Aizawa spots Bakugou running by his office, still dressed in his school uniform, an hour late home from school. He walks up to the doorway and grabs the child by his arms, pulling him back. Bakugou. A word please.
"As long as it isn't 'sorry'," Bakugou quips defensively. "I know I'm late and no, I didn't do the washing up,"
Bakugou, it's not about being late. Todoroki's father didn't show up for his visit, so I phoned him. He told me he called to leave a message but the phone line was blocked. Were you using the phone without permission?
"I- I had to leave a voicemail to Kirishima! Midnight wasn't here so I couldn't text him. You know I can't talk to him on the phone!"
I know, but you still used the phone without permission and now Shouto is upset. Go and apologise to him.
Bakugou can't even argue, he doesn't want to. He fucked up and he knows it. Just as he knows there's something reallty weird going on about Todoroki's father.
*
Quietly, Bakugou opens the door to Todoroki's room. The child with bi-coloured hair is sitting on his bed with his arms crossed, glaring between the phone and the blank wall opposite him.
"Um, Shouto?"
Todoroki turns to glare at him. You were using the phone, weren't you?
"I forgot you were meant to see your dad today, I didn't know the phone line needed to be open. I really am sorry,"
Todoroki looks away again, perhaps to stop Bakugou reading his lips as he mutters insults. The blonde child squirms with guilt, wishing he could take it back. Wishing he and Todoroki were friends so they could actually make up. Instead, they drift around the purgatory of disconnect.
"Sorry," is all he can say before he leaves once again, closing the door behind him as per Todorki's preference. Privacy is key, his door must always be closed
*
Everyone sits at the table for dinner, the mood having somewhat recovered. A green-haired ball of excitement bounds into the room.
"Kacchan, Kacchan! Look!"
Hatsume nudges him. Izuku wants you.
Bakugou looks up from dinner to see Izuku buzzing with energy. He holds a letter flapping in his hands, sealed in a purple envelope. It's for you.
Bakugou takes the letter and opens it, reading intently.
Dear Katsuki.
I hope all is well with you. I have decided to come and visit you very soon. 15:00 today. I am thinking of you.
All the best,
Mum.
"She's coming..." he rebeals with reverence, clutching the letter to his chest. "She's really coming!"
Bakugou gets up from his chair and sprints down the hall, finding all 3 care workers in the kitchen. "Aizawa, Mic, Ms. Joke! My mum is coming, she's coming today!"
He hands Aizawa the letter, who only skims it. Come on, let's talk in my office.
*
Katsuki, are you sure the letter is from her?
Uncertainty flashes briefly in his eyes, replaced by stubborn determination. "Yeah! You need to make her a good tea, she'll be used to something really fancy,"
Katsuki, if this is from her, we need to phone the police.
"No! She's coming, I know she is!"
That's not the point.
"Yes it is, it's the entire point!" he glares heatedly. "I'm... I'm going to see Shitty Hair. Can I go out?"
Aizawa hesitates. If this is true and she did send her son a letter, he's a lot safer anywhere other than here. "Yes, you can,"
*
Kirishima and Bakugou sit in their tree house, staring down at the ground below. Kirishima attacks a box of chocolates. These are fancy ones, from France. My mother sent them to me to say sorry for not coming to visit me this weekend.
After a pause, he adds ...again.
"When my mum comes to visit, she'll bring me enough chocolates to fill my whole room," Bakugou sighs in wonder.
Kirishima sits up, wide-eyed with surprise. Your mum is coming?
"Yeah, today,"
"Today?"
He hands the letter to Kirishima, who reads it with scrutiny. He checks every part of the letter from beginning to end and then the envelope. Katuski... this letter is completely fake. I mean, the handwriting is pretty good but the stamp is drawn in with pencil. I'm so sorry.
"It's okay, I know," Bakugou smiles softly. Noticing Kirishima's expression, he adds. "I just wanted it to be true for a little bit longer,"
His face contorts in rage and he throws the letter down from the treehouse, watching it blow away in the wind. "Someone set me up!"
Nobody messes with my best friend! Kirishima states confidently. He knows he owes it to Bakugou to help after the incident with the treasure hunt. Come on, we won't let them get away with it! I have an idea.
*
"Why are the police here?" Izuku looks around, watching the officers in high-vis vests talk in code over their walkie-talkies. At first there were only 2 officers but as time went on there were 3, and now there are 4. The children's home is swarming with them.
"They must be here to protect Katsuki's mum, like her bodyguards! Cause she's a pro hero,"
"No, she isn't!" Todoroki rolls his eyes, glowering over the younger children. "That's all a lie. She isn't a pro hero at all!"
"Well explain the police officers then," Izuku shrugs.
Todoroki frowns. Why are they really here?
Aizawa enters, standing over the children. "Shouto, close the door please,"
Sombrely, he does.
"I need to speak to all of you," he leans over the table, staring everyone in the eyes with intensity. To communicate the seriousness of his situation, he activates his quirk, eyes glowing red. Though none of the children know who his quirk is targeting. "I need to check now before it's too late. This letter - it isn't one of you playing a cruel joke on Katsuki? It's about to get very serious here and if one of you sent that letter, you need to tell me now,"
Midnight, who's sitting at the end of the table, scoffs in disbelief. She was here when Bakugou arrived. "That's sick! Who would do that?"
Aizawa shakes his head. "I don't know... But if any of you know anything about it, my office door will be left open,"
*
Todoroki sits in his bedroom, back on his bed. Knees pulled to his chest. He hears a knock at the door. "Come in!"
Izuku timidly closes it behind him, sitting beside Todoroki on his bed. Nervously, he wrings his hands together. "Um... Shouto? You're kinda mad at Katsuki today, right?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I think... I think you put that letter in the post before I picked it up. I think you wrote it,"
Todorki stands up, pushing past Izuku. "I don't have to listen to this,"
"Are you going to get Aizawa and tell him I accused you?" he calls after his friend with forced confidence, shuddering with nerves. "B-Because it's crawling with police downstairs and they're asking everybody questions,"
"Alright... I did it. But I didn't know it was serious! I was just trying to get him back. I didn't mean to cause any of this," he waits for a response, but none comes. "... Are you going to tell Aizawa?"
"No," Izuku crosses his arms over his chest. "This isn't my mess to fix. It's yours. So you better fix it!"
He leaves the room, slamming the door behind him, Todoroki is sealed in that dark chamber once again. Alone and unworthy of love.
*
Bakugou returns from his outing, bypassing the police at the door. He enters the dining room, hopping up by the window to watch the road that's covered in police cars. Looking up, he checks the clock. Ten minutes left. Ten minutes until the time stated on the letter. A small part of him still thinks, hopes, that she's really coming. Everyone else sits in the table, watching him. Awaiting the inevitable.
Right on time, the doorbell rings. Everyone freezes. They hear the police officer open the door and call for Aizawa. A brief, low exchange of words occurs before the door is ultimately closed again. It sounds like they let the visitor in.
Aizawa leads the police into his office, all that can be heard is mumbling. Then laughter, then louder laughter. H
After some time, the visitor and police are sent away and, when Izuku peeks down the corridor to look at them, he's sure he sees a flash of bright red hair.
Everyone sits around the table in confusion when Aizawa arrives, carrying a large gift basket of deluxe, exotic European sweets. The children remain silent until Bakugou reads the letter attached to the basket aloud.
"'My Katsuki, a little something for you and your friends. I'm sorry I couldn't stay, they need me in the Capital city. I'm busy doing important hero work there. Love, Mum'," he breaks into a wide grin, eyes even wider with faux surprise.
Todoroki does his best to conceal his own shock, his ordinarily neutral expression shattered into a confused mess. He tries furiously to work out what could have possibly transpired. But only arrives at blank conclusions or coincidences so extreme they couldn't possibly be true. Did she really happen to show up just as he played the trick?
Bakugou picks out some of the chocolates from the basket and hands them out to everyone.
"Come on everyone, what are we waiting for? These French chocolates aren't going to eat themselves,"
Everyone dives into the basket, selecting the most delectable treats. Aizawa stares down the table at Todoroki and gestures discreetly for him to follow towards the office. Before he can, Bakugou sits opposite him.
What do you want? he scowls across it, agitated with worry as he anticipates being torn apart by Aizawa in the office.
"These are for you," Bakugou slides a box towards him. Unopened, perfect, expensive-as-fuck chocolates.
Did you poison them or something?
"No!"
Then why are you giving them to me? his scowl fades to a soft expression, awestruck by Bakugou's sudden kindness.
"Because I messed up today. I'm sorry about what happened with your dad," Bakugou shrugs. "And they're not from me, they're from my mum,"
Let's share them? Todoroki offers, ripping open the box. It's the lest he can do. He fucked up too and apparently in a big way, which he's about to find out about. But how did Aizawa even know? Did Izuku snitch?
"Yeah, Quits?"
Quits.
They proceed to enjoy the chocolates together in blissful ignorance of the impending doom awaiting Todoroki at the end of the corridor.