"

"Now keep on with your breakfast. Good job."

The others were grinning and Kaminari said, "You're so lucky, kid! Yaomomo's like all of our mom, so you're lucky for her to be like… your mom too."

Itsuki regarded Kaminari for a moment… before ducking next to Momo, where she sat next to Bakugou, sandwiching himself between the two of them.

"You two look like a cute little family," Kyouka commented snarkily, a shit eating grin on her face. "Just picture perfect."

"Shut it, earphones," Bakugou growled out. "None of you jerks go around talking about 'family' or any of that crap, got it?"

"Sure," they said, none of them looking or sounding convincing in the slightest. Momo could already tell how excited they all were to have fun with the predicament. She sent them all a look, knowing they'd be more inclined to take her seriously. She didn't mind their teasing, as long as they left Itsuki out of it.

"But still, they let Bakugou in charge of a kid?" Sero chuckled. "That doesn't seem super smart to me."

"He's gonna be cussing up a storm in no time!" Kaminari added, jovially.

"I don't think that's quite correct..." Momo piped up, catching them off guard. "Bakugou is sweet and considerate; in his own way. Everyone has different ways to show love and care. His may be different, but that doesn't take away his meaning behind them."

Their classmates exchanged looks of surprise before they shifted into warm understanding. Or, at least they thought they understood.

"Yaomomo is so nice!"

Kirishima elbowed Katsuki in the shoulder. He understood where she was coming from completely. "She's got you there, Bakugou-"

He stopped in his tracks at the bewildered look on his self proclaimed best friend's face. Katsuki stared, somewhat openly, at Momo in what appeared to be awe. Momo turned to look back at him, offering him a kind, casual smile. As though she hadn't just sparked the beginning of something bigger. Kirishima lowered his arm, watching the exchange in quiet contemplation.

Aizawa came around shortly after. Most of their classmates had already cleared out by then, finishing breakfast. Itsuki greeted him, warmer than the others since he recognized the older man from the previous day.

"Hey, Mister."

"Hey, kid."

Momo and Katsuki listened intently when their teacher began instructing them on their routines for the next day. "So, while you guys are in class, Itsuki is going to be taking his own lessons or training his quirk. Then, you'll pick him up and bring him back. That's pretty much it. You might wanna head into town yourselves, today."

He handed the two of them an envelope.

"What's this?"

"Money for the kid. He's going to need more than what the bureau gave him yesterday. Clothes, grooming stuff, some toys probably. I don't know, whatever kids need."

"Ah…" Momo looked down at the envelope. "I can't say I'm particularly experienced with children and what they need…"

Katsuki was quiet, but he agreed. The two of them were an only child and a rich girl; they probably didn't have the same experiences as most children anyways. He could at least relate to having been a little boy. Or a normal child at all, albeit aggressive.

"It'll be fine. You don't wanna make the stuff yourself anyways," he knew she didn't like making things she could buy unless she had to, "so we'll just head into town and browse for a bit. Maybe research some stuff he'll need and the rest can be fun." He suddenly felt the need to reassure her. To let her know things would work out. Even though he didn't really want a part in this… It seemed to calm her anyway, making him feel a bit better as well.

The three of them made their way out of the dorms and, with the money and the permission slip from Aizawa, they hopped on a tram into town.

Opening the envelope, they discovered a large sum of money. Even Momo was surprised. "What on earth are we supposed to buy with all this?" she wondered.

"Hell," Katsuki gripped the cash intently, "we can buy this kid a bike with even just the leftovers… damn. We could buy this kid like… ten bikes."

"Bikes!" Itsuki cheered.

"We won't be buying ten bikes," Momo scolded halfheartedly, seeing the two of them pout. "But we can probably afford to get a bike. Let's focus on clothes and sneakers first."

"Oh!" Itsuki got excited again. "Sneakers!"

Momo thought to Itsuki's barefoot form from the day before, angry once more with the tattered clothes and dirtiness. She would give this boy a healthy environment to grow up in if it was the last thing she did.

They quickly found a shop for children's clothes and Katsuki, at Momo's strong urgings, called his mom, not entirely sure what to look for.

"Katsuki?"

"Hey, hag."

"Stop calling me that, you little shit. What's the matter? You never call."

"What shit do kids need?"

The other line went quiet for a moment. "What?"

"Yeah, what stuff do kids need? Like, shirts and junk I know but what kind of underwear do-"

"Bakugou Katsuki, did you get a girl pregnant?"

"What!?" His cheeks flared up in both anger and embarrassment. "No, you psycho! I did not get a girl pregnant!"

Momo looked over in concern at the sudden yelling, feeling a little silly with the Pikachu themed hoodie she was showing Itsuki. The little boy seemed enthralled with it, however, commenting that it looked like "that weird yellow guy from this morning."

"Then why are you discussing children with me right now? Over the phone?"

"Look, it's a long story but me and my classmate are in charge of this kid temporarily. We're out buying him stuff and neither of us have a single clue on what to get him."

"... I expect you to bring him and the girl over soon."

"Stop."

"Okay, so you're going to need…" and she began to tell him all the essentials of a little boy's closet and household. Toys, clothes, pjs, his own plates and utensils, coloring books, school supplies…

"Shit… kids are more than I thought," Katsuki grumbled quietly to Momo as Itsuki changed into another pair of shorts in the dressing room.

Momo laughed lightly. "Well, I think as far as kids go, this one is well behaved. We just need to make sure he's well taken care of for the time being."

He looked over her. Her dark hair was surprisingly down, cascading in a black curtain down her back. Her features were soft and feminine, making her namesake of a peach very fitting. She smiled warmly as Itsuki brought her over another thing he wanted to try on, very excited about being allowed to pick out all these clothes he could wear. The very concept of light up sneakers was clearly blowing the kid's mind.

Katsuki had always figured Momo would be one of those people that motherhood would look good on. He underestimated that. Angrily, he shook his head. He didn't have time to be dragged down by shit like this. He couldn't argue that Momo was insanely attractive; nearly everyone in their class if not their school appreciated the young woman's good looks and charms.

He thought himself better than that though.

But now…

"Are we almost done here?" He dragged a hand down his face roughly, hoping to make it seem from boredom rather than trying to rub the sudden heat growing in his cheeks.

"Yeah, papa, we're done!"

"Kid, you're gonna have to stop-"

"Next is the toy shop then. We need to look into getting you that bike!" Momo cut him off, heading over to the counter with all of their purchases. The cashier looked somewhat confused at what she perceived as a young couple paying for a huge haul for their somehow six year old son.

"Alright. Kid, we're gonna get you the sickest bike you've ever seen."