5:54am
Bakugo shoved the tiny foot away from his face, only for it to come back, kicking him in the jaw. Not hard enough for it to actually hurt, but enough to prod him awake.
"'Chako… Jeez." He rubbed his face with a tired groan and sat up, making the toddler tumble off of him and land flat on her back against the now wrinkled blanket. Even then, she remained asleep, snoring with her mouth hanging out.
He moved the stray hairs out of her face when he noticed her nose wrinkling from the irritation. As she hummed in content and shuffled to her side to hug the grey-blue elephant in her arms, Bakugo reached over to the alarm clock on his nightstand to stop it from going off. It wasn't like he needed it anymore and he wasn't going to wake up the little girl if he didn't need to.
The last 11 days had been so busy, every waking moment dedicated to keeping Ochako safe and happy. He didn't resent her for it or anything, far from it, but it was nice to have a moment for himself to get some stuff done in silence.
Rolling his neck in a stretch, Bakugo stood up from the bed and walked over to his desk, where the agonizing paperwork sat off to the side. He sat down, trying to shove away the bitterness just long enough to scrawl out a couple of sentences as to why he thought he shouldn't be punished for rightfully saving Uraraka's life with an assist from his supposedly-dangerous quirk.
Usually, he was pretty good about being on top of logistics like this. Being organized and prepared for any and every part of herowork was a point of pride for Bakugo, but he just couldn't seem to get this paperwork done, no matter how many times he tried.
He had just crumpled and thrown away another piece of paper with the words 'On the date of the incident, I did your fucking jobs and saved all of your asses' drafted on it when Ochako tugged on his shirt.
"Whatcha doin'?" She asked with her hair sticking up in the back, her elephant now dragging on the floor.
"Filling out pointless paperwork." Bakugo groaned and shoved the still-empty form aside. "It's not your problem. Let's go."
Easily falling into routine, he handed Ochako his phone on the way to the bathroom in order to press the triangular play button on the pre-recorded brushing song. He checked her teeth for any missed spots, detangled her hair, and tied the laces on her shoes all before entering the kitchen together for breakfast.
As usual, they were the only ones in there, the other extras still milking an extra hour of sleep before class. Bakugo didn't do that shit. He needed to train.
Ochako followed along comfortably, happily eating her cereal as he prepped his protein shake. She learned early on that no matter how much it looked like a milkshake, it certainly didn't taste like one. One he put the dishes into the drying rack, they went to the gym, just like every other morning.
"Now stand up with your feet apart and bend at your waist, touching the floor with your elbows." He directed each stretch aloud, knowing she wanted to copy everything he was doing.
"Katsuki!" She grunted out with an oddly strained voice. "I'm doing it!"
Bakugo glanced next to him to see the toddler in a wide stance, almost in a split, with her head on the ground and arms spread out behind her like she was purposely trying to dive into the floor. Aside from her body forming an almost perfect pyramid, her face was also going red from the upside-down position.
"Alright, alright. Don't pass out." He re-righted her and moved on to the next posture with an amused smile.
Once he had run through all of his warm ups, he set up Ochako's training materials, items for her to practice her quirk on while he was busy using the gym equipment.
"You remember the rules?"
"Mhmm!" She nodded excitedly as he pulled the gloves off her hands.
"Tell me."
"Only touch the things on the mat and don't let them get too high." She recited obediently.
They came up with the first rule when she tried to lift a dumbbell while he wasn't looking and promptly passed out, making him almost tear a hole in the wall of the infirmary as he burst in with Ochako in his arms. The second one was attributed to the sticky soda stain that followed what sounded like a rocket going off when the can burst upon landing.
"And use the trash can if you need to puke." He reminded her, bringing the bin closer to her work station.
"I'm not going to puke!" Her cheeks puffed out resolutely.
"Ok." And with that, he started to adjust the weights on the machine for his own training. "Yell if you need help." He didn't bother playing music anymore, making sure he'd be available at a moment's notice.
And though she didn't call out for help once in the whole 45 minutes, he ended up having to cut his workout short anyway because he paused so frequently to check on her. Each time, she hardly noticed his gaze, too singularly focused on her own training.
"You good over there?"
"Yes! You too, Katsuki?"
"Yep. I'm good."
8:42am
"... by utilizing the derivative, which is provided here, one can easily determine the original function. This process is called Integration. You can think of it alternatively as Inverse Differentiation. The formula can be found on page 223, if you have any questions…"
"Katsuki?" Ochako whispered the first chance she could, her eyes large with worry.
"Hmmm?" He grunted in acknowledgement, trying to catch the last of the teacher's instruction before indulging the 3-year old.
"How do you say differ-differten… diffren…" Her face twisted with frustration as her brain struggled to process and produce the unfamiliar word.
"Differentiation."
"Diffreshishiuhshun."
"Dif-fer-ren-shi-a-shun." He broke down each syllable.
"Di… fer… ren-shi…"
"-a-shun."
"Differentiation." She said it slowly, forming the word carefully with exaggerated mouth movements.
"Uh huh. Why do you ask?"
"I'm writing notes! Like you!" She finished drawing on her paper with a flourish and held it up for him to see. It was filled with scribbles and strings of mock letters set in slanted, wiggly rows. Some parts looked like actual numbers, which would have been extremely impressive if not for the fact the same ones were on the board at the front of the classroom.
She had been diligently taking notes with her crayons to emulate Bakugo.
Burdened by her admiration, Bakugo awkwardly patted her head and gave her a quick, "Nice job."
He knew a better person would've gushed over her work, praising her more outwardly and explicitly, but his method seemed to be enough for Ochako anyway, making her whole body radiate with joy.
12:11pm
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there, so small and all!" Ochako peered up at the strange man in her way with a comically large cafeteria tray in her small hands.
"Go away, Monoma." Kirishima interjected with a frown, ready to steer Ochako around the annoying schoolmate as Bakugo's rage flared up.
"Like I said, I had no way of seeing her! It's not my fault Class A keeps getting involved in needless situations. Although, isn't it strange? Considering how you're all supposed to be the best of us?"
"Listen here, you little shit-" Bakugo lunged forward to pummel the annoyingly smiley Monoma before realizing it'd be better not to lay hands on the copycat.
"Ah! Yes, I heard it had something to do with you, the all mighty Bakugo. What was the rumor going around again? Oh! That you're responsible for this whole mess of a situation?" Monoma easily side-stepped the explosive Bakugo as he yelled in blind anger.
At the scene, Ochako ran out from behind Kirishima's protective stand and took one of her gloves off. "Leave Katsuki alone!"
"Shit! Cheeks, what are you doing?" Bakugo yelled as she smacked Monoma's leg with her bare hand.
The Class B student shrieked as the toddler immediately threw up on him, clearly over-exerted by his weight. It wasn't clear if that was her original intention, but she was sure ready for it, still latched on with all of her willpower as she continued to cough onto the humiliated Monoma.
The rest of the cafeteria snapped out of their shocked silence to proceed laughing at the scene.
"Oh, you totally deserved that, Neito!"
"You're seriously picking fights with kids now?"
"Alright, that's enough, Monoma." Kendo weaved through the howling crowd, grabbing the now-trembling classmate without the need of her karate chop for once. "Sorry, everyone! Please continue enjoying your meals!"
The only person not enjoying himself was Bakugo, who picked up the gasping toddler without hesitation.
"What were you thinking, using your quirk on that jackass?" He fought the urge to shake some sense into her, forcing the glove back on her hand instead.
"He was being a big meanie!" Ochako wheezed out through gulps of water he was forcing onto her in an attempt to rehydrate her. "I wanted to protect you!"
He almost dropped her.
1:23pm
"Katsuki…" A whine came from the baby monitor on Bakugo's desk, interrupting Aizawa mid-sentence. The teacher didn't seem to mind, just staring boredly at the already packing student.
"Meet us at the training area."
Bakugo nodded in acknowledgement and rushed to his room, where Ochako had just woken from her post-lunch nap. Still coming off the dredges of sleep, she held her arms in a request to be carried to their next destination. He complied easily, though he made sure to keep her awake by getting her to talk.
"You don't need to protect me, you know. Especially not from shitstains like that second-rate wannabe."
"But I wanted to be a hero." Ochako pulled back from his shoulder with a pout, hands still clasped around his neck.
"That's my job. You don't have to worry about stuff like that."
"I didn't do a good job?" She deflated in disappointment.
Damn it. He was trying to make the rare effort of being comforting and he managed to upset her instead. "Ochako, that was one of the best things I have ever seen someone do." Aside from his concern towards her quirk setbacks, the whole 'barfing on Monoma' thing was objectively hilarious. "I was just… worried." He explained hesitantly.
"Worried? Why?"
"I don't want you to get hurt." He coughed through the discomfort. "You're my responsibility and I promised to keep you safe." Like that was the only reason why he panicked at the toddler trying to activate her quirk on a guy 5 times her weight with no concern for herself. It had nothing to do with the fact that even thinking about her getting hurt made his stomach churn.
He dropped her off in the observation area before meeting back up with the rest of the class below. There was some teasing and jabbing during the first few days after Uraraka turned into a child, but they had all become so accustomed to 'Mama Bakugo' by now, as Kirishima so fondly coined him, no one gave him a second look as he reintegrated into the group.
But while some effects of the disastrous amusement park incident lessened as the days went on, some of them worsened.
Like how Bakugo had the thought of Ochako lingering in the back of his mind as he went through his newest simulation. Every decision he made was no longer rooted in how to come out victorious in all its blazing glory, but how to keep someone like her safe. It got so bad, that just knowing that she was watching him from above did wonders for his grades.
The teachers praised him for his newfound considerations towards bystanders at the mock crime scenes. "You have made remarkable progress in examining the probability of endangering the public with your moves, Bakugo-shonen!" All-might pointed out as part of his feedback.
Bakugo was unable to keep the tiniest of smiles from escaping at the genuine commendation from one of the most important figures in his life. But what really broke him was when Ochako asked him to crouch down so she could pat his head with a "Good job, Katsuki!" just like he had done for her before.
He didn't want this feeling to ever end.
4:03pm
"Would you like some more tea, lady Kirishima?"
"Thank you, your royal highness. I would be honored."
Bakugo glared at the giggling pair across the table from him, dreading his turn. He had thought that by dragging Kirishima to this fucking 'tea party' thing, he wouldn't have to be the only one suffering through the humiliation, but it turned out to make the whole thing even more miserable.
"And you, lady Katsuki?" Ochako held up her juice bottle, posed and ready to pour it carefully into Bakugo's mug.
"Fine."
"You're supposed to say 'yes, please'!"
"Yeah, Bakugo! You're no fun!" Kirishima elbowed him, making the make-shift paper crown fall over his eyes. He had half a mind to rip the thing in half and shove it down Shitty Hair's throat. It would be the perfect chance to see if his insides could harden too. They could think of it like training. Really, he'd be doing him a favor.
"Yes. Please." Bakugo forced the words through his teeth.
"Oopsie." Ochako said quietly to herself as some of the liquid splashed onto the table. Despite the slight mistake, she persisted and filled Bakugo's cup almost to the brim.
With all three of them served, they began to drink their 'teas'.
"Pinkies up, everybody!" Kirishima reminded.
"I will kill you." Bakugo vowed in a low voice as Ochako's scrutinizing eyes focused on his now-straight pinky finger.
He wanted to say he wasn't sure how he ended up in this position, but that'd be a lie. He knew the timeline and how far along he was on it. There weren't many days left before Ochako turned back into her regular self.
And he would never forgive himself for ever making the one person who unconditionally supported and believed in him unhappy. Not if he could help it.
Even if it meant sitting next to a stuffed elephant named 'Tutu'.
6:10pm
"What d'ya want on your pizza?"
"Ham! And corn!"
"Corn? The fuck?"
"It's yummy!"
"What if we don't have corn?"
"Then I be sad…"
Fuck. Guess he'd better find some corn, then.
Bakugo had all of the mini circles of pizza dough rolled out with the cheese and sauce ready to go. The recipe said they could use regular toast bread, kids can't tell the difference once the toppings are baked and melted on top, but he wasn't gonna call the shitty thing 'pizza' if it didn't look and taste like it.
He rummaged through the pantry and luckily found a can of sweet corn. Ochako cheered as he emerged from the storage room and grabbed it from him, holding and rocking it like a baby.
"I like corn."
"You're so weird."
He set the drained corn, ham, and other toppings out across the kitchen counter for Ochako to decorate her own personal pizza. Once the spread was ready, he hoisted her up onto a chair for her to reach all the ingredients.
"Thank you!" She said automatically with a giggle and began to reach for a handful of ham.
"You gotta do the sauce first, Ochako."
"No. Ham first."
"But if you do tha-"
"No. I want ham."
Rather than argue with her, Bakugo sat back and smiled at the laughing toddler adding heaps of cheese onto her dough. It didn't look like anything he'd want to eat, but it sure looked like she was enjoying herself.
And when they put them into the oven to bake for 10 minutes, Ochako looked up at Bakugo from her crouched position and said, "That was fun! Can we do that again?"
He really didn't want to make any promises, who knew how long she'd stay a kid anymore? And it wasn't like she was going to come around afterwards, asking to make dinner with him once she became a high schooler again.
"Sure. Whenever you want."
7:42pm
Now that Ochako was settling in bed for the night, Bakugo begrudgingly sat back down at his desk with the still frustratingly blank police form.
"What's wrong?" Ochako called out from under the covers at his groan.
How could he explain it to her? He was just tired. And angry. Angry at the police, at society, for constantly pressuring him to prove himself against all of their bullshit predetermined assumptions. They acknowledged quirks were necessary in the situation, they let Todoroki use his ice wall and no one mentioned citing Uraraka for using hers before everything went to shit. So why was he asked to provide evidence of his ability to assimilate and change for the greater good?
"Just… I got in trouble. And I'm pissed." He admitted quietly.
"Oh. Do you want a hug?" She asked, already getting out of bed before he could answer.
"I don't need a hug. What I need is- alright, I guess this is happening." He sighed and slung one arm over Ochako as she crawled up onto Bakugo's lap, ignoring his protests, and hugged him. "... You can get off now."
"All better?" She didn't loosen her hold around his torso, her cheek squishing against his heartbeat.
"Sure."
"This is what mama does when I'm upset. And daddy. And grandma."
There wasn't a single person Bakugo could think of who wouldn't comfort this kid. "Ochako, everybody hugs you all the time. Because everyone likes you."
"I like you, Katsuki." She reassured him effortlessly. "You're my favorite."
It was like he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. His whole body tensed as his brain malfunctioned and scrambled to remember. Finally taking in a shaky inhale, Bakugo reciprocated her hug in full, wrapping his arms around her small body and resting his face atop her head. He held her tight, hoping she'd understand how much her words meant to him.
As long as this little girl liked him... maybe it didn't matter what anyone else thought.