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“So...you’re seriously okay with this?” ____ asked incredulously. “Me meeting your parents?”
Bakugo scowled and shifted in his seat on the common room’s couch. “That’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re going steady and shit, right? You’re gonna see ‘em at some point anyway,” he grumbled. He absentmindedly tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Besides, my mom won’t shut up about wanting to meet you.”
____ smirked and reached over to pinch her boyfriend’s cheek; by Bakugo standards, he was actually being sort of...sweet. She knew he couldn’t just come out and say that they were officially an item, but the casual way he just mentioned that they were going steady was the next best thing. And of course, he just had to bury that tenderness underneath a few dismissive and coarse comments. “Aww,” ____ cooed playfully, “Your mommy wants to meet your new widdle girlfriend?”
Bakugo squirmed away from her and rubbed the fresh pink spot on his cheek. “Fuck, you’re worse than my grandma,” he whined, trying to massage his sore face. He crossed his arms and looked at her. “Look, it’s just gonna be dinner. You don’t have to dress up or anything, whatever you wear’ll be fine. If they say anything about it, I’ll just tell ‘em to fuck off. And don’t think you need to impress them, either. Just be…” He shrugged and shifted his weight. “Just be you. They’ll like you. I mean, I like you, and I hate everyone.” His gaze drifted down, and he wasn’t sure where he really should look. He wasn’t used to telling people he liked them, mainly because he didn’t really like...anyone, really. But ____ wasn’t some random loser, she was...well, ____! She didn’t get pissed whenever he said something without thinking how it’d come out, and he actually tried to consider her feelings sometimes (which was a very foreign concept).
Bakugo’s cheeks weren’t the only ones that were pink now. After a few months of dating, ____ was fluent in “Bakugo-ese” and she could see right through his typical blustery outbursts to what he was really trying to say. Being tender and vulnerable wasn’t really his thing, but he really was trying to give her a decent compliment. She kissed his cheek where she’d pinched it. “Thanks, Bakugo,” she said with a warm smile. “Just let me know when I should head over to your house tomorrow and text me the address.”
Bakugo scoffed. “No way! I’m taking you there myself,” he protested. “You’re fuckin’ terrible with directions. We’ll just leave here together.”
“Oh, c’mon,” ____ sighed, “Your parents are only a few blocks away!”
“Yeah,” Bakugo said with a smirk, “And you’ll find a way to get lost on the way there. We could be next-door neighbors and you’d still have no idea where to go.”
____ laughed and gently punched her boyfriend’s shoulder. “Fine, asshole,” she replied with a sheepish smile. Okay, so maybe she did have no sense of direction; even though she’d been at UA for months, she still had trouble finding her way to classes every day. She headed up the stairs to her dorm room and gave Bakugo a small wave. “See you tomorrow then.” She paused and cocked her head, and Bakugo raised an eyebrow.
“What’s the problem?”
____ flashed him a cheeky grin. “Could you help me find my way to my room? I don’t wanna get lost…”
“IT’S THE FIRST ROOM ON THE TOP FLOOR! How the fuck did you even get into this school!?
____ snorted. “I was joking, you dick.”
“Could’ve fooled me!”
*********************************************************************************************************
The next day, Bakugo was spending the entire morning pacing in his room. He’d meant to go upstairs and get ____ twenty minutes ago, but there was something keeping him from just getting up and leaving his room. He pulled on the sleeves of his t-shirt and grabbed the doorknob to leave. Why the fuck am I so nervous? She’s just meeting Mom and Dad, and it’s not like I care if they like her or not; if Mom doesn’t like her after all that nagging at me to meet her, it’s her own damn fault!
He felt his phone buzz and he took it out of his pocket. He was expecting it to be ____, wondering what was taking him so long, but it was actually from his mother.
Old Hag: You two on your way, or are you two lovebirds still making out? :3
Bakugo: WE’RE NOT MAKING OUT, YOU FREAK
WHAT KIND OF GROWN ASS WOMAN USES EMOJIS
Old Hag: Calm down, it was just a joke. You know girls don’t think popped blood vessels and yelling all the time are attractive right :P
Bakugo: I’M NOT DOING IT TO BE ATTRACTIVE I’M DOING IT BECAUSE YOU’RE CONSTANTLY PISSING ME OFF
BE THERE IN HALF AN HOUR
Old Hag: See you soon :3
Bakugo: STOP DOING THAT
Old Hag: Doing what? :3c
:3c
:3c
Bakugo growled and shoved his phone in his pocket, and he quickly slipped on a pair of old sneakers before throwing his door open. When he saw ____ standing outside his room, he blinked. “Oh, you’re here.” He looked her up and down, eyeing her outfit. Despite telling her not to worry about impressing anyone, she was clearly dolled up a bit compared to her usual torn jeans and ratty t-shirt: She was wearing a fresh-out-of-the-laundry tank top and one of Bakugo’s jackets that he’d left in her room a few days earlier, and her hair was done up in a naturally-tousled, “I totally didn’t spend half an hour getting it to look like I woke up like this” look. She smelled faintly of one of her perfumes, the one that Bakugo liked (because it smelled like candy) but also hated (because it made him crave candy).
____ gave Bakugo a small smile. “You ready to go?”
Bakugo took her by the arm and marched out of the dorms with her. “Tch, I was ready ten minutes ago,” he replied tersely. “C’mon, let’s head to the train station.”
The walk to the station was fairly uneventful, and soon the two of them were on the train. Bakugo slung an arm around ____’s shoulder, and ____ leaned against him; a few older ladies cooed at the two young lovebirds, and Bakugo promptly gave them a death glare to get them to leave him alone. They awkwardly shuffled away, and ____ chuckled. Bakugo felt his cheeks warm up at the sound of her laugh, and he tried to rub his cheek to get rid of the warm sensation.
When they arrived at their stop, Bakugo took ____ by the arm and briskly walked with her. ____ raised an eyebrow at all of the physical contact; Bakugo usually hated being affectionate with her in public. “Not that I’m complaining,” she started, “But what’s with you taking me by the arm and holding me on the train?” She smirked. “You’re not going soft on me, are you?”
Bakugo squeezed her arm tighter and walked at a faster pace. “Fuck no,” he replied brusquely. “I’m just makin’ sure you keep up with me and don’t get lost. I’m already hungry and it’d be a pain in the ass if you wandered off and I had to look for you.”
____ rolled her eyes. “Yeah right,” she replied sarcastically, “If I got lost, you’d just leave me behind and have dinner anyway.” She scrunched up her face and tried to imitate Bakugo’s “pissed off at everything” expression. “ ‘Just eat the scraps you find on the street, stupid! It’s your fault for getting lost, nyehhh!’ ”
Bakugo looked back at her with an annoyed and confused look on his face. “....I’ve never said… ‘Nyehhh…’” The corners of his lips twitched into a smirk. “What the fuck , that’s the worst impression of me I’ve ever heard!”
____ stuck out her tongue. “ ‘Nyehh, that’s the worst impression of me I’ve ever heard!’ “
Bakugo tried to hide the smile that was forming by walking slightly ahead of her. “You’re so fucking weird,” he remarked, slightly squeezing her hand. ____ gently squeezed his hand back, and they continued walking to his parents’ house.
When they made it to his front door, they stood outside for a moment. “So,” ____ said, “Do we knock, or do you want to send a text that you’re here, or---”
Bakugo promptly kicked the door open. “Oi, we’re here,” he yelled out. “Is the food ready? I’m starving!”
____ stared at the door, then at Bakugo, and then shrugged before following him inside. “Or you could do that,” she muttered. “Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised.”
An older man with dark brown hair and glasses poked his head out from the kitchen. “Oh, Katsuki! There you are,” he greeted. He noticed the person standing behind his son and smiled. “And you must be ____!” He stepped out, revealing that he was wearing a blue polo shirt, tan work pants, and an old apron. “I’m Katsuki’s father, Masaru,” he said, shaking her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”
____ returned his handshake. “Thanks, Mr. Bakugo,” she replied kindly. “It’s nice to--”
“SHE’S HEEEERE~!”
____ turned her head at the sudden new voice and saw a young-looking woman with blonde hair run up to her and wrap her in a bear hug. Bakugo groaned and tried to yank the woman off of his girlfriend. “Mom, you’re gonna fucking kill her! Let go, ya old hag!”
Bakugo’s mother released ____ from her arms and playfully punched her son’s shoulder. “Relax, ya little brat,” she replied, “I’m just so happy ya finally brought a girl home!” She crossed her arms and smirked. “Not sure what the hell she could see in a bratty little hothead like you, though.”
Bakugo glared at her, and ____ looked up at his mother now that she wasn’t buried in her arms. She looked a lot like her son, with spiky blonde hair and crimson eyes. She was dressed more casually than her husband, with some well-worn jeans and a white tank top with a lilac-colored jacket over it. “It’s, uh, nice to meet you, Mrs. Bakugo,” ____ replied, rubbing her sore arms. “You’ve got a really strong grip.”
Bakugo’s mother laughed. “No need to be so formal, hon,” she replied with a sweet smile. “Call me Mitsuki!” She ruffled ____’s hair and grinned. “Man, I can’t believe I finally get to see ya,” she marveled. “I always hoped Katsuki would finally start dating and acting like a normal teenager instead of just blowing shit up and harassing all his classmates.”
Bakugo glared at his mother. “I CAN DATE ____ AND BLOW SHIT UP,” he replied angrily, “THEY AREN’T MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE, OLD HA--”
Mitsuki lightly swatted the back of her son’s head. “Oi, don’t be so loud,” she yelled. “You’re gonna ruin ____’s hearing, yellin’ like that all the time!” The two of them glared at each other, and Masaru gently put a hand on ____’s shoulder.
“I know she’s joking,” he said offhandedly, “But she may be right about that. A few years after we got married, I started to develop tinnitus...”
____ smirked. “I’ll be sure to invest in some earplugs then,” she replied. The two of them watched Katsuki and Mitsuki yell at each other for a while. “So, do you usually step in or let them wear each other out?” she asked.
“I’ve got it,” he replied with a reassuring pat on her shoulder. He cupped his hand around his mouth. “Dinner’s ready!”
Instantly, Bakugo and Mitsuki stopped fighting and bounded into the kitchen, bumping each other’s shoulders as they went inside. “Why didn’t ya say so, honey?” Mitsuki stopped to kiss her husband’s cheek and when he smiled at the sudden kiss, ____ noticed that he and Bakugo both had the same little dimple on their mouth. Mitsuki eagerly rubbed her hands together and grabbed a few bowls. “C’mon, let’s eat before it gets cold!”
As the four of them ate a delicious homecooked meal (beef curry with vegetables and egg over rice), ____ quickly warmed up to Bakugo’s family and got to know them better. Mitsuki and Masaru eagerly showed her old family photos of Bakugo, despite his frequent protests. She also talked about how she and Bakugo had met and started dating, and both Mitsuki and Masaru gushed about how sweet the two of them looked together. ____ and Masaru also bonded a bit, since Mitsuki and Bakugo would frequently get into arguments and leave their significant others to their own conversation.
During one of these arguments, Masaru cleared up the dishes and gently laid a hand on ____’s shoulder. “I’m really happy we finally got to meet you,” he said with a kind smile. “I know Katsuki can be…” He glanced at his son, who was red-faced and in the middle of calling Mitsuki a nosey old hag. “Well, he can be prickly and abrasive sometimes, even to people he cares about. I’m just glad he found someone who can see through that side of him.”
____ smiled. “I know what you mean, Mr. Bakugo,” she replied. “I mean, yeah, he’s kind of an assh-- er,” she cleared her throat. “A jerk sometimes. Or, well, most of the time. But he makes me happy, and I think I make him happy. He’s actually sweet sometimes, and I feel like he’s less abrasive and stuff now compared to when he was just by himself.”
Masaru nodded. “I agree,” he said. He glanced back at his wife and son with a nostalgic smile. “Usually they’d get into arguments and just go at it for almost an hour, even when I tried to rein him in and get him to focus on something else. But with you here, he actually listens to you and he’ll stop fighting to talk to you. I can’t remember the last time he’s listened to anyone .” He and ____ shared a laugh, and he rose up to wash their dishes in the kitchen sink. Mitsuki noticed what her husband was doing and grabbed her and Katsuki’s bowls before getting up to take them to the sink as well.
Once the two of them were alone, ____ called over to her boyfriend.
“Hey, Bakugo.”
Bakugo immediately turned his head and forgot what he was about to yell in his mother’s face. “Yeah?”
____ reached over and gently pecked his cheek. “I really like your family,” she replied with a smile. “Thanks for finally letting me come over.”
Bakugo raised his eyebrows. “You do?” he asked incredulously. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well...good. They like you too, I think. But even if they didn’t, I’m not gonna stop dating you or anything if they tell me they don’t like you.”
____ rested her head on Bakugo’s shoulder and placed her hand on his underneath the table, and they cuddled for a bit. Mitsuki poked her head out to check on the two of them and quickly pulled her husband by the shirt collar so he could see what he was seeing. “Masaru, look, ” she whispered. “He’s being sweet! Aaaah, I think they’re holding hands!”
Masaru looked at the two of them in disbelief, and his face slowly broke into a smile. “It’s about time,” he murmured quietly. “I really think they’ll be great for each other, don’t you, honey?”
Mitsuki covertly whipped out her cell phone and snapped a few pictures of her son being affectionate with his girlfriend and slipped her phone back in her pocket. “I think you’re right,” she said with a smile. The two of them watched in silence for a little while longer, until a loud voice signaled that they’d been caught.
“WHAT THE FUCK’RE YOU STARING AT!?”