A/N: So, I had a bit of a crisis over this chapter. I was like - how the hell do I write Bakugou in love without him being borderline abusive? I sent it through ohmytheon - an excellent writer to beta this for me. Sakuradrops and Miraimisu gave me some pointers as well.

Turns out, it helps to read and revise your own story.

In the original, I said love 40 time.

Meet the Parents

Hours after everyone in class 1-A gave them a standing ovation for Bakugou's character growth, Uraraka had an itching doubt either of them knew what they were doing, saying, or thinking. No matter how much she denied it, the entire class continued to praise her for taming the beast. And, since she tamed him, they treated her as his keeper.

Throughout the day, her name followed his every outburst to summon her. They taunted him under the knowledge that he was whipped and tethered to Uraraka's chain leash. All she had to do was look, and he'd sit. Breathe, and he'd stop. The thought that she could subdue a ferocious force like Bakugou stirred her heart in more ways than one. He was better than this.

After school, he stayed at her side. To be honest, she liked his company. They strolled nearly shoulder-to-shoulder on their way to the dorms. When they were alone, Bakugou's tone hit a sweet note that pleased her ears. Not too soft, not too harsh. They talked about movies, sports, and heroes like friends would do. They just stood a little closer than most friends.

Frizzy hair, sweaty palms, and twitching brow didn't necessarily give Uraraka the aesthetic she wanted, yet to no avail, she continued to enchant her smitten classmate Bakugou with their back and forth banter over his inconvenient public confession.

Although the events of the day drained every last bit of fight from her, she had the energy to push back against Bakugou as he adamantly attempted to convince her to train after going back to the dorms so that they didn't run into the after school rush. He had a point.

By this point, Bakugou had most likely learned that she understood him after she read him time and time again. However, he always mismatched her mood when he thought too hard about their interaction. One thing she couldn't read about him was whether or not he truly meant what he confessed. Perhaps it was a primitive ruse to get other guys like Deku to back off of her.

Deku, who sat towards the back of his class twiddling his thumbs as nothing had even happened that morning.

Interrupting his irrelevant rant, Ochako stopped in her tracks before feeling him bump against her back seconds later. She turned around to face him and only stepped away to breathe. "We're not dating," she reminded him and herself in the process. However, the words caused fractures in her heart. "You don't have to do whatever I say." She liked him better when he talked back. When he opened his heart to her, the force sent her for a spin.

Lost in a whirlwind of emotion, she yearned for his biting words to snap her back to reality. Uraraka frowned. Now that he confessed, would those days come to an end?

Katsuki's face would have contorted into a scowl, but her rounded face and plump smile could curb the roaring frustration in his heavy breath. Lifting an eyebrow, he said, "Hah? Look, I don't care what you call it."

"We're just–" Ochako began to deny feeling anything for him, but even she couldn't force such a lie past her lips to say they were just friends. It would break her before it even escaped her dry voice. Her eyes widened as she looked up at his slight blush. She sighed, "Bakugou." The right thing to do would be to tell him every thought and sensation she had with him from A to Z.

Despite his cocky confession, she could smell his fear through his cold sweat and controlled movements. If only she had the words to put him at ease without giving him false hope, then they could go back to normal. Sure, she loved him, but what did that mean on the surface? Ochako hoped that he understood everything she felt for him without her having to explain it.

She poked her lip out from her tight grimace and crossed her arms.

Bakugou scratched the back of his head in an attempt to sever his interest from her. Instead, her eyes pulled him to her, and he finally said, "Call me Katsuki." This unfamiliar stratosphere of emotion sent adrenaline through his spine.

As the wind blew through the alleys of campus, even his golden and stubborn hair yielded to the firm gales. He leaned against the building that bordered their path and focused on the gravely ground at his feet. Amidst the silence, he wiped his slick hands on his pants.

Uraraka's eye twitched. She pulled her shoulders back. "Ka–? No!" Her blush intensified beneath his steady gaze.

"You've said it before," he mentioned before scratching his nose. Through the short pause, he bit his bottom lip and leaned forward.

Under her breath, she mumbled, "You don't even call me Ochako anymore." Maybe this entire confession was a tease – a grand gambit to show her just how badly she wanted his tantalizing love and affection. Whichever way she thought of the outburst of feelings, she found a way to deny or doubt it.

Bakugou slid his hand down his face as he blurted, "You want me to, O-Ochako?" Bakugou may have fumbled with his words, but he got his point across. She always contrived some way of catching him off guard with her sexy wit and attitude.

Giggling, Ochako then frowned when she said, "See? You can't even say it seriously." Was any of this serious? She used all the doubt she had left to restrain her heart from overflowing to him. If she looked at his cute face for even a second, she'd lose control of her words and actions again.

After a deep breath, Bakugou repeated, "Ochako, Ochako, Ochako!" At a certain point, the echoing sounded like chako. His heart throbbed and his face reddened with every utterance. A thrilling rush coursed through his veins, for he felt a roar start at the pit of his gut.

Naturally, she pushed her hands against his lips that she knew all too well. "Okay! I get it. I'm not gonna get used to it though," explained Ochako. She wondered if their hearts were in sync while she played with the fabric on her blazer. "I only call Tsu and my friends by their first names."

Bakugou and Uraraka were friends, too, but friends didn't kiss as they had done. Temptation gradually brought her closer to him.

"Who the fuck is Tsu?" he asked.

Ochako sighed and listed all her aliases. "Tsuyu, Asui, Froppy, Frog girl?"

When he finally remembered the frog girl, he didn't care enough to comment.

With a smug grin, he lowered his face to get on her eye level - backing her to the wall. "Just do it, Ochako," he begged more than commanded. His heart hungered to hear his name from her mouth. "We've done things that you'd never do with her." Her lips held his unwavering attention. Would it be okay to do that thing again? To kiss her, caress her, make her his?

Ochako's eyes wandered everywhere but his face. Several times, their topic of conversation had slipped from her mind. "What if I call you Kacchan?"

His heart leaped, but he spoke before he noticed. "Kacchan?" growled Bakugou. "Nerdass Deku calls me tha– Wait, say it again."

"Kacchan?" she repeated.

Damn near purring, Katsuki neared her face with his fiery grin blazing from cheek to cheek. "Again." Lust in his groin yet adoration in his heart and everywhere else, he felt the repurpose throughout his entire body.

"Kacchan," she whined and squirmed beneath his gaze. Ochako liked it because she liked him. And each time they said each other's names in such a soft and caring way, she had more difficulty brushing aside her feelings for him. Without prompt, she said it again because she liked the way it rolled off of her tongue. "Kacchan."

Bakugou gripped his chest near his throbbing heart. He needed to do it. Just kiss her again and again and all over. His hand played with the side of her blazer. He closed his eyes and hoped that she would push him away if she didn't want him. Their noses brushed against each other, and he sharply breathed in the crisp autumn air.

Then, suddenly frigid water doused his head.

"You were supposed to meet me at the diner down the street. I knew you'd be around here on campus," said a buxom woman standing at the end of the alley.

Bakugou's hands erupted. "Old hag! What are you doing here?" Before Uraraka could cower and hide her face, Katsuki snatched her to his chest.

Too frozen to flee, Ochako slowly calmed and melted against his damp chest. Her breathing synced with his, and she could think clearly enough to peek at who she thought was Bakugou's twin sister.

Wrinkling her brow, Bakugou Mitsuki leaned over to examine the young girl. "Eh? What's with that soft voice, Katsuki? Is this the girl you've been wining and dining and going to love hotels with? She's not pregnant, is she?" asked the impudent mother with her cold eyes.

Scoffing with a smirk, he replied, "Not yet. What are you going to do to stop that?"

Wide-eyed and darkness draping over her round face, Uraraka glared over at Bakugou, yet she held her tongue.

Mitsuki yanked at his ear. "I'm going to cut off your credit card, brat!"

"Credit–?" Uraraka repeated.

Rather than letting go of Ochako, he firmly hugged her to his body. "Like that'll stop me. I'll just get a job." But, of course, he hoped that wouldn't happen.

"You've been using your parents' credit card to buy me food?" she asked, but she knew the answer. Looking back, the small portions of impromptu food dishes must have come from something more than allowance and spare change. Why didn't she question it before? It wasn't like they were allowed to get part-time jobs. Regardless, a pit formed in her gut. She didn't want anyone to see her as some kind of charity. "You two can go ahead. I was gonna go home and study!"

Uraraka's eyes met Mitsuki's for a moment before she dropped her head to stare at the ground.

After examining her for a second, Mitsuki's eyes shimmered like jewels. "Your face has a round, youthful structure. The pink cheeks would be your signature. Some girls need makeup for a look like that. And your hips have a voluptuous yet athletic proportion to them. You'll probably grow into someone with the measurements of a centerfold model. I had a similar body type when I was your age," she noted as she analyzed her body.

Katsuki burst, "Enough! She's a hero, not one of your models." His mother ran a modeling agency that catered towards plus sizes.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave her out of it, but all in all, she's pretty and too good for you and coming to dinner."

Ochako pointed at herself and asked, "Me?" She hated that they probably saw her as some poor, starving girl clinging to Katsuki for money and attention. She was more than that and would happily starve alone than dig someone for gold.

Meanwhile, Mitsuki had already started walking. "Come on, kids. I'm sure you two are hungry," she chimed up ahead. However, her thoughts wandered back to the events of the Sports Festival. Was that the same girl? The person she saw just now seemed almost timid.

The two reluctant teenagers followed but not without Katsuki trying to hold his beloved's hand. Whatever was on her mind, he'd try to guard her from the curiosity of his parents. "I'll fight anyone for you," he muttered.

Finally, she giggled, "Katsuki. Don't fight your parents. I'm fine." Her face flushed. She rocked from side-to-side. Uraraka's shoulders dropped amidst her dreadfully reticent demeanor that sprouted when she looked her alleged future mother-in-law in the eye. Despite the woman's adulation over her appearance, Ochako sensed a skeptical tone.

"Now, hold my hand, dammit!" Katsuki growled as he grabbed for her hand.

Sticking her tongue out, Uraraka teased, "No! Go away." She dodged his hand. Somehow, the way he broke through the tension to hold her in such a way amused her.

Katsuki had an extreme nature. He had to keep moving. He said he'd only ever blast towards her and destroy everything in his path, yet without hearing what Ochako thought of him, he found himself lost in the abyss of the unknown. Dangling. Wanting. Waiting. For her.

...

Katsuki's father, Masaru Bakugou, had been waiting for half an hour for his family to arrive, plus one new addition. As a patient man, he didn't mind simple issues like these and stood to greet Ochako personally with a firm, sweaty handshake.

"Is Ochako the girl that you've been helping? Or is she a girlfriend? Oh, right, you said something about a fiance," he fumbled with his words before shuffling back to his seat. Masaru tried not to doubt Katsuki's, young love. He knew he wouldn't be able to do anything against a force like that if he wanted. Fortunately, the girl had a pleasant smile and voice - a lot softer than the rest of his darling family.

Plopping down into the saffron leather booth, Katsuki stretched his arm across the back of where he expected Uraraka sit - next to him like the queen of his personal territory. "Damn right," he said with a small grin. His beating heart yearned for Ochako as he studied how his mother took the seat next to his father with a soft and affectionate hand grab greeting. "Y'all are paying for both of us, right?"

Seconds passed like hours for Ochako. What did they think of her? Her mind stuck on the suspected thoughts of Katsuki's parents. Cold sweat slid down her temple. Today had just been too much after the confession and all the feelings that danced in her chest. She grabbed her arm and bowed. "Sorry, I have to go, but it was nice to meet you two," Ochako apologized before leaving.

Pain struck Katsuki like a mallet to a gong that his concerned mother immediately heard. He bit his lip like he had done since he was a toddler. Sweaty palms gripped the edge of their table as his other hand stretched as far as it could to seize his beloved's hand, but even then it wasn't enough to reach her. No one knew a person's pain more than their mother, and Bakugou Mitsuki was no exception.

While Mitsuki could accept the fact that Katsuki had a horrible temper without a filter, she knew him on the nights he cried himself to sleep in her arms - well past his baby years. She knew the points where his fragile ego ended and where his deepening self-doubt began. "Can a fucker like me actually become a hero?" Katsuki had asked with a trembling voice after failing his exam.

Every crack in his heart killed Mitsuki.

Before she could scoff and wryly mutter for him to let her go, she watched that same agony light a fire beneath him and jettison after the person of his affection.

"Tch," Mitsuki said.

Stirring in his seat, Masaru sighed, "Mitsuki..." Instead of noting the burgeoning hostility, he simply asked, "What kind of accent was that?" He sipped his water and looked out the window to watch his son's confrontation. The way they had communicated with their eyes - she didn't stand a chance against resisting a Bakugou.

...

"Where do you think you're going?" Bakugou shouted before stopping Uraraka by placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Contrary to what his mother believed, he had grown accustomed to the love of his life running away from him. He'd never admit the sensation of having someone like her walk away from him. No, only she could draw the thread that unraveled his heart.

Turning around, Ochako bowed again. "I'm sorry. I know that was rude. I shouldn't have run away when all they wanted to do was get to know me, but I was afraid they'd get the wrong idea," she noted before standing up straight.

Katsuki pinched her cheeks. "Don't leave me there with them! There's a reason I didn't respond to her stupid messages," he fussed before noticing the gloss on her brown eyes. Katsuki grimaced and released her arm. "Who gives a shit what they think?"

If they couldn't see perfection, then that was their problem.

"They came all this way. It must have cost a lot of money and time." Uraraka sighed still lost in her thoughts. A few moments of silence passed before she noticed the guileless stare that awaited her response.

Ochako could barely remember the last time she fled from a challenge. It would take a lot more than Mitsuki's callous judgment to scare her away.

Months ago, Katsuki taunted and asked why she couldn't afford the green bunny plush in the window. She must not have liked talking about money. Scratching the back of his head, he said, "What kind of hero would I be if I let someone starve themselves to sleep?"

"You'd still be a good hero," she paused before smiling up at him. "Katsuki."

Their eyes connected and Bakugou's heartbeat sped up. He caressed the back of her head and ran his fingers through her hair. He bit his lip again to try to stifle any useless emotion that could have broke the weak dams of his restraint. "Are we leaving now?"

Ochako shook her head and sighed, "I hope they don't have the wrong idea. It's not like you actually like me. You just want a quirk marriage."

"Things have changed, dammit. I already told you how I felt!" He frowned before watching her go back to the restaurant. Katsuki made a weak attempt to grab for her hand, but she sauntered straight past him. "It's always one step forward and two steps back with you, Roundface."

He had wanted to kiss the sadness off of her face, but ever since he confessed, he felt the distance of that strange unknown. Katsuki chased her to the door.

When Ochako returned, she immediately noticed the absurdly large pile of torn up napkins in front of Mitsuki. Then she met the cold, red glare as the mother leered up at her. Fearlessly smiling, Ochako nodded, "I'm back. Sorry."

Suddenly, Katsuki snatched Ochako by the waist before she could say anything else. She squealed and giggled and smiled as her alleged lover captured her from behind. He unashamedly nuzzled against her exposed neck. For a moment, she forgot where they were.

"Sit down, Roundface. It's pointless to apologize to those losers," whispered Katsuki as he put his mouth to her ear. "Don't freak out. They're just side-characters."

His voice tickled.

But she still sat down in the sunny, red booth. Was it truly okay? Mitsuki hadn't stopped glaring at her. Ochako mentioned, "I was nervous, but Katsuki convinced me to stay."

"Oh my, first name basis," Masaru noted with a smile of amusement.

Swallowing her pride, Mitsuki decided to at least be polite enough to speak. She had learned that trait over the years. "Are you two actually dating?"

"I didn't say anything about dating! I just lo-" he began but stopped as his face engulfed with heat. Quietly and gazing out the window, Ochako wrapped a few fingers around Katsuki's hand. Katsuki somehow continued, "I love her."

Mitsuki's eye twitched.

"What's that ugly look for, old hag?" shouted Katsuki.

To the mature woman, she had witnessed her son torn to pieces and become reborn unlike the obliterated napkin in front of her. She didn't know what to make of the girl.

As they dined on the wide variety of fluffy hotcakes and bitter black coffee, Mitsuki remained strangely silent as Masaru, Katsuki, and Ochako gleefully conversed about UA happenings. They kept the conversation off the relationship, Masaru respecting their boundaries.

"I'm fighting for my family," Ochako explained to the two parents. She opted to say family instead of money. "My dad got injured and couldn't work construction anymore, but he's starting to build it back up."

Mitsuki tested the waters by asking, "So do you want children?"

A test, indeed, and so, Uraraka failed to back down. She looked her in the eyes and said, "Heroism comes first."

With a mouth full of hamburger steak, Katsuki added, "Lots of kids. Big family. 4 or 6 at least." Gesturing with his fork, he said, "I'll be the top hero. She'll be close behind. That part will be no sweat with us." He hadn't let go of Uraraka's hand during the entire dinner.

"You can't decide things like that on your own! We're not even dating," she argued through stammers and stutters. Her palms broke into a cold sweat. Ochako realized that they hadn't legitimately talked about having kids, but why should they? Friends didn't talk about having children with each other.

And, she especially didn't want to show that uncertainty in front of Mitsuki. She gulped. Did she want to win or not?

Mitsuki had the talent of reading people's expressions throughout her years of working in the fashion industry. "You're shocked, Ochako. Did you not know that Katsuki wants a big family?" she smirked with a small chuckle at the tail of her question.

"Actually," Ochako began without thinking. Win. Adrenaline rushed through her body and caused her to clutch onto Katsuki's hand tighter than before. She greeted Mitsuki with her drive for the first time that day. "I want my family and potential children to be happy and comfortable, so as long as I can give them what they want and need, I think big families are fine. Dreams are important, and I would want to give my family everything they wanted. Kids are something that you should think about one by one, so what we want right now doesn't matter as much."

Katsuki choked on his food and took a long drink of water while shifting his eyes between his mom and his Ochako. He had noticed that she said "we." Aside from that, her vigor blazed as brightly as when they first fought. He loved that intimidating look in her cold, dark eyes- the glare of determination that could catch his attention from a mile away. His foot twitched along with the corner of his mouth. He loved it.

Crossing her legs, Mitsuki leaned back in her seat. "I see." She hadn't expected a melodic voice to have such robust drive to convince her of their compatibility. She noticed the chemistry, the drive, and the fact that they held hands throughout the entire dinner; however, Mitsuki couldn't quite tell if Ochako truly knew her son. She senses the slight wavering of the girl's heart. Her son hung on the girl's every word - Mitsuki's instinct was to tell him to run.

She didn't want to see her son get hurt by a woman that didn't even care to know him.

Hair stood on the back of Ochako's neck. Her eyes narrowed as she failed to break eye contact for a second. "Katsuki cares about winning," she added to prove her point: Ochako knew Katsuki well. She knew his softer sides, his fire for fighting, his fears of losing.

"I can speak for myself," barked the young man. However, when she shot her piercing leer to him, he swung his chin up like she had punched him upside the head. Katsuki eyes twitched along with a vein near his temple. She'd pay for this drive that she incited within him. Screw her for making him feel hot in front of his parents.

Scoffing, Mitsuki took a small bite of grilled chicken salad. She had already realized a predilection to the girl's hardy guts. However, that still wasn't enough to prove to her devotion to her son. The mature, older woman ran fingers through her hair. "Winning? That's probably all he cares about," she chuckled.

Without delay, a fire erupted within Ochako. How could his mother say something that ignorant? "How dare you say something that cold," she argued while biting her lip. More vulgar words stood at the tip of her tongue, but she clutched her lover's hand to restrain herself. "Katsuki wants to win because that's what heroes do. They don't back down and save people no matter what. Maybe he's a little too rough and honest sometimes, but he wouldn't be on the Hero's side if his heart weren't pure. I wish I were half the hero that Katsuki is."

Katsuki's glare weakened as his brows furrowed when Ochako met eyes with him. Yeah, he was fucking weak. Not only had she maintained her enticing tenacity, but she revealed that she understood parts of him that he had never spoken. Clutching his chest, he spat, "Dammit, Ochako. Let's leave this place." He was getting incredibly restless and simply wanted to hold her in his arms for the rest of the evening. Could he do something like that now that she knew the depth of his feelings?

However, she ignored him. With a smirk, she turned to Mitsuki and said, "And, he cares a lot about me."

"You know damn well I said a lot more than just caring," he said, flailing his arms. Love, dammit! "Just deal with it, guys. This is the woman that will be my wife one day." A draft blew through the diner when he looked at both of his parents. Silence skated between them. Whatever goofy smile or weakened gaze he had before dropped into a flat expression. He only meant the words he spoke.

Without listening, Mitsuki rolled her eyes and stood up. "I'll be back in a moment," she said before going to the restroom in the back of the room.

Once the door closed, Ochako finally let her guard down. She noticed the dessert menu that Masaru had been flipping through during the entire conversation. "You seem like the type of person that likes mochi, Ochako," he smiled. "You're soft and sweet, yet you have the tenacity and grit to stand strong against the meddling of your personal struggles. It's no wonder Katsuki fell for you."

Slamming his father's dessert menu to the table, Katsuki scowled, "I didn't think you were a dirty old man. You have no idea how soft she is."

"Sorry, son, I was simply making an analogy," Masaru replied with his hands up in front of him.

Katsuki scowled, "Trying to be Mr. Shakespeare over here."

Without noticing the topic at hand, Ochako's eyes lingered on the door to the bathroom. She clenched her first, for she still had more to say. "I'll be right back," she muttered. Ochako suddenly wished to recant her combative words. Honestly, she had anticipated his parents to beg her to take him as her husband. They complemented each other in every way. However, from start to finish, the battle of words tested her meddle.

She won, but at what cost?

When she stood up, Katsuki clung to her arm and shot a biting glare. "I'm going, too." He didn't want to let go of her hand so soon!

"Stop being so clingy. I'm just going to the bathroom," assured Ochako with an amused giggle at her partner's antics. She pressed her free palm to his forehead. "Let go!"

Katsuki's nostrils flared. "What do you mean clingy?" He realized that he had clutched onto her like a dependent child and quickly released her before bringing his hands to his body. "She's probably just bitter that you talked back to her. It's not every day she meets a badass like you, " he argued with his words dropping off into a mumble. His eyes drifted down to his knees where he wiped his palms once again.

The caveat emptor of strong-willed women - they do what they want, and go where they please. Katsuki already knew he hit the jackpot despite the costs.

Ochako slid a hand up the side of his face to his thick, bright hair. It stayed forever fluffy and soft, catching rays of light from the area. The mere contact calmed her like a field of golden wheat on the sunny countryside. She fixated on his widened softened eyes and promised, "I'll be back." If she could, she would thank him for holding her hand and keeping her grounded during her intense conversation.

When Ochako's touch strayed from his skin, she took a deep breath and marched to the bathroom door.

Masaru turned to see his son's smitten smile as the boy propped up his own chin. He'd never seen his son so unashamedly pleased. The romantic scene had sent chills up his spine. "You love her, don't you?"

"Dad," he softly muttered before touching the same spot in his hair that Ochako had lovingly caressed. He could still feel the sensation on his head, his hand, and the heat radiated throughout his body.

Not expecting to hear Katsuki formally call out to him, Masaru sat up in his seat. Typically, the boy would deny feelings aside from pride and anger.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with her?"

The older man chuckled to his son's chagrin. "I have a feeling everything will work out soon enough," he muttered before realizing the scarlet anxiety on the kid's face. "If I worried about every man your mother could have had and every way she could have left me, I'd have all gray hairs by now. Once you know that she's the one-"

He looked his father in the eyes from across the table and blinked before answering in a clear, lucid tone. "Damn right, she's the one."

Leaning forward, Masaru allowed his glasses to drop down his nose and catch the glare of the overhead lights. "Then, you know what you have to do."

The father-son relationship that Katsuki had with Masaru only became genuine behind closed doors. Katsuki hated how weak Masaru behaved with his mother. Masaru had built a designing empire right out of University, and Katsuki's drive for achieving his dreams came directly from his talks with his father. The insufferable pride he had in himself and his abilities spawned from his father's drive and his mother's love. And for his pursuit of Uraraka Ochako, his pride couldn't waver to doubt. If he knew that he could love her and make her happy, then he only had one option.

"Win," he answered.

"That's my boy."

Katsuki's old man wasn't too bad.

"Now, how do you know how soft she is? Are you using protection?"

Pushing a hand over his flustered face, Katsuki growled, "That's not what I meant. She's soft all over." He sunk into his seat and covered his face with a sweaty palm.

Fixing his glasses, he asked, "A-all over?" What kinds of things has his son been up to?

"Get your mind out of the gutter! If anything happens, it happens, and it's none of your damn business."

Raising his sweaty hands, he begged, "Son, please be careful! Raising a child is a big responsibility. You have other things to worry about."

"W-What are you talking about kids for, old man?"

Masaru simply sighed and sipped at his water again.

...

At the white porcelain sinks, Ochako found Mitsuki washing her face. Puffy, reddened circles lined her eyes. Her nostrils stayed flared, and her bottom lip trembled before she bit it in the same fashion of her son. "He's already yours," she admitted through a broken voice.

"I didn't mean to make ya' mad. I'm sorry for being rude. I just felt like I was being interrogated, and-"

Mitsuki shook her head and sniffed up tears. "Upset? I couldn't be happier," she admitted.

The corner of Ochako's mouth twitched. She exclaimed, "Hah?" in the same fashion of her alleged lover, Katsuki. While she didn't expect to resume the fight, she certainly didn't predict that Mitsuki would abruptly bury the hatchet. There was definite hostility back there at the table between the interrogative statements and critical remarks. She checked her surroundings. Was this the same woman?

The older woman in all her elegance and pride bowed before Ochako.

"Ack!" Ochako squeaked pushing her hands in front of her. "W-What are you doing?"

"As a mother to someone like that, I've always wanted someone to see him for his heart. You do that. You know things about him that he'd never tell me, and I'm grateful that he's fallen for someone as strong-willed and kind as you," she admitted. "At first, I thought you were just some girl he pressured and paid to stick around. A sweet and soft girl without the backbone to truly stand by him and his outbursts, but you stand too strongly on your own to be that weak. If you leave him, it'll be because of what you want - not what you're afraid of."

Ochako's guard had dropped but only slightly. While she couldn't empathize with the wishes of a mother, she understood her words. "No matter what happens, I'll do what's best for both of us," she announced with bits of dignity and a high head, for she accepted her trust. Ochako wanted to say more. She wanted to say that she'd make him happy or that she loved him, but she only wanted to say things that she could guarantee. Lots of promises floated through her head like kissing him at his low points or cheering for him at his peak points. There were so many little promises that she knew she could keep, but she knew them to be wishes rather than oaths.

"I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Ochako," she said before standing up straight. Tears streamed down her face and dropped down her chin.

Ochako scratched the back or her head and said, "It's okay. I thought you were mad at me for being poor. That's only a temporary thing, though. I'm going to get stronger and richer."

"Mad? Oh, no." Mitsuki admitted, "Well, I was concerned about the love hotel."

Sweat gathered on Ochako's forehead. She couldn't even guarantee that nothing happened that night! "Ah, uh," she stammered.

"I don't mind him paying for your food and dates. I believe that's what a boyfriend is supposed to do," Mitsuki said, drying her face with a paper towel. "However, if it truly concerns you, then maybe we can work something out in the long run." Her eyes scanned the girl from top to bottom. Those pink cheeks were simply too adorable to ignore. "What are your measurements?" asked Mitsuki with a bubbly grin.

A/N: I don't know how reliable I'll be with the updates. This has been one of the roughest years of my life. But I hope you enjoy this continuation.