Work Text:
When Katsuki is seven years old, he comes home from school to a locked front door for the first time. This isn't necessarily an issue, as he has carried a house key in his backpack since his previous birthday, but it is unusual.
Typically he will return home to an unlocked door, Mama doing chores and an afternoon snack waiting for him on the table. He can't recall ever returning home to a locked house.
Katsuki figures his mom must have needed to run to the store for a missing ingredient she needs for dinner, or some other time-sensitive errand.
Nodding to himself at this thought, his small fingers dig through the many pockets in his backpack, searching for his unused key. Finally he locates the custom key his mom ordered for him when his parents decided he should have one. The blade is matte black and the head is a shiny orange, Katsuki’s favorite colors.
He holds it up in victory for a moment before turning back to the door.
Key in lock, turn it to the left, turn the handle, open the door. Yes, he did it! Maybe it's embarrassing to be so excited about such a basic task, but he's never had the opportunity to use his before and he wasn't totally positive he remembered which way to turn the key.
The newly christened key is put carefully away, and Katsuki picks up his bag and heads inside.
He heads to the kitchen with the vague thought that maybe his mom prepared a snack for him before she left. There is no snack on the table, but he does find a folded paper with his name written in his mothers familiar hand.
Katsuki,
Your father and I are headed to Harajuku to deal with a work issue, we likely won't be home until late this evening. You can heat up the leftovers from last night, the container is on the bottom shelf. Use the microwave, do not even think about touching the stove. Or the knives.
If anything happens before we return, call Inko. Her phone number is on the wall next to the landline. Don't leave the house or let anyone inside.
We love you and will see you tomorrow.
Love,
Mama & Papa
Katsuki chews on his lip as he inspects the note, flipping it over to make sure he didn't miss anything. He's not nervous to be in this big house alone for an undetermined amount of time. He's not.
It's just- different, is all. A change of routine.
He's used to coming home to snacks and cuddles, doing his times tables on one side of the dining table while Mama taps away at her laptop on the other. He's used to making eye contact with her and giggling when she scrunches her face up at him, and turning back to his work with a big smile.
Katsuki is used to pulling out the ingredients for dinner and doing any prep work Mama will allow while they wait for Papa to return home. His parents will then greet each other, and Papa will greet Katsuki with a kiss to the top of his head. Once he's changed into casual clothing, Katsuki will have pulled his step-stool up to the counter so they can begin.
A few weeks ago Papa had taught him how to carefully dice vegetables. Before, Katsuki had been relegated to measuring and mixing duty. A pout forms on his little face as he realizes Papa won't be teaching him anything new tonight.
The note is placed in a seldom used drawer in the kitchen with little thought, and Katsuki resigns himself to a lonely night with only leftovers and the sound of the television for company.
*
By the time Katsuki is fourteen, that kitchen drawer is nearly filled to the top with notes carrying similar messages.
Over the years certain things have changed. At age ten, they began leaving him home alone for longer periods of time due to their work. Now that he's fourteen, it has increased to ten days at the most. Katsuki isn't too bothered by this, he's independent and can take care of himself unlike other children his age.
His parents leave him with plenty of food that he is now able to cook without supervision, as well as some money in case anything comes up.
Despite what his peers may think, Katsuki is a good kid. He doesn't invite anyone over when his parents are out of town, nor does he stay out late causing trouble. As soon as he sees a note awaiting him, he cancels any plans he may have made for the upcoming week.
If he's a little lonely sometimes, it's fine. His parents spend plenty of time with him when they're home.
However, the timing of their latest trip couldn't be more inconvenient.
Katsuki walks home after he has been intermittently suffocated by a villain for upwards of 15 minutes. The door is locked and a note addressed to him is sitting on the table.
He picks it up and has to steady himself with one hand on the table as he reads it. His eyes close in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. Two weeks. Katsuki nearly died and he won't see his parents for two full weeks after the fact.
His face crumples along with the paper in his hand.
*
After the Sludge Villain incident, both of his parents make an effort to be more present. Work trips decrease in frequency, and he sees more of them than he thinks he has in years. Katsuki doesn't say anything, but he thinks they can tell how happy this makes him.
Sure, Katsuki’s always been an independent kid, but without his parents he's completely alone. He has no real friends, only morons who flock to the most powerful kid around. That just so happens to be him. With no friends, his parents tend to fill that role when they're at home. This setup seems to work well for all of them.
Family time is precious to him. The relationship he has with his parents is maybe a little more complicated than it ought to be, but he's never doubted that they love him.
As Katsuki has gotten older, he has started to butt heads with his mother more often. They both say some pretty rude things to each other, Katsuki retreats to his room to calm down for a few hours, and when he comes back it's like nothing happened. Neither of them apologize, and they move on.
His dad is easier to get along with, his mild-mannered personality well suited for his fiery family. Most disputes are easily settled with his temperament, but even he can't tame some of their more explosive arguments.
It's good to have them around as Katsuki is preparing for U.A. He tries to put the Sludge villain incident out of his mind, and his parents finally take the hint and stop apologizing for their absence.
Katsuki doesn't want their apologies, he just wants them to be here. One traumatic incident is all it takes for him to get his wish.
*
U.A. is not quite what he expected. Actually, it's a total shitshow for him. To put it mildly.
However, it's better than it could be. He returns home from the shittiest of days to his parents’ loving arms instead of notes on an empty table. The USJ incident, his muzzling at the Sports Festival…his kidnapping. His parents are there every time, perhaps not always with the right words of comfort, but there nonetheless.
Then, not even a year after they start making progress mending their not-quite-broken relationship, Katsuki has to move into the newly built dorms at U.A.
No more family dinners and warm greetings after a hellish day at school. No mom putting heat packs on his sore shoulders, or dad ruffling his hair while Katsuki pretends he doesn't like it. If Katsuki wants to spend time with them he has to get a permission slip signed two weeks in advance. What a fucking joke. It almost feels like a punishment for being weak enough to get kidnapped.
As difficult as it is to admit even in the privacy of his own mind, Katsuki is scared. Scared that all of this progress will be for nothing, that him living away from home will be the end of everything. His mom and dad will leave the country for weeks at a time, leaving Katsuki unable to contact them due to the time difference between Japan and wherever they happen to be.
Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to say these things out loud, and instead lets the feelings stew inside of him. Days and weeks pass, and his fears seem to be unfounded. Until Katsuki fails the provisional licensing exam.
All he wants to do is collapse on his couch after a failure like this. He doesn't want to be surrounded by classmates he barely tolerates, classmates who are better than him. No one says it, but he can feel their judgmental eyes on him.
They know now. They know he's weak, a failure. Worthless, his mind supplies. Can't stop some second-rate villains from kidnapping him, can't get his license like the rest of the damn class.
Except for Icy Hot. That thought offers him a little bit of comfort in his deepening loneliness.
Katsuki wants to see his parents badly. He really wants his fathers brand of comfort, quiet and soothing. Telling him that he's not a horrible, miserable loser with no future. But no, he didn't think he would fail, and so he didn't get a permission slip filled out two weeks ago and now he's trapped in this building with people he can't stand and fucking Deku of all people tiptoeing around him and he seriously is gonna lose his shit.
Like Katsuki predicted, he loses his shit and his mind and any semblance of control, but he wins his fight with Deku.
He doesn't feel better though.
Feeling better doesn't happen until fourteen days after his failed exam, when he finally gets to go home. Yeah, he filled out a permission slip the very next day and pretended not to notice Aizawa’s searching gaze.
The tired man didn't try to force Katsuki to talk about it, which he is quietly grateful for.
Katsuki takes the train home on Friday afternoon, his anticipation for the upcoming weekend full of family time making his chest feel lighter than it has in a very long time.
He walks up to the front door, turns the handle.
It's unlocked.