Chapter Text
Bakugou Katsuki is a mystery.
Everyone in their grade, and especially those within class 1-A, knew this. It was a fact. A state of life for those who could claim to be slightly close to him. Katsuki hardly ever shared information about himself readily. And when Katsuki did drop the scarce, astounding personal information, it uprooted everything anyone thought they knew, leaving more questions than answers.
For example, it took almost a year for those in class 1-A to learn that Katsuki wasn't an Alpha, something that most easily assumed to be true. Looking back, Katsuki never confirmed nor denied the statement, allowing everyone to live with incorrect information. Even Eijirou, who likes to think of himself as the person closest to Katsuki, was taken by surprise when Katsuki, on a random summer Tuesday, dropped the bomb of him being a rare Enigma.
Though it does make sense. Practically everyone in their class was weirdly drawn to Katsuki from day one, even despite his very brash personality. Eijirou, who was torn between amazement at being friends with an Enigma and failure for not noticing said friend's secondary gender, struggled to wrap his mind around the new information. But in Eijirou's defense, Katsuki's pheromones weren't nearly as potent as one would expect from an Enigma. On top of his quirk side effect, Katsuki to carries around a lingering sweetness that some days nearly envelopes the underlying spice and musk from his pheromones.
On cold days, when Katsuki doesn't sweat as much, Eijirou occasionally catches a whiff of apple. A scent that, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to belong. But how does Eijirou even ask such an invasive question to someone who already shares so little? You don't. Like with most things concerning Katsuki, Eijirou has learned to go with the flow, and maybe some answers will trickle out once in a blue moon.
Katsuki being an Enigma, while not totally surprising, —because if anyone in their class was going to be one, it would be him— did little in clearing up anything.
Par for the course, really.
The next biggest mystery stemmed when they were told to move into the dorms. While everyone was either apprehensive or excited, Katsuki vehemently refused. At first, Eijirou didn't think much of it. Katsuki always liked his personal space and held to a strict schedule, leading most to believe that Katsuki simply didn't want to spend twenty-four-seven amongst the "extras". It appeared even Shouta thought the same, and took his refusal lightly. Probably, like Eijirou, assuming Katsuki was playing it up, and would do as told while kicking up a fuss.
Turns out they were wrong.
Katsuki's refusals did not stop, and it got to a point where he was dragged to the principal's office, calling in his parents to help talk Katsuki around to the idea, explaining it was for his safety. Mezo overheared —on "accident" according to him— some of the discussion. Instead of Katsuki's parents attempting to assist the teachers in obtaining Katsuki's agreement and cooperation, they were completely in their son's favor, refusing to allow Katsuki to move into the dorms. Apparently, no real excuse was given, despite one being demanded of them.
At the end of the day, Katsuki's parents wholeheartedly rejected the notion, so not much could really be done. Instead, Nezu extended an offer that a room would remain available if they were to change their mind in the future.
Now, going into their second year, Katsuki remains the only student in their class who commutes.
Of course, there were more odd incidents and scenarios centered around Katsuki that got little to no explanation. One, Katsuki disappears as soon as lunch begins and refuses to elaborate. Two, he very, very rarely will hang out after school hours, choosing to head home with the thin excuse of "I have shit to do, unlike you dumbasses." Three, he shows little interest in anything in the romance department, often brushing it off with a look of disgust. Even something as simple as being shown an image of a fairly attractive celebrity in a magazine receives the same treatment.
Now, Eijirou personally doesn't think the third is that bad. Katsuki has always expressed his desire to focus on becoming a hero. Eijirou takes that to mean Katsuki has no inclination for dating at this point in his life. Completely understandable; they are still young after all.
Of course, Hanta and Denki don't seem to agree. Which is why it was added to their list in the end.
So, yes, Katsuki is the biggest mystery of their class, and the most volatile, making any digging for information painful. Physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. They've all learned to deal with it, even if the curiosity is ever-present, leading to Katsuki being the biggest topic of gossip as their classmates speculate what he could be hiding. Eijirou himself doesn't like to gossip, especially about his friend, though it is nearly impossible to avoid it. Eijirou has even overheard people from class 1-B whispering about Katsuki in the hallways, and who knows what the rest of the school thinks.
Sometimes, Eijirou privately wonders if Shouta was made privy to any information surrounding Katsuki, as their teacher, there could be something he needed to be made aware of, but it's difficult to get a read on Shouta on a good day. Plus, it isn't like Katsuki gets special treatment for anything, other than not residing in the dorms like the rest of them.
Despite the glaring secrets, Eijirou still considers Katsuki one of his best friends. He's happy to learn whatever snippets Katsuki is willing to share, even if they are life-altering.
Like the current one, only a couple of months into their second year, that brings everything to a head in a way absolutely no one was prepared for. And it all starts when Katsuki is late to school, an oddity considering Katsuki is normally one of the first to arrive.
Eijirou isn't talking five or ten minutes late; it's been over an hour with neither hide nor hair of him. Katsuki has never even so much as skipped school for being sick, choosing to attend even with a fever, though is forcefully sent home if it gets too bad.
The sudden behavior shift is strange enough that most of the class has probably sent Katsuki texts just to see if he's alive. Eijirou still hasn't received a response; the text is still marked as unseen. Even Shouta appeared baffled when he arrived to see Katsuki's seat empty, which led Eijirou to assume not even he knew the reason.
It's been a struggle to focus in class, as Eijirou feels compelled to peek at his phone every five or so minutes to see if he has received a response. Still nothing. The worry is legitimately ramping up now. Considering Katsuki lives off campus, there's the possibility that he was jumped on his way to school. When they see him next —when not if cause there's no way Katsuki would go down easily— they should really try and talk him into relocating to the dorms, even if he does get mad at them.
Movement out of his peripherals draws his attention to Mina, who motions silently to her own phone, mouthing something that Eijirou deciphers to mean she's asking if he received a response yet. He shakes his head forlornly in answer. Mina's shoulders slump, and she turns to stare down at her phone, poking the screen when it goes black.
Eijirou glances around the room, noting most aren't paying close attention as Shouta drones on. Other than Tenya, who is diligently taking notes, hopefully, he's feeling generous later and will let Eijirou copy them. Surely Tenya will understand Eijirou's plight, right?
His fingers tap impatiently on his desk as he fights the urge to check his phone. It doesn't stop his eyes from drifting over to the clock on the wall. It's officially been an hour and twenty minutes.
Very unusual. Much concerning.
Not ten minutes later, the classroom door slides open familiarly and aggressively. What's revealed leaves Eijirou and the rest of the class stupefied.
*
"Are you sure you've got everything?" Izuku asks for the millionth time since they left the house.
Currently, they are standing outside the Rats' door after a very uncomfortable chat, but things have been settled, and that's all Katsuki cares about.
Katsuki suppresses a sigh, but can't contain the eye roll as he reiterates, "Pretty fucking sure."
"Language, Kacchan!" Izuku admonishes, even as he begins rifling through the diaper bag hanging from Katsuki's shoulder again. Katsuki's normal school bag is draped over the opposite one, heavier than normal with the excess necessities crammed in.
"Fah-k," Kirari proudly repeats from the carrier strapped to Katsuki's chest.
"Heh."
Izuku pauses his digging to shoot Katsuki a glare, "It's not funny! Mrs. Murata from the Suika Mart gave me an earful when she heard!"
"Who cares? She's old and decrepit anyway. I bet another year tops, and she won't be a problem anymore."
Izuku splutters, glare evolving into a look of shock with a widening of his eyes. It takes a good second before Izuku's able to respond, "That's horrible, Kacchan! That's no way for a future hero to talk."
Katsuki huffs out his nose with a mixture of amusement and annoyance, "Maybe so, but when they harass my mate and pup, they don't get to deal with me as a hero."
This has Izuku snort with surprised laughter. A light dusting of pink highlights his freckles. Despite their long history, Izuku will always be weak to Katsuki's open displays of claim. Whether in the form of protectiveness or Katsuki's possessive tendencies, Izuku eats it up, even if he won't acknowledge it.
"Fah-k," Kirari chimes in, never one to be left out, regardless of her limited vocabulary.
The corners of Izuku's lips tick up the slightest amount before he controls his expression into something more stern. Though in Katsuki's eyes, he's still cute as fuck.
"No, Sparkle, you can't say that," Izuku punctuates his point with a light pinch to her chubby, freckled cheek.
Kirari matches her mama's serious expression before ruining the severity with a whisper of: "Fuck."
Katsuki laughs, "Hah! That was perfect pronunciation!" He's so damn proud of her, too. Most of her words can still be hard to discern unless you know what she's attempting.
Izuku can only sigh and shake his head, though the smile belies any kind of grievances he may be trying to portray. The moment is short-lived, however, as Izuku jolts in place and casts a wary glance around.
Ah, right.
Katsuki nearly forgot they were still standing in the staff room. He follows Izuku's gaze, spying the few teachers who didn't yet have a class. Lo and behold, they were being watched with obvious looks of bewilderment. Katsuki narrows his eyes at them, causing a few to turn their attention to whatever lies on top of their desks.
Bastards.
A soft sniffle has Katsuki whip his head to regard Izuku, fully anticipating the waterworks. Thankfully, however, Izuku's eyes remain dry...for now. That's something that can change at a moment's notice.
"Don't worry about them," Katsuki grinds out, letting the slightest bit of a growl permeate his words. Izuku doesn't respond right away, his gaze focused on the ground between them.
Izuku twiddles his fingers together with his ever-abundant anxiety; "I just don't want anyone to think less of you," he eventually mumbles out, still avoiding eye contact.
Katsuki growls louder, this time to announce his displeasure, "I don't give two shits what anyone else thinks of me."
"I know you don't," Izuku starts with the barest hint of annoyance, though it quickly fizzles out, "Our situation isn't exactly common, and is looked down upon. Especially for you, who's going to be a pro hero. Your reputation will be important for the hero rankings. It'll affect your dream of being number one, and I especially don't want your classmates to somehow use this against you..."
Izuku trails off as his eyes grow glassy with unshed tears, and his bottom lip wobbles. It's enough to have Katsuki's heart wrench in agony seeing his mate suffer. Unfortunately, Katsuki is all too aware of where this stems from.
They found out Izuku was pregnant towards the beginning of the third year in junior high. And as Izuku has always been short in stature, it didn't take but a couple of months for his belly to become obvious. Izuku had always been a target for harassment, though it slowed down when Katsuki kicked some of their asses. While it prevented the physical bullying, Katsuki couldn't be there for every moment, which led to Izuku suffering from verbal and passive harassment. And Izuku, being Izuku, didn't tell anyone about it, with the guise of not wanting to be a bother. The dumbass that he is.
Once the school caught wind of Izuku's pregnancy, the targeted harassment grew exponentially worse again. To a point, Izuku couldn't even hide it, while the teachers stood back and watched. Izuku being quirkless and a male Omega was bad enough for the underdeveloped brains of junior high kids. Add teenage pregnancy to the list, and you have the perfect cocktail for bullying.
Izuku's classmates scrawled words like "whore", "slut", and "used Omega" in permanent marker on his desk and shoe locker. Further marking him for the rest of the kids in the school. Katsuki made the mistake of kicking the ass of the main offender, which led to a week of suspension. Katsuki will never regret breaking his nose, but it left Izuku alone at school during that time. Long enough that Izuku's omega dropped after two days due to extreme stress, leading to a sudden hospitalization and a near miscarriage.
The school staff didn't give a shit, claiming there were no witnesses to corroborate Izuku's side. In the end, Izuku had to be pulled from school to finish the year online. In the meantime, Katsuki spent the remaining school year making everyone's lives, students and teachers alike, as miserable as possible without getting himself suspended again.
While Izuku suffered the fallout of being a pregnant Omega, Katsuki was celebrated. Their peers would harass Izuku, then turn around and try to high-five Katsuki for "getting some action". No one stopped to consider that they mated the same night Izuku was inseminated. That Katsuki didn't just knock Izuku up and fuck off. Apparently, everyone assumed Katsuki would dump Izuku once he found out, and that he would move on to the next Omega.
As brats, Katsuki had been, unknowingly, trying to mate with Izuku since his teeth came in. He would bite at Izuku's neck any chance he got, despite his baby fangs not being sharp enough, nor containing the venom required to form a bond. So the mention of Katsuki ever looking someone else's way was infuriating.
There had been quite a bit of damage to school property that day, but it effectively prevented any other idiot from even making the joke.
Thirty-one weeks in, Izuku had an emergency C-section due to a placenta abruption. Fortunately, it was right before they were done for summer break; however, Kirari spent her first few months of life in the NICU with a collapsed lung. With her being delivered so early, she was so little. A mere one-point-seven kilograms in weight. Izuku had spent a good chunk of their hospital stay in tears. Even Katsuki may have shed a few, though privately so as not to risk stressing Izuku out more than he already was.
Now, at sixteen months, Kirari has swiftly caught up to other pups around her age. Though they were warned there's a possibility she develops asthma as she gets older, something that Kirari may or may not age out of.
Going into high school, a prestigious one such as U.A, they were hoping for a fresh start. It helps that Izuku and Katsuki were the only two who landed a spot in U.A from Aldera. Katsuki in the Hero Department, and Izuku in the Support Department, with his knack for design and engineering.
While Katsuki doesn't expect Izuku to have moved on, he utterly despises that he had to endure the torture to begin with.
Katsuki forces a veil of calm, refusing to allow his innate anger on Izuku's behalf to overwhelm his pheromones. For Izuku's and Kirari's sake. First, Katsuki desires Izuku's attention, and to achieve that, he squishes Izuku's cheeks together with one hand and forces Izuku's head up.
"Listen here, Izuku," he keeps his voice even yet stern, needing Izuku to process his words truly, "I do not care what any extras think of me. They can shit-talk me behind my back or to my face. I. Don't. Care. My only goal is to get my Hero's License so I can one day financially support you and Kirari."
Izuku's mouth opens —adorably puckered due to the way Katsuki is squeezing his cheeks— probably to spew some bullshit. Katsuki has to be quick to cut him off. "No, shut up. Yes, I still want to be number one, and I will be number one, but once Kirari was born, my priorities shifted. Yes, I know you plan to join an agency to work on costumes and gear, but I want you to have the option of never working again, or only doing commissions, or whatever else."
Katsuki uses his grip to shake Izuku's head side-to-side in emphasis: "My priority now and in the future are you and our pup. And if my classmates don't want to be...friends—" he grits out, "—because of Kirari, then it's no skin off my back; they wouldn't be worth the effort anyways. Yes, we were young and dumb, but there hasn't been a single day that I've regretted Kirari being born. And if the people in my life aren't okay with that fact, then that's their problem. Not mine, and certainly not yours. Frankly, they can go fuck themselves at that point.
"As for the hero rankings, if being a young dad is enough to tank my reputation, then I would be doing something wrong." By now, Izuku's tears have breached the, respectfully, weak barrier that runs in the Midoriya blood. A steady stream is tracking down Izuku's face, catching where Katsuki's fingers block their path.
"So don't worry about what other people think, we're in this together, okay?" Izuku sniffs, then blinks, releasing more tears. But that isn't what Katsuki needs, so he reiterates, "Okay?" while squishing Izuku's cheeks a little more.
"O-ay," Izuku finally repeats, voice watery.
"Good." Katsuki finally releases Izuku's face and uses his knuckles to wipe away the tears. Then Katsuki adjusts the diaper bag more securely on his shoulder and glances up at the clock, "Now get your shit together, we're late as it is."
They exit the staff room, with Izuku bowing to the lingering teachers as they pass, face red; a mixture of his crying and the new embarrassment from having an audience. Katsuki leads them out, only to pause in the empty hallway.
Izuku turns to him, "Once my test is over, I'll come get her."
"Just wait until lunch at that point. No use speeding through your test and rushing out of class," Katsuki says with a shrug, "As long as it's before one-thirty, it's fine."
The only reason Kirari had to come today was due to a series of unfortunate timing. Normally, his parents or Auntie Inko will watch Kirari during the day. However, Katsuki's parents are currently in Kyoto for a fashion show, meaning they'll be out the rest of the week. The unfortunate part comes in the fact that one of Inko's co-workers had a death in the family and called in. And like Izuku, Auntie Inko could be too nice for her own good, as she fell for the sob story and went into work to cover. Now, any other day, he or Izuku could stay home with Kirari, but Izuku has a test around ten, and Katsuki has field practical's in the afternoon.
Thus, their haphazard solution: bring the pup to school. When Izuku finishes his test, he'll take Kirari home, so Katsuki can still participate in the fieldwork. Not ideal, but they had already explained the situation with the Rat and got permission, with an excused half-day for Izuku. While Katsuki isn't ashamed to be a dad at sixteen, having to explain it to others is fucking annoying. Oftentimes, they're treated like they're stupid, as if they aren't still doing well for themselves regardless. It's not like either of them has dropped out, and is currently working towards building a secure future. But what the fuck do they know?
Thankfully, and unexpectedly, their pest of a principal was weirdly understanding. Which is good, as it saves Katsuki the hassle of being angry, but still peculiar considering past experiences.
"Okay, do we meet at our usual place?" Izuku asks, all wide-eyed and innocent.
Their usual place is on the roof, and Katsuki peers down at Kirari as he ponders, "Maybe. There's a bit of a chill in the wind, so we'll see if it lets up around then. For now, just meet me at my class."
"Kacchan's class?" Izuku questions with far too much excitement, eyes practically lighting up at the prospect. It pisses Katsuki off.
"Nerd, don't make me regret this," Katsuki warns, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.
"Never!"
Katsuki rolls his eyes, then leans down to plant a quick kiss on Izuku's lips, who automatically stands on his tiptoes to meet Katsuki partway, humming happily at the contact. Secretly, Katsuki awaits the day he's slated for another growth spurt, to further tower over Izuku. Just something about it has his inner Enigma rumble in pleasure.
When they pull apart, Katsuki mumbles, "See you at lunch."
"Kay," Izuku turns his attention to the pup between them, switching to his pup-voice when he speaks, "I'll see you in a few hours, Sparkle." he then smacks kisses all across her face, eliciting high-pitched squeals.
When it drags on, Katsuki's forced to step in with feigned annoyance, even if the sight warms him. "Alright, alright, go to class."
It takes a couple of more minutes to soothe Izuku's pouting before they finally split off towards the opposite ends of the school. Katsuki won't say it out loud, but it does feel off to be walking the halls with a pup strapped to his chest.
*
When Katsuki steps through the door, the class falls silent. Not that there was much noise to begin with, other than hushed whispers interspersed between Shouta's current lesson.
Eijirou's gaze briefly lands upon Katsuki's face, long enough to process that it's him, before his eyes drop to his chest, where a small pup is strapped. The pup is nearly identical to Katsuki, with a few foreign traits. First, Katsuki and Pup share the same vivid red eyes and light blond hair. However, where they differ is the hair texture. While Katsuki's is relatively straight, jutting out every which way, the pups' hair is beginning to curl at the edges. Then, there are the freckles on the pup's round cheeks and the bright expression as opposed to the resting bitch face Katsuki sports.
They make quite a pair, that's for sure.
Katsuki ignores all the stares and murmurs, shoving his hands into his pockets, and marches straight to his desk by the window.
"Problem child," Shouta finally speaks with a put-upon sigh. The class watches Katsuki slide a pastel pink duffle-like bag from one shoulder and his backpack from the other. Both hit the floor with a heavy thump before they're unceremoniously shoved further underneath Katsuki's desk with a foot.
"Where did you acquire a pup?" Shouta inquires with obvious suspicion, yet at the same time, he sounds as if he would rather not know the answer. Simply asking as a requirement of his position and authoritative role.
Regardless, the question has Katsuki pause where he's undoing the buckles of the carrier holding the pup. He turns a glare onto Shouta, a look that fully conveys every ounce of annoyance in his blood.
"The Stork," is the initial deadpan retort, only to swiftly be followed up with a very Bakugou-typical response, "Where the fuck do you think?" Katsuki returns to the task of releasing the carrier, and when the last buckle falls away, and the pup is removed, that, too, joins the bags on the floor.
Katsuki falls heavily into his chair, then, uncharacteristically gently, lowers the pup onto his lap.
Shouta pinches the bridge of his nose before, almost reluctantly, pressing for more information. "And, pray tell, why is the pup here?"
Katsuki clicks his tongue, "Because my parents are out of town," he says this slowly, as if it's the most obvious reason that everyone should already know.
"Bakugou."
"Eyebags."
Shouta's expression turns frosty, patience clearly running thin. Katsuki clicks his tongue again and offers: "I've already got permission from the Rat. She'll only be here until lunch. Happy?"
"No," is Shouta's honest answer. He runs a hand through his hair with a sigh, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I apparently have a call to make," and with that, Shouta slinks out the door, leaving class 2-A to their own devices, a mistake on a good day, and doubly so with this new situation.
Like hyenas sensing a moment of weakness, the class congregate on Katsuki.
"Bakugou! Who's the pup?"
"They're a girl, right?"
"Is that your sibling? Cousin?"
"Oh my god, she's so cute! Look at her lil' cheeks!"
"What's her name?"
"She's nearly your spitting image, Bakugou!"
The bombardment goes on. Eijirou is torn between reining in their classmates before Katsuki snaps and joining in on the questions. While Eijirou has let a lot of oddities slide over the year he's known Katsuki, he feels this is something important. How can he not mention having a sibling? Clearly, she's still very young, so Eijirou feels Katsuki could have at least mentioned having such an adorable sister. Hell, Eijirou would probably be showing off pictures if he were in Katsuki's place.
Distantly, Eijirou hears a faint growl resonating from Katsuki, nearly drowned out amongst the prattling of the others. Now Eijirou makes the decision to attempt to calm the chaos, knowing that growl is a warning. Meaning they have a minute, tops, before Katsuki officially snaps, and he already appears extra moody today, and Eijirou doesn't want to see what the fallout would be like. Or who will take the brunt of it. The thought gives him chills.
However, not even ten seconds later, and before Eijirou can get a word out, Katsuki beats him to it —breaking some sort of record at how quickly he snaps back. "Shut the fuck up!" per usual, Katsuki's voice cuts through all other sound, "You dipshits are scaring her!"
That has better results at quieting the class than simply telling them to "shut up", which is thrown around so commonly, they are no longer phased. Now that the room is relatively silent again, Eijirou can pick up soft whimpers, and sure enough, the pup's face is scrunched in distress as fat tears trail down her cheeks. Eijirou's heart wrenches at the sight.
Katsuki lifts the pup, turns her to face him, and cradles her against his shoulder, practically shoving her face near the scent gland on his neck. Her little fingers dig into the fabric of Katsuki's uniform, as if trying to pull herself closer. While her whimpering has simmered down in this new position, the distress continues to sour the natural powdery pheromone of the pup.
So for the first time in a long time, Eijirou witnesses genuine fury in Katsuki's blazing eyes. Normally, Katsuki raises his voice in anger, annoyance, or most other emotions. That, Eijirou can handle, but when his voice drops a couple of octaves and in a chillingly calm tone says, "Back up."
...Well, best to say everyone scurries to the opposite side of the room without question.
And that is how Shouta finds them. He scans the room as he walks in, appraises the scene, and comes to some sort of conclusion that has him rubbing at his temples. Shouta takes it all in again, then sighs, "Everyone, sit down, and please," here Shouta stresses the word with all his years of exhaustion backing it up, "no one make a sound."
They all quietly return to their desks.
*
Safe to say, it's just as hard to focus with Katsuki in class as it had been when Eijirou was worried for his sudden absence. The pup calmed down relatively quickly once class began again; however, there has been near constant babbling for the twenty minutes. There's a moment of silence when Katsuki stands up with the pink bag and slips out of the class without so much as a word to their teacher.
When they return ten minutes later, it's to tiny giggles as Katsuki blows a raspberry against the pup's cheek. It was a sight absolutely no one expected to see from Katsuki of all people. Even Shouta paused with a blank expression before resuming. Almost as if he's given up on the whole situation, mentally separating himself from it as much as possible.
Eijirou can't say he blames him.
As it is, Eijirou is anticipating their next break, and he can fish for some answers without the whole class badgering. And, maybe, Katsuki'll be more lenient if it were just Eijirou.
Unfortunately, the day drags on, and Eijirou watches with confusion and amusement as the pup steals Katsuki's pencil as he attempts to take notes. Clearly experienced, Katsuki doesn't even flinch when she whips her hand back, instantly losing traction of the pencil and launching it backwards, smacking right under Katsuki's eye. There's obvious bafflement on the pup's face, yet she easily cheers up when the pencil is back in her grasp. Eijirou observes as Katsuki uses her grip to guide the tip of the pencil to the paper, sloppily scribbling something down. Something Eijirou can't see from his seat. He wonders if it's her name, in which case, Eijirou really wants to know.
He watches the clock for the long-awaited break, and as time ticks closer, Eijirou prepares questions he hopes won't trigger Katsuki's ire but will also satisfy his own curiosity. Any plan of that, however, goes right out the window when only ten minutes 'til break, Katsuki kicks his feet up onto his desk, leans back as far as the space and his chair will allow, and lays the pup stomach-down on his chest. She yawns wide as Katsuki lightly pats her back. Minutes later, and the pup is sound asleep.
She naps through their break, and if that wasn't enough of a deterrent to keep people at bay, Katsuki baring his teeth at anyone who so much as walks by does. She continues to sleep when Shouta and Cementoss swap places. The latter casts a glance at Katsuki and the pup, but otherwise does not acknowledge it. Most likely, having already been informed.
Eijirou wishes he were in the know. Curiosity's killing him!
Katsuki appears to be paying attention to the lesson, now that he doesn't have a pup to distract him, though his position doesn't allow an opportunity to jot down key points. And thus, Eijirou makes it his duty as best friend to take efficient notes to share with Katsuki later. The problem is, Eijirou has already missed a good portion of this lesson. He wonders how everyone else is faring.
Going off the number of texts blowing up the group chat, a new one that does not include Katsuki, Eijirou thinks it's a safe bet to assume no one can focus on the lecture. Not until their curiosity is satiated. A quick scan tells him that they have not given up and are working to figure out the best approach. Momo, thankfully, is being the voice of reason, reminding everyone that the pup is still young and to keep in mind that this is an unfamiliar environment.
Eijirou doesn't bother skimming through their ideas and, instead, informs them that he'll be the only one to approach. Following that up with a brief clarification that Katsuki may be more likely to confide in Eijirou. With Mina, Momo, and Fumikage backing his plan, Eijirou slides his phone into his pocket and waits for the next opportune moment: lunch.
*
Katsuki plops Kirari down on his desk once she wakes, cracking his back as he straightens up. The position grew uncomfortable quickly, but he wasn't about to reposition and risk preemptively waking Kirari.
It didn't really matter in the end, as she only squeezed in roughly an hour of sleep. Not nearly enough to sustain her until tonight. Fan-fucking-tastic.
"You're gonna be cranky as fuck later, ain't ya?" Katsuki sighs, placing a hand on her back to stabilize her while she accepts the fact that she's awake. Katsuki can feel the dampness through her shirt, a trait she inherited from Katsuki, being a hot sleeper.
Normally, Kirari can sleep through anything. When Kirari was brought home from the hospital, Izuku had been concerned that Katsuki would wake their pup, as if Katsuki wasn't capable of being quiet. In the first few months, they would tiptoe around the house to ensure Kirari slept uninterrupted. However, it was Izuku who broke the silent rule first, toppling an entire shelf holding canned food to the floor. Both he and Izuku paused as the last can rolled across the tile, waiting for the cries, and when none came, they rushed to the bassinet, fearing the worst.
Turns out, their pup can sleep through anything. A fact that Auntie Inko took offense to, as Izuku woke to the smallest of sounds as a pup.
Since Kirari woke so soon, Katsuki can only assume it has to do with the unfamiliar environment over there being too much noise. But fuck, tonight was going to be a nightmare. Katsuki glances at the clock, noting there are about thirty minutes until lunch.
He picks Kirari up to settle her back on his lap, bouncing her a little on his knee as he thinks. Hopefully, Izuku will be able to lay her down for a second nap once they reach home. If she doesn't, then they'll have to try to stall until it's closer to her bedtime. Putting her down early tonight will only fuck up her schedule, and at this rate, it's looking like she'll be ready to sleep by dinner as opposed to the normal eight p.m. If they can push it until seven at least, it shouldn't be so bad.
In theory.
Either way, it's a guarantee she'll put Katsuki's vocal cords to shame later. Despite her rough start at birth, she has a hell of a pair of lungs on her now.
When the lunch bell rings, Katsuki pulls his phone out —scowling at the nearly thirty unread texts from the extras in his class— to open the chat with Izuku, noting a new message. In it, Izuku states he will be a few minutes late as someone had been tinkering on a side project while they waited for everyone else to finish their tests. The said side project exploded.
Izuku swears it wasn't him.
Katsuki doesn't believe a word out of his mouth. Fucker better not have singed his eyebrows off again.
A presence appears next to him, one Katsuki chooses to ignore while he finishes his text. Maybe whatever dumbass approached him would get the hint and leave, but really, Katsuki should know better. His class is full of busybodies, unable to keep their noses out of anyone's business. Considering their bombardment when he arrived in class, it's expected they'll try again.
At least this time, they've elected to send one person.
"So, Bakubro!"
Fuck, of course it's Eijirou. Katsuki doesn't bother to hide his annoyance and offers a clipped, "What?" he waits until he hits send to turn a glare up at Eijirou.
"Everything okay this morning? Wasn't like you to be so late." Eijirou smiles and bides his time, in favor of a response.
Katsuki can effectively see through Eijirou's attempt at getting him to speak. And the fact that absolutely no one else has moved from their seats is a huge tell. Not a single soul has even pulled out their packed lunches, in favor of pretending to be busy.
Busy eavesdropping. Fucking idiots. All of them.
Even Tenya hasn't budged an inch.
"Fine." Katsuki offers. Short and snappish, but that's their problem, not his.
Of course, Eijirou is never one to be deterred by Katsuki's attitude and carries on. "And who's this little one?" he asks, his voice pitching upward. Katsuki scrunches his nose at hearing Eijirou's pup-voice. Fucking disgusting.
He casts a glance around the room, noticing that everyone else is holding as still as possible, like Katsuki is some sort of T-Rex and they don't want to be caught. Katsuki rolls his eyes and addresses the room at large, "I know what you dumbasses are doing; you're not slick." This receives a few looks of shame, yet no one is willing to admit to it outright.
Katsuki sighs for the millionth time today. "Fucking fine, but listen the fuck up 'cause I ain't repeating myself. This," he holds his pup up, rather like the cub from that lion movie Izuku cries to, "is my daughter, Kirari."
That gets a reaction from the class. Heads whip around to stare bug-eyed in a fashion that appears painful. Honestly, the sight is pretty amusing, that is, until everything explodes in volume.
"Daughter?!"
"Not your sibling?!"
"How old is she, then?"
"Forget all that, who's the mom?!"
"This means Bakugou isn't a virgin?!" Minoru practically screeches. Popping up from out of nowhere, intersecting the space between him and Eijirou. "What's sex like?"
Per usual, Minoru's presence instantly pisses Katsuki off, regardless of the shit that comes out of his mouth. "Get the fuck away from me, Grapist! I will blow your face off!" Katsuki pulls Kirari closer to his body, twisting his torso to angle her further away from the creep.
Fortunately, Mashirao takes one for the team and grabs Minoru by one of his disgusting purple balls, lifting him off the ground. Momo opens the nearest window without a word, and Minoru is swiftly yeeted outside with a satisfying shriek. Momo offers Mashirao hand sanitizer, which he accepts with a quiet thanks.
The distraction is short-lived, and the questioning renews itself. Katsuki chooses to ignore them. How do they expect him to answer them if they don't even give him a chance? In the meantime, he adjusts Kirari's shirt, where it rode up while he shielded her from the class pervert. Katsuki pets her hair, in the guise of fixing the short strands while also scenting her. Kirari's head turns from one extra to the next as they speak, clearly beginning to be overwhelmed.
Katsuki's about to yell at them again when one statement is thrown out, one that nearly has Katsuki choosing violence.
"Having a pup at your age is very irresponsible, Bakugou!" Tenya says, crossing his arms in a disappointed-dad stance.
It has Katsuki slowly crane his head to regard Tenya in bafflement. The rest of the class quickly pick up on the mood shift and go silent. Even Tenya appears startled, even though it was his words that caused this.
Katsuki fights to keep his anger in check, something he's been wanting to improve on as a new father, albeit young. So he focuses on Kirari's scent while he breathes. He mulls over what to say as everyone awaits some sort of confrontation. It takes monumental effort to avoid thinking about his time in junior high. Tries not to let his past experience affect him.
In the end, Katsuki settles on: "It's a little fucking late for that, don't you think?" he narrows his eyes at Tenya, picking up the slightest look of shame, "What do you want me to do? Put her back in the womb?"
The tension after that is thick. No one wants to be the one to interrupt, especially as Katsuki refuses to break the challenging glare he has Tenya pinned under. A benefit of being an Enigma, even an Alpha like Tenya eventually cowers under Katsuki's scrutiny, baring his neck in submission.
Class president or not, Tenya crossed a line.
A voice cuts through the silence, small and timid; a voice Katsuki will recognize anywhere, anytime.
"Kacchan?" The sound of his childhood nickname has the fury ease from his veins, releasing the tension in his muscles. A glance at the door reveals Izuku, looking in on the confrontation with worry, though hopefully he wasn't standing there that long to overhear any of the bullshit his classmates had been uttering.
Denki whispers an astonished, "Kacchan?" that mostly goes ignored.
Katsuki lets out a slow breath, "In here, 'Zuku."
Izuku carefully shuffles in, eyes lingering on the forms of Katsuki's classmates, chewing at his bottom lip with anxiety. Now, Katsuki can't have that. He feels his own lips lift up in a smirk, "You were so excited to come to my class, and now you're scared?" he teases, knowing it'll have the desired effect.
Sure enough, Izuku narrows his eyes at Katsuki, "I'm not scared!" even as he tries to defend himself; his actions speak louder. Izuku rounds the desks, taking a path that contains fewer people, though it isn't helping that all eyes are literally on Izuku, tracking his progress.
That includes the small ones of Kirari's. As soon as she spots Izuku, she begins bouncing from her position in Katsuki's lap, unable to contain her excitement: "Ma-ma!" she practically squeals. One of the few words she has down.
Izuku instantly lights up, forgetting the watchful gazes and murmuring voices as he makes a beeline for their pup. As he approaches, Mama and pup both reach out, and Izuku swiftly plucks Kirari from Katsuki's lap.
"Hi, my sweet! I've missed you!" Izuku declares, peppering her face with kisses. Katsuki watches on with a rare smile, inner Enigma content in the presence of his mate and pup.
The moment is ruined, however, when Ochako speaks up, "You're this pup's mom?" She approaches Izuku as she asks, a move Katsuki doesn't appreciate, so he growls low in his throat to warn her away. It has no effect.
Izuku flinches at her voice and doubly so with the sudden proximity. When he faces her with his large, doe eyes, he's greeted with a smile. He still steps closer to Katsuki and hugs Kirari to his chest, but he responds, if hesitantly.
"Um," Izuku starts, eyes darting between Ochako and Katsuki, before settling on the former after a brief nod from his mate. "Y-yes, I am."
"She's so cute!" Ochako gushes, "How old is she?"
"She's sixteen months. Almost seventeen." Izuku pats Kirari's back as if to emphasize this. Kirari simply babbles, rubbing her cheek on Izuku's uniform jacket. An instinctual scenting.
"How old?" Denki pipes in, tilting his head in obvious confusion.
"Do the math, dumbass," is all Katsuki offers.
Fortunately for Denki, Kyouka is kind enough to explain, "A year and four months."
"Wait. Pause." Eijirou holds his hands up to form a T for "time out." "Is this why you go straight home after school?"
"And why you don't hang out with us on the weekends?" Hanta adds, even going so far to raise his hand.
Mina stands up from her chair, "Why didn't you tell us, Kats? We would have understood."
Katsuki growls in annoyance, "It's none of your goddamn business, that's why!"
Denki also rises from his seat, "Don't be like that, man; we already know so little about you."
"I like it that way."
"Let's not pressure him to share if he's not ready," Tsuyu jumps in. Figuratively, not literally. Also unnecessary, Katsuki can handle his own shit.
"Um!" Izuku says, raising his voice slightly to be heard, turning to face the entirety of class 1-A, "P-please don't be mad at Kacchan! It was my idea to keep it secret; he was just doing what I asked..." His voice grows quieter as he speaks, until it trails off. Katsuki can practically smell the tears coming even without seeing Izuku's face.
"So—" Izuku continues, "I'm sorry!" Here he bows as low as he's able while holding a pup. The class appears stunned; Katsuki, however, is infuriated.
He kicks Izuku's shin, who yelps and turns those big, watery eyes to Katsuki.
"Don't apologize for me. I do whatever the fuck I want." Katsuki rises to his feet, towering over his omega.
"But, Kacchan—" Izuku starts.
"No, shut up." Katsuki interrupts, then turns to regard the extras, "I ain't sorry, and you all should be thanking me for offering up this information!"
"Kacchan!"
The next half-hour is filled with a plethora of questions once the idiots realized Izuku was easy to get answers out of in comparison to Katsuki. He gives up on trying to deflect responses, mainly out of habit rather than a true desire to hide information. Besides, Izuku appears to be secretly enjoying himself, going by the wide smile and light blush once it was apparent they weren't being condemned.
It hit Katsuki harder than he expected when he realized Izuku's never been able to simply talk about their pup with anyone their age. That he never had any true friends that he could vent to or open up with about the difficulties of being pregnant at fourteen or dealing with a newborn. So, while the extras in his class were annoying as shit, deep down —and Katsuki will never admit— they mean well.
Katsuki's packing up Kirari's shit as the topic switches to Izuku himself.
"What class are you in, Izuku?" Ochako asks, already on a first-name basis.
"Oh, I'm in the Support Department!" Izuku happily chirps, "I designed and made Kacchan's costume!"
"That was you?!" Denki asks with surprise lacing his words, "Dude, it's badass."
"Of-fucking-course it is," Katsuki says, zipping up the diaper bag. Izuku turns a beaming smile his way, and as always, it does something to Katsuki's innards. Something that makes him want to bite Izuku.
"I'm working on improvements in between assignments!" Izuku chatters on about his classes, while the extras eat up every word; as they should.
Katsuki hefts Kirari from Izuku's hold, who barely processes this as he goes into detail about these new bracers for Katsuki's costume. And if anything, it simply freed up his hands, allowing Izuku to wildly flail them about as he speaks. With only one hand available, Katsuki slides the straps of the carrier over Izuku's shoulders, spins him around to tighten the straps, and slides the pup into the pocket in the front, adjusting her feet through the holes since she never cooperates. During all this, Izuku doesn't break, yapping away as he does.
When that's done, he slides the diaper bag up one of Izuku's arms, situating the strap firmly on his shoulder. With that done, Katsuki leans down to plant a kiss on Kirari's head. That gets Izuku's attention, pausing in the middle of his story to stare wide-eyed up at Katsuki.
"She only slept for an hour," Katsuki breaks the news to Izuku.
Izuku's mouth falls open and whispers, "Oh no."
"See if you can nap her when you get home."
"Oh gosh," Izuku looks down at Kirari, "Sparkle, why? You're just going to hate everything in a few hours!"
Katsuki chuckles and, with a hand, lifts Izuku's chin so he can lean down again, but this time to kiss Izuku. When they part, Katsuki mumbles, "I'll see you at home."
"'Kay," is muttered back.
He ushers Izuku to the door, but when he turns back around to collect his backpack and lunch, as he only has twenty minutes to eat, he's faced with the entirety of his class. They stare silently, some with knowing smiles that he really wants no part of.
"Not a single word from anyone," Katsuki growls and stomps to his desk to collect his bag. He'll eat lunch alone, fuck all of them.
Though, really, Katsuki is secretly relieved the reveal went over decently. Obviously, it was a shock, but Izuku was happy, and Katsuki saw him trade numbers with a few of the extras. Something so minute, but it wasn't afforded to Izuku in junior high.
Katsuki can put up with his classmates being nosy, but they better be aware that Katsuki will continue to make it difficult for them. He's nothing if not consistent.