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Masaru doesn't know when it all started, but now he can't unsee it and it's driving him crazy even if he is trying his hardest not to think about it.
But he just couldn't.
There was something strange about his son but he couldn't quite point it with his finger.
Generally speaking, he didn't usually worry about that matter because not only was his son a teenager going through one of the most complicated stages of life, but we are also talking about Bakugou Katsuki. Bakugou Katsuki. Don't get him wrong, Masaru loved his son more than his own life, but as his dad, he knew better than anyone how challenging Katsuki was.
Sometimes what was, usually, normal for everybody was seen as weird by Katsuki and so trying to ask him about it, or trying to help, was not welcomed and made the situation worse.
Katsuki was his son, yes, he knew, but trying to guess what was going through his mind at times was harder than anyone could imagine. Trying to guess if there was anything concerning him, what he liked or what he hated was always more complicated than it should be. There were things he liked that anyone who knew him a little bit could guess: hiking, spicy food, cats. But Masaru had a feeling that's because he actually allowed that information to be known and was not some kind of secret or mystery, and anyone who paid enough attention to him could catch onto those things pretty quickly.
Nonetheless, his “father instinct”, or whatever you want to call it, was warning him, literally screaming in his face, that there was something odd about his son. Albeit everything seemed to be going “as usual” the air felt different. He could taste it, if that's even possible.
Katsuki has always been a very brilliant and intelligent kid, even if this could be cataloged as favoritism because he was his son Masaru thought he was always the best in his class, in any grade, in any subject.
Math? A piece of cake. Science? Pff, don't make him laugh. English, biology, physical education... etc, everything was easy for him and nothing was too difficult, even if it was something none had to be “good at”, Katsuki made it a competition he had to win.
And if there was a slim chance he was not the #1 at something Katsuki would do everything in his power to change that, become the best, and then add that to his personal victories list. Because of course, Katsuki was the kind of kid to have a list of his victories on an All Might notebook.
Katsuki loved a good challenge and even if it was something insignificant he tried his best because he never backed down. There was that time, Masaru remembers, when little Katsuki spent weeks juggling with 4 balls because a kid in his class was able to do it with 3.
He never disappointed and always had the best mark in everything he did and never, for as long as Masaru could remember, dropped from a 9, sometimes even an 8,8 but never lower.
Katsuki was very proud of his achievements, and who wouldn't, Masaru and Mitsuki were as proud as he was. They never had to pressure their son to study, to do his homework, or scold him over bad marks because he was his own boss, as weird as it sounds, and knew better. There were times when they were the ones telling him to stop, take a break, and hang out with his friends, which Katsuki didn't seem to have a lot of, Masaru picked up on.
This is why when Masaru began to realize his son's marks were starting to go down below what he was used to, on his exams and assignments, he started to panic, a little.
Shit, don't misunderstand him; his marks were still pretty good, ranging between 7´5 and 8´5, and he trusted his son a lot. However, worry clung onto Masaru's skin thinking about the worst possible scenarios.
What was wrong with his son? What was happening?
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that perhaps he was exaggerating the situation.
He wanted to ask his son about it but Masaru already knew that was something careless to do, a horrible idea. If it turned out to be nothing, Katsuki would get angry, and if, on the other hand, he was right and something was wrong with Katsuki, he would also get angry.
Maybe… was it all his imagination? Maybe his mind was bored and was starting to make stuff up. If he wasn't wrong, his son must be starting the third year at UA now, the final one, and things must be getting tougher now, even for someone as intelligent as him. Perhaps that was it? The stress of the third year?
Even if that was the most rational thing to think his brain told him otherwise, playing with him and making things up out of thin air.
Maybe he was sad about something? Worried?
Or… maybe…
Oh.
Maybe, and just maybe, everything was related to... girls? Girls' problems?
There is a chance that it came across as stupid. Well. Very stupid. But perhaps that was what this was all about. Plain and simple. Why didn't this occur to him before? After all, Katsuki was at the age to get interested in girls, right? He didn't want to brag but Katsuki was a handsome boy and any girl would be happy to be with him in a romantic relationship.
Despite having a more accurate theory now, there were still many things he didn't know. Could it be a girl from his class? Perhaps from Class B? Were they even dating?
He closed his eyes and thought, there were a lot of cute and intelligent girls in his class but he didn't remember the names of any of them. It could be that girl with pink skin and horns… Mina? She was one of the few girls that he knows are part of the self-proclaimed “bakusquad” Katsuki says he hates the name but Masaru knows he also finds it funny. She seemed like a sweet girl yet tough, but she also liked to annoy Katsuki daily so it couldn't be her. Maybe that other girl with the long ears? She appeared to share the same energy as his son. Calm but with a strong personality. But… They didn't talk much as far as he knew. Oh, maybe it was that girl whose mom is friends with Mitsuki. Mmh… Uraraka! No, no. He immediately shook his head, that couldn't be he heard from his wife that she was dating Midoriya.
Dammit, this was harder than he thought.
Was there anyone he could ask? (That it wasn't his son, please)
Suddenly he had the lightbulb moment of his life.
Kirishima!
That lovely guy, if there was anyone who knew what was going on with his son it has to be him. The redhead was one of the closest friends Katsuki had ever had in his entire life. He saw Katsuki put up with a lot of things that could have angered him if it weren't because Kirishima was the one doing them. That has to mean something, come on.
He came to his house almost every single day, he was the only one Katsuki called by his name and not one of those disrespectful names Masaru had heard him call his other friends and he was the only one who managed to get Katsuki to willingly come out of his room to open the front door for him which was usually something he let Masaru or Mitsuki do.
Kirishima was a great guy. He was funny and kind, all the while not being afraid to scold Bakugou when he did or said, or was about to do, something reckless or rude. Which happened almost daily.
He liked knowing that his son had found a friend with such a noble heart.
Unfortunately, now that he was thinking about it for more than one second, he couldn't ask him that. It would be weird and Kirishima most likely wouldn't betray his son's trust.
Thus back to square one. Dammit.
There were times, like this one, where he wished he had a calmer child, one where he could ask if anything was worrying him without having to be prepared to be ignored.
Ultimately he decided that, perhaps, he could ask his wife about it and, who knows, maybe Mitsuki knew something that Masaru wasn't aware of, for some reason that he still hadn't figured out.
It's not like Mitsuki and Katsuki had a better relationship than the one he had with his son but he recognized that certain topics were easier to discuss with your mom rather than with your dad and not because of a lack of trust but out of embarrassment.
He used a random quiet night after work, while they were both brushing their teeth, to ask his wife about it. Masaru wanted to sound casual but he knew his voice was tinted with a lil of despair. “Hey, honey, do you, uh, know if something's going on with Katsuki? Lately, I think he's been distracted with something. I wanted to ask him personally but, pfff, you know.”
Oh, and Mitsuki certainly knew what was going on, or at least that's what he thought judging by the way the woman brought a hand up to cover her slightly parted lips, though more than her lips, to hide the smile that had appeared on her mouth. It wasn't just any smile; it was one that said, 'Why are you asking me that? You should know.' He didn't understand. Had he said something funny? What was he supposed to know?
Rather than explaining his son's behavior Mitsuki just said “Oh, dear…” before kissing his cheek and heading out of the bathroom.
Masaru was alone for just a few seconds, no time to think about anything before his wife poked her face through the frame door.
“ Kirishima is coming tomorrow to stay for the day,” Mitsuki said, rather than leaving after saying that she stayed there, still, looking at Masaru waiting for something, some kind of reaction? Masaru has never looked more confused in his entire life. He looked side to side as if the information were in the air, before directing a baffled smile at his wife.
“ Again? “ He questioned. It's not like he minded having him at home, quite the opposite, he liked knowing that his son finally had someone so close to him. But he had been here yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and... basically all week. If this kept going like this he wouldn't have time to bring home that mysterious girl who had him so distracted.
“ Yes, again. Katsuki said something about an assignment they have to work on together” She paused for a second, narrowing her eyes at him before continuing. “ Or something like that.”
“That's great” Mitsuki was clearly waiting for something, some kind of realization from Masaru, and the poor man had no idea what she was talking about “ But I don't think I'll be able to see him tomorrow since I'll come a bit later from work.”
That was clearly not what Mitsuki wanted to hear because the woman rolled her eyes and finally left the bathroom with a quiet “ Fine”.
Oh, well. That didn't help at all. Great.
Was he supposed to understand anything about what his wife just said? He is even more confused now than before, dear god. Why can't people around him be more honest? How frustrating.
Maybe asking his son wasn't such a terrible idea after all.
Oh, but, don't get him wrong, it wasn't only his marks that made him think something was different with his son, something like a crush, in the end, that only made Masaru more aware and pay more attention to him. He was always so close to figuring it out and yet so far.
The times he was at home with them and not in the UA dorms, he was glued to his phone. Every time the notification of a new message sounded, his arm moved mechanically to grab the phone smiling at whatever they had sent him. Katsuki hardly ever used his phone unless it was for receiving or making calls and yet now it seemed that he couldn't live without having it close. He also definitely didn't use to smile while reading messages or use his phone for texting.
But now he did.
He had also noticed a change in his demeanor. He was still just as loud, volatile, and rude, but something was different, you know? The way he spoke was no longer so aggressive, his expression was softer, and his voice was less gruff. It was as if something, or someone, had helped him relax.
*****
Katsuki was going out more.
Which wasn't weird for a teen to go out with his friends but we have already previously stated that Katsuki didn't like hanging out as much as other teens. Or socialize. Or talk.
Mister Bakugou “Going out is a waste of time unless you are training” Katsuki spent almost every morning or afternoon outside doing God knows what, and they knew he wasn't doing anything bad because Katsuki, despite what everyone thought, wasn't a troublemaker, he was just… rude, sometimes, but a good kid.
Yet he still refused to tell them where he went or what he did.
He remembers a particular day, or more like night because it was around 10:00 p.m. on a peaceful Saturday. It was way too early for anyone to be in bed but when you are almost 50 and have a full-time job when you get home the only thing you want to do is eat dinner and sleep. If Masaru was not in bed right now it’s because he got up to use the bathroom and when he went back Mitsuki asked him if he could grab her a glass of water, and how is he supposed to say no to his wife, right?
So he was in the kitchen, just filling a glass of water, when he heard a noise behind him. Imagine his surprise when he turned around to face an equally surprised Katsuki putting on his shoes in the entry house. They both stayed still, just looking at each other, Masaru because he was surprised and Katsuki because he felt like if he didn't move, maybe his dad would forget he was there, like a deer caught in the headlights, too stunned to move. Masaru could almost swear he was not even breathing.
Someone had to speak, break the silence, but none knew what to say, was there anything to say? Why was the situation so tense?
“ Katsuki where are you-”
“ Who cares?” He quickly interrupted, tying his shoes faster than before.
“ I do care, obviously, are you going out with someone?” Asked Masaru, ignoring the harsh answers and just wanting to know where he was going.
“Oh my fucking god” It was merely a whisper, but Masaru heard it anyways and couldn't help to laugh at his son's short temper.
“C´mon son, it’s important for me to know where you are going this late. With whom.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Katsuki faked to puke.
“Dad! My fucking- holy shit you are- this is- agh!” Masaru couldn't do anything but laugh trying to hide it behind his hand, was he blushing? This girl must be really important to him if Katsuki was willingly going out this late at night.
Everything was fun until the bell rang and Katsuki's full body turned pale, stiff, head immediately turning to the door and then to his dad. “Stop right there” but Masaru was already moving closer to him.
“Dad I swear- stop right there! This has nothing to do with you!”.
“Oh Katsuki, you don't have to be embarrassed! I was young too! Don't be silly.”
And the doorbell rang again making Katsuki whisper to himself “Stupid idiot, I said not to ring for a goddamn reason, fuck”. With his shoes already tied, he got up from the floor, opening the door with a fast movement. Then he moved his hand, pushin' the other person outside by the mouth, Masaru presumed as he could hear the faint noise of a muffled voice. All of this just to prevent his dad from taking a look. Wow.
“Ow! Katsuki don't be shy! You can introduce her to me, I'm a cool dad after all.”
Katsuki stopped for a second to take a good look at his dad, with an eyebrow raised and lips pushed in a thin line his face was the embodiment of “really dad”. He clearly wanted to say something but at the last second decided he didn't have the time or patience to deal with that right now.
“Fuck no, there is none to introduce.”
“C'mon! Don't be mean to your dad.”
“I'm not mean! Fuck off!”
“Please?”
“I said no! Stop asking! And- ew” He pushed harder, looking at the other person. “ Idiot! Don't lick my hand, you gross bastard! Agh! I'm leaving, I'll be back in a few hours!” With a last and stronger push, he was out, closing the door at full force leaving Masaru standing alone in the entry, hearing the fading voices of a laugh and people talking.
Whoever was on the other side must be really important to Katsuki, he thought.
*****
Katsuki's hair was different, he noticed one day.
Has it always been this short? He asked himself, quickly shaking his head because it wasn't definitely this short a few days ago.
When did this happen? Katsuki was always so adamant about doing something with his hair, he has been wearing the same haircut for as long as Masaru can remember. It was short, spiky, and easy to style, Katsuki didn't ask for much. Why the sudden change?
It wasn't anything flamboyant or different from his usual style, just a simple undercut that suited him really well, but that was just enough to give him a suspicious look if you knew him well enough.
He didn't know why he cut it until a few days later, by accident, because of course he tried to ask him about it, pure curiosity, and of course, Katsuki made a fuss and avoided the question.
It was a Sunday night, and after a relaxing weekend, everyone in the house was getting ready for another Monday. Masaru was helping his wife with the chores and after she finished ironing the clothes she asked her husband to give Katsuki his so he could store them in the closet.
And so he naturally did.
Holding the neatly folded clothes he walked through the house, humming to himself a silly song he heard this morning, and just when he was about to knock on his son´s door he heard him talk to someone.
“ Yeah, I did, stop asking.”
“...”
“ No, dumbass, I'm not gonna send you a picture you will see me tomorrow.”
Oh, he was having a phone conversation but… with whom? Masaru was only able to hear his son, no idea who he was talking to.
“...”
“ Ooh, don't give me that. It was your idea after all! You better like it.”
“...”
“ Wh-what? No, pfff, n-no of course I didn't do it for you, dumbass. I was- I was just passing by and I thought-”
“...”
“ No! Im not c- I´m not cute fucker, shut the fuck up.”
Ok, ok, that's enough. He didn't mean to overhear the conversation, he wasn't the kind of dad who didn't respect his son's privacy or boundaries, he very much did, thank you. This wasn't like him, it was just a really bad coincidence. The surprise of the sudden conversation left him frozen in place, but he quickly reacted by making his presence known to his son.
After knocking a few times he spoke “Katsuki ” and grabbed the knob to slowly open the door.
The blonde was sitting on his bed, face slightly red, and although he was no longer speaking he still had his phone in his hand, almost like he was trying to hide it from his dad. “What?”
Masaru approached the bed, placing the folded clothes next to him. Then he looked at him and decided the best thing he could do was ignore everything. “Your clothes, mom gave them to me. Dinner will be ready soon”
“ Ok.”
Katsuki said nothing more and Masaru took that as a hint to leave. As soon as he closed the door he heard Katsuki's voice again “ Yeah, he just left. What? I don't know.” followed by a shy laugh. This time he didn't stay to listen.
Well, he now knew why the sudden haircut.
******
Katsuki was getting presents delivered to him.
It was all so unexpected that Masaru didn't even know what to think about it, was it bad? No, of course not, was it weird? Yes. His wife, on the other hand, was nonchalant. She didn't care, not like there was something to care about but she acted like the presents weren't a new thing in the house and had been happening for a while and just now Masaru was catching on. What does it mean?!
He noticed all this the other day, and only because the constellations seemed to align just for him because his wife and son definitely weren't planning on telling him anything any time soon.
Masaru was sitting on his favorite couch, of course a guy like him had a favorite couch, enjoying his free time of the day by reading a book he had been postponing for a few days. After just reading a few pages there was a knock on the door that he barely noticed, followed by a loud “ring” that he definitely heard this time. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and since Katsuki was in the bathroom taking a shower and Mitsuki was out with a friend he was the only one available to open the door.
And so that is what he did, he opened the door and came face to face with a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers so big that he could hardly see the delivery man behind it.
He didn't even give time to the other guy to talk “Flowers? You probably got the wrong address. We didn't-”
“Hey, hey, wait, I have already delivered a few times to this address. ”
A few times? What?!
He goes fishing his phone out of his pocket, reading something in it that he later reads out loud “ Bakugou Katsuki, right? This is for him.”
Masaru´s face is priceless because he does not know what to think right now. His eyebrows fly to the sky, his eyes big and round. After a few seconds, excitement washed over his body because, oh my god, his son got flowers and he couldn't help but feel extremely happy.
He took the bouquet and asked, “Do they have a name attached to them?” Seeing that his curiosity is too big and he can't shut up.
After a quick look at his phone again, the delivery man answers “ Mmh, yeah, sure. They are from Ei-”
“Stop, stop, stop!” A panicked Katsuki screams from the top of the stairs, hair dripping wet over his shoulders, a towel covering his hip and down, and before anyone notices he is already with them, grabbing his flowers with a harsh movement.
“Katsuki?”
“This is mine! What the hell are you doing here?” Katsuki asks his dad, angry, or rather embarrassed. How dare he be in the house that's clearly his?! Then turning to the other guy yells, “ And you don't go sharing private information to gossip dads!”
The door closes immediately after with a loud bang, the frame rattles at the force and then stops after just seconds. Masaru quickly turns to Katsuki but he must have the question written all over his face because his son is quick to shut him up with a hand movement.
“ You say nothing.”
And Masaru obeys, or at least for the time it takes Katsuki to walk up the stairs again because the moment he is out of sight he says “ Don't forget to put your present in water! ” as loud as he can only to hear Katsuki scream in pure embarrassment, and that makes him laugh a little bit.
*****
Katsuki was inviting Kirishima home more.
Which wasn't anything bad, really, having Kirishima around was always a delight, he was such a funny and polite guy, always offering to help with anything. It was normal for him to stay for dinner and then leave after spending the day with them.
But today was different because it was around 11 p.m. when Masaru arrived home after leaving at 5 p.m. to attend to an emergency at his work and Kirishima was apparently still here and, again, his presence was more than welcome but today Masaru had finally decided to ask his son about his problems. With Kirishima here he couldn't do that.
Of course, because he was the unluckiest lucky man in the world he found out in the worst possible way that Kirishima was still here.
“I'm home… “ He announced, his voice tired and monotone. If he had known he was going to be home this late he would have said no, dammit, he thought to himself while taking off his shoes and jacket, leaving everything at the entrance along with the house keys. Then he walked slowly toward the kitchen where he knew his wife was.
“ Welcome home.”
Soon there was a kiss on Mitsuki's cheek and two strong arms hugging her by the waist.
“I'm so tired right now. I want to sleep for a month.”
Mitsuki agreed with her head, eyes down to the second sandwich she was making, and Masaru couldn't help but question who that was for because it was too late for her to be having dinner and he already had dinner at work. And Katsuki…
“What's that?”
“A sandwich.” She replied with a soft laugh.
Masaru couldn't help but laugh too, feeling his body relax after a stressful day “ I can see that, dummy. I mean- that's a lot of meat for you and I don't like cheese. So, who is that for?”
“Katsuki and Kirishima. The boy is staying with us for the weekend and so I'm making them something to eat.”
Oh. Oh. He should have guessed those red and orange crocs with shark pins weren't from Katsuki but he was so tired he didn't even notice them.
Suddenly a big plate with two sandwiches appeared in his hands and Masaru looked at his wife with a confused expression.
“Don't look at me like that! Go give this to your son and… his friend. And please, remember to knock first, ok?” Masaru answered with a quick yes, but his wife grabbed him by the shoulders and slowly repeated “ Knock first.” before letting him go.
Why did she need to repeat that he wondered while walking up the stairs. What was the worst thing that could happen anyway?
When he noticed that the hall, his son's room too, was too quiet it was way too late.
Just like his wife told him to do he knocked with his free hand “ Guys I got your d-” but he didn't wait for a reply to open the door, which was his second mistake of the night.
He stopped talking abruptly when Masaru saw the quick and harsh movement of his son pushing Kirishima away really, really hard— so hard that Kirishima fell on the floor landing on his ass, pushed off the bed he was sitting on just a few seconds ago beside Katsuki.
Their faces— Masaru didn't know what they meant. They were bright red, shiny with sweat. Kirishima's face was soft with an apologetic smile on his lips. And his son… he was furious, for some reason, furious and embarrassed? His face was contorted in a way that Masaru couldn't fully understand, it was his first time seeing his son this red like a volcano about to erupt and kill everybody.
It seemed like he had interrupted something really important and he wasn't sure what it was. He also has the feeling that he should know.
The three of them were silent for a couple of seconds, the longest seconds in their lives. Katsuki perhaps believed that if he stayed still long enough his father would forget what he had just seen, and Kirishima, too scared to do anything, just wanted to disappear.
“Katsuki” Kirishima whispered, a shy hand reaching out to touch his knee trying to calm the other boy but it was too late for that because mountain Katsuki was ready to erupt.
“ Kats-” Masaru was second to speak but not fast enough to do it before Katsuki could get up to start pushing him away from them and out of the room.
“ Get out! Get the fuck out!”
“ Katsuki! Give me- I have sandwiches and-! Stop pushing me!”
“ Shut up and leave! Fuck off!”
“Kat- Katsuki! Son! Wait a second! I just- Let me explain-!” He tried many times to speak but it was useless, clearly his son didn't want to listen to anything he was saying and by the second his face was getting redder to his ears and neck. Katsuki was strong and in no time he was out of the room with a hard and final push, almost dropping the sandwiches he still was holding.
He hadn't even been able to give them the food.
Mitsuki was there in no time, alarmed by all the shouting and loud noises coming from the corridor.
“ Masaru?” She looked at her husband, then to his son's door, and to this husband again, noticing the food still in his hands and it was like magically everything made sense to her.
“ Did you knock like I told you to do?” She said, slowly approaching him.
“ Yes- I mean- Mitsuki you know I always do,”
“ Then what the hell happened? What did you do?”
“Mitsuki I- nothing, I don't know what I did I-” Clearly Masaru didn't know what he did wrong and he was struggling to think what went wrong, Mitsuki believed him, knowing his son's temper it was probably something dumb. With a sigh, she grabbed the plate of food and placed it on the floor near the door because sooner or later the boys would probably want to eat something.
Masaru wanted to knock again and fix everything, he wanted to apologize and understand his son but he knew right now that wasn't the smart thing to do, so when Mitsuki grabbed his arm to pull him away from the door he didn't resist.
“ Honey, don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault.”
The next morning breakfast was awkward. Katsuki did not seem to want to explain what had happened yesterday and every time he looked at Kirishima the redhead looked away, he seemed to act as if what happened last night did not exist.
****
After that strange incident, Masaru decided to stop thinking about it. If it was something important Mitsuki would have told him already and Katsuki seemed happier and more relaxed than ever and as far as he knows that's the only thing he cared about as a father.
If you had told him it was going to happen just a week later Masaru could have actually died just then and there on the spot. It turns out it is true what people say, when you stop looking for something it appears just in front of your face.
It was Saturday again. 7:00 pm.
Masaru was reading a book while the TV was on at the lowest volume, he wasn't listening to the news but liked the low sound of the voices keeping him company.
Or, well, he was trying to read because in the last half an hour he had been only able to read one page, not even paying attention, and all thanks to his wife and son's constant screaming and shouting about something he still didn't know. Katsuki was mad about something but he didn't know what exactly he was mad about. Pacing around, opening and closing doors with too much force, nervous growling, and way too many insults even for him.
Was he too scared to ask? Oh, absolutely.
Was he curious about it? Without a doubt. Yes.
When Katsuki and Mitsuki entered the room Masaru was in he lowered the book a bit, enough to look at them without making it too obvious. Now that he could see Katsuki closer he didn't seem angry or upset, but rather irritated, as if what he was doing, or wanted to do, wasn't going the way he wanted.
Knowing his presence wasn't annoying and recognizing his opinion wasn't needed he was just sitting there as a mere viewer, listening to everything.
“ A tracksuit?! Katsuki! Really?!”
Katsuki looked at himself, grumpy eyebrows meeting in the middle of his forehead in concentration and anger before looking at his mom again “ What? What's wrong with it?!”
“Oh my- Everything!” She exclaimed, hand slapping her face in a dramatic gesture. “ Katsuki you can't wear that”.
“ What- What do you mean?! This is good! I wear this all the time!”
“ And that's the problem! You can't wear that! It looks like you don't even care! You have to change.”
Because of that Katsuki seemed to rethink what he was going to say, which was probably something bad and rude, because he looked at himself again and Masaru didn't know what he was thinking about but in just a second his face started to get red and when he looked at his mom again he was clearly annoyed.
“Agh! I hate you.”
His mom didn't respond, just laughed with a small and sly smile because apparently, she had won something, probably their discussion. Was this the end?
He stomped out of the room, followed by his mom, with his hands deep inside his pockets, grumbling something to himself as he walked away to change his clothes, Masaru guessed.
And no matter how much he wanted to ask he, knew it wouldn't be good. So, he picked up his book again and continued reading... at least for another five minutes or so until the conversation his son and wife were having in Katsuki's room moved on to the living room.
“Masaru!”
For the first time in his life, he didn't want to be included in all of this. Everything was so chaotic and confusing to him. He just wanted to read.
“Is something wrong?” He asks, again, lowering his book to look up at his wife. She was grabbing Katsukis's arm to stop him from running away, and his son was looking down at his feet avoiding eye contact with his dad. He clearly didn't wanna be here and was probably thinking of different ways to escape to another country, change his name, and never come back.
With an indignant growl and an annoyed tsk Mitsuki pointed at Katsuki using her whole hand.
“ Look at him. Doesn't he look better than before?”
“ Mom!” This was the first time Masaru could recognize embarrassment in his son's voice.
“Oh shush, don't be shy now. Well? I asked you something,” She said again to her husband “ This is way better for the occasion, right?”
What are you talking about? What occasion?! He wanted to ask, instead, he just smiled hoping it wasn't too obvious that he was nervous.
Just like his wife told him to do he took a good look at his son, from his spiky yet soft blonde hair to his shoes. Masaru hummed to himself and nodded a few times trying to look concentrated but he was not. What was he supposed to see?!
“ I don't -” He started to say but his wife interrupted him.
“ You don't understand. ” She finished with a sigh, already knowing what his husband was about to say. Then she pushed Katsuki forward, close to his dad. “C'mon, tell him brat.”
Of course, Katsuki said nothing. The blonde crossed his arms and looked away with closed eyes. He was clearly ignoring his mom's request but Mitsuki was so damn tired of waiting so instead of letting his son win this time she was going to intervene. If Katsuki didn't want to speak, fine, she could do it.
“Oh, nothing important dear. It's just that your son got a date today.”
The blonde was clearly not expecting any of this because his eyes got big and he looked at Mitsuki with disbelief, his face multiple shades of red. “Mom!”
“Oh, don't come at me like that. He is your dad, he has to know. He was going to know sooner or later.”
“ Exactly! Better later than sooner, dammit!”
That confession caused a new wave of shouts in the form of an argument, but Masaru had long since disconnected. What Mitsuki said must have been true because Katsuki hadn't denied it and his red cheeks gave him away.
So I was right! Masaru thought. Katsuki liked someone!
God, it all made sense now.
All this time... all that happened in his third year... his attitude... he had a girlfriend!
Everything was good now! Even great! All the mystery around his son's behavior was solved, finally, which would be good news if it wasn't for the new doubts arising in his mind.
Who was she? How long had they been together? Why hadn't Katsuki said anything? Masaru knew this was not the kind of thing a son talks to his parents about but, c'mon, a girlfriend, that was an important thing to say!
The doorbell rings followed by a knock on the door and suddenly everything stops again.
Masaru stops thinking and Katsuki and Mitsuki stop arguing. Katsuki is obviously the most tense between the three of them.
Masaru and his wife are faster than their son, after sharing a quick glance between them and their son everything was understood. A silent conversation between the two adults.
“ What-?” Katsuki wanted to ask but it was too late for that, Mitsuki already had her arms wrapped around her son's waist while Masaru took the opportunity to run away and open the front door.
“In a second!” This is it! This must be her, right? Judging by the way Katsuki was struggling to free himself from his mom, it had to be her! Masaru knows that this person is definitely his date! His girlfriend? Oh my god. This was the best day of his life! He was going to finally meet the person who had been making Katsuki so happy! He was going to meet his girlf-
“Kirishima?”
“HI! I mean- hi. Mister Bakugou. Is, uhm, Bakugou ready?” He says, voice clearly nervous.
When he opens the door he sees no girl but Kirishima. Just Kirishima. What was he doing here? Where is the girl?
“ I'm sorry Kirishima but Katsuki can't hang out with you right now,” He says, grabbing the doorknob to slowly close the door “ He is getting ready because,” looking side to side he gets closer to Kirishima, whispering “he is going on a date today! Isn't that wonderful?! Anyways, I'm so sorry, he will probably text you later.”
“ Ah? No, no. Wait a second! I am-” Kirishima doesn't even have time to explain himself before the door is closed on his face.
Shouldn't Kirishima already know that Katsuki had a girlfriend? He must be the first person Katsuki told, right? This was weird.
Just when he finished closing the door his son appeared behind him to open the door again.
“ Dad! What the hell are you doing?! Don't close the door!” He shouts to his dad, then he looks at Kirishima and with a new soft voice he has never heard from him says “Hi.”
“ Masaru!”
Wait a second.
Masaru looked Kirishima up and down, analyzing his expression and attire. With a white t-shirt, an orange shirt, shorts, and sneakers Kirishima seemed dressed... slightly more formal than normal. Also, was that cologne he smelled? Furthermore, his hair was no longer spiky but it was nicely styled in a high ponytail. And now that he noticed Katsuki had also changed his clothes, instead of the tracksuit he was now wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a white t-shirt.
Wait.
Wait.
Masaru looked at his son and Kirishima's faces, both equally red, and then looked at his wife who for some reason was trying really hard not to laugh.
He did that two more times until finally something clicked inside his head and the secrets of the universe were revealed to him. Oh dear god, he wanted to say a lot of things and- god, he wanted to ask Kirishima too but not right now, he would have a chance to embarrass his son another time.
Right now Katsuki grabbed his… Best friend? Boyfriend? hand and started to walk away.
“ We are leaving. Please don't make it weird.”
Before Mitsuki could close the door he was able to hear a brief conversation between them.
“ What was that all about? Your dad closed the door on my face! You didn't tell him we were together?”
“ Agh! I don't know. Mitsuki knew so I thought she must have told him too.”
Oh my god! Kirishima was the date! Kirishima was the girlfriend! No, wait. He was the boyfriend. His son's boyfriend! Katsukis boyfriend! Since when? How? He was so excited, he wanted to say a lot of things but he didn't know where to start so when Masaru turned around to face his wife his excited and big smile said everything.
“ Kirishima. And Katsuki.”
Mitsuki laughed, hugging her husband.
“ Dumbass, there was nothing wrong with him. He was just stupidly in love.”
Looking one last time at the door Masaru let out a relieved laugh. Fuck, he had been worrying for nothing, and now that he thought about it everything would have been easier if it weren't for the fact that he had been a bit stupid.
The next time he saw Kirishima, he would like Katsuki to introduce him properly.