Chapter Text
“…Izuku?” Was the first thing to come out of his mouth, the first thing he said to Izuku Midoriya in sixteen long years. Katsuki felt like he was seeing a ghost— no, he really was seeing a ghost, standing in the middle of the empty hospital hallway.
Everyone thought Izuku had run away, or died, or— But here he was, standing ten feet in front of Katsuki, looking skinnier and duller than the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed teenager he remembered.
Izuku’s head snapped up, his chest visibly stuttering as he locked eyes with Katsuki. Katsuki watched the way Izuku’s breath hitched when he realized who he was seeing again— Kacchan, the love of his life, his soulmate. His reason to keep living.
Izuku stared at Katsuki, his eyes twinkling like they used to but only just barely, before he quickly looked away to continue peering through the tiny window of the hospital room door.
Katsuki’s brows knitted together. That was not what he had been expecting from Izuku’s reaction. He quickly closed the distance between them, raising his hand to put it on Izuku’s shoulder and turn the shorter boy closer to him, but he paused at Izuku’s reaction.
He watched in real time as Izuku flinched and shied away from his hand, his face twisting into a wince like he expected to be hit. That gave Katsuki enough pause to pull away.
“Izuku—“ he tried again, before catching a glimpse of what Izuku was looking at through the little door window.
A boy— not much older than ten or eleven, if Katsuki had to guess. A boy with curly blonde hair and freckles. A boy with curly blonde hair and freckles who was being resuscitated on the table.
Izuku’s gaze shifted to Katsuki once again. “Kacchan,” He murmured, his voice feeble but sounding like a string orchestra to Katsuki’s ears. “You can’t be here— please, go,”
Katsuki stared at him, his brain connecting the dots as quickly as he could. He heard footsteps coming up behind him as his brain computed the information he’d observed. Izuku had gone missing— run away, died, whatever— eleven years, thirty two days, and seven hours ago. Katsuki’s eyes slid to the boy on the bed, watching as the doctors rushed around him, trying to get his oxygen levels up. He observed the boy’s features, watched as his bleak eyes opened to search for something. Katsuki felt ill when he saw his own eyes staring back at him.
“Excuse me,” Came a gruff voice from behind him, a broad man basically shoving him out of the way. “Izuku, what are you doing here?” The man said, and immediately Katsuki’s hair stood on end at the man’s tone. “I told you to wait by the chairs,”
Izuku’s face grew stonier than Katsuki had ever seen it as he saw the man. “I’m worried about him,” He uttered, not looking in Katsuki’s direction.
The man’s face turned murderous. “I told you to wait by the chairs, bitch!” He snapped, and Katsuki had had enough.
“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki snarled at the man, immediately moving to stand in between him and Izuku. “Don’t speak to him that way,” He continued.
“Oh yeah?” The man drawled, looking Katsuki up and down. “Or what?”
Katsuki realized Izuku was trying to get his attention. He turned, still standing protectively between them. “Kacchan?” Izuku questioned.
Out of the corner of Katsuki’s eye he watched the man’s face turn pale. He heard the man start to retreat but paid him no mind, all attention on Izuku.
“Kacchan, please help me,” Izuku breathed out, looking like apprehension and fear was running through his veins. “Please—“ He choked up, glancing through the window again. “I— that man kidnapped me and t-trapped me in his basement,” The smaller boy murmured fearfully, his hand feebly gripping into Katsuki’s shirt now.
Katsuki’s world imploded. Every horrible thing he’d thought about Izuku for abandoning him, running away, choosing someone else? Gone. His brain computed the information slowly, too bogged down by the child on the other side of the door and Izuku in front of him. He stared at Izuku blankly for a few moments, trying to force some words out.
Instead, tears started to well in Katsuki’s eyes and trickle down his handsome face. “Izuku,” He sobbed out breathlessly, his words coming out like they were torn right from his chest. “Izuku, all this time?” He asked raggedly, eyes wild.
Izuku’s own eyes welled up as he slowly nodded in response. “T-the whole time, Kacchan,” He whispered, trembling in front of him.
Katsuki couldn’t take it any more— this boy, well, man, now. The man he loved, had loved for so long, who probably hadn’t felt loved or safe in all that time he was missing. He wrapped his arms tightly around Izuku’s shoulder and crushed him into his chest, determined to never let go again.
“Excuse me—“ a nurse said, interrupting them. “But I’m a mandated reporter, and—“
Izuku melted into him, starting to sob quietly into his chest. “Kacchan— Kacchan, He’ll kill him, you need to— to catch him, to call the cops— I—“
“Woah, Izuku, slow down,” Katsuki said, gently pulling back to look at the blonde. “Kill who?”
“M-my other son, Kosuke,” Izuku said, his eyes wide with horror. “Please, Kacchan—…”
“I got it— I got you,” Katsuki uttered firmly, grasping Izuku’s shoulders and looking to the nurse. She was already dialling security. He barely even registered the words ‘other’ and ‘son’, his brain deciding he couldn’t think about it all right now. “I’m coming back. Don’t go anywhere,” He murmured quickly, looking to the nurse. “Please stay with him?” He asked, eyes wide and panicked.
“Of course,” the nurse replied, sliding a comforting arm over Izuku’s shoulders.
Katsuki pressed a kiss to Izuku’s forehead before taking one last look at him and dashing off in the direction the man had gone.
“I won’t go anywhere, Kacchan,” Izuku said to Katsuki as he rushed off like the hero he was, before turning to find the door to the hospital room opening.
Katsuki caught up to the man near the hospital entrance, a security guard who’d received the page hot on his heels. He watched in satisfaction as the guard used his taser on the man to stop him, watching as the man fell onto his front and twitched from the taser.
“…I owe you one.” Katsuki said to the guard before pulling out his phone and dialling 911.
“911, what is your emergency?” The operator said from the other side of the line.
Katsuki blanked in that moment, only
coming back to himself when the operator asked the question again. “Sorry—“ He said quickly, voice gruff. “I need to report… so much. There was a kidnapping— Ten years ago, Izuku Midoriya.”
The operator fell silent for a moment. “…And what about this information is emergent?” The operator continued.
“I found him,” Katsuki breathed, watching the security guard cuff the man in front of him. “We’re at Shizuoka Hospital— He’s here with his s-son. Looks to be around nine or ten, maybe older… And hospital security has the guy who he accused in cuffs right now. He says there’s another kid, though. Still hidden somewhere in a basement, who needs to be found,”
The operator was silent for a moment before continuing. “I’m dispatching the police to your location,” She said gently. “They’ll be there in five minutes, please call back if there are any more emergencies that require additional units,”
Katsuki took a breath, then slowly exhaled. “…Okay, thanks,” He said roughly, his hands shaking as he hung up the call.
He looked at the man lying on the ground, eyes dark. Everything he wanted to do to this sick fuck. He barely even registered the sirens as they pulled up. He needed to get back to Izuku, needed to see him again.
Katsuki spoke plainly to the police, telling them everything he’d told the 911 operator and everything Izuku had told him. The cops
took one look at the guy and slapped their own cuffs on him.
A kind female officer approached Katsuki as her colleagues pushed the man into the car. “Could you bring me to Midoriya?” She asked Katsuki gingerly, to which he nodded gently. “Yeah— um, this way.” He said quietly, leading her back through the halls of the hospital.
Izuku was gone from the hallway when they arrived, as well as the nurse. His heart rabbited anxiously in his chest before he noticed the open door. His breath hitched as he caught sight of Izuku, his Izuku, again. He looked ethereal, despite being dressed in ratty sweats and an oversized tee with mussed hair and tired eyes. The nurse loitered beside him, checking the kid’s vitals.
“Izuku,” Katsuki said gently, wavering at the doorway. Izuku was sitting next to his son, holding his hand. The boy had stabilized. He was finally breathing properly and getting enough oxygen. “The… the police would like to talk,” He muttered, running a hand through his hair anxiously.
Izuku’s eyes went wide. They flitted to the female officer next to Katsuki before welling with tears again. “Right— uhm, thank you,” He said shakily, voice small as he carefully stood up. Katsuki rushed to his side to support him immediately, guiding him out to the hallway so he could speak with the officer. He tuned out as Izuku answered her questions, his eyes trained on the boy— his boy??— his mind unhelpfully supplied.
The dates matched. The kid looked like him— had his eyes and Izuku’s freckles, for god’s sake. He wanted to kill that slimy motherfucker so bad—
“Kacchan?” Izuku’s melodious voice broke his train of thought. Katsuki zoned back in to the female officer gone— likely to accompany her colleagues back to the station.
“Izuku?” He replied back, staring adoringly down at Izuku. He had so much to say. I miss you. I need you. I want you. I’m never letting you out of my sight ever again.
“They’re yours,” Izuku said abruptly. “T-the twins— that’s Haruka, in there… and Kosuke is still—“ He cut himself off, taking a shaky breath in.
Katsuki’s world broke in two for the second time that night. He had children. His children. His and Izuku’s children. He blinked when he saw Izuku’s breathing starting to speed up.
“Hey— hey,” Katsuki murmured gently, tilting Izuku’s head up to look at him with fingers gently tucked against his skin. “They’ll find him. My Izuku’s smart enough, you probably memorized every little detail on the way here…” He trailed off, looking down into Izuku’s eyes. “Fuck, I missed you,” He whispered.
Izuku’s eyes were shiny with tears. “Kacchan, I missed you too.” He whimpered out, sniffling softly. “I t-thought about you every day—“
Izuku’s gentle confession was cut off by the boy in the hospital bed. Katsuki’s boy. “Papa?” He called out, voice weak.
“Haru!” Izuku cried immediately, his hand still entwined with Katsuki’s as he rushed into the hospital room, pulling the blonde with him.
“Papa—“ Haruka cried out, sitting up despite the nurse’s vehement concern.
“Baby, oh my baby,” Izuku sobbed out, leaning down over Haruka’s hospital bed and hugging him tightly. Haruka’s eyes met Katsuki’s over Izuku’s shoulder, both blondes freezing in place.
“…Dad?” Haruka’s feeble voice came out, his crimson eyes wide.
Katsuki’s heart cracked clean in two just then. He recognized him. His son recognized him. Izuku must have talked and talked and— He immediately sat down on the other side of Haruka’s bed, nodding softly. “I’m here, Kiddo,” He said, voice tight as he took Haruka’s hand and squeezed it ever so gently.
“Dad— you’re here… am I dreaming again?” He asked, panickedly looking over at Izuku. Katsuki watched Izuku smile and take Haruka’s hand.
“We got out, baby,” Izuku murmured, and Katsuki’s cleaved heart throbbed.
“We got out, and they’re looking for your brother right now. Zen was arrested,” Izuku said, squeezing Haruka’s hand again.
Zen. Katsuki catalogued that name for later. For now, he looked down at his son before glancing back over at Izuku. “I’ll never let any of you go ever again,” He said firmly, reaching for Izuku’s free hand over the hospital bed. “Ever,”
“Because what do barnacles do?” Haruka piped up, his smile wide despite the dullness in his eyes.
Katsuki glanced at Izuku, choked up at the thought of him teaching their kids the rhyme they used to repeat over and over from ages five to sixteen— all alone.
“They stick like glue,” Izuku and Katsuki murmured in unison, meeting each other's eyes and breaking into twin smiles.
“Oh no,” Haruka said faintly. “You’re sappy. Both of you are sappy. I’m going to di—“
“Don’t you dare, baby,” Izuku said firmly, getting Katsuki a little hot under the collar. “No dying. Never again,”
Haruka’s mouth clamped shut before he nodded gently, glancing between the two of them and their clasped hands. “…I won’t, I promise,” He said softly, squeezing their hands back.
Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin as Katsuki’s phone started buzzing rapidly. He pulled it out, not missing the wondrous looks on both Izuku and Haruka’s faces. “Bakugou,” He answered thinly. His eyes widened before he looked at Izuku and Haruka. “They found him— they found Kosuke, he’s on his way here now,”