Work Text:
Fat Gum had plenty of work study students over the years, but never felt such a strong attachment as he did for Kirishima Eijirou and Amajiki Tamaki. They all fell easily into a familial group, Fat Gum acting as Dad for the bright, outgoing redhead and the anxious introvert. However, he hadn't expected the protective part of fatherhood to kick into high gear with his boys.
When Amajiki's relationship with Mirio Togata came to light, he tried his best to quell the urge to interrogate them and keep a wary eye on the kid. After all, Togata was nothing but sunshine, and Amajiki seemed less stressed around him. One word or hug from his boyfriend calmed his anxiety and even made him smile easily. Nothing wrong with that, Fat Gum told himself, even as he side-eyed the pair.
Now, Kirishima was strutting around on patrols with even more enthusiasm than usual. Ah, the highs of teenage crushes, Fatum thought. Not to downplay Kiri's feelings— first love sometimes could turn into a lasting love. More often than not, though, it was just infatuation. It was a wonderful time, regardless. Fat Gum had enjoyed all of the crushes he had in school, and now, he felt a new excitement for his girlfriend Rumi, every day.
“Hey, what's the good word?” Fat Gum asked, as he finished a tray of takoyaki.
“Every word is good!” Kirishima enthused. “Especially today!”
“What's today?”
“The first day of my new life as a boyfriend, Fat. I finally confessed and he said, "It took you long enough!” Kirishima chuckled. “I guess I was so busy pining for him that I missed the signals. But hey, at least we know now, right?”
“Right,” Fat Gum agreed. “So who's the lucky guy?”
“Bakugo Katsuki.”
Fat Gum nearly tripped over his own feet from the shock. Kirishima— his sweet, insecure sunshiney boy— with that unhinged, troublemaking bully?
“Bakugo Katsuki? The kid who had to be muzzled at the Sports Festival?”
Kirishima laughed heartily. “Yeah! He's hilarious.”
“Hilarious?”
“Yeah. It's funny when he acts all crazy like that. Super cute and super manly.”
No, no, this was wrong! It sounded like Kirishima was not only okay with Bakugo's bad behavior, but enjoyed it. That meant it would influence him to act up, Fat Gum thought. Not that Kirishima was easily swayed, but this being his first boyfriend, he would probably want to impress him. Fat Gum couldn't have his wonderful boy set down the wrong path.
“Well, I'm glad you found someone you like. Do you get to see each other much?”
“Not as much since we started work study. He's training with Best Jeanist.”
Bingo. Fat Gum could easily find out his schedule. It would be his prerogative to request Kirishima for patrol, and surely he would be needed on Bakugo's days off. Fat Gum felt mildly guilty, but then again, he couldn't see something like this lasting. A little time apart would probably just make them break up sooner. Distance could do that, especially with teenage crushes. Satisfied with this plan, Fat Gum continued to half-listen to Kirishima chat about his new boyfriend for the rest of his shift.
The first week away from Bakugo, Kirishima put on a brave face and tried to be understanding. By the second week, he grew frustrated and irritable with their separation. On one hand, he figured not all students could work on the same days. But on the other hand… Well, it kept him from spending any kind of quality time with his boyfriend. As he grew suspicious of his mentor, Kirishima immediately chastised himself. Fat Gum would want this happiness, after all. Intentionally sabotaging his relationship didn't make much sense.
Kirishima tried to keep a positive attitude, but Amajiki noticed his shift in mood.
“They finally got to you, too,” he mumbled.
“Who?”
“People.”
“What? No. It's not people. Well, maybe just one person, I don't know. I just wonder, how do you and Togata get to spend so much time together?”
Per usual, a blush rose to Amajiki's cheeks at the mention of his boyfriend. “We just do, I guess.”
“Yeah but it never seems like your hours with Fat clash with his work at Sir Nighteye's agency.”
“Sometimes they do, but not often.”
“That's weird, man. I don't get why I'm working every time Bakugo is free, and vice versa.”
“Maybe you should just ask Fat Gum.”
“No, I don't want to sound ungrateful. He picked me! He asked for me to be here. It would be rude, especially since I'm so new. Can you ask him for me?”
Amajiki jumped a bit, startled. “Me? No, not me.” He pulled his hood down a bit more to conceal his face. “Mirio is better at that kind of thing.”
“Do you think he would do it?”
“Maybe. We're seeing each other after work. You can come with me and ask him, if you want to.”
“Yeah I'd love to! Thanks, man!” Kirishima exclaimed, slapping Amajiki's back happily.
***
Bakugo knew better than to struggle against Best Jeanist's restraints. He sat still, seething while Jeanist gave him a time-out in an attempt to calm him.
“Now, are you ready to tell me why you've been more obstinate than usual lately?” he asked, combing his hair.
“None of your damn business!”
“Ah but it is, quite literally, my business,” Jeanist replied. “The more distracted and reckless you are, the less training you'll remember and take to heart. I need your full attention, or this program won't work for us.”
“You saying you're gonna fire me?” Bakugo snapped, more upset than angry.
“I'm saying, you need to tell me what's wrong, so we can fix it and get back to work,” Jeanist replied calmly, smoothing Bakugo's hair.
Bakugo huffed, then pouted for several minutes, before finally speaking. “The big yellow bastard is keeping Red Riot away from me.”
“Who, exactly?”
“Fat Gum, who else!”
“Ah. And what exactly makes you think he's keeping you apart?”
“He always puts Red on duty when I'm off.”
“I see. Has your beau spoken to him about this matter?” Jeanist offered kindly.
“No. He doesn't want to rock the boat or some crap like that.”
“If you need a schedule change, we can discuss that,” Jeanist consoled him. “As for Fat Gum, I'm not so certain he has ulterior motives in this situation. Speaking to him honestly rather than accusingly could get the answers you're searching for.” Jeanist adjusted Bakugo's face to reach the most stubborn bits of hair around his ears. “Convey that to Red Riot and I'm sure we can all tailor your shifts seamlessly.”
Bakugo pouted more, but stayed silent. He hated when Jeanist was right.
Once he was a bit less enraged, Jeanist untied him and let him go from his shift early. His mentor advised him to hurry, so he could perhaps catch Kirishima before he went home.
***
Sir Nighteye listened attentively to Mirio's story about Kirishima's suspicions. After pondering the predicament, he finally offered his thoughts.
“It is a particularly touchy subject. In speaking to Fat Gum about this, you will cross the line between professional and personal. Yet, if you go there with your positive attitude— which I know you will— he may be more receptive. Do what you do best, Lemillion. Make him laugh. That will break the tension and ease the conversation.”
“Piece of cake!” Mirio enthused, giving Nighteye a thumbs up. “We'll be talking like old pals in no time!”
What Mirio hadn't told Nighteye was that he had been studying the concept of reverse psychology. He figured he had it down to a perfect science, and who better to test it on, than Fat Gum?
Within days, Mirio had an appointment with the BMI Hero's agency. When he learned Fat Gum was delayed on patrol, Mirio happily marched into his office to wait. It gave him the opportunity to slip a whoopee cushion onto his chair for the first ice breaker.
“More like, wind breaker!” Mirio cackled to himself. Leaving a rubber chicken on his desk, he hurried back to the chair opposite it, and fixed a buzzer to his palm as he waited.
Fat Gum appeared soon after, greeting Mirio cheerfully. “Lemillion! Good to see you!”
Mirio rose and bowed. “Thank you for meeting with me, sir! We don't get much time to talk, and there are some things I want to say.”
“Alright,” Fat Gum replied, gesturing to the chair as he sat on his own. “What's on your— AHHH!” The cushion released the loudest, longest gas sound Mirio had ever heard, and Fat Gum leapt to his feet in surprise. Mirio nearly fell out of his chair in laughter at his expression.
Red faced, Fat Gum retrieved the cushion and set it on the desk. “Hah hah. Funny,” he stated, checking his seat before lowering himself again. “So, what did you want to see me about?”
Mirio held his own rubber chicken like a microphone, leaning forward as if hosting a program.
“I just wanted to thank you for being so generous with our time.”
Fat Gum studied him curiously. “Okay…?”
“It's so great that you give Red Riot so much time to see Bakugo. Really! It makes me jealous, you know. That Suneater and I don't get so much quality time any more. We have to sneak around sometimes. But I'm sure you have your reasons. I'd like to hear them, if you don't mind!”
Fat Gum shifted from confusion to irritation. “Are you mocking me?”
“Ah ah ah!” Mirio chastised, gesturing to the rubber chicken on Fat Gum's desk. “Into the microphone. Please! So everyone can hear you.”
“Lemillion—”
Mirio loudly squeaked his own chicken, then pointed at the one on Fat Gum's desk.
“I don't—”
Squeak!
“You—”
Squeak SQUEAK!
Losing his cool, Fat Gum rose slowly, leaning his hands on his desk. The kid was pranking him because of Kirishima's schedule change? Big mistake. He pointed to the door, staring Mirio down. “Okay, the joke's over. You've made your point. I need you to leave.”
“I have? Great!” Mirio leapt to his feet, gathering the props back into his bag. “Thanks, Fat Gum! I knew you'd be a good sport.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure,” Fat Gum responded. Mirio bowed, then enthusiastically extended his hand for a shake. Fat Gum warily took it, jumping with a loud curse as the buzzer went off against his palm.
Mirio laughed heartily, giving FatGum a wink and finger guns. “You're the best, Fat!” Shouldering his bag, Mirio strutted out the door, leaving the hero befuddled and upset.
Why would the kids do this to him? He wasn't sure if he was more angry or hurt. Regardless, Mirio wasn't about to get away with this behavior. Absolutely out of line. Fat Gum sat down at his desk, pulling up Amajiki's schedule and Mirio's. He kept them handy to make sure the pair had time together— now, he instead shifted everything around to conflict, and sent the new hours to Amajiki.
Once at home, it took a whole five minutes for Taishiro to bring up the situation to his girlfriend, Rumi. From her perspective, she had honestly been increasingly worried about Taishiro’s uncharacteristic moodiness. He hadn't been acting like himself lately, complaining about his students and their boyfriends, every day. Today was the worst, though. She listened attentively, realizing that her advice to stop judging the boys, or go easier on them, had only made him more stubborn. And now, his feelings were hurt, on top of that.
Although she believed in being direct, Rumi decided to use a different tactic this time. Long ago in their relationship, she discovered that sincere and well-placed praise worked to calm her boyfriend. Add in some cuddles, and he was guaranteed to listen to reason.
“You realize they admire you— that's likely why they're drawn to strong, boisterous and dedicated blonde boys, right?” Rumi offered, playing with his hair as he ate dinner.
“Me? No. I think they just like classic bad boys,” he replied, using air quotes for emphasis.
“Are you serious?” Rumi let out a disbelieving laugh, leaning back in her chair. “Taishiro, tell me— how is someone like Lemillion a bad boy?” As he grew more indignant, she tried to hold back her laughter.
“Did you not listen to anything I said about him?” Taishiro complained. “He pranked me! Poked fun at me, on purpose!”
“It sounds like he was just trying to be silly for you, no harm meant.”
“No, no. It was disrespectful, and that can be a seriously bad influence. My boys act differently when the other two are around.”
“Different, how?” she prodded gently.
“Amajiki gets— well, more mouthy.”
“You mean, less introverted and more confident?” Rumi smiled, chin in her hand.
Taishiro made a frustrated noise. “Well, Kirishima becomes an instigator, and totally out of hand.”
Rumi tried to be open, but at this point, he was just being ridiculous. “Babe. His hero name is literally RED RIOT. They're just being rowdy boys.”
As Taishiro grumbled, she moved to sit in his lap. “And, you know, so what if they are? Let them have their fun. You did, after all. Don't forget, I know you. I remember all the antics you and Tensei and the others used to pull back in school. You're not innocent. So let them have that. Being crazy and acting up and possibly getting your heart broken is part of growing up. And as far as I can tell, you have a couple of the best behaved students working for you. No boyfriends are going to change their hearts.” She kissed his forehead sweetly. “Think about it.”
As Taishiro stayed uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the evening, Rumi hoped her words were helping him work through whatever was truly bothering him.
The next morning, Fat Gum went in to work extra early. He was still contemplative from his conversation with Rumi, and felt out of sorts. He hated to admit she was right. He wasn't acting like himself, and being too hard on the boys. Why?
Everything felt worse when Suneater and Red Riot reported for duty with sullen attitudes. They barely said two words to him, just accepted their assignments— Suneater avoiding eye contact more than usual, and Red Riot forcing enthusiasm that didn't reach his eyes.
He didn't like this, not one bit.
Late morning, after some patrolling, Fat Gum was at his desk going through paperwork. The light knock on his door yielded Rumi, peeking in with a smile.
“Hi! Whatcha doing here?” Fat Gum enthused, rising from his chair.
“It's takoyaki o'clock,” she replied, stepping inside to reveal a large container.
“Aw, you're the best.” Fat Gum nuzzled her before taking several bites of the food.
“How are you feeling?” She asked sincerely, moving them both to sit on the large sofa at the side of the office.
“Ah, I don't know.”
“Be honest,” she scolded gently.
“Not good, really. Not good,” he muttered between bites. “Kirishima and Amajiki barely said a thing to me today. And I don't know how to fix it.”
“Do you want to?”
“Of course I do!” Fat Gum exclaimed in surprise. “Why wouldn't I?”
“It would mean apologizing,” Rumi said, pinching his cheek. “And I know that takes a lot out of you.”
Fat Gum shrugged one shoulder, and mumbled something.
“What?”
“I said, not when I'm wrong.”
“Good. Because, well— look, I know you don't dislike Lemillion and Bakugo. They're kids after all. You just want your boys to be proud and self-assured.”
“I do! I really do,” Fat Gum sighed.
“I think the problem is, you feel that you need to be the one to instill that. Maybe you're scared.”
“Scared? Me, scared of kids?”
“Not of them. Of their effect on your boys, even if it's positive. Afraid if someone else fills them with confidence, you've failed. Or maybe worried they won't see you as their guide, their person to rely on, in their life as heroes.”
Fat Gum wanted to protest, but he couldn't. Tears welled as Rumi petted his cheek consolingly.
“What you don't understand, Tai, is that no one can replace their first mentor. Even more, a chosen Father Figure is a rare and special gift. They don't take that lightly. So don't screw that up and push them away.”
As Fat Gum nodded, she kissed his forehead, then reluctantly rose to her feet. “I hate that I have to jump, but duty calls.”
“Of course, I understand.” Giving her an adoring smile through tears, Fat Gum cleared his throat. “Go get ‘em!”
“You know I will.” Flashing a feral smile, Rumi opened the door. “Think about what I said, though, okay?” she reminded him, her encouragement soft and strong.
With a thumbs up of approval, Fat Gum watched her disappear, then bowed his head, taking deep breaths to quell his tears.
“Hey, Fat! Hey… you okay?”
At the sound of Kirishima's voice, his head snapped upward. Both Kirishima and Amajiki stood in the doorway, and the concern on their faces made his tears flow freely again.
“Oh no!” Mirio appeared behind them as they all hurried into the room. “What happened?”
“The bunny probably dumped him,” Bakugo gruffly observed, jabbing a thumb toward the door. “She just left. Said, think about it on the way out.”
“You and Mirko broke up?” Amajiki asked in a trembling voice.
“No, no! It's gotta be a mistake!” Kirishima insisted, swiftly moving to throw an arm around Fat Gum. “She'll come around, it's ok! I bet she's on her way back here, right now.”
With every sweet concern offered, Fat Gum sobbed harder. The boys exchanged worried glances, until Bakugo stepped to the front.
“If she made you cry this bad, she's not worth it, Fat!”
There was a cacophony of protest from the others, threatening to turn into an argument. Fat Gum wiped his face, steadied his breathing, and stood to his feet. All four of the students fell silent as he reached out to Kirishima and Amajiki. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, he exhaled a whimper at their innocent, concerned expressions.
“Firstly, no— Mirko didn't break up with me. She and I are fine,” he managed. “But I'm not fine, because of how I've been treating you.” As the boys’ expressions softened, he went on. “It's true that I've been changing your schedules so you'd spend less time with these two. I didn't mean to upset you, trust me! I was doing what I thought was best, just looking out for you both. But you've been so miserable, and I've been feeling so guilty, I just gotta admit to it and ask you to forgive me.” Before the boys could answer, Fat Gum pulled them into a bear hug, bursting into tears again.
Kirishima smiled, hugging him back and patting his chest consolingly. “I get it. It was weird at first, but I know you always want what's best for us. You don't have a mean bone in your body. In fact, you're the manliest hero I know, Fat!”
Amajiki leaned into the hug, cuddling Fat Gum back with a relieved sigh. “I'm just glad you're not mad at us.”
“I'm not mad. Well, maybe at you, a little,” Fat Gum added, pointing at Mirio. “What did you think you were doing, pranking me?”
“I wasn't pranking you!” Mirio insisted cheerily. “I figured I'd make you laugh while I tried out some reverse psychology on you. Guess you weren't in the mood for some good old fashioned humor, huh?”
“No, guess I wasn't,” Fat Gum replied, opting to let Mirio think he was indeed funny. “Just make sure you study more of that psychology formally before using it next time, will ya?”
“Will do!” Mirio saluted.
“Hey. So, do we get better schedules now, or what?” Bakugo grumbled.
One glance at Kirishima's hopeful expression and Amajiki's sad puppy eyes made Fat Gum relent immediately.
“Yeah, sure. I want you all to be happy, and focused on your training,” he agreed.
Bakugo's tense stance relaxed a bit at his words. As the other three threw themselves at Fat Gum for more hugs, he felt calmer and happier than he had in weeks.
Fat Gum couldn't wait to get home to tell Rumi that their little family was back together again.