Katsuki

Etsuki didn't wake up from her nap for two beautiful, relaxing hours after they got home from their trip to the agency, and in the meantime, Katsuki was able to have a few peaceful moments to himself. As much as he loved his daughter, being a single father was damn taxing. He'd take her two or three hours of quiet anytime he could get them. In the silence, he took the time to paint the patched holes from Etsuki's quirk explosion. There weren't too many of them left visible. He'd been gradually painting them when he'd had a few moments of quiet. Those moments were far and few inbetween, what with his hectic work schedule and his inability to actually stay awake when Etsuki took her naps. But he was doing what he could to maintain order in his house. And, sure, he preferred it to be immaculate in the house, but he'd come to the conclusion that once you have kids, a clean home just doesn't happen. At least, not easily.

So, he did what he could. He didn't really give a damn if he had an immaculate house. If Etsuki's toys were on the floor, then so be it. All that mattered was the roof over their heads and the food in their stomachs. He couldn't care less about everything else in between.

Well, aside from the raw confusion he was feeling over fucking Deku. That was one in between in life that he had yet to figure the fuck out. Deku was an enigma to him. He was all beaming smiles and happy comments. He rarely got angry with Katsuki even when he deserved it. It wasn't until he'd done something absolutely horrific - like, you know, disappear for five years or make a one night stand that shouldn't have been anything but was suddenly becoming fucking everything seem inconsequential - that Deku got pissed off at him.

Did he just admit that that one night stand was important to him? Fuck. Fuck! It wasn't supposed to be. It was never supposed to be important, but when Deku had come this morning and met Etsuki, Katsuki couldn't help but think - what if it became more? Deku was so good with Etsuki. He was kind and caring toward her. He even let her touch his hair before going out in public. What sane adult - aside from Katsuki - would allow that? No one. That was the answer. Absolutely fucking no one.

And the way that Deku had said daddy? Holy fucking shit. He wasn't much into Daddy kinks, but he wouldn't mind calling Deku that a few times in the heat of sex. And that wasn't the only reason he'd been blushing up a storm when Deku was around him. All he could think of was the damn nerd's dick. Of how he want it to ram him again in any position that they could fucking manage. They were both athletic. They were both flexible. He was sure that they could do some freaky fucking shit, and Katsuki wanted it all.

But how does one apologize when they royally fuck up that bad? And how does one apologize when they're just not good at apologizing. He was well aware that the argument that he was bad at apologizing wouldn't get him anywhere with Deku. The damn nerd would be over the moon if he just uttered the singular word 'sorry' to him. It would be more than Katsuki had ever truly done throughout the entirety of their lives. But sorry would only cut it for so long, and Katsuki knew that this wasn't going to be the only time in his life that he wouldn't fuck up with Deku. That was just a fact of life. He'd do something fucking stupid again, and he wouldn't be able to help it. He didn't need this major fuck up now to be the reason that Deku gave up on him completely.

So as Katsuki painted the patches on the wall, he thought of the best way to beg Deku for forgiveness. Actually. No. He was just going to ask. He did enough begging in the bedroom, and he knew all of that shit would eventually get to Deku's head if he wasn't careful. He already had a big enough ego. He didn't need to make it shoot through the roof like he'd just activated full cowling.

He sighed, and as he cleaned out his brushes from painting the wall, he decided the best course of action would be sincerity. He couldn't explain everything to Deku yet... He wasn't ready for that, but if he had more tact about explaining that things were... Not exactly okay with him, then he'd have to understand. He knew it wouldn't go perfectly smooth. Deku would be bound to ask Katsuki just how he could help him get over his pain and trauma. But that was something that he had to do on his own. Maybe with the help of a therapist if he was feeling particularly brave about facing his past.

But today was not the day.

Just as he was drying off his hands, he heard the door to Etsuki's room creak open. He poked his head around the corner from the kitchen and looked down the hallway. There, in a baggy t-shirt she'd stolen from his drawer and her messy blonde bedhead was Etsuki. She had her fluffy Mirko blanket clutched in her chubby arms as she walked clumsily down the hallway toward him. As she entered the bright kitchen, she squinted her eyes at him and pouted.

"Rise and shine, gremlin," he said to her with a fond smile.

Her pout deepened and she waddled her way over to him. Once directly in front of him, she raised her arms into the air, demanding to be picked up. He rolled his eyes at her, albeit fondly, before scooping the small girl up.

"Still sleepy?" he asked softly.

She nodded blearily at him. "Yeah. And hungry."

"You're hungry?" he asked.

She nodded again before shoving her head into the crook of his neck. Her little arms snaked their way around his neck, too. He hummed softly. There was no way she was going to let him go anytime soon. Her arms were in a deathgrip around him. His sleepy, little girl. She always got like this when she woke up from a nap. Clingy and in need of snuggles. Well, he'd very gladly give them to her even though it made it ten times more challenging to figure out what to make her for dinner. He checked his watch. It was only two in the afternoon.

"How about a snack, Etsu?" he asked.

"Tayto sammich," she mumbled into his neck.

"That's not exactly nutritional," he said.

"Don't care," she responded.

He rolled his eyes and set to work making her 'tayto sammich'. It was really just this thing he'd picked up on a trip to Ireland a few years back. A quick and easy snack for a hero on the go that had no time for a real meal. It was nothing special. Bread, butter, and chips smushed together. But it tasted pretty damn good. It was something light that usually managed to hold him over for an hour or two until dinner. Somehow, he'd gotten his three year-old hooked on them.

Katsuki moved around the kitchen with the little girl nestled in his arms. He pulled out his ingredients, specifically fresh white bread, hot potato chips, and his butter. It was an easy sandwich to whip together, and when he was done, he sliced it diagonally into two triangles just as Etsuki liked it. He then sat down at the table with Etsuki in his lap. The little girl twisted so that she faced the table and picked up half of her sandwich. There was a loud crunch as she took her first bite.

"Is it good, Gremlin?" he asked.

She nodded her head as she chewed rather noisily. They sat there for several minutes, Etsuki eating her sandwich and Katsuki attempting to finger comb some of the tangles from her hair. It was comfortable the way that they could just be with one another. He loved her unconditionally even if she chewed with her mouth open, and she loved him right back even if he snagged a knot too harshly with his fingers.

And when she was done eating, she curled back up in his lap. "Tell me a story?" she asked, staring up at him with bright, blue eyes.

"What kind of story?"

"Can you tell me how you helped Mr. Izu-Senpai pick his hero name?"

The smile that had been playing on Katsuki's lips from looking at his little princess melted immediately. Fuck.

"Daddy, don't curse," she admonished, her brows knitted together.

Fuck. He'd said that out loud. "Uh, sorry," he stammered with a shake of his head. "That's not exactly a very nice story, sweetheart."

"Why not?"

"Because Daddy wasn't very nice when he helped Deku - er, Mr. Izu-Senpai - pick his name."

"But you're nice now, aren't you?" she asked, confusion lacing her tone.

"Well, yeah, of course I am," he said as he stood from the kitchen chair. He held her on his hip as he set the plate in the sink. Then, he moved to the living room because if he was going to have to tell this story, then he'd have to be comfortable. "You turned me into a nice person."

"I did?" she asked, her eyes going wide with wonder.

"Absolutely," he responded. "If you hadn't come around, I would have been very grumpy."

"You're still grumpy."

"I'd be grumpier!"

Etsuki gasped in horror. "No!"

"Yes!" he replied, settling down on the couch with her.

He took one of the throw blankets from the back and wrapped them both up in it. Etsuki clutched her Mirko blanket close to her chest as she wanted with bated breath.

"When I was your age, Deku and I were friends. We played a lot together. We pretended to be superheroes like All Might."

"And then you became superheroes!"

"Yeah, but that didn't happen for a long time. Before that, Daddy got his quirk. But Deku didn't," he said, furrowing his brows. "And I said some pretty mean things to him. I called him deku."

"Is that bad?"

"Yeah, gremlin, it is bad," he said softly.

"What does it mean?"

"It means useless."

"Why would you call him useless, Daddy? His quirk is so cool! He has that green lightning and Black Whip and Float!"

He smiled fondly at her. Deku would be proud of this little hero analyst in the making right here. "Yeah, his quirk is really cool, but back when we were kids, he didn't have one."

"He didn't?"

"No, he didn't get one until we got all the way to high school. You got your quirk at three, and Deku didn't get his until he was fifteen."

The little girl gasped again. "Fifteen? That's ankcient!"

He chuckled at her over enunciated words. "Yeah. I guess it is," he said. "Deku and I weren't friends at the beginning of high school, either. I was mad at him."

"Why?"

"Because I thought he was trying to show me up. I thought he was trying to be better than me. I thought he'd been lying to me since we were kids about having a quirk," he said to her.

"But he wasn't?"

"No, gremlin, he wasn't."

"So you were being a asshole-"

"Etsuki, watch your language," he interjected.

She rolled her eyes at him like the little sassy gremlin that she was. Fuck. He was a horrible influence on his child.

"So you were a meanie butt for no reason?"

"Pretty much."

"But why did he pick Deku then?"

Katsuki hummed. He'd thought about Deku's reasons for a long time. At first, he thought the damn nerd was just trying to show him up again. He was going to take the insult that Katsuki had been throwing at him for years and use it for his hero name. It wasn't until they'd become hero partners that he'd truly taken the time to try and understand why he'd picked it. He'd asked him, of course, and he was surprised by the answer.

"Because he didn't want it to mean that he was useless anymore. He wanted it to have power behind it, sort of like he could actually do it."

"That sounds confusing," she said.

"Deku is definitely confusing."

"You know what isn't confusing?"

"What?"

"Playing dress up!"

Katsuki groaned. "I'm not playing dress up, Etsu."

But he did. He definitely did. How could he refuse when Etsuki gave him that teary-eyed look of utter sadness? That's right. He couldn't. Because he'd taught his daughter to be an absolute mastermind, and he had no idea how to refuse her.

They were in the middle of a very intense debate over which princess, Rapunzel from Tangled or Moana, was better. Etsuki had a pretty strong argument around Moana. Katsuki was definitely leaning toward Rapunzel because she fought with her damn hair! Which was why he had insisted on dressing up Etsuki as Rapunzel. She would fight with her hair if she decided to become a hero down the line. She might as well do the Rapunzel look.

He, on the other hand, was fricken stuck with being Elsa. He loved Frozen just as much as the next guy, but he didn't understand why he had to be the one dressed in all of the glitter. He despised glitter. It was literally the herpes of the arts and craft and costuming words. Fuck glitter. But low and behold, Etsuki had him wearing the damn glittery dress. It fit him really damn well. He would at least admit to that, but he looked fucking ridiculous.

"Elsa! Look out! Snowman avalanche!" Etsuki cried as she dumped an entire box of stuffed animals on his head.

He looked up at the little menace who stood on their couch holding the empty cardboard box that once contained well over twenty stuffed animals in her hands. It was one of the boxes that they had yet to unpack after their move. Evidently, she'd rediscovered her stuffed animals and thought they would make the perfect avalanche for their game.

Katsuki collapsed dramatically to the ground in mock agony.

"Oh no!" he roared. "I've been wounded! The snow- It's crushing me! So cold!"

Etsuki huffed above him. "No! The cold doesn't bother Elsa!"

"Right. Duh," he said, smacking his head in mock . "Sorry. Ahem. Oh no! The snow is crushing me! How will I ever escape?"

"I'll rescue you!" Etsuki cried as she used her hair to get a weak hold on Katsuki's wrist. He heaved himself up with the pull of her hair, and as soon as he was on his feet, there was a knock on his front door.

"Fuck," he muttered. There was no way in fucking hell he was answering the door dressed as fucking Elsa. "Time out, gremlin."

A loud groan echoed from Etsuki as he fought the dress over his head. Fucking christ. Why was this shit so fucking difficult?

There was another knock on the door.

"JUST A FUCKING SECOND!" he roared.

"Daddy, if I can't curse then neither can you!" Etsuki crowed.

"Not how it works, gremlin!"

He finally managed to get the dress off and tossed it to the ground. He snatched up a clean t-shirt from the hamper he'd been folding before Etsuki stole his attention and tugged it over his head before stomping over to the genkan. He threw the door open only to see Deku standing behind it. Well, that was the last person he'd been expecting to be at his door at five in the afternoon. He opened his mouth to question why exactly he was there when Katsuki got a strong whiff of him. He reeked of a fucking bonfire. Whatever call he'd responded to must have involved something burning. He wrinkled his nose because the smell was not pleasant, especially not mixed with whatever soap the greenette used.

"Hey, Kacchan," Deku said softly.

"Deku? The fuck are you doing here?" he asked. Confusion filled his tone as opposed to malice, but evidently, Deku still couldn't tell the difference.

"Uh, sorry," he said. "You probably don't want to see me."

"Why are you apologizing?" Katsuki asked. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I'm intruding on your personal life," Deku said. "So, I'm sorry."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Again, you don't have anything to be sorry for, Deku. If anything, I do."

Deku's eyes widened at Katsuki's admission. "What?"

"Look, why don't you come inside, and we can talk," he suggested.

He really fucking hoped that Deku said yes. Sure, his living room was trashed, and sure, he and Etsuki hadn't finished their game, but there would be other times to clean and play. He didn't know when this chance to talk to Deku in private would present itself again. He couldn't pass on it, not if he wanted to fix whatever mess he'd caused.

"I just came to drop off your necklace, Kacchan," Deku said, his eyes focused on anything but Katsuki. The green bean reached into his pocket and pulled out the delicate chain with Etsuki's ring on it. It was held out to Katsuki.

With tentative fingers, he took the necklace and pulled it close to him. He looked at it briefly before opening the clasp and slipping it around his neck. He then looked back up at Deku.

"Thank you," he said. "This, uh. It means a lot, Deku. This is very important to me."

"Of course, Kacchan," Deku said. "I really should be going, though."

Katsuki's red gaze snapped up to Deku's viridian one. "Don't. Just stick around for a bit. I'm about to cook dinner."

Deku shook his head. "No, I don't want to intrude. Besides.I'm not hungry."

As if on cue, Deku's stomach rumbled loudly. Katsuki rolled his eyes at him. "Uh huh, and I'm not covered in glitter."

"Why are you covered in glitter?" Deku asked.

"None of your business, especially if you don't join us for dinner," Katsuki said, stepping to the side so that Deku could enter the genkan.

The greenette obliged and stepped into the house. Katsuki shut the door behind him and waited for a second while Deku toed off those ratty, red sneakers of his. He set his work bag down right beside his sneakers.

"Thanks, Kacchan," Deku said.

"Like I said, we need to talk, nerd," he said with a shrug as he stepped into the living room with Deku in tow. He could already feel his ears burning at a simple thank you from Deku. Fucking great. "Don't read too fucking into it."

Suddenly, a squeal of delight echoed into the room. There was a flash of purple, pink, and yellow as Etsuki launched herself at Deku full force, nearly knocking the unsuspecting hero over entirely.

"Mr. Izu-Senpai!" she cried as she wrapped her arms around his legs.

And Katsuki could only tch lightly. "Why doesn't she greet me like that?" he grumbled to himself.

Deku's scarred hand plopped down on top of Etsuki's braided hair. "Hey there. I didn't realize Rapunzel was visiting the Bakugou residence."

Etsuki beamed at him with a wide smile before doing a quick twirl. The skirt of her princess dress twisted around her.

"You look amazing!" Deku said enthusiastically.

Etsuki wrapped her tiny arms around Deku once more, and almost immediately, she wrinkled her nose and pulled away once more. A look of disgust was spread across her face. "You smell stinky."

"Don't be rude, gremlin," Katsuki admonished despite quietly revelling in his daughter's observation.

"Oh, ah! I was doing a rescue. there was a fire and, well, yeah," Deku said, and even though his tone was light, Katsuki noticed the darkness in Deku's eyes.

Katsuki furrowed his brows. It only took him a second to connect the dots. The dark loom in his eyes after a rescue could only mean one thing. He'd failed to save someone in the rescue, and Katsuki knew that that pain was…Well, to put it simply, he never wanted to feel it ever again. It was one of the worst things he'd ever felt. The only thing that could top it would be, fucking heavens forbid, losing Etsuki.

"C'mon, Deku," Katsuki said, gesturing toward the kitchen. "I'll put on some tea. You look like shit."

The greenette nodded and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks, Kacchan."

"Go sit in the kitchen. I'll throw on a movie for Etsu," he said before turning to his disaster of a living room.

Etsuki stood beside him. "You're trying to get rid of me!" she accused.

"No, I'm not," he replied as he picked up the very offending Elsa dress from the floor. He quickly shoved it behind the couch to hide it from Deku's view. "I just need to talk to Deku, Princess. Why don't you watch Tangled, and relax. I need to cook dinner anyway."

She pouted slightly. "But Daddy!"

"You know you're not allowed in the kitchen when I have the stove on," he reminded her. He picked up the remote to the TV and loaded up Tangled for his child. "Watch your movie. Dinner will be ready soon."

She nodded glumly and plopped herself down on the couch. Katsuki, satisfied that she was occupied, met Deku in the kitchen. When he entered, he saw the nerd look up at him.

"She'll stay out for a while," he said, jamming a thumb in Etsuki's direction. "Tell me what happened at the rescue."

"She won't come in here? I don't think she's going to want to hear this," Deku said softly. His eyes were focused on his clasped, crooked hands.

"She's not allowed in the kitchen when I've got the stove top on," he said.

"Oh? Why not?"

"There's nitroglycerin in her hair, and if she gets too close, it can light on fire," he said with a shrug.

The green bean's eyes immediately went wide with delight. "I was wondering how her quirk activated earlier!" he exclaimed with a slight bounce in his step. "I knew it had to be similar to yours in some way, but I wasn't sure. It could have been anything, but to find out that there is literal nitroglycerin in her hair! Kacchan, that's so ama-"

Katsuki slapped his hand over Deku's mouth with an irritated groan. "Stop muttering, dammit," he groused. "Rescue. Spill."

The greenette's mood immediately did a 180 when Katsuku brought up the call he'd been on earlier. With a little huff of a sigh, Deku sat down at his kitchen island. He put his head into his hands and just stared at the countertop.

"I lost a kid, Kacchan," he said softly.

Katsuki immediately sobered as he grabbed a hold of the tea kettle. He set it on the burner and lit the gas. Once it was set, he sat down across from Deku. He knew how it went. He'd suspected it, but for Deku to lose a kid. Losing a person in general during a rescue or an attack was devastating but having that loss be a child... Yeah, it was a pain he never wanted to feel. It was too damn close to home for him.

"Deku..." he said in as soft of a tone as he was capable of.

"I searched, Kacchan. I searched so damn hard, and I couldn't find him. The look on his mother's face... It was heartbreaking. I didn't know what to tell her? How could I just tell her I hadn't been able to rescue her son?"

"There's only so much you can do, Deku. You know that," he said. "You can't save everyone."

"But All Might did," he said.

"And you're not fucking All Might, dammit," he snapped.

"I know I'm not, but-"

"That's it. Bottom line. You're not. You're not the same as him, and you're not gonna live up to the same expectations as him, especially not when you're only twenty-five, dipshit."

"But Kacchan-"

"Don't fucking argue with me," he said with a tone of finality.

The greenette's mouth snapped shut, and Katsuki nodded in satisfaction. He stood from the counter and went to the fridge. He pulled out a few ingredients for dinner and set them on the counter.

"Uh, Kacchan?"

"What Deku?"

"How, uh, spicy is this going to be?"

"Well, considering Etsuki likes it just as hot as I do-"

The greenette's mouth dropped open. "Uh, can we do a not spicy portion for me?"

"What? Can't handle the fire, nerd?"

"No, I can't," he whined. "You know that."

The blond shrugged his shoulders. "If you can't hang, you'll suffer then," he said with a bit of smirk on his lips.

"Kacchan!"

He rolled his eyes. "If I set you aside some bland ass shit, will you be happy?"

"I mean, I'm happy that I'm here regardless, but I'd be happier," he said.

And for some reason, Katsuki's dumb heart fluttered at Deku's words. It was doing that dumb flippy shit because Deku was fucking happy. What fucking gives? He knew he shouldn't be feeling that way about the broccoli-headed fuck. He knew that for a damn fact. Heart fluttering bullshit was a sign of a damn crush. And Bakugou Katsuki didn't do fucking crushes. He was above them. Besides, crushes led to relationships, and relationships were not in the cards for him. Fuck. That. Shit.

Fuck his dumbass heart, too.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Why don't you go take a shower? You still fucking reek like smoke."

"I showered at the agency!"

"Well, whatever weak as soap is there didn't do jack fucking shit."

"But I don't have clothes here," he mumbled as he scratched the back of his head.

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "You can borrow some of mine."

The greenette perked up at this. "Really, Kacchan? You'd do that?"

"If it gets the stink out of my damn kitchen, then yes," he said.

And really, he knew he would have said yes regardless. How could he pass up having a steamy, wet Deku in his house? He figured it would be better if his kid wasn't around, but he would take what he could get.

"C'mon, nerd," he said as he turned off the burner for the kettle and left the kitchen. He wouldn't leave it on, not with Etsuki just in the other room.

He led Deku down the hall to his own bedroom. He had him wait there as he grabbed him a pair of sweats that he knew would hug his hips deliciously and a t-shirt that would do the same to his muscles. Deku was built stockier than him, anyway. Really, no matter what Katsuki gave him would hug him tightly. He just chose the things that would hug him the tightest. Fucking sue him. He had a hot piece of ass in his house. He was going to use that to his advantage even if he didn't plan getting laid whilst his three and a half year-old was home.

A man could wish, though.

He handed the pile to Deku, directed him to the bathroom, and went back to the kitchen to finish dinner. By the time he finished up, Deku was coming out of the shower. And honestly, he really should have thought this shit through a little more. Deku came padding into the kitchen and, fuck, the way he looked should have been fucking illegal even if Katsuki was responsible for it. His t-shirt was tight on his muscular chest and showed every last ripple of his abs. And his sweatpants hugged his ass in the most perfect way.

And apparently, Deku knew that he was fucking staring because he tilted his damped haired head to the side and fucking smirked.

"Whatcha looking at, Kacchan?" he asked with a bright tone. Beneath those words, though, there was that hint of lust that had been present the night they'd fucked.

He felt blood rush to the tips of his ears and the apples of his cheeks as he averted his gaze. "None of your fucking business," he said in response.

Deku had the fucking audacity to walk close to him, to block him into the corner of the kitchen counter. And Katsuki's dick had the fucking audacity to twitch to life at that.

"I think it's my business when you give me tight fitting clothes just so you can stare at my ass," he said with that same seductive smirk.

"Well, and your thighs, but that's beside the point," Katsuki grumbled.

"Hey, Daddy?" Etsuki's voice called from the other room.

Immediately, Katsuki and Deku jumped apart. A solid five feet of space went between them at the sound of his daughter's voice. Fuck, they were lucky that where they had been standing was not visible from the living room. But shit. If he wasn't as strong-willed, he would have died and gone straight to fucking hell.

"What, gremlin?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. Whatever boner he'd had had gone completely flaccid.

"Is dinner almost done? I'm hungry."

"Yeah. Uh, just a minute," he said as he went back to the pots on the stove.

He shot Deku a glare for good measure. The greenette had the balls to smile at him innocently as if he hadn't been just as much involved in whatever the fuck flirting that had been.

"It really does smell good, Kacchan," Deku said brightly.

Fuck. Katsuki wanted to smack him. Actually, no. He wanted to blast that fucking smile right off his face and then demand to be fucked because an angry Deku would provide some pretty wild sex.

He groaned internally. Being a single father literally had to be the biggest fucking cockblock on the planet.

In reality, he'd done this to himself. His own masochistic tendencies had dug him one deep ass hole this time. He had a fucking Greek god of a man standing in his kitchen, what with his shower dampened curls and thick thighs. Literal perfection walking, and he couldn't have it because he had morals. He would not fuck the man with his daughter awake in the other room.

And so, he distracted himself by cooking katsudon. He didn't make it often. It wasn't one of his favorite dishes, and honestly, Etsuki was too young to give a damn. But it was Deku's favorite which was why he made it. He made up their bowls and called to the little girl in the other room.

"Come wash your hands, gremlin!"

He heard the crash of several things hitting the hardwood in the other room before the girl came racing into the kitchen. He already had the step stool out by the kitchen for her.

"Why do you call her that?" Deku asked from the island.

"Call her what?"

"Gremlin," Deku and Etsuki said simultaneously. That caused the little girl to giggle.

He looked at them both as if they were crazy because saying things at the same time was way too damn early in their budding friendship. Shit. Deku wasn't supposed to be friends with his kid at all. He needed to be more like a role model or a celebrity. He didn't need any of this close, saying-shit-at-the-same-time bullcrap.

"Cause she's a gremlin," he said with a shrug as he tried to beat away the thought of his daughter and Deku becoming friends. "Soft and sweet but also ferocious as fuck."

"Daddy! No cursing," Etsuki said.

"Sorry, gremlin," he said. Fuck. He needed to get that under control.

"I don't think I've ever heard you give out that nice of an apology to anyone, like, ever," Deku said, slightly gobsmacked.

"I can apologize however the fu- er, freak I want to, nerd," he grumbled as he brought the bowls of katsudon to the island. He set the smallest portion in front of Etsuki and the least flavorful one in front of Deku.

"Ohmygosh! Kacchan, is this katsudon?" Deku asked as he picked up a pair of chopsticks from the counter.

"You have eyes don't you?"

"Thank you so much!" he said.

"Try it! Daddy is the best cook," Etsuki said as she dug into her own bowl.

Katsuki watched from the corner of his eye as Deku took a bite. His face melted into a look of pure pleasure, and he moaned out loud. Such a sound should have been made illegal, especially in the presence of a child, because fuck. His dick really wanted to come roaring back to life already. And he did not need that right now.

Well, he did need it, but he couldn't have it. Fucking bullshit.

"It's so good, Kacchan!" Deku said after a few moments.

Katsuki couldn't help but feel satisfied by the praise. He knew he was a damn good cook, but to have Deku say it. Well, it just felt all that much more satisfying.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut the fuck up and eat."

A horrified little gasp sounded from his daughter beside him. "Daddy! Language!"

After dinner, the three of them plopped themselves down on the couch to watch a movie. He probably should have kicked Deku out at this point, but he couldn't bring himself to. Not when Etsuki had pleaded for Deku to stay for just a while longer. He should have really kicked Deku out after he suggested that they watch an old All Might documentary. He should have sent his child to bed when she'd adamantly agreed with him. Sure, he admired the old man, but he didn't want to suffer through a movie about him. Especially not a documentary. The one they picked out hadn't even been one of the old ones. It had been one of the new ones that was made post retirement. He was pretty sure there were a few cameos of him in the background, but the film had cut off before they could get a good look at him. He'd flipped the camera crew off just to ensure he wouldn't get stuck with any screen time. He didn't regret it one damn bit.

And he didn't want to watch it. He wanted to watch the Little Rascals. But no. He'd been outvoted two to one. Katsuki had to suffer through it all. Etsuki didn't even watch the entire damn thing. She was out cold after ten damn minutes, her head cradled in his lap. And sure, he didn't mind because she was too damn cute that way. But shit. She could have at least gotten to the good parts of the documentary.

As the credits rolled, he glanced over at Deku. He, too, was out fucking cold. He snorted. Fucking figures. He was the only fucker in the house who'd managed to stay awake, and he hadn't even wanted to watch the damn film. Stupid ass shit...

Katsuki switched off the TV, scooped Etsuki up into his arms gently, and stood from the couch. His joints popped and cracked every which way as he stood. He'd been stiff on the couch for the last two hours as he attempted not to wake his dozing daughter. She needed to be in her bed, though. She couldn't sleep on the couch all night. It was no good for her little, growing body.

He brought her to her room and laid her down in her bed before tucking her in. He didn't leave right away. He was struck by her, by her innocence. He couldn't help but stop and admire the little spitfire that she was growing to be. And the best part was the fact that she was his. He'd helped to create her. She was his flesh and blood, something he'd never thought he'd have back when he was a teenager. He loved her so very much, and it was moments like these that made his love for her swell to the surface.

He sat on the edge of her bed, watching her little chest rise and fall in the depths of her sleep. He would keep her safe. He'd sworn it to himself the moment he first saw her. He was going to protect her with every fiber of his being. He'd protect her for as long as she needed his protection, and even then, it was likely that he'd still protect her after. It was his promise to both her and himself.

Katsuki reached out and tucked a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her eye. She wrinkled her nose at his touch, but did not stir anymore than that. He smiled softly at that. He'd never understand how she could reduce him to this sappy mess so easily, but then again, he'd never question it either. Why should he? Everything that she was was perfect. He placed a tender kiss to her forehead before he stood and exited her room. He shut the door gently behind him.

Now back to the living room and the muscular stalk of broccoli that was passed the fuck out on his couch. It was never in the plan to have Deku spend the night, but now that he was passed out on his couch and it was half-past ten, he wouldn't just kick him out. He wasn't that terrible of a host. On the contrary, he actually grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch and spread it out over Deku. He looked the green bean over while he slept and noted that he was actually kind of cute when he was dead to the world. Sort of.

Okay, he was really damn cute with the way his freckled nose scrunched up slightly and his pink lips pursed as he dreamt. It was almost as cute as Etsuki, but he'd never fuckin' admit that out loud. Not for any of the money in the world.

Just as he was about to turn to leave to go to bed, he felt Deku snatch up his hand. Katsuki stopped in his tracks and glanced down at the greenette. His eyes were hazy with sleep as his scarred hand rubbed at them.

"Kacchan?" he asked softly into the darkness of the room.

"Hmm?" he asked in a noncommittal sort of way.

"What time is it?"

"Late," Katsuki replied. "You're spending the night."

"I am?" he asked.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep," he said.

But when he made a move to leave the room, Deku's grip on his hand tightened. He sighed gently and looked back at the nerd again.

"What, Deku?" he asked.

"Can you stay with me for a bit?" he asked.

Katsuki looked down at those sleepy, viridian eyes of Deku's and sighed. He couldn't win against the nerd. Not really. Sure, he could beat him out with heroics, but when it came to that damn look he got in his eyes when he wanted something, he couldn't resist.

"Fine," he grumbled before settling himself back on the couch. "Only for a minute, though, fucker. It's late, and we have to work in the morning."

Deku hummed in response and leaned his head against Katsuki's shoulder. The blond should have brushed away the blatant display of affection. He shouldn't have let Deku lean into him like that. He should have said something. He himself shouldn't have leaned into the touch. These sorts of advances would only make being friends with Deku harder. Hell, was being friends even remotely possible now? They'd already fucked, and now, Katsuki was flirting with him at every fucking turn. How was he supposed to say that they were just friends after that?

And he still hadn't addressed the big issue, that being what he'd said to Deku earlier that afternoon. He didn't plan on letting that get brushed under the rug. And while he didn't owe Deku any explanation into his fucked up life, he could at least give him some glimpse to let him know that the time he'd been away hadn't been pleasant. He could give him that much.

"Hey, Deku?" he asked after finally mustering the balls to get this over with.

"Yeah, Kacchan?"

"About this afternoon..."

He felt the nerd stiffen beside him, which was not a good sign. It meant Deku would continue to be the martyr as he always was.

"Don't worry about it, Kacchan," he said. "I pushed too much."

"No, I'm gonna fuckin' worry about it," he said. "I was an ass about it. You were just trying to understand, and I get that."

"Kacchan-"

"Look, I'm trying to fuckin' apologize, so shut up, and let me get it out," he snapped. "I shouldn't have thrown last night in your face, and... I'm sorry for that."

Deku hummed. "I forgive you, Kacchan," he said quietly. "I know you lash out like that when you're feeling strong emotions, and evidently, whatever happened to make you leave... Well, it had to be emotional."

Katsuki snorted. "Yeah. You ain't wrong about that."

"I don't want to push like I did earlier, Kacchan, but I do want to know..." Deku trailed off for a few moments. He fidgeted with his hands in his lap. "Why did you go?"

"I got married," he said simply.

He looked down at his own hands. They weren't nearly as scared as Deku's were. That was one of the wonderful parts about the nitroglycerin sweat. He didn't scar nearly as badly on his hands as others did. Other parts of his body, such as his face, weren't quite so lucky. What stood out most to him was the barren feeling on his ring finger. He'd been married for five years and divorced for two, and he still felt strange at the absence of his wedding band. It sat heavily in the safe in his closet. He would never put it back on. He refused. Not if what it stood for had all been a lie.

"But you said you're divorced now?" Deku asked in clarification.

"Yeah. Two years ago, just about."

"How long were you married?"

"Five," he gritted out. He hated thinking about all of the years he'd wasted on that shit show of a relationship.

Silence fell between them for a few moments, and just as Katsuki was about to berate Deku for leaving their conversation hanging, the damn nerd spoke up.

"So, you were already married when we were partners?" Deku asked. Katsuki could hear the raw hurt in his voice.

The blond nodded in confirmation.

"But... If that's the case, why didn't you tell me before now? Why did you keep it a secret?"

Katsuki sucked in a shuddering breath as a rush of memories of Kiruka flooded his mind. Her need to control everything around her had been masked as a desire for privacy. She'd sunken her fingers deep into Katsuki, and back then, he'd been too damn jaded to get himself the fuck out. But Deku couldn't know that yet. He wasn't ready. He was nowhere near ready.

"Deku, I'm gonna need you to respect the fact that I ain't ready to share this shit just yet," he said, his hands clenched into fists in his laps. "It's not you. I'm just not ready to drag up a bunch of shit from my past."

Beside him, the nerd nodded. "Alright, Kacchan. You at least gave me something," he said. "I'll take what you're willing to give me."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and Kacchan?" he asked.

"What?"

"Thanks for apologizing. It, uh," Deku said, scratching his cheek nervously. "It means a lot to me that you did."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Don't go all soft on me. You'll expect an apology everytime I do something to fuck up."

Beside him, Deku giggled. "I won't."

"Uh huh. Sure," he grumbled.

"I really missed you, Kacchan," Deku said with a few peals of soft laughter. He offered Katsuki a warm smile, which caused the blond's heart to skip a beat. "I never did find another partner after you left… How could I when you knew me and my fighting style better than anyone else I knew?"

The last five years of Katsuki's life had been… strenuous to say the least. Five years of it he'd spent married to a woman who'd made his life a living hell. He was away from any and all of his friends from back home as she'd picked the most remote city with the most impossible crime rate to operate out of. It had been lonely. He'd thrown everything he'd had into work. And the nights that he was home, he'd lie awake wondering how people were doing back in Musutafu. He often thought of Kirishima and Kaminari and Mina. He'd wondered what the old man, his hero, All Might, was teaching at UA these days. He wondered what the hell he was doing to annoy Aizawa. He wondered if the current UA Class 1A was living up to the expectations that they had. He thought about Eri sometimes, too, especially after Etsuki was born. He wondered how she was mastering her quirk and if he'd have similar struggles with his own daughter when she was of age.

And most of all, he'd thought about Deku. What the nerd was doing to surpass him this time. What his battles were like. What sorts of villains he was fighting. Who his new hero partner was. That one bugged him pretty damn often because he wondered who could be a better partner than him? Who would be able to work with Deku and put up with the nerd's dumbass shit? Would he tell them about All For One? Or would they work with Deku without knowing the full ramifications of his quirk?

Come to find out he'd never taken another partner in the last five years. He'd been doing it all alone, rising through the ranks and doing his bed just to be fucking him. He'd been doing it all just as Katsuki had.

"You're a dumbass," he grumbled despite the redness in his cheeks.

"A dumbass that you like?" Deku said, although it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Bold of you to assume that I like you."

"O-Oh," Deku stammered, his face looking slightly crestfallen. "I thought you said it was fun, what we, ah, did last night?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes at the damn fucking spaz beside him. He was going and getting all damn depressed because he couldn't understand Katsuki's sarcasm. Fuckin' dumbass.

"Yeah, fucker, it was fun. And I do fucking like you. I was being fuckin' sarcastic."

That seemed to make the greenette perk up slightly. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "O-Oh."

"For one of the brightest heroes of our age, you really can be a dumbass sometimes," he grumbled.

"Yeah. Sorry, Kacchan," he said with a hum. "So, uh, can I ask you another question?"

"You just did."

"Ha ha. Very funny," the green bean said dryly.

"Go the fuck ahead."

"In what way do you like me?" Deku asked.

That had Katsuki stopping in his tracks. In what way did he like Deku? That was a loaded fucking question, and his answer would determine whether or not he and Deku would remain just friends or something else.

"Honestly," Katsuki said with furrowed brows. "I don't know."

"Oh," Deku said. His voice made him sound like a kicked fucking puppy.

With a small sigh, Katsuki pulled away from him and turned his body fully on the couch so that he faced Deku. The greenette did the same, and in the dim light of the living room, Katsuki could see tears glistening in his eyes. The blond ran his hands over his face and heaved out another sigh.

"Fuck. Deku. It's not like... I'm attracted to you, dammit, but my actual feelings about this? It's a helluva lot more complex than the average person."

Deku looked at him with that watery gaze of his and nodded vaguely. Katsuki wasn't convinced that he understood though.

"I have a kid to worry about. I'm a single fucking dad. I'm recently divorced out of a horrible fucking marriage, and my faith in relatiosnhips isn't exactly the best."

Deku's lip literally wobbled now. Fucking christ. He was going to keep fucking this shit up, wasn't he? How the hell was he supposed to tell Deku he just wanted to take some time to figure his fucking head out before went rushing into this? How was he supposed to tell him that he was fucking terrified that he'd fuck this up just like he'd fucked up his married? How the fuck was he supposed to do that without making himself sound like an incompetent idiot? What the actual fuck.

"So, the sex?" Deku asked softly.

Katsuki frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Did it not mean anything?"

The blond groaned. "I didn't say that."

"You haven't said much at all, really."

He snorted. He couldn't exactly come out and say how fucking great it had been to be fucking dicked down by the freckled nerd. He'd never fucking say some shit like that. Sappy shit was in Deku's department of all things. Fucking dammit. Why the fuck was this so damn hard? He just needed to come out and say it. He needed to get this over with. Fucking christ. Why was everything so damn difficult?

He raked his hands through his hair, messing the spikes completely. "The sex was fucking phenomenal, Deku. You've got fucking ass and legs for days, and I'd let you ram me anytime if there were no strings attached."

"What-"

Katsuki held up a hand. "When's the last time you had meaningless sex, Deku?"

The greenette's brows furrowed. "Uh. I mean, not that long ago. I, uh, had a few rebounds after my ex."

"And that was a guy you dated for, what, a year?"

"Yeah. But Kacchan, what's the point?"

"I'm divorced. That's all that I've been having for years. Meaningless sex," he said. "And then all of a fuckin' sudden, the dweeb that had become my best friend and hero partner shows me he's got an amazing cock beneath his pants. I'm not exactly sure how to react, Deku. You have to get that this is a little fucked."

"I'm your best friend?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you really did, Kacchan."

"Don't know what you're talking about," he said, and before Deku could go on about anything else, he added, "Point is, freckles, I'm still tryin' to process this shit. Can't exactly blame me for that."

"No," Deku said with a slight sigh. "I can't."

"Just... Give me time to figure out my head. I mean, I can't deny that there was something there, Deku, but I just don't know what that something is yet."

"So, what do we do from here?" Deku asked.

"We wait, I guess. See where shit takes us," he said. "There's still a lot of shit I need to work through and things I need to tell you about before we get anywhere with anything, Deku."

"And you're not ready to talk about those things yet, are you, Kacchan?"

He snorted out a derisive laugh. "Not even fucking close."

"I'll wait, then," Deku said, a determined look growing in his eyes as their gazes met. "I've waited this long for you. I can wait a while longer."

Katsuki's breath caught in his throat. What did Deku mean he'd waited this long? How long had he been wanting more than just friendship? He couldn't be that dense to not have noticed something like that. He'd have to be denser than fuckin Icy Hot if that were the case, and somehow, he doubted he was that thick.

Instead of questioning it, he nodded. "Thanks."

"Of course, Kacchan," he said in return. "I'm guessing I'm not going to be able to convince you to sleep out here with me then?"

"Fuck that shit," he immeidately responded. "I ain't fuckin' up my back just for some snuggly bullshit. If you want that, then you're gonna have to sleep in my bed."

Deku's brows raised high up his forehead, and that same sexually confident smirk returned to his perfectly bowed lips. "Are you offering?"

Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the broccoli stick in front of him. He stared at Deku for a solid sixty seconds before his shoulders sagged. "Just this fuckin' once, you hear me?"

"Alright, Kacchan," Deku said, seemingly unconvinced. Cocky fucker. He'd show him...

Katsuki rose from the couch and stalked off toward his bedroom. "Come on, fuckface. Let's go."

He heard the couch shift as Deku stood and padded after him. Katsuki led him down the hall to his own bedroom. Once inside, he shut the door behind them. He didn't get more than two feet before he felt Deku's hands on his cheeks. He was pulled in close and his lips were matched with the greenette's for a few chaste moments. The kiss wasn't long. It wasn't long at all, and Katsuki was about to protest when Deku placed another against his lips.

"I'm sorry, Kacchan," Deku said softly. "I had to get that in before you go on this whole finding yourself pilgrimage."

"I ain't going on a damn pilgrimage, fuckwad," he grumbled.

He leaned into Deku's lips again. They were soft and plump and entirely enticing. He kept leaning in closer and closer until their bodies were pressed together at their lips, chests, and hips. Because what fucking harm would indulging himself cause? He hoped fucking none. He could feel Deku's growing hardon pressed against his own. There weren't many things he wouldn't do to get into those pants right this second. Unfortunately, his biggest cock block in life was asleep across the hall.

Their lips parted, and Katsuki leaned his forehead against Deku's. His eyes were closed as he breathed in and out slowly to try and calm his arousal.

"We ain't fucking in the house with my kid," he said into the space between them.

Deku chuckled lightly. "Didn't plan on it, Kacchan. Believe it or no, I'm a respectable man."

"And I'm not?" he growled.

"I never said that!" Deku whisper-yelled, lightly smacking Katsuki's shoulder.

The blond rolled his eyes and stepped away from the greenette. He tugged his shirt over his head and slid off his shorts.

"Boxers stay on," he said matter-of-factly. "Etsuki likes to come in here in the middle of the night if she's had a bad dream."

A soft coo of adoration sounded from Deku. "That's adorable."

"Damn right she is," he groused.

He watched Deku strip out of his borrowed clothes, his crimson eyes raking over his body. Fuck, this man was Adonis in the flesh or something. His body was specfuckingtacular, and just the sight of it made Katsuki want to break his one damn rule.. The blond grunted and sat down in his usual spot in bed - the right side. Some old marriage habits died fucking hard. Deku laid down stiffly beside him, his hands laying flat on his stomach.

"How do you want to do this, Kacchan?"

"What do you fuckin' mean?"

"Like, are we cuddling or..."

"I don't give a fuck. If you want," he grumbled.

A satisfied little hum sounded from Deku. "Okay, Kacchan!"

"But I gotta charge my cochlear's. I ain't gonna hear you after I take them off."

"I always forget that you're deaf, Kacchan."

"I wish I could forget, but I'm not allowed to. If I don't charge them, then I'm fucked," he grumbled.

"I'd always watch your back just in case," Deku said.

Katsuki's breath caught as his fingers danced around the devices behind his ears. Just hearing Deku say those words had his heart doing dumb shit again.

"I know you will," he said in response before he slipped the cochlear's from behind his ears. Katsuki was immediately plunged into silence.

He made quick work of separating the batters and sticking them onto the charging dock he had. He then laid down, his back to Deku. The greenette's arms immediately wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. Katsuki didn't protest. It had been a long time since he'd willingly let another's body hold him close like this. He didn't think he'd ever feel it again. He was going to bask in it whilst he could. Honestly, there was this sense of security in Deku's hold that he'd never admit in a million years. He couldn't explain it, but Deku seemed to make his emotions just… soften and relax. And even though he knew he could protect himself and his family easily, there was something comforting knowing that Deku was here, too, to keep them safe.

Not that he'd admit to it.

"Night Deku," he said into the darkness.

And despite the fact that he could not hear his own words, he knew he'd said it. He'd felt his lips move, his vocal cords vibrate. And behind him, where Deku's lips were pressed against the back of his neck, he felt the nerd hum. Those plush, pink lips moved in response, but Katsuki couldn't hear them. He could only assume that it was a soft 'goodnight, Kacchan.'

When Katsuki woke to his rapidly vibrating alarm the next morning, the bed was cold. The bed was empty, and Deku was gone. Katsuki sat up blearily in bed, the covers falling off from his shoulders. The cool morning air hit his skin, pulling him further from the lands of sleep. He looked around and noticed several things. First, the clothes that Deku had borrowed had been neatly folded and hung over the edge of his laundry hamper. Second, there was a note on the bedside table, not quite unlike the one he'd left Deku after their one night stand.

He snatched up the paper, which he recognized came from the pad of paper in his kitchen. He scanned it over with furrowed brows.

I had to get out of here early so I could get myself together for work. Thanks for last night. My number is down below. Text me if you want. If not, I'll see you later.

-Izuku

At the bottom of the note, just as Deku had said, was the nerd's number.

Katsuki snorted. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. He'd literally done the exact same thing to the nerd just over twenty-four hours before. But unlike him, Deku had left him a way to contact him. He could work with that.

The blond picked up his phone and unlocked it. He immediately went into his contacts and typed in Deku's number. Curiously enough, that very number that he typed in came up under one of his blocked numbers. Actually, when he went to check the list of blocked numbers in his contacts, he found that it was his only blocked contact, Katsuki honestly didn't remember blocking a single number in his entire life. For the solo blocked number in his contacts to just happen to be Deku's was a coincidence. A coincidence that had probably happened way too damn long ago. And considering the last six years since they'd graduated... The bitch who ruined his life was still managing to ruin it.

Fucking Kiruka.

"Was I at least good at pole dancing?" Deku asked. "Because when I drink, I suddenly seem to think I'm good at everything."

Katsuki snorted and glanced at Deku. "When I drink, I suddenly seem to think you're good at everything, so unless we've got video footage, can't fuckin' tell ya, Deku."

The sun beat down on the hero duo as they sat on the top of the roofs of the city. They were on break from their patrols. It was a boring day, more or less. They'd stopped a few petty criminals from robbing a jewelry store. They'd helped evacuate a small college campus after a bomb threat. Other than that, it was boring shit. Nothing to get his adrenaline pumping.

Which was what led them to the rooftop of one of the many highrise apartment buildings. With nothing else to do, they'd grabbed lunch from some new sushi joint that had popped up after he'd moved away. And one way or another, they'd managed to get onto these random ass conversations from the night of the reunion.

"Well, I'm not just going to go around asking our former classmates if they have videos of me on a stripper pole!"

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders as he shoved a piece of sushi into his mouth. He chewed it with a slight smirk on his lips and mirth in his eyes. "Won't have to go far if you really think about it."

Deku cocked his head to the side, and honestly, Katsuki thought he looked a lot like an adorable, little puppy. It was adorable. No. No the fuck it wasn't. It wasn't adorable. It was fucking stupid. He didn't think Deku was adorable. Etsuki was the only adorable one in his life.

"What do you mean I won't have to go far?"

"Well, considering Cheeks was right there watching you the entire time, even before I showed up, I wouldn't be surprised if she has some clips."

Deku groaned. "Ocha? No!"

"Hell, if Mineta was there, I'm sure there's clips floating around."

"Well, I'm expecting a group chat with any and all clips of me within the week," Deku said in a defeated yet comical sort of way.

"Wouldn't be surprised if they-"

The building beneath them rocked as an explosion sounded off. The piece of sushi that was held between Katsuki's chopsticks fell back down to the platter. Hell, he was very nearly knocked the fuck over. His ears rang from the suddenness of it all, and honestly, he was surprised that he could hear at all. But as soon as the initial shock was over, he powered through the ringing. Both he and Deku raced to the edge of the roof. They looked down, and all they saw were bright, red, brilliant flames. And without a moment's hesitation, there was a flash of green lightning beside him. He glanced to where broccoli-head had just been, and low and behold, he was gone.

Katsuki grinned because here was the challenge he'd been craving all afternoon. A good rescue that they could tackle with ease. He leapt off the roof with a roar of triumph.

"Don't fucking leave me behind, shitty Deku!"

If only he knew that this rescue would be the start of something bigger. For inside that hell-raging inferno was something that they'd already lost.

Author: I'm not doing it. No. They sound gross.

Beta Reader: *bullies author in to adding tayto sandwiches even tho she hates the idea* it's Author: Can she make it any more obvious that she's Irish?

Beta Reader: they are an art form you have yet to understand