Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Aiko wasn’t entirely sure why she continued to buy this kind of Tupperware. To be fair, they were mostly practical but the lid was just so stubborn. She’d lost count of how many times one of her boys had gotten frustrated with them and slung them around the room. Especially Katsuki. He seemed to fall victim to these perky lids the most. As she struggled to pop the top of her bowl back into place, her co-worker knocked on her open door with a knuckle.

Aimi was a good-natured woman in her late 50s. She’d been the secretary since before Aiko even started here. She was plump and reminded Aiko of a mom in an old cartoon with her fiery personality. Hair like chocolate rings hung to her shoulders with a beautiful determination to make everyone else’s hair jealous and it almost always succeeded. Her eyes were wide, almost child-like, and bluer than the sky outside the open window behind them. She was wearing one of those old denim dresses as she often did. 

“Hello, Mrs. Aimi!” Aiko called as she finally gave up on the lid and set it down. “How can I help you? Don’t tell me that I left the fridge in the breakroom open again.” 

“I think I heard Inoue mention it but I’ve told him that door doesn’t stay closed all the way. That man never listens to me. Now why did I come in here again? Oh, right! Your son called but he didn’t tell me which one. He said he’d be a little late coming home today because he’s going to the arcade with some of his friends and he didn’t want you to ‘freak out over nothing.’” she said, adding air quotes where needed. 

Aiko laughed into her palm as she shook her head. “Sounds like my Katsuki for sure.”

"He's the youngest one, right?" She asked, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Aiko's desk and rubbing her tired left knee. 

"No, Katsuki is the middle child. He's just the most recently adopted. Shoto is actually my youngest. The quiet one with the red and white hair who usually calls me 'Ai' instead of Mom?"  

"Right, now I remember! What's the oldest one's name again? I can never keep them straight." 

Aiko laughed as she picked the bowl back up to give that pesky lid another go. "It's alright. I have a houseful. You're talking about Touya." 

"He's the one who was in the hospital for a while right?" Aimi asked. 

"He is. He's been out for six years next month actually. He's actually in group therapy right now. I gotta swing by and grab him on my way home. Oh, I should probably call Katsuki back and ask if he wants me to pick him up when I get off work too." 

"Always on the go, huh?" 

"You have no idea." She sighed playfully. "But when you adopt three strong-willed boys, you sign up for this." 

She picked up the phone and pushed the 4 button with her pinky. Setting her sons' cell phones' to speed dial on this old office phone was definitely one of her better ideas. 

Meanwhile, across town, 13-year-old Katsuki was leaning up at the racing game his friend was currently losing at when he felt his phone buzzing in the back pocket of his school uniform. He pulled it out and looked at the screen before turning toward the door. 

"Hey, where are you running off to?" Kariage called out. 

"It's my mom. I gotta answer it. I'll be right back." 

"Mama's boy." Ryo scoffed under his breath as he jerked the fake steering wheel to avoid the other car. A sharp smack to the back of the head was the only reply he got. As he covered the sore spot and grumbled about Katsuki's temper, another car passed him. "Ah, come on!" 

Kariage and Tsubasa laughed at their friend's misfortune as Katsuki went outside. 

"What?" He asked the phone as he sat on the bench by the door. 

"Did I interrupt something?" Aiko replied. 

"Not really. Just watching Ryo suck at racing. Did that desk lady not tell you why I called or something?" 

"That 'desk lady' has a name, kiddo. But yes, Aimi did tell me. I just wanted to ask if you wanted me to come to get you after work. I have to pick up Touya and the arcade's not far." 

Katsuki thought for a moment. Considering his friends were already giving him a hard time, he didn't want to give them any more of a reason. He could just beat them up and make them stop but he promised Aiko's no more fights this week. 

"I'll just meet you at Touya's group therapy building. He gets out at 4:45, right?" 

"Alright. He'll be happy you're waiting with him." She replied.

"Happy to pick on me maybe." 

"He's a big brother. That's what they do." She said, pushing down the lid firmly with a flattened hand. When she heard the following pop, she exclaimed. "Ha! Sorry, I've been fighting with this lid for 30 minutes and it finally stayed." 

"Seriously, why do you even keep buying those bowls?" He asked, standing up to stretch. 

"When I find some better ones, I'll make the switch, I promise." 

"Yeah, sure. I gotta go. I'll see you in an hour." 

She tossed the bowl back into her bag as she responded. "Sounds good to me. I love you." 

He didn't respond fast enough so she playfully cleared her throat. Rolling his eyes, he turned his back to the door. 

"Yeah, love you too, Mom." 

A loud and unexpected "Awww!" from behind him prompted him to spin around. Sure enough, all three of his friends were smushed up against the glass door as they eavesdropped. Katsuki hung up the phone and shoved his phone back in the back pocket before bolting for the door, causing the boys to scatter. 

Aiko put the phone down as she looked up at Aimi. "Like I said, very strong-willed." 

"Especially that one. I don't see how you do it." Aimi asked, picking up one of Aiko's pens to fidget with. 

"It's all for show. He's actually a great kid. Can you believe he turns 14 in a week?" 

"Really?" Aimi gasped, dropping the pen in her lap. "I remember him running around this office with missing baby teeth." 

"He's lived with me for eight eventful years. He's grown so much since we met. I'm very proud of him." 

Her cell phone buzzed in her desk. Pulling the desk drawer open, she shuffled through some papers she'd cramped in there until she resurfaced with her phone. When she frowned at the screen, Aimi voiced her concern. 

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. Just a message I was not expecting to get. I'll handle that later. My last appointment should be here. Do you mind going to check for me? It's Fumikage, that sweet boy with the bird-like head?" 

"Oh, I like him. He's so polite. Let me go have a look." 

"Thank you!" Aiko called as Aimi left the room. 

A hour passed a lot quicker than Katsuki expected. After successfully showing Ryo and his stretchy fingers who was the better racer four times, he headed down the street to the facilities building where Touya’s group was being held. He’d lived with Aiko for two years when Touya was finally released from the hospital.  It was a little awkward at first considering that Touya and Shoto already knew each other and Katsuki wasn’t exactly the most social child. But it only took a couple of months for the three to start to slip into the dynamic they had now. Katsuki fought it a little because he had adjusted to being the oldest but with Touya involved, he’d lost that status completely. The two still struggled for power occasionally but Touya mostly won. Even if Katsuki didn’t like admitting it. 

When he got to the front door of the building, he found Touya sitting on the sidewalk with a cigarette in his mouth. Touya’s burns had healed up better than expected, leaving faint purple markings that resembled bruises on his neck, arms, and jawline.  His hair still resembled the left side of Shoto’s but now had some white sprinkled in around the roots. He had recently turned 22 but at the moment still intended to stay with Aiko for his mental health’s sake. Just because it was better didn’t guarantee it would stay that way. 

“I think you told Mom that you were going to quit.” Katsuki huffed as he looked down at his older sibling. 

“I told her that I was thinking about quitting. She knows that I haven’t yet. So, where's the other one?” 

“Do you even have to ask? He’s at home asleep. He always takes a two-hour nap after school like a freaking toddler.” 

“Maybe that’s why he doesn’t throw fits like you do.” Touya laughed as he exhaled smoke. 

“Oh, shut up. We can’t all be the golden child like you are.” 

“I don’t know how you can call me the favorite when you get away with murder.” 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I don’t get away with as much as you do. Besides Sho is the one who never makes mistakes.” 

“I get away with more because I’m nine years old than you and I didn’t say that you don’t make mistakes. I said you get away with them.” 

“That just a nice way of saying that I screw up more?” 

“Pretty much.” Touya replied without hesitation. 

“Asshole!” 

Touya laughed until a car horn echoed through the dusky air. The pair went over to the car and immediately fought for the front seat which didn’t last long before Touya won yet again. Even after they were both in the car, Aiko didn’t make any moves to back out of her parking spot. They did notice, though, that she was looking in the rearview mirror patiently. 

“What?” Katsuki mumbled, knowing fully what the issue was. He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.

“You know this car only works when everyone’s buckled in correctly.” she replied. 

“I’m not six anymore. I know that’s not true.” 

“But you don’t want to ruin the illusion for me, right? You know how much I love magical cars.” she retorted, smiling sweetly in the glass of the mirror. 

He sighed heavily but reached over his shoulder to grab the seatbelt anyway. When Touya laughed under his breath, Katsuki kicked the back of the seat which lead to the elder reaching back and lightly smacking the top of his head. Growling loudly, Katsuki sat forward to retaliate but Aiko cut him off. 

“No fighting in the magic car!” she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. Both of them begrudgingly settled down as the car started to roll backward. “There. That’s what I like to see. Peace and love.” 

“He started it.” Katsuki huffed. 

“You two live with a therapist. Surely you have some kind of conflict resolution skills besides whacking each other.” 

“Whacking him is more fun.” Touya answered. 

“We’re still not acknowledging that he started it. He’s 22. He shouldn’t be starting fights with a 14-year-old.” 

“You’re not 14 yet.” 

“Like 6 days matters that much! And you’re just proving my point!” 

Aiko rolled her eyes lightheartedly as she pulled forward. “Definitely feeling in the love in here, you two. I wonder what Shoto is doing without the fight club around.”

“Probably either making soba or burning toast. That’s all he’s good for.” Katsuki stated, looking out the window. 

“At least he doesn’t drink hot sauce out of the bottle.” Touya shot back. 

“Not my fault you two are cowards. Kyo likes it too.” 

Aiko hummed softly. “That reminds me, I need to see what my other half is up to.” 

Chapter Text

Kyoto was on break when Aiko called. Technically, she was on standby at the hero agency she worked for, but she considered that a break. It might as well be. She was just sitting around talking to a sidekick and playing on her phone. When she answered, she could hear Touya and Katsuki arguing in the background. It didn’t really surprise her. 

“Hey, Ai. It is time for you to be off work already? Time’s flying.” Kyoto said, leaning back in her chair. 

“Yep, I’m all done for the day. Just picked up Touya from group and Katsuki from the arcade. How’s work going?” 

“Oh, you know, the usual. Stopped a bank robbery today. That was pretty cool.” 

“Well, that’s awesome. I’m really proud of you.”

“How many robbers were there?” Katsuki called from the back seat. 

“Didn’t know I was on speaker.” Kyoto laughed. “I think there were six. Two guarding the door, two watching the hostages, and two getting the money.” 

“Oh, there were hostages? Then I’m extra proud.” Aiko replied. 

“Aww, you’re flattering me, hon.” 

“Well, it’s impressive.” 

“Too bad I’m gonna make it look like nothing when I go pro.” Katsuki stated proudly. 

“You’ve been saying that since you found out that I’m a pro hero. You’d better be able to back up all that talk.” 

“You know I can!” 

“I’m just saying. It’s not as easy as I make it look.” Kyoto laughed. “Oh, the boss man is flagging me down. Gotta go. See you at home. Love you guys.” 

“We love you too, Kyo.” Aiko said as the call ended. 

As Kyoto made her way across the room, an intern lost his grip on a stack of paper. Activating her quirk, she disappeared in a wake of pixel like shapes before reappearing at the intern’s side and steadying the mass of paperwork. 

“Thanks, Exe. Glad you’re so fast.” 

“Having a teleportation quirk helps. Maybe trying not to carry so much at once, huh?” 

“Got it.” he laughed. “Sorry I interrupted your phone call with your friend.” 

“That ‘friend’ is my wife and I gotta go talk to the boss anyway. Don’t worry so much, okay?” 

“No promises.” 

“Oh, come on. You gotta work with me here.” she laughed while making her way to the boss’s office. 

Kage barked as the front door opened. Katsuki scooped up the eight-and-a-half-year-old dog and relocated him to the couch to get him out of the way. That didn’t do much good because when Katsuki went into the kitchen, Kage ran after him barking and jumping to get his attention. The boy and the dog had been attached at the hip since they were introduced to each other. Unfortunately, Katsuki was too busy trying to find a bottle of water to acknowledge his fuzzy friend. So Kage continued to bark at him. 

“Would you pet that damn dog before he wakes the dead with that barking?” Touya asked as he walked to the hallway. 

“Fine, come here, fuzz bucket.” Katsuki relented, kneeling down and patting Kage’s head. 

“Shoto, wake up!” Touya yelled up the stairs toward the bedrooms. 

“I’m up.” Shoto replied as he came out of the bathroom. “How was group?” 

“We’re talking about forgiveness. I think it’s a load of crap. You don’t have to forgive everyone . Some people deserve what they get.” he scoffed, plopping down on the couch. 

“It’s healthier to forgive people. Holding grudges only hurts you.” Shoto argued, curling up in the chair across from him. 

“You can tell you were raised by a therapist.”

“So were you.”

“Yeah, but you’ve turned psychology into a special interest.” 

“Nothing wrong with that.” Aiko said, coming into the room.

“You’re biased.” Touya retorted. 

“Perhaps.” she laughed. “Katsuki, what do you think?” 

“I think I’m going to take a shower before Kyoto steals all the hot water.” he answered. 

“Actually, before you do. I needed to talk to you about something. It’s pretty important. Do you want to talk about it in the other room?” 

“Just say it here. Can’t be that bad.” 

“I got a text while I was at work. It was from Mitsuki. She wants to come to your birthday party next week.” 

A chilly silence filled the room as everyone became uncomfortably still while they watched Katsuki process the question. He wasn’t entirely sure how to react to that. He hadn’t had any contact with his mother since the custody hearing. Just as the tension was getting too heavy to bear and Aiko was just about to speak to break it, Katsuki finally answered. 

“Why?” 

“I’m assuming she wanted to see you.” Aiko replied. 

“Why now? Why after eight years? After dodging visits for six months then disappearing completely?" 

“I don’t know honestly. She didn’t say. I want you to know though, this is entirely your decision.”

“Yeah, like she’s really going to see it that way.” he scoffed, leaning on the back of Shoto’s chair. 

“I’ll deal with that. If she wants to complain to someone, it’ll be me. She’s not taking it out on a 13-year-old. No one is pressuring you one way or the other.” 

“You think it’s a bad idea though, don’t you?” 

“Honestly, it depends on where you stand with what she did. I know Dr. Tanaka has been helping you with it. But you think it’d be too much for you, then I won’t do it.” 

After Aiko got custody of him, it was agreed that her seeing him as his therapist won’t be as ethical anymore so they transferred him over to one of her coworkers. Since he was barely six at the time, Aiko and her boss had chosen for him but they’d done a good job finding one he was compatible with. He thought maybe she should know about this. She was a neutral party after all. Even though Aiko was trying to be one, she couldn’t entirely be. 

“Let me think about it.” Katsuki replied. “I’ll let you know before next Friday.” 

“Alright. Take your time.” she reassured. 

“I’m going to go lay down. I’ll take a shower in a little while.” 

“Okay. You’ve still got a few hours before Kyo gets home.” 

He headed to the room that he and Shoto shared and laid down on the top bunk he’d claimed when they were little. Covering his face with his hands, he sighed heavily. The answer should be an easy no, right? Why would he want to see someone who hit him and made him feel like a burden for the first years of his life? So why was he so conflicted? Maybe after all this time, she’d changed? She was in therapy around the time of the custody hearing. Who was he kidding? She wasn’t the type to fully admit she was wrong. 

The bedroom door squeaked open as Shoto squeezed past it. “Hey, sorry. I just needed my phone. I think I left it in here after I woke up. Did you see it down here?” 

“I wasn’t really looking for it.” he mumbled back. 

“I’m bothering you, aren’t I?” 

“Little bit.” 

“I can’t imagine how you feel. I’m surprised Ai is even thinking about it. She’s always kind of gave me the feeling that she didn’t want us around our birth parents.” 

“One, you’re really bad at picking up on feelings. Two, your parents mistreated Touya and burned your face permanently. You shouldn’t be anywhere near them.” 

Shoto thought for a moment. “You shouldn’t be around Mitsuki either. I see how you get whenever people talk about her. Being around her will be worse.” 

“Can we talk about something else?” Katsuki asked, popping his head up to look over the bed railing. 

“Okay. How was the arcade?” 

“Alright, I guess. Those idiots got on my nerves a lot today.” 

“Don’t they every day?” 

Katsuki laughed a little under his breath. “Pretty much.” 

“Then why do you hang out with them?” 

“I hang out with you and you annoy the hell out of me.” 

“We live together.” Shoto reminded him. “You don’t have much of a choice.” 

“Doesn’t help that you’re with Deku all the time.” 

“What’s your problem with Izuku lately? You two used to get along.” 

“Things change. Why do you care? You two are always shoved so far up each other’s -.” 

“We’re just close friends. Is that a bad thing?” 

“Depends on who you ask.” Katsuki replied, laying his head back down. 

Shoto grabbed the railing on the top bunk to pull himself up as he stood on his bottom bunk. “I’m asking you.” 

“You know, when I said I wanted to talk about something else, I didn’t mean Deku.” 

“Then what do you want to talk about?”

Katsuki picked up a pillow and whacked Shoto with it, causing him to fall back onto the floor. “Not this crap. I want to go talk to Kyo about that villain when she gets home.” 

Standing back up, Shoto asked, “You still planning on going to U.A?” 

“Obviously! I still think you should go too.” 

“You know that it’s -.” 

“Complicated. I know. Because of your dad. I get it. But I think you’d be a good hero. Not as good as me, of course. But good.” 

“I’ll think about it.” 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Aiko had started making curry for dinner as Touya helped gather ingredients. 

“Are you really going to let him see his biological mom?” he asked, sitting on the counter. 

“If that’s what he wants.” she replied, stirring her pot slowly. 

“You kept avoiding the question when he asked. Do you think he should?” 

She sighed as she looked over at him. “Of course I think it might be a bad idea. But Katsuki has grown a lot and he deserves to make his own decisions about this.” 

“But you don’t want Shoto seeing our bio mom.” he reminded her. 

“He’s never asked but if he did, we’d talk about it. Those are two different situations though.” 

“I’m assuming that he won’t be left alone with that woman, right?” 

She shot him a look as she added more salt. “Not a chance. Either me, you, or Kyo will be with them at all times. That’s non-negotiable.” 

“Isn’t his dad supposed to be coming too? Aren’t they divorced? They aren’t going to start anything, right?” 

“I’ll talk to Masaru and make sure it’s not an issue. He’s still on speaking terms with Katsuki, so they can talk to each other about it if they need to.” 

“It’s good that they’re still talking.”

“Oh? And here I thought you didn’t believe in forgiveness.” she teased. 

“I said some people deserve what they get. From what I’ve heard, Katsuki’s dad isn’t that bad.” 

“They aren’t particularly close but they are talking. I think it’s a good thing. Can you hand me the pepper please?” 

He reached over and handed her the little black container of pepper. Kage came back into the room and sat in front of Touya. When he looked down, the dog barked at him. 

“What? You haven’t figured out how to open the door yet?” 

Bark . 

“Well, maybe I’d open it for you if you quit chewing my damn shoes.” 

Bark bark. 

“I thought this was Katsuki’s job.” Touya complained to Aiko. 

“He’s probably asleep by now. Would you mind to -?” 

“Yeah, I’ll cut the brat some slack. Come on, mutt. Let’s go.” 

As Touya followed the dog to the door, Katsuki peeled himself from the wall he was leaning on. Eavesdropping was an unfortunate bad habit that he hadn’t quite broken yet. He knew she’d be more open with Touya though. It was mostly because he was older or at least that’s what Katsuki and Shoto assumed. Aiko didn’t seem too worried though, even with Touya. That only complicated things. Well, he supposed it would come down to his therapy appointment tomorrow. 

Chapter Text

Class was going painfully slow today. It didn’t help that Katsuki was a bit tired too. If this teacher didn’t wrap this math lesson up, he might actually just get up and walk out. The guy really liked to hear himself talk. Unfortunately, his voice was just sounding like radio static today. Katsuki wasn’t usually much of a doodler, but anything was better than watching this old man point to the same cluster of numbers over and over. 

He’d attempted to draw Kage and it wasn’t terrible. Especially considering that he didn’t really try his hand at drawing very often. The eyes were a little too close together and the body was a little lumpy. But you could certainly tell what it was supposed to be. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t be ditching his U.A dream for art school any time soon. 

Finally, the teacher concluded the problem he was working on. The students started talking to each other, thinking he was done for the day until he interrupted them.

“Hold on. There’s one more thing we have to do today.” 

A collective groan echoed through the room as he pulled out some papers out of his desk. 

“I know, I know. But this isn’t going to take long. I just need you all to write down your top three choices for what high school you want to go to after you leave here.” 

When Katsuki got his paper, he stubbornly only wrote down one school. He was going to U.A. come hell or high water. Which actually reminded him of why he was so tired in the first place.  They’d be up late last night waiting on Kyo to get home. It was a little after midnight when she returned. In fact, the boys were just about to head to bed when the door opened. She looked tired but her eyes were virtually sparkling. She excitedly told them that she had been approved for a job at U.A. that she’d applied for a few months ago. That’s why she was late. She was celebrating with her friends. 

Once they’d turned back in the papers, they were free to talk for the last few minutes of class. Kariage and Ryo came up to his desk as he tossed his notebook into his bag. 

“Hey, Katsuki, we’re going swimming tomorrow since it’s Saturday. You coming?” 

“I’ll think about it.” he replied, leaning back in his chair. 

He caught a glimpse of Izuku writing away in his notebook. He scoffed as he got to his feet and walked past Ryo to get to him. Izuku didn’t look up until Katsuki snatched up the notebook from under his hands. 

“What’s that? His diary?” Kariage asked. 

“Worse.” Katsuki replied, flipping it open. “Aren’t you too old for this crap now, Deku?” 

He read over the page and rolled his eyes. It was full of notes about Mt. Lady taking down a villain this morning. There was even a little sketch of the hero with little arrows labeling observations about her costume. 

“I’m just taking notes. Can I have it back?” Izuku asked, trying to keep his eyes on the notebook and avoid eye contact. 

“I don’t know why you waste your time. At the end of the day, you’re still quirkless.” 

Izuku recoiled a little at the harsh statement. That word always sounded so malevolent when he said it. “Sho and I just like keeping up with stats and stuff. I was just -.”  

“When are you going to grow up?” 

“Definitely before you do.” Shoto answered from the doorway. 

Katsuki rolled his eyes before looking over at him. “Coming to save him again?” 

“I wouldn’t need to if you’d leave him alone.” 

“I’m not wrong. He tries to take that entrance exam without any quirk and he’s gonna get annihilated.” 

"So you expect me to believe you're bullying him out of compassion? Come on, Izu." 

Izuku carefully got up, squeezed past Katsuki, and joined Shoto. As they walked into the hallway, Kariage shook his head. 

"I don't see how you put up with him. He's such a rat." 

"Perfect little Shoto doesn't do anything wrong." He scoffed back. "I'm headed home. I'll see you tomorrow probably." 

"See ya, Katsuki." 

It didn't take long for him to catch up with Shoto. Izuku had already headed to the bus stop to get back to his house. The other two waited for Kyoto outside of the school. 

"I don't know why you hang out with those creeps. I swear, you only bother Izuku like that when they're around. You're just a jerk to impress them." Shoto said, looking over at Katsuki who was playing on his phone. 

"Not my fault you only have one friend." 

"That's not even what we're talking about. But I'd rather have one friend who cares about me than two who only care about my quirk." 

That got him to look up from the screen with a huff. "You don't know what you're talking about." 

"Don't act offended. You don't care about them either. You just like the ego boost from being around them." 

"Would you stop trying to play therapist? It's annoying." 

Shoto rolled his eyes. "Like playing bad boy is any better? You know Ai wouldn't like the way you treat Izuku. That's why you lie about it." 

"So what? Are you gonna rat me out?" 

"I might if you don't knock it off." 

"Is that a threat?" Katsuki asked, taking a step closer. 

"Stop it.” he replied, standing his ground. “That crap doesn't work on me." 

He looked him up and down as Kyoko pulled beside them. "Yeah, whatever. This is stupid. You should just mind your own business." 

"You are my business." 

Kyoto rolled down the window as the car came to a stop as she leaned to see past Touya who was in the passenger seat. "Sorry, I'm a little late. I was on the phone with the U.A principal." When the boys wordlessly go in the car, she looked from one to the other. "Oh no. You two fighting again?" 

A unified ‘no’ came from the backseat that seemed to be the only thing they were going to agree on today. Looking from one to the other, Kyoto sighed before putting the car into drive. 

“Alright, we’ll pretend for a second that I believe that. How was school?” 

“Fine.” Katsuki replied quickly. 

“Yeah, for you maybe.” Shoto mumbled. 

“You’re going to do this the whole way to Ms. Tanaka’s, aren’t you?” Kyoto asked, looking at Katsuki in the rearview mirror. 

“Why the hell are you looking at me?! He started it!” 

“No, I didn’t. Just stop it already. There’s no point in arguing about it. You’re not gonna listen to me anyway.” Shoto disagreed. 

“ You stop it, you nosy little -!” 

“ Both you knock it off before I reach back there and smack you!” Touya yelled, looking over his shoulder. Once it was quiet, he continued. “Now what are you two even arguing about?”

It was quiet for a moment before Shoto said softly. “It’s about Izuku.” 

“I thought we talked bout this.” Kyoto said as they pulled into a parking space. 

They had. More than once. It hadn’t happened much recently because he’d been more careful to avoid Shoto’s watch. It wasn’t physical like it was when they were younger, around the time he met Aiko. It wasn’t even every day. Just every so often, he’d feel the desire to cause problems. Especially if Izuku and Shoto had been close that day. 

“It’s not that big of a deal. I was just talking to him.” Katsuki mumbled, looking out the window. 

“What were you saying?” she asked, turning around to look at him.

“He keeps that damn notebook full of hero stuff. He’s crazy if he thinks he’ll survive that test. I’m not wrong. He needs to grow up and get over this.” 

“I think you should talk to Ms. Tanaka about this. It’s obviously a trigger for you.” 

“No, it’s not.” 

“Then why does it keep coming back up?” 

He didn’t have an answer for that so he opened the car door and got out. He was already in the waiting room when Kyoto caught up to him. 

“Hey, I’m gonna run Shoto home. Me and Touya will be back in a minute, okay?” 

He nodded as he avoided eye contact. After she left, he distracted himself with the fidget toy Aiko liked for him to carry around. Apparently, it was supposed to help with his anxiety. It worked most of the time because it gave him something to do with his hands. Aiko and Shoto called it ‘grounding’? Keeping yourself in reality? It was enough to distract him until he was called back. He expected Kyoto to be back by now so he didn't get up immediately. But after a few seconds, he was back in that familiar sky blue room with its dark furniture. His therapist, Yui Tanaka, came into the room just as he sat on the black leather couch. She sat in the matching chair and crossed one leg over the other. 

She was about the same age as Aiko, maybe off by a year or two. She had short, black hair that came to her chin and was as straight as the hardwood floor boards. Her eyes were wide and more green than the grass that grew outside the window by her desk. Her ears were both slightly pointed at their tips and her nose was small. She looked like a pixie from a story book with her lightly freckled cheeks. 

“So, Katsuki, how’s everything going for this week?” she asked in her breezy voice as she clicked her pen open. 

“Shitty.” 

“Oh, and why’s that?” 

“That old bat texted Mom. She wants to see me on my birthday.” 

She wrote something down on her notepad and Katsuki immediately flashed back to that notebook Aiko kept when he was younger. He never did get to read it even though she said he could eventually. He thought about it every so often but he’d stopped asking about it years ago. 

“Knowing Toshiban as well I do, she must have given you the choice in the matter.” 

“Yeah, she said it was up to me. I know I should say no, but I can’t stop thinking about it.” 

She touched the pen to her cheek as she looked back up. “Why do you think you should say no?” 

“I mean, it’s obvious. She used to hit me with hairbrushes and scream at me all the time. Why would I want to see her?” 

“But at the same time, you feel like she might be different now? After all this time?” 

“Something like that. I guess part of me believes in second chances.” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His chin laid in one of his palms. 

“I see. Your family’s had a lot of history with second chances. Like your brother Touya.” 

That was part of it. Was it really fair to say Mitsuki couldn’t change when Touya had gotten better? “I don’t know. What if I’m wrong? Am I just being a stupid, hopeful little kid?” 

“Why don’t you ask Toshiban if you can talk with her before the party? Maybe just text messages so you can kind of see what you’re dealing with. I would suggest using Toshiban’s phone so she can keep an eye on your conversations.” 

He thought about it for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Not a bad idea.” 

Ms. Tanaka wrote something else down before looking up and smiling. “I won’t see you again until after your birthday. You’ll have to tell me all about it. Are you excited to be 14?” 

“It’s just getting me closer to U.A. I’ve been waiting my whole life for it.” 

“I know you’ve always talked about it in high regard. So, is there anything else you’d like to talk about before I let you go?” 

He hesitated. He knew Kyoto wanted him to talk about Deku, but he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. It was a complicated situation. Why couldn’t anyone understand that? Why was it always seen as him being the problem? Like it wasn’t always like that. Big, scary Katsuki tormenting timid, little Izuku for no reason. But there was a reason. He just didn’t know how to express it. So, after a moment of silence, he shook his head. 

“No, I can’t think of anything.” 

“Alright, fair enough. If you think of anything, feel free to let me know. If nothing comes up, then I’ll see you in two weeks, alright?” 

“Yeah, okay.” 

“Have a good birthday.” 

“Yeah.” 

When he walked into the waiting room, he found Touya but not Kyoto. Knowing full well that Touya wasn’t here alone, he looked around the room for her. He found her at the receptionist’s desk talking to Aiko. Well, ‘talking’ was clearly flirting if that light blush on Aiko’s face was anything to go by. He crinkled his nose as Touya laughed next to him from his seat in his chair. 

“What’s with the face? I thought you were one of the people who got that them together?” he teased. 

“Yeah, but they’re in public at her job .” Katsuki replied under his breath. “They should have more self control.” 

“They’re just in love. You might not want to admit it but one day, you’re gonna be just as head over heels and act stupid in public too.” 

“Over my dead body.” 

“I’m putting my money on Izuku.” 

It was Katsuki’s turn to blush now. “Gross! I don’t even like guys, dumbass! Especially not him.” 

“Whatever you say, Firework.” Touya laughed, looking back over to see their mothers kiss. “Whatever you say.” 

Chapter Text

Saturdays were generally calm around the house. Shoto and Katsuki usually woke up around the same time. Being on a schedule when they were younger synchronized their internal clocks pretty seamlessly. Touya, on the other hand, tended to do his own thing and usually woke up much later than them. Aiko slept in a little since she was off work, so the two early birds always tried to be quiet until she woke up. 

Katsuki hadn’t bought up going swimming today. He wasn’t even sure he was going until he got up this morning. However, he knew that if he did the few chores he was expected to do, Aiko wouldn’t have a problem with it. He didn’t ask for much. Although, even if he did, she probably won’t have minded.

After feeding Kage and letting him out into the fenced front yard, he straightened up the living room and took out the garbage. By the time he’d finished that, Shoto had made toast and wiped down the counters. As they ate their breakfast, Aiko came into the room. She was still in her pajamas but had brushed her hair and put it into a messy bun. 

“Good morning, boys.” she greeted as she walked the backdoor to let their barking dog back inside. 

“Morning.” Katsuki replied, mouth half full of toast. After swallowing, he added. “I’m going swimming with my friends today, ‘kay?” 

“Just make sure you’re back in time to get ready for dinner tonight, please. We’re going out with Kyoto to celebrate her new position at U.A.” 

“I know.” he said before taking a sip of orange juice. “I’m only going to be gone for like an hour or two. Oh, by the way, we’re out of school Monday for some dumb holiday.” 

“The school called. Thank you for telling me though.” 

“Yuri’s coming that day, right?”

One of the conditions for Touya coming home is that he couldn’t be alone for long periods of time. He’d talked about suicide in the hospital too much for that. So on days when Aiko and Kyoko were both at work, a nurse came to keep an eye on him. This was actually the second nurse that they hired. The first one was younger, and Touya managed to scare her off in a week. This one was an older lady and she was one of the few people who could shut down Touya’s bad moods. 

“She is. I hope that’s not a problem.” Aiko replied, filling the coffee pot with cold water. 

When she turned back around, she took a moment to appreciate how much he’d grown in the last few years. He was the shortest of the three, but he was still a decent height. He was about the same height as her now. He was wearing black swimming trunks and a plain red t-shirt. Something about him just made him look more mature today. It was hard to believe he’d be 14 in a few days. 

“She’s a bossy old lady.” 

“You know the rules. When she’s here, she’s in charge and not just of Touya. She’s got to keep this place in one piece while we’re gone.” 

“Yeah, I know.” he huffed, throwing away his napkin that he’d used for the toast. As he washed out his glass, he looked back over her shoulder. “I wanted to ask something before I leave.” 

“Oh? I’m all ears.” 

“Tanaka said that maybe I should try talking to that old hag by texting her, but that I should use your phone to do it. That way I can get see if I’d be okay with her being here.” 

“That’s actually a great idea. I certainly don’t mind. Just let me know when you’re ready.” 

“I might try tomorrow.” 

“Ai, do you mind getting my medicine for me?” Shoto asked from the other side of the counter. 

“I completely forgot. Thank you for reminding me.” she said, going over to the pantry. “I need to get Touya’s while I’m over here.” 

All of the medicine in the house was kept under lock and key for Touya’s safety so when it was time to take them, Aiko passed out them out. The only exception was a bottle of Tylenol that didn’t have enough pills to be of much danger. Shoto was prone to headaches because of the damage to his sinuses, so he needed to be able to access them without having to always go through Aiko. 

Speaking of Touya, he had just entered the kitchen, hair still messy from his sleep. He only grunted in reply when Shoto greeted him as he opened the fridge and found a soda. He’d never been much of a morning person. That position was filled by Aiko. Touya found a seat at the table and laid his head down. 

“Having problems sleeping again?” Shoto asked. 

“Yeah, I think my meds need adjusting again.” he mumbled, letting his cheek rest on his forearm. His eyes had slight bags under them today. This probably wasn’t the first time this week he’d struggled to sleep. He just wasn’t the type to complain until he felt it was actually necessary. 

“I’ll get that looked at for you. Are your other ones still working?” Aiko asked, sitting across from him at the table and holding out her hand with his pills in it. 

“Yeah, I feel fine. Just tired as hell.” he replied, taking them from her and swallowing them with a mouthful of soda. 

“If you feel up to it later, I was going to ask you and Shoto to come to the store with me. I wanted to grab something for Kyo.” 

“Me and Shoto? Where’s Blondie going?” 

“Katsuki’s going out with some friends today.” Aiko answered. 

“Oh yeah? Where are you going?” he asked. 

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “The pool. You know, the one by that old antique store.” 

“Isn’t it too cold to go swimming?” 

“It’s not that cold today. Besides it’s not as crowded this time of year.” 

“Who’s going to be there?” 

“How is that any of your business?” 

“I’m just wondering why you didn’t invite Sho to go with you.” 

“He doesn’t like my friends.” 

“Why not?” he continued, sitting up straighter. 

“I don’t know. He just doesn’t. Can I go now?” he said, getting frustrated. 

“Firebug, have mercy on him!” Aiko laughed.  “He hasn’t given us any reason not to trust him.” 

He relented and laid his head back down, being too tired to argue. Katsuki headed to the door only to have Kage stop him by sitting in the way. Four head pats later and he was on his way to the bus stop.  He told Kariage that he was on his way and put in his earbuds. It helped drown out the obnoxious hum of the bus’s noise. He caught himself trying to fall asleep so he changed the song to a heavier one that Touya had shown him. It was a slow ride but he finally made it to the pool. There weren't many people which he was happy about. He’d never been a social person. He’d been told that he was introverted, but he never liked labels like that. They seemed unnecessary. 

Ryo, Kariage, and Tsubasa were already there. It’d been a while since he’d seen Tsubasa since he got put in a different middle school than him and the others. Ryo was perched on the diving board with Tsubasa standing by him. Kariage was a little ways from them with his feet dangling into the water. 

“About time!” Kariage called out. “What took so long? Your moms didn’t want you to come or something?” 

“Yeah, like they ever tell Katsuki ‘no’.” Ryo laughed. 

“Shut up. I just woke up late. I forgot to set an alarm but Shoto’s woke me up.” 

“You guys still share a bedroom?” Kariage asked as Katsuki took his shirt off. 

“Well, duh, it’s a three-bedroom house. Where else am I supposed to sleep?” 

“Didn’t you say there was an attic? Why don’t you move up there?” Ryo asked. 

Realistically? Because he’d never thought of it. As much as he complained about Shoto, he was actually a good roommate. He didn’t mess with Katsuki’s stuff or make lots of loud noises at night. He was also as tidy with his belongings as Katsuki was. Even his collection of snowglobes was neatly organized on shelves in the corner. Shoto Todoroki might have been a little oblivious but he was considerate. Besides, if Katsuki ever needed the room to himself, all he had to do was ask. But at the moment, it just seemed unneeded. 

“I don’t know. Probably not worth moving all my stuff though.” 

“It’s not like you to be lazy.” Kariage laughed, pulling his own shirt off. 

Katsuki felt it as soon as that gray tank top went over his friend’s head. Something was wrong. Maybe not wrong, but different . The second his eyes laid on Kariage’s pale skin, he forgot how to breathe. That’d never happened before. But he had been bragging about going to the gym more lately to get in shape for high school. Since when did that mean anything to him? He’d never cared about anyone’s appearance or anything superficial like that. So what was this? Why was his heart beating so hard? Was he sick? No, this didn’t feel like a sickness. This felt… warm? That was the only way he could think to describe it. 

Why couldn’t he look away? He liked looking at him? But people only did stupid stuff like that when they liked someone, right? And he’d never done that. And for Kariage, of all people? He was a punk who smoked underage and bullied younger kids at the arcade. Not that Katsuki wasn’t guilty of bullying too. Point is, he shouldn’t be attracted to Kariage. Or anyone. It had never happened before. Why now? Why here ? No, no. This wasn’t happening. Was Touya right? No, of course not. That was ridiculous. It wasn’t like he actually -. 

“Hey, Katsuki. You alright? You kinda spaced out.” Ryo called out from the water. 

He blinked a few times before looking over at him. “I’m fine. Just lost my train of thought for a sec.” 

With that vague explanation, he jumped into the water and went under. It was colder than he expected but it helped clear his head. As he resurfaced, he pushed his soaked hair back out of his face before subtly looking at Kariage again. His friend floated in the water on his back as Katsuki watched curiously. That feeling had settled down a little but was still there. It had to be a one-time thing, right? He had been tired lately. Maybe it was just that?  If he just ignored it, it should go away. Just don’t think on it too much and keep focusing on what was really important. 

He only ended up staying an hour before making an excuse, drying off, and heading to the bus stop. As he waited for the bus, he got a message from Kariage. He wasn’t going to open it at first. 

But something told him to and he immediately regretted whatever that something was because the dreaded “Can we talk?” message was now in front of his eyes. Did he know? He wasn’t entirely sure how long he’d been staring before Ryo called his name. What excuse could he use? How do you just explain away that you were gawking at your friend for who knows how long? 

As he sat on his seat on the bus, he typed out “About what?”. Then he erased it and replaced it with “Why?”. Then erased that too. He put “Yeah.” and quickly hit send before he could change his mind again. He wasn’t sure if he wanted a quick answer or a slow one. However, a message from Touya interrupted the tension. Or maybe added to it? He couldn’t really tell. 

Either way, the message was simple. He wanted to know what he wanted for his birthday. At least the question served as a distraction. Even if he didn’t know the answer to it. Realistically, he didn’t really want anything. He’d never been really big on his birthday anyway. For some reason, it was super important to the rest of the family though. So he usually just let them do whatever they wanted to celebrate it with him. 

Touya wouldn’t take “I don’t know” for an answer which meant he’d actually have to come up with something. After a minute, he replied with “I guess something book or manga related. I’m running out of stuff to read.” 

Right after sending that, Kariage texted him back. 

Meet me by the school tonight? 

Can’t. I have a family thing. 

Okay. At the old playground tomorrow afternoon?

He really didn’t want to. He really didn’t. He agreed regardless and leaned his head back on the seat. Maybe it was about something else. That was a possibility. He had until tomorrow to get a story together just in case. 

He should have been cold with those still slightly damp trunks on. Why he didn’t bring extra clothes was a mystery. He hadn’t been thinking very clearly the last few days. But he was still heated up from earlier. Was he going to be like that the rest of the day? He couldn’t let Touya find out about this. He’d never shut up about it. 

Everyone was still gone when he got back home, so he took the opportunity to take a quick shower to get that pool smell off of him. Aiko probably wanted them to dress nice so he started digging through his side of the closet to find a decent shirt. He settled on a plain, black long sleeve shirt with two white buttons at the top. It was simple, but it would work if he paired it with some khaki pants and his nicest pair of shoes. He tossed his clothes on the counter, turned his music on through the designated ‘shower speaker’ that was hanging on the wall, and climbed into the warm spray of water. 

He heard Kage barking so they were probably back. Either that or it was the worst burglary attempt he’d ever heard of. It was confirmed to be the latter when the bathroom door opened. It had to be Touya. Aiko never invaded their privacy and Shoto knew better. 

“Hey, Mom wanted me to tell you to take a jacket because the place we’re going is always cold.” 

Katsuki rolled his eyes as he picked up his shampoo bottle. “And you couldn’t wait until after I got out because…?” 

“Because it’s more fun this way. Hurry up. Kyo will be home any minute.” With that, he flipped off the light and closed the door.  

“Damn it, Touya!” 

As he slung the shower curtain open to uncomfortably march over the light switch while dripping wet and naked, he cursed his sibling again for good measure. In his opinion, Touya’s good moods were arguably worse than his bad ones. Especially for Katsuki because it was easy to get a reaction out of him and that’s what he lived for when he was playful like this. And that was clearly the mood he was in tonight, so this dinner was gonna be a long one. When his phone lit up with the Kiriage’s reply of “See you tomorrow.”, however, he found himself being grateful for the distraction.

Chapter Text

Katsuki had been staring down at Aiko’s messaging app for about 30 minutes. He hadn’t even attempted to type anything. His mind was completely blank. He glanced back up at his birth mother’s phone number again before sighing under his breath. He hadn’t expected this to be easy but he thought he would be able to think of something . Now that he was starting to get frustrated, it was even harder to think. 

He had plenty of memories of Aiko setting up meetings with Mitsuki only to get a text just minutes before they were supposed to see each other with some excuse. At first, he was upset that she’d forgotten about him or just simply had better things to do. However, after a little over a year of blown off meetings, he wasn’t even bothered when her visitation rights got revoked. He’d always wanted an answer though. He’d always wanted an explanation. His party might be his chance to get one. If he could just figure out this first step. 

“Still stuck?” Aiko asked as she walked by with a fully loaded laundry basket. 

“Yeah.” he huffed, laying the phone on the arm of the chair. “What am I even supposed to say to her?” 

“Maybe you should start by asking how she’s been? Then let her know that you heard about her wanting to come to the party.” 

He picked up the phone again but just stared at it before sighing heavily. His eyebrows were furrowed together and his lips were pressed into an unhappy line as he tried to focus on the screen again. She knew exactly how he felt. He despised not being able to do something, especially something he knew needed to be done. It was an unfortunate drawback at being naturally good at everything. 

She readjusted the basket on her hip as she added. “I know it’s not easy. Don’t rush yourself. You have plenty of time.” 

“I know. Maybe this is a bad idea.” 

“If you’re having second thoughts about her coming, that’s okay. You can still change your mind.” she told him again. 

“I can handle it.” he assured. “I just don’t know what to say right now.” 

As he leaned his head back against the chair and growled softly in aggravation, she sat the basket down. “Here. Let me help you out a little.” 

“You don’t have to do it for me. I’m not a little kid.” 

She walked around the chair to sit on the sofa. “I’m not doing everything for you. I’m just giving you a starting point. You can change anything you need to.” 

He looked at the phone then back at her. Maybe it won’t hurt to let her assist him just a bit. He certainly wasn’t getting anywhere on his own. So he relented and handed her the phone. She typed for a moment as Touya entered the room. 

“Mom, can you run me to town really quick?” 

Without looking up from the phone, she answered. “I’m helping Katsuki with something at the moment. What did you need?” 

“I’ve been thinking that I want to dye my hair. I was going to grab some box dye.” 

“You know that stuff is bad for your hair, right?” Katsuki said.

He gave him an unamused look. “Don’t you have homework or something to do?” 

“What color are you thinking about doing?” Aiko asked, trying to defuse the tension before the already annoyed Katsuki took his irritation out on his sibling. 

“Black probably. I thought it would suit me.” 

“I think that would look great on you. If you’d rather go somewhere and have it professionally done, we can do that next week. It might be less stressful than trying to do it yourself.” 

“It’d be cheaper to just get the stuff from the store.” he said, crossing his arms. 

“Well, yes, but I don’t mind paying for it. If that’s what you want, I can see if Kyo will take you on her day off. Here, Firework, read this and see if it’s okay.” she replied, passing her phone back over to Katsuki. 

He read it over. It was simple enough but didn’t seem cold. It read: ‘Hey, it’s Katsuki. I heard you were thinking of coming to my birthday party. I wanted to see if it was okay to talk to you beforehand since it’s been a while. Is that okay?’ 

It didn’t quite sound like him so he deleted the last line and reworked the line before to ‘ Can we talk first? ’. That was better. It sounded less professional that way. Not that he could really blame Aiko for that. She sent a lot of time writing formal emails, not impersonating 13 year old boys. It would work just to get the conversation started. He took a deep breath in and hit send before handing the phone back with a quiet ‘thanks’. 

“No problem at all. I’ll let you know if she texts back, okay?” 

“Yeah, I know. I was going to go see one of my friends for a while. I’m not going to be gone long.” he said as he got up. 

“It’s about to rain. Maybe you could just call him instead? I know how much you hate being out when the weather is bad.” 

This was important though. At least, he was pretty sure it was. If the conversation was going the way he expected, he didn’t want anyone to overhear it. So he grabbed a jacket off the rack and opened the door anyway. 

“I’ll be quick. I’m not going far.” 

“I’d really rather you didn’t.” Aiko stated, picking up the basket again. 

“Hey, that’s Mom code for ‘don’t go’, brat. Just call your friend and tell them that you can meet them tomorrow when the weather is better.” Touya said. 

“I don’t want anyone eavesdropping on me! I’d rather just talk to him in person.” 

“You can go into my bathroom if you want. No one will be able to hear you if you close the bedroom door too.” Aiko suggested. 

With that, he relented and hung his coat back up before heading to her bedroom. He sat on the counter by the sink and pulled up Kariage’s number before taking a deep breath and hitting the call. It went to voicemail the first time so he tried again. This time, he got an answer. 

“Hey, sorry. I was helping my dad with something. What’s up?”

“Hey.” he said, voice coming out a little cracked for some reason. He cleared his throat and added. “It’s about to rain. Just tell me whatever it was over the phone.” 

Silence filled the line for a moment before he asked, “I kinda got tied up with something anyway. I just wanted to ask if you think your moms would let you go to a concert a few towns over.” 

“What makes you think I’d want to go on a little road trip with you and Ryo?” 

“Oh, no. It’d just be me and you.” 

Why was his heart starting to thump hard again like it had at the pool? There was no reason to think he meant anything by it. They were just going as friends. Which is all they were and that’s what Katsuki wanted them to be. Right? 

“I’ll see what I can do. Is that all you wanted? You could have just said that in a text.” 

“Yeah, that’s all. Sorry for almost dragging you in the rain just for that.” Kariage laughed. 

Even his laugh sounded different. Katsuki genuinely started to wonder if he could handle being alone with Kariage that long. 

“You’d better be glad you didn’t.” he replied, standing up and walking over to the door. “If that’s all you wanted, I’m gonna go before my brother comes to bug me.” 

“Alright. The concerts next weekend. Not this one because it’s your birthday obviously. I mean the one after.” 

“Yeah, I get it. I’ll let you know what they say.” 

“Okay, good. Bye, Katsuki.” 

“Yeah, bye.” 

He hung up and rested his forehead up against the door. He got a glimpse of his reflection and rolled his eyes when he realized that his cheeks were a little pink. This whole thing was ridiculous. It came out of nowhere and he didn’t know how to make it stop. He didn’t want anyone to know about this. Touya would have an absolute field day. Aiko and Kyo would find it cute. Shoto would probably just ask a ton of questions. So it was better to just keep it to himself for now. 

He heard Aiko call for him so he headed back into the living room. Shoto was in there now, playing on his phone. Probably texting Deku. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder and went into the kitchen to find Aiko who was grabbing a glass of water. 

“You called?” 

She sat the glass on the counter before reaching into the pocket of her pajama pants. “I did. She texted back. I didn’t read it. If you want to go ahead and reply, you can. I’ll leave my phone on the counter. I’m not using it much today.” 

“Okay. I’ll read it in a few minutes. I’m gonna grab a snack first.’ 

“I got more grapes since Sho finished them off the other day. I’m about to have to go to the store again for your party stuff. You still want the stuff you asked before, right?” 

“Yeah, I haven’t changed my mind. Even if Touya did get me shit for picking a vanilla cake.” he said, getting a small plastic bowl down from the cabinets. 

“He just has a bit of a sweet tooth so it’s probably hard for him to understand why you don’t like chocolate that much. He just got his own cake in January, so he’ll survive.” 

While putting some grapes in a bowl, he replied, “He gets his way enough as it is.” 

“You two are always at odds. I wish you two wouldn’t argue so much.” she sighed. 

That wasn’t the first time she’d said that. It always made him feel a little bad when she did though. He wasn’t really good at being friends with anyone. He and Shoto didn’t fight constantly, but he wasn’t sure if you could call it ‘getting along’ most days. Shoto got along with other people, like Deku and Touya. So why couldn’t he? It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t want to. He just… didn’t. Was that the reason he’d never wanted a relationship? Because it didn’t feel possible? Great, now he couldn’t stop thinking about that . 

“You seem a little anxious. Is everything okay?” Aiko asked suddenly, voice soft and maternal enough not to startle him despite being neck deep in his own thoughts. 

“Just a lot on my mind.” 

“You know, Wednesday is visitation day for Touya and Shoto. Do you have any plans for that day yet?” 

Every two weeks, the other two got to go see their siblings for a few hours. Ever since they were little, Aiko made it a tradition to do something with Katsuki while they were gone. Even if, occasionally, it was just running errands for the most part. He’d genuinely hoped that she hadn’t noticed that he never had plans on that day. As childish as it was, he liked having time alone with her since her time was always so divided. This time was no different. 

“No, I don’t. What did you have in mind?” 

“Well, since you’re so passionate about it and we’d get to visit Kyo’s new office, I was thinking about going on a tour of the U.A. if you want to.” 

Well, of course he wanted to! She could tell right away too because his eyes lit up before he had the chance to try and bury his reaction. It was one of the things she admired about him. No matter how hard he tried to keep his emotions under wraps, his eyes always gave them away. True to form though, he shrugged his shoulders as he picked up a grape and inspected it. 

“I guess that’d be fine.” 

She hummed fondly before rinsing out her glass and sitting it back on the drying mat. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Are you planning on inviting Izuku this year? I know you two haven’t really been talking much.” 

He looked toward the living room. “You really think Sho would talk to me if I didn’t?” 

“Have you been talking to Mrs. Tanaka about this?” 

“Yes.” he lied without hesitation. “Can we not talk about this right now? I have enough on my mind as it is.” 

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” she said, about to exit the room. “Is there anything else going on that you’re not telling me?” 

He hated when she did this. Because he knew as soon as he answered, she’d look at her nails to see if he was lying. Her quirk made her a great therapist but a frustrating parent sometimes. He thought about it for a moment as he went over his answer in his head. 

“There’s nothing I want to talk about right now.” he replied, hoping the wording was vague enough that her quirk won’t catch it. 

He noticed her glance down subtly before nodding. “Alright. I’m here if you need me.” 

“I know. You tell me that all the time.” he replied, eyeing her phone on the counter. “I think I’m ready to see what she said.” 

Aiko passed the phone over to him and he read over the message. Sure. What do you want to talk about? She had no idea how annoying that question was considering how much he’d struggled with this today. Nevertheless, he thought about it for a moment before typing something back. 

How’s therapy going? 

Good, I feel like I’m making a lot of progress. How’s school? 

It’s fine. I’m on track to go to U.A 

Good to hear. I have someone that I wanted you to meet. Do you mind if I bring them with me?

He rolled his eyes. Probably a new boyfriend or something. Considering that she’d liked his dad, her taste in men wasn’t terrible so he said she could bring whoever it was. Then he sat the phone down and went to get more grapes. He had a lot to be thinking about. For right now, he was just going to focus on making it to Wednesday.