Title: What We Lack Part 14 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 4,351 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole and @amaisenshi for reading this over and letting me freak out always.
"So you're friends again?" Shouhei asked, scooping a large bite of rice into his mouth. "Does this mean Arata is gonna stop being a dick to us?" He grunted, swallowing down the large bite of rice he took, coughing as he did.
Yuuta raised an eyebrow. "Shou-kun... you really should take smaller bites," he muttered, shaking his head.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he coughed, patting his chest.
"You're making a mess," Yuuta giggled, leaning forward to gently brush some of the rice off of Shouhei's cheek. They had come up to the roof for lunch, actually taking time to relax with each other.
Here, it was easy for them to be... a little closer. Something Shouhei seemed to avoid when they were together in class or ate lunch in the classroom. It was just... different... when they were alone. Maybe Shouhei really was embarrassed. Yuuta could understand why... it wasn't like he was highly regarded in their class.
He swallowed, knowing he still needed to just ask Shouhei what they were to each other. It was such an easy question, and yet... here he was, concerned and nervous... terrified if he brought it up, it would all be over.
"Yuu..." Shouhei said, leaning towards him with a smirk. He wrapped his fingers around Yuuta's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "You're thinking about something."
"E-Eh!?" he gasped, practically falling backwards. "I-I'm not..."
"You didn't answer me about Arata," Shouhei said, his brown eyes staring intently at Yuuta.
"Mmm..." Yuuta hummed softly, happy Shouhei was willing to divert the subject to his brother. "Well, it seems like he's going to be less of a dick to me, I dunno about you."
Shouhei sighed, letting his head flop forward. "What? You're not gonna put in a good word for me?" he asked.
Giggling, Yuuta shook his head. "Nope. You're gonna have to talk to him yourself."
Shouhei sighed, sitting up. He gently ran his fingers through Yuuta's black and white strands. "So..." he whispered, "is it because he's jealous?"
Yuuta's cheeks heated up, his face throbbing with embarrassment. "J-Jealous of what?"
"Us..." Shouhei said, his fingers gently curling around Yuuta's ear. He stroked at his jaw, his lips hovering above Yuuta's.
"I-I don't know," Yuuta's eyes flicked to the side. "I think Arata... Uhm... I think he..."
"What?" Shouhei asked, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Likes girls?" he muttered. "I-I dunno it's really hard to think when I know you're about to kiss me."
"Good," Shouhei teased, pressing his lips to Yuuta's, kissing him so softly. Shouhei always made Yuuta's stomach flip flop, his body shivering as he melted against the other boy. He wondered if Shouhei had ever kissed anyone else, if that was how he practiced, since he was so damn good at kissing it made Yuuta's head spin.
Sometimes he wanted to do more... he wanted Shouhei to touch and kiss him in other places than his lips. Maybe even a little... lower? Was that horrible? Was he dirty?!
He knew it was better to take things slow, so even after kissing for a bit, Yuuta was happy to snuggle close until the curfew was up and he was forced to return to his room, or the lunch bell rang and they made their way back to the classroom.
"Shou..." he whispered, not wanting the other boy to pull away.
"So... you really think Arata only likes girls?" Shouhei said, still cupping Yuuta's cheeks.
Why did Shouhei care about Arata so much? Did he want to kiss both of them? Yuuta immediately wrinkled his nose and pulled away. "I-I dunno! He never talks about that kind of stuff!"
"Yuu?"
"Do you want to kiss him instead of me? I get that Arata is better at most stuff compared to me but-"
"Ew! Yuu.... Yuuta... no... no, no... one thousand times no. I don't want to kiss your brother! I want to kiss you!" Shouhei said waving his hands.
"You know, Arata and I are twins," Yuuta said, raising an eyebrow. "If it's so gross to you, why am I not gross?"
"I-I just meant it would be gross to kiss him after kissing you!" he stammered. "You know, this is confusing. First you're upset that you think I wanna kiss him instead of you and then you're upset I don't wanna kiss him?" Shouhei admitted, tilting his head to the side. "Gettin' some mixed signals from you, Yuuta."
"Ugh..." Yuuta sighed, raising his dark eyes to look at Shouhei. "Sorry. I just..." he paused and pressed his teeth against his lips.
"What?" Shouhei asked, concern flickering through his brown eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
He slammed his eyes shut, curling his hands into fists as he pressed them hard against his own legs. "What are we, Shou?" Yuuta whispered finally, knowing he could no longer put this question off.
"Huh?" Shouhei blinked, completely confused. "What do you mean 'what are we'?"
"I-I mean are we boyfriends?" he muttered, the question sounding so stupid as it left his lips.
Shouhei's mouth practically dropped as he stared at Yuuta. "Uh... is this a serious question?"
"Kinda?" Yuuta muttered, poking his fingers together. "I-I mean, you never do anything publicly or have really said if we are or not."
Shouhei's cheeks turned red, his gaze turning away from Yuuta. "Y-Yeah cause PDA kinda... grosses me out," he muttered. "I just want you to know how much I care about you... the world doesn't fucking need to know. But... it's not because we're not... boyfriends."
"The world doesn't need to know... or you don't want them to know?" Yuuta asked, looking at the ground.
Shouhei pursed his lips. "No, I meant they don't need to know. If you want me to shout from this rooftop that we're dating, I fucking will. I just... kinda assumed we were after I kissed you that first time."
"Well you never specifically asked," Yuuta giggled.
Shouhei adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. "Alright. Todoroki Yuuta, will you be my boyfriend?"
The words were so soft, even coming from Shouhei's gruff voice, and Yuuta's heart fluttered a bit. He'd been wanting Shouhei to say it all officially and now that he had, Yuuta was convinced he was going to combust into blue flames.
Instead, he grabbed Shouhei's cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. "Of course I will."
Shouhei cracked a smile. "And you know, If you want, I can be more honest about all this."
Yuuta shrugged. "Mmm… okay. Maybe we could... hold hands every so often."
Shouhei nodded. "Good deal."
Yuuta nodded, leaning his head against Shouhei's shoulder. Honestly, the more time Yuuta spent with Shouhei, the easier it was to adjust to U.A. It truly felt like he was meant to be here.
~~
Arata sighed, adjusting his backpack as he stood outside of his parents' house. He hoped they were even home. Though he supposed if they weren't it would save him a huge headache.
He knew his father was going to be so incredibly disappointed.
Sucking in a large breath of air, he raised his hand to knock on the door. It was the one day off he had from training with his grandfather, and after talking to Yuuta, he thought maybe he should at least... tell his father. He knew it would be a huge fight, but at least... he wouldn't be hiding anything from them.
He knew he didn't really owe them an explanation... but there was a small part of him deep inside that hated worrying his parents. He hated seeing his mother so... distressed.
Pursing his lips, he knocked on the door and squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe he would be lucky and they would've been gone for the evening or working...
Instead, his father opened the door. "Arata? Why are you not at school?"
He clutched at the straps of his backpack, his hands trembling. "C-Can I come in?" he asked, his blue eyes locking with his father's mismatched ones.
"Of course," Shouto whispered, placing his hand on Arata's shoulder, gently leading him inside. "Is everything okay?"
Why did his dad have to be so straightforward and to the point?
Arata swallowed. "Yeah, fine. I uh... I just thought I could tell you and Mom about the first week."
"You know," Shouto chuckled, "you're always welcome to come home. But you can also call us if you don't want to leave the dorm."
"Yeah... I know..." Arata said. Maybe he should've just called. It would've been easier to hang up when his father started ranting at him about how horrible Enji was and how Shouto didn't approve and... just thinking about these things made Arata tired. "I guess I should've just called."
Shouto's eyes were so soft. "No, no it's good to see you. Like I said, you can always come home."
"Where's Mom?" he asked, peering into the living room.
It was strange, even though he'd only been gone for a few weeks, already his house felt foreign. His parents hadn't changed a thing and yet he felt like a stranger. Like his father and the living room kept moving farther and farther away from him, no matter how fast he tried to work.
And really he had no one to blame but himself.
"Finishing paperwork at her agency. You know how your mother is. Everything has to be in order before she comes home," Shouto chuckled. "Do you want some tea? I'll make some."
Arata shook his head and took a seat on the couch, not even taking his backpack off. He was certain his father was going to kick him out shortly anyway.
Shouto took a seat next to him. "How are your classes going?"
"Good," Arata shrugged. "I uh, I'm one of the strongest in the class, that's for sure," he said, unsure if his father cared about something like that.
"And you've been training?"
Arata nodded again, shaking his red and black hair across his forehead. "Yeah, a lot."
"And your brother? Have you seen him? Are you two getting along?"
Arata sighed. Everything always came back to Yuuta. "We're in separate classes, Dad..."
"Right... of course," he replied, buying that as a good excuse.
Arata sighed, sitting back against the couch. He had no idea how to really even bring this up. What would he say? Casually tell his father he was training with the man Shouto had worked so hard to keep him and Yuuta from?
"Good. It sounds like things are going well," Shouto said.
"Mmm... yeah..." Arata said. "Really well. I'm uhm... grateful..." he whispered, letting his hair fall over his eyes. He wanted to say it, he really did... but he couldn't find the words. Why was he absolutely terrible at speaking... not that his father was really any better.
"Grateful?"
"Mmm... for being able to attend U.A..." he said softly.
Shouto nodded. "Arata... you are lucky to be attending there, yes, but you work hard too."
"Right..." Arata whispered.
Shouto scooted forward on his chair and leaned in to gently place his hand on the arm of the couch. "Arata... if there's something you need to talk about... your mother and I are always here for you. I know I may not be the best at communicating, but we love you and want you to be happy."
Why was his father being so forthcoming and kind? Arata had never been able to communicate well with him... and yet...
"Yeah," he said, his throat running dry. "I know."
"Good," Shouto nodded and let his hand slide down the couch. He sat back and stared at his son for a moment before nodding. "I just... appreciate your honesty. With everything, Arata."
Arata's face paled. Did he know? Did Yuuta tell him? No. There was no way... his father was way too calm... he would be angrier? Right?
Why did being home make his chest feel tight? Like he was about to suffocate and he could never escape from the disappointment he knew his parents had for him... or even if they didn't have disappointment now, they surely would when they learned what he was doing.
"I know that..."
"Good," Shouto smiled. "We're on the same page."
"Yeah..." Arata said and pushed himself off the couch. "I guess I should... get back because of curfew."
"I'm sure if we signed you out, we could say you stayed for dinner? Your mother would-"
"Sorry, Dad, I have a lot of homework..." he muttered, rubbing his neck. Why had he come here? This was all such a mistake. He wasn't ready to be a disappointment.
"You know, Arata," Shouto sighed, "if something is wrong you can always tell me. Your brother and you left for school, both of you unsure of your path. When I was your age, I felt similarly upon entering U.A. No one said this to me, but I want you to know... that no matter what path you choose, your mother and I are always going to love you."
"Right, yeah... of course," Arata nodded, agreeing with his father's sentiment, though he wasn't quite sure that was actually true.
~~
"Arata was here?!" Momo gasped, looking around the house for a moment as if she would make him reappear or find him somewhere she hadn't seen.
"Yes, love, and he left so he wouldn't be late for curfew."
"Well, that's good at least," she sighed. "You should've texted me."
"I didn't have much time," Shouto replied. "He came in, sat here awkwardly and left after I gave him some advice. Something is wrong but he won't say what?"
Momo sighed, letting herself drop to the couch. "I know... I can tell... but we can't do anything if he won't tell us what is wrong."
Shouto moved to sit next to her, gently stroking over Momo's knee. "I told him he could always talk to us. He needs to realize I am telling the truth."
"I wish I hadn't worked tonight," she muttered. "I just want to know my boy is okay... and here I thought we'd be worrying about Yuuta the whole time..." She ran her hand down her face and gently laced her fingers together with Shouto’s.
"Maybe if I text him..." she said, glancing to her purse on the table.
"I think we need to wait for him to come to us. I think that's why he came here today," Shouto admitted. "It seemed like there was something he wanted to talk about but obviously, he's not ready yet. I don't want to push him..."
"Maybe we should push him..." Momo whispered. "We are his parents and... I don't want anything to happen to him..."
"I don't know... You know how awkward I was when I was a teenager. We both were. In many ways Arata reminds me of myself and I would like to think I'm much better now I'm older... Arata might just need a little bit of time..." he said. "I don't know how to force it out of him anyway..."
"Well... we can give him a little more time but if he doesn't tell us... maybe we'll need to take more drastic measures," she said.
"...Drastic measures how?" he murmured.
"I-I don't know, nothing actually extreme," she said softly.
"...Momo..." he whispered, glancing down to the floor. "Do you think I’m making the right choice?"
"Huh!?" she blinked. "I… think so. I suppose we’ll have to see if he comes to us again."
"I don't know..." Shouto sighed. "Arata was looking for something when he came here and I have no idea if I gave him a good answer... I keep thinking I didn't..." he admitted softly. "He didn't say whatever it was he wanted to.... and I just have to wonder if maybe he would've if he talked to you. You know how hard it is for me to gauge how I'm being with the boys."
"I know," Momo whispered. She moved herself close to him and gently reached forward to touch his cheek. "I love you... and you're a wonderful father. I think I'm learning these are definitely the most complicated years," she said.
"Heh... me too..." he muttered. "These boys."
"If only they were tiny little babies again," Momo sighed. "I miss that..."
"It was much easier," Shouto agreed.
"Well," Momo said, leaning forward to grab her purse. She pulled her phone out. "I at least want him to know I was sad I missed him."
"I think he was sad he missed you too," Shouto said. He hated the hurt, distant look on Momo's face while she texted their son. Of course he was worried, but he knew pushing, especially with teenagers would only lead to more trouble. There was no way Arata would respond well if they tried to force it out of him.
"How about this," Shouto said, stroking over Momo's leg. "We'll give him a little bit more space and during their first break we'll push more... we'll tell him he needs to be more honest. It's a lesson I know he needs to learn."
"Alright," Momo sighed, and Shouto was glad he could give her a little peace of mind. "I just wish I knew what was so difficult to tell us. Maybe he's worried we'll be angry or disappointed."
"It's possible," Shouto whispered. "I guess we won't know until he comes clean."
"Mhm..." Momo said, moving closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I just want our boys to be okay."
"They will be," Shouto said, lacing their fingers together. He would make sure their boys were happy doing whatever they chose to do with their lives. Even if it took awhile for Arata to open up about whatever was bothering him.
~~
"Hah! Nice try quikless!" Hayami screeched, swiping the small bag out of Sayuri's hand, her lunch falling to the floor, the rice scattering on the ground.
"You gonna clean up that mess?" Sayuri scoffed, trying not to flinch when the cat girl leaned down, getting right in her face.
She purred softly while she spoke, "No," Hayami giggled.
"You pushed my damn food off the table, you can pick up the goddamn mess!" Sayuri retorted quickly.
"Yeah, right. Like I'd get my nails dirty for that," Hayami howled, laughing as she walked away with her two henchmen.
"Ugh..." Sayuri sighed, scooping the contents of the rice back into a small plastic baggie. At least now she could throw it away easier. "I just don't get what her fuckin' problem is with me! It's not like I can do anything to her." Sayuri clicked her tongue.
"I know it's easier said than done, but you should probably just ignore them. We're not going to be at this school forever," Kazu said, already dumping some rice onto her plate.
"I guess..." Sayuri sighed. "I just hate that she thinks she can push people around cause she has a cool quirk. You know sometimes I want to just sic my dad on her or something. But, I know I'm not a baby anymore, I can't have my dad fighting all my battles."
"You could ask him for advice. I mean I'm sure he'd know why she's doing it," Kazu suggested.
"Wait... my dad? Why? You do know we're talking about my dad, yeah?" Sayuri snorted. "He's not great with words."
"No I just meant because of my dad and your dad, and their history?" Kazu offered, but it only made Sayuri tilt her head in confusion. She was well aware of the long standing rivalry between her father, her Uncle Deku and Uncle Half and Half… and yes, her father hadn’t always been nice to Uncle Deku, but he wasn't a bully. He was a hero.
"Because they're rivals?" Sayuri asked, completely confused as to what Kazu was implying exactly.
"No," he shook his head, scratching his cheek. It was a sensitive topic. "I mean about the whole bullying thing."
"Bullying..." she whispered.
Katsuki had never really told her in full detail. Just that he'd said some awful things to her Uncle Deku about being quirkless. He wanted her to know he thought differently of it now... but... bullying seemed like a strong word for what her father did... or so it seemed.
She knew her father was jealous All Might had chosen to pass his quirk onto Deku, especially when her father viewed him as weak when they were younger and Deku was quirkless. He had explained how he realized how wrong he was and that he respected Deku, quirk or no quirk. Just as he respected her.
But did he?
The way he explained it... he always made it seem like he'd said things out of jealousy.
Kazu's face paled, and Sayuri hated the way his eyes flicked back and forth, the freckles on his cheeks glistening in the harsh light from the school.
"W-Wait, your dad has never told you about this?" Kazu asked, his cheeks heating as they spoke. "I-I thought we'd talked about it... I mean you're one of the only people who know... about my dad's quirk," he whispered, making certain no one heard him.
"He told me he said a few things to your dad once, but they had talked it through? Am I wrong!?" Sayuri asked, practically leaning over the desk.
"You know I really think you should have him tell you himself?!" Kazu said, his voice turning squeaky and high pitched. He always did this when he was nervous or hiding something.
"Midoriya Kazuya, if you do not tell me what my father did I will personally kill you," Sayuri hissed, leaning over her desk to grab at Kazu's collar.
"Why me!? This about your dad and my dad!" he said. "I-I just think he should tell you himself."
"No. Tell me. Right now," she demanded. Apparently she didn’t know all the horrible things Katsuki had said.
"When my dad was still quirkless... He... he told him to go jump off a roof..." Kazu whispered, glancing down to the floor. "And that wasn't the only instance... they grew up together but... your dad was never nice to my dad until they started to mature... and I-I mean my dad and your mom have always been best friends."
Kazu continued to ramble but Sayuri sat... unmoving. All this time she wondered why her father sometimes looked at her in the way he did, like she was already so see through. Maybe he didn't even want her to exist.
Her father... at one point in time... had told her Uncle Deku to jump off a roof because he had no quirk.
She’d known he had said awful things, but this was different.
For a moment, she couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own breath. She was alive... painfully alive... letting the concept of her father being an actual bully to her Uncle Deku like Hayami was to her settle in. How could he? How could he say that to... anyone? She knew he was abrasive and rude but... this was something else entirely.
And what if he wanted her to do the same?
No... there was no way. He was different now, right?
Seeds of doubt sprouted in her stomach, making the room spin.
"S-Sayu... are you okay? You know that your dad would do anything for you? I-I mean think about how stupid all our classmates are... how stupid we are...! Your dad was probably just an idiot kid," he urged.
Taking a step back, Sayuri practically caused the chair to fall over as she backed away slowly.
"Sayuri... where are you going?"
She shook her head and turned away, dashing out the door.
"Wait!" She heard Kazu call out behind her, but she continued down the school hall, not turning back for anything.
She needed answers and she needed answers now, she didn't care what the hell happened at school.
Running down the street, she ignored the blurs of people as she passed them by. Her eyes caught a poster with her parents on it and she paused, wrinkling her nose. How could her father call himself a hero if he said such awful things to an innocent person. Sure, he was in middle school when he said it but… still!
It made her heart ache.
She continued down the street and sighed, praying Katsuki was actually at his agency and not out on patrol.
She pushed the doors to the agency open and stormed through the stairwell door, her feet slamming against the stairs, all the way up to the fourth floor where Katsuki had his office.
Sayuri stomped down the hall to Katsuki, ignoring even her Uncle Kaminari who waved furiously and called her name.
Nothing would stop her from getting to her father.
She yanked the door to his office open, seeing her father standing by the window on his cell. His muscular back looked strong against the lighting of the room, and she could see his aggravation with the call, especially since his knuckles were turning white while he clutched the back of his chair.
Slamming the door behind her, she stood in his office and he turned around, shocked by her presence. His eyes widened, and he pushed his mask down around his neck.
"Gotta go," he said and slammed the phone down on the desk. "Baby girl, what the hell are you doing here?! You should be at that damn school!"
"Don't give me that shit," she snapped. "You fuckin' lied to me!"
Bakugou raised his eyebrow, staring at his daughter in confusion.
Her brow furrowed as she sucked in a long breath of air. "How can you call yourself a hero when you bullied Uncle Deku when you were young!?"
She watched her father grip his chair tightly, eyes wide with no words to be found.
