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Chapter Text

Bakugou couldn’t believe it. He was finally going on a date with Kirishima Eijirou. It only took a year and a half of intense crushing and nagging from his so-called friends.

Their summer vacation had been coming to an end when he had gotten the text out of nowhere from the redhead. Bakugou had taken far too long to respond, having needed a good amount of time to calm himself down enough to type without blowing up his phone.

But the time had come, a week before they were due back to the dorms, for their date.

Bakugou nervously tugged at his shirt as he stared at himself in the mirror, debating if he was dressed too casual. It was only dinner and a movie, nothing fancy or special. He turned back to his closet, ignoring the mess of clothes that he had already strewn across his bed. Maybe something else…

His phone beeped out the special ringtone Kirishima had set for himself. Bakugou abandoned his fashion dilemma as he dug out his phone, heart thudding in fear that he had gotten the time wrong and he was actually terribly late for their first date.

Shitty Hair: Hey, Bakugou! Sorry to let you know so late, but I can’t make it tonight something urgent came up next time tho ok? Pls don’t be mad ill make it up to you

Bakugou stared at it, reading the message over and over again as it slowly sank in. A nasty feeling rose up in his stomach as he tossed the phone away, not wanting to deal with it. For a few minutes, he laid on his bed, trying to come to terms that it wasn’t happening.

It’s fine. There are more chances. He couldn’t help it. Calm down.

It didn’t help much. He wanted to rage and scream and blow something up, but he knew it wouldn’t help and that that was childish. He would have another chance. And he’d see Kirishima in a week anyway. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

He dug out his phone again typing back a quick “whatever” to make sure Kirishima knew he wasn’t mad at him or anything stupid like that.

He’ll probably call tomorrow, Bakugou thought as he started to look around for something else to occupy his time.

Kirishima didn’t call. He didn’t text either. Which was weird. Kirishima was chatty, and would happily narrate his daily life through text if you let him. Bakugou was used to checking his phone to find three or four messages from the other waiting for him.

But he wasn’t used to complete silence like this.

“Damn it, Shitty hair,” Bakugou grumbled after the third day as he picked up his phone and called the other himself.

It rang several times, another odd thing for Kirishima unless he was working out. Finally he answered, sounding harried. “Hey, sorry Bakugou, but I really can’t talk right now.”

“What’s got you so busy, huh?” Bakugou snapped.

“Ah, nothing! It’s just— oh, shit— I gotta go. Bye!” Kirishima hung up before Bakugou could say anything more.

But something had caught his attention during the call other than Kirishima’s oddness. There was a baby crying in the back.

Bakugou was pretty aware that Kirishima had younger siblings, but he was pretty sure the youngest was around seven. Definitely not a baby. So whose was it?

Move-in day arrived without any more word from Kirishima. Bakugou spent most of the morning moving the boxes and getting things somewhat organized. All the while, he kept his door open, waiting for the familiar flash of red hair to breeze by.

But Kirishima never showed.

“Oi, Pinky,” Bakugou called when he entered the common room later in the evening. Mina looked up at him, used to the nickname by now. “Where’s Kirishima?”

“You haven’t heard from him either?”

“Not for a few days.” Bakugou ignored the relief that welled up inside him now that he was sure Kirishima wasn’t just ignoring him. “You don’t know anything?”

Mina shook her head. “No. I was kind of hoping you did.” She frowned. “He didn’t say anything about moving in late. Maybe there’s some sort of family trouble?”

The crying baby popped into Bakugou’s head again. “Maybe.” He started to walk away before Mina called him back.

“Oh! How did your date go?”

Bakugou blinked at her. She smiled back innocently, and Bakugou was again reminded that Kirishima had been friends with her for years longer than he knew Bakugou. Of course, he would tell Mina. “We didn’t go,” he mumbled. “Something came up.”

The girl’s expression softened into something more considerate. “I’m sorry, Bakugou. I know Kirishima was really excited to go. I’m sure whatever’s going on must be really important.”

“It fuckin’ better be.”

When Kirishima failed to turn up by noon the next day, Bakugou had had enough. He got the address from Mina and headed out to find Kirishima and get some answers.

As he walked through the streets around Kirishima’s neighborhood, he wondered briefly if it hadn’t been a bad idea to bring Mina along with him. But the girl had been sure that Bakugou would probably be better off without her, though she did want a report on what was going on as soon as he got back.

Finding the right house, Bakugou knocked on the door, feeling his heart beating faster in his chest. What was he even doing here? Surely Kirishima was fine and he would probably just cause more problems being here than anything.

He had just enough to time to consider leaving when the door opened and a young dark-haired girl Bakugou recognized as Kirishima’s youngest sister stared up at him. “Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Ki—Eijirou. Is he around?” Bakugou tried to peek into the house, hoping to spot the guy. He always felt so awkward with kids.

“Yeah.” She giggled. “But he’s busy.”

Did he tell her to say that? Bakugou’s annoyance peeked. “I need to see him.”

“Okay,” she sang out sweetly, opening the door wider. “Come in.”

He followed her down the entrance hall, gaze sliding over the multitude of photos hanging on the walls, sporting children and happy family members of all ages. Kirishima’s face stuck out to him in each one he was in, though Bakugou could see the similarities between him and the rest of his family. Cute, he thought to one of the last photos, depicting a baby that could only be Kirishima.

“That’s his room,” the girl said, pointing to a door painted a bright red that clashed with the rest of the colors of the house. “Bye~”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, moving past her. She was sweet in the way Kirishima was, happy to be helpful.

He knocked on the door, again wondering if this was the right choice.

The door opened lightning fast, revealing a very exhausted Kirishima. “Quiet! I just got him to sle—“ Kirishima stopped, jaw going slack when he saw Bakugou. “I—what are you doing here?”

“You didn’t move into the dorms. We’re concerned.” He tried to look past Kirishima and into the room, but the redhead was more than effectively blocking the way, even closing the door more to make sure Bakugou could see nothing. “What’s going on?”

“It’s complicated.” Kirishima glanced down the hall. “Look, I’m probably going to move in a few days. There’re just a few arrangements that need to be made before then.” He was keeping his voice soft, as if afraid to wake someone.

“And you didn’t think to tell someone this before?” Bakugou asked, voice rising. “You didn’t think that maybe we would be concerned about you?”

“Bakugou, keep it down!” Kirishima hissed.

For some reason, that just pissed the blond off even more. “Why?” he half-shouted. “Could you please just explain what the fuck is going on?”

“Bakugou, it’s not that ea—” he paused as a baby’s cry began to rise up from the room behind him. “Ah, shit.” Kirishima moved back from the door crossing the room swiftly.

Bakugou followed him cautiously, taking in the bright posters from movies and of superheroes that covered the walls. The cluttered bookshelf and desk. The messy bed. The crib tucked into the corner.

The baby Kirishima was now trying sooth back to sleep.

“Whose baby is that?” Bakugou found himself asking, voice low, almost a whisper.

Kirishima didn’t answer, too wrapped up in his task.

“Kirishima, whose baby is that?” he repeated louder.

The redhead slowly turned to look at him, eyes meeting his with the utmost seriousness. Bakugou already knew the answer, had known since he walked into the room, but it was still a shock when Kirishima said:

“He’s mine.”

Chapter Text

Bakugou made his way back to the school in a daze. In his mind, he kept playing the conversation over and over, still somewhat unable to comprehend what had been said.

“Yours?” Bakugou repeated. “The fuck do you mean yours?” Panic had started to set in. Kirishima couldn’t have been with a girl. Bakugou would have known. And he surely wasn’t dumb enough to get her pregnant and now he was stuck with a baby?

Kirishima sighed, setting the baby back down in the crib and gently rocking it. “Look, I’ll explain everything, just keep your voice down, okay?” Bakugou crossed his arms, waiting. “So one of my mom’s friends was visiting from another city and her quirk is to, uh, create babies? I know it sounds weird, but that’s what it is. She works in a clinic that helps couples who want biological children but either can’t or have issues getting pregnant.”

“And she what? Thought that you really needed a kid?”

“No,” Kirishima corrected, flushing. “It was an accident. We were out for lunch and she got knocked over and I happened to catch her and I guess she activated her quirk because of all a sudden,” he looked down at the dozing baby in the crib, a soft smile on his lips. “But yeah, we’re still, um, working out what we’re going to do while I’m at school.”

“Your mom can’t take care of it?”

Kirishima shook his head. “I have to stay near him for at least six months. Maybe more.”

“You don’t know?”

“Well, she said it’s usually six months, but that’s also when both parents are present when it happens.” Kirishima toyed with the hem of his shirt. “N—not that he has two parents. He’s just mine.”

Liar, Bakugou thought. He knew Kirishima too well but now wasn’t the time to press the issue. “And what happens if you’re away too long?”

Kirishima met his gaze again. “He disappears.”

Bakugou wasn’t sure what to say to that. Kirishima’s attention again returned to the child, his expression growing unbelievably fond. He loves that kid a lot, the blond noted, feeling somewhat bitter. “I should get back to the school.”

“Ah, right, yeah. Here, I’ll walk you out.” Kirishima led the way back through the house. “Thanks for coming to check up on me, Bakugou.”

“Yeah, well, someone had to figure out what you were up to, shitty hair. People were getting worried.”

Kirishima smiled at the nickname. “Still, thanks.” They reached the door. “Um, you can tell the others, if you want. I’ll probably call Mina tonight to explain it all to her. That’s probably better than just turning up with him, right?”

The blond rolled his eyes. “You could’ve told us all ages ago, dumbass. It’s not like we’d give you shit or anything.”

“I didn’t want to make anyone worry.”

Bakugou still felt annoyed at that. If you didn’t want us to worry, then let us know, hair for brains, he silently berated as he walked into the dorms.

Mina and the rest of the class looked up when he came in, expectant and disappointed at the lack of Kirishima. “Well?” the pink girl asked.

“Kirishima has a kid.”

As expected, the room immediately erupted into noise, questions overlapping questions until no one could be understood. Bakugou took a moment to appreciate the power he had over his fellow classmates before he raised his hand, asking for silence.

“Before you demand answers and shit, listen. It’s a boy, it is his biological kid by way of a quirk accident, and the kid is going to be here with him, which is why he hasn’t moved in yet. Okay? Okay. Goodnight.”

Bakugou sped away to the stairs before anyone could fully process what he had said and catch up to him. He just reached his door when Mina came running down the hallways.

“Bakugou! Wait!”

The blond rolled his eyes but waited for her to catch her breath anyway. “What?”

“Kiri has a kid?”

“A baby.”

“You saw him?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he look like Kiri?”

Bakugou thought back to the baby. He hadn’t looked much different than most babies he had seen: chubby and soft, with red eyes and a bit of dark hair. The blond had thought that the baby did look like a photo of a baby he had seen, but it wasn’t the one of Kirishima. “I guess. I didn’t look that closely.”

The girl pouted. “You didn’t think to take a photo either did you?” Bakugou shrugged and she sighed. “Honestly, why do I even bother with you? Come back with news of a baby and no photos.”

“Ask him for photos. He said he was going to call you later anyway.”

“Good. I have a lot to say to him.” Mina turned and walked away. “Thanks, Bakugou!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled as he walked into his room.

Bakugou wasn’t sure what to do with himself that evening. Kirishima had texted him to make sure he had gotten back safely and to apologize again for not telling him sooner, but the redhead was too busy to continue to answer him and Bakugou gave up on it quickly.

Bored, he surfed the internet, looking for anything to hold his attention. He tried looking up the clinic Kirishima had mentioned the baby-making quirk woman worked at, finding their website easily. He scrolled through the general information, scanning it without much interest until he came to one section.

While both parents do not need to be present during the appointment, a child cannot be created without a significant bond between the two parents. There are of course legal issues with this as well…

“Significant bond, huh?” Bakugou wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Part of him wanted to believe that the site was just making it up, but he was sure Kirishima wasn’t being entirely honest about the baby just being his. But who is the other parent?

The question unnerved him and he closed the tab. His phone buzzed and for a moment, Bakugou thought it might be Kirishima, but was disappointed to find it was his mother.

Old Hag: Katsuki look what I found! You used to be so cute! Oh, how I miss those days….

Attached was a photo of him when he was a baby, maybe just a few months old, around how old Kirishima’s baby looked. Bakugou squinted down at the photo, realizing with a start why Kirishima’s baby looked so familiar.

Except for the dark hair, he looked exactly like Bakugou.

Chapter Text

Bakugou woke up the next day to a lot of noise right outside his door. Grumbling, he opened it with a jerk, ready to yell at whoever was there, only to find Kirishima looking back at him.

“Oh, good morning, Bakugou!” Kirishima said, cheery as ever as he juggled the baby in one arm while trying to drag his suitcase in the other. “Sorry if I woke you. I’m just trying to get all my stuff moved in.”

“I see that.” Bakugou sighed. “Give me five minutes to get dressed and I’ll help you.”

Kirishima’s eyes widened. “That’s not necessary. I can do it on my own! And my mom’s here to help me.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “You can’t do shit holding the kid, dumbass. Go sit down somewhere. You’re pissing me off.”

The blond didn’t let the other respond before kicked the door shut and hurried to get dressed. He made quick work of getting everything from Kirishima’s vehicle up to his room while Kirishima and his mom worked at getting everything organized and set up. How much baby stuff do you need? Bakugou thought to himself as he carried up the last of it, setting it down just inside the doorway.

Kirishima’s room was different from previous years. Much of the louder decorations and bulkier training equipment had been left behind to make room for the crib and other things, though Bakugou could still see his weight poking out from under the bed. Kirishima was working on setting up the crib while his mother watching over the baby.

That’s gotta be weird, holding your high school son’s kid while he moves into a fuckin’ dorm room. Bakugou wondered if she knew he was the other parent. He wasn’t sure he really wanted her to know. Oh, shit, how am I gonna tell my mom?

His internal terror was cut short by a far too excited Mina appearing out of nowhere. “Kiri, why didn’t you tell me you were moving in?” she asked, pouting at him before turning her attention to the baby. “Ooh, he’s so cute. Are you sure he’s yours?”

Mrs. Kirishima laughed. “Oh, we’re sure. He’s a cranky little guy, just like Ei when he was little.” Kirishima flushed, focusing harder on the crib. “Do you want to hold him?”

“Absolutely.” Bakugou watched as Mina carefully took the baby, following the instructions on how to hold him. “What a sweetie. Yeah, you like your auntie Mina, don’t you?” she cooed down at him. “I’m going to spoil you so much. I’ll be your favorite person.”

Kirishima finally finished with the crib and set it up right, adding the cushion and a pale blue blanket. “Yeah, you’re his favorite until—” With no warning, the baby started crying, chubby fists waving in the air as he kicked out. Kirishima was there in an instant, smoothly taking the baby into his arms. Instantly the baby quieted down, cooing as he stared happily up at his dad. “Until that.”

Mina pouted. “That’s not fair.”

“It’s part of the connection between the baby and a parent,” Mrs. Kirishima explained. “A side effect of the quirk. It should lessen as he gets older, but I believe that even as teens and possibly adults there’s still a calming effect of being around a parent.” She looked at her son fondly as he was settled the baby into the crib and began hanging up a Crimson Riot-themed mobile. “Well, if you’re all set, Ei, I’ll be going.”

“I’ll see you later then.” Kirishima gave her a quick hug.

“Bye sweetie,” she said to her son. “And bye to you, little one,” she said, waving at the baby.

Mina settled down on the bed after she left. “So, what’s his name? You never told me.”

Bakugou had just been considering leaving rather than continuing to loiter in the door but his curiosity got the better of him. “Yeah, what’s his name, shitty hair?”

“Bakugou, don’t swear around the baby,” Kirishima chided. He turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. “And I haven’t, uh, named him yet.”

“What?” Mina half shouted, covering her mouth when the baby made a noise. “Sorry,” she whispered. “But how could you not have named him yet?”

Kirishima shrugged. “I don’t know. I just never did, I guess. I need to soon. We’re working on getting him actually registered as a person and all that.”

“But this means that I can choose the name,” Mina said, beaming. “How about—”

“No,” Kirishima and Bakugou said together. Their eyes met and Bakugou thought that Kirishima knew that he knew, but the moment passed and Kirishima looked to Mina. “I’m not letting you name my baby.”

His baby, Bakugou repeated. Not mine. He should probably leave, let Kirishima and Mina squabble over names and stupid things like that on their own. Kirishima had made it clear that he was going to take sole responsibility for the baby. It wasn’t his problem.

“Yuuta.”

The two teens paused in their debate, turning to stare at him.

The blond shrugged. “What? It’s a nice name. Better than anything you shits would have come up with.”

“This coming from the guy who tried to call himself ‘Lord explode-kills,’” Mina retorted.

Kirishima quietly mouthed the name, looking down at the small child. “I like it,” he said.

“See? Look at that, problem solved.” Bakugou smiled at Mina’s annoyed pout. “Anyway, see you losers later. I’m going to make breakfast.” He turned away and started making his way down the hall.

“Hey, make me something too!” Mina called, chasing after him. “Bakugou, please I’m starving.”

Kirishima listened to their arguing until they made it to the stairs. He picked up the baby, cuddling him to his chest. “Kirishima Yuuta,” he said, trying it out. He sighed, frowning as the odd feeling it left in his chest. He tried a different one, one that left him a mixture of happy and terrified that he wasn’t quite ready to deal with yet.

“Bakugou Yuuta.”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t long before news of Kirishima’s arrival spread throughout the dorm and the rest of the class filled the common room, crowding around Kirishima and Yuuta. The girls were cooing over the baby, holding him for a few minutes before Yuuta would inevitably demand to go back to Kirishima. The boys kept a bit more of a distance, most of them shaking their heads vigorously when asked if they wanted to hold him as well.

“He is pretty cute,” Kaminari said, looking over Kirishima’s shoulder at the small child. “It’s still weird to think you have a kid though,” he added with a laugh.

Kirishima chuckled with him. “Yeah, it took me a few days to actually be sure I wasn’t dreaming the whole thing.”

“He’s very sweet,” Momo said. “Oh, we should go shopping to get him some baby clothes,” she suggested, eyes lighting up at the idea.

Mina latched onto the idea immediately. “We could throw him a baby shower!” The rest of the girls began chattering about it excitedly.

“That’s really not necessary,” Kirishima tried to cut in. “I already have plenty of stuff for him…” He trailed off, looking around for help, but everyone seemed to be joining in on the ruckus.

“Oi, dipshits,” Bakugou shouted from the doorway of the kitchen. “I made food. If you want some, hurry up and get it.”

The blond stood to the side as the class rushed past him, still talking about the potential baby shower. Kirishima was left standing in the middle of the common room, dazed from the last several minutes of socializing.

“Here,” Bakugou said, offering a plate of food to Kirishima. “Figured you needed a moment away from those nosey shits.”

Kirishima smiled at him. “Thanks, Bakugou.” He tried to take it, shifting Yuuta to one arm. “Um, would you mind taking—?” Bakugou awkwardly took the baby from him, trying to remember how Mina had held him earlier. Kirishima laughed. “He’s not going to break, blasty. Relax a bit.”

“Fuck off, shitty hair,” Bakugou groused as he settled onto a couch, trying not to think about the fact that he was holding his son. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad time to bring that up. He looked over at the redhead, noting the dark circles under his eyes. Maybe I should wait a bit, he thought, just until things settle down.

They sat in silence, listening to the dull babble of everyone in the other room. Yuuta yawned widely, his tiny fists stretching out in a way that made even Bakugou’s heart melt, and then the baby’s eyes slid closed and he fell asleep. Bakugou carefully shifted so he was leaning back, watching the little one’s face as he slept.

“He is kinda cute, I guess.”

Kirishima looked up from where he had been finishing his breakfast. “Yeah, he is—he fell asleep?”

“Well, he’s still breathing, so it would seem so.”

The redhead rolled his eyes. “It’s just that he never fell asleep for anyone else before, and half the time I have trouble getting him to sleep.”

Bakugou smirked. “Guess he likes me better then, hmm?”

Kirishima’s gaze turned downward as he set his plate aside. “Bakugou…”

“Aw, what a cute little family,” Sero commented, smiling at the three of them. “So precious. I might cry.”

“Shut the fuck up, you little—” Bakugou sat forward, momentarily forgetting the sleeping baby in his arms. The sudden movement startled the infant awake and an ear-splitting scream broke the peaceful morning of the apartment. “Shit."

Kirishima was there in an instant, lifting Yuuta into his arms and rocking him gently, humming soothingly. More faces appeared in the doorway behind Sero, curious what was happening. The redhead started making his way towards the stairs, apologizing as he went. The sound faded, though Bakugou could still hear it ringing in his ears.

“Bakugou, what’d you do?” Mina asked, teasing.

The blond rolled his eyes. “Fuck off,” he snapped, getting up from the couch. He grabbed a jacket that he was pretty sure was actually Todoroki’s and shoved his feet into his shoes, heading outside to clear his head.

Family. That’s what Sero had called them. Even if it was just meant as a joke, he wasn’t entirely wrong. If things had gone as planned, he and Kirishima would be dating now. But they weren’t and the baby was the cause of that. But it wasn’t like he could blame Yuuta, and he wasn’t going to act like he didn’t like the kid. He did, he was cute and Bakugou had no doubt that he’d grow up to be as sweet and caring as Kirishima, but that didn’t change the fact that he was also Bakugou’s.

Which was weird.

It wasn’t like he had never really thought of having kids. He supposed he wouldn’t mind having at least one, but he had always imagined that being a lot farther down the line after he had already established himself as a hero. Kirishima probably didn’t think he’d have a kid this soon either.

“At least my mom’ll be happy she has a grandkid,” he mumbled, kicking a rock off the path.

Bakugou looked back at the dorm building, counting up the floors to the one that he and Kirishima shared, finding the balcony that probably belonged the redhead. “I don’t know shit about kids,” he said to no one. “I don’t know how to be a dad.”

Chapter Text

“Kacchan? Are you okay?”

The blond swiveled around, spotting Midoriya approaching. He was sure that the other hadn’t heard and the relief took over what remaining annoyance still rose him at the sight of the green-haired teen. “Yeah, I’m fuckin’ great.”

“Yuuta’s cute.”

“No shit.”

Midoriya smiled at him, knowing there was no bite to the blond’s words. “It means ‘great bravery’ right?” Bakugou shrugged, not understanding why Midoriya was trying to have a conversation with him. “I’ve always thought Kirishima was pretty brave, but trying to raise a kid while still in school to be a hero,” he paused, sighing, “that’s really brave, don’t you think?”

“I guess.”

“The kind of bravery a real hero needs.”

“Thinking of getting your own kid, Deku?”

The other laughed. “No, no. I’m just saying, Kirishima’s really admirable. Though I think a lot of the guys are going to be pretty jealous of him in a few days.”

Bakugou frowned. “The fuck does that mean?”

Midoriya was already turning away, about to continue on with his jog. “Don’t you know? Baby’s are chick-magnets. The girls are going to be all over him once school starts.”

The common room was quiet when he returned. He returned the jacket from where he’d gotten in, ignoring the stare Todoroki gave him from the across the room. As he started to head upstairs, someone called his name.

“Bakugou, could you please take this upstairs to Kirishima?” Mina asked, holding out a baby bottle. “It’s for Yuuta.”

“Really? I thought it was Kirishima.” The blond rolled his eyes but took the bottle anyway.

When he reached his floor, he could hear the quiet sound of Yuuta fussing coming from Kirishima’s open door. “Kiri,” he called as he walked in, bottle offered out. The redhead had been pacing up and down his room, trying to calm the baby as they waited. “Here.”

“Oh, thank god,” Kirishima said, quickly taking the bottle and shifting Yuuta into a position to feed him. The baby stubbornly pushed the bottle away, continuing to cry. “C’mon, sweetie, I know you’re hungry. Don’t be like this okay?” With a little more coaxing, he got Yuuta to take the bottle.

“He really is a stubborn shit, isn’t he?”

“Don’t call him a shit, Bakugou,” Kirishima corrected him without looking up. “He’s a precious little human being and I love him dearly.”

Bakugou laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I know.” He watched as Kirishima moved to sit in a rocking chair, careful not to move the baby too much. “Sorry for upsetting him earlier.”

“It’s fine. It was about time for him to be fed anyways and then he can settle down for a nap for a while, now won’t you?”

The blond smiled at the cute voice Kirishima used when he was talking directly to Yuuta. The whole scene was soft and careful and peaceful and Bakugou felt like he was invading it, but he couldn’t make himself leave just left. “What are you planning on doing with him during school hours?”

“The school has a daycare facility for the staff and faculty who have kids that are too young to be in school themselves, so Yuuta will be there. The lady in charge has a quirk that calms kids, kinda like Midnight’s quirk to make people sleep, so he should be fine without me for a few hours.” Kirishima sighed.

“You’ll miss him.”

“I will. I’ve never been apart from him.”

“He’ll be fine. He’s surrounded by the best heroes and heroes in training in the world.” Bakugou snorted. “Pretty sure they can hire a decent babysitter.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point.”

Bakugou wasn’t sure if he knew exactly what Kirishima meant, but he understood at least part of it. “It’s only for a few hours,” he said quietly. “And you can probably visit him during lunch and long breaks too.”

“Yeah.” Kirishima set the now empty bottle aside. “Was that good, sweetie?” he cooed at Yuuta, who gurgled back, smiling up at him with his toothless mouth. “Ah, you’re so cute.”

The blond slowly backed out of the room, watching the two of them fondly until he had closed the door. You’re the cute one, Kiri, Bakugou thought as he made his way to his own room.

He sighed as he stretched out on his bed, wondering what he should be doing. He knew he still liked Kirishima, still wanted to date him. Yuuta was more something to work around than a problem, though Bakugou knew babies required a lot of attention.

His conversation with Midoriya from earlier came back to him. It was true that the girls had already gotten pretty attached to Yuuta, and those were just the ones from their class, the ones who tended to view him more as a brother than anything. But once the rest of the school found out…

Not to mention he’d probably want some help with Yuuta, he thought. If the girls started hanging out with him more to take care of Yuuta, they could easily grow close to Kirishima. And Kirishima might grow close to them in return…

The thought made his stomach turn unpleasantly.

Rolling over, Bakugou dragged his computer closer to him, opening it up. Bakugou wasn’t one to half-ass anything, and if he was going to be committed to Kirishima and Yuuta, he needed to know exactly what he was doing.

Chapter Text

The first day of school was usually chaotic, particularly at Yuuei. However, with the news of Kirishima’s magical new baby somehow spreading like wildfire throughout the classes, the students of 3-A were once again shoved to the front of everyone’s attention. A crowd had already gathered outside the room by the time Kirishima and friends arrived. It was only after a lot of yelling and small explosions that a path was eventually cleared and they could hide away from prying eyes within the classroom.

“Which one of you dumb fucks decided to tell everyone?” Bakugou snapped. “Can’t believe we have to deal with this shit.”

“I may have told Kendou in class B,” Momo said. “Though I doubt that she was the cause of this.”

“I told Tetsutetsu,” Kirishima said. “He probably told a lot of people.” He shrugged when Bakugou glared at him. “I didn’t think that it would end up being this bad.”

“Hair for brains,” Bakugou grumbled.

Mina giggled. “Well, I kind of posted a few pictures on my insta.” She held up her hands defensively as Bakugou’s burning gaze turned to her. “What? Yuuta is too cute to be kept a secret! Besides, it was going to get out anyways.”

“Don’t want to deal with this shit though.”

Kirishima patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Bakugou. I’m sure it’ll calm down soon enough.”

Their teacher entered, and class began for their final year. As they went through the boring first day things, Bakugou’s attention drifted off and he found himself glancing over to Kirishima’s seat. Every time he did, it seemed like Kirishima was more and more nervous. At first, it was subtle, but as time went on it became more obvious until everyone had taken note of it.

It was a relief when the bell for lunch rang. Bakugou made his way over to Kirishima’s desk. “You want to go visit Yuuta real quick?” he asked, keeping his voice somewhat low so the other’s wouldn’t hear. Not that it really mattered.

“Ooh, yes! I miss him already,” Mina said as she butted in on the conversation.

Kirishima only laughed at her excitement and said that company wouldn’t hurt. Sero tagged along too, claiming he was curious about what the daycare facility was like, and Kaminari joined in, giving some vague reason about not wanting to sit at lunch alone.

When the five of them showed, the middle-aged woman in charge of the daycare looked a little alarmed, but recognizing Kirishima, she allowed them to come in on the promise that they didn’t cause any trouble. “One child starts crying and you’re out,” she said as she opened the door, looking sternly at Bakugou.

Yuuta gave a happy little shout when he saw Kirishima, reaching out to him. The redhead happily scooped him up, cooing sweet things down at him.

“Ugh, parenthood has made you gross,” Sero commented. Yuuta reached a hand out over Kirishima’s shoulder, seemingly reaching towards the sound of Sero’s voice. Sero caught the hand with his finger, watching the tiny fist close around it and hold on tightly. “Oh my God. I understand.”

Kirishima laughed at him. “Isn’t he the most precious thing?”

“Yes. Oh, my God.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Fuck’s sake it’s just a baby,” he grumbled. Four pairs of eyes turned to glare at him. The blond glanced around at the other children in the room, most of who were old enough to speak and start picking up words. “Oops. Sorry.”

“Bakugou, you really need to learn to control yourself,” Mina chided. “I won’t have my adorable nephew picking up your sailor’s mouth.”

He rolled his eyes again, crossing his arms. Mina tried to take Yuuta from Kirishima, but the baby wasn’t having it, clinging to his dad as best he could. “Having some trouble there? Guess you’re not his favorite aunt.”

“Oh, shut up,” the girl snapped. “Why don’t you try then?”

Bakugou shrugged, holding out his arms for Yuuta. The kid gurgled happily, reaching out for him as well and Bakugou easily took him. “Ha,” he said, smirking over at Mina. “I’m the favorite.”

Mina pouted, looking away. Kaminari laughed. “Don’t worry. Yuuta will learn better soon enough.” The all burst into laughter with the exception of Bakugou whose smirk flattened down.

“Shouldn’t you all be getting to lunch now?” The lady said as she came in with a tray of lunches for the older children. Bakugou lowered Yuuta back down into the crib he’d been laying in. “Go on now. Don’t worry. He’s been perfectly well-behaved all morning.” She smiled pleasantly at Kirishima as he continued to linger even as the rest of the group began to file out.

“Kiri, he’ll be fine,” Bakugou said, grabbing his arm and leading him from the room. “I thought kids were the ones who had separation anxiety,” he half-joked as they walked along the hallway. Kirishima didn’t respond as he stared down at the floor in front of him. Bakugou bumped him with his shoulder. “Hey. It’s okay to be worried about him. Just remember that he’s fine.”

“I know.”

“And try to pay attention in class. Don’t think I’m going to waste all my time tutoring you again.”

Kirishima managed a small laugh. “Aw, c’mon, Bakugou. Don’t be mean.”

Mood lightened, they made their way to lunch, barely having enough time to scarf down their food before they had to return to class. Kirishima still got some odd looks and a few people attempted to approach him before being scared away by the blazing glare of Bakugou Katsuki.

The rest of the day passed in a flash and Kirishima was practically skipping on the way to pick up Yuuta. Once Yuuta was settled into the small stroller that Kirishima’s grandmother had gifted him, they began making their way back to the dorms.

Unfortunately, the stroller wasn’t exactly subtle, and they were spotted quickly. A flock of girls from different classes swarmed them, cooing down at the baby and flooding them with questions. Many of the girls continued on their way after they had gotten a good look at Yuuta and got his name and a bit more about him.

But a few stuck around longer than Bakugou really thought they should. One, in particular, seemed a little too nosy about how Kirishima was doing.

“I mean, having a baby and still being in school must be really hard, isn’t it?” she asked.

“I guess?” Kirishima answered, confused. “We haven’t really started yet, so…” He trailed off, trying to move forward, but the girl blocked the way.

“You’re planning on being a hero too, right? Won’t having a baby get in the way of that?”

Kirishima’s smile wavered, though he was still trying to hold it in place. “I’m not planning on letting it.”

“But having a family so early,” she sighed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “And imagine what people would think of you. A single guy trying to raise a kid on his own while being part of a dangerous profession.”

“I can manage it,” Kirishima said, voice going flat.

“Maybe. But wouldn’t it be easier to just put him up for adoption?”

Kirishima stiffened, hands gripping the stroller’s handle tighter. “I—”

“The fuck do you think you’re talking about?” Bakugou growled, sick of this girl and the snooty way she was daring to speak to Kirishima. “Obviously he isn’t doing that, so why don’t you fuck off?”

She turned her gaze on him, looking down her nose at him. Bakugou wanted to break it. “I’m just saying that if he was serious about being a hero—”

“He is serious about being a hero, and taking care of the kid,” Bakugou said, cutting her off. He grabbed Kirishima’s arm and started to march them forward, ignoring the annoyed sound the girl made when the stroller’s wheel ran over her toe. “Just because you aren’t capable of doing either doesn’t mean he can’t.”

Chapter Text

Yuuta was fussing by the time they got back to the dorm and Mina hurried off to get another bottle of formula. Kirishima lifted him up, humming softly as he tried to hush him. The baby wasn’t having it though and his cries began to grow louder as he made his way to the kitchen were Mina was just finishing filling a bottle. Kirishima tested it on his wrist once she handed it to him before he carefully moved Yuuta into a position to feed him.

Luckily, Yuuta accepted the bottle easily and the crying stopped, much to the relief to the students in the immediate area.

“You are two are so you cute,” Mina said, smiling at Kirishima. “You’re really starting to look like a dad, Kirishima.”

The redhead glanced up at her, not looking away from what he was doing for too long. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”

“Of course, it’s a compliment. I’m saying that you’re starting to get good at this. If it was me, I know I would be beyond freaking out.”

Kirishima shrugged. “I mean, it’s pretty stressful, but I’ve had a lot of help, so…” He trailed off, gazing down at the baby in his arms. “It’s worth it too.”

“Gross,” she said, nose wrinkling. “You’re so soft now. So full of cheese.” She laughed at the offended look Kirishima gave her. “I’m just joking around, calm down.”

Her gaze turned when Bakugou walked into the room, having finally finished with getting the stroller to fit in the entryway closet. Kirishima noticed the blond as well and almost immediately the tension between them rose. With a half-hearted excuse, Mina slipped away, wishing they would get their shit together, for the sake of innocent bystanders if nothing else.

“Bakugou, about what you said before,” Kirishima began. “Do you really think I can do it?”

Bakugou’s arms crossed against his chest as he leaned against the counter. “Bit late for you to be doubting yourself, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that I don’t think I can take care of Yuuta. It’s just—” he sighed, readjusting Yuuta in his arms to a more comfortable position. “I know that it isn’t going to be easy, and even with my mom and others helping look after him, being a hero takes a lot of time and I don’t want him to think I don’t want to be around him…”

“He’s not going to think that.” Kirishima shrugged. “Oi, shitty hair, listen to me. You’ve worked too damn hard to get where you are now. You already have a spot at a hero agency waiting for you once you graduate and you know damn well Fatgum isn’t going to give you shit for wanting time off to spend time with your son.”

“I guess.”

Bakugou frowned. Kirishima still wasn’t as cheered up as he was hoping for, but it was a lot of responsibility he supposed. “Look, it’s all up to you. If you don’t want to go through with being a hero or take a few years off before trying again, that’s your choice to make. But it’s only yours. You should do what you believe is best for you and Yuuta.”

“I know.” Kirishima sighed. “I want to think that I can do it, but sometimes I wonder… I guess I won’t know until I try though, right?” he said, smiling over at Bakugou.

“Right. But I think that you can, and you know I don’t like being wrong.” Kirishima laughed softly and Bakugou felt something in his chest heat up at the sound. “Besides, it’s not like you’re doing this shit alone.”

Kirishima looked up at him then, studying his face closely and Bakugou did his best not to look away or blush. “Yeah. I guess I’m not alone.” There was a moment of silence before Kirishima cleared his throat. “But, um, anyways, thanks for stepping in when you did. Though you could have been more polite about it.”

“I thought I was being polite.”

“Bakugou.”

The blond huffed. “Well, I wasn’t being as rude as I wanted to be.”

“Sure, you were.” Kirishima looked down at Yuuta, noticing the bottle was almost empty. “I’m going to head upstairs and try and get him down for a nap. Let the others know to be quiet, yeah?”

“Yeah.” The blond left the kitchen as Kirishima finished feeding Yuuta, finding many of their classmates sitting in the living room, all of whom quickly turned to whatever task they were pretending to be doing. He squinted at them suspiciously but elected to ignore it.

“Bakugou,” Uraraka called from across the room. She was sitting with Momo and Tsuyu at one of the tables, papers spread out before them. “Come here for a sec, would you?”

The blond considered just walking away if nothing else than to just piss her off, but he knew that was more trouble than it was really worth. “What?” he snapped.

“We’re planning Kirishima’s baby shower. We have a list of stuff that he could still use for Yuuta, though its mostly diapers and toys and stuff like that,” Uraraka explained, pointing to the list in question. “Do you want to be put down for anything? Also, we were hoping that you could make some of Kirishima’s favorite foods for the party since you know what he likes.”

“I can make food I guess,” Bakugou grumbled. Not like I don’t cook for that shit most of the time anyway. “Not getting him shit though.”

“Come now, Bakugou,” Tsuyu said. “It is for Kirishima.”

Bakugou scanned over the list. Nothing, in particular, jumped out at him. He shrugged. “I’ll think it over.”

“Well, think fast,” Uraraka said. “We’re having the party Saturday.”

He nodded, knowing that he’ll probably end up forgetting about it anyways. “I’ll get a list of shit I need for the food to you tomorrow.”

“Fantastic,” Momo said. She clapped her hands together, excited at the prospect of a party. “Everything’s coming together so perfectly.”

The afternoon past by quickly. Kirishima came down after a couple of hours and managed to get through half a movie before Yuuta was off again and he quickly hurried the crying baby away. As the evening grew later, the common room began to empty a few people at a time.

Bakugou got up to head to bed when he noticed Momo doing the same. Something that had been nagging at his mind since earlier drove him to catch her as she reached the stairs.

“Ponytail, hang on a second.”

Momo paused, looking back at him, completely unfazed by the nickname at this point. “Yes?”

“I was wondering if you could make something for me. For the baby shower.”

“Bakugou, if you don’t want to buy something, you don’t have to get anything.”

“It’s not something that I can buy.” Bakugou chewed on his lip. “Well, at least not in time for the baby shower. It’s a bit more special.”

The tall girl tilted her head to the side, curious. “What is it?”

Bakugou quickly explained his idea, barely even getting to the end before she was completely on board. “Think you can do it?”

“Oh, of course! That’s an amazing idea. I’ll have to do a bit of research for the material and come up with a precise pattern for it, but I think I can have them to you by Thursday.”

The blond shook his head. “Give them to him yourself. They don’t have to be from me. Just thought it’d be a nice present for him.”

Chapter Text

The calmness of the first day of school disappeared the students were thrown into their hardest year yet, one that would finalize them into being some of the best heroes yet. Homework was piled onto them, on top of intense practical lessons in both fighting and rescuing in a wide variety of scenarios.

Kirishima did his best, throwing himself into the training and into trying to understand what was going on in class. Tsuyu gave him her baby shower gift early, a set of adorable baby monitors, allowing Kirishima to study next door with Bakugou while Yuuta slept in his room. During the day, it seemed like Kirishima was able to handle both the baby and school.

But nighttime was a whole different story.

Yuuta didn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time, leading to Kirishima having to wake up two or three times a night and spend an hour or so trying to get Yuuta fed or changed or calmed down enough to go back to sleep. While the walls were thick and blocked out most noise from the other rooms, Yuuta’s crying pierced through it, waking Bakugou and Shouji up each time.

After the second night, Shouji moved to the open room on the fifth floor, apologizing to Kirishima and trying to assure him that it wasn’t really his fault. “He’s still just a little baby,” the tall boy had reasoned as Kirishima repeatedly apologized for the night disturbances. “He’s doing what he needs to and I don’t hold it against either of you.”

The next night the baby monitor was left in Bakugou’s room. The blond noticed it after Kirishima had left, rolling his eyes at the cartoonish crescent moon shaped device. The murmur of Kirishima talking to Yuuta was coming through it. He flicked it off, figuring there was no point in taking to Kirishima when it’d be back tomorrow anyway.

Exhausted, he turned off the lights and went to bed, hoping to get at least a decent amount of sleep in before Yuuta woke up again.

The baby monitor hadn’t been turned off.

Bakugou awoke to the sound of Yuuta beginning to cry, the short fussy sounds he tended to make when it was time for another bottle of formula, though it could be the noises he made when it was time for a diaper change. Bakugou wasn’t entirely sure, but to be fair, he was mostly asleep.

As the crying got louder, the blond sat up, planning on going to go and check on Yuuta before realizing that Kirishima was supposed to be there and he wasn’t actually supposed to be looking after the kid. He waited another moment, hearing Yuuta grow louder through the speaker, though now it was coming through the wall as well.

“Shh, shh, it’s fine, sweetie, I’m here.” Kirishima’s voice was soothing and gentle beneath the crying. “Don’t worry. Daddy’s here.”

The crying lowered in volume, rising occasionally as Kirishima busied himself with whatever task Yuuta needed.

Bakugou laid back down, listening to Kirishima’s humming. He guessed that it was a diaper change as Yuuta continued to make noise. The humming turned to actual singing though Bakugou couldn’t make out the words. His eyes drifted closed as he pictured the scene; Kirishima holding Yuuta close as he worked at soothing the baby back to sleep, walking back and forth across the room. It was sweet and peaceful and Bakugou melted back into sleep.

For the second time that night, Yuuta woke up. Bakugou glanced at the clock, noticing that it was barely past four am, barely three hours since Yuuta had been crying before. How the fuck is Kirishima going to get any sleep? He thought to himself before realizing the solution.

Bakugou slid out of bed, joints cracking as he padded to the door and down the hall to Kirishima’s room. A starry nightlight was set up in the corner, illuminating the room enough for Bakugou to navigate over to the fussing child. As he picked him up, Kirishima’s words earlier came back to him. Daddy’s here.

The full weight of the responsibility settled into his stomach as he realized what he was getting himself into at that moment. Alright, here we go. First test.

Yuuta had quieted down since Bakugou had lifted him. A quick check told him it wasn’t a diaper issue, Thank God. Food was the most likely option and he set about mixing up a bottle of formula, hushing Yuuta when the baby got louder.

“Bakugou?” came a sleep-roughened voice from the bed.                         

The blond turned, finding Kirishima sitting up, rubbing his eyes. “Go back to sleep, shitty hair. I got this.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I’m doing it,” Bakugou said more firmly as he finished tightening the cap on the bottle. “It’s fine. Sleep.”

“But—”

“Sleep or I’ll kick your ass,” he threatened as Yuuta started to drink. “Trust me, Kirishima.”

Kirishima watched him for a moment longer before slowly laying back down. A few moments later, Bakugou heard soft snoring and he couldn’t help but smile as he settled down into the rocking chair. By the time, Yuuta was fed and burped, Bakugou was ready to doze off.

He laid Yuuta back into the crib but didn’t leave immediately, keeping an eye on the baby from his seat in rocking chair until he was sure Yuuta was back to sleep. By the time the baby was in fact sleeping, Bakugou’s body felt too heavy to move. His eyes started to close and he didn’t have the energy to stop them.

Kirishima woke later that morning, yawning as he stretched. For the first time in nearly two weeks, he felt actually rested. Yuuta, he thought, turning his eyes towards the crib. The baby was laying there, perfectly safe and asleep. The redhead smiled, hoping that this meant Yuuta was going to start actually sleeping through the night.

As he started to get up, his eyes caught on the figure sitting in the chair, his heart stopping for a moment. What’s Bakugou doing in here? He asked, before vaguely remembering Bakugou being there last night. Did Yuuta wake him up?

Kirishima slid out of bed, making his way closer. The rocking chair was surprisingly comfortable, Kirishima knew, but it wasn’t that comfortable. Still, he thought as he looked closer at the blond, he looks really peaceful. He smiled, gently placing a blanket over Bakugou before he turned his attention to Yuuta as the baby woke up.

Bakugou woke up to the sound of humming. He opened his eyes, looking around at what was definitely not his room as he stretched his stiff muscles from sleeping in what was definitely not his bed. His gaze fell on Kirishima as he was carefully buttoning Yuuta into a blue onesie. “Shouldn’t be in blue. S’not his color.”

The redhead jumped at the sudden voice. “Jeez, you scared the shit out of me, bro. I’m going to have a heart attack.”

“Sorry.” Bakugou stood up from the chair, noticing the blanket that he hadn’t had last night. “Sorry for crashing here. Didn’t mean to.”

Kirishima shook his head. “It’s no big deal. I mean, you did take care of Yuuta and all that. Sorry if he woke you up. I thought I would have heard him...”

“I was awake anyway,” Bakugou lied, though he wasn’t really sure why. “He doesn’t usually wake me up. It’s fine.”

“That’s good,” Kirishima said, beaming. “We should really get ready for school now.”

“Yeah.” Bakugou awkwardly made his way to the door. “See you in a bit, I guess.”

Chapter Text

Time flew by and before everyone knew it, it was already the weekend. Bakugou had taken to regularly dealing with Yuuta’s second nighttime awakening, though he didn’t allow himself to fall asleep in Kirishima’s room again. He wasn’t sure if Kirishima actually knew that he was doing it or if he thought Yuuta was just sleeping until morning. It wasn’t discussed, and Bakugou preferred it that way.

The day of the baby shower had arrived and Bakugou was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Everyone else was busy decorating the living room with streamers and balloons, along with a huge banner proclaiming “It’s a boy!!” in bold blue font.

Kirishima himself was off somewhere else with Yuuta and some of the other classmates as they wanted it to be a surprise for when he got home. Bakugou didn’t understand what the point was, given how much planning they actually did in front of Kirishima. But it didn’t matter either way to him.

Momo had shown him the gifts he had asked her to make a few days ago, again asking if he was sure that he didn’t want to give them to Kirishima himself. He had told her to fuck off and marched away before she could press the issue any more.

He knew where they were in the pile of gifts that had been gathered on the table though, a small dark green bag with orange tissue paper covering it.

The food was just finishing cooking when Kirishima returned. Bakugou poked his head out of the kitchen at the cheery shouts of greeting. The redhead’s face lit up at the sight of the living room decorated. “This is amazing! Thanks so much, guys. You really didn’t have to.”

“Of course, we had to,” Mina said, ushering Kirishima further into the room. “What kind of family would we be if we didn’t welcome the newest member with a proper party?”

Kirishima flushed, looking down. “Thank you,” he said again.

“Food’s done,” Bakugou called. “Hope all you shits are hungry.”

Yuuta was settled into his carrier as lunch was brought out. The class dug in, chatting happily. Kirishima joined in, face bright and happy as he ate and talked, though he was sure to keep a close eye on Yuuta.

“That was really delicious, Bakugou,” Kirishima said as he helped gather the dishes again once lunch was over. “Thank you.”

“Thank Uraraka. She’s the one that asked me to,” Bakugou grumbled, shooting a look over at the girl in question as she held Yuuta. His eyes narrowed as he looked away.

Kirishima didn’t notice. “But you still chose to do it. And it was really, really good.” He sighed. “I missed your cooking over the summer. Not that my mom isn’t great at it, it’s just…” he trailed off, face growing red. “Um, anyways, I should get back to, uh, yeah.”

Bakugou watched him go, a faint smile on his lips.

“Present time!” Mina announced loudly over the noise. “Mine first,” she said, shoving a neon patterned box at the redhead.

Bakugou loitered towards the back of the room as Kirishima made his way through all the presents. There really wasn’t anything particularly special, just some clothes and toys for Yuuta when he gets older, a book or two on parenting. Momo had gone all out and bought a playpen to set up in the living room for when Yuuta became more mobile.

The last one was a green bag with orange paper. Kirishima checked for a tag, finding it blank. He glanced around, waiting for someone to claim it. His eyes met Bakuguou’s and the blond held it for a moment before looking away.

Kirishima pulled the paper out, reaching to the bottom for the soft fabric he found. He pulled out two onesies, both a little bigger than what Yuuta had now. One was bright red, the words “Red Riot” on the front in bold black print. The other was black with orange stripes crossing in the front and green details.

“Oh, my goodness those are so cute,” Mina cried out when Kirishima held them up, too dumbstruck to say anything himself. “Yuuta’s going to look so adorable.”

“Y-yeah. They’re amazing.” Kirishima glanced back at where Bakugou had been standing before, surprised to see him gone. “They’re really soft too. I’m sure Yuuta will love them.”

The party ended abruptly not long after that as Yuuta began crying. The students hurried away while Kirishima scooped up the crying child, trying to calm him down enough to figure out what he needed. He made his way upstairs, Yuuta still howling in his arms.

Bakugou poked his head out of his room when he heard the two approaching. Kirishima sent him a quick apologetic look before disappearing into his room. The blond waited a moment to see if the crying would stop or at least lower in volume. When it didn’t, he followed after Kirishima, finding him struggling to get the baby to cooperate long enough for him to actually mix a bottle of formula for him.

“Sorry, Bakugou!” Kirishima said when he noticed the blond. “He’s just really upset. He’ll quiet down in a minute.”

“What do you need?” Bakugou asked. “I can help.”

“You don’t have to,” he said as he tried open a bottle of water with one hand. “I can do it.”

Bakugou ignored him, brushing past him to take it away from Kirishima. “Go sit down,” he ordered as he started to mix together a bottle of formula. Kirishima wanted to argue, but Yuuta’s screaming was getting out of hand and he sat down. A moment later, Bakugou delivered the bottle of formula.

The silence following felt almost surreal. They both sighed in relief.

“I can’t wait until he gets older,” Kirishima said. “Babies are so much work.”

“Yeah, but toddlers cause a fuckton of trouble. Not to mention who knows what his quirk will be.”

“Right.” The redhead sighed again. “Thanks again.” He laughed. “I feel like pretty much all I’ve been saying lately is thanks and sorry.”

The other teen sat down on the bed. “That’s ‘cause you’re a stupidly polite shit.”

“You know, you’re going to have to stop swearing so much. He’s going to start picking up words at some point and I’d rather not be home talking to my mom and have my baby saying ‘shit’ and ‘fuck’ without knowing what they mean.”

“So, we’ll teach him what they mean.”

“Bakugou.”

Bakugou smiled, chuckling. “It’s a joke, Kiri. I’ll… try and work on it.”

“Good.” There was a knock on the door. The two glanced at each other. Kirishima handed off the still drinking Yuuta to Bakugou before getting up to answer the door.

Midoriya was standing there, glancing around Kirishima to spot the blond. “Oh, Kacchan, you are here.”

“The f—what do you want, Deku?”

Midoriya blinked, glancing at Kirishima in confusion before shrugging it off. “Uh, your mom’s here.”

“My mom?” Bakugou asked.

“Yes, your mom,” came a female voice as Bakugou Mitsuki burst into the room. Her eyes glided over her son, noticing the baby that he was feeding in lap. “Have something to explain to me, Katsuki?”

Chapter Text

“I—”

“He’s mine,” Kirishima interjected before Bakugou could say anything. He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing slightly. “It’s kind of a long story. Bakugou’s just been helping out.” The redhead babbled through a quick explanation of the baby quirk accident.

Mrs. Bakugou glanced at him and Bakugou knew she had her doubts. “Well, as long as this shitty son of mine is making himself useful for once.” She plopped down next to him, leaning over to look over Yuuta. Her eyes narrowed. “What an absolute cutie. What’s his name?”

“Yuuta,” Bakugou said. “Back up, you old hag. You’re breathing on me. The fuck are you even here for?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, shush, brat. You should be happy I bothered to come all this way. A package came for you in the mail. I left it in your room. He really is such a sweetie,” she added, sending a smile towards Kirishima. “It must be difficult managing school and taking care of a baby.”

“It’s been a bit of work, but everyone’s been really helpful so it’s not like I’m doing it all on my own.”

“That’s great. You seem like a good kid. I’m sure you’re a wonderful dad.” Kirishima flushed at her praise. “But don’t forget that to take time for yourself occasionally, even if it’s just an hour or two. I’m sure Katsuki will be happy to watch Yuuta for you. And if he doesn’t, just let me know and I’ll whip him into shape,” she said with a wink and a laugh.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kirishima said.

“Well, I should be going. Katsuki, come walk me out,” she said. There was a glimmer in her eyes that hinted at a conversation Bakugou really didn’t want to have. Kirishima missed it as he took Yuuta back, feeing Bakugou to do as his mother asked. “Goodbye, Kirishima. It was lovely to see you again. And to meet Yuuta. If you ever need any advice or someone to watch him, I’ll be happy to do that. Bye!”

“Come on already,” Bakugou grumbled, dragging her out of the room before she did something stupid like try to adopt Yuuta or something. “Why the fuck are you so annoying?”

“Aw, is my little Katsuki getting embarrassed?” she asked, pinching his cheek. He slapped her hand away, but it did nothing to dim her smile. “He seems to be in a bit of denial about it, don’t you think?”

Bakugou didn’t look at her. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She sighed. “Katsuki, you know your father and I will love you no matter what. But if you let Kirishima slip away and I lose the chance to spoil my grandson into oblivion, I will disown you so hard you won’t even be able to think ‘Bakugou’ without having to pay a fine. Understand?”

The teen boy scoffed. “I don’t need you to fuckin’ tell me that.”

“Good.” She ruffled his hair. “Be good, okay? And send me lots of photos of the kiddo. I only hope that he didn’t get your shit personality.”

“I’m sure Dad hoped the same thing.”

“Brat.”

“Hag.”

Mrs. Bakugou laughed, leaning down to kiss her son’s forehead before he could move out of range. “Love you, Katsuki. Come home some weekend. Bring your boys.”

“Love you too,” he mumbled. My boys, huh? He thought after his mother left.

The days continued to fly by. Yuuta grew, something Bakugou noticed at two in the morning when he was lifting up the fussing baby. He’s definitely heavier that he was at the start of school. It made sense though, it had been two months since he had first seen Yuuta, making Yuuta somewhere along three months biologically. Should talk to Kirishima about when his birthday technically is.

He finished changing Yuuta’s diaper, quietly hoping that the days of not needing to do this would hurry up and arrive. Laying Yuuta back down, he turned to leave again when Yuuta started to fuss. Bakugou turned back to look at him and the baby stopped. Frowning, he started to move away again.

A loud cry broke the quiet night. Bakugou was at Yuuta’s side in an instant, glancing at the bed where Kirishima was snoring away. Yuuta cooed up at him, fists waving and reaching up to him.

“What do you want, brat?” The baby gave him no answer, but as Bakugou made another attempt to leave, Yuuta fussed. “Fine.”

Bakugou moved the rocking chair over next to the crib, making sure Yuuta could see him and sat down to wait for the baby to sleep.

He ended up falling asleep instead.

Kirishima woke up an hour or two later, used to getting up at that time to take care of Yuuta. He was surprised to fine Yuuta quiet and asleep. And to find Bakugou there once more.

He had known Bakugou was coming in to look after Yuuta; he’d woken up a few times. He hadn’t mentioned it, figuring that Bakugou might be awkward or that it would seem like he didn’t want the other to be doing it. He’s sweet, Kirishima thought, looking over the sleeping form of Bakugou.

The redhead rose from the bed, walking over to lay a hand on Bakugou’s shoulder. “Hey,” he said. “C’mon, you can’t sleep in a chair.”

“Doesn’t want me to leave,” Bakugou mumbled, eyes not even opening as the blond swatted his hands away. “M’fine.”

“Bakugou, you’re not sleeping in the chair.” Kirishima sighed, tugging at Bakugou’s arm. “At least sleep on the bed.”

The blond was surprisingly cooperative when he was mostly asleep. It was a bit awkward guiding the other to his bed, but he had Bakugou settled in with only a bit of effort. Yuuta hadn’t woken up, luckily and Kirishima hoped that he might actually sleep until morning.

Kirishima yawned, laying back. The bed was just wide enough for he and Bakugou to sleep side by side, but there wasn’t much room between them. It was odd, having another warm body next to him. But it was also comforting. He let his eyes close and he drifted off to sleep quickly.

Chapter Text

Bakugou hadn’t expected to be able to wake up next to a sleeping Kirishima while they were still in school, but it seemed that dreams really could come true. The redhead looked stunning, hair fanned out on the pillow, face relaxed and mouth slightly open. Bakugou smiled, reaching over to brush a stray lock out of his face. It felt like a dream.

This could be my future, Bakugou thought. The full weight of it hit him at the moment and for a moment, it felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He really did like Kirishima, enough that he couldn’t imagine his own future without him. Though maybe at that point, like wasn’t the right word for it. But beyond just Kirishima, there was Yuuta. Bakugou got up from the bed, careful not to wake the other.

Yuuta was still sleeping peacefully. The blond felt a surge of affection at the sight of him, noticing that Kirishima had put him in the onesie Momo had made based on his own costume. He reached down to brush a chubby cheek with his finger. Mine.

Kirishima grunted in his sleep, rolling over suddenly. It was enough to surprise Bakugou out of his reverie and he backed away from the crib. He moved back to the bed, looking down at the sleeping Kirishima. He smiled at the face half-squished into the pillow. Feeling daring, he bent down, pressing a kiss to the other’s cheek before sneaking out of the room.

He ended up leaving for class early, planning on getting a bit of extra studying in while it was still quiet. Bakugou watched the class filter in, all in their usual states of awakeness. Except for one.

“Where’s Kiri?” he asked Kaminari a few minutes before class began.

Kaminari shrugged. “He’s running a bit late this morning. Yuuta was giving him trouble, I guess.”

Brat, he thought. Their teacher arrived, telling them all to take their seats and settle down. The door flew open just as the bell rang, a disheveled Kirishima standing there, out of breath. He panted out an apology to the teacher as he took his seat. Class continued on, but Bakugou wasn’t paying attention.

Kirishima hadn’t styled his hair. It was falling down around his face, looking stupidly soft and fluffy and just begging for someone to play with it. Bakugou had to forcefully drag his gaze away from Kirishima. That isn’t fair.

He didn’t look up from his desk until midmorning. And when he did, it was too discover that Kirishima had pulled his hair back into a ponytail. Oh, fuck me.

Kirishima caught his gaze, smiling brightly at him. Bakugou flushed, looking back down at his desk though he couldn’t see it.

I should ask him out, Bakugou thought as he followed his friends to lunch, eyes tracing over the shape of Kirishima’s shoulders. He said yes before so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

He was wrong. It hadn’t occurred to him before just how hard it was to actually ask somewhat out. In theory, he just had to go up to Kirishima and ask a question; nothing different than when he talked to him usually. But in reality, it was so, so different. And difficult.

No wonder it took Kirishima so long to ask him before.

Bakugou waited for the right moment throughout the day, trying to get the redhead away from the rest of their friends, but they were shockingly sticky. School isn’t the best place anyway, he thought to himself as they headed to the daycare to pick up Yuuta, Mina and Kaminari clinging to either side of Kirishima. I can do it later.

Yuuta retrieved and the class spread out in the dorms, Bakugou thought that now he could surely get a minute or two alone with Kirishima. He did manage to catch him just as he was going to lay Yuuta down for a nap.

“Hey, Kiri,” he started. The redhead paused, head tilting slightly so his hair drifted just over the top of Yuuta’s head. Oh, fuck me, that’s cute. He cleared his throat, hoping that his face only felt hot and that he wasn’t actually bright red like he felt he might be. “Do you want to go see a movie later tonight, maybe?”

Well, at least his voice didn’t crack.

Kirishima paused, thinking for a moment. “Oh, sorry, Bakugou. I guess I forgot to tell you. My mom’s friend is coming by later to check on how Yuuta’s doing. Maybe Kaminari or Sero would want to go with you,” he suggested before going into his room.

“Right.” Bakugou’s heart sunk and he went to lay down in his own room, sulking for a few hours.

He heard Kirishima leave his room and he waited until he was sure he had made it down the stairs before following after him. An unfamiliar woman was sitting on one of the sofas, Yuuta in her lap as she chatted to Kirishima. She looked over at him when he entered, smiling.

She knows, was Bakugou’s first thought. He made his way over, plopping onto the couch opposite as he listened in.

“You’ve really been doing a great job, Eijirou,” the woman said as she poked and prodded at the baby. “He’s really healthy and happy. And you seem to be doing pretty well yourself.”

Kirishima blushed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Well, I can’t claim all the credit. I’ve had a lot of help from my classmates.” He glanced over at Bakugou. “And Bakugou of course.”

The woman smiled at him again and he, again, had the intense feeling that she knew he was the other parent. “Either way, I can’t say I wasn’t a little worried about you and this little guy moving into the dorms. It’s a big responsibility, but I’m glad that you’ve managed it so well.”

“Thank you.”

They continued talking, mostly about Yuuta and his habits at first before slowly moving to people Bakugou didn’t know and events he wasn’t aware of. After what felt like far too long, she finally stood, giving Yuuta back to Kirishima. “It was good to see you again, Eijirou. And seeing Yuuta again is always a treat. Take care okay?”

“I will.”

“Oh, do you think it would be possible for someone to walk me out to my car? I’m afraid that I parked quite a ways away and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find my way back?” she asked innocently.

“I can do it—” Kirishima started.

She cut him off, gaze falling heavily on Bakugou. “I think this young man is perfectly capable of doing it. And I think it’s time for Yuuta’s dinner, don’t you?” the woman said just as Yuuta began crying.

As the redhead hurried away from them, Bakugou stared up at her. “The fuck do you want?”

“Just to have a little chat,” she said. “Come. This will be much easier outside.”

Chapter Text

He reluctantly followed her outside, feeling on edge. “What?”

“You’re Yuuta’s other father. You know this already.” It wasn’t a question so Bakugou didn’t answer. “But Kirishima still hasn’t admitted it yet, has he?”

“No. Stubborn fuck.”

She shot him an annoyed look at the name. “I don’t know what the exact terms of your relationship with each other are, but I do know that both of you have strong feelings for each other. Or did at the time of Yuuta’s conception.”

“We still do,” he snapped, before realizing that he couldn’t actually be sure if Kirishima still felt the same way. He was sure that he did. Hoped that he did. “Just on hold for the moment.”

“You were going on your first date when Yuuta appeared.” She sighed. “I’m terribly sorry for that. It isn’t like me to lose control of my quirk. Neither of you should have the burden of being a parent like this. And so young too.”

Bakugou crossed his arms. “We’re managing.”

“Yes, you are. And you’re very involved, which is better than I hoped for.” She smiled at his insulted glance. “Please understand. The energy needed to bring a baby into existence is drawn from the parents when the quirk first takes effect, and then the baby continues to be reliant on a consistent flow of energy for the first six months until the baby can become self-sufficient: a real, independent human being. However, if only one parent cares for the child, that can be incredibly draining on the parent, as well as have negative effects on the baby itself.”

“Fascinating.”

She rolled her eyes at his sarcastic tone. “I’m trying to compliment you on being supportive of Kirishima. I would say that Yuuta is doing better than some babies I’ve created for parents who are beyond dedicated to having and caring for their child. I’m impressed with the both you, especially given the current status of your relationship with both Eijirou and Yuuta.

“Not like I could just give up on that shit ‘cause he has a baby. And Yuuta’s cute anyway.”

The woman chuckled. “I’m glad you feel that way.” Her smile turned sad. “I know that it may be difficult with Eijirou not admitting you’re the other parent. But I must ask that you wait until he is ready to discuss it himself. When Yuuta first came out, he was quite hysterical, terrified that you wouldn’t accept either of them.”

Bakugou froze, not sure how to respond, not sure if he could respond.

“I tried to tell him that a baby wouldn’t happen if your feelings for him weren’t strong, but he insisted that the fact that there was another parent be hidden from everyone. Even his mother, though she already knew the details of my quirk.”

The blond thought back to when he had seen Kirishima’s mom when he had finally moved back to the dorms. She hadn’t looked at him oddly or anything. “Does she know it’s me?”

“Yes. Though Eijirou does not know that she knows.”

“Cool.” He sighed, kicking at the ground. “Is that it or do you have something more you just have to tell me?”

She shook her head. “You certainly are a sassy one, aren’t you?” The woman smiled at him anyway. “Just look after the two of them. And get that date. I’m sorry I ruined your first one.”

Ruined my second one too, Bakugou thought, grumpy as he made his way back to the dorm.

Kirishima proved himself nearly impossible to pin down over the next few days. There was always something that stopped Bakugou from asking, or from Kirishima being able to go. Or, the one time Bakugou thought that he had actually managed to get a proper date, the rest of their friends showed up too, invited along by Kirishima.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all gone out and had dinner together,” Kirishima said as they settled into a table at the cutesy little restaurant not far from the school that Kirishima adored. Yuuta was there too, snuggled into his baby carrier, asleep for the moment. “Isn’t this fun?”

“Oodles,” Bakugou grumbled.

The evening wasn’t bad though, and the blond couldn’t say that he didn’t have fun. But it wasn’t the date that he had wanted and it seemed like Kirishima wasn’t going to make it easy for him in any way.

It was time to enlist help.

“I still don’t get why Fatgum didn’t tell me that he wanted to meet up,” Kirishima said as Mina rushed him down the street. “And why am I dressed like this again?”

Kirishima had no idea what was going on. He had been working on his homework and was just debating going to find Bakugou for help when the pink girl had burst in, throwing clothes at him and telling him to get changed because it was important for your future, Kiri. Trust me, you need this.

He had done as she said, changing into the dark jeans he thought might just a little tighter than they needed to be and the black shirt that hugged his chest under the bright red jacket. But it did seem really strange and the feeling kept nagging at him.

“Because you needed to look good and if I didn’t tell you what to wear you’d end up wearing that awful shark shirt and your crocs.” Mina laughed, bumping his shoulder. “Relax, will you? I’m sure everything’s fine.”

“You’re sure you’re okay with watching over Yuuta?”

The baby had been left back at the dorms under the care of Sero. He was sure that between Mina and Sero, Yuuta would be fine for a couple of hours. Yuuta was getting better at dealing with being away from Kirishima for longer periods of time without crying. And he did like Sero pretty well. It’ll be fine.

“Kirishima, I promise you that I will let you know if there is anything to be worried about. But trust me when I say I can take care of your kid.” They stopped outside of the restaurant, a small, cozy, hole-in-the-wall place that Kirishima had probably walked past a hundred times without noticing. “Okay, here you are. Ready?”

“It’s a meeting with Fatgum. Why are you so worried about it?” he asked.

“No reason. Just making sure you’re fine. Let me be concerned about you, Kiri,” she said quickly, waving his question away. “Okay. Go on. Have fun. See you later.” Mina pushed him towards the door before making her way back to the school.

Weird, Kirishima said as he walked into the building. The lighting inside was dim, adding to the quiet and comfortable atmosphere. He blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust as he scanned the tables for the giant pro-hero. But Fatgum wasn’t there.

But there was another familiar person waiting there for him.

Kirishima felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw Bakugou, scanning over him. Bakugou looked like he’d just walked out of the pages of a fashion magazine, but in an effortless, I-just-threw-this-on way. As he made his way over, Bakugou looked up, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

A date, Kirishima realized. Mina dressed me for a date. This is a date. I’m on a date with Bakugou.

Chapter Text

 “About time you showed up,” Bakugou said once Kirishima approached the table. “I was beginning to wonder if Mina had flaked.”

“I—” Kirishima started before he shook his head. “You planned this.”

Bakugou shrugged. “Figured it was the best way to actually make it happen.” He glanced at the empty chair opposite of him. “Are you going to sit down?”

The redhead crossed his arms. “You’re not going to pull it out for me?”

“Really?” Kirishima stared back at him expectantly. With a sigh, Bakugou got up and pulled the chair out. The other teen smiled, sitting down. “There? Fuckin’ happy now?” he asked.

“You’re such a gentleman, Bakugou,” Kirishima said with a laugh.

The blond rolled his eyes as he sat back down in his own seat. “You’re fuckin’ ridiculous.”

“Says the one who resorted to trickery to get a date,” the redhead said. “You could’ve just asked me like a normal person.”

“I did. You were just too fuckin’ dense to notice.”

Kirishima cocked his head to the side, trying to think of when Bakugou could possibly have asked him out. “I don—oh.” The realization hit him hard and he flushed. “Oh. Shit. I’m sorry, Bakugou. But I was really busy with Yuuta and all that, so…”

Bakugou shrugged it off. “I know. But it wouldn’t hurt for you to take an evening off from being a dad and enjoy yourself.” And spend actual time with me, he silently added on as he stared down at his menu.

“Oh! Wait, who’s watching Yuuta then? Please tell me you didn’t leave my baby with Mina,” Kirishima begged. “You know I love that girl and would trust her with my life, but her baby caring skills are a little…”

The blond scoffed. “You really think I would leave him with any of those shits? I got Tsuyu to watch him. Since she had actual experience taking care of kids.”

Kirishima nodded in agreement. “Yeah, okay. Yuuta does seem pretty fond of her. That’s good.”

“Great, so now you can stop worrying and relax.” The waiter that had been hovering off to the side approached at Bakugou’s wave. “Order whatever you want. It’s on me, so…” Technically it was on his parents, but they had been the one to suggest the place. Might as well make it worth the endless teasing and questions he was going to get.

“Really?” Kirishima scanned over his menu quickly as Bakugou ordered what he wanted. He ordered as well and then the waiter left again. “So, we finally got the date that we, uh, planned.”

“Yeah.” They sat in silence for a moment, neither sure of what they should do or say. Why the fuck is this so damn weird? Bakugou asked himself. It wasn’t like they didn’t see each other literally every day. “Did you finish the math homework for tomorrow yet?” he said, figuring that at the very least it was something.

Kirishima glanced away. “Uh, maybe not quite yet? I was actually going to go find you when Mina came and got me.”

“Dumbass, you shouldn’t leave your assignments so late.”

“Not everyone’s a nerd like you, Bakugou.”

Bakugou huffed. “’M not a nerd. Shitty hair.”

“Oh, but Blasty boy you are the biggest nerd around.” Kirishima paused. “Well, after Midoriya,” he amended.

Their casual teasing and squabbling continued and Bakugou wondered why he had ever thought dating was going to be difficult. It wasn’t like they were doing anything more than what they did normally. They were just hanging out in a different place, getting food together. This was easy.

And then Kirishima took his hand and it took all of Bakugou’s self-control not to blast him and half the restaurant into oblivion.

Kirishima seemed oblivious to Bakugou’s sudden inability to speak, or move, or breathe, as he continued talking about some story his mom had told him yesterday about his sister. It wasn’t even that they were really holding hands; Kirishima’s was just kind of resting over his, but the small contact was enough to nearly set him on fire.

Swallowing thickly, Bakugou moved his hand so their fingers were gently intertwined. Kirishima’s voice stuttered for a moment as his face started to grow red, but then he kept babbling on, trying to keep himself distracted.

Bakugou was completely lost on what he was talking about, but he listened intently, occasionally stroking Kirishima’s thumb with his own just to hear the redhead’s voice jump.

Their food came and they had to let go. The food was good at least, though Bakugou felt that he might have been able to do better. Maybe I should make Kirishima dinner sometime. A special one. Just us. Maybe some candles. He likes romantic shit like that, right? He thought.

The date continued on smoothly. A desert they didn’t order came, a congratulations for their first date that Bakugou was pretty sure his parents had arranged for them to get. It was good though and he and Kirishima dug in happily.

“Bakugou, here,” Kirishima said. He lifted his fork with a bite of chocolate cake balanced on it. “Say ahh.”

God, he’s so fuckin’ precious, Bakugou thought as he allowed himself to be fed. “Pretty sure everyone in class would die if they knew I let you do that,” Bakugou said.

Kirishima laughed, bright and cheery and enough to make Bakugou’s heart stutter. “They really would. Guess I’m lucky to see this side of you, hmm?”

Bakugou smiled, feeling stupidly smitten with the boy in front of him. I’m the lucky one. “Guess so.” He swiped his finger in the frosting, reaching up to smear on the tip of Kirishima’s nose. “But it doesn’t come without a cost.”

The redhead laughed again and Bakugou wondered if he was doing it on purpose and was actually just trying to kill him by being cute. It was working too. They finished the desert and left after Bakugou paid.

The evening had set in and it pleasantly cool though the summer heat was just about to really start hitting. Kirishima’s hand slipped into his as they walked back to the dorms, gently swinging their hands back and forth between them. “This was nice,” Kirishima said when the dorms came into sight.

“Yeah. Told you an evening away wouldn’t hurt.”

“Thank you for this, Bakugou.” Kirishima’s tone turned more serious. “You’ve been really great about the whole situation with Yuuta and honestly I’m not sure how I would have gotten through without your help. And then there was this and it’s just…” he trailed off.

“Oi, don’t be going and getting all mushy on me now, Kiri,” Bakugou warned.

Kirishima laughed, smiling up at him even though his eyes were a little watery in the streetlights. “You’re amazing, Bakugou. Really. And it’s not just because you’re really smart or strong or powerful. You’re so caring and funny and great to be around.”

The words struck Bakugou dumb. He stopped just outside the doors, turning to Kirishima, as he tried to find the right words to properly express his own feelings. Kirishima stepped closer, holding both of Bakugou’s hands and his stomach flipped when he realized what was about to happen. “Kiri,” he whispered out, breathless, praying that Kirishima would somehow understand all the emotions and shit that was swirling around in his head at the moment.

The redhead leaned in, eyes starting to fall shut. Bakugou did the same, his heart beating fast enough that he was pretty sure he was going die.

I’ll die happy.

He felt Kirishima’s breath brush against his lips. And then the door burst open and the sound of a baby crying filled the air. They jerked back from each other, turning to stare at a frazzled looking Sero.

“Oh, good, I thought it was you guys,” he said. “Yuuta’s been crying for like ten minutes. Nothing we do is helping and I—I don’t know dude. I think he just wants you.” Kirishima nodded, letting go of Bakugou as he headed inside. Sero watched him go before turning back to Bakugou with a smirk. “So? How’d it go?”

“Great til you showed up, soy sauce,” Bakugou grumbled as he shoved past him. He glanced over where Kirishima was taking Yuuta from Tsuyu, shushing him as the baby slowly calmed back down. Bakugou kept moving, ignoring the curious looks Mina and Kaminari gave him as he passed.

He didn’t stop moving until he reached his bedroom, slamming the door behind him before collapsing back against it. “Fuckin’ shit,” he growled as he sunk down to the ground. “Calm down.”

He shouldn’t be this upset. So he didn’t get a kiss at the end of the night. So what? The date was still good and Kirishima still liked him, so he would have more chances. A lot more chances if things went the way he planned.

But it still hurt, and what was worse was that there was nothing he could blame. Yuuta was a baby and he needed attention too. He needed to calm down before he did something stupid. Taking several deep breaths, he tried to focus on nothing, letting it all go as he had been told to do repeatedly during his anger management classes (that he still didn’t get why he had to take, but whatever).

There was a soft knock on the door.

If it’s one of those shits, I’m going to kill them, he thought as he got up and yanked the door open.

It was Kirishima, hands clasped behind his back as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Uh, hey, again.”

“Hey. Yuuta okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I was about to put him down for a nap.”

“Okay.”

They stood there, neither speaking.

“Is there something you ne—”

He didn’t finish before Kirishima was moving forward, cupping his face to bring it closer to his own. Their lips pressed together and Bakugou was pretty sure he was actually on fire. It felt like an eternity and no time at all before Kirishima pulled back.

“Good night, Bakugou.”

“Good night,” he slurred out, brain still lagging behind as Kirishima went back to his own room.

Chapter Text

Dating Kirishima Eijirou was an experience. Between school and Yuuta, Bakugou hadn’t expected their relationship to really change much from what they already had. Maybe just a kiss here and there and holding hands and cuddling during movies. Nothing major.

And in reality, nothing really did change. But somehow Kirishima managed to make every moment special.

He was sure to always have some sort of physical contact with Bakugou whenever he could, whether it was holding hands or leaning against him or just resting his hand on Bakugou’s thigh during lunch. There was always something and it never failed to make the blond flush and momentarily forget how to function.

Small kisses were frequent. Bakugou would be doing something and Kirishima would lean over to peck his cheeks or his lips or occasionally his neck. The other teen would try to reciprocate the gesture, to drag it out into a long, proper kiss, but Kirishima would move away, giggling. It was a mixture of cute and frustrating, but it was still better than endlessly daydreaming about it.

Yuuta had begun to get increasingly picky about who he was with, outright screaming if it wasn’t Kirishima or one of his select few favorites holding him for more than a few minutes. “It’s like back at the beginning,” Mina pouted as she handed him back to Kirishima. “But how am I not someone he loves?”

“Because you’re too damn noisy,” Bakugou said. “And he’s teething so he’s being a shit now anyway.”

They had discovered the first tooth a week ago during a late study session. Yuuta had been fussing all day and Kirishima had no idea what to do. Bakugou had been looking closer at the baby, seeing if he could somehow just spot the problem.

And he had: a tiny white tooth poking out of the bottom of his gums.

Another tooth was already beginning to appear and while Yuuta wasn’t quite as fussy as the first time around, he was still pretty bad. He was currently working a teething ring in his mouth, passively staring up at Bakugou.

It was weird and exciting to see actual signs that Yuuta was starting to grow. Bakugou had overheard Kirishima talking to his mother about eventually starting Yuuta on solid foods. Which meant that he would be walking and talking soon. And then his quirk would show up. And then he’d start school…

It was a lot to think about. Bakugou couldn’t wait, but he was sure he’d miss the days that Yuuta was still small and easy to hold.

With Yuuta’s neediness on the increase, proper dates were out for the moment, but they found their way around it. Movies on the weekends were spent tangled together on the bed while Yuuta slept next door. One Saturday, they took Yuuta to the zoo, pointing out the most ridiculous or ugly animals and saying “that one’s you.” They stopped at the gift shop where one of the employees offered a cute plush tiger as a gift for their little brother. Neither of them wanted to explain that that wasn’t who Yuuta was and left soon after.

They still bought the tiger though and Yuuta loved it.

“Hey,” Bakugou said one Friday morning as he was dressing Yuuta in the Red Riot onesie. It was almost too small for him. Should get Ponytail to make another one.

“What’s up?” Kirishima said. His arms wrapped around Bakugou’s waist as he leaned his head on the blond’s shoulder.

“My parents are going out of town this week and they want me to go home and house sit.”

Kirishima was quiet for a moment and when he spoke again the disappointment was evident in his voice though he was trying to hide it. “Okay. Are you going home tonight?”

“Yeah.” Bakugou turned to look at him, holding the redhead close. “And I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”

“But Yuuta—”

“Yuuta would come too,” he cut in. “I’m the one helping out with him here anyway, so it’s not like it’s going to be more effort or anything. And it’d be a good chance for us to get away from everyone for a bit.” The other teen’s face was blank and Bakugou wondered if he was rushing it. But it wasn’t like Kirishima hadn’t come over to his place before. “You don’t have to answer now. Just think on it?”

“Yeah, sure.” Kirishima moved away, gathering up Yuuta and putting him the stroller. He left before Bakugou to drop the baby off at the daycare.

All throughout the day, the worry of what Kirishima would say felt like a molten ball of lead sitting in his stomach. The redhead acted perfectly normal, laughing and holding hands with Bakugou. And it should have been reassuring, but sometimes he would catch Kirishima looking at him with an odd expression like he was scared of something. But when Bakugou turned to get a better look, Kirishima was looking in a different direction, smiling.

It wasn’t something that was new. Bakugou had started noticing it not long after they had started dating, but it had been getting more and more frequent. He didn’t know what it meant or what to do about it. It had occurred to him to actually ask Kirishima about it, but at the same time, he didn’t want to cause problems.

But it still worried him and today it seemed worse than ever.

“Hey,” Kirishima said, poking his head into Bakugou’s room later that afternoon. Bakugou looked up from where he was packing his stuff for the weekend. “I think it would be nice to get away for a few days. If you still want us along.”

Relief and happiness flooded through the blond. He made an effort not to let it show on his face. “Fuckin’ great. Get packed then; we’re getting picked up in like an hour.”

“Will do!” Kirishima rushed away to get both his and Yuuta’s things packed up. Bakugou paused in what he was doing, thinking over what was happening.

Kirishima would be over at his house. No adults, just the two of them and Yuuta. It wasn’t like he had anything planned; that was pretty out of the question for a while for many reasons. He just wanted to spent time with Kirishima. And he would.

And that was only mildly terrifying.

Why do I do this to myself?

Chapter Text

“Okay, so there’s money on the table, everything you need is in the house, you’re all set, right?” Mitsuki asked.

“Yes, mom,” Bakugou groaned. “Will you leave now?”

“You know, why don’t we stay a little longer, hon?” she said, glancing at her husband. “Spend a little more time with our darling son? And Katsuki too, I guess.” She winked at Kirishima who stifled a laugh as the blond teen fumed.

Masaru chuckled as he put a hand on Mitsuki’s waist. “Come on, sweetheart, we can’t just cancel our reservations just because your son is being pushy.”

The woman sighed. “I guess.” She ruffled Katsuki’s hair and waved to Kirishima. “Be good, you two. There better be a house here when I get back, understand?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll see.”

Kirishima gave her a thumbs up. “Will do, Mrs. Bakugou. Have a good trip.”

“Fuckin’ finally,” Bakugou said as he kicked the door shut behind his parents. “Thought they would never leave.” He turned to find Kirishima standing rather awkwardly in his living room, looking around like he had never been there before. “Right, so we should get Yuuta’s stuff set up.”

They spent the next half hour setting up the light crib Momo had given Kirishima for when he decided to go home and didn’t want to bring Yuuta’s actual crib. It was surprisingly strong and steady, which Kirishima appreciated.

“That’s not too bad,” the redhead said, leaning on it to make sure it was stable. “Momo really knows her stuff.”

Bakugou scoffed. “She ought to by now.” He placed Yuuta down in the crib, sighing when the child started crying until he was picked up again. “Needy shit,” he grumbled.

Kirishima laughed. “He just likes the attention.” He leaned in to press a kiss to Bakugou’s cheek. “What do you want to do now?”

The blond shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you hungry? I could make something.”

The other teen’s stomach growled loudly. Kirishima flushed, arms wrapping around himself. “Uh, yeah, I could eat.”

“You’re ridiculous.” He handed Yuuta off to Kirishima before making his way to the kitchen. He rummaged around for a minute. “Is pasta good for you?”

“Sounds great.” Kirishima took a seat at the table, playing with Yuuta as he watched Bakugou cook. The blond was beautiful most of the time, whether it was the cool confidence in the classroom or the raw power he wielded during hero training. But only a few times did Kirishima think he looked better than when he was in the kitchen.

He was intently aware of the task at hand and only that task. The rest of the world seemed to drop away for Bakugou when he was cooking and he finally relaxed, settling into the rhythm of it.

As a most wonderful scent began to fill the air, Kirishima’s mind started to drift off, imagining what it would be like if this was every day, if this would be what it was like if they lived together. Bakugou cooking, Kirishima watching over Yuuta. They would sit together and eat and laugh and joke around. Yuuta would grow up and they would be their own little family.

It was almost too much to even think about.

“Oi, the fuck is up with you, shitty hair?”

Bakugou’s voice brought him back to the present. “Oh, nothing. Just got lost in thought.” Kirishima smiled and hoped it didn’t look as forced as it felt. He blinked a few times, praying that it would get rid of the extra moisture. “How’s dinner looking?”

“Almost done.” Bakugou was still frowning at him, looking like he wanted to ask something more. He turned back to the stove anyway and Kirishima wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not.

By the time the food was finished and served, Kirishima had managed to push all thoughts of the future back down and was acting like his usual self. Yuuta was playing with his tiger, squeaking and shouting as he waved it around happily. Bakugou watched him as he did, an amused half-smile on his face.

“He certainly loves that thing,” Bakugou said. A moment later, the tiger was thrown to the ground and Yuuta was crying. “Really?” He bent down and fetched it, handing it back to Yuuta. The baby gave a happy shout and took the tiger back.

And then threw it down again, resulting in more tears.

“If you want it, then stop throwing it, you little shit,” Bakugou grumbled as he fetched the tiger again. Rather than immediately giving it back to him, he held it just out of reach, smirking as the baby reached for it.

“Don’t bully him,” Kirishima chided. He couldn’t help but think it was cute though, watching Bakugou tease his son, smiling so damn softly at him. His son too came the usual unbidden thought.

He knew it was stupid to think about, to worry and fret over it like he did. Bakugou was clearly fond of Yuuta and obviously having the kid wasn’t driving the blond away from him. Even if he did tell him, it wasn’t like Bakugou would suddenly hate Yuuta.

Of course, if Bakugou learned that Kirishima had lied to him, the same might not be quite so true for him.

Everything’s fine how it is right now, he told himself. There’s no need to tell him. We’re happy and it’s good. He doesn’t need to know.

Kirishima kept telling himself that, but it was getting harder and harder to watch Bakugou and Yuuta, knowing that he was depriving them both of the truth for his own selfish reasons.

“Are you going to eat or not?” Bakugou asked as he gave the tiger to Yuuta. The baby held onto it this time and the blond smiled as he turned back to his own food. “Thought you were hungry.”

“Oh, yeah, I am.” Kirishima shoved a bite of the pasta in his mouth, hoping it would be a good enough excuse to stop Bakugou from asking him more questions.

Bakugou stared at him for a moment, a mix of amusement and disgust, before shrugging it off.

Chapter Text

Conversation moved to what they could do this weekend. Kirishima was curious about the neighborhood, wanting to see where Bakugou had roamed as a child. Bakugou was all for staying in, watching movies, and cuddling, though he kept that last bit to himself.

Their debate continued on until it changed to ridiculous childhood stories. Kirishima insisted on doing the dishes once they were finished, allowing Bakugou to feed Yuuta in the meantime.

The chatter continued on, turning to discussing movies and eventually leading them to decide on watching one. Yuuta, having been burped and was looking rather sleepy, was settled into his crib. Kirishima watched him for a moment before switching on the baby monitor and leaving the room, closing the door most of the way.

Bakugou had set up the movie in the meantime. They settled onto the couch, Kirishima tucking himself under Bakugou’s arm with their legs pressed close together. The movie was barely fifteen minutes in when Bakugou began to lose interest. He had seen it far too many times before, but Kirishima was completely enraptured with the screen.

Taking advantage of the other’s distraction, he took his time studying the other, noting every tiny little feature of the redhead’s face. The scar above his eye, the long dark eyelashes, the smooth curve of his nose, the natural pout of his lips. He’s so pretty, Bakugou thought just as Kirishima turned to look at him.

For a moment, the blond was frozen, watching as the mouth he had just been admiring turn up in a smile. Kirishima leaned in, pretty their lips together. Bakugou pressed back into the kiss, a hand coming to rest on the other’s waist to stop him from moving away.

But Kirishima didn’t try to back off like he usually did, letting Bakugou deepen the kiss. The blond hummed, pressing in just a bit harder, the hand rising from Kirishima’s waist to cup his jaw, the tips of his fingers brushing the redhead’s hair. Kirishima’s fingers curled into his shirt, holding him closer. They tilted back until they were laying flat on the couch, Bakugou hovering over the redhead.

Their lips broke apart, leaving them panting. “Is this okay?” Bakugou asked, voice quiet and rough. His eyes searched Kirishima’s for any sign of dislike or regret.

“It’s great,” Kirishima whispered back. He pulled Bakugou back down for another kiss.

Holy shit, thank God I asked him to come this weekend, he thought. Feeling daring, he slid his tongue over the other’s lips, feeling a ripple run down Kirishima’s body as he gasped. Bakugou took advantage of the moment, pressing his tongue to tangle with Kirishima’s.

Kirishima’s hands moved to his back, sliding under the fabric of Bakugou’s shirt to press against the smooth muscles beneath. He felt like he was slowly catching on fire but in a good way. A hand ran down his chest, moving to the bottom hem of his shirt to slip under and creep up his stomach.

“Bakugou,” he gasped out, turning his head to the side.

Bakugou hummed out questioningly as he pressed a kiss to Kirishima’s exposed neck. “Still good?”

“I—” he was cut off by a sudden wail coming from the bedroom. “Shit.”

The moment was gone in a flash as Bakugou sat up and Kirishima slid off the couch. The movie continued to play as the redhead moved off to take care of Yuuta. Bakugou stayed where he was, still a little out of it. He reached up a hand to run a finger over his lips, still swollen from the kissing. “Holy shit.”

It was a few minutes before Kirishima came back. He settled down on the couch again. On the opposite side of Bakugou. The blond glanced at him a few times, wondering what was up but Kirishima was completely focused on the movie. Or was pretending to be.

“You don’t mind sharing the bed, right?” Bakugou asked as they were getting ready to bed. “I can always pull out the futon if you want me to. It’s not a big deal.” He was still annoyed at how Kirishima had ignored him before. The redhead still hadn’t said a whole lot to him.

“It’s fine. The bed’s big enough.” Kirishima finished changing and slid under the covers, turning his back to Bakugou. “Good night.”

Bakugou sighed, turning off the light and joining him. The foot-wide gap between them felt more like a mile and he had no idea how he was going to cover it. “Good night.”

Bakugou woke up several hours later, unsure what had woken him. He turned over, arm reaching out to find Kirishima. All that was there was an empty space, still a little warm. “Kiri?” he called, squinting around the room. The redhead didn’t answer.

He waited another minute, wondering if Kirishima had just gone to the bathroom. When he didn’t come back, Bakugou got out of bed, creeping quietly past Yuuta’s crib and out the door. A sound caught his attention as he walked to the living room.

“Kirishima?” he said as he spotted the teen curled up on the floor next to the couch. A muffled sob answered him. Bakugou crossed the distance in a few steps, crouching down next to his boyfriend. “Kirishima, hey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Kirishima said, pushing away the comforting hand Bakugou tried to lay on his shoulder. “Go back to bed.”

Bakugou stared at him blankly, taking in the shaking body and the way Kirishima was struggling to breathe. “Fine how? What’s going on?”

“I can’t do it.”

“Can’t do what?”

“This! I can’t—I can’t do it! I thought I could, but it’s too much. I can’t. I can’t.”

The blond reached out again, trying to rub Kirishima’s back, but he flinched away. “Kirishima, you’re okay. You’re doing fine. Just talk to me. You can tell me anything. Just take a deep breath.”

“I can’t!” Kirishima shouted, looking Bakugou in the eyes for the first time. Bakugou saw the pure panic that had taken over his boyfriend, tears glistening in tracks down his cheeks. “I can’t do this. I can’t be with you.” He shook his head. “I can’t.”

It felt like Bakugou had been doused in icy water. He can’t be with me? His mind was stuck on those words, repeating them over and over as he tried to figure out what else they could mean besides… He couldn’t think of it. It couldn’t be that. They were happy. They were working. Why would Kirishima…

He was just about to ask when Yuuta began crying. Kirishima automatically got to his feet, walking back to the room on somewhat shaky legs. Bakugou followed after him a moment later, still trying to force the words from his throat.

Kirishima was struggling to get the formula ready; his hands were shaking too much. Bakugou tried to take it from him, to help, but the redhead pulled away, forcing it open at last. He reached for Yuuta, trying to comfort him, and finish getting the formula ready at the same time.

“Let me,” Bakugou said, trying to take Yuuta.

“No.” Kirishima moved away.

“Kirishima,” he said, voice rising to be heard over Yuuta’s crying, “let me help.”

“No,” the redhead repeated. When Bakugou reached for him anyway, he slapped the blond’s hand away. “Don’t touch my son,” he snapped.

Bakugou stared at him, face blank before it hardened into a flat line. “Whatever,” he said, taking a step back, and then another one. “Whatever,” he said, as he left the room.

He listened to Yuuta continue to cry for a few more minutes, as he lay curled up on the couch. He waited for Kirishima to finish, to come out and talk to him, and apologize because the stress had gotten too much for him. And Bakugou would forgive him and they’d go back to sleep and everything would be fine tomorrow.

But Kirishima didn’t come out. And Bakugou stared blankly at the wall through waterfilled eyes.

Chapter Text

Bakugou woke to the sound of Kirishima packing up his things. Yuuta was in his carrier, watching everything with interest as he chewed on the ear of his tiger. The blond didn’t want to wake up; he wanted to go back to sleep and pray that this was all a dream.

But he couldn’t run from what was happening forever and he knew it.

Doesn’t mean I can’t ignore it for a while, he thought, closing his eyes when Kirishima came back out from his room. He set down the bag he had brought, sighing. The redhead glanced over at the couch, praying that he wouldn’t disturb the other.

He hated this. Hated that he couldn’t be with Bakugou, but he knew that it wasn’t going to work. Sure, it was fine now, but eventually, they wouldn’t have all the people around them to help out with Yuuta. Working in general would be difficult, but working as a hero? It wasn’t going to happen, and Kirishima couldn’t be a burden on the blond.

He wouldn’t.

Kirishima moved back to the bedroom, beginning to take down the crib. He had no idea how he was going to get it back to the dorm, along with Yuuta and his stuff. Maybe I should call someone and get a ride… he thought as he forced it back in the canvas bag it came in.

“You can leave it here.” Kirishima jumped, looking up to find Bakugou standing in the doorway. He looked exhausted, eyes red and swollen. He cried? “I can take it back tomorrow. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” His voice came out raspy and he cleared his throat. “Right. Thank you.” He stood and moved to the doorway. Bakugou stepped back, letting him pass. Kirishima pulled his bag on and picked up the baby carrier. “Bye.”

Bakugou nodded, still not looking directly at him. Kirishima swallowed thickly, still half-hoping that Bakugou would stop him, to tell him not to go. But he didn’t and Kirishima left unhindered.

He fell into his bed, face pressed into his pillow, the lingering scent of Kirishima’s shampoo still clinging to it. He laid there for a long while, not really sleeping, but not really awake either. The light shifted as the day passed, but he couldn’t find the strength in him to really care.

It was only when his phone started ringing that he was jolted out of it. He stared at the phone buzzing on his nightstand. It stopped eventually and he closed his eyes, trying to go back into the oblivion where he didn’t have to think. But then it started again.

It took another two times for him to get annoyed enough to reach out and answer it. “What?” he snapped, but there was no real malice in. He just sounded tired.

“Bakugou?” It was Mina. “Why is Kirishima back in the dorms? And why does he look so sad?”

“We—” broke up. He swallowed around the words, finding them stuck in his throat. “He said—”

“Bakugou?” she said again, concern filling her voice, but she sounded distance.

“He broke up with me.”

It was like a dam had broke in Bakugou. Tears flooded down his face and he had to bring up a hand to cover his mouth to stop the sobs from escaping. He couldn’t ignore it anymore. Kirishima had broken up with him. They were over before they ever really started.

“Oh, Bakugou,” Mina said. “I’m sorry. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” he choked out. “I don’t know.”

Mina was quiet for a moment, and Bakugou thought he could hear someone talking in the back. “Hey, shh, it’s going to be okay. It’ll be okay.” It won’t, Bakugou thought, but he stayed silent. “Do you want to be alone, or some company? I don’t mind staying on the phone if you want someone to talk to.”

“Want to be alone.” His head was starting hurt. “Gonna go.”

“Okay. Call me if you need me okay?”

“J—just look after Kiri.”

“Will do. Goodbye.”

She hung up and Bakugou tossed the phone away, rolling over and pulling the covers up over his head.

He eventually got up to eat and shower, going through the normal activities robotically. His parents came home the next night, finding him alone and miserable. Neither were sure what to do other than to offer what comfort and encouragement they could before they dropped him off at the dorms.

There were only a few people in the common room when he arrived. Kirishima wasn’t among them, but from the pitying glances he got, he was sure that they knew what had happened. He ignored them and went upstairs.

Kirishima’s door was closed, but he could hear voices inside. Or at least one voice.

His chest ached at the sound. Bakugou considered going in, demanding to talk things out. But the memory of Kirishima slapping his hand away from Yuuta, of the expression Kirishima had worn, like Bakugou was trying to hurt him, stopped him. He carefully set the folded-up crib outside the door before going into his own room.

The next day was painful and awkward. The rest of the week was spent just trying to get through and avoiding Kirishima at all costs. Bakugou spent more time at the gym, trying to burn off as much extra energy as he could before he had to go back to the dorms.

Yuuta stopped sleeping through the night. The first few times, Bakugou was out of bed before he even realized what he was doing. After that, the impulse to go and check on the baby lessened, but he still woke up each time, listening as the child wailed and wailed. Kirishima had dark circles under his eyes back the start of the second week, and Bakugou’s heart ached as he turned away.

“Bakugou,” Mina said as she sat down next to him during lunch, a month after the break-up. He had taken to eating his lunches on the opposite side of the room where they usually sat, in a half-hidden corner where he could be alone. “Do—do you think maybe you should do something?”

“He doesn’t want me near him,” Bakugou responded without looking up. He stabbed at his food. “Don’t really want to be near him either.”

The pink girl laid a hand on his wrist, stilling the violent movement. “I didn’t mean Kirishima.”

Bakugou swallowed, looking across the room to the group's usual table. The redhead wasn’t there; he had to be in the daycare now that the caretaker’s calming quirk had stopped being as effective as it had been. “He doesn’t want me near him either.”

That was what hurt the most: losing Yuuta. He should have known this was coming though, looking back. Kirishima hadn’t wanted to admit he was the dad, never brought up the idea of Bakugou helping him out after they left school. He had never talked about what future they might’ve had once they graduated.

Maybe he was just buying time, trying to keep me happy until graduation, and then he’d pull away.

But Kirishima wasn’t that type of person, and he couldn’t keep it up for that long.

Bakugou felt his eyes starting to burn. “I’m going home,” he said abruptly as he stood. “Tell sensei I don’t feel well.”

“Bakugou,” she called after him, but he ignored her as he walked away.

He didn’t know what to do with himself anymore. The past two years, he had always had someone nearby he could talk to, and usually that someone was Kirishima. He still had the rest of their friends, but it was their friends, not just his own.

Bakugou sat on his bed, trying to think of anyone that he could just talk to, who wouldn’t judge him or tell him he’s being stupid. Someone who would care for him regardless.

He picked up his phone, finding the right contact. It rang a few times before it was answered.

“Mom? I—Can you talk for a minute?”

Chapter Text

“You’re sure I’ll be back in time?” Kirishima asked, holding the phone between his face and shoulder as he changed Yuuta’s diaper. “If I can’t bring Yuuta…”

“I know, Kirishima,” Fatgum said on the other end. “I would not be asking this of you if I thought it would bring danger to your child. Who, I may mention, I have yet to actually meet,” the pro-hero added sternly.

Kirishima laughed as he lifted Yuuta up to lay him down in the crib. “You’re the one who’s been too busy to come see him.” He sighed. “Are you sure I can’t bring him with?”

“It’s a formal hero symposium. Not exactly the best place for a young child, especially if he’s been as, uh, noisy as he has been lately.”

“Right, yeah. As long as I’m back in the morning, it should be fine.” He glanced at the clock that read 4:21 pm. “When are you coming to get me?”

“In half an hour, or less hopefully. The event starts at 8 and it’s a 3 hour trip by train. Will you be ready?”

“Yeah. See you then.” Kirishima hung up and began quickly getting together an overnight bag. As he carried the bag and Yuuta downstairs, he paused at Bakugou’s door. The blond had gone home for the weekend. Maybe I should call him. Just in case…

It had been hell trying to stay away from Bakugou since that night. He had wanted nothing more than to go to the blond, to explain everything about Yuuta and his fears. To tell him that he loved him.

But he had held himself back, swearing that he would give Bakugou a clean break, to let the other move on without being dragged back into Kirishima’s craziness. It wasn’t easy though. He hadn’t just lost a boyfriend, he had lost his best friend.

He hoisted the bag up higher on his shoulder and continued on down the hall. Tsuyu and Sero were waiting in the common room, having agreed to look after Yuuta while he was gone. Mina and Kaminari were there as well and did their best to keep Kirishima’s mood high.

The text from Fatgum arrived minutes later and Kirishima handed Yuuta over to Tsuyu, rubbing the baby’s cheek with his finger. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said quietly. He said goodbye to his friends, and with a final thanks to Tsuyu left the building at 4:53.

The symposium was surprisingly fun. Kirishima had expected some boring speakers and having to mingle with stiff-necked adults, but in reality, it was more like a party, filled with pro-heroes and a few other students like him that were already signed to an agency pending graduation. He moved around the room, recognizing names and faces, greeting other’s who, even more surprisingly, already knew his name.

It was fun but exhausting and by the time he and Fatgum made it to their hotel around 1, he was ready to crash. He checked his phone, glad to see a text from Sero.

Tape-Man: Yuuta’s doing great! Tsuyu’s really great at this dude (but Yuuta still loves me best) come back soon before I adopt him

The text was accompanied by a selfie of Sero with Yuuta sleeping peacefully in his arms. Kirishima smiled, saving the photo before texting back a thanks and goodnight.

The next morning came quickly, but not quickly enough for Kirishima. He was ready in record time, somewhat impatiently waiting for Fatgum so they could leave.

“Relax, we still have a bit of time before the train even gets here,” the blond chided as Kirishima hurried through the crowded train station. “Rushing will get you nowhere.”

Kirishima frowned, not wanting to admit the other was right. Luckily, the train was early and they were onboard and underway by ten. He sighed, relaxing back on the seat. I should be home with plenty of time.

Just as he pulled out his phone to check in with Sero, the train suddenly jerked to halt, shuddering dangerously. He looked up and down the car, trying to figure out what had happened. He heard Fatgum shout just as the train rocked again, and then was violently flipped off the tracks.

Kirishima activated his quirk automatically, doing his best to hold steady. The train came to rest on its side and he quickly got to work on making a hole through the roof. Fatgum was out as soon as he could, ordering Kirishima to focus on clearing the train of civilians. The redhead nodded and started directing people out of the car.

Once that was clear, he moved to the next one, checking to make sure that was empty as well. By the time he moved to the third, actual pros had arrived and he was told to move back behind the line, which he did. The cause of the chaos, a disgruntled train engineer, was apprehended not long after and Fatgum found him amongst the crowds.

“The trains are going to be down for a while,” the blond announced, handing Kirishima a shirt he had picked up somewhere.

Kirishima took it, pulling off the shredded remains of what had been one of his favorite shirts. Stupid quirk. “What are we going to do?”

“I’m working on getting a car right now.” Fatgum’s mouth was in a thin line and he knew that the pro felt guilty. Kirishima checked his watch: 11:02. “We’ll get back in time,” he said.

“I know.”

Traffic was hell. The longer they sat still, the more nervous Kirishima became. When the train had flipped, he had accidentally crushed his phone, leaving it a useless wreck that he had tossed away without a second thought. He had spent the first hour of the car ride trying to remember Sero’s number.

When they had made little progress, he started to focus on remembering Bakugou’s.

By 2 o’clock, he still had no idea and had promised himself and whatever god that was listening that if Yuuta was fine, he would do whatever it took to memorize every number in his contact list.

They were still a good two hours away by the time the clock his three and Kirishima wasn’t even really thinking now. He sat in his seat, stiff, heart beating fast as he stared blankly ahead. Fatgum’s knuckles were starting to turn white on the steering wheel as he tried to pick up the pace a little more.

Traffic started to thin out as they got closer to the city and Kirishima thought they would make it, if only just in time. He peeked at the clock again. 3:59.

Oh, my god, I am never leaving Yuuta again.

Fatgum took every shortcut and backstreet he could think of that would make getting the school faster. For a moment, he thought that it would work.

And then there was a crash in front of them, just blocks from the school.

He pulled off the street as soon as he could, taking a roundabout way to get to the school. He was pretty sure Kirishima wasn’t breathing. Maybe Yuuta can go a bit longer than 24 hours. We won’t be that late. Fuck, please don’t make me cost Kirishima’s his child.

Fatgum sped along the empty road in front of the dorms, pulling up right in front of the doors with a jerk. But Kirishima didn’t get out immediately. He was focused on the clock.

5:07.

Chapter Text

“Kirishima,” he started, voice low. “I—”

“You did the best you could.” Kirishima’s voice was empty of all emotion, as dead as his gaze. He still didn’t move.

“Do you want me to go in with you?”

Kirishima shook his head slowly like he was in a daze. He turned to open the door and got out of the car, slowly making his way to the doors.

The common room was silent. That alone was unnerving enough. Kirishima had expected to come back to Yuuta crying and happy, relieved shouts as Yuuta was shoved into his arms.

But there was nothing and Kirishima could feel him starting to break.

He had lost everything.

The redhead stumbled forward, trying to fight off the tears that were already burning at his eyes. There was no one sitting on the couches. He had half-expected someone to be waiting for him there, to hug him and tell them they were sorry and that it wasn’t his fault.

Except that it was his fault. All because he couldn’t tell—

“Bakugou?”

Kirishima stared blankly at the teen laying on the one couch that faced away from the door, blocking its occupants from view. The blond stared up at him, one hand resting behind his head, the other laying on—

“Yuuta.”

Whatever had been stopping it broke and the sobs flood forth as he reached out to the two of them, dying with relief.

“Hey,” Bakugou said, gently laying Yuuta into his arms before wrapping his own arms around Kirishima. “It’s fine. He’s fine. You’re fine. It’s okay.”

Kirishima couldn’t speak for a moment, too overwhelmed as he stared down at his son’s face. He finally tore his gaze away to look up at Bakugou, somehow finding the ability to talk once more. “How—why are yo—”

“Mina called me when you didn’t get back earlier.” He wiped away the tears on Kirishima’s cheeks, though more tears were still coming down. “He went quiet all of a sudden and they got worried. So they called me.”

“But—” Kirishima started.

Bakugou hushed him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “We can talk about everything later. Right now, you need to sleep. You look exhausted.” The blond nudged him toward the stairs. Kirishima looked back at him, a question in his eyes. “I’ll come up in a minute. I’m making some tea.”

True to his word, Bakugou arrived in Kirishima’s room a few minutes later with two mugs of steaming tea. Kirishima cupped his in both hands, inhaling the sweet aroma. “Thank you,” he rasped out.

“My mom always says tea is best when you’re upset.”

“Not for the tea.” Kirishima stared up at him, eyes red and liquid from crying earlier. “For Yuuta. For coming. I don’t know what I would have done if…” he trailed off, looking over at where Yuuta was still sleeping in his crib. “Thank you,” he said again.

“You could’ve called me earlier.”

Kirishima took a drink of his tea. “I thought I’d be back in time. But the train was attacked and then traffic…”

“No wonder you look so damn tired.” Bakugou sighed, reaching over to run a hand through the other’s hair. “Finish your tea and go to sleep. Pissin’ me off just looking at you.”

Kirishima nodded, continuing to sip at his tea. Bakugou sat down in the rocking chair, rocking slowly as he watched over Yuuta. Finished, he laid down, snuggling under the blankets. The anxiousness he had felt earlier hadn’t completely left him, but the warmth of the tea was slowly melting it away. Bakugou switched off the lights and Kirishima let himself drift on to sleep in peace.

Chapter Text

The room was dark when Kirishima woke up, his first thought being of Yuuta. He bolted upright, eyes narrowing in on the crib. His heart stuttered when he saw it was empty, but then Bakugou was gone too, along with the mugs.

Was it just a dream?

He slid out of bed, reaching for his phone only to find it was missing. Right because it broke. A note was in its place, written in Bakugou’s handwriting: “Downstairs in the kitchen. Come if you’re hungry. Yuuta’s with me. -Bakugou”

Kirishima sighed, feeling grateful for Bakugou. He had no idea what he would do without him, especially with having such a close call. He knows now. Kirishima couldn’t deny it any longer. There had been times that he thought Bakugou might know he was the other parent to Yuuta. He had certainly acted like it often enough. Or maybe Bakugou was just instinctively caring for his child…

He shook his head, squaring his shoulders. It was time to man up and be honest with Bakugou. It was time to sort it all out. And from there… who knows?

Bakugou was humming along to the radio when he approached, mumbling some of the words. Kirishima peeked through the doorway, smiling at the sight. The blond was nearly dancing around the kitchen, adding this and that to what looked like some kind of chocolatey dessert. Yuuta was in his high chair, watching his dad and babbling along.

“You really are just too cute, aren’t you?” Bakugou asked, pinching the baby’s cheek. Yuuta grabbed at his finger, trying to pull it into his mouth. “Are you hungry? Should we eat now or wait for Kiri, hmm?”

“I’m here.” Kirishima stepped into the room, stiffening when Bakugou’s eyes turned to him. He had forgotten how intense that gaze could be. “He’s, um, started eating a bit of baby food. There’s some in the cupboard. If you wanted to give it a try. Or I could, I guess. He likes the apple one.”

“After you.” Bakugou stepped back, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed.

Kirishima swallowed, moving farther into the kitchen and busying himself with getting the little jar of baby food. “Um, I wanted to thank you again. For being here for Yuuta.” He grabbed the little spoon his mother had given him, the same one she had used for him and his siblings. “And… to apologize. For not telling you sooner.”

“Telling me what exactly?”

“I lied about being the only parent of Yuuta. Her quirk only works for couples. And the other parent is you. I should have told you earlier. I didn’t mean for you to find out like this—”

“Good thing I didn’t.”

“What?”

Bakugou rolled his eyes, arms uncrossing. “I knew since the beginning, dumbass. Pretty sure everyone knows. It’s not exactly a big secret.”

“But—I don’t understand. How could you…?”

“Here.” Bakugou dug out his phone, opening it and searching for something. He turned it to show the screen to Kirishima. On it was a photo of a chubby blond baby, the spitting image of Yuuta when Kirishima had first brought him home. “That’s me. Look familiar?”

“Oh.” Kirishima’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, no, does your mom know?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, fuck.”

The blond frowned. “Watch your language. There’s a baby present.”

Kirishima nodded, taking a deep breath. “So when you say everyone, do you mean—”

“Everyone. Yeah.”

“I thought I was being subtle.”

“You’re anything but subtle.”

The redhead nodded. “I’m sorry. Again. I felt terrible for lying to you.”

“So why did you? Why did you do half the shit you did? Why’d you break up with me?” The raw emotion that bled into the last words startled the both of them and Bakugou pulled himself back. “Don’t fuckin’ get what’s going on in that shitty head of yours.”

“I didn’t want to be a burden to you.” Kirishima set down the jar and spoon, arms wrapping around himself. “You have all these great dreams and goals and I couldn’t get in the way of that.”

“You’re not a burden. And neither is Yuuta.”

Kirishima shook his head. “You don’t know that. Kids take a lot of time and effort and I don’t even know if you want them, but now I have one, so it wouldn’t just be that you’re dating me, you’re dating a guy with a baby and that’s a lot. Even if you weren’t his dad too, it’d be asking so much of you, and I know that you would try, but I was scared that you’d start to resent me for this and then you’d leave and I couldn’t—I don’t know what I would do if you—” he stopped, bringing hand up to mouth as he tried to calm down.

“Kiri,” Bakugou said, reaching out to him.

“So—so I lied. And I thought that if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t feel responsible, so you wouldn’t want to get involved with me anymore, but we would still be friends, right? But then we had that date, and it was so amazing. And I knew that I still wanted to be with you and I tried. But every time you held Yuuta, or talked to him, or looked at him, I just felt so guilty, and I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t lie to you, but I was so scared to tell you the truth and—”

“Kiri.” Bakugou lifted his chin so Kirishima had to look at him. “Take a deep breath.” He did as told. “Calm down. It’s okay.” He frowned. “Well, maybe not okay, but it’s not worth getting worked up over. Alright?”

Kirishima nodded. Bakugou stepped back and the redhead spotted Yuuta, remembering his task. He started it again, opening the jar. As he helped Yuuta eat, he could feel Bakugou’s gaze on him, but he tried not to focus on it. When Yuuta was done, he cleaned off the baby’s face and picked him up, working on burping him.

“So, what do we do now?” he asked at long last.

“I don’t know.”

Now that he could really properly look at Bakugou, the blond seemed exhausted. Was that his fault? “I still intend to take care of Yuuta. If you don’t want to be a part of it—”

“Like hell you’re taking him away from me.” Kirishima froze, having not expected the fire in Bakugou’s words. “I’m still upset at you, but I love the little shit and I’m sticking around for him.”

“Just him?” The words were out before Kirishima could stop them. Stupid. This isn’t just about you. Don’t be selfish. You’ve fucked with Bakugou’s emotions enough.

The blond shrugged. “I still love you, if that’s what you’re asking. Just pissed off at you. Really pissed off.”

Kirishima felt like his heart had dropped through the floor as he stared at Bakugou, whispering, “You love me?”

Chapter Text

“You love me?”

Bakugou froze, staring at a spot on the wall. “I—that, uh, that’s—” His ears were burning red. “That’s not the point right now.”

Kirishima hid his small smile, his cheeks warming slightly. His insides felt like they were melting. “Yeah. Right. We still have things to figure out.” Yuuta wiggled in his arms, yawning widely. “Um, I should get him to bed.” He turned to go before stopping. “Oh, I, um, broke my phone and I should really call Fatgum to let him know that Yuuta’s okay, could I…?”

“Yeah, here.” Bakugou handed over his phone. “I can take him up while you call.”

“You sure?”

The blond rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure.” He scooped Yuuta into his arms, smiling down at the baby who smiled back, a hand reaching up toward him. “We’ll be upstairs when you’re done.”

“Okay.” Kirishima made the call, giving Fatgum a brief rundown of what had happened including the part about Bakugou being Yuuta’s dad. That got him a good scolding from the pro-hero as well as a bit of advice on what he should do from then on. It was a good fifteen minutes before he managed to get upstairs.

By then Bakugou had gotten Yuuta to sleep. Kirishima was pretty sure he had some sort of magical power because he never got Yuuta down that fast. He quietly slipped into the room, handing Bakugou his phone back.

“Thanks.” He paused, half expecting the blond to get up and leave, but he remained where he was in the chair. “Aren’t you going to bed?”

“Yeah. I have to clean up downstairs first.” He sighed, tearing his gaze away from the sleeping baby. “Night, Kiri.”

“Night, Bakugou.”

The next week was probably one of the most awkward weeks either of them had ever lived through. They were done ignoring each other, but neither of them was quite sure how to actually act around the other. At times, it almost felt like before they had dated, but then one of them would get too familiar and it would come crashing back and they would retreat from each other for a while. Their friends did their best to help them, but it did little to alleviate the pure awkwardness.

But as school was coming to an end of Friday, Kirishima thought that things were definitely starting to get better.

Yuuta had gotten to be less fussy as well, allowing Kirishima to eat lunch in the cafeteria again. Bakugou had gone back to getting up in the middle of the night to look after Yuuta, though the baby was nearly sleeping all the way through. Usually, he would wake up an hour or so before they would normally wake up.

Kirishima told him that it wasn’t a big deal for him to take care of, but Bakugou would go anyway, often staying until Kirishima would wake up. The redhead wasn’t sure at first how he felt about waking up to find Bakugou there, often times reading, in the rocking chair. After a couple nights, it was comforting to see the familiar shape.

Bakugou wasn’t going to leave.  

“He’s like a completely different baby now,” the nursery caretaker said as she settled Yuuta into the stroller. “Night and day with this little one.”

“Yeah. I’m glad that he’s settled down,” Kirishima said. “I was starting to get a bit worried honestly.”

“Well, the trouble isn’t over yet. Won’t be for another eighteen years,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t worry. You’re doing great.”

Kirishima nodded, pushing the stroller away and starting for the door to go back to the dorms. “It really is a relief that he isn’t acting up anymore,” he said to Bakugou. “It was starting to drive me a little nuts.”

“It’s your own fuckin’ fault,” Bakugou said. “You’re too fuckin’ stubborn,” he went on before Kirishima could say anything. “Too determined to prove that you can do it by yourself even though you don’t have shit to prove.”

The redhead nodded, not sure how to respond. They walked along in silence until he heard someone call his name.

Both boys turned to look at the girl half-jogging towards them. Bakugou scowled, glaring at the same shit-talking girl that had bugged Kirishima about giving Yuuta up back at the beginning of the semester. “The fuck do you want?”

“Nothing that has to do with you,” she said pointedly before stepping around him to look at Kirishima. “I was going to apologize about what I said before, about not being able to take care of him by yourself. Clearly, what I was trying to say wasn’t coming out how I wanted.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what I was trying to get at, before I was so rudely interrupted,” she said, shooting a look at the blond, “was that I wanted to help you. I mean, I’ve helped look after my cousins a bit. I know that you’ve been having a tough time these past few weeks, which with you being a single parent and all, makes perfect sense. After all, children are supposed to be raised by two parents. Aren’t you?” she cooed down at Yuuta, reaching out to touch him.

Bakugou caught her wrist in his hand before she could. “Don’t you dare touch my son.” He used his hold on her wrist to push her back a step. “He already has two parents, so take your shitty attitude and get the fuck out of our way.”

“You—” she tried to stay, flushing with anger. “You?” she repeated with a mocking laugh. “I know who you are. You’re not a parent. You’re a brute with anger issues who doesn’t give a shit about anyone. I think they deserve better.”

“I think you should really stop talking about things you don’t know anything about,” Kirishima said coolly. His arm wrapped around Bakugou’s waist, mostly just to have a hold on the blond who was fuming. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be going now.” He pushed the stroller forward, leading Bakugou along with him.

“I’m telling you now. If you walk away, you won’t have another chance!” she shouted from behind them.

“I think I’ll be fine.”

“Well, that was something,” Kirishima said once they were back in his room. Bakugou laid Yuuta down in his crib, handing him the stuffed tiger to keep him busy. “I wasn’t really expecting that.”

“What? Her or me?”

“Both?” Kirishima sighed. “Honestly, hearing you say… that… was kind of nice. But everything she said was awful. But she wasn’t really wrong. I mean, it’s hard to raise a kid on your own, especially one that’s special like Yuuta and—”

The rest of the words were swallowed by Bakugou’s lips sealing against his. Kirishima’s eyes fell closed instinctively as he kissed back. Bakugou’s hands came up to run through his hair, tilting his head back so the kiss connected better.

It felt like the world around them had fallen away. There was nothing except him and Bakugou, linked together. Each point of contact hummed with electricity, sparking each time their skin brushed together. Kirishima pulled Bakugou closer, wanting the moment to never end. He could finally kiss Bakugou without the constant guilt of knowing that he was hiding the truth.

But that was over and now he felt like he actually could be with Bakugou.

“I love you,” was the first thing he said when Bakugou pulled back all too soon, breath puffing out against Kirishima’s swollen lips. “I never got to answer you before. I love you too.”

“Good.” The blond caught Kirishima’s mouth again in a short kiss. “Because I’m never letting you go.”

Chapter Text

They were stuck in some weird place between dating and not dating and Kirishima honestly had no idea what to do with himself. Bakugou didn’t seem to be having any issue with it, just going about it like it was no big issue to go from half-ignoring him all during class to making out in his bed while Yuuta to slept next door.

Kirishima felt like he was getting whiplash.

At least he knew that Bakugou had feelings for him, loved him even. And he had told Bakugou how he felt too.

He sighed, turning over in his bed. It was close to midnight and his body felt impossibly heavy with exhaustion but he couldn’t get his mind to shut off long enough for him to actually sleep. He punched at his pillow, trying to mold it into a better shape.

His door opened and closed quietly and a figure crept into the room. The light from the starry nightlight illuminated his face: Bakugou. He moved to bed. “Scoot over.”

“Bakugou? What are you doing here?”

“Getting you to sleep. I can hear you thinking yourself to death from my room.” He nudged Kirishima over and the redhead moved closer to the wall. Bakugou climbed into the bed, tucking himself under the blankets. “Come here and tell me what’s on your mind.”

Kirishima moved closer, allowing Bakugou to wrap his arms around him. They were spooning. “I just can’t sleep.”

“About what?”

The redhead swallowed. The instinct to hide the truth was there, but he pushed it down. He was being honest with Bakugou. No more lies, no more trouble. “I was thinking about us. What are we, Bakugou?”

“Too tired to actually be talking about this?”

“Bakugou. Please.”

“Okay, okay. What do you want us to be?”

“I don’t know,” Kirishima started, sighing heavily. “I—I want to say we’re dating, but at the same time, that’s kind of terrifying and I mean, we already tried that and yeah things are different now, but still. But I also don’t want to not be dating, because then you’re not… mine.”

Bakugou’s arms tightened around him and the redhead could feel his smile pressing against the back of his neck. “You’re so cute, Kiri. Honestly, whatever label you want to put on us, that’s fine. As long as I have you and Yuuta, you can call me your whatever.”

“My whatever,” Kirishima repeated with a snort. “That’s catchy.”

“You know what I mean. Whatever I am to you, I’m yours.”

Kirishima felt like his stomach did a flip. “What if I wanted you to be my boyfriend?”

“Mmm, well I don’t know. I heard about the last boyfriend you had. You know, the one you supposedly dumped at like three in the morning.” Bakugou chuckled, pressing a warm kiss just below Kirishima’s ear. “Yeah, I’ll be your boyfriend, shitty hair.”

“Thanks, Blasty boy.”

“But break up with me in the middle of the night I’ll make you pay.”

“I won’t. I will never break up with you again, Bakugou.”

“Good. Now go to sleep.”

The news of Bakugou claiming to be Yuuta’s father had spread through the school like wildfire. There had been another surge of curiosity and crowds gathered outside their classroom again. Bakugou had survived in the usual way, with many insults, threats, and small explosions.

The redhead had been worried that Bakugou would back out of it, try to deny it at first, but as always Bakugou surprised him. He probably would have gone around wearing a shirt saying “Yuuta’s Dad” on it if he had thought it was fashionable enough.

The attention calmed down again and before Kirishima knew it, it had already been a month since he and Bakugou had gotten back together. Which also meant that they had had Yuuta for six months.

His mother and her friend stopped by the Saturday following the exact sixth month anniversary from the Baby Incident. His mother cooed over Yuuta, complaining that Kirishima didn’t come home enough and that she missed her precious grandson.

Bakugou had shown up a few minutes after they arrived and Kirishima braced for the awkwardness. But it never happened. The blond settled down on the couch next to his mother and smoothly started acting like the dad he was. His mother took to him quickly, which Kirishima knew she would, but it was still weird.

He was never really going to get used to this.

“Well, he looks just as healthy as last time. Goodness, he is growing up well. Going to be a big strong boy just like your dads, hmmm?” his mom’s friend said as she looked over Yuuta. There was a pause like she was waiting for someone to deny it before she continued on. “I think that his dependency on you is just about over. So it should be fine now, though I would suggest waiting another week or more.”

Kirishima blinked. “Wait another week for what?”

His mother took Yuuta back into her arms. “For him to come and live me, of course.”

Chapter Text

“No.”

The three of them turned to look at Bakugou and he stared straight back. “No,” he repeated.

“Bakugou, sweetie, I know that you’ve been doing a wonderful job of taking care of him so far, but you’re still both in school, in your final year, and neither of you should have the extra pressure of looking after him.” She smiled at him, but the blond wasn’t going to give in so easily.

“We’re doing fine,” he snapped. He had only just started to actually fill his role as Yuuta’s dad and now they were trying to take him away? It wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to let it happen. “Yuuta’s not going anywhere.”

She turned to her son for support.

But she was looking in the wrong place. “I want him to stay,” Kirishima said. “I know we talked about it before, but I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like then. But I think it’ll be for him to stay.”

His mother sighed. “Eijirou, please be reasonable.”

“I don’t think it would be a bad idea for Yuuta to remain where he is,” her friend offered. “He’s doing well here and neither of the boys seems particularly strained at the moment. Besides, parenting is rarely easy no matter where you’re at. At least this way, if it does become too much, they have a backup plan.”

“Fine,” she said, smile a little flatter, but she didn’t seem actually upset, just a bit annoyed. “But Ei, I would appreciate it if you actually came home some weekend. I want to see my grandson growing up too.”

“I will, Mom. I’ve just been busy.”

“I’ll make sure he goes,” Bakugou mumbled.

She chuckled. “You come along too, sweetheart. I haven’t seen enough of you either lately.”

They talked a while longer until it was time for Yuuta’s afternoon nap. Bakugou took him upstairs while Kirishima finished visiting with his mother. He was standing over the crib, watching Yuuta sleep when two arms wrapped around his waist.

“I wouldn’t have let him go,” Kirishima mumbled against his shoulder. “I know it’s just with my mom, but the thought of not having him here anymore… it’s scary.”

Bakugou thought back to how Kirishima had looked that night he came back late, the deadness in his eyes. He couldn’t imagine feeling like the redhead had then, knowing that Yuuta was gone forever. This wouldn’t have been forever, but the idea of him being gone at all…

“He wouldn’t have been able to stay there anyway. He doesn’t like anyone but us,” Bakugou said. It was mostly true, but then it was Kirishima’s mom. Surely that counted for something right? “She would’ve brought him back after a day. He’s a noisy little shit when he’s upset.”

Kirishima laughed, hugging the blond tighter. “He gets it from his dad.”

Even with the teasing jab at him, Bakugou felt a warm feeling bubble up in his chest. It was so good to hear that from Kirishima, that he was actually Yuuta’s dad. That Yuuta was his.

“Also stop calling him a shit.”

“Habit. Never was fond of kids.” It wasn’t the best thing to say and Bakugou knew it as soon as Kirishima started pulling away. He held onto the other’s arms, keeping him in place. “I just never knew how to handle them. I never had any siblings or younger cousins or any of that so I just never picked up on it.”

“Still no excuse for calling your actual son a shit.”

“I call everyone a shit?”

“Bakugou.”

“Eijirou.”

The redhead hid his face (which Bakugou couldn’t see anyway) in his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Shut up.”

“What, I can’t call my boyfriend by his name now?”

Kirishima was pouting and Bakugou didn’t even need to see him to feel it. “Katsuki.”

Bakugou felt like his face exploded. “You’re right. Never mind.”

“You don’t like it, Katsuki?”

“Please stop.”

“But why, Katsuki?”

With a little growl, Bakugou turned, grabbing the front of Kirishima’s shirt and pulling him into a kiss. They stumbled away from the crib, still locked in a messy kiss. Kirishima’s knees hit his bed and he fell back, Bakugou on top of him. The blond smirked, leaning down to leave a mess of wet kisses all along Kirishima’s neck and throat as his hands slithered up under his shirt.

Kirishima arched off the bed slightly, humming, before Bakugou was back to kissing him properly, hot tongue tangling with his. He pulled the blond down closer to him, wanting more as he tucked a hand into Bakugou’s back pocket. And then a thought occurred to him.

“Bakugou,” he said as he broke the kiss. “Yuuta’s still in the room.”

The blond barely thought about it before he said, “next door?”

He didn’t get a chance to answer before a wail began to echo around the room. They looked to the crib where Yuuta was flailing his little fists, face screwed up as he cried. Bakugou got to his feet quickly, picking up the child who began to calm almost immediately. “Needy.”

“Just like his dad,” Kirishima teased as he pecked his cheek. “I’ll be next door when you’re done,” he added with a wink as he walked out of the room.

“Bakugou, get in here!” Kirishima shouted.

They were at Kirishima’s house for the weekend, though his family was out at the moment at his brother’s sports competition (Bakugou couldn’t remember what it was) and they had the house to themselves. Kirishima had been in the living room with Yuuta while Bakugou made up some lunch. The blond rushed out of the kitchen, his mind immediately going to something going wrong with Yuuta, some problem that they weren’t aware of.

Yuuta was leaning against the side of the couch, hands gripping at the surface as he stood on his own feet.

Kirishima looked at Bakugou, eyes wide and gleaming with pride. “He’s standing.”  

“I see.” Bakugou didn’t understand why it was affecting him as much as it was. Yuuta had to learn to stand sometime. But at the same time, it was their baby, growing up. “Did you—”

“I just looked up and he was doing it on his own.” He smiled, beaming as Yuuta turned to look at them. His face seemed to say: Look, dads, look what I’m doing! “Good job, buddy,” he cooed, scooting closer and reaching out his arms. “Can you come to Daddy?”

Yuuta reached for him and for a moment, Bakugou thought he might actually take a step. And then the baby plopped down onto his butt, giggling loudly as he curled into a ball, rolling back and forth with his feet in the air. God, he’s so cute.

Kirishima was trying to not to be disappointed, but it was a little soon for Yuuta to actually be walking. Though when he did, he knew it was going to be one hell of a task trying to keep up. They were already having trouble keeping him in one place. There had been moments where they would look away for one moment and when they looked back, Yuuta would be half way across the room, crawling towards whatever had caught his eye.

As Bakugou went back to the kitchen to finish lunch, he pulled Yuuta into his arms, kissing his forehead. “You’re a determined little guy, aren’t you?” he asked him, just as Bakugou was thinking a similar thought. They both answered their own question at the same moment.

Just like your dad.

Chapter Text

“Kirishima, darling!” Mitsuki greeted as soon as the redhead walked through the door, Yuuta in his arms. “I’ve missed you so much. And look at this big boy! I swear, he’s grown so much since I last saw him.”

“Like two and a half months ago,” Bakugou grumbled, following behind his boyfriend with his arms full of Yuuta’s crib and diaper bag. “Don’t act like it’s been years.”

“Babies grow up so fast though, it might as well be years. May I?” she asked, holding out her arms for Yuuta. Kirishima handed him over. “Aw, there we go. Did you miss grandma? I bet you did, hmm, sweetie?”

Yuuta started crying as if on cue, bringing a smile to Bakugou’s face. “Guess not. He didn’t do that with Kirishima’s mom. Interesting.”

“Oh, shut up, brat.” She turned to her husband who had come out of his office to investigate the noise. “Masaru, here.”

Masaru took his grandson, smiling down at the wailing child. “Hello there. What’s wrong, hmm?” Yuuta quieted, staring up at him. And then the baby giggled, reaching up to his face. “Ah, still got it.”

“It’s like a second quirk, I swear. I appreciate it, but I hate it so much.”

Kirishima laughed. “I understand that. Yuuta never gives Bakugou problems when it comes to sleeping, but it always takes me at least an hour to get him to actually sleep.”

“I have the touch.”

“Yeah, if only you were that good at feeding him.”

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“Oh? Which time do you mean?”

The blond crossed his arms and looked away as his mother and boyfriend both laughed. “Oh, Kirishima, I have missed you so, so much. Please, catch me up. Katsuki does not tell me anything that happens with you two.”

Bakugou glared at their retreating backs as they went to the kitchen. His dad still had Yuuta and he at least trusted him to look after the baby. He dragged the crib and the rest of their stuff to his room, setting it up before returning to the living room.

Kirishima was on the floor, holding Yuuta up as the baby stood up, hands holding on tightly to his father’s for balance. Mitsuki was taking photos as fast as she could, nattering on about when Bakugou was learning to walk.

“Ah, those were some peaceful times. Sure, Katsuki would scream and scream and scream, but at least he wasn’t getting into trouble. Once he figured out how to walk, there was barely any way to stop him from going anywhere. We had to baby proof the entire house and make sure that all the entrances were sealed so he wouldn’t get out.”

“You make it sound like I would cause some disaster out there.”

“Isn’t that what you have been doing?” his mother teased. She ruffled his hair, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Good job with them,” she whispered just for him. “I’m proud of you.”

She straightened at the knock on the door. “Oh, that’ll be them. Masaru, hon, could you get that?”

As Bakugou’s father got up to open the door, the teen squinted at his mother. “Who is that?”

“Just some guests I invited over for dinner.” The cat-like smile on her face said differently. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. It was going to happen sometime.”

“What was?” Kirishima asked as he got to his feet, resting Yuuta against one hip. “Who’s coming?”

“Us, Eijirou,” a familiar voice said as a trio of people entered the room, two of which were the last ones Kirishima had been expecting to see. “Oh, Mitsuki, your home is lovely.”

“Thank you, Kiyoko. I’m so glad you could make it.” Bakugou glared at his mother as she moved across the room, greeting Kirishima’s parents. “I feel like we’ve never been able to properly have a meal together and considering everything, why not do it sooner rather than later?”

Kiyoko nodded in agreement. “I was starting to think the same thing, especially with their graduation coming up.”

“Kiri, take Yuuta and run. I’ll distract them.”

“Bakugou, we’re not running away.”

“We can’t stay here.”

Kirishima rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like we’re under attack. It’s just our parents and it’s not like we haven’t met them before. Calm down.”

“Yeah, but they’re together now. God, this is going to be a nightmare.”

Masaru patted his son’s shoulder. “This is just what moms do, kiddo. You’ll just have to accept it.”

“And if either of you run,” Kirishima’s dad said, clapping a hand down on Kirishima’s shoulder, “we’re under orders to stop you.”

“Ugh.”

After two hours of almost nonstop embarrassing stories, both the teens were anxious for the evening to come to a close. Dinner had been great at first, all polite banter and compliments. And then something came up about when one of them was little and then it just snowballed.

“Do moms have like a special ability that allows them to remember every embarrassing thing their kids do?” Kirishima asked as they finally managed to slip away to Bakugou’s room under the pretense of getting the kid down for the night. “Because I can like barely remember most of what my mom was saying and she had so much detail in there.”

Bakugou shrugged. “I don’t know. I just started tuning them out after a while.” He wrapped an arm around Kirishima’s waist. “It was kind of nice though. Having everyone together.”

“Not everyone. I still have all my siblings. You still haven’t met my older brother yet, have you?”

“Ugh, I forgot you had like twelve siblings.”

“There’s only four.” Kirishima kissed him, sweet and simple and always leaving Bakugou wanting more. “But yeah, it is nice. We should do it more.”

“Hell no.”

“Bakugou.”

“Maybe. But not before we have some stories to tell about Yuuta. The kid’s got to do something embarrassing eventually.”

Chapter Text

“Kiri, you won’t believe this,” Bakugou exclaimed as he rushed into the room, shaking the redhead. “Kiri, wake up. I have to tell you something.”

“Mm, go away.” Kirishima half-heartedly swatted at him before rolling over and pulling the blanket over him. “Tryin’ to sleep.”

“Kirishima, Yuuta said a word.”

Kirishima sat up, staring at him. “No way.”

“He did!” Bakugou was beaming. “My dad was there. He heard it too.”

“What’d he say?”

“He called me papa.”

The other teen frowned. “He was probably just babbling. He does that.”

Bakugou grabbed him before he could lay back down again. “He was not just babbling. He did it on purpose. I know it.”

“You’re dreaming.” Kirishima laughed at Bakugou’s offended look. “Fine. I’ll go see if he does it again.”

The blond pouted. “He did. Not my fault you were decided to laze about in bed all morning. Missing your own son’s childhood, just letting it pass you by.”

Kirishima rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Sure, babe.” He slid out of bed, pressing a kiss to his cheek and squeezing his ass at the same time. “I’m starving. What’s for breakfast?”

“Nothing, bastard,” Bakugou grumbled as he followed him out to the kitchen. His father was sitting at the table with Yuuta. “Dad, did Yuuta say a word or not?”

Masaru shrugged. “I believe that you thought he said something, and you got really excited about it.”

 “Dad.”

“Papa!”

The three of them stared at the baby as he reached out towards the blond. Bakugou grinned as he picked up the baby. “See? I told you. He called me papa.”

“Uh, pretty sure he called me that.”

“He was obviously reaching for me. Dad?”

His father sipped at his coffee, missing the quiet mornings when he could just read his paper without someone interrupting. The dorms were a blessing. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Dad.”

“Yuuta,” Kirishima cooed, reaching for the baby’s hand. “Say ‘Papa’ for me, okay?” The baby smiled at him, babbling wordlessly as he held onto the redhead’s finger. “Says ‘Papa’ Yuuta. I know you can do it.”

The baby said nothing and Kirishima sighed, defeated. “Ha,” Bakugou said. “Look at that. I’m the favorite dad.”

“Doubtful. Also, he’s about to spit up on you.”

Kirishima’s prediction came true a moment later, but it did little to dim Bakugou’s cheery mood for the rest of the day. “Don’t worry, Kiri. I’m sure he’ll start calling you something soon enough,” he said later that afternoon as they laid together in bed, talking quietly as Yuuta slept.

“What should he call me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean if he calls us both ‘dad’ wouldn’t that get a bit confusing? Should we teach him to call us different versions of dad, or what?”

Bakugou chuckled, pressing a kiss Kirishima’s forehead. “I think that’ll be up to him. He’ll figure it out for himself. And he’s barely started talking. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“But I do worry. Not just about what he’s going to call us, but everything else. Like what are we going to do if we have to work at the same time? I mean, we could take opposite shifts so one of us is always home, but then we’d never see each other. And I wouldn’t be against having someone watch him when we’re gone, but I also don’t want him to feel like we’re ignoring him.”

“We’ll—”

“We have three months to figure it out, Bakugou,” Kirishima pointed out. “I know that we don’t have to figure everything out right now but if we don’t at least start soon we’re going to run out of time.”

Bakugou leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “Shit.” He reached for Kirishima’s hand. “We do need to talk about stuff. Start finding a place to live. How we’re going to take care of Yuuta. All that. We’ll make a plan.”

“Good.”

“Do you want to start now?”

Kirishima shook his head, scooting closer so he was laying against Bakugou’s chest, humming as the blond wrapped his arms around him. “We can start tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy the moment right now.”

“Cheesy.”

“You know it.”

“We’re not putting Yuuta in that,” Bakugou said before Kirishima could even suggest it. The redhead set down the neon polka-dotted shirt with a dejected frown. “I’m doing this for his own good.”

“You’re doing it for your own good.” Kirishima sighed, leaning against the cart and making faces down at Yuuta from where he was laying in the baby carrier. “You know, it’s kind of weird to think of you as someone who really likes clothes. You’d think I would be used to it by now, but…”

“It’s because most of the time we’re in uniform or just relaxing in the dorms.”

“I guess.” He watched Bakugou look through the racks of baby clothing, smiling softly at the concentration on the other’s face. “You know, it’s not like he’s going to really care what you put him in, right? I think you’re the one overthinking this right now.”

“I just want to make sure he looks nice.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Stop judging me. I’ll smack you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Kiri—”

“Da!” They looked down at Yuuta as he wiggled in the carrier, grabbing at his toes. “Da!” he shouted again.

“Me?” Kirishima asked as if Yuuta could actually answer. “Is that for me?”

There was more babbling and then another very clear “Da” as Yuuta reached out to him.

Kirishima held his hand, looking up at Bakugou. “He knows me.”

“He’s known you since he existed, dumbass. He just finally put a name to you.” He walked over, smiling down at the baby.

“Papa! Da!”

“He’s so fuckin’ cute.”

Kirishima frowned, poking at the blond’s side. “Hey, he’s literally starting to pick up language. Stop swearing.”

“Sorry. But I mean, if he did, it’s not exactly the worst thing that could happen…”

“Bakugou. I’ll smack you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Shut up.” Kirishima pulled the blond to him, pressing their lips together, ignoring the shocked gasp that came from a lady walking nearby. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Chapter Text

It was hard. Bakugou couldn’t shy away from the fact, as much as he wanted to say that they had been able to make it through with no problems. But it was hard, and he didn’t imagine it getting easier any time soon.

But they made it.

Kirishima was beaming, glowing as pink petals floated down around them. He held Yuuta in one arm and his diploma in the other. His mother stood before him, snapping away photos as she congratulated him.

Bakugou smiled as he leaned against a tree, half in shadow, hoping to just be able to watch. They had made it through their third year of Yuuei, baby and all. Their official hero licenses had been sent out the day before. Kirishima had cried as he stared down at his; Bakugou would never admit it, but he had felt a little emotional as he finally saw the very thing he had been chasing after for so long.

“Katsuki! You little shit,” Mitsuki called, waving him over. “Get over here. I want pictures too!”

He groaned, stepping out from the shadows. He let himself be pushed around, refusing to do more than a sorta smile for the photos he was forced to take. Yuuta was traded off to him, and he half wished the kid would start up a ruckus and he could go and hide somewhere again. But he was perfectly calm, giggling and smiling at all the attention he was being given.

It may have been their graduation, but it had all been for him. Bakugou knew it, and when he looked over at Kirishima, the other’s eyes brimming with a whirlpool of emotion, he knew Kirishima knew it too.

Their classmates came to find them not long after and there were more photos and tears and goodbyes and promises to keep in touch. Bakugou never doubted that Kirishima would let any of them fall out of contact. He was going to have to deal with dinners and parties and it would all be worth it to see Kirishima smile.

Yuuta was dropped off at Kirishima’s parents for a long nap. Kirishima lingered, making sure the babysitter was fully aware of what to do and who to call if there was a problem. Eventually, Bakugou had to drag him out the house, complaining loudly that he was hungry.

The two families shared a very loud, very long dinner, filled with a retelling of every possible story they could think of. Bakugou was finally able to meet all of Kirishima’s siblings, even having to deal with a mild threat from his older brother should he ever hurt Kirishima.

“Not gonna be a fuckin’ problem,” the blond had scoffed, brushing past the other. He smiled when he saw Kirishima laughing, head thrown back and eyes closed. His fingers reached into his pocket, running around the smooth button the redhead had given him earlier. “I’ll never hurt him.”

“I can’t believe it’s over,” Kirishima said late that evening when they returned to the dorms. They would be moving out the next day. The apartment near Fatgum’s agency was waiting for them; most of their things were already there, plus the furniture and other things their parents had collectively given them. “We’re heroes, Bakugou. Real, actual pro-heroes.”

He turned around, eyes wide and sparkling with wonder, to find Bakugou closer than he thought. “I know. It’s weird,” the blond murmured. His hips came to rest on Kirishima’s hips. “We did it.”

“Yeah,” he breathed out. He leaned in a little closer, expression growing soft and fond. “Kinda wish Yuuta was here. Miss him.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “We’ll see him tomorrow. And all the days after that.” He cut off Kirishima’s next words with a kiss, slowly walking him back towards the bed. “But for now, let’s enjoy the peace, hmm?”

The redhead giggled as Bakugou leaned in for another kiss, one that was longer and deeper and hotter. He hummed as he was pressed back into the mattress, their hands tangling together as their breath grew shorter. “Katsuki,” he panted as Bakugou moved down to mouth at his neck. “Katsuki, are we…?”

“If you want. Or we could do something else. Or we could just sleep.” Bakugou bit down on a sensitive spot, sucking a pale mark there. “It’s up to you. Don’t really care.”

“You don’t?”

Bakugou laughed at how offended Kirishima sounded. “We have plenty of time. I can wait.”

Kirishima pouted, but Bakugou could see the smiling waiting at the corners of his mouth. He kissed at it, feeling the redhead give in to the happiness that was bubbling out from him. “Never took you for the patient type.”

The blond shrugged. “Some things are worth it. I already know your ass is.”

“Dude.”

“Don’t dude me. I’m the father of your child.”

“Bakugou!” Kirishima hid his face behind his hands. Even in the dim light, Bakugou could tell he was turning as red as his hair. “You can’t just—You can’t just say that.”

Bakugou laughed, trying to pull the hands away from his boyfriend’s face. “Why not? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but—”

The blond finally managed to pin Kirishima's hands down to either side of his head, looming over the other as he grinned. “Yeah, but it’s true. And I love him very much. And I love you very much.”

“Love you too,” Kirishima mumbled, still very red and avoiding his gaze. “You’re really fuckin’ cheesy.”

“Mmhm.” Bakugou pressed a kiss to Kirishima’s forehead, moving to his cheek, then his nose, before finally stopping at his mouth. Kirishima relaxed as the kiss went on, freeing his hands from Bakugou’s hold to wrap around Bakugou’s neck and pulling him down and closer.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy,” Kirishima said later as he stared up at the ceiling in the dark. Bakugou was curled up at his side, head resting on his bare chest. “Katsuki? Did you know you’ve made the happiest guy alive?”

Bakugou hummed, mostly asleep. “Not the happiest. I am.”

Kirishima grinned, kissing Bakugou’s hair. “Maybe.”

If anyone noticed that he was limping the next day, no one mentioned it. It didn’t matter though. Kirishima was walking on air and nothing could bring him down.

Chapter Text

“Are we going to go see Papa, Daddy?”

Kirishima smiled down at the young child, ignoring how robotic it felt on his face. The dark hair and tan skin resembled his own, but he could see Bakugou in the shape of Yuuta’s eyes and the confidence of his smile. “Yes, sweetie. Grandma and Grandpa will be there too.”

Yuuta cheered, happily running out to the car, impatiently waiting for the redhead. Only, the red was starting to fade from his hair and his black roots had grown out. The ride was filled with Yuuta’s happy chatter and Kirishima nodded along, listening more to distract himself from where they were going.

The noise in the hospital was dull and muted, the somber atmosphere enough to quiet Yuuta. They got there visitor passes from a familiar nurse who gave them a sad, understanding smile, and they headed down the hall. Yuuta trotted ahead, knowing the way.

Kirishima stopped before he entered the room, taking a deep breath. He could hear Yuuta talking, telling Bakugou about daycare and his new favorite superhero. He smiled, and it felt less forced than usual.

Finally, he turned the corner and went into the room. It was much the same as it always had been. The walls and sheets were stark white and the machines beeped and whirred loudly. Kirishima followed the tubes as they slithered into the figure on the bed.

He thought he would be used to it by now, seeing Bakugou like this. Seeing him so pale and lifeless and empty. He swallowed thickly as he scanned over the blond, looking for any change. Bakugou looked thin and small under the blanket and it made his heartache.

His eyes caught on a bright orange spot mostly tucked under the blanket on Bakugou’s left side. “Yuuta, what’s this?” he asked, reaching out to pull out the worn stuffed tiger. He didn’t remember Yuuta having it when he came in.

“I left it for Papa. So, he wouldn’t be scared when he wakes up.” The smile Yuuta gave him was pure and sweet. “He’s going to wake up soon, right, Daddy?”

“I hope so, sweetie.” Kirishima ruffled his son’s hair, his other hand tightening around the tiger. His mind flashed back to that day at the zoo. It had been a good day; he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Bakugou smile so much in one day. His fingers brushed the singed fur on the tiger’s ear and his thoughts turned to a different day.

It was one of their few full days off. The weather had been nice, and Yuuta wanted ice cream. Walking to the park had been a good idea. They couldn’t have known a villain would attack. Kirishima closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath as he put the tiger back next to Bakugou, tugging the blanket back into place.

Bakugou’s voice still echoed in his mind.

“Take Yuuta and run!” Bakugou had shouted, shoving the child into his arms. Kirishima couldn’t even get anything out before the blond was dashing towards the villain, explosions crackling in his palms.

He had turned away, his main focus getting Yuuta somewhere safe. Perhaps if there was time, he could come back to help Bakugou… not that the other was likely to need it. He had made it to the edge of the street when the ground rocked under them

Kirishima instinctively hardened, curling his arms around Yuuta to protect him. A moment later a blast rocked over them and everything went dark.

He had woke up a few hours later in a hospital bed, his father sitting next to him. His mother came in with Yuuta a moment later. The toddler was fine except for some bruises and scratches from Kirishima’s hardened form. He had lit up when he saw his dad awake, crawling up onto the bed before anyone could stop him.

Kirishima hadn’t minded. He had made it through with minor injuries and Yuuta was fine. “What about Bakugou?” he had asked. When his parents had looked away, he felt like a wave of cold water had washed over him.

He shook his head, returning to the present. That had been nearly six months ago. Life had gone somehow. Yuuta’s quirk appeared, just as explosive as his father’s. Kirishima wasn’t sure how he had done it, was sure that if Yuuta hadn’t needed him he wouldn’t be doing as well as he was.

“Hi, Ei,” Mitsuki said as she popped her head in the doorway. “Hello, Yuuta!” She crouched down to scoop her grandson up into her arms. “Ooh, aren’t you getting to be so big? How’s your quirk coming along? Not starting fires by accident anymore?”

Yuuta shook his head. “Nope. I got it aaaall under control.”

“Good.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead and set him back down. “Hey, why don’t you go with Grandpa and get some candy?”

The child looked back Kirishima for permission. He nodded and Yuuta’s fists thrust into the air. “Yay! Candy!”

Masaru took his hand, leading him down the hall. Mitsuki closed the door behind them, turning to Kirishima with a somber look. “Eijirou, we need to talk.”

“No.” The redhead turned away, plopping down in a chair. He reached out to take Bakugou’s hand, intertwining their fingers. He squeezed his hand, half-expecting for a squeeze back. “I can’t—”

“Ei, honey, I know.” A hand rubbed his back. “I know. But the doctors ran some tests. He’s—he’s not going to wake up.” Her voice wavered, breaking at the end. “He isn’t here anymore. It’s time to let go.”

Kirishima shook his head. His throat was tight, and his vision blurred. “I ca—I can’t. I can’t do this without him. He promised. He promised he do it with me. He can’t just leave me.”

“I’m sorry.” She pressed a kiss into his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“’M sorry too.” He leaned into her arms, feeling her body shudder along with his own. “Shoulda been there. I shoulda saved him.”

“You saved Yuuta. That’s what matters. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

Kirishima nodded. He turned his gaze back to Bakugou’s face. The blond’s expression was blank, and Kirishima wished there was something there. A smile, a smirk, a scowl. Anything.

“When?” he asked.

“Tomorrow. You don’t have to be here.”

He shook his head. “I’ll be here. I’ll find someone to watch Yuuta.” He groaned, rubbing at his eyes. “What am I going to tell him?”

Mitsuki sighed. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry, Ei. You’re not alone in this. We’re here.”

“Can I get a second alone?” he asked quietly.

“Sure. I’ll be out in the hall.” She ruffled his hair before stepping out of the room.

“Katsuki,” he said in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. “Katsuki, I don’t know if you’re here or not, if you can hear me or whatever, but… I love you. I love you more than anything and I’ll never stop loving you, okay?” He took a deep shuddering breath. “You’re my everything and I’ll never find anyone like you.

“Don’t worry about Yuuta, okay? I’ll look after him. I’ll make sure he knows all about you, and that he’ll know that you love him just as much as me.” He stood up, reaching to brush the tips of his fingers over Bakugou’s cheek. “So where ever you are, you just wait for me. I won’t be there soon, but you can bet you’ll be proud of me when I get there, ‘kay?”

The man in the bed gave no sign of hearing, but for a moment, Kirishima thought he felt another presence in the room. He sighed, a sense of relief washing over him. He pressed a kiss to blond’s lips for the last time.

“Goodbye, Bakugou Katsuki. Thanks, for Yuuta and everything else. I love you.”

Chapter Text

Kirishima woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon floating into the bedroom from the kitchen. He stumbled out of bed, following the scent, eyes not even open. His arms wrapped a muscular torso, nuzzling into a bare shoulder.

“G’morning.”

“Morning,” Bakugou rumbled, voice still rough with sleep. He didn’t look up from the omelet he was making. “How late were out last night? Didn’t hear you come in.”

The redhead shrugged, toying with the apron Bakugou was wearing over his bare chest. “Three? Maybe? Didn’t really check.” He yawned and leaned more heavily on the other. “I’m fine.”

“Go back to bed. Wasn’t going to make you breakfast now anyway.”

“No. Wanna have breakfast with my boys. I never get to.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. He stepped to the side, dragging Kirishima with him as he slid the omelet onto a plate. “We all had breakfast last week.”

“That was like forever ago.” He giggled, pressing a kiss to the spot behind Bakugou’s ear. “Love you.”

“Love you too. Dumbass.” Bakugou finally turned to look at him, hands coming to rest on Kirishima’s hips. “Happy birthday.”

Kirishima stared at him for a moment, struggling to remember the date. “Oh. That’s today?”

“Yes, it’s today,” Bakugou snapped, playfully shoving him away. “Maybe if you didn’t work so damn hard all the time, you’d actually remember.”

“Hey, it's not my fault that villains attack at the end of my shifts.”

“There are other heroes.”

“But they might need me.”

“I need you.” Bakugou smirked at the instant flush on Kirishima’s cheeks. Nearly four years they had been together, and he could still make Kirishima blush. He leaned in to peck the other’s lips. “Go wake up your son. Breakfast is ready.”

Kirishima was leaning back in for another kiss when rapid footsteps echoed down the hall. The two of them separated quickly, Kirishima turning to greet Yuuta as he came in the doorway as Bakugou started to clean up the mess he’d made while cooking.

“Daddy!” Yuuta leaped into his arms and Kirishima lifted him up, the both of them laughing. “Happy birthday!”

“Oh look, he remembered,” Bakugou commented out of the side of his mouth.

The redhead shot him a look as he settled Yuuta on his hip. “How are you, kiddo? Have good dreams?”

Yuuta nodded. “I missed you last night though. Papa did too.”

“Sorry, sweetie. I’ll be there tonight though, I promise.”

“Good.”

“Hey, Yuuta, why don’t you go get that present for Daddy?” Bakugou suggested. “You know the one.”

The child grinned excitedly, wiggling until Kirishima put him on the ground. He took off out of the room immediately.

“What present?”

“It’s a surprise,” Bakugou said as he set the food on the table. “You can wait to see it.”

“Is there maybe another present later?” Kirishima asked, winking suggestively. Bakugou scoffed. “Can you believe he’s four already? We’ve done pretty damn good, don’t you think?”

Bakugou laughed. “Well, he’s still alive so we haven’t done bad.” He kissed the pout off Kirishima’s mouth. “Yeah, we’ve done well. But let’s wait until his quirk comes in and then we’ll see how good we are.”

The redhead couldn’t argue against that. He leaned back against the counter, watching Bakugou put the finishing touches on breakfast. It still felt like a dream, being here in their apartment, with Bakugou Katsuki, who loved him, and their son Yuuta, who was growing up happy and energetic. It was insane to think how close he’d come to losing both of them.

Crazy what happens when you give someone a chance, he thought with a smile. Life was perfect, and he couldn’t imagine anything better.

Yuuta charged back into the kitchen, sliding across the wood floor to stop right in front of Kirishima. He opened his hand to reveal a small box in his hand. “Happy birthday from Papa! I’ll give you mine later.”

Kirishima blinked, reaching out for the box. Bakugou moved forward to pick up Yuuta, holding him and standing in front of the redhead as they waited for him to open it.

The redhead felt his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly flipped the lid open. The band of gold and silver twisting together sparkled in the morning light, driving the breath from his lungs. He could already feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes even before Bakugou spoke.

“Kirishima Eijirou, will you marry me?”

 (Because I had to include this but it ruins the sweet drama)

Kirishima couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe as he stared down at the ring. He distantly felt himself nodding. Yuuta cheered from where Bakugou was holding him.

The next thing either of them knew a loud popping noise sounded off in the kitchen. They both stared at the ground and the small soot spot that had appeared there. As one, their gaze turned to Yuuta who was staring down at his hand.

They watched as Yuuta frowned at his hand. A tiny clear ball appeared, and with a quick flick of his wrist, Yuuta threw it against the grown, causing another small explosion. He smiled up at his dads expectantly.

Kirishima started laughing, loud and happy. “This is the best day of my life,” he forced out when he calmed himself down a bit. “I love you both.”

“We love you too.”