8 The Bakugo Home

After Kamui left, Haru found himself left in the living room alone as his mother went into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. Shrugging, he reached a hand towards the tv remote.

"Don't you dare try to use your Quirk, Haru!"

The boy froze guilty, his hand had already started to turn into paper, "I'm not!"

"Uh-huh," Mitsuki didn't sound convinced.

Haru sighed, "Boo."

He slowly strained forward, trying to grab the remote where it sat tauntingly out of his reach while he remained on the couch.

'C'mon! Don't make me move! Why can't you just sprout legs and walk when we need you to. You seem to do it a lot when none of us are looking. Don't make me have to move.'

He was so preoccupied with his battle of wills with the device, he failed to hear the front door slam shut.

"It's not gonna move, idiot."

Haru didn't look up at the glowering Katsuki as he continued to glare lightning at the device, "Hi Katuksi, I'm a little busy at the moment."

Katsuki's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but refused to solve the problem by getting the remote himself, "Why are you acting so weird?"

Haru shrugged, "I don't know about you, I have a feeling technology has some random programming that tells it to not give us satisfaction," his face took on a creepy expression as his voice became ghostly, "They are watching us."

Katsuki deadpanned, "It's a damn remote!"

Haru sat back on the couch, dropping the conspiracy theorist act, "...And it's just beyond my reach."

Katsuki turned to leave, "I'm surprised you haven't tried the dog yet. Oi! Bumi!"

A clack of nails echoed down the hall before a panting Shiba Inu ran into the room.

Haru instantly brightened, "Bumi!"

The medium-sized dog barked and ran around the couch to greet him.

Katsuki meanwhile, stalked up the stairs to go to his room, "Just get him the remote already, you damn mutt."

Bumi barked in acknowledgment and pushed the remote with his nose so Haru could grab it.

The teenager grinned at the pet Katsuki had gotten him a couple of years back as a birthday gift, "I owe you one, Bumi," the dog whined, "No, I can't take you to school."

The canine's ears dropped as it continued to whine.

Haru just shook his head, uttering a firm 'no' before flicking on the tv. He started watching a show he had recorded a month before, while at the same time trying to ignore Bumi's silent pleas.

For the next ten minutes, he tried and failed to ignore the dogs pleading eyes.

'Darn it! Why me?'

Bumi placed a paw on his knee giving another low whine.

"Fine! I'll take you."

Bumi instantly brightened, his tail wagging uncontrollably.

Haru raised a finger warningly, "Not until high school."

The dog's tail drooped again.

Haru gave him a disapproving look, "Uh-uh. I am not sneaking you into Aldera. You'd hate all the kids there anyway."

Bumi gave a soft growl in reluctant acknowledgment.

Haru raised a finger warningly, "And you must remain in my shadow unless I call you out. Okay?"

Bumi whined, lying on the ground to show he understood.

Haru smiled, fondling the dog's fluffy coat, "Good boy!"

Bumi wasn't an ordinary dog. Apart from being highly intelligent, he was also one of the few animals that had a Quirk: Shadow Hop. It allowed him to drop in his own shadow and appear in the shadow of anyone he bonded with. It also allowed him a way to travel if he remained in someone's shadow. If he lost the shadow, he would be able to head back to where he originally started.

A muffled boom made Haru look up at the tv only to realize he had missed an important part in the show, leaving him confused with what was going on.

"Wait! What did I miss?"

His mother's loud voice called out from the kitchen, "Boys! Come eat! Your father will be late tonight."

Haru groaned and flicked off the tv. For a moment he rested on the couch, mentally prepping himself for what came next.

With a grunt, he lurched himself off the couch. He staggered for a moment, his body still recovering from chakra loss, "Here, Bumi."

The Shiba Inu stepped forward, letting the boys grab on to his collar as he hauled himself up.

He took a step forward and slumped to the floor. Bringing the dog with him.

"Damn it!"

He growled in frustration under his breath as he pushed himself up. Chakra exhaustion was the absolute worst. It would be another full day before he'd be back to normal. At least that was what he hoped. In general, even in rough sparing matches with Katsuki, Haru was able to siphon his chakra expenditure to avoid this situation. The problem this time was mainly due to him losing his cool to the point that he stopped using proper chakra control and wasted nearly half his chakra in putting out the fires. The only reason he didn't die was because of the extremely high stamina and ridiculously strong life force he inherited from his father.

"Haru? What are you doing on the floor?"

The teen looked up, giving his mom a lopsided grin, "Oh, you know, the floor can be really comfortable to lay on sometimes. You should try it."

Bumi gave him a disgruntled look and left the room.

Mitsuki smiled at Haru, shaking her head as she helped him up, "Don't start picking up bad habits from your grandpa."

Haru shrugged, "He wasn't wrong. If the carpet is thick enough it's very comfortable to nap on."

"Yeah, no. You are not going to start lying on the floor."

The mother and son both shared a chuckle as they arrived in the dining room.

With a sigh, Haru let himself relax as he was helped into a chair. The smell of pork and vegetables hit his nose as Mitsuki uncovered the bowls of katsudon she had made.

"Now we just need your brother," she said, not noticing that Katsuki had just walked in, "KATSUKI!"

Katsuki grimaced in annoyance, "I'm right here, old hag!"

The woman spun around placed her hands on her hips as she glared back at her son, "Then sit down."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I can tell you to do whatever, whenever I want."

Haru raised his hands passively as he tried to calm them down, "Umm... Can we all calm down and eat?"

Both blondes turned to glare daggers at him, "SHUT UP!"

Haru's allowed his own temper to flare to the surface. Sometimes the only way to communicate in this family was to out yell them.

"Don't give me that shit! If the food gets cold while you two yell, I'm gonna beat your ass."

He directed this at Katsuki, knowing from experience that he should never speak that way to his mother.

Crackling sparks flared on Katsuki's palms, "Oh you wanna go?"

Haru held an arm across his body, his skin starting to peel into paper, "Oh you're on."

A loud smack causes them both to stop and grab their heads in pain as Mitsuiku slapped them both on the back of their skulls.

They both looked up at her with angry expressions, "What the hell?" they both screamed in unison.

A vein popped on Mistuki's forehead as she held up a fist threateningly, an aura of dark miasma seeping out of her, "You've got anything to say?"

Haru instantly wilted in his chair, not being a masochist like his brother.

"Like hell I do!"

Another loud smack made Haru flinch as Katsuki was again being given the motherly fist of love.

***

After dinner (and a long conversation from their mother about the incident earlier that day), Haru and Katsuki were heading upstairs for the night. Katsuki always went to bed at eight and Haru needed rest.

Katsuki had slung Haru's arm over his shoulder as he half supported half dragged his brother along. Mitsuki leaned in for a good night kiss on the cheek as usual. Haru took it with a smile while Katsuki radiated death as he was forced to endure his.

"Night, Mom," Haru called as Katsuki pulled him up the stairs. He glanced at his brother giving him a look, "Can we talk?"

Katsuki sighed, knowing it had to be done sooner or later, "Fine."

They entered Haru's room, which was situated right next to Katsuki's, and shut the door behind them.

It was a little different from the rest of the house since Haru felt more comfortable in a traditional atmosphere. Instead of a rug, Haru had placed tatami mats on the floor. A low bed lay directly across from the door while a low desk sat on the opposite wall left of the entryway. The majority of the right wall was covered in bookshelves only leaving space for the closet door in the corner. For decor, Haru had hung the display case with his birth mithers robe over the desk and flanked with two traditional prints with the kanji for 'Memory' and 'Home.' On the wall by his bed hung a single limited edition All Might poster that he had won in a school contest. The whole vibe of the room displayed refined comfort to its fullest.

Katsuki helped Haru sit down on the bed and then sat down next to him, "Well?"

Haru bit his lip, unsure how to start, "..."

Katsuki sighed, deciding he owed it to his brother to start, "You wanted to talk about earlier."

Haru nodded, it was something they couldn't avoid this time.

"I know you don't like Izuku, Katsuki, but is that a good reason to bully him?"

Katsuki scoffed, "Stupid Deku just needs to be taught a lesson."

Haru's eyes flashed. "For what?" he snapped, "For trying to be the best person he could be? For living? What?"

Katsuki realized he'd stepped on a landmine, "He'd never become a hero without a Quirk. He'd better learn that now."

Haru groaned and rubbed his eyes, tiredly, "Katsuki," his voice was soft, "Would you care for me any differently if I was Quirkless?"

The ash-blonde stared at his brother as if he were insane, "Eh? What kind of question is that?"

"Would you?"

Katsuki paused a moment, looking into the younger boy's face before realizing he was dead serious, "No."

"And why not?"

"Because you're my brother! Damn it!" Katsuki growled in response, "What kind of older brother would I be if I didn't?"

Haru couldn't help but feel a little warmth at that, but he wasn't letting the matter go, "Izuku was been our friend since we were kids, but since you learned he was Quirkless, you treated him worse than dirt. I can't take this anymore Katsuki, especially after what you said today. I don't need to ask if you understand how cruel, not to mention stupid, that was."

Katsuki rubbed his neck in frustration, "I know! It was stupid. I just slipped out of my mouth."

Haru clenched his teeth and took a deep breath, "I see no other alternative," he said, his quiet tone sending warning signals to Katuki's brain, "I'm forbidding you and your friends from going near him for the rest of the school year. If I find out you did, and I will, I will have no choice but to tell the school principal what you said this afternoon."

Katsuki jolted in shock, "What?"

Haru's amber eyes didn't waver, "You need to let things go. I hoped you two could make up and be friends again, but I don't see that happening at the moment. I'm not watching you do this anymore, Katsuki."

"Msrry..."

Haru blinked, unsure of what he heard, "What?

Katsuki gritted his teeth, "I said I'm sorry! Damn it!" He lowered his head a moment before looking Haru squarely in the eyes, "Look, what I said at school earlier today was stupid. I'm not that hard-headed to not realize that. I won't do it again. You don't need to threaten me to stop."

Haru felt a sting in his eyes as he listened to his bother apologize. Without a word, he buried his face in Katsuki's shoulder seeking comfort in the blonde's smoky caramel scent.

Katsuki groaned at how emotional his younger sibling was acting. It was too annoying to deal with dramatic shit like this, but if it helped settle things with Haru, then he'd tolerate it.

"Seriously, what was with that reaction though. You seemed really upset."

Haru sniffed as he mumbled into Katsuki's shoulder, "I got scared when you told Izu to kill himself. I was afraid he would actually do it. I was scared of what would happen because of it. I was scared they'd try and take me away."

Katsuki growled under his breath, "There's no way you're leaving. The stupid social workers could go screw themselves."

Haru pulled back, not making eye contact, "That's just it. Because of how irregular things are for me, they'd take any excuse. They wouldn't care how much I want to stay. To them, I'm just an anomaly, someone who should be Quirkless but has a Quirk all the same."

Katsuki realized it was true. In one faint memory, he remembered how strangely the doctor had been acting when Haru had gotten his Quirks. The man had told Mitsuki that because of the extra joint in Haru's pinky toe, he should have been Quirkless. Instead, Haru had shown signs of great control over his Quirk with creating origami and making paper float.

"Why would they be so interested in that?"

Haru sighed, shaking his head, "I'm a living contradiction to how Quirks work. Placing me under custody would be a perfect excuse to study me."

***

(A/N) Technically a government has no authority or right to do this, but theoretically, this could be a real scenario under certain circumstances.

***

Katuksi placed a protective arm around Haru's shoulder, "If they try, I'll end them."

Haru shook his head, "We shouldn't worry about that. I'm just speculating."

Katsuki grunted reluctantly, not believing a word of it, "Fine..."

A slow minute of silence ticked by as they sat next to each other, each sorting through their own thoughts.

"Hey, Katsuki."

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you, right?"

The ash-blonde groaned, "Why are you so like," he motioned at Haru's entire figure, "...this..."

Haru chuckled, "I don't know. Why are you so..." He did a passible imitation of Katsuki's angry leer.

"What are you talking about? I'm the only normal person in this crazy family!"

Haru deadpanned as he looked at Katsuki with a blank expression, "Ok... wow...?"

"Eh? Are you mocking me?"

Haru switched to an innocent expression, "Who me? Why would I tease my worshipful older brother? He's too perfect for that!"

Katsuki smirked, "Damn straight I am."

Haru sweatdropped, "I was being sarcastic."

"Then say it in a sarcastic tone."

"That defeats the point. It all about irony. You know what? Nevermind."

Katsuki grinned, "Looks like I win."

His head snapped back from a harsh flick from Haru's finger, "I'll still beat your ass in the upcoming entrance exams at UA."

Katsuki grabbed Haru's neck and proceeded to smother him in his pillow, "Dream on."

Haru flailed a little, his muffled complaints and curses falling on his brother's deaf ears. After a moment of useless struggle, Haru was able to elbow Katuski's ribs and free himself from the fate of eventual suffocation.

"You don't need to kill me you know!"

Katsuki scoffed, "Stop being a drama queen."

Haru sighed, running his fingers through his vibrant red hair, "Is it too much to ask that you mellow out a bit before the UA?"

Katsuki glared at him, "I think you need to mature a little. That shit you pulled today could have killed you."

Haru couldn't deny that.

"I know."

Katsuki ruffled his brother's hair, "Looks like I'm gonna need to knock you into shape in the next ten months."

Haru gave the blonde a nervous smile, "Well, looks like we're gonna get some super insane training in before the entrance exams, yeah?

Katsuki gave him a sadistic grin, "Oh we sure are."

***

(Meanwhile...)

***

[What do you think, Kuroguri?] a deep voice asked from a small screen that said sound only.

"He seems to hold unusual aggression and intelligence for someone his age," the warp villain observed, "He is a potential asset that I'm sure many would want to recruit, especially the heroes."

A soft chuckled filled the dark room, [We'll watch and wait for now. I think we may have found great potential in both of them. With the right plan, I'm sure we can win them over eventually.]

***

"That young idiot," A blond hero sighed as he watched the footage of a red-haired boy attacking a slime villain, "What am I going to do with him."

Even though his words were harsh, the man couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction behind his denim collar.

***

A small furry figure giggled as it sipped its tea, "I must say, the school's potential future candidates are showing promise even before the exams."

***

A flame wreathed figure glance over the news report with a grimace.

"A student wielding a strong Quirk who potentially wishes to attend UA. He'd better enjoy his superiority while it lasts. Nothing can beat Shoto," the hero huffed as he closed the laptop, "The same goes for the brother."

***

Blood dripped from the battle-scarred katana wielded by a dark-haired figure as he stalked away from the dead body of a hero. He glanced up at a news screen that was just visible from the alley. He watched the reporters commenting on an earlier villain incident in a nearby city.

The man watched as a student stepped in to save the ash-blonde caught in the slime and gave a single nod of approval.

***

A pair of vibrant turquoise eyes glowed in the dimly lit room of an apartment deep in the bowels of the city.

"Haruko Bakugo... How interesting..."

A pale blue flame lit up the villain's hand as he studied the image of the said boy on the tv.

No one knew it yet but a single incident had set many things in motion.

***

(A/N) If anyone wonders why Katsuki does not seem to be getting much attention from the sludge incident, that's not the case, it's just that Haru's reaction to the situation caused a lot of stir and I'm basing the media reaction in this story off of the fact that media focuses on either the rescuer or the rescued. They never seem to do both.