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Midoriya was thrilled to take Katsuma under his wing once he passed the UA entrance exam. UA High offered housing for those who didn’t have a place to stay, but anyone living at home could commute if they desired. Katsuma had no problem staying at the dorms, but his father had his reservations.
Katsuma's father recalled the young hero who saved his son. Reaching out to Midoriya, the father asked if Midoriya would be okay with hosting Katsuma while he attended UA High. Midoriya already had Kota staying in his place since he lived right next to UA and had no problem having another kid stay.
His apartment had felt very empty alone, so he appreciated the company.
Katsuma and Kota got along much to Midoriya’s joy. Kota saw a lot of Midoriya in Katsuma and took it upon himself to protect Katsuma no matter the costs. Katsuma was introduced to Eri through Kota and boom, a friend group was formed.
It wasn’t until a couple of months before their first year ended that Kota approached Midoriya to explain his worries about Katsuma’s girlfriend. The girl was from the business department.
According to Kota, the chick was trying to keep Katsuma away from him and Eri. That information wouldn’t be as concerning if it weren’t for the fact the girl would get angry if Katsuma talked to them.
Midoriya wasn't inexperienced in the dating world. Midoriya knew what kinds of people to stay away from romantically. He had been in many failed relationships, but most of the time it was because he knew his worth and what he wanted out of life.
Midoriya knew that the red light was blinking and the warning sirens were blaring. Kota's explanation was enough to concern Midoriya. Midoriya would kill for his children. There was no way he was going to let some grubby future Hero Commission worker hurt his baby.
Kota knew just how far Midoriya would go for those he cared about and was more than happy to throw the emotionally and verbally abusive girlfriend under the bus.
Unfortunately, Midoriya didn’t have to initiate the conversation because the following day Katsuma came home crying. Midoriya told Kota to give them a moment, not wanting to risk Katsuma hiding information because Kota was with them.
Kota and Katsuma got along, but sometimes embarrassing things happen in a relationship. Midoriya wasn't naive. After all, he went to UA High and his classmates were less than innocent when their third year at the school rolled around.
“Katsuma? What happened?” cooed Midoriya, letting the young teen rush into his arms.
“It’s Okamura," wept Katsuki, hiding his face in Midoriya's baggy shirt.
Midoriya tried to not sound aware of what was going on to get a full explanation. “Okamura? Your girlfriend? What did she do?”
“I was just talking to Shoji-sensei with Kota and Eri about your upcoming patrol. Okamura must have been watching and started screaming in my face about how I was hiding stuff from her and that I was a horrible boyfriend,” cried Katsuma, clearly distressed that he was screamed at for no reason.
Midoriya did everything in his power to not walk out of the home, tell the kid’s parents everything, and then tell Nezu to expel her. No one made his son cry, especially for no reason.
Midoriya let out a soft sigh before pulling back and cupping Katsuma’s wet face and using his thumbs to wipe away tears. “Has she done stuff like this before?”
“Yes, all the time. She won’t let me have any friends. She’s constantly trying to make me sneak out and spend the night,” revealed Katsuma, making it clear that Okamura isn’t respecting his boundaries or what he cares about.
Midoriya was becoming more worried than anything else. It was clear what Okamura was trying to pressure Katsuma into doing. Midoriya understood Katsuma was getting older and it wouldn’t be shocking if he was curious about sex. But, if Katsuma wasn’t interested in doing it and Okamura was trying to get Katsuma to do dangerous things even if he wasn’t interested, that was a serious problem.
“If she gets this angry at the little things, she will only get worse as time passes. This girl doesn’t respect the people you care about. She doesn’t value your space or privacy. She doesn’t care about your comfort. I’ll support whatever decision you make, but don’t expect me to allow her to step foot in this house because if I see her, she’ll be too scared to even look your way once I’m done talking to her,” said Midoriya in a scarily calm voice.
Katsuka weakly smiled, simply sinking into Midoriya’s touch and hiding his face into Midoriya's puffy sweater. “I’m scared to end things with her.”
“Don’t be. She’d be stupid to try messing with you. Having you under my wing, every hero in the school would be willing to die for you. Okamura would be expelled immediately as well. She's not fit to be a hero if she lashed out at you," reassured Midoriya, brushing Katsuma's bangs around to fluff them.
"You're right. I'll ask Eri and Kota to be nearby when I do it!" chirped Katsuma, feeling a lot better about getting himself out of a bad relationship.
Three days have passed since Katsuma ended his relationship with Okamura. The breakup was far from easy and peaceful. Eri had to step in when it sounded like Okamura was preparing to strike Katsuma. Kota had been waiting for the moment Okamura tried anything so he had permission to physically intervene.
After the breakup, Okamura wasn't backing down. It was clear she wasn't when Kota and Eri couldn't find Katsuma one day. When they were looking around, they soon realized they couldn't find Okamura either. Kota and Eri's calls went to voicemail when they attempted to call Katsuma.
Panicking, the duo ran to the teacher's lounge to help them find Katsuma. Nezu caught the drift of what was happening and quickly checked the cameras only to find Okamura forcefully dragging Katsuma to a vacant classroom.
Kota tried to beat the heroes to Okamura, but they got to the empty classroom first. Katsuma was unconscious and Okamura was caught red-handed restraining a beaten-up Katsuma to a chair. Heroes were sent to capture and restrain the teen.
None of the adults knew what to do. When it came to Midoriya, no one messed with his kids. When it came to children in general, Midoriya would happily destroy anyone who even tried to put a child in harm's way.
The adults were evenly split about telling Midoriya. Half wanted to fix the problem in privacy knowing Midoriya would raise hell. The other half wanted to immediately tell him so hell wasn’t raised upon them, there was no stopping Midoriya and he would find out any moment now.
While the adults were deciding what to do, Kota urgently called Midoriya.
"Izuku! Izuku!" shouted Kota, not waiting for Midoriya to greet him.
Deku, who was currently in the middle of capturing a villain alongside his hero partner Dynamight, froze at Kota's frantic tone. "Kota? What happened? What's going on?"
"It's Katsuma! Okamura-," started Kota, only to be cut off.
"I'm on my way," announced Midoriya in an eerily calm tone.
All Kota could do was smile as Midoriya ended the call abruptly. His dad was pissed and Okamura was going to wish she never met Katsuma when Midoriya was done with him.
Bakugo blasted the villain, watching the police force rush to capture the unconscious villain. Turning to Midoriya, Bakugo froze when he saw Midoriya's dark expression.
"Izuku? What the hell?" yelled Bakugo over the sirens.
"Something happened. I'm heading to UA. Right. Now," seethed Midoriya, shooting his gaze to his best friend.
"I'm coming with. You look like you're going to kill someone," remarked Bakugo, eager to see what was about to go down.
Midoriya chuckled to himself, freaking out Bakugo. "Oh, once I know what that dumb girl did, I just might."
Katsuma was in the nurse's office, currently getting his vitals checked since no one knew exactly what Okamura did to knock someone as strong as Katsuma out. The adults were still discussing their mode of action when Nezu revealed that Midoriya was here.
The adults were panicking, trying to figure out what they were going to tell the number one hero. Their panic only doubled when they found out the number two hero, Midoriya's hero partner, the one and only Bakugo Katsuki, was with him.
Kota and Eri were beside Bakugo as Midoriya took the lead. Midoriya entered the nurse's office, immediately tending to Katsuma. "I'm going to kill that little punk. I guess she is stupid enough to hurt one of my precious jewels."
Katsuma silently cried into Midoriya's chest, feeling safe in the presence of his guardian. "She... she."
Midoriya shushed Katsuma, seeing that Katsuma was not ready to talk about what happened. Turning to the new nurse, the pro-hero Healflame, Midoriya tried to remain kind.
"What did Okamura do?"
"From what I can tell, she failed to properly inject Katsuma with an unknown substance I'm getting tested now. Okamura also physically attacked Katsuma once she injected the substance into him, most likely the way Katsuma ended up unconscious. There will be some bruising on his head, wrists, and legs, but is fine otherwise."
Midoriya screamed at Nezu, Katsuma's teacher, and Okamura's teacher. The fact that Okamura wasn't in handcuffs only enhanced his rage.
"So you failed to protect my child, but you are now protecting a criminal? That monster practically kidnapped and assaulted my child in this school and you all are protecting her?" shrieked Midoriya, his face growing red from how angry he was.
Nezu bowed his head and sighed, "We can't do anything. Okamura's case depends on Katsuma."
"And you wanna know why you can't do anything? My son was knocked un-fucking-conscious!" Midoriya couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "You know, after all the shit my class went through in our time here, you still manage to fail to protect children Nezu."
Nezu remained silent, staring at Midoriya in shock and hurt. Everyone in the room knew Midoriya hit where it hurt. No one could blame Midoriya because what he said was true.
Shoji rushed to bow before Midoriya. "I sincerely apologize for the harm I have caused Katsuma and I'm planning on apologizing to him personally. He mentioned Okamura was a bit on the crazy side, but I didn't know to the extent. I have failed your son and I promise to make it up to the both of you."
Midoriya smiled, patting Shoji's shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. "The first thing you can do to make it up to me is to get that brat's parents here... now."
Shoji nodded, leaving the room to make the calls. Bakugo marched over and crossed his arms. "This is why you can't even break the top ten. If you paid attention and cared about your students, none of this shit would've happened."
Kota scoffed, "They didn't even seem to hurry when I told them to find Katsuma!"
"Yeah, they tried to tell us that we were being dramatic," ranted Eri, happy to call out the teacher's neglect.
Midoriya looked at Bakugo. "Kacchan."
"What nerd?"
"I need you to stop me if I can't hold back anymore."
Bakugo nodded, the only one equipped to stop Midoriya if he lost his cool. It wasn't often that Midoriya lost control of his emotions, but then again, Midoriya always struggled to control his heart when those he loved were hurt.
When Okamura's parents finally arrived, Midoriya guided them to a private room to discuss what happened. Midoriya genuinely believed that if he talked to the parents, they'd come to a resolution.
It didn't take long for Midoriya and Okamur's parents to disagree.
"Our precious daughter would never do that!" cried the girl's mother.
Midoriya narrowed his eyes, getting suspiciously calm. "Oh? So you want to play that game."
The woman wasn't having any of it. "How dare you insinuate our child was capable of harming Katsuma! She loves that boy with all her heart!"
"You're daughter may have loved my kid, but she had a horrible way of showing it. Your daughter is the reason why they broke up, she made my son cry. Your child is a demented lunatic! She assaulted my kid!" argued Midoriya, his composure slipping.
The woman gasped, pointing a finger at Midoriya. "You're crazy! I don't care if you're some hot-shot hero, you're the crazy one!"
"I don't care if protecting my son makes me crazy. And... just so you know, parent to parent, I don't care what you say anymore. I was willing to come to some kind of resolution, but that's over now. I won't let your criminal of a child get away with what she did and she will not be getting away with a lousy slap on the wrist. Her future is over," promised Midoriya heartlessly.
"You can't do this!" exploded the woman, her face bright red as panic settled in her gut.
"Oh, but I can, and I am more than happy to let you know that your daughter will never become a hero because I am going to get her banned from this school and all other hero schools. Your child is a villain and if she does manage to get away with this... I will make sure that the rest of her life is a hell she can't escape,” vowed Midoriya, his smile anything but welcoming.
Midoriya happily got up and left the horrified mom and neglectful dad in the room. Opening the door, Midoriya was met with Bakugo and Kota eavesdropping. Midoriya rolled his eyes at Bakugo's stunned expression.
"Damn Izuku. You should date me," suggested Bakugo, shooting his shot.
Kota fake gagged, offended. "Back off old man!"
Midoriya patted Bakugo's bicep. "Ask me later Kacchan. I'm in the middle of something."
"The middle of being a badass," complimented Kota, smiling at the memory of Midoriya giving those parents a piece of his mind.
Thankfully with Midoriya's power and status, Okamura was expelled and charged with assault even though most children don't ever get serious charges. The substance Okamura tried to inject Katsuma with was another piece of evidence that made it easy for Midoriya to get his way.
Katsuma had a quick recovery and his bond with Midoriya somehow managed to get even stronger. Kota and Eri also managed to get even closer to Katsuma, growing even more overprotective. Midoriya was happy to shelter and defend the kids who were put under his care.
No one fucked with Midoriya’s kids.
Izuku Midoriya was familiar with grief. Throughout his life, his precious heart loved too much. So when tragedy struck, the pain oftentimes felt unbearable. His generosity was taken advantage of far too many times. His compassion was abused. He lost people faster than he gained. Izuku Midoriya was very familiar with grief.
His father disappeared for a job across the world. Hisashi was too busy to send a text. He was too busy to say happy birthday. He was never there. All he was, was an idea. Only the thought of him existed to Izuku. The grief he felt from losing someone he never knew hurt the worst.
The people Izuku considered friends left him at the drop of a hat. No one stuck around. No one defended him. They changed faster than Izuku could comprehend. One second they played in the sand and in the next they were throwing sand at him. They were no longer people Izuku knew.
Izuku lost the one person he desired the most. Katsuki Bakugo became a star. Something so far away he’d never dream of being able to touch. Katsuki glowed and shined brilliantly. He was perfect in Izuku’s eyes. Izuku would chase Katsuki, refusing to give up. While the new version of his friend wasn’t tasteful, Izuku still knew how amazing Katsuki was deep down.
As Izuku grew up so did his list of losses. Quirkless people that he would meet on social media died. Once he got into U.A. he gained a lot of friends and strong adult figures, but just like in the past, people still left. His teachers died, many heroes died, villains died, and innocent civilians died. Midoriya at one point ran away, having to lose everyone he cared about to keep them safe. He watched the world crumble around him. Some of the people he held closest almost became memories.
Through all of it, Izuku persevered. He dealt with grief in many different ways. His method always changed and alternated depending on what and how.
Izuku was now in the middle of his third year at U.A. and couldn’t have been happier. His friends were alive, his teachers were alive, and villains were at an all-time low since the rise of quirks decades ago. Heroes were still needed by all means, but the League of Villains no longer existed and no war was about to break out.
Izuku had time to visit Eri and Kota more often as his workload was not nearly as big as it was in his first year attending U.A. The kids grew so much within two years. One day Aizawa informed Izuku he would need a babysitter for Eri. Izuku dropped everything to do so. Izuku took her out to the school’s garden, finding it a beautiful day to go outside.
Katsuki and Shoto got asked by Hatsume to go get Izuku quickly. She needed his opinion on some gear she was making for a first-year. They wanted recommendations and Hatsume knew asking the quirk analyst would help shorten down her list of ideas. The duo tracked him down to the garden with Eri after asking around.
Eri was currently weaving some flowers together, mimicking Izuku’s instructions. Izuku had asked about Aizawa and how she enjoyed living with him. Eri was more than happy to talk about her father, but suddenly she went quiet.
“Eri-chan? Is something wrong?” asked Izuku, worried that the chattering girl suddenly went silent.
Eri seemed to be contemplating something before looking up at Izuku. “Mister Deku, I have a question.”
“Go ahead,” encouraged Izuku, knowing Eri would ask no matter what. She knew she could ask Izuku anything.
Eri sat down the half-weaved flowers on the ground and focused on Izuku. “What is your Dad like? I can’t remember you ever telling me about him.”
“Oh, that’s because I never met him Eri. He went away for work before I got a chance to remember him,” revealed Midoriya, speaking to her in a soft tone.
“Why was he away for work for so long?” questioned Eri, not understanding why Izuku’s dad just wouldn’t be around.
Izuku shrugged, weaving Eri’s flowers for her. “I don’t know. His work was too important I suppose.”
Eri frowned, sad Izuku’s dad wasn’t around. “What about others?”
“Others?” repeated Izuku back to Eri, confused about what she meant.
“Yeah. The grandpas and grandmas and stuff. All of those people!” revealed Eri, a chipper grin on her face.
“Well, when I was young… they seemed to leave,” chuckled Izuku, unable to bring himself to tell her why.
Eri’s eyes widened, shocked Izuku was a lot like her. “Why did they all leave?”
Katsuki and Shoto arrived at the garden, spotting the two. They approached and saw the two talking. The expressions on Eri and Izuku’s faces signaled they were having a serious conversation. Katsuki walked right over, shamelessly snooping. Shoto went right alongside Katsuki. He wanted to know what Izuku was talking about.
Izuku was quick to come up with something, anything to keep Eri from getting too upset. He raised his head to see the sky peek through the leaves of the tree they were under.
“Sometimes special people come into our lives, stay for a bit, and then they have to go.”
Eri frowned, scooting closer to Izuku. “But that’s sad.”
“It is,” agreed Izuku solemnly. Izuku returned his gaze to Eri, resting his hands on the cloth of his slacks, smoothing out the wrinkles. He remembers how it felt to lose Toshinori. The news that Toshinori wouldn’t be around for much longer struck him in the gut so hard he couldn’t move. He couldn’t lie and say that it wasn’t hard. He smiled softly at her, tilting his head to the side. “But the bit where they were here was happy wasn’t it? Like Lemillion. When he was around, those were happy times.”
Eri’s eyes lit up, seeing the point Izuku was making. She giggled, a bright smile appearing as she nodded. “Yes! I brought his quirk back!”
Izuku hummed, nodding his head in acknowledgment. He recalled how monumental of a moment that was for everyone. Still, the thought reminded him of the war where no one walked away a winner. He pushed those feelings down, finding unconditional love for the girl he saw as his little sister.
“Maybe that makes it all worth it,” chuckled Midoriya, looking down at the flowers before putting one in her hair.
Eri smiled, touching the flower happily. She could understand what Izuku was saying. She missed Mirio always being around, but the time when he was around was a happy time. It made the time he was away bearable.
Shoto stood there, gripping the fabric of his shirt. He could feel his heart pound beneath his knuckles. The expression on Izuku’s face gnawed at him. The way Izuku said everything so mindlessly made Shoto realize Izuku thought of loss, a lot. Shoto lost a lot in his life, yet he couldn’t begin to deal with the grief in healthy ways. It took outside help to get to the point he was currently at. Even with the help he got, he couldn’t say there was anything that made it worth it. Not losing Toya, Rei, and the list of others he lost.
Katsuki watched with a blank expression. No matter what Izuku did, he couldn’t hide anything from Katsuki. Katsuki could see the strain in that smile. He could see the exhaustion replace the hope that was once in Izuku’s eyes. It made his palms sweaty. The way he felt was similar to the way a person would get when they had an itch they couldn’t scratch.
Katsuki loved Izuku. Izuku was like a porcelain sculpture, handcrafted by the heavens. Izuku's heart was made out of gold and he had the strength that could rival Gods and Goddesses. Katsuki looked at Izuku and drowned in hills of green. Izuku was the human embodiment of green: symbolic of life. His eyes, his hair, his everything.
Katsuki fell hard and Izuku had no clue. He watched Izuku tend to Eri with the maternal instincts he knew mimicked Inko. He knew deep down what Izuku was thinking the whole time. He knew what Izuku went through and how he dealt with losing people. Katsuki knew he had scared Izuku on numerous occasions when it came to “going away”.
Katsuki was about to step up and ruin the special moment, but Eri stopped him in his tracks. “Mister Deku… I don’t want you to go. You’re special.”
Izuku looked at Eri and his eyes widened. “Eri, I’m not going anywhere.”
“But you’re going to be a hero next year.”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving you,” reassured Izuku, giving her an earnest smile.
“You’re not?” sniffled Eri.
Izuku scooped her into a gentle embrace. “Nope. Never ever.”
Eri cried into Izuku’s shoulder, hugging him tightly. Izuku rubbed circles on her back as tears made their way down his cheeks. His smile cracked as he listened to the relieved cries of Eri. Izuku pulled back and tucked her fly-away hair behind her ear before wiping away her tears. “You won’t be going anywhere either. You’re just as special.”
Eri smiled, patting Izuku’s tears as well. “Never! I’d never leave!”
Izuku laughed, rising to his feet and extending a hand out to her. “Good, because who else would I have tea parties with?”
“Yeah, and you can’t leave because no one else can make me candy apples,” threatened Eri adorably, taking Izuku’s hand and jumping up.
Izuku patted her head, smiling fondly. “Speaking of food, it’s about time we get you some lunch. What are you hungry for today?”
Katsuki revealed himself to Izuku and Eri. Todoroki magically appeared beside Katsuki and waved at the two. “Hi.”
Izuku’s face lit up. “Kacchan! Shoto!”
Katsuki crossed his arms. “Hatsume needs your help when you get the chance. Also, I’m making us lunch today. You’ll burn down the kitchen.”
“I’m completely capable of cooking Kacchan,” sassed Izuku, raising a brow. Izuku had cooked before Katsuki on numerous occasions.
Shoto lowered his head in shame. “I can’t cook.”
Eri smiled up at Shoto. “Me neither! We are the same!”
Shoto perked up, nodding at the small child. “We are.”
Izuku was distracted by the two’s little scene and smirked. “Well, neither of you has to worry about that. It seems that Kacchan has you covered since he won’t let me cook.”
“Ha! Don’t try and do that guilt-tripping bullshit Izuku,” roared Katsuki, all bark no bite.
Izuku smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “Just saying the truth Kacchan. Let’s go then, me and Eri are hungry.”
As the four made their way into the main building, Katsuki wrapped an arm around Izuku’s shoulder and bit his chubby cheek. Izuku, used to the violent forms loving Katsuki showed, lightly bonked his head against Katsuki’s.
“Nothing makes it worth it if I can’t have you by my side,” murmured Katsuki into Izuku’s ear.
Izuku’s heart melted at Katsuki’s voice and his words of affirmation. Izuku leaned his head on Katsuki’s shoulder, using his free hand to wrap around his bicep. “You know I can’t live without you either,” whispered Izuku.
Izuku may be used to grief… but he will never be prepared when the time comes he loses the ones he holds the closest for good. But for now, Izuku has everything he could ever want. Eri, Shoto, and Katsuki had everything they could ever want. As cheesy as it sounded, it was because they had each other. They had love to keep the grief at bay or they made themselves believe so.
The End!
(also ignore the fact I referenced a scene from the kid's show Bluey in the episode “Camping” 😭 and ignore the fact that I thought about making a fan fiction because of it 💔 it was emotional okay?)