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Chapter 4: His Foul Influence

If it had gone according to Katsuki's plan, he would have met Ochaco's parents for the first time at a nice restaurant that he had chosen, to demonstrate that he can, in fact, be refined if he wanted to be.

He would have dressed like the proper young man they would expect of their daughter's boyfriend, in pants that actually sat on his waist, a smart shirt, maybe even a nice designer jacket if he really wanted to impress.

Then he would have rehearsed his first lines to them. It would have been something polite and dignified.

What happens though is far, far removed from this fantasy.

They meet for the first time in Ochaco's tiny bathroom as he hides like a fugitive, and he isn't even dressed. He's in his boxers and the flimsy roundneck he had bought from the convenience store the previous night.

And the first thing he says? "Fuck".

He swears in front of Ochaco's dad, who stands bewildered in the doorway at the sight of Katsuki sitting on his daughter's bathroom floor half-naked.

Katsuki quickly follows up with "good morning", but the damage has been done.

Apparently, Ochaco's dad has a gravity Quirk, too, except it's the complete opposite of hers. Whereas she can remove the gravity of anything she touches, her dad can add gravity, which, in extreme cases, can cause an object to collapse upon itself.

Upon finding the bathroom door locked, he had used his Quirk to force his way inside, and there he found Katsuki. Ochaco's mom appears over his shoulder a moment later, giving out a very scandalized gasp at the scene before her.

Shit hits the fan then. Ochaco runs to Katsuki's side and tries to explain, but in her haste, the towel hanging around her neck slips off, exposing the love bites trailing down her skin all the way to where her shirt hid the rest from view.

All the blood drains from her dad's face and he makes a strangled sound in his throat. Her mom claps both hands to her mouth, and Katsuki's spirit leaves his body. He's fucking done for.

Now here they are, the four of them seated all formal and proper on cushions around Ochaco's low table, the silence thick and charged.

Ochaco has her head bowed so low her forehead's almost touching the surface of the table. Meanwhile, Katsuki is staring ahead with dead eyes. His pants are back on but he still feels so exposed he might as well be naked.

Ochaco's dad takes a deep, audible breath through his mouth. Katsuki feels static energy jump across his skin as his spirit is forcibly pulled back into his body.

"So, Bakugo," her dad begins heavily. "We've been wanting to meet you, though frankly we didn't expect that it would go like this."

Katsuki doesn't really know what the proper response would be to that. 'Me neither' is what he would have wanted to say, but it seems a bit too offhand for the situation.

He opts to stay quiet instead.

"Well, anyway, I'm guessing you haven't had breakfast," her dad continues. He gestures to the ham sandwiches spread out on the table. "Help yourself."

To be honest, Katsuki feels more like throwing up than eating, but he wills his hand to reach for a sandwich as instructed, his movement stiff and unnatural.

"Thank you for the food," he mutters.

Ochaco's dad nods thoughtfully as Katsuki takes a bite.

"How's it taste? Good?" he asks, and Katsuki responds with a nod even though the inside of his mouth has dried up and everything tastes like paper.

"That's great. Eat up," Ochaco's dad urges in a friendly manner that Katsuki finds suspicious, and sure enough, he follows up with something more menacing.

"You'll have to excuse us if there isn't enough though. I mean, we did consider only three people sharing when we bought this."

His tone is placid enough, but Ochaco's shoulders tighten and Katsuki freezes mid-bite.

"We couldn't have known you would be joining us today," Ochaco's dad continues. "After all, Ochaco very clearly told me last night that she'd sent you home. Isn't that right, Ochaco?"

He turns to Ochaco, who appears to be giving it all her effort to shrink from view. When she doesn't answer, her dad moves on to his next question, and this time it's directed to Katsuki.

"Did you sleep well?" he asks, and Katsuki only stares back wordlessly because he doesn't need prior relationship experience to figure out this one is a trap.

Ochaco and her mom both fidget uncomfortably, but they say nothing, leaving Katsuki no other choice but to respond.

"'twas all right," he mutters cautiously, hoping that it's safe enough an answer not to rile up Ochaco's dad any further.

It's a futile attempt though, because Ochaco's dad only raises both eyebrows at him. "Slept better elsewhere?" he asks coolly, and the accusation is clear. He's insinuating that Katsuki sleeps around.

Katsuki feels his hackles rise and his face flush in anger. 'Fuck you,' is on the tip of his tongue, but he bites it back and clenches his jaw tightly to keep his mouth shut.

His palms are close to burning holes in his pants, his calves are beginning to get pins and needles from being sat on for a far longer period than he's ever had to endure in his life, and he's immensely on edge.

But he has to remain calm, even if only on the surface, because even though Katsuki wouldn't usually give two shits about being rude, this is Ochaco's father, and family is important to Ochaco.

Ochaco's mom looks uncomfortable at the turn her husband's interrogation is taking. Clearing her throat slightly, she tries to change the subject.

She looks more welcoming than her husband, but Katsuki remains wary. He hasn't forgotten, nor forgiven, that this woman had suggested Ochaco date Deku instead.

"Bakugo-kun," she addresses him. "Why don't you tell us about yourself? We see you on the news a lot, but since you're dating our daughter, we would like to get to know you better."

Katsuki's forehead creases as he considers how to respond. He isn't really what anyone would name a champ at small talk. But Ochaco's mom seems keen to take the conversation another direction, and Katsuki is all for that, so he tries his best and gives her the most honest answer he can think of.

"I plan to become the #1 hero."

He says it seriously, his lower lip jutting out in defiance out of habit even though none of his rivals are here to challenge him.

His words are met by silence, until Ochaco suddenly lets out a small snort of laughter from beside him. The sound takes everyone by surprise, and it lifts the tension in the room slightly.

"What?" Katsuki asks impatiently, annoyed that his heartfelt answer had gotten such a reaction from her. "What's so funny?"

"Mommy meant something personal, Katsuki, like your childhood or your hobbies," Ochaco points out, giggling. "Everyone knows about you wanting to become the top hero."

He frowns. "Huh? I talked about my ambition. How's that not personal?"

This time, even Ochaco's mom smiles in amusement, and it strikes Katsuki that she resembles her daughter an awful lot when she doesn't look distressed.

"Well, you have a point there, Bakugo-kun," Ochaco's mom concedes, and she sounds sincerely friendly this time. "It's a nice goal. Have you always wanted to be a hero?"

"Yeah," Katsuki replies promptly, finding it easier to talk now that the topic is safe and familiar. "It's been my dream since I was a kid."

"Ochaco has wanted to be a hero since she was a little girl, too," her mom shares with a wistful smile. "To help our family, you see. We tell her she doesn't need to, but she's a sweet child."

Ochaco's dad cuts in before Katsuki can respond, and any warmth that had wormed its way into the conversation immediately dies.

"Ochaco was such a sweet child she never used to lie to us. But I see that's changed."

All traces of mirth disappear from Ochaco's face, and her expression crumples into one of such heartbreak that Katsuki instinctively reaches out to hold her hand. However, she pulls away from him as though electrocuted and folds her hands on her lap instead.

Katsuki stares at her, surprised, and, to be honest, a little offended. He understands that it probably isn't a good idea for them to be openly affectionate given the situation, but wow, that rejection hurt.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry," Ochaco murmurs meekly, her head lowered to show humility. "I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that I knew you and Mommy wouldn't be comfortable knowing Katsuki was going to sleep over."

"If you knew that, Ochaco, then why didn't you just send him home?" Her mom asks, kind but perplexed.

Ochaco doesn't answer at once. She squirms, clearly uncomfortable, and then in a small, small voice that Katsuki's ears strain to hear, she admits the truth, plain and simple.

"Because I really, really… wanted him to stay… I wanted to be with him."

The permanent blush in her cheeks spreads and deepens, and she brings her hands up to hide her face behind them. "I'm so sorry," she squeals, embarrassed.

Katsuki feels his own face grow hot, and he tears his gaze away from Ochaco in embarrassment. Catching sight of her mom, he sees that she, too, has become somewhat flushed at the implication of Ochaco's confession.

Her dad, though, doesn't seem to share their sentiments. If anything, the expression on his face has turned even more sour. A sense of foreboding falls over Katsuki when their eyes meet.

"You sure, Ochaco?" her dad asks coldly, not breaking eye contact with Katsuki. "Did you really want that or did someone just make you think you did?"

That fucking does it.

Katsuki slams a palm against the surface of the table, sending their cups of tea clattering dangerously. It startles everyone and effectively puts the focus on Katsuki, whose shoulders are shaking in his rage.

It has taken all his self-control to keep the head on his shoulders throughout this painful encounter, out of consideration for Ochaco. But he has had enough. Her dad has said enough.

Ochaco grabs his sleeve in panic, but there's no holding him back anymore. He shrugs off her hand roughly, which he knows doesn't escape her parents' attention, but fuck if he cares right now.

"You don't like me, I get it," Katsuki snarls. "You'd rather have some loser like Deku, fine, you've got shit taste, but suit yourself."

Smoke fizzles from underneath his hand as the wood of the table soaks in his explosive sweat.

"But if you're going to accuse me of shit I haven't done, don't expect me to take it sitting down. Let's make one thing clear. I haven't done anything to Ochaco she doesn't want. Whatever it is that Ochaco–"

Ochaco's dad slams his own palm down on the table, interrupting Katsuki.

"Stop it with that 'Ochaco', 'Ochaco'!" He snaps. "Don't be so familiar with my daughter when you haven't even gotten our permission to date her!"

Katsuki will not be outdone. He brings his other hand to join the one he already has on the table and brings both palms down on the surface with renewed vigor.

"She allows me to call her Ochaco, so I'll call her that as much as I fucking want!" Katsuki yells. "Ochaco, Ochaco, Ochaco, Ochaco! Suck on that!"

"You arrogant, insolent…" Ochaco's dad seethes. "You think I'm going to allow my daughter to keep dating you after this? No way. Absolutely no way! You and your foul influence stay away from her!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I don't know what kind of delusions you have about Ochaco, but she's a grown-ass woman now–"

"She's barely 18!"

"18 is an adult!" Katsuki asserts angrily. "Ochaco's an adult and she has every right to make decisions for herself. She doesn't need your permission to like me or date me or, hell, even sleep with me!"

Katsuki's chest heaves, and his entire body tingles with adrenaline. He closes his eyes and takes mouthful of breaths through his mouth in an effort to compose himself a little bit.

When he opens his eyes again, the room has fallen quiet. Ochaco's head is bowed in shame, and even her parents have averted their gaze, as though unable to bring themselves to look at him.

Katsuki suddenly feels self-conscious, the heat of his anger fading away to be replaced by cold, cold dread.

Shit. He's done it this time.

Katsuki turns to Ochaco, hoping she would do something to salvage the situation somehow, but when she speaks, her eyes don't meet his and all that comes out of her is, "Maybe you should go for now."

She says it meekly, almost sadly, and the brunt of his folly crashes down on Katsuki's shoulders all at once.

Shit, he messed up. He fucking messed up.

He opens his mouth, intending to apologize, but he feels too much in the spotlight with Ochaco's parents still in the same room, and he finds himself unable to go through with it.

"Yeah, sure," is what he says instead.

Awkward silence presses against him on all sides, suffocating him. He stands up from the floor cushion and makes his way to the shoe cabinet by the door, ignoring the numbness that has settled in his legs from kneeling for too long.

He slips his sneakers on without bothering to tuck his heels in or doing the laces. Before he heads out, he turns back one final time to the table he had left, but not even Ochaco looks up to bid him goodbye.

Katsuki closes the door behind him without another word.

He's a whole block away from Ochaco's apartment on his way to the train station when he stops in his tracks, runs both hands roughly through his hair, and grabs the bag he's wearing around his shoulders to angrily smash it against the ground in frustration.

Goddammit, it's all over.

A/N:

If you've read my other work 'The Hard Road', you'd know I love researching stuff for my fics and then sharing my learnings in notes, haha. For this chapter, I'd like to explain some of the lines that may have been confusing:

1. "Stop it with that 'Ochaco', 'Ochaco'! Don't be so familiar with my daughter when you haven't even gotten our permission to date her!"

- Ochaco's dad is referring to Katsuki being rude and calling Ochaco by her first name without any honorifics. Even though they're dating and do call each other by their first names only, it would have been more polite and proper for Katsuki to still call Ochaco 'Ochaco-san' in front of her parents.

- Asking for parents' permission to date is traditionally the proper way (it's the same in my culture too), and because Ochaco's parents come from the countryside, I would expect them to be a stickler for these kinds of tradition. This is why Ochaco's dad says this despite knowing that Ochaco and Katsuki are already dating. His permission is still a big deal, and it's offensive that Katsuki is being so familiar with his daughter without his permission.

2. "...his calves are beginning to get pins and needles from being sat on for a far longer period than he's ever had to endure in his life..."

- Katsuki was sitting in seiza, which is the traiditional, formal way of sitting. He was sitting like this because he was in front of Ochaco's parents and was trying to be all polite and proper. When in seiza, your knees are on the floor, and you're sitting on your calves. It's not very comfortable.

3. "18 is an adult! She doesn't need your permission to like me or date me or, hell, even sleep with me!"

- Well, actually, Katsuki's wrong here. Everyone under the age of 20 is defined as 'Juvenile' in the civil codes of Japan, and depending on circumstances, even two teenagers in a relationship with each other can be prosecuted for indecency charges, or for interference of parental rights (e.g., having sex or eloping without parents' permission).

4. With all that said though, I'd have to admit that I'm not actually sure how culturally believable this whole exchange between Katsuki and Ochaco's dad is, but I've taken my creative liberties. Katsuki's canonically rude anyway, and I'm thinking even a kind, cheerful, conservative man like Ochaco's dad would be scandalized enough at catching his precious daughter's punk of a boyfriend half-naked in her bathroom that he would not be able to control his temper effectively no matter what the cultural norm is.