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He doesn’t think either of them expected their son to become the man he is today. No, to them he was always their little boy, a bit aggressive and rough, but still just a little boy in their eyes. Sure, they always had high expectations and wanted the best for him, but for him to become this? No, they certainly didn’t think he would push himself to his utmost limit and break beyond further than they had ever imagined.  

When Masaru held that tiny baby for the first time in his arms he possibly couldn’t have imagined that he was holding the Symbol of Victory in his hands. No, to him this was just his little Katsuki.  

Katsuki was born on April 20th, and he came into the world crying and kicking up a storm. Masaru remembers Mitsuki and him peering anxiously as soon as they heard the loud crying.  

The doctor held up the baby, beaming brightly, “A boy! And a fighter too!” as he handed the baby to Mitsuki’s waiting arms, “Fastest delivery I’ve ever seen, you would think he was trying to break the world record!” 

“Just like his dad,” Mitsuki said as she smiled at the baby who still hadn’t stopped screaming. 

Like him? Masaru didn’t think he was much of a fighter, if anything he was a background character. A fighter was someone who was out on the stage letting everyone know exactly who they were, Masaru was just a director, quietly working in the background to make sure everything went perfectly. 

He stared at the little baby in his wife’s arms. It really wasn’t much to look at, all squished and red from all the screaming, quite ugly if he was being honest. But this was their baby,  so even if it was a little ugly and loud, he didn’t mind. 

Maybe it was because Masaru was so awkward, but he didn’t know what to do once the baby was actually here. They had both been nervously waiting for this moment, his wife seemed to easily transition into her role as a mother, hushing and cooing at the baby, while Masaru just stood there.  

But despite Mitsuki’s best efforts nothing seemed to calm the little boy, if anything his cries just got louder. And Mitsuki was getting tired and really just wanted to rest for a moment. 

“Can you take him?” she said, blinking blearily at him. 

“Me? But he’s still so small…” 

“Don’t be so scared, it’s just a baby,” she said as she handed the baby over to him. 

He wiped the sweat that had gathered on his palms on his pants before accepting the baby. It was so small, it was so light, how could something be this small?  

The baby seemed to realize it was being shifted around and quieted his screams for a moment, peering up at Masaru, blinking his vivid red eyes. He has Mitsuki’s eyes, he thought to himself. Now that he was holding the baby, he could get a closer look at him, seeing the downy soft blond tufts of hair, his sharp red eyes. He really did look exactly like Mitsuki. Masaru felt a small kernel of jealousy deep inside him as he noticed the baby didn’t get any of his features. But it was soon squashed and disappeared forever as the baby grasped one of his fingers in its tiny fist. 

“He likes you,” Mitsuki smiled wearily, watching them.  

Masaru hadn’t noticed but the baby had calmed down and was now staring up at him. He knew that babies this young could barely see anything, but he was sure that the baby was staring at him. Those red eyes seemed to be following him. 

“What should we name him?” Mitsuki asked with a yawn. 

“Katsuki, I like Katsuki,” he replied softly. It seemed to fit, and the baby, Katsuki, seemed to like it too, as he clutched his finger tighter. 

“Katsuki,” Mitsuki repeated as she closed her eyes for some much needed rest. 

Masaru stared at the small hand that held on to his finger with an iron grip. He had never seen hands that small before, or even fingernails that small. He knew this little hand that held on to his so tightly would one day get bigger and he wondered about all the things these tiny, delicate hands would accomplish one day. Maybe these hands will build something that changes the world, maybe these hands will hold the weight of the world, maybe these hands will reach out to someone in need? 

Masaru opened each of Katsuki’s tiny, clenched fists gently and pressed a soft kiss on each open palm. One day these tiny, delicate hands would let go of his hand and reach out to hold someone else’s, but for now Masaru would hold on to this little hand for as long as it needed. 

If you told Masaru that the small, helpless little baby he held in him arms would become one of the greatest heroes in Japan, the symbol of victory, he would initially disagree, because this little baby was so small, so delicate, how could he possibly save anyone? Maybe in the future Katsuki could become a hero, strong enough to save all of Japan. But for now, while Katsuki was still too small and too delicate to become a hero, Masaru would become a hero in his place. Masaru knows that he isn’t strong enough to save all of Japan, but for his son, he thinks he could face a hundred villains and win. 

That first week with Katsuki was a mess, they both really had no clue what they were doing. They had done the research, gone to the classes but now that there was an actual baby in the house it was infinitely more difficult. For some reason they both expected the kind teacher from the parenting class to pop up, gently correct their mistakes, and tell them exactly what to do. But no one did, so they had to figure it out all on their own. There were a lot of mistakes made and confusion about pretty much everything, but slowly, so very slowly, they were becoming parents. 

There was a lot of messes and spills to clean up too. He didn’t know a house could get so messy and disorganized within a week. They tried to keep things together, they really did, but things just got away from them. Whenever they had a moment of quiet and peace, they would sit down for just a moment, before getting up again to take care of something they forgot. But as soon as Katsuki cried they would drop whatever they were doing and rush to see what was wrong with Katsuki. So, there were a lot of misplaced items that he found in the strangest places, like when he found his laptop in the fridge and Mitsuki’s purse in the shower one morning. 

Katsuki was a very difficult baby to say the least, always crying or screaming over something. Half the time he didn’t even seem to be crying over a particular reason, Masaru assumed that Katsuki just liked to yell and scream as much as he could. But none of that really mattered to them. All that paled in comparison to when they saw Katsuki smile or laugh.  

It wasn’t often and it could be days before they saw or heard it, but it always made all the messes and sleepless nights worth it. It could be hours or days of Katsuki crying and screaming over god knows what. The whole time Mitsuki and Masaru would stand over Katsuki anxiously trying to figure out what was wrong, trying everything from feeding him, playing with him, or changing his diaper. Nothing ever seemed to work, but as soon as Masaru held him, he would calm down and smile before going back to sleep. Masaru and Mitsuki would glance over at each other, quietly celebrating the moment of silence they got.   

He tried to help out with the baby however he could, but Mitsuki soon realized that he just wasn’t very good at taking care of a baby. Masaru had a tendency to freeze up and just stare when something unexpected happened, he didn’t mean to, but he just needed a moment to figure out what to do. However, he was very good at holding Katsuki, in fact, the only time Katsuki was quiet was when Masaru held him. So, the duty of holding Katsuki got turned over to Masaru.  

“It’s your aura or something,” Mitsuki explained as she handed over a fussy Katsuki to him. 

“My aura?” he asked as he accepted Katsuki into his arms, he was already starting to settle down. 

“Yeah, I feel like I can calm down around you, Katsuki probably feels the same way,” she smiled. 

A calm aura, he thought to himself as rubbed soothing circles on Katsuki’s back. He set Katsuki in his lap and looked at him, “Is that what it is? My aura?” he asked. 

Katsuki just smiled and cooed a jumble of happy sounds.  

If Katsuki was a difficult baby, he was next to impossible to deal with as a toddler. It wasn’t all bad stuff, mostly Katsuki getting into places he shouldn’t be or doing things that were clearly dangerous. But all that stuff was easy to deal with, all you really had to do was keep a close eye on him.  

But what was really an issue, was getting Katsuki to stay in his bed at night. Katsuki was getting older so that meant it was time to move from the little crib to a big boy bed, in a big boy room. Katsuki was very open to the idea at first, creating drawings of how he wanted his room to look, proudly showing his work to his parents. If Masaru was being honest, he didn’t really understand the pictures, but they hung them up on the fridge either way. 

Katsuki’s bedroom was finished in about a week, unfortunately, the replica of the All Might mobile was a bit out of their price range, but other than that it seemed to please Katsuki. However, Katsuki didn’t seem to understand that he was supposed to stay in his room all night. So, at night around half an hour after they put Katsuki to bed they would hear their bedroom door creak open and Katsuki would slide under the covers with them. It was cute at first, but it’s been going on for about a month now and Masaru was getting tired of waking up with Katsuki’s feet in his mouth.  

But tonight, he was prepared. As soon as he felt Katsuki slide under the covers he scooped him up and said, “Not tonight, come on, let’s go to your room,” holding out his hand for Katsuki. 

Katsuki looked confused for a second before reaching for his hand and letting his dad guide him back to his room. 

Masaru made quick work tucking Katsuki into bed as snug as he could and giving a quick kiss goodnight. As he turned to leave, he heard Katsuki whisper out in panic, “Where are you going!?” 

“Back to bed?” he replied as he opened the door. 

Katsuki blinked, his eyes wide, “I thought you were staying with me tonight?” 

“… No, I’m going back to my room, and you’ll stay here, like a big boy, right?”  

Katsuki shook his head, “I don’t want to be a big boy!” 

Masaru approached Katsuki’s bed and sat down, “Why not?” 

“It’s scary. It’s scary, dark, and alone.” 

Ah, that explained it, Katsuki was afraid of the dark. Sometimes Masaru forgot just how young and small Katsuki was and just how much he didn’t know or understand.  

“We could grab a nightlight?” he suggested. 

Katsuki shook his head again, “Big boys don’t use nightlights,” he crossed his arms. 

“I use a nightlight,” Masaru replied. 

“No, you don’t! Where is it then?” Katsuki crossed his arms defiantly.  

Masaru scratched the back of his head, he had been trying to avoid showing Katsuki this. He didn’t think it was a good idea to show something like this to a small child, especially one like Katsuki. Who knew what kind of ideas this would put in his head? But if it helped Katsuki sleep at night it was a small sacrifice. 

“Okay, but it’s not that kind of nightlight. Come here,” he said as he patted the space next to him. Katsuki threw his covers to the side and sat down next to his dad. Masaru opened his hand, revealing his empty palm. 

Katsuki stared at his father in question before looking at his palm. Suddenly, the palm seemed to spark to life. It was small at first, tiny pinpricks of light and muted popping sounds. But it grew louder and brighter, till it lit up the entire room. Katsuki stared at the light in awe, mouth hanging open and eyes wide, he reached out to grab his father’s palm. 

“Oh!” Masaru moved his palm away from Katsuki before he could hurt himself, “It might hurt if you touch it, you can look but no touching, okay?” 

Katsuki nodded absently, he was more interested in the mini explosions his dad was making. 

“Could you always do that?” Katsuki asked in awe. 

“Yeah, I guess. It’s not much,” Masaru replied. It really wasn’t, the explosions couldn’t get very big, maybe the size of a very large pumpkin if he tried really hard, but in truth not a very useful quirk. The small explosions died off and the room turned dark again. Katsuki looked disappointed for a moment before grasping his hands to examine them.  

“Come on, lets grab that nightlight!” Masaru said getting up from the bed.  

As they were walking down the dark hallway Katsuki tugged on his hand, “Do the fireworks again! It’s dark!” 

Masaru smiled and set the small explosions off again, lighting up the hallway, Katsuki watched his open palm in awe. 

They returned to Katsuki’s room with a nightlight. Masaru plugged the nightlight near Katsuki bed and turned to tuck Katsuki back to bed. 

“Do you think I’ll get a quirk like that?” Katsuki asked as he laid in bed. 

“You want my quirk?” 

Katsuki nodded, “Yeah, it helps people when they’re scared. I want to help people when they’re scared!” he smiled. 

“Maybe,” Masaru kissed Katsuki good night and turned to close his door, “Goodnight, Katsuki.” 

“Night dad.” 

As Masaru tucked himself back to bed, Mitsuki woke up. 

“Did it work this time?” she asked groggily.  

“I think so?”  

Mitsuki rubbed his shoulder, “I knew you could do it, you’re good with dealing with him when he’s being difficult.” 

“He says he wants my quirk.” 

“That's good, right?” 

He shrugged, “I never thought it was cool or anything. But he looked at it like it was the most amazing thing in the world.” 

Mitsuki laughed, “I don’t know why you act like you’re not important or cool. He thinks that you’re the most amazing person in the world, maybe second to All Might. Start acting like the cool, amazing dad he believes you are!” 

Masaru frowned, “I’m not good at acting cool.”  

Mitsuki yawned, “You don’t have to act cool, he already thinks you’re cool. Just be more confident around him, stop being so nervous around him.” 

That night Masaru went to sleep thinking about the look of amazement Katsuki had on his face when he saw his quirk for the first time. He hoped that whatever quirk Katsuki got in the future would light the way for him.  

Years later, the great hero, the symbol of victory, Dynamight would use his explosive quirk to save anyone in danger, honing his gift to perfection to help anyone who needed it. But Masaru would always remember the look on Katsuki’s face when he saw that explosive power for the first time. But Katsuki was still young and hadn’t gotten his quirk just yet, so for now Masaru would make sure that his quirk could help Katsuki until he got his. 

Masaru still remembers the day that Katsuki burst into the kitchen shouting that he made a friend, a best friend.  

“Daaaad! Dad! Daaaaad!” Masaru heard Katsuki shouting from the front door. 

“In the kitchen!” he shouted back. 

Katsuki burst into the kitchen, still wearing his shoes and jacket.  

“Katsuki! Shoes at the front!” Mitsuki shouted from the front. 

Katsuki sat down on the floor, ripping his shoes off and began to take his jacket off.  

“Dad! You’ll never guess what happened at the park!” he shouted as he struggled with the jacket zipper.  

Masaru reached down to help with the zipper, “What happen? Did you see All Might, a villain, All Might and a villain? ” 

“No! Even better, I made a friend!” Katsuki lifted his arms for his dad to remove the jacket, “And he likes All Might too, and- and he said we’re going to be best friends!” 

Katsuki kept rambling excitedly over the boy he met in the park, already running up to his room to figure out which All Might figures to bring to the park next time. Mitsuki entered the kitchen, and he raised an eyebrow in question. 

“It’s the Midoriyas’ little boy, Izuku,” she explained as she picked up the shoes that Katsuki left on the kitchen floor. 

That didn’t help him one bit. Mitsuki seeing the confusion on his face said, “Remember? We met them at the neighbour meeting last month, they just moved here.” 

“Oh… Them!” Masaru really couldn’t remember who the Midoriyas were, but he couldn’t care any less when he saw just how happy Izuku made Katsuki. 

Since then, everyday Katsuki would beg his parents to go to the park so he could play with his best friend. And every day Katsuki would burst into the house rambling about all the thing he and Izuku did that day. Pretty soon every conversation at the dinner table was, ‘Izuku said this’ or ‘Izuku did that’.  It wasn’t all that surprising that his wife and Mrs. Midoriya planned a playdate so they could all meet each other.  

Katsuki was beyond excited that his father would soon meet Izuku, so far only Mitsuki had met him, and they both gushed about him constantly. Katsuki was always saying how smart Izuku was and how great Izuku’s games were, and his wife would always talk about how Izuku was probably the sweetest kid she’s ever met. Understandably, Masaru was looking forward to meeting the famed Izuku Midoriya who was already a household name, well, at least in his house. 

They met the Midoriyas on a sunny weekend at the local park. Hisashi Midoriya was a kind man, where his wife was full of nervous energy and jittery motions, Hisashi was all easy smiles and confidence. It was easy to see where Izuku got that easy laughter, freckles, and blinding smile from. But Hisashi was also a father, and quite frankly Masaru didn’t know how he would react to seeing his son being manhandled by Katsuki.  

The boys were busy playing while their mothers sat together on a bench sipping coffee and gossiping. That left Hisashi and Masaru together to watch over the children. Masaru, being the anxious person he was, couldn’t think of a single thing to say to Hisashi after he exhausted his relatively short list of small talk topics, really, there was only so much he could say about the fluctuating gas prices. But Hisashi was more than comfortable taking the reins of the conversation, flitting from topic to topic, anything from the coffee barista he saw that morning to the new hero movie he saw with his son. Masaru rather liked it when someone else did all the talking for him, so he was more than happy to just sit and listen attentively. 

Suddenly they heard yelling from the boys and they both looked up to see what was going on. Izuku had been comfortably sitting in the sandpit constructing an elaborate something, neither Hisashi nor Masaru really understood half of what the boy said when he came rushing over to show them his work. Katsuki had gotten bored of the sandpit and wanted to go on the swings, so he grabbed Izuku’s hand and pulled him towards the swing sets. Izuku, unfortunately lost his balance and currently sat in the sandpit, clutching his elbow, on the verge of tears.  

Masaru glanced at Hisashi, just to gauge his reaction, no one would react well to seeing their kid being shoved around. Katsuki seemed to be yelling at Izuku, but he stuck out his hand to help Izuku up. Izuku reached out with one hand while wiping away his tears with the other, allowing Katsuki to examine his elbow. Katsuki assessed the damage and deemed it was okay before dragging Izuku to the swing sets. Izuku quickly forgot about his elbow and happily allowed Katsuki to drag him around the playground  

Hisashi watched the whole time with amusement glimmering in his eyes, “They match each other well, don’t they?” 

“Katsuki can be a bit pushy,” Masaru replied sheepishly. 

“He definitely is,” Hisashi laughed, “But, Izuku needs someone like that, someone to push him just a little bit.”  

Masaru shrugged. Izuku was a sweet kid, he thought that Katsuki pushed him a bit too far sometimes, but he’ll keep that to himself for now. The two men continued to watch the boys swinging. The boys were competing against each other, trying to swing higher than the other. Sometimes Katsuki would swing higher, only to be overtaken by Izuku, who was kicking his legs out as much as he could, which would only push Katsuki harder.                                                       

“They push each other, don’t they?” Hisashi said, observing the boys. 

“He gets that from his mother, they can turn anything into a competition. It’s hard having two Mitsukis in the house,” Masaru laughed. 

Hisashi looked at Katsuki for a moment, “Really? I think he’s more like you.”   

“Katsuki?” Masaru asked. 

“During those quiet moments, he acts more like you.” 

Masaru didn’t know what to say so he hummed in agreement. Katsuki was nothing like him. He was a carbon copy of his mother, both in looks and personality.  

Sometimes he felt somewhat jealous watching the boy and his mother interact, they just seemed to know what to say, firing off comments to each other like it was nothing. And they were loud, creating made up games and stories that left Katsuki doubling over in shrieking laughter, while Mitsuki wiped tears of laughter. When it was just Katsuki and him it was a lot quieter and more subdued.  

Occasionally, Katsuki would come into his office with all his toys and figures clutched in his hands, dump them all on the ground and begin to narrate a long, rather confusing tale with his toys out loud. At some point he would get bored and abandon the toys on the ground and stand next to Masaru making grabby hands. Masaru could never say no to Katsuki, so he would lift Katsuki up and set him on his lap. Every now and then Katsuki would ask questions, ‘What’s that? What are you writing? Is it fun?’. Masaru neverminded, and he tried to answer all his questions as best as he could, all the while knowing exactly why Katsuki came to see him.  

After a while Katsuki would quietly ask, 'Can you make the fireworks?’  gesturing to his hands. While Masaru never considered his quirk to be amazing or revolutionary, Katsuki loved it. So, Masaru would settle Katsuki into his lap again, making sure that boy was far away enough not to get hurt and show Katsuki the explosions he loved so much. Masaru could make much bigger explosions than the ones he showed Katsuki, but the ones he made just for Katsuki were small and beautiful, lighting up the room like fireworks. Katsuki would watch the whole time, eyes wide and smiling brightly, clutching his father’s wrists tightly. Katsuki would turn to look up at Masaru after each one, face glowing from the light and ask, ‘Do you think I can do that soon?’. 

Eventually Katsuki would fall asleep, his small hands still wrapped around his father’s hands. Masaru wondered if Katsuki just liked to see him for the little quirk show he would put on for him or if it was because he just wanted a quiet place to nap. Masaru asked him once while Katsuki was sitting in their living room colouring an All Might picture.  

“Mom’s loud and crazy, like this!” Katsuki scrunched up his face and waved his hands around, “But dad is always nice and quiet, makes me feel like this,” Katsuki sighed heavily and closed his eyes smiling softly. 

“Hmm. I see,” Masaru said, handing over a crayon to Katsuki. Masaru didn’t really see anything, all he really understood was that his son liked to see him for naps. But that was fine, Masaru didn’t mind. If Katsuki wanted someone nice and quiet to go to, Masaru would make sure Katsuki could always come to him.  

Katsuki had known Izuku for pretty much his whole life, well, since he could probably remember. Soon it became Katsuki and Izuku. Masaru won’t lie, it was probably the sweetest thing he ever saw. The two boys who never seemed to let the other go and would cry when they had to leave each other.  

It wasn’t at all surprising to come home and see both of them sprawled in the living room playing. At some point it felt like he had two sons rather than just one, but he didn’t mind, Izuku was probably the sweetest kid he ever met. So, he didn’t even hesitate to say yes when Hisashi called one day to ask him to watch over Izuku while he was working in America.  

“He’s a crier like his mom,” Hisashi’s voice said through the phone, “I’m worried about leaving him.” 

“Kids are supposed to cry, that’s what we’re here for. And he won’t be alone, he has Inko,” Masaru replied. 

Hisashi hummed in agreement, “They’re the two biggest crybabies I’ve ever met. By the time I come back home, the entire house will be flooded!” he laughed. 

“You don’t have to worry about that, Mitsuki and I will keep an eye on both of them. And he always has Katsuki to help him.” 

Hisashi laughed again, “You’re right! He always has Katsuki to help him.” 

But things changed between the boys, slowly and quietly. He could remember Katsuki coming into his office one day saying that if Izuku got his dad’s quirk they would be an amazing hero duo. Izuku with a fire breathing quirk and Katsuki with an explosion quirk, they would be a perfect pair, they would be amazing. Masaru listened patiently to Katsuki’s rambling, nodding along and asking questions when appropriate. 

Katsuki got his quirk while he was in preschool, he got a call from one of the teachers saying that Katsuki was exhibiting his quirk and would need to go home for the rest of the day. While they drove back home Katsuki was talking a mile a minute, everything from how amazing his quirk was, how his hero costume would look, and how he couldn’t wait for Izuku to get his quirk. 

“It’s just like yours, isn’t it?!” Katsuki asked excitedly as he waited for his dad to open the front door. 

“Hmmm. I think it’s a bit stronger,” Masaru replied, opening the door for Katsuki. 

Katsuki put his hand on his hips and marched in, “Because I’m the best! That’s what everyone said, that it was a ‘great quirk’. ” 

“It is, but great quirks are meant to help people,” he replied. 

“I know that! That’s why me and Izuku are going to be hero partners with our amazing quirks!” 

Months and months passed and everyday Katsuki would come home saying that tomorrow would be the day Izuku got his quirk. Mitsuki and Masaru would look at each other concerned. It wasn’t as common as it used to be, but it was still a possibility. And it turned out to be true, Izuku was quirkless.  

After that, something between the boys shifted. No, that wasn’t right. Something in Katsuki changed, the rambunctious, mischievous boy became quieter and more sullen. Masaru wasn’t sure what to do but Mitsuki said that it was probably just a small fight between the boys that would be forgotten in days. Masaru believed that. 

It was a weekend when Katsuki burst into the living room soaked and dripping wet. 

“Katsuki?” Masaru glanced from the book he was reading, “What happened?” 

“I hate him! Who does he think he is, that- that deku?!” Katsuki shouted, stomping up to his room. 

Masaru followed after him, “Katsuki, what happened?” 

Katsuki just slammed his door. Masaru stood by the door for a moment making sure Katsuki was okay. He could hear Katsuki ripping things up and things being dropped on the floor. 

“Katsuki, change out of those wet clothes, you’ll get a cold.” 

“Go away!” 

Later that evening there was a box full of all of Katsuki’s All Might things near the garbage can.  

After that any talk of Izuku stopped and whenever Mitsuki or Masaru would mention the boy Katsuki would scowl and yell about he didn’t want to hear about Izuku. 

Masaru really wishes that he didn’t leave Katsuki in his room alone that day. But he did, and Katsuki would be forced to deal with the repercussions of that later. 

Things changed in the Bakugou household after that day. Katsuki, who was usually so happy, became closed off, barely speaking a word to Mitsuki or Masaru and would lock himself in his bedroom. It concerned the both of them, but they figured it was just puberty.  

During dinner one night Mitsuki broke the tension that had been hanging over the house for weeks. 

“How long are you going to be a little shit for?” Mitsuki asked. Masaru choked for a moment, he didn’t think that Mitsuki would be so up front with him. 

“For as long as I want, what’s it to you hag?” 

“Katsuki! Don’t speak to your mother like that,” Masaru said sternly. 

Katsuki shoved his plate away from him and leaned back on his chair, “Oh yeah? What’s it to you, old man?” 

Masaru sat shell shocked in his chair. He hadn’t realized that things had gotten this bad. 

“I spoke to your teacher today,” Mitsuki said, ignoring Katsuki’s blatant disrespect. 

Katsuki had the decency to at least straighten up at this statement, “What did he say?” 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Mitsuki glared at Katsuki. 

Katsuki looked ashamed for a moment before he glanced quickly at his father, “Does he know?” 

Masaru had no idea what was going on. Mitsuki had mentioned having a meeting with Katsuki’s homeroom teacher today. But she didn’t mention anything out of the ordinary, Katsuki had been getting decent grades and everything was fine, unless Mitsuki wasn’t telling him something… 

“He is your father, and you will address him as such,” Mitsuki put down her chopsticks, “And I won’t tell him anything I heard from your teacher.” 

Katsuki sighed and looked down at the table. 

“But,” Mitsuki fixed Katsuki with a glare, “if I hear you pulled that shit again, I will tell him everything, every single thing you did to him.” 

Katsuki glanced at his father before nodding. He thanked them for the meal and went up to his room soon after that. 

“I saw your career sheet brat, the way you’re acting won’t get you far in that field!” Mitsuki shouted after him. 

Katsuki responded by slamming his door. 

Masaru turned to look at his wife, “What happened at the meeting? Is something wrong?” 

Mitsuki just waved her hand, “Don’t worry about it. I told him I wouldn’t tell you if he straightens up and I’ll keep my word.” 

Masaru stared at his wife, “But what if he doesn’t? Shouldn’t I know what’s going on?” 

Mitsuki reached to grab his hand, “He will, he doesn’t want you to be ashamed of him, so he will.” 

“Why would I be ashamed of him?” 

Mitsuki just shook her head and cleared up the table. 

Later that night Masaru stood in front of Katsuki’s door and debated knocking on it and talking to his son. Knowing Katsuki he would probably just slam the door in his face and tell him to leave. Sometimes it was better to wait for Katsuki to come to him.  

And he would, he would knock quietly on his office door and sit silently in the room while Masaru waited patiently for Katsuki to say whatever he had to say. It would come suddenly, all of it bursting out like a broken dam and Masaru would listen to all of it. He can’t say he offered any solutions or fixes to whatever Katsuki was dealing with, most of the time he just sat and listened and then Katsuki would leave the room afterwards looking lighter and happier. So, for now, Masaru would leave his office door open for Katsuki so he could come whenever he needed. 

Katsuki never came to his office to talk, but things were getting better in the house. While Katsuki was still quite crass with his rather colourful vocabulary, he was more polite to them in a sense. Masaru can’t say he liked the change in Katsuki’s vocabulary, but Mitsuki said, “He’s angry, got to let it out somehow.” He supposed that was true. Still, he would cringe a little bit whenever he heard either of them swear. Katsuki noticed and seemed to try and use fewer offensive words when he was around him. 

But sometimes Masaru felt like the gap between him and Katsuki was growing wider by the day. He wanted to reach out and talk to him, but he wasn’t very good at talking and Katsuki, well, Katsuki as his wife put it, ‘was being a little shit’. 

So, he was really quite surprised when Katsuki appeared in front of his office door one evening holding all his textbooks and notebooks.  

“Can I do my homework in here?” Katsuki asked awkwardly. 

Masaru blinked, “Umm… Y-yeah sure!” This was the first time in weeks that Katsuki actually talked to him or even asked him something. “I can leave, give you some space to concentrate?” 

“Nah, that’s fine,” Katsuki replied as he dropped his stuff on the floor and got to work. 

Masaru stared at Katsuki who laid belly down on the floor before he returned to his own work. This reminded him an awful lot of what Katsuki used to do when he was younger, so he waited for Katsuki to ask him what he wanted. But Katsuki never did. They both sat in relative silence, Masaru typing on his laptop and Katsuki writing things down his notebook. 

Masaru assumed that this was just a onetime occurrence, but Katsuki showed up in front of his door every night, textbooks and notebooks in hand, laid down on the floor and got to work. By the end of the week, he purchased a desk and a comfortable chair, so Katsuki didn’t have to lie on the floor anymore. Katsuki paused at the door when he saw the new additions to the office but plopped down on the chair without another word.  

They continued their strange arrangement for about two more weeks, both working in silence. About an hour into that day’s session Katsuki said something for the first time. 

“I want to be a hero, so I need to get into UA,” Katsuki said rather abruptly, “and I’m already working on my grades, I’m the 12th in class rank right now, but I’ll get better!” 

“…Okay,” what was he supposed to say to that? He didn’t what to mess up when Katsuki was finally talking to him after forever, so he would just sit and listen to whatever Katsuki had to say. 

“I need you to buy me some stuff to train with, running shoes, weights…” Katsuki continued to list the items. 

“You can just give a list of everything, and I’ll try to get them all,” Masaru interrupted him. 

Katsuki nodded and turned back to his work. About an hour later Katsuki left a list of all the items he would need to train before leaving the room. 

Later that night Masaru looked over the list Katsuki had left, it was extensive and well researched. He included a training regime and even a timeline outlining when to reach certain goals. The grand total of the list would be very expensive. But he’s never seen Katsuki so motivated towards anything in so long and he felt rather proud of all the work Katsuki had put into it.  

He opened a tab on his laptop to search up UA high school. The school was already pretty famous as the nation’s best hero school, but that was all he really knew about it. A quick search through their website showed exactly why UA was considered the best school, but he was really more interested in the fees and tuition. His jaw actually dropped at the amount, well, they had to fund a state-of-the-art facility somehow.   

It would be a while before Katsuki even got into UA, but he didn’t doubt that Katsuki would get in. He might have to fiddle around with the family finances a bit to make sure they could pay the tuition, maybe spend a few late nights at the office. But he didn’t need to worry about any of that just yet, it would be a long time before Katsuki would be ready for high school. In the meantime, he could purchase some of the things Katsuki had written down on his list. It would be a lot of work, but for now, Masaru doesn’t mind working a little bit harder to so he could help Katsuki achieve his dreams. 

Neither of them felt panic like the day they got that call. They did feel the same panic when they saw their son on the tv following the sludge villain attack, but at least they knew their son was safe and waiting for them at the hospital. But this? They didn’t even know what to expect. 

“Take a shower before you sit down at the table brat!” Mitsuki said as soon as she heard the front door open. 

“I know!” Katsuki yelled in reply as he walked past the kitchen, returning from his daily run. He paused for a moment in front of the kitchen before walking towards his father. 

Masaru put down his coffee, “Is something wrong?” 

Katsuki scratched the back of his head and glanced at his mother before sighing and walking back out. 

Masaru and Mitsuki looked at each other in question before they both shrugged and returned to their tasks. 

Breakfast was a quiet affair that morning, usually it would be full of back and forth yelling between Mitsuki and Katsuki. Masaru had grown comfortable with the yelling that was almost constant in their house now, so the silence made him deadly uncomfortable.  

Katsuki clearly had something to say to him, but he was probably feeling too uncomfortable to say it with an audience. Mitsuki seemed to understand and left early saying she needed to get ready for work. Masaru quietly sat drinking the last bit of his coffee while Katsuki played around with the leftovers on his plate. 

“Can I borrow your hiking boots?” Katsuki asked quietly. 

“Mine? I thought I got you new ones?”  

Katsuki had recently started to join him on his weekly hikes saying that it was good for his training to help build up his stamina. Masaru didn’t mind the company, not that they talked much during the actual hike but once they reached the top of the lookout they would sit there for an hour while Katsuki told him about his week. He didn’t understand much of what he said, referring to people as shitty hair, glasses, racoon eyes, or soy sauce, he assumed they were his friends. He did bring up Izuku from time to time as an offhanded comment, ‘and shitty Deku was being an idiot like usual’. He would always listen a bit more closely whenever he mentioned Izuku, he had a promise to keep to Hisashi. Truthfully, he always looked forward to coming downstairs every weekend and seeing Katsuki all geared up for their hike. This week he would be alone. 

“The new ones aren’t broken in yet and we’re probably going to be doing training exercises, so…” 

“I don’t mind, but I’m not sure they’ll fit,” Masaru replied. 

“We’re the same size.” 

Masaru blinked, “Oh… yeah sure! You know where they are,” he replied. As he watched Katsuki leave he realized just how much Katsuki had grown from the little baby he held in his arms. It was hard to notice sometimes when Katsuki would return back to his childish manners of whining and throwing tantrums. During those moments Masaru would think fondly of the times Katsuki would trail after his parents excitedly retelling them about everything he had done that day. He was maturing slowly, maybe not emotionally but physically, he was growing.  

They got the call a few days after Katsuki had left for his overnight camp trip. 

They had both settled down in the living room after dinner, it was strange not having Katsuki in the house, but it would become a new normal for them in the future. 

When the phone rang Masaru was the one who answered. 

“Hello?” 

“Is this the Bakugou residence?” the voice on the phone asked. 

“Yes, it is. How can I help?” 

“This is Aizawa, Bakugou’s homeroom teacher. I have some news regarding Bakugou. Are you sitting down sir?” Aizawa asked. 

Masaru glanced at his wife who was watching tv on the sofa before he moved to the kitchen for some privacy. “Um, yes. Is Katsuki okay?” 

The phone was silent for a moment, but he could hear muffled shouting in the background, “Hello? Is everything okay?” 

“Yes, sorry, we’re just trying to organize everything. But regarding Bakugou… he’s currently missing. But don’t worry! Mr. Bakugou we’re already have the best heroes on the…” 

Masaru didn’t hear anything after that, all he heard was that Katsuki was missing and everything after that was buzz of words. If you asked Masaru to remember that day, he could probably describe everything perfectly, down to how many plates were sitting on the drying rack that day. For some reason while his heart had dropped down to the floor, Masaru became so much more aware of everything. He could feel his heart pounding, he could hear his wife laughing from the living room, he could feel his fingers trembling, he noticed the cup that sat unwashed on the dining table, but all he could think was, fucking hell, Katsuki.  

“Mr. Bakugou? Are you there?” 

Something clicked into place then. Maybe it was just the years of quietly working behind the scenes while Mitsuki and Katsuki took center stage, but he knew right then, right now, someone had to take charge.  

Mitsuki was a strong woman, Masaru won’t deny that, but he remembered how Mitsuki had called him sobbing after she saw the tv report of the sludge villain attack. How she had stood in front of Katsuki’s hospital room for ten minutes building herself up piece by piece before she faced their son. How she always seemed to being holding back tears whenever she saw Katsuki crying or in pain. While Mitsuki was a strong woman, she was still a mother. Maybe it was because Masaru kept everything so tightly bottled up and put on an indifferent face, but during moments like these Mitsuki leaned on him. So, for now, Masaru can take center stage while he waited for Mitsuki and Katsuki to take all the time they needed backstage. 

“Yes, I am here. Please continue.” Masaru replied back. 

Aizawa hesitated for a moment before explaining the situation. Mitsuki popped into the kitchen wondering that was taking so long but Masaru just waved her away, he would have to break the news to her later. Right now, he needed to know exactly what was happening.  

Based on Aizawa’s explanation it all seemed relatively simple, the first-year class had been the victim of a targeted attack by villains. No, his son was the victim of a targeted attack and the rest of the first years were just collateral damage. A few students were hurt during the event but relatively safe apart from one missing student. The school had already contacted the police force and pro heroes to locate and bring Katsuki back, with hopes of bringing him back as soon as possible.  

When asked why Katsuki in particular was targeted Aizawa kept dancing around the topic, diverting Masaru’s attention to the status of the operation or heroes who would be involved. But Masaru kept pressing the man to find out why, out of all the student in the first-year class, his son was targeted. Aizawa reluctantly said that the villains targeted Katsuki because he seemed most easy to sway to the villainous side. 

Out of everything Aizawa told him that evening he shoved that away, as far back as he could. He couldn’t deal with that statement just yet, no, he’ll find time to analyze that statement later. He had to tell Mitsuki first.  

Mitsuki reacted exactly as he expected, broke down on the couch crying and weeping, holding him tightly. “He’ll be fine, won’t he? He’s strong! We raised him to be as strong as he could be! He’ll be back stronger than ever!” she kept whispering franticly to herself. All the while Masaru rubbed her back and held her hand.  

Those few days where they had no idea what was happening ground Mitsuki down to the bone. Masaru would try all he could to reassure her, saying the police force were working on the case, that the best pro heroes were going to bring their boy back, that Katsuki was strong. But he really couldn’t give any form of solid proof, so much was kept hidden from them to ensure that no information of the retrieval mission was leaked. But still, he did what he could, picked up the slack while Mitsuki rebuilt herself bit by bit. 

Katsuki did come back three days later, they saw it on the news. Everyone saw it on the news. Everyone who watched that broadcast would say that was the day Japan changed, they lost a hero, a symbol. It was now just a matter of finding someone who could replace it. Masaru didn’t know it yet, no one knew it, but they were already there, in the background of the newsfeed, the two symbols that would takeover in All Might’s place. 

It took Mitsuki an hour and a half before she was ready to see Katsuki. They spent an hour waiting in the hospital parking lot till Mitsuki was ready to enter, before they even entered Katsuki’s room Mitsuki took another thirty minutes piecing herself back together. By the time she entered Katsuki’s hospital room she was back to old Mitsuki, yelling at Katsuki was causing a huge mess for everyone to clean up. Katsuki who been rewatching the news footage of All Might’s final fight shook his head before yelling back at his mom. Masaru stood back and let Mitsuki and Katsuki take center stage once again, watching the two yell at each other, Mitsuki poking fun at all the bandages that Katsuki had while Katsuki yelled back, ears burning in embarrassment. 

The week they brought Katsuki back from the hospital was tense. The whole household was walking around on eggshells. It was strange, Katsuki and Mitsuki would be yelling at each other like usual, while Masaru would watch it all happen. Then suddenly, Katsuki would get this panicked look on his face and stutter over what he was about to say. Mitsuki was always the first to react, reaching forward to grab Katsuki, but he would just brush her aside and go up to his room. Mitsuki would just stare at her hands for a moment before shaking her head and going back to whatever she was doing. Then the scene would reset, and Masaru would watch it all happen all over again. 

Masaru heard a loud bang in the middle of the night. He glanced over to Mitsuki who had finally managed to fall into a restless sleep before throwing the covers off and creeping downstairs, taking care not to wake Mitsuki. She had been having trouble sleeping since Katsuki went missing, so he would leave her to get some much needed rest.  

He was mostly worried it was the villains coming for Katsuki again while he crept down the stairs. He didn’t have much for self-defense but if Katsuki could become a hero with his explosive quirk, he could at least hold off a few villains with his weak quirk.  

As Masaru crept downstairs, he noticed flashes of light coming from the kitchen. Ah, so that’s where they were hiding, he thought to himself. Leaning past the entrance to the kitchen he noticed Katsuki crouched on the floor. 

“Katsuki?!” he rushed over to him. 

Katsuki jolted, losing his balance and toppling over on to the ground. Masaru lit his palms with small explosions to see better. Katsuki sat trembling on the ground, his chest heaving, eyes watery and red. 

Masaru reached down to grasp Katsuki’s shoulder, “What happened? Are you okay?” 

Katsuki swung his arm, knocking his hand back. “I’m fine!” he scrubbed his face with his free hand. 

Masaru took a step back, giving Katsuki his space. “It’s the middle of the night, what are you doing down here?” 

Katsuki sat on the ground, his breath coming out in gasps, “I- I couldn’t go to sleep so I came for some water,” he swallowed, “It was dark, so I tried to get some light,” he held out his trembling palm and set off loud explosions. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Masaru crouched down next to Katsuki, “That’s fine, it’s okay,” he reassured him as he lit his palms back up again. 

Katsuki nodded stiffly. He pulled his knees up and buried his head in between, breathing heavily. Masaru sat beside him keeping his palms lit at a steady pace. 

Katsuki seemed to forget he was there while he tried to get his breathing under control. Once it was somewhat controlled, he whispered hoarsely, “You don’t have to stay here.” 

Masaru stared at Katsuki for a moment. He didn’t what to leave Katsuki alone right now, he’s already done that enough. But he couldn’t exactly comfort Katsuki right now without him lashing out at him. “Um, I actually came down for some hot chocolate, would you like some?” 

Katsuki nodded his head. 

Masaru hated hot chocolate, he didn’t understand why anyone would want to drink basically hot liquid chocolate, but Katsuki loved hot chocolate, so he could drink force himself to drink some. While he made hot chocolate, he kept a close eye on Katsuki who was still seated on the ground. He had calmed down, but he still hadn’t lifted his head.  

“Katsuki? Do you want to drink this in my office?” he said gently as he handed over Katsuki’s mug. 

Katsuki looked up at the mug and got up, waiting for him to lead the way. 

They both settled down in their respective seats in his office and sipped their drinks quietly. Masaru was tired of this, he was tired of waiting for Katsuki to come to him. He had already spent fifteen years waiting for Katsuki and most of the time he was too late. He didn’t mind waiting for Katsuki, giving him the time and space to form his thoughts. But this time, he didn’t care enough to wait for Katsuki, he would just charge ahead and force himself and Katsuki to deal with the aftermath. 

“Katsuki, are you okay?” he asked. 

Katsuki looked up at him, eyes wide and frantic, “No,” he sobbed, “I’m tired, I’m so fucking tired, and I can’t sleep,” he clutched his hair. “A- and every time I close my eyes it’s just like being in that shitty villain’s ball, I keep seeing shitty Deku’s face, and All Might just standing there.” 

Masaru watched Katsuki break down. Once again Masaru was shocked by just how young Katsuki was. Katsuki was fifteen, he was barely even old enough to do half the things people expected him to do. Perhaps it was their fault, for leaving Katsuki, who barely knew anything about the world, alone to deal with his problems, expecting him to come to them. Sure, they were good parents, they gave him food, gave him a safe home, gave him whatever he wanted. But in the end, they left Katsuki alone to face the world by himself.  

Masaru approached Katsuki, crouched in front of him and held his hands. “Katsuki, I’m sorry for leaving you alone when you need me. I can’t change that, but I’m here now, for as long as you need me.” 

Masaru sat with Katsuki that night while he cried and wept on his shoulder, telling him how hard he tried to be strong, how in the end he was still just a weak little boy, how scared he was. Masaru sat and listened to it all, letting Katsuki cry and yell about how angry and frustrated he was.  

At the end of the night Masaru tucked Katsuki back in bed for the first time in a very long time. Before he turned to leave Katsuki grabbed his wrist.  

“Show me how you do the fireworks. I can’t get mine like yours.” 

Masaru turned to look at him. 

“I- Sometimes when I wake up it’s too dark and it reminds me of…” Katsuki continued. 

Masaru sat down on Katsuki’s bed and opened his palms and showed Katsuki how to do the beautiful explosions he admired his whole life. They sat for another hour while Katsuki practiced and perfected them. 

As he turned to leave, he checked on Katsuki one last time. “Goodnight Katsuki.” 

“Night dad, thanks.” 

As he settled down in bed again, he thought about what Aizawa had told him. Turning the phrase over in his head, ‘Bakugou seemed most easy to sway to the villainous side.’ Katsuki was fifteen, Katsuki was still a child, Katsuki still liked hot chocolate, Katsuki still whined and threw tantrums, Katsuki still fought with his parents over not putting his clothes away, Katsuki still looked forward to his mom’s curry for dinner, Katsuki was still afraid of the dark. How could little Katsuki ever become a villain? 

Since Katsuki had moved to the dorms at UA Katsuki had taken to calling him and just saying random things without much context. He never knew how to respond to half of the things he said and when he asked for clarification Katsuki would just huff in frustration and vaguely reexplain the parts he didn’t understand. 

“Hey, old man,” Katsuki’s voice said from the phone. 

“Katsuki, how’s school?” 

“Fine, fine. We’re doing training to develop our super moves.” 

Masaru hummed. 

“I have a few ones already made, just need to make sure they’re perfect!” 

“I know you’ll get it soon.” 

“Obviously! I’ll talk to you later old man.” 

“Hey, old man.” 

“How are the super moves coming?” 

“Great! Even better than stupid Deku’s moves,” Katsuki snickered 

“Izuku? How’s he doing?” 

“Deku? He’s fine, I guess? But he’s hiding something, I know he is.” 

“Somethings are better kept hidden.” 

“Not for shitty Deku.” 

“Perhaps, but you should wait till you hear it from him.” 

“Yeah… I got to go. I’ll talk later.” 

“I have the licensing test soon.” 

“Are you nervous?” 

“Haah?! Why would I be nervous? I’m going to ace it!” 

“Oh, that’s good! I know you’ll do well.” 

“Of course, only losers have to worry about not getting their license first try!” 

“You know it’s fine if you didn’t get it first try, you could always try again.” 

“Don’t need to, I’ll get it first try.” 

“I know you will.” 

“Hey dad…” 

“…How did the licensing go?” he asked hesitantly. 

“…I didn’t get it.” 

“That’s fine! You can always try again next time!” 

Katsuki hummed, “Do you think I did it all wrong?” 

“Umm… I don’t understand” 

Katsuki sighed, “I just don’t understand what I did wrong and what he did right.” 

“Katsuki?” 

“Nevermind, I’ll ask him myself, I’ll beat it right out of him. I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Hey, old man.” 

“Katsuki! Why would you cause a fight in the middle of the night, with Izuku of all people?!” 

“Oh, you heard.” 

“What do you have to say for yourself?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I feel bad and regret it.” 

“Doesn’t sound like it.” 

“…What would you do if you found out something that could change everything?” 

Masaru hesitated, “…Is it an important secret?” 

“Sort of, I’m the only one who knows.” 

“Then keep it to yourself, whoever told you that trusts you completely with that. You can’t break trust like that.” 

“Yeah, I figured, just wanted to know what you thought.” 

“I have to go now, I told Deku that I would train with him.” 

“Izuku? You’re training with Izuku?” he asked, he hadn’t heard Katsuki directly say or mention Izuku in so long.  

“Yeah, the nerd needs someone to help out and I’m the only one who can do it apparently.” 

“That’s good! I’m glad that you’re starting to be friends again.” 

“We’re not friends! He’s just too damn weak and has no self-preservation skills, someone needs to make sure he doesn’t kill himself. What would I tell aunty?” 

Masaru laughed, “No, that won’t be good. Take care of him then.” 

“…I will.” 

“Have you heard about Deku from Auntie Inko?” 

“No, why? Shouldn’t he be at UA?” 

“He’s not! He just fucking got up and left. He’s an idiot, he’ll get himself killed!” 

“Then you should bring him back.” 

“I can do that?” 

“Well, no one else is going to bring him back, might as well be you.” 

Katsuki hummed, “I gotta go old man.” 

“The number you are calling can’t be reached now, please leave a message after the tone. BEEP” 

“Hello Katsuki, this dad. Your mother and I haven’t heard from you in a while. We understand that now is probably not the best time, especially with everything that’s going on. But call us or text us when you can. Take care of yourself and look after Izuku. We know you’ll take care of each other.” 

“One unheard voicemail.” 

“We did it!! We fucking did it! Tell him Deku!” 

“Hello Mr. Bakugou! I know we haven’t spoken in a-” 

“God! Just tell him Deku!” 

“We did it!!! Me and Kacchan and everyone!! We did it!” 

“God Izuku, I fucking lo-” 

“Izuku, haven’t seen you for a while!” Masaru smiled at the young boy, well young man now.  

It had been a while since the last time he had seen Izuku, the last time was probably around when he was 13. But the young boy had grown up since then, losing the boyish softness to him and growing into his features, he was starting to look more like Hisashi.  

“Yeah, we get it old man. Are we going to be eating dinner outside, or are you going to let us in?” Katsuki said, shoving past Izuku. 

“Sorry boys! Come on in!” he said moving to the side. 

“Kacchan!” Izuku said ducking his head bashfully. 

Masaru smiled to himself, Izuku may have grown but that childhood nickname stuck. He had heard from Katsuki in passing that things were getting better between the two boys since the final showdown with between League of Villains But he never thought that Katsuki would invite the boy over for dinner. 

“Thanks for having me uncle!” Izuku smiled. 

It was nice to have both the boys over for dinner, Katsuki, who they saw once a month or so, and Izuku, who they haven’t seen for years. Dinner was the same as usual, Katsuki and Mitsuki in a yelling match. Izuku looked like he was ready to just dissolve into the ground whenever he saw Katsuki yell at Mitsuki. He would look over at Masaru every time Katsuki swore at Mitsuki. Masaru would just shrug and go back to his meal, he would get used to it after a while. 

Later that evening while Katsuki went to help his mother with the dishes Masaru found himself alone with Izuku. They sat on the couch watching the two. 

“Are they always like this?” Izuku asked. 

“Katsuki and Mitsuki? Yeah, that’s just how they talk,” he laughed. 

Izuku hummed and they both went back to watching Katsuki and Mitsuki. 

“Thank you for being Katsuki’s friend.” 

Izuku blinked, “F-friend? Oh, yeah!” he laughed stiffly, “Yeah, we’re good friends!” 

Masaru looked at him, “Anyways, thanks for taking care of him.” 

“Oh no! It’s usually Kacchan looking after me. He says he wants to be like you.” 

“Me?!” Masaru asked. 

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded, “He really looks up to you. He thinks you’re cool!” 

Masaru stared at Izuku. “He thinks you’re super strong, how you’re always quietly just helping everyone, how you’re always calm. He wants to be strong like you!” Izuku continued 

Masaru wiped his palms on his pants, “I always thought he looked up to Mitsuki, he’s more like her.” 

Izuku titled his head to the side while he watched Katsuki, “I guess? I think he just acts like aunt Mitsuki around everyone but during those calm, quiet moments he’s like you,” he smiled. “Y’know? How he’s calm and collected during those stressful times, how he looks after everyone without saying anything.” 

What was with the Midoriya men saying Katsuki was like him? 

“You raised the good son, thank you.” Izuku said. 

“For what?” 

Izuku just shrugged.  

Just as the boys were about to leave, Izuku tugged on Katsuki’s sleeve and looked up at him with pleading eyes. 

Katsuki turned to them cheeks flushed, “Um, We- I. Thank you for the meal!” and he stomped out of the house. 

Izuku sighed before smiling, “Thanks for the meal, we’ll come back soon!” 

“You do realize they’re dating, right?” Mitsuki said after they settled down on the couch for the evening. 

“Hmmm?” Masaru looked up from his book. 

“Katsuki and Izuku,” Mitsuki clarified. 

Well, that explained a lot. The fond glances between each other, the general hovering that they seemed to do near each other, those shy touches, Izuku’s awkwardness. “Are they now?” Masaru asked. 

Mitsuki swished the wine around in her glass, “Well, they haven’t said anything to me officially. But it’s so obvious, right?”  

Masaru hummed again, flipping a page.  

“Are you okay with that?” Mitsuki asked, setting the wine glass down on the coffee table, “Katsuki and Izuku?” 

Masaru closed the book and set in on the table, “I couldn’t care any less if Katsuki brought home a villain. Well, I guess that would make Christmas a bit difficult,” he laughed softly. “But if it’s Izuku for him, that’s good. I’m happy for him.” 

“Good! If you said anything else, you would be sleeping outside for the rest of your life,” she grinned.  

Masaru laughed softly, wiping the sweat that had built up on his palms on his pants. 

“But… Something is bothering you?” Mitsuki said slowly. 

Masaru flexed his hands, “I- I just wish he told us. Do you think he doesn’t feel comfortable telling us?” 

Mitsuki reached out and twined their hands together, “This is his first relationship, as far as I know. He’ll tell us when he’s ready, we just have to be patient, for him.” 

“I can do that. We’ll wait till he’s ready,” Masaru squeezed Mitsuki’s hand. “But I’m a bit more worried about what I’m going to tell Hisashi. I told him I’ll watch over his kid, be a father to him while he’s not here. I just don’t think he wanted me to be a father-in-law,” he grimaced. 

Mitsuki laughed, “It’s a bit too early for that, but maybe.” 

Masaru couldn’t wait for the day that Katsuki would come home together with Izuku and proudly claim him as his boyfriend, partner, lover, whatever. But for now, Masaru would be a patient man for Katsuki and wait for him as long as it takes. 

Katsuki called him on a Thursday, which was out of the ordinary. Since Katsuki became a pro hero they usually scheduled biweekly meetings at a local café at Musutafu just to catch up on whatever was going on with them. They did text, sporadically, mostly just sending each other articles that were interesting or Katsuki asking questions about banking and finances, or any other adult thing. But Katsuki calling on a random Thursday was unusual, and calls were never a good thing, it usually meant someone was in the hospital. 

Masaru was sitting on the couch, flipping through the newspaper when he heard his phone ring. Seeing the caller ID, he picked up quickly, already standing up to look for his car keys. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked breathlessly, rushing to the front to put on his shoes. 

Katsuki snickered, “What? Can’t a son call his old man when he feels like it?” 

“Oh, I just assumed-” Masaru paused to catch his breath, “-I just thought someone was hurt.” 

“No, no, we’re all fine. Sit down you sound like you’re about to die.” 

Masaru chuckled, “Not as young as I used to be.” He walked back to the living room and sat back down on the armchair. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked again, Katsuki wouldn’t call for no reason. 

“…Do you want to go on a hike? Only if you’re free!” 

Masaru smiled, “Of course Katsuki, whenever you want.” 

“Okay, this weekend then! I’ll meet you at the trail.” 

The hike was just like normal, both Katsuki and Masaru kept pace with each other as they climbed to the peak. Every now and then one of them would point out something on the trail that caught their eye before falling silent again. Katsuki had something to tell him, something he couldn’t say over the phone. 

They reached the peak in about an hour. Masaru handed Katsuki a bottle of water while he took a sip from his. 

“I’m asking Izuku to marry me,” Katsuki said. 

Masaru blinked. Oh. Well, he wasn’t expecting this. He also wasn’t really sure what to say or why Katsuki brought him all the way here just to tell him. 

“I don’t care what any of you say, I’m going to marry him. I know that we didn’t always have the best relationship, but it’s better now, a lot better,” Katsuki stood there clenching and unclenching his hands. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And- and I want him to be with me for the rest of my life, every good thing, and every bad thing. And he’ll stay with me for everything, and I’ll stay with him too. And if you guys don’t like that or think it’s weird or something I couldn’t give a crap.” 

Katsuki stood there rambling on and on. So, that’s what this was about.  

Masaru reached out to hold Katsuki’s shoulder, “Katsuki, thank you for tell me. But your mother and I had known for a while that you two were dating,” he smiled. 

Masaru walked over to the bench on the top of the lookout and sat down. He looked over to Katsuki and patted the space next to him, “Come, tell me about him.” 

Katsuki stood rooted to where he was standing for a while, blinking in shock. He walked over to the bench and sat next to his father. The two sat there for well over two hours, Katsuki telling his father about Izuku, from the weird outfit Izuku wore to their first date to how Izuku managed to burn their entire dinner last night. Katsuki shyly showed the ring he planned to propose with and explained his big plan. Masaru sat and listened to every word, happy that his son finally felt comfortable enough to tell him.  

As he watched Katsuki ramble excitedly about Izuku he was reminded of the first day Katsuki met Izuku. How he rushed in saying he made a best friend, talking about all the things they would do together from now on. Every now and then while Katsuki talked, his palms would let out little sparks when he got excited. He remembered how Katsuki would crawl into his lap, hold his wrists and watch in awe at the explosions he would make just for him. He remembered just how small Katsuki was when he first met him, how terrified he was of holding such a small, delicate thing in his hands.  

For the rest of Japan, Katsuki was Dynamight, the Symbol of Victory, hands always raised in victory, an unwavering figure that set peoples’ hearts at ease. But for Masaru, Katsuki was Katsuki, trembling hands always reaching out for him, a child who really didn’t know much about the world. Hero Katsuki always had to be strong, but Katsuki Bakugou was allowed to be weak and tired because he knew there was always someone to reach out to. 

So, for now, and for as long as he could, he’ll be Katsuki’s dad, he’ll be someone Katsuki could reach out to.