Puppet Master

Let's Meet Our Candidates!

Mary Lou sat in her bakery watching as the store operations went on. She wasn't working today. No, she had something far more important to do: meet potential adopting candidates. She had her hair pulled into a messy bun to seem not threatening but still put together. With a blue sweater and a pair of black jeans, she was ready to meet, and interrogate, whoever was to come through that door. Well, at least those who were here to talk with her. Most were customers.

*Ring Ring*

Soft Blossom Bakery's door opened. In came the first applicant. Or two. It was a man and his wife. Oh. Three. Their... son too, apparently. Mary Lou looked down at the papers. The pictures lined up.

Masaru and Mitsuki Bakugou. They have connections with the Midoriya family as family friends though they had no clue what was happening to Izuku before he ran away over four years ago.

Mary Lou stood up and waved. "Mr. and Mrs. Bakugou!" The three turned and looked at her. Their son, Katsuki Bakugou, obviously took after his mother with both of them having incredible spiky blond hair. The father seemed to sort of meld into the background. Katsuki Bakugou had apparently attended school with Izuku from preschool up until he ran away.

"Ms. Takakawa," Mr. Bakugou greeted, holding out his hand. "I am Masaru Bakugou. It is a pleasure to meet you." His grip was firm. "Same for me."

"Hello, Ms. Takakawa," Mrs. Bakugou extended her hand. "I am Mitsuki Bakugou," she introduced herself. Her grip was far tighter than her husband's. "This is our bra- son, Katsuki." Mary Lou smiled down at him. He glared up at her. Oooh, scary.

"Hey."

Mary Lou grinned. "Nice to meet you all. Would you care to take a seat?" Mary Lou got straight to business. "I understand that you have known Izuku since he was a babe?"

Mrs. Bakugou nodded. "Yes. I was friends with Inko since our high school days."

"So I've heard," Mary Lou did not mean for it to come out like that. "Were you aware of how Izuku was being treated at home?" Mrs. Bakugou shook her head. "Regretfully not." She held fierce anger in her eyes. "Have you been informed about his current condition?" Mary Lou asked.

"Eh?" she glanced down at their son. "Is he sick or something?"

Mr. Bakugou shook his head. "She means the trauma, Katsuki." The blonde boy huffed. "Yeah, we've heard. Sucky hand life dealt to him." Mary Lou raised an eyebrow at his brash language but otherwise said nothing.

"How much about Izuku do you know?" Mary Lou asked.

Mrs. Bakugou took a deep breath. "We know of his quirk as we had been interrogated for potentially aiding Inko in abusing him. On that matter, we know of the abuse that he had been put through because of it and at the hands of Inko, though we are not sure of everything that has been done. We also know that up until a few months ago he has been living on the streets homeless."

Mary Lou nodded. "Yes. Along the terms of abuse, and I am only telling you this much because you have known him the longest, Ms. Midoriya's abuse ranged from quirk abuse, blunt force trauma, isolation, starvation, and locking him in small dark places for extended periods of time. On the streets, Izuku was constantly fighting for his life and has even mentioned that on a few occurrences he has been a victim of rape." That was apparently something they did not know if their expressions were anything to go by. "Izuku has a distinct fear of any living thing, does not speak much, if ever, and suffers from a severe case of PTSD and claustrophobia. If I may ask, how do you plan on taking care of a child with such an array of trauma-induced symptoms and fears?"

Mr. Bakugou spoke up this time. "Honestly, we aren't sure, but we feel that our being familiar faces would be good for him other than setting him with a family of strangers that he does not know."