Chapter Text
Katsuki had not seen either of the twins in over an hour and he was beginning to lose his mind. He had known that it was a bad idea to bring them to the mall with him, but Ochaco had had to go to work and couldn’t babysit, which therefore meant that Katsuki was forced to take the twins with him, despite his better judgement.
With winter just around the corner, he had been shopping for some new clothes for the twins. For the most part, he had kept a close eye on them, always making sure that his pups were lingering somewhere nearby. Yet, as mischievous as children could be, Katsuki turned around for one second and when he looked back, they were gone. He had scoured the entire store, thinking surely the twins hadn’t wandered too far, but clearly he had underestimated them.
And now he was growingly increasingly worried.
Even though he couldn’t smell it himself, Katsuki just knew that his pheromones were leaking out of control, potent and sharp like withering flowers that had long since lost their sweet scent, but at the present moment, that was the furthest thing from his mind. All he cared about was getting the twins back, no matter the cost. Even if it meant that the whole fucking mall would smell like distressed omega.
That being said, Katsuki didn’t miss the way that the security guard standing next to him had his nose scrunched up. From his reaction, his general demeanor, and the ring on his finger, Katsuki could only guess that the man was an alpha. Not that stressed out omega pheromones smelled good to anyone, but Katsuki knew they were extremely off-putting to an alpha. Especially a bonded one.
“And what did you say they looked like again?” the security guard asked. He drummed a black pen against the small notepad that he was holding in his other hand. His nametag read Dai .
Katsuki bit back a growl and tried to keep himself calm. He had already given this man the descriptions. Did he really need to write it down in order to remember it?
“One has black hair, the other is blonde. The one with black hair is slightly taller. They both have red eyes. One was wearing…” Katsuki’s voice trailed off as he saw the security guard’s eyes staring off in the distance, not writing down a single thing that Katsuki had said. He felt his internal body temperature rise and was about to lose it and start screaming at the guard, when suddenly his eyes landed on what exactly the guard had been staring at.
“Yurhi!” His body surged forwards as he raced a few paces ahead to where the little blonde haired boy was standing, thumb in his mouth and eyes wide. The boy turned towards Katsuki as soon as his name was called and his thumb left his mouth, the entirety of his face lighting up.
“Mommy!” Katsuki stopped directly in front of the boy, dropping to his knees in front of him.
“Where the hell were you?” Katsuki asked, eyes narrowing on the boy as he grasped his shoulders tightly. Then, shaking his head, he pulled the boy towards him, pressing his pup’s cheek against his chest. “Dammit. Don’t do that again.”
The young pup instantly melted into his mom, pushing his face upwards and pressing his nose into the crook of Katsuki’s neck. He rubbed his face against Katsuki’s scent gland, but after a moment, he pulled back, his eyes narrowing on Katsuki.
“Mommy, you said two bad words.” Katsuki bit his lip.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t repeat it,” Katsuki muttered, but as he spoke, his head whipped around, searching for the other half that was his. “Where’s your brother?”
“I don’t know.” Katsuki gave a long sigh and pulled back from Yurhi, bringing himself back up to his feet.
“Okay. Let’s go find your brother. Stay close to me this time, okay?” Katsuki turned and only after glancing behind himself to make sure that his pup was still following did he begin to make his way back towards the security guard who was still right where he left him.
“I’m still missing one kid,” Katsuki said, his voice dropping an octave the second that he reclaimed his spot next to the security guard. He could feel one of Yurhi’s hands pressing against the back of one of his legs, letting him know that he was still there. Katsuki knew that his pheromones must have been lingering in the air, and he could imagine that it would start to stress his pup out but until Taka was found, he refused to reign them in.
“Look, I haven’t heard anything on the radio yet, but as soon as-”
“Hey, officer! I found this little one playing in the water fountain on the second floor.” It was a gruff voice, not Katsuki's, that suddenly cut the security guard off. Katsuki’s head whipped to the right and as soon as it did, he felt his stomach drop. There was a man approaching him and the security guard and wrapped up in his arms was Taka. His Taka. His pup. Yet, the man that was holding Taka was the last person that Katsuki ever expected - or wanted - to see.
That man was Eijiro Kirishima.
As soon as their eyes met, Katsuki felt his mouth run dry, his entire body running cold and freezing in place. He watched Eijiro’s face light up with recognition. He stopped just a few paces in front of him and the security guard.
“Bakugo! Long time no see! How have you been?” Eijiro said, the security guard completely forgotten.
“You’re holding my son,” Katsuki replied flatly, his eyes locked on Taka.. He was interested in nothing more than having his son back in his arms. He could feel his skin itching for it and instantly Katsuki pulled back on his pheromones, not wanting Eijiro to notice his panic, have him asking questions, or lingering around longer than necessary.
“Oh! Is this one yours? Sorry, he’s a little wet.” Eijiro extended his arms with a laugh, although there was something unreadable that flashed over his face. Although it was too quick - gone in an instant - for Katsuki to be able to decipher exactly what it was. Confusion, maybe?
Katsuki immediately snatched Taka from Eijiro and pressed him against his chest, finally being able to breathe for the first time since he lost sight of his twins. He breathed in deeply, taking in the familiar, calming scent of his pup, milky and vanilla, just like usual. He didn’t even care that his clothes were getting soaked or the fact that his pup not only wandered off but also jumped into a fucking fountain even though he didn’t know how to swim. All that mattered was that both of his pups were back with him and safe. There was time for scolding the both of them later.
With both of the pups back in Katsuki’s eyesight, the security guard stepped away, the problem having basically resolved itself.
“I never would have guessed that he was yours. He looks nothing like you,” Eijiro commented. Katsuki jumped a little, being too preoccupied with his pups that he had entirely forgotten that he was standing there.
“Thanks?” Katsuki felt himself flinch as he said it. Although, as he spoke, he felt the little hand that had been pressed against the back of his leg slide along the side to the front. Katsuki glanced down to find Yurhi now standing in front of him, peering up with big, red eyes at Eijiro. Eijiro’s face brightened even more at seeing the second pup, which Katsuki wasn’t entirely sure was even humanly possible.
“Oh my god. There’s two of them?”
“They’re twins.” There was an itch under Katsuki’s skin that he knew he wouldn’t be able to scratch and a weight in his heart. He knew that one of them was a desperation to get away and the other was heavy, uncomfortable guilt. Could someone really look into the face of their own child and not recognize them?
“That’s awesome!” Katsuki felt himself flinch again.
“Thank you.” His voice was hesitant, soft. What was he supposed to say? And even if he knew, did he even have the strength to say it?
There was a beat and in that moment of silence, Katsuki reached down for Yurhi’s hand and once it was taken, with Taka propped against his hip, he quickly turned to leave. He had only taken one step when he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Katsuki breathed in deeply through his nose before turning around. He didn’t even have to look to know who it was. The familiar scent of pine and smoke faintly lingering in the air told him exactly who it was. It was the scent of someone that Katsuki had once known like the back of his own hand.
“Hey, if you’ve got some time, I’d love to catch up with you, Bakugo. Today’s my day off,” Eijiro offered, his voice earnest. Katsuki had to tear his own eyes away from Eijiro’s just so that he wouldn’t get sucked into them. He cleared his throat.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Katsuki started, his gaze dropping down to Taka, who was unusually quiet in his arms. “I’ve got to get home. Besides, it’s almost the boy’s nap time.”
Katsuki drew his eyes back up towards Eijiro and realized that he suddenly recognized the look in the other’s eyes. It was hope. Eijiro was hoping for something. Yet, the second that Katsuki finished speaking and their eyes locked, Katsuki saw that hope falter, just for a second.
“No biggie. Next time then,” Eijiro said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Eijiro wasn’t pushing the matter further. That was the last thing that he needed. Then, Eijiro added, “We can go out for lunch or something. Maybe you can bring the boy’s father. I’d love to meet the man who stole your heart.”
Katsuki’s entire body went rigid.
“That’s not. They don’t-” Katsuki’s messy excuse was suddenly cut off by a loud bang. The noise echoed throughout the length of the mall and Katsuki instantly felt his body tense even more, his grip on both of his pups tightening. He knew this sound. Not only was it one that he was extensively familiar with, but it was one that haunted his every waking - and unfortunately, sleeping - moment.
A chill cascaded down Katsuki’s spine as more shots, all in rapid succession, were fired off. The shots were close, but not too close. Not yet. There was still time to get away, but for the love of god, Katsuki could not move his feet. They were permanently cemented to the ground.
Screams pierced the air as chaos erupted all around them. Katsuki choked, struggling to breathe as his eyes darted around for something, anything that could help bring him back to his body. His mind screamed danger, danger, danger, but his body refused to react.
It was only Yurhi’s hand being pulled out from Katsuki’s grasp that finally snapped him back into reality. Katsuki was ready to jump, to attack whoever had taken his pup from him when he realized that it was only Eijiro. He had snatched up Yurhi and was holding him in one arm. The other reached for Katsuki’s own arm and fingers wrapped tightly around it, starting to pull him forwards. Eijiro was moving the four of them out and away from the open area that they had been standing in.
Katsuki let him and he pressed Taka closer to his chest. That soft, milky scent that Katsuki had found so much comfort in earlier had now gone sour. Katsuki could feel Taka whimpering and trembling in his arms. He tried to push out some comforting pheromones of his own, but with his own heart drumming against his ribs, he wasn’t sure if it was much help at all.
“Just follow me, alright?!” Eijiro yelled over the chaos of everything. Katsuki’s eyes found Eijiro’s and it was at these words that he finally felt his attention focus. He nodded and pulled his arm from Eijiro’s grasp. He immediately moved that arm around Taka, to add one more layer of protection over the pup that he was carrying, all the while, still following just as closely behind Eijiro as he had been before.
There were no close exits. This mall was a maze. With only one exit. Impossible to get out of in the midst of all this havoc. Even so, Katsuki assumed the attackers had most likely blocked off the exit the second that they got inside. Katsuki had spent years studying villains, crooks, bad guys, whatever you want to call them. From all that studying, he had learnt that they had a way of doing things, patterns and tells that could be figured out and exploited. You just had to know where to look.
Katsuki felt another shiver run down his spine as Eijiro led him into a department store. He wanted to ask Eijiro just what in the hell he thought that he was doing, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing that there wasn’t the time for questions now. Besides, something deep within the pit of his gut was telling him to trust him. Eijiro dashed through the entirety of the department store until he hit a door tucked away in the very back corner. Yanking the door open, Eijiro shoved Katsuki inside before making his way inside and closing said door behind them.
The room must have been an office, Katsuki figured, with how it was no bigger than a small bedroom and contained nothing more than a metal desk littered with papers and shelves that were mostly empty.
“Quick. Get behind the desk,” Eijiro ordered, setting Yurhi down on the ground before gently pushing him towards it. Katsuki grabbed Yurhi’s hand and ducked behind the desk. There, he sat down on the floor, putting his body between the door and his pups. Almost instantly, Yurhi reached for his mom and Katsuki scooped him up in his arms. With both the twins in his arms, Katsuki pushed out some more calming pheromones. Both of the pups were crying softly and he felt a slight tug at his heart. For the first time in his life, Katsuki found himself praying.
“It’s okay. It’ll be okay,” Katsuki whispered to his pups, doing all that he could to comfort them. He carded a hand through Yurhi’s hair and with the other, drew slow circles across Taka’s back.
There was a screeching noise and as Katsuki peered back over his shoulder, he saw Eijiro moving whatever he could to place in front of the door. Only once every single shelf and chair in the room had been propped up in front of the door did Eijiro finally clap his hands together and turn towards Katsuki. He quickly made his way across the small office and took a seat next to Katsuki.
“We should be safe in here,” Eijiro said, but there was an edge to his voice, a tenseness to his shoulders. Katsuki nodded, but not a single part of him actually felt safe and secure. Not with his pups being this closer to danger. Katsuki squeezed his eyes shut.
This is exactly the reason why I- Katsuki shut down his own thought, shaking his head. He couldn’t let himself fall into that mindset. Not here. Not now. He reopened his eyes and snapped his gaze over to Eijiro. He needed to talk about something. Anything to keep his mind off of what was happening and to distract him from the dull shots that he could still hear being fired off faintly in the distance.
“Shouldn’t you be out there, saving people or something?” Katsuki snapped, his words harsher than he intended for them to be.
“Nah. It’s my day off. Let the other heroes handle it,” Eijiro said. His lips pulled into a grin, but Katsuki could tell that it was forced. “Besides, I am doing hero work. I just saved you and your sons.”
Katsuki wanted to slap the stupid grin off of Eijiro’s face.. How could someone be smiling at a time like this? That being said, he was thankful for the slight bit of relief that it provided him.
He pushed out more pheromones. It wasn’t the best idea to put his pups to sleep right then and there but as it seemed, all the chaos and violence was moving further and further away from where the four of them were hiding. Katsuki would rather have to wake them up later rather than have them up for the next few weeks having nightmares about what they heard.
“Mommy~” Taka whined and Katsuki felt his eyes drop down to his pups.
“Shh. Just close your eyes.”
“Want me to hold one? Looks like you got your hands full.” Katsuki lifted his gaze to Eijiro and almost instinctively pulled his pups closer to his chest. He could feel their breathing start to slow.
“They only sleep if I’m holding them,” Katsuki muttered, biting the inside of his cheek. The truth of the situation was that Katsuki knew if his pups inhaled Eijiro’s alpha pheromones, they would be out in a matter of seconds. And he didn’t need Eijiro to start getting suspicious.
“Alright. Well, once they’re out, if you want me to hold one, my hands are free.” Katsuki sighed. Eijiro was doing nothing other than being his normal, kind self, but Katsuki was finding himself hating him more and more with every second that they spent together. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to happen, period. But Katsuki also knew that he could only avoid this for so long. He could only escape the past for so long.
Katsuki felt his pup’s breathing against both sides of his neck, slow and steady. He glanced back down at them. Thankfully, they had fallen fast asleep. Although, in holding the both of them, one of Katsuki’s arms had fallen asleep and he shifted uncomfortably, trying to wake the limb up.
“Bakugo, man, come on. Let me hold one,” Eijiro urged, holding his arms out. Katsuki found himself hesitating even more. Some prideful part of him didn’t want to let Eijiro even touch the pups. They were his. But, at the same time, his arm was seriously beginning to lose feeling.
Finally, after sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth, Katsuki slowly peeled Yurhi away from his chest and passed him over to Eijiro, who scooped him up in his arms and gently cradled him against his chest. The pup instantly curled up against Eijiro, nestling into him. Katsuki hated to admit how perfectly the pup seemed to fit against Eijiro.
Eijiro’s cheeks flushed pink and he blinked, staring down at the pup with wide eyes. To Katsuki, it was as clear as day that he was in total awe at the small thing that he was holding.
“Gosh, it’s like a mini you,” Eijiro breathed. Then, “What’s his name?”
“That’s Yurhi.” As Katsuki watched Eijiro carefully, he had a realization that hit him hard and fast. It was a thought that Katsuki had never had before, not in all the years that he had spent raising the pups alone. The boys. They deserved to have a father. They deserved to know him.
Just as much as Eijiro deserved to know that the pup he was holding was his.
“And him?” Eijiro furthered, nodding towards the black-haired boy in Katsuki’s arms. Katsuki tipped his head down towards his son.
“This is Taka.”
“It’s so crazy that they’re twins. That one doesn't look a thing like you. Except maybe the eyes. Actually, he looks a lot like-”
“You.” Katsuki blinked, unsure of how that word had left his mouth. He hadn’t meant for it to, yet it still had managed to slip out. His mouth was dry and he swallowed thickly, trying to lose the large lump that had formed in the back of his throat.
Eijiro was already staring at him. His body had completely stilled.
“What?” Katsuki took in a shuddering breath. It was too late. There was no going back now.
“He looks like you,” Katsuki repeated, his voice a whisper. He was finally speaking the truth that he had thought he would take to the grave. Eijiro was silent. For a beat. Then another. And another. Slowly, his mouth opened.
“Katsuki, what are you saying?” Eijiro asked, each one of his words careful, calculated. He held Katsuki’s gaze, not even daring to blink. There was something in his eyes that said: Don’t you dare fucking look away.
Katsuki swallowed again and, yet, somehow, his throat had already gotten drier.
“I’m saying exactly what it sounds like.” Katsuki’s hands shook and he felt himself tempted to pull back from Taka, who he was holding. Although, pulling back from his pup would most likely result in dropping him so Katsuki had no other option but to stay right where he was.
As much as Katsuki wanted to pull his eyes away from Eijiro, something inside of him was keeping his eyes locked on him. Katsuki couldn’t explain it, but there was one thing that he knew. After six years of not staring into those dark red eyes, he was thankful to be looking at them once more.
It was Eijiro who finally broke the stare that the two held against one another and he only did so to turn his head down towards little Yurhi in his arms. At that moment, Katsuki watched something shift within Eijiro. It was like his eyes had become cloudy and guarded, a storm brewing in his mind. Then all at once, he tore his gaze away from the pup and snapped his attention right back over to Katsuki.
“H- How? W-When?”
“Six years ago. That night we spent together. Right before I retired.” Katsuki held his breath.
Eijiro opened his mouth and Katsuki prepared himself for the onslaught of questions that he knew was about to be thrown at him when suddenly there was a loud knocking on the office door that caused Katsuki to practically jump out of his skin.
“It’s the police! Is there anyone in here?”
“We’re in here!” Eijiro called back, but his eyes were still focused solely on Katsuki. Eijiro held the gaze for a moment longer before he pushed himself to his feet, handed Yurhi back over to Katsuki, and began to make his way back towards the door, moving to undo the barricade that he had set up, and still communicating with the police through the door.
Katsuki’s attention, on the other hand, was focused on the pups in his arms who were both now stirring in their sleep. Yurhi was the first to wake fully, the transfer from Eijiro’s to Katsuki’s arms having rocked him awake. He pulled away from Katsuki, standing on the ground as he peered down at him and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Taka stirred a moment later, only after a gentle shake from Katsuki. He blinked, his eyes half-lidded with sleep and a few moments later, began shivering and pressed his face back into Katsuki’s neck.
“Mommy, I’m cold,” Taka muttered. Katsuki rubbed his back gently, trying to create some friction and warmth for his pup. He held him closer to his chest.
“I know. We’ll be home soon enough and then we can get you changed.” Katsuki felt Taka settle against him, but not wanting him to fall back asleep, he peeled the pup away from his neck, earning him a whine of disapproval. Katsuki set Taka on the ground in front of Yurhi and the two quickly busied themselves, Yurhi pointing out things around the room while Taka followed his brother’s fingers along and nodded as he spoke.
With the pups distracted, Katsuki brought himself to his feet and made his way over towards Eijiro who had just finished moving the last shelf and was pulling the door back open. Katsuki stood behind him, folding his arms across his chest. Eijiro greeted the cops and as Katsuki lingered behind him, he realized that this was the first time that he was getting a good look at him.
Sure, Katsuki would never admit it to anyone, much less himself, but he had been following Eijiro’s career closely in the news. In the past six years, Eijiro had climbed to the number twelve hero spot and Katsuki felt his heart bloom with pride whenever he thought about it. Katsuki had also watched all of Eijiro’s interviews and bought every magazine that had an article that featured him. He had practically watched the father of his son’s life through pictures, but those pictures could never have captured the real Eijiro.
Eijiro had grown a few inches since the last time that Katsuki had been with him and now there was about half a foot of a height difference between them. He’d put on much more muscle too, almost every inch of his body bulky yet toned in all the right ways. And his hair was much longer too. Whether intentional or not, Eijiro had let his hair grow out and although he still dyed it red, it reached just a little past his shoulder. That being said, it was still just as spiky and as stupid as ever.
Katsuki let Eijiro handle the cops and once they were clear to leave, he guided his pups by the shoulders from the room, Eijiro just ahead of them. It was only when the four of them reached the exact spot where they had been when all of this had started that Ejiro finally stopped dead in his tracks and turned back towards Katsuki. His eyes had darkened and Katsuki could have sworn that there was a sheen to them.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Eijiro’s words came sharp and entirely unexpected. Katsuki didn’t even have to ask to know what he was talking about. Yurhi. Taka. How would they feel if they knew that the man standing before them was their father? Would they think Katsuki was a horrible person for keeping their father away from them for all of this time? Would they even understand what it meant that Katsuki had kept it a secret from them all these years?
Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek. Shame and guilt settled heavy within him.
“I…I don’t know.” Eijiro tore his eyes away from Katsuki then and gave a long sigh. He tapped his foot on the ground, folded his arms across his chest before quickly unfolding them. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.
“I want to see y- them. I want to see them again. I want to meet them properly.” Katsuki nodded, knowing he couldn’t deny any of them anymore. He realized that now.
“Alright,” he said. He didn’t dare try to dispute it with Eijiro. And all Eijiro did - all he probably could do - was shoot Katsuki one firm nod and then he was gone, just as quickly as he had arrived.
---
Eijiro could not get out of that mall fast enough. So much for a day off.
The second that he stepped outside and cold, winter air hit his face, nipping at his nose and ears, his fingers fumbled for his phone that he had tucked away in the pocket of his coat. He quickly extracted his phone and the moment that it was out from his pocket, he dialed the first number that he could think of. The phone rang once, twice, then-
“Eiji?”
“Hey, babe. Are you on patrol right now?”
“Yeah, I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can I call you back later?” Eijiro bit his lip. It wasn’t the answer that he wanted, but it was the one that he was going to have to accept, whether he wanted to or not.
“Nah. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. I’ll see you when you get home, alright?”
“Okay.” Eijiro hung up the phone without another word, and let out a soft groan, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Standing on the sidewalk outside of the mall, he thrummed his phone against his leg, his mind racing with a million thoughts that he wanted to process but also didn’t want to at the same time. And since Mina was currently busy, he was going to have to resort to second best.
Pressing his phone to his ear once more, Eijiro dialed a new number. The phone rang for longer this time, but eventually the person on the other end answered.
“Kirishima! What’s up, dude?”
“Kaminari. What are you doing right now?”
“Uh, nothing really. I was just sitting on my couch and I-” Eijiro cut him off. He didn’t have time for small talk right then.
“Great. Can I come over?”
“Sure, but are you alright, man? You sound a bit off.”
“I”m fine. I just really need to talk to someone about something.”
“Yeah. Definitely. Come on over, man. Just hope you don’t mind a bit of a mess.”
“Great. I’ll see you in twenty.” Eijiro quickly ended the call and before he could think a single thought, his feet were already moving in the direction that he had parked his car.
Exactly nineteen minutes later on the dot, Eijiro found himself pulling into the driveway of Kaminari’s house. It was a small house, painted a blueish gray with white shutters and a white picket fence. Very domestic. Perfect for a guy who had just gotten married. Eijiro had actually attended Kaminari and Jiro’s ceremony a few months prior. It had been beautiful, but that was the last thing on his mind currently.
Eijiro threw his car into park and stepped out, barreling across the yard and up the front, concrete steps of the house, knocking loudly three times all within a matter of seconds. His foot tapped impatiently against the ground as he waited and a few moments later, the front door finally pulled back to reveal Kaminari.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Eijiro pushed past him as he charged his way into the front room of the house. From the sound of the door closing and a light patter of footsteps coming from behind him, Eijiro could tell that Kaiminari was following closely behind. The front room, which doubled as a living room, was simple with a single couch, coffee table, and tv that occupied it, in addition to a few pictures of Kaminari and Jiro that hung on the wall.
Eijiro paced the length of the living room twice, feeling like there were ants crawling under his skin, before he finally sunk down on the couch, pressing his palms to the side of his head. It was only a moment later that he felt the couch dip next to him, signaling to him that Kaminari had just taken the seat next to him. Although Eijiro's head was such a swirl of emotion, he couldn’t even look at him. His gaze - half dazed - was focused only on the carpet under his feet.
“Dude, you’re kind of freaking me out here. What’s going on here?” There was a nervous edge to Kaminari’s voice, a hesitation to possibly say or do the wrong thing. Eijiro sucked in a breath through his nose and lifted his head. His forearms rested like heavy weights on his knees.
“When was the last time that you spoke with Bakugo?” Eijiro instantly spotted the tension slip from Kaminari’s shoulders.
“Bakugo? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”
“I know.” Kaminari’s head tipped to the side, his eyebrows pinching together.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve spoken to him since he retired. Man, how long ago was that?”
“Six years.” Eijiro didn’t even hesitate. It had been a long six years.
Kaminari slowly turned his attention back to Eijiro, maybe catching onto how quickly he answered. His eyebrows furrowed even further, his lips pinching into a thin line.
“Why are you bringing this up now?” Eijiro pressed himself up, attempting to roll out the tension in his own shoulders. How did he even begin to explain this?
“I…ran into Bakugo at the mall today,” he finally said, his words drawn out, careful.
“...So, you ran into him today. So, what?”
“He has a kid. Two kids. Twin boys.” As Eijiro spoke, he kept his eyes on Kaminari’s face, looking for any almost imperceptible shifts in his expression. Although, as it stood, Kaminari still seemed as clueless as ever.
“Okay…And? So, he has some kids. He’s an omega, right? And you haven’t talked to him in six years. That’s more than enough time to pop out some pups.”
“They aren’t just some kids,” Eijiro furthered. He could feel his throat constricting and he kept having to remind himself to breathe. “They’re my kids.”
Kaminari stared at him for what felt like an eternity. He blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Wait. What?” The look that Kaminari was giving him was one of total confusion mixed with pure disbelief.
“The- The kids. They’re mine. Bakugo and I hooked up - once - six years ago. I never thought anything of it because right after that was when Bakugo shut everyone out and then retired out of the blue. Turns out he had a reason for doing all that.” The words were spilling out of Eijiro faster than he could process them or stop them.
“Hold on. You and Bakugo hooked up?” Kaminari asked, his eyes as wide as saucers. Eijiro felt like he might implode.
“Dude. So not the point.” Kaminari shook his head like he was trying to shake the disbelief from his skull.
“Sorry. Sorry. So…kids, yeah?” Kaminari pulled his eyes back over to Eijiro’s once more, and Eijiro held his gaze, nodding slowly.
“Yeah.”
“Damn. That’s a lot.” Eijiro nodded once more, but he didn’t say a word. He let a silence fall between the two of them, thick and heavy. He shifted and pressed his palms together, feeling that they were slick with sweat.
Eijiro stared at Kaminari and waited for him to say something, maybe offer him a bit of advice about what the hell he should do. He could see the gears turning in his head. He was processing, just as Eijiro himself was doing. He watched as Kaminari opened his mouth and moved to form words before stopping short and closing again. Finally-
“So, how are you feeling about all of this?” Kaminari’s voice had dropped to an almost whisper, timid, like Eijiro could break if he said the wrong thing.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s like I’m feeling everything and nothing all at once.”
“I bet.”
“I mean, how could he not tell me?”
“I mean, it’s Bakugo,” Kaminari said with a scoff. “You know how he is.”
“You’re right, but still. You’d think the guy would open his mouth for something this important.” As much as Eijiro didn’t want to feel mad about the situation, he couldn’t help it. How much of his kid’s life had he missed out on? Eijiro had always reveled in the idea of becoming a father one day and Katsuki had stripped that opportunity away from him. And for six fucking years.
Eijiro felt his hands ball up into fists. Kaminari must have noticed his body tense because he quickly shifted the topic to, “But how are you feeling about seeing Bakugo again? I remember you were pretty crazy about him in high school.”
Eijiro took in a long breath, letting all of his anger dissipate. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to just an hour prior when he had seen Katsuki. In all honesty, when he had first approached him he thought he had been dreaming. It was the same Katsuki that he had dreamed about every night for six years, but there was something different about him. Maybe it was wear and tear from having raised twins by himself. But…
“Kaminari, he was as beautiful as ever.”
---
Katsuki hadn’t planned on calling Ochaco the second that he arrived home from the mall. Although after putting the pups down for their nap and then spending the next hour entirely restless, he knew that he had to do something about it. And, as if acting on instinct, his hands reached for his phone, and even though he knew she mostly likely would have just gotten off work by that time, he called her. And she answered. Then, she came over. Because that was Ochaco and she was just that kind of person.
Before Katsuki knew it, she was sitting at his dining room table, a cup of coffee pressed between her palms. She drew the cup up towards her lips and took a slow, gentle sip. Katsuki had nothing but a glass of water in front of himself, knowing that if he had any caffeine at that moment, he would probably lose what little bit of his mind that he had left.
“He knows,” Katsuki blurted out at last. He hissed in a sharp breath through his teeth, the cool air hitting the back of his throat and suffocating him more than he already was. Ochaco’s head tipped to the side, confusion flooding her features.
“Who knows what?” Katsuki sat back in his chair, deflated and defeated.
“Eijiro. He knows about the boys.”
“Oh. Oh. ” Ochaco fell back in her own chair. Katsuki wasn’t sure if she was aware that her head was slowly shaking back and forth. She hummed then, propped back up, plastering a smile on her lips. “Well, the cat’s out of the bag. But that’s a good thing, right?”
“Yes. Fuck . No. I- I don’t know,” Katsuki said, having trouble not only processing what this meant for himself and his pups, but also simply just gathering his thoughts together.
“Well, it’s not like you planned on keeping Taka and Yurhi a secret from him forever.” Katsuki met Ochaco’s gaze and shot her a knowing glance. That was exactly what he had planned on doing.
Ochaco hummed again, shifting forwards and drummed a few fingers on the dining room table.
“Right,” she muttered, although it was more to herself. She lifted her head back to Katsuki, her eyebrows furrowing together. “And why was that your plan exactly? What were you hoping to accomplish by doing that?”
Once again, Katsuki found himself speechless. Everyone around him - Eijiro, Ochaco - all had these questions for him and he wasn’t sure that he could answer a single one of them.
Most likely seeing that Katsuki didn’t have an answer, Ochaco nodded and moved on.
“So, how do the boys feel about it?” Katsuki resisted the urge to flinch or look away.
“They don’t know. Yet. I haven’t told them.”
“Why not?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. Maybe because this whole situation is fucking weird and throwing me off. Maybe because I’ve been lying to them for their entire lives, telling them I didn’t know where their father was. Maybe because I’m not ready to.” Katsuki could feel himself getting worked up. He needed to calm down and in order to do so, he kept trying to remind himself that Eijiro finding out was not the end of the world, that this whole situation was not the end of the world.
Ochaco seemed to regard his words carefully. She reached a hand across the table and placed it on top of Katsuki’s.
“Maybe you don’t have to tell them right away,” she said softly. “Maybe just give them a chance to get to know Eijiro and then later, when the time’s right, break the news to them. Taka and Yurhi are stronger than you think. I think they’d take the news better than you’re giving them credit for.”
Katsuki scoffed. “Of course they’re strong. They’re my kids.”
Ochaco’s expression softened all at once. “And they’re Eijiro’s too. Give him a chance, Kats. He deserves to know his children.”
“I know.”
“And who knows, maybe this is the first step towards something greater.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Katsuki pulled his eyes away from her. He wanted to believe it. He really did.