It happens sometime after the week-long field training and slightly before the end of term practical exam.

Katsuki's route to school routinely takes him through a rougher part of town. He doesn't mind, simply because he's Bakugou fucking Katsuki and has nothing to fear from anyone who might be stupid enough to attack him.

(That being said, he's used to seeing the engraved dirt on dark brick walls, used to smelling the rotting carcasses of animals intertwined with tobacco smoke, used to hearing pants and moans in alleys. It's all just background noise at this point.)

But something tugs at him, gently suggests that he turn into a familiar, filthy alleyway. Somewhat annoyed, he turns at the last second and slinks towards the entrance. Instinct tells him that there's something inherently wrong with the whole picture and he follows its' call.

There's a squeak, suddenly, that pierces his brain. Gritting his teeth, Katsuki huffs and squats, his hands surprisingly gentle as he helps the struggling kitten out of the box it found itself in.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it you little fuck," he mutters, licking his thumb and rubbing the dirt out the kitten's mangy fur. It weakly protests and he snorts. "Don't make that face, you're fucking filthy. And where's your mom, anyway?"

Katsuki glances around the alley, the sounds of the traffic far away. There's an almost eerie silence permeating the air and his sigh sounds put-upon to any who pass by. His eyes spot a bloody, furry body on the ground not far away and he knows that the kitten is all alone. Almost grudgingly, he scoops up the black ball of fur and cradles the small, bloated body carefully. He wipes one sweaty palm on his uniform and swaps the kitten for the dryer palm. His sneer is deeper than usual as he steps back onto the street, determination fueling him.

He doesn't quite relax until he returns home, where the front door shields him from any and all prying eyes. The kitten's struggles died long ago but with the slamming of the front door it wakes up and continues wiggling in his grasp. Katsuki's sneer fades, leaving a grumpy frown in its' place.

"God will you just fucking stop? I'm tryin to take care of your little ass here," he scolds the kitten with an almost affectionate tone. It ignores him, tiny paws stretching as far as they will go. Katsuki rolls his eyes, his fingers tapping the kitten's forehead gently.

Footsteps echo down the hallway and his mother appears from beyond the foyer. She takes one look at him and groans. Without a word, she leaves, a hand on her forehead dramatically.

"Nothing to say this time huh?!" he quips with a self-satisfied grin. His mother groans louder in response.

"You know where the baby bottles and the formula are!" she reminds him. Katsuki huffs at that as he bounds towards the kitchen.

The family cat looks up as Katsuki enters, meowing a soft greeting that quickly sours into a growl. Katsuki ignores the noise as he moves around, kitten still clutched protectively in his grasp.

"Fuck off Tama," he says, waving the hissing cat away. Tama bolts immediately, probably holing herself in Katsuki's room.

Expertly, Katsuki prepares the formula and idly rubs one of the kitten's warm, dry ears. He lets it sniff the bottle once he's finished preparing it, satisfied when it begins suckling.

"Hmmm, gotta pick out a name for you, you little bastard," he says to it, fingers rubbing the kitten's stomach. The kitten ignores him. Katsuki studies it, scowling at the dirty clumps of fur sticking to its' body. It desperately needs a bath, and Katsuki idly wonders how long the kitten had been struggling with its' prison, how long the decaying body of its' mother had been there. His blood bubbles weakly at the thought.

"This is gonna be a pain in the ass," he mumbles as the kitten finishes its milk. It begins purring up a storm, yawning widely and showing off a sharp tooth. Katsuki pokes the tooth while he sets the bottle down, snorting in amusement at the kitten's weak indignation. His mother sneaks over to him, her fingers gentle as they reach out and stroke the kitten's head.

"Katsuki, are you going to clean that little guy up?" his mother asks, cooing softly over the animal she's fallen in love with.

(Katsuki's weakness for cats is apparently genetic, as is his quirk.)

"Someone's gotta do it," he mumbles, shifting his feet. He towers over his mother, looms really, and the height difference is only slightly uncomfortable. He vividly remembers looking up to his mother and the change from short to tall is staggering. His mother smiles up at him, her own damp fingers gripping his cheek softly. Weakly, he bats her away. The scowl on his face is barely there.

"Such a fine hero-to-be, despite that bad boy attitude!" she says, giggling at the red tinging his cheeks. If that had come from anyone else he would have blown them up. "Here, I'll take that little baby and you can go start your homework." Reluctantly, he hands his mother the kitten. She coos in its face, always so very gentle.

"Thanks, Ma," he says, the strap of his forgotten bag clenched tightly in his fist. His mother pats his back absentmindedly, the touch familiar and almost soothing. He allows himself to let everything go for a moment, relishes in the peaceful moment and clings to its memory as soon as it ends.

(Inevitably, his insecurity creeps back up on him, long after the kitten falls asleep on him and he decides to name it Kuro for the shiny black fur it has.)

(His limbs shake and he doesn't fucking know if he's scared or angry and that just makes it so much worse.)

(But the warm, little body curls up closer and his heart is healed, just a little bit.)

Alternative title: Soft Spots. Anyway, I feel Katsuki is just a biiiit OOC but whatever. What's done is done. I just really wanted Katsuki adopting a stray kitten ok. Also, Tama the cat was another stray he took in. And I imagine his mother teases him a lot bc god damn that's cute as heck. Katsuki the Momma's Boy.