Chapter 4

Those other people had all gotten home already by the time Itsuki and his new mama and papa made their way back to the dorms. Itsuki was pretty tuckered out but hungry again. The three of them had gotten lunch at the food court in the mall where Itsuki had been introduced to the concept of a pretzel dog. It was clear that there was no going back for the little tyke.

However, that had been hours ago and Itsuki, being a growing boy, was already hungry. But… he didn't tell Momo and Katsuki. He wasn't allowed to say when he was hungry before… maybe he could now? He recalled several times he had asked Victor for food. Wincing, Itsuki recalled how well that had gone… He didn't want to risk ruining things here, especially not just after a single day. He felt a little selfish, but he didn't want to give up this new life he found himself thrust into.

The three of them were putting half of Itsuki's stuff in Momo's room and the other half in Katsuki's, the loudest of the three quickly relenting on his part in the arrangement. Itsuki looked up from sorting his new toys in what they called a "toy box" near Momo's dresser. His new caretakers were so kind.

Mama was gentle and loving… she was very patient with him and was teaching him all sorts of new things. She was so pretty, too. Papa… was loud and aggressive. But not with him or Momo. Itsuki felt like he would be safe and protected with someone like him around. He was so cool! Itsuki hoped he could be like that, one day.

Maybe it will be okay… if I just ask...

He put an All Might figure away before turning to them and saying, with a twinge of nervousness, "Are we allowed to eat again today?"

The two of them, adults in Itsuki's young mind, looked to him and appeared to realize something. "Oh dear!" Momo cried. "I'm so sorry, Itsuki! It's already this late… Let's go whip up something quick for dinner," and she led Itsuki downstairs by the hand.

Katsuki prowled after them, seeming irritated he forgot about dinner too. Itsuki didn't know why they were so worried. He was just curious, after all. He didn't quite understand the rules of this new place yet. He would have had no qualms with getting breakfast and lunch with no dinner. Even that was more than those scary guys ever gave him.

The small boy didn't understand why his new mama and papa seemed upset with themselves and not him. He felt like these two could do nothing wrong. They introduced themselves as his heroes; and that's what they would be, he had decided rather quickly.

He trotted along after them, hoping to help. Hoping to repay the huge amounts of favors he felt was being done for him. Katsuki was chopping vegetables, swift and precise. Momo was simmering something in a pan, a mild yet spicy aroma beginning to waft from it. He stood by them, not knowing what to do.

Momo noticed him and smiled, making him feel good and safe. "Itsuki," she called him, "if you want to help, you can grab your step stool we got you and wash some of the vegetables Bakugou is chopping?"

Itsuki brightened. He could help!

"Okay, mama!" he raced over to his stool and dragged it towards the sink next to his papa. He climbed up and looked to his male caretaker. "Which ones do you want me to do, papa?"

Katsuki gave him a side glance before sliding a bundle of carrots and a few peeled potatoes over to him, not saying much. Itsuki quickly understood that when papa was quiet, he was being kind. Even if he was frowning or glaring or sulking. He could tell. Giving him a big grin, he began running the veggies under the cold water, enjoying the process.

"Don't use soap, kid," Katsuki quickly intervened when he saw Itsuki begin to grab for the hand soap. "You wash food with just the water, soap is bad to eat."

"Oh," Itsuki said, not feeling reprimanded but rather informed, "okay. I thought it was just to clean everything."

"No. There's different stuff to clean different things." A real man of wisdom.

"Okay."

And he continued his work, diligently, until papa took them from his hands, chopping them quickly and putting them into the pan mama was cooking in. A couple of the people who lived in the building walked by. A girl, a green haired man, and someone with glasses and funny eyebrows. Itsuki remembered they were there the first night he came to this new home.

"You three are too cute," a girl with round cheeks commented. "Like a little family."

"Uraraka, I'll shave your head," his papa growled at her.

The girl's cheeks pouted even rounder, before retorting, "Try me, Bakugou. You know if you did that, I'd do it right back."

"I don't even want to hear anything from you," he snarled at the man with green hair. "Not a word, Deku."

"Deku" looked calmly at him before shaking his head and turning to Itsuki. "It's good to have you, Itsuki. My name is Midoriya Izuku. My hero name is Deku."

"You're a hero too?"

Momo looked over at him, seeming to realize something. "Oh, did we not tell you? I thought we did. Everyone in this building is training to become a pro hero."

Itsuki's eyes nearly inflated, they were so wide. "Everyone is a hero? This place is full of heroes!? Are you guys heroes too?" he asked the tall man and the squishy girl.

"Yup!"

"Yes! We are in our final year of study as we prepare to move on to bigger, greater things!" the tall man was loud. And karate chopped the air with every other word he said.

"Am I gonna be a hero too?" he turned to his caretakers. "Do I get to learn how to be a hero here too?"

Katsuki looked like he was about to deliver him bad news, before Momo jumped in. "Of course you can! You'll have to work hard and wait a few years, but if you truly want to and put your mind to it, it's certainly possible!"

"Really, mama? Can I?"

"It's hard work, Itsuki," she said, gently. "You'll have to train every day and you can't ever want to give up or it won't work. But, if you can get past all of that and you want to help people, you can be a hero for sure."

His cheer dimmed somewhat. "I… don't know what my quirk does, mama."

The green haired man smiled before saying, "Quirks don't always make the hero. You're always at the front of things; you're the hero. Not your quirk. Give it time."

The doubt that had begun to crawl around in his belly and chest started floating away bit by bit. He suddenly felt like he could do anything. As long as he put his mind to it, like Momo said.
"Thanks, Uncle Deku!"

Both Deku and Katsuki sputtered, one looking affronted and offended while the other looked confused and rattled. Momo and Uraraka wore delighted expressions and the tall man looked surprised, covering his mouth with both hands.

Itsuki quickly decided he was done with this conversation before turning back to washing a really dirty - in his mind - potato. He missed the look Katsuki sent Izuku, somewhat warning yet… not as harsh as he used to be. As though to tell him not to get too attached.

They finished their dinner swiftly, parting ways for the evening. Itsuki and Momo got dressed - Itsuki in new pajamas - and Momo tucked him into bed with her. She looked over at him, his eyes fluttering shut and back open every few moments.

"Itsuki," she called to him, gentle. "Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?"

"A what?"

"... It's a story book. I can tell you a story, to help you go to sleep."

Itsuki didn't think that made a whole lot of sense. How could someone else reading a book to you make you fall asleep quicker? He didn't get it, but mama seemed excited at the idea of whatever it was, and he wasn't about to make her sad.

"Okay."

He was rewarded with her delighted expression, and he was glad he didn't say no. She dashed off to one of the bookshelves in the room, one of the lower shelves having been cleared off for books of his own. She brought back a pretty book covered in beautiful illustrations. She settled back into the bed, next to him.

Itsuki found himself enthralled in the story she spun, changing her voice to match the characters when appropriate, and narrating in a calming tone. It was a story of a girl who was like him, who was abused and hurt by her "family" who wasn't really her family. He clutched Momo's periwinkle nightgown, eyelids heavy, as she told him of the girl's fairy godmother and the ball.

He was sure he was having that moment right now…

Having been whisked away by his new mama and papa… he couldn't imagine being happier. Momo looked down, having finished her story, to find the boy fast asleep. A light, upturned smile on his face.

Itsuki and his new caretakers quickly fell into a routine of sorts. Momo would wake up, getting Itsuki ready for his daycare and schooling. The two of them, after spending a good amount of time in vain trying to tame Itsuki's bed head, would head down to meet Katsuki for breakfast. They would all part ways until later on in the day, when they would come together to make dinner and head back to bed.

Some time had begun to go by, and Itsuki quickly realized his old life was… strange. Bad. Normal kids didn't go through what he went through. He would have to spend time unlearning what those men did to him.

His "therapist", or the man he went to go talk to once a week, told him it was okay to voice what he was upset with or to vocalize things he wanted or needed. It was good and normal. Itsuki didn't seem convinced until the older man mentioned it being helpful to "Bakugou" and "Yaoyorozu".

"Who?"

"Your caretakers, Itsuki. Those are their last names."

"Oh! Papa and Mama?"

"That's..." the man hesitated momentarily before continuing, "yes. It will be very beneficial to the two of them that you tell them when you need things and what those things are. If you are cold, they will know to keep you warm so you do not get sick. If you are hungry, they will know to feed you so you do not go without eating. Et cetera."

And thus, Itsuki learned. He began to understand that he was allowed to tell Momo that he didn't want to wear that particular shirt today. Even if she picked it out for him, it didn't mean anything if he didn't want to wear it. He was encouraged to tell Katsuki that he didn't like spicy food and that it hurt him. He was allowed to ask for seconds of rice or meat. Allowed to ask either of them to put a cartoon on for him when he tired of reading.

He was fighting the feeling of being demanding or greedy with all of these things he was suddenly allowed to have and do and ask for. It was… somewhat overwhelming at first. He went from not being allowed a thing to being allowed so many things.

Whenever his mama or papa insisted that something wasn't allowed or was bad, he didn't even question it. If there was anything those two wanted him to not do or say, he would listen. He was already allowed so many things, he didn't feel bad for being told no to extra sweets. Itsuki trusted when his mama told him "no" to a certain movie on the tv, not quite sure what "it's not appropriate for your age group" meant, but believed it wholeheartedly. His mama was smart, after all.

The boy tried to begin branching out by asking for not just material things. "Can I have a hug?" he would nervously ask Momo, feeling a random urge to receive affection. "Can we play a game?" he would excitedly ask Katsuki when he came home from working out. Eyes hopeful and pleading. Momo would pull him into her lap and Katsuki would take him outside, using their new ball and mitts to play catch in the fields in front of the dorms.

He had never really felt protected before. Never safe. Important, perhaps? He felt necessary before; some cog in the machine that was required. But here, with them, he felt cherished.

And he wanted to do the same for them. So he watched them. Watched the way his papa would clench his fist and grit his teeth before letting the tension fade and returning to normal. Took note of the way his mama would look nervous when her phone rang or how she looked at letters in the mail with disdain.

The two of them didn't seem close to each other, either, he figured. He was probably the only reason they were even beginning to spend any time together. The thought made him somewhat sad, but he'd been reading enough fairy tale books to see the signs. He felt his two parental units a bit silly for not noticing it themselves.

Momo got very soft and pretty when papa was around. Like a princess. She sparkled and smiled and understood him like none of his new aunts and uncles seemed to. He and mama understood how papa behaved. Understood how kind he was under all of those rough edges.

Katsuki's glowering face faded with mama around. He stood a little taller, trying not to slouch in her presence. As though he was trying to be larger; prouder. He would gently show her how to peel veggies and guide her hands, soft and tender. Itsuki saw the way his papa looked at his mama. The way he handled her. Delicate, as though she would break. As if she could.

Itsuki felt himself rather smart; proud with all of his observations. He loved his new parents and he was very aware of how much they loved each other. It was obvious, after all!

So he didn't understand why they denied it when their friends teased them about it. He didn't know why papa didn't go to bed with him and mama every night, only getting to see him outside. Despite his confusion, he felt it wise to not question it. He was convinced that they had their reasons for why they stayed separate and minded his own business.