A/N/: you best strap yourselves in because this emotional rollercoaster is about to take off. Prepare for the whiplash. It's shorter compared to most of my chapters, but it's fricken roller coaster.
Just an FYI, I have no idea how the Japanese court system works, so I kinda just based it off of the American system. Wingin' it, bros.
Author: *writing the rollercoaster of emotions* I'm writing if you wanna join.
Beta: You nearly broke my neck and now asking me to join you?! Aight I'm in.
Katsuki
Ever since he'd escaped his failed, abusive marriage, there was something about hearing his ex-wife's name aloud that instilled a gut-wrenching fear in Katsuki. It was deep-rooted, this fear. Something he innately knew he'd always carry with him until the day either he or she gave up and croaked. He silently prayed that he outlived her so that he could have a few peaceful years without the cunt.
For now he'd have to suffer through hearing her name come from Yaoyorozu's cautious mouth. The woman looked at him with a hesitant gaze. Her fingers were knitted together as she watched him for any reaction. But she wouldn't see anything. Not if he could help it. He wouldn't let Kiruka destroy him. He didn't even know what Yaoyarozu had to say about her. Why the fuck was he freaking out?
"What about her?" he asked gruffly, schooling his features into a tense sort of indifference.
"Bakugou, I really don't think I should say without Camie and Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said. "It's, uh. I know Kiruka isn't exactly a light topic."
"I don't need them to be my emotional support dogs," he snarled, biting back that ripple of fear that coursed through him at her name. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."
"And I'm well aware of that, but I still think it's a good idea," Yaoyorozu insisted.
"Fine. What the fuck ever, Ponytail," he snapped. "Go get them. Don't trust me to handle my own emotions. I don't give a fuck."
"I'll be quick," Yaoyorozu promised.
The woman swept from the room and left Katsuki to his own devices. While she was gone, Katsuki went about raiding Camie's kitchen for tea. He didn't expect to find any, but lucky for him, Yaoyorozu had stocked up Camie's kitchen with some primo shit. He pulled down a jasmine blend of loose leaves and got to work on heating the water. Just when he was pouring his cup, Yaoyorozu returned with Camie and Deku on her heels.
"What's goin' on, Katsubabe?" she groaned as she threw herself down onto one of the kitchen chairs.
"Beats fuckin' me," he said, shooting a glare at Yaoyorozu. "Ponytail wouldn't tell me shit until you got here."
"I'm sorry, Camie," Ponytail stammered out. "I know you wanted to wait until we had more information, but I panicked."
"Oh," Camie said. Katsuki's eyes snapped to her. She looked much more grave than when she walked in. "Right."
"What the fuck do you mean, 'right'? I'm gettin' fuckin' pissed off," he snarled. "Spill or I'm out of here."
He clutched his teacup in his hand, the other propped against the counter. Deku stood right beside him, his body pressed against him. The greenette's warmth was comforting at the very least. It took the edge off of the anxiety that both Camie and Yaoyorozu's weird ass behavior threatened to make bubble over. He was grateful for his presence and the physical contact, too. Not that he'd ever fucking admit it.
"I'm sure it's nothing major," Deku said in some feeble attempt to break the tension. "Right Utsushimi? It's nothing major?"
"It's life changing," she corrected, her eyes finding Katsuki's. There went his anxiety. Skyrocketing through the clouds because Camie had a flare for fucking dramatics.
He swallowed. "Apparently it has somethin' to do with my ex."
Beside him, Deku visibly darkened. "Oh." His tone was short and clipped. He was pissed.
"Momo, why don't you start off," Camie said as she tangled a shaking hand through her messy blonde hair.
That wasn't a good sign, either. Add another point to his anxiety.
Yaoyorozu sat down at the table beside Camie, visibly tense. She cleared her throat.
"My agency has been working with a support company a few hours north these last few months. And one of the representatives came to the agency last week," she said.
Katsuki could already tell where this was going. Kiruka was staying in town. This was their warning to him to get him to stay away from her. Well, reality check, if Kiruka wanted to see him, she'd make it happen. He didn't need these two dumbasses trying to protect him and inherently making his fucking mental state an absolute shit show in the process!
"I don't need you two to warn me about Kiruka. I'm perfectly capable of handling her on my own," he snarled, pushing away from the counter. He set his teacup down and grabbed ahold of Deku's wrist. "C'mon, Green Bean. I don't need to hear this shit."
The scraping of legs on the tile floor immediately brought his attention to his dumbass best friend. And she looked pissed. She stood and pointed a finger directly at Katsuki's chest.
"Bakugou Katsuki, can you just shove your fucking pride for two seconds and listen?" Camie shouted, temper flaring. "You don't have everything figured out like you think!"
Katsuki stilled. Camie's temper was almost always in check. While she would make snide comments behind the occasional bitch's back, she almost always kept her head. It was his job to lose his shit. On top of that, she always never used his full name. It was always some dumbass nickname or just his given name. But both his surname and his given name? She was being more serious than he anticipated. And there went his anxiety yet again. Now it was at peak height, and if they didn't spill, he couldn't see himself coming down from this very easily. So, he masked his anxiety with an angry grumble and rejoined Deku on the edge of the counter.
"Spill it before I dip," he groused.
"Kacchan, just hear them out, okay? You know they wouldn't be doing this if it weren't important," Deku admonished.
He rolled his eyes and huffed before fixing his gaze on Yaoyorozu.
"As I was saying, Kiruka came to the office last week," she said hesitantly. "And when she came, she wasn't alone."
"I swear to god if you're telling me about her new boyfriend, I'll shank you both," he warned.
"Katsuki. Shut the fuck up!"
"Then get to the mother fucking point. Ya got my damn nerves through the fucking roof!" he snarled, finally admitting to the anxiety that had taken him over.
Deku squeezed his hand tightly. Their eyes met briefly, and Katsuki knew immediately what Deku's moon meant. Whatever this was, whatever bullshit was about to come their way, they'd do this together.
"She had a baby with her," Yaoyorozu said. "I don't know why she thought it was appropriate to bring a baby to work, but I didn't ask. Although, she was more than willing to share information on her child."
Katsuki's brows furrowed. He didn't understand why the fuck this was important to him. So what? Some sad fuck knocked her up. How was that his problem?
"She said she brought the baby with her because she didn't trust the childcare system, what with everything going on. And I'm no parent, so I can't exactly give a real opinion, but I thought it was silly. She brought a baby to a hero agency," she explained.
"Ponytail, Imma need you to get to the damn point cause you're confusing the hell out of me."
"Her baby was only five months old. And Bakugou, he had some really defining qualities. Like his spiky hair and red eyes."
Katsuki froze, his eyes widening and his lips parting slightly. What was Yaoyorozu trying to say? It couldn't be what he was thinking. That couldn't be possible. That would be some cruel, sick twist of fate. But they wouldn't tell him any of this if it wasn't that. Life changing, Camie had said. This information was life changing. His eyes zeroed in on the women across the kitchen from him. They had to be lying. This all had to be some big ass coincidence. It couldn't be true.
"She also said that the baby's father was out of the picture because he was too busy playing hero to fucking care."
That's not true, he thought. I'm not too busy. Not for Etsuki. Not for Deku.
"Bakubabe, Momo didn't connect it at first, not until she came over and told me about it. But… it sounds like the baby might be yours."
"This isn't possible," he stammered out, gut twisting in denial. "It can't be fuckin' possible."
If it was, that meant he'd left his child with that monster for three goddamn months!
"I'm trying to figure out how it's possible. From what I know, you two broke up two years ago."
Guilt twisted in Katsuki's gut. That information was entirely true, not that Camie knew that. Hell, the only person outside of himself, Kiruka, and the police who knew that he'd seen his ex-wife more recently was his therapist. He wasn't exactly open to sharing his bad decisions with Camie, despite knowing she would never judge him. And he definitely didn't want to talk about his sexscapades with Deku. That was a can of worms he was not willing to open.
Well. Until now. Now, that can would be opened whether he liked it or not.
"When was the last time you two got it on?" Camie asked oh so eloquently.
"A little over a year ago," he said quietly.
"That would fit the timeline pretty well," Camie said.
"But it was one time."
"That's all it takes, babes," Camie said.
"So, you're saying Kacchan has another child?" Deku asked, head cocked to the side.
Camie nodded. "Congratulations, Bakubabe. You have a son."
Katsuki's legs chose that moment to give up supporting him. He felt himself sinking to the floor, back sliding against the cabinets. And when he had solid ground beneath him, he slung his elbows over his knees. Deku was immediately at his side, hand searching for Katsuki's. He was grateful for him. For his support.
Katsuki froze, a new wave of unfounded fear spiking through him. What if Deku didn't want to stay with him because of this? What if he thought that a man with this much emotional baggage and two children was too much for him? What if he didn't want to involve himself with Katsuki anymore? What if he left? What if these consoling actions in the midst of this revelation were the last he'd ever get from Deku. It was too much for him to handle. He couldn't breathe.
"Kacchan, you need to breathe," Deku whispered to him, squeezing his hands tightly. "Take a deep breath for me. C'mon."
Katsuki inhaled shakily as Deku used to pads of his thumbs to gently wipe at Katsuki's eyes. When had he started crying? Well, the when wasn't the important part. What mattered was the why. He was crying because this was all too damn much. It was emotionally taxing to find out that he had a son whom he'd never met. Who he would have never had the opportunity to meet if it were not for Camie and Yaoyorozu. He was grateful to them beyond measure for telling him. He couldn't imagine the alternative.
He took in another shaky breath. "Why would she do this?" he asked softly in defeat.
Defeat. The great Bakugou Katsuki felt defeated. It was a rare emotion for him. He never lost battles against villains, but when it came to his bitch ex-wife, he would never win. She always found ways to screw him. To make sure that he was nothing but a pest beneath her boot. And here she was, hiding this, his child, from him. What sort is sick, twisted game was she playing at?
"She told me that, actually. She really overshared, to be honest," Yaoyorozu said. "I don't know why. She must have felt comfortable with me."
"What'd she say?" he asked.
"By not telling his father, she wanted to prove that he was a deadbeat. She wanted to prove to her son that you were a terrible father."
"But I'm not!" he argued.
And he wasn't. Katsuki worked so damn hard to prove that he was a capable father without the help of Kiruka. Not that she did very much parenting when they were together anyhow. For Kiruka to do something so horrible to try and prove something that was by no means true… Katsuki felt sick to his stomach.
"It's all really messed up how she thinks about him, babes."
"Yes," Yaoyorozu confirmed. "She named him Katsuo."
"That means victory, right?" Deku asked.
Yaoyorozu nodded. "She said that her baby is her victory over her ex, meaning you."
Katsuki shook his head. "This is all so fucked up. I can't fucking wrap my head around it."
"Yeah, babes. It was a lot for me to process the other day, too."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked. And while he should have been angry for the secret they kept, there was no bite to his words. He found that he couldn't spare enough space in his range of emotions to feel angry with Camie and Yaoyorozu.
"We wanted to be sure. Momo has been getting information about Katsuo for a few days now. She didn't find this all out at once. It's been a process."
He nodded.
"What're you going to do, Kacchan?" Deku asked.
"I'm going to get custody, obviously," he said. "That bitch won't keep my son. Not if I can help it."
"Did you want to see a picture of him, Bakugou?" Yaoyorozu asked. "I actually took one with him to show to you. Just in case he was yours. I asked her before I took the picture, too. I promise I wasn't being creepy."
He rolled his eyes at Yaoyorozu. "I don't give a fuck, Ponytail. Just show me the picture."
Yaoyorozu fished her phone from her pocket and immediately went digging through her camera roll. She gave a slight harumph of satisfaction as she found the picture she was looking for. She directed her phone toward Katsuki.
And there, on her screen, was Yaoyorozu and a smiling baby boy. He had shocks of bright red hair and most stunning of all here his bright red eyes. He had big, fluffy cheeks and a similar nose to both him and his mother. And he had the strong brow bone and cheek bones that Katsuki and his father shared. If Katsuki had any doubts before that this boy could be his son... Seeing his picture quashed them away.
Katsuki took Yaoyorozu's phone into his hand and stared at the picture.
"Katsuo," he whispered. "I'm going to bring you home."
Katsuki didn't sleep that night. How could he when his entire life had just been turned upside down? Even with Deku by his side in bed, he felt the weight and severity of the situation crushing him. He couldn't leave his son with Kiruka. If he wanted that baby to have any chance at a real life, he needed to get him away from her.
The next twenty-four hours were a whirlwind. His first stop was the agency. Deku had insisted he work with his legal team. They had a slew of lawyers that had sorted out plenty of legal situations for the agency. And despite not a single one being a family attorney, they at least had good connections and could find him one that wasn't going to screw him over. They were going to meet with him in the afternoon.
He also had to speak to the public relations team, for whom he'd been a complete nightmare to since he arrived at the agency. His meeting with them was that morning.
He sat alone in the conference room in one of the big, leather rolling chairs. He felt exhausted. A stressful night without sleep would do that to a guy. He was just relieved that his emotions were leaning more towards worried and anxious than angry. Anger was the last thing he needed when it came to this situation. He needed a level head or he'd fuck himself over entirely.
The door of the conference room open. Katsuki's eyes snapped toward it as Deku and the PR team walked in. Deku, naturally, took a seat beside Katsuki. His hand immediately went searching for the blond's beneath the table. Deku's hand was warm to the touch. It was strong and firm, and above all else, it was grounding. Deku was the force of nature that was keeping his sanity as the three representatives from the PR team looked him over.
"Hero Dynamight, it's nice to finally meet with you. I'm Kitagawa," one petite woman with a brunette bob said. "And these are my colleagues Ikeda and Morino."
Ikeda was a tall, slender man with bright blue hair and glasses while Morino was a tall woman with full lips, dark skin, and a neon green Afro.
"We represent the PR team here at Golden Might Hero Agency," she said.
Katsuki couldn't help but roll his eyes at the name of Deku's agency. He'd heard it a million times since he'd started there, but each time didn't make him think that Deku was any less of a fucking nerd.
"Thanks for meeting with us on such short notice," Deku said with a slight bow of his head.
"Anything for our two biggest headaches at the agency," Kitagawa said.
Katsuki furrowed his brows at her. "Well, you're fuckin' sassy."
"I could say the same about you," she replied.
"It ain't fuckin' sass. It's-"
Deku cut him off. "Kitagawa-san is one of the best in the business when it comes to PR. She's amazing at her job, and has spun a more than a few good stories."
"I was on All Might's PR team," she said.
Katsuki's brows shot up. Well, that was something to respect. This woman helped handle All Might's public relations. And she was as good Deku said, he could handle her sass.
"I don't plan to screw you over like some PR teams can do. I'm here to make the public love you while also maintaining a good relationship with you."
"What's the catch, though?"
"We need you to have a good relationship with us. Don't treat us like the enemy. We're here to help."
Katsuki nodded. He could do that, couldn't he?
"Now, what'd you need to talk about today?" Morino asked. "'Cause I'm just gonna say what we're all thinkin', sugar. You look like shit."
His eyes snapped to Morino with that neon hair of hers. We're all of the member of this PR team fucking sassy? Like, he got it. He looked like he just crawled out of some dead thing's ass, but he couldn't help it. He was stressed.
He flipped Morino off, which earned him a laugh from her.
"Just speakin' the truth, Dynamight," she said, raising her hands in mock surrender.
He rolled his eyes. "It's about my family," he said.
"Your daughter?" Kitagawa asked. "Because she's great for your image. As a hero, you're a force to be reckoned with. But she gives you this soft dad side that the public adores."
His brows shot up. He didn't realize that Etsuki was so great for his public image. He'd never once thought about how she'd make him look when he took her out. He just. Interacted with her as his child. Work was far from his mind when he was with her.
"Good to know," he said. "But no. It's not about Etsuki. It's about my son."
A stunned silence followed his words. The PR team seemed to be processing that bombshell he'd just dropped. He didn't blame them, either. He was still processing it himself. He doubted he would stop processing it until he actually saw Katsuo live and in the flesh.
"We weren't aware that you had a son," Ikeda said, clearing his throat.
"Until last night, neither was I," he replied.
"I need details," Kitagawa said, stress seeping into her voice. "I can't spin a story without details."
"My ex-wife and I shacked up over a year ago. One thing led to another. She got pregnant, but at the time I had yet another fuckin' restraining order against her for her bullshit that I ain't getting into," he said. "Last night I found out that she hid his existence from me as payback."
"And you plan to do what exactly?" Kitagawa asked.
"I'm getting fuckin' custody of my damn kid, that's what I'm doing," he snarled.
"So, we just need to be there when this gets released to help paint you as a doting father. Your relationship with your daughter really has that painted on its own."
He chuckled humorlessly. "When it comes to Kiruka, shit gets ugly. I'm sure she's gonna dig up some nasty shit about me. Just want you guys to be prepared for that inevitable shit storm."
He squeezed Deku's hand underneath the table. This man right here was going to keep him grounded through Kiruka's bullshit. There was no other way around it. Deku was his anchor. There was no way he'd survive this, survive seeing her again without him.
"Well, when it comes, we'll be ready as your PR team," Ikeda said politely.
Katsuki figured that he was the face of the team and not either of these two sassy women. They probably handled shit like stories.
"We'd rather be doin' preventative steps than damage control, sweetheart," Morino said. "So thanks for keepin' us in the know."
All three members of the team stood up and gathered their things.
"We'll be in touch once we have a plan," Kitagawa said. She headed toward the door, but just before she slipped out, she added one more thing. "And when you two finally decide what's going on between you, give us a heads up. That's another thing I'd prefer to be prepared for."
Katsuki shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the door shut behind the PR team. He already knew that he was going to have a love-hate relationship with Kitagawa. Sure, she'd be able to sort out his PR issues for him, but her sass and her ability to point out his mess of a relationship with Deku. Yeah. That put him on edge.
Deku seemed just as uncomfortable as he did. He twiddled his thumbs in front of him and gnawed on his lower lip. The actions screamed 'I have something I want to talk about but I'm not sure if I should mention it'. Typical fucking Deku.
"Spit it out, nerd," he said tiredly. "You got something on your mind. Might as well say it."
Deku's viridian gaze flicked upward to meet Katsuki's own. He looked nervous, as if he really didn't know if he should say it. Katsuki only raised his brows at him.
"I'm not gonna rip your head off, Deku," he said. "Just spit it out."
"Well, I, uh. I was just wondering what we were to one another."
"Oh. Yeah. Right," Katsuki said, swallowing.
That was the very question he'd been asking himself just the day before when he'd been getting ready with Camie. Fuck, that felt like so long ago. So much had happened since that moment. He couldn't comprehend it all.
"I know this is a horrible time to talk about all of this. Like, you definitely have more important issues to worry about. This is just something so small and so inconsequential. I shouldn't bring it up. But Kitagawa said something, and I couldn't help but think that maybe we should talk about it. And then I realized that you probably don't want to talk about it-"
Katsuki slapped his hand over Deku's mouth to stop the sudden onslaught of thoughts that were getting thrown his way. He could not handle that right now.
"I'm going to move my hand, and you're going to stay quiet so I can respond to all the shit you just spewed. Got it?" Katsuki asked.
Deku nodded, and hesitantly, the blond removed his hand from his lips.
"Jesus fucking christ. You still do that rambling shit when you're nervous," he grumbled. Deku shot him an apologetic look. Katsuki rolled his eyes in response. "You're never not gonna be a dumbass. Hope you know that."
"I know, Kacchan," Deku replied, the smallest of smiles playing on his lips.
"But you're my dumbass. You ain't gonna be anyone else's. I'll fight a bitch before I let them take you from me," he said.
Deku's tiny smile morphed into a beautiful, sunny grin that stretched across his freckled cheeks. Fuck. Katsuki would never get tired of looking at that smile - so long as it was always directed at him and never any other man.
"But Izuku... I have a kid - well, kids. Dating me isn't easy. We come as a package deal," he clarified. "And as much as I care about you, they're gonna come first no matter what."
"That never bothered me, Kacchan," Deku said. "And it never will. Etsuki is amazing, and I'm sure Katsuo will be just as amazing. I'd be honored to be in their lives."
"My daughter already loves you. I don't think she's gonna let you leave anytime soon. And I'm sure my son would love you, too. Honestly, I don't think I could do this whole custody thing without you," he admitted.
And with each syllable he uttered, Deku's gaze only got brighter, more hopeful. It melted his heart just a little. It was the same feeling he got every time Etsuki smiled.
"And considering we've done everything ass backward and we're already fuckin', I guess we can put a label on it, too."
"Are you saying that we can be boyfriends?" Deku asked, excitement laced in his tone.
Katsuki felt a blush creeping across his face at Deku's words. "Yeah. We can be boyfriends."
Before he knew what was happening, Deku was pouncing on him. He felt those soft, plush lips pressing into his. It was soft and tender and it was everything. Katsuki didn't hesitate. He pressed just as tender of a kiss back onto Deku's lips. It felt like a fairytale, and before today, he hadn't believed that fairytales were real. But if Deku was the prince in his fairytale, then he was sure he'd finally get his happy ending.
Deku didn't come with him for his chat with the lawyers. Mother fucker actually had to go to work and do his job as a hero while Katsuki figured out his personal life. The firm was in the center of Musutafu's business district where the buildings were big and the egos were bigger. He never really cared to be in this part of the city unless work called him there. He'd never once come here on a personal affair.
Well, that is until today.
The office was what some would call cozy. Katsuki found it stifling. It was all big, colorful, abstract paintings, plush couches and armchairs, and big, open windows. Even with the view, he couldn't help but feel closed in. Who could blame him? His nerves were on edge.
"Mr. Bakugou?" a pleasant voice called. Katsuki looked up. It was the receptionist he'd spoken to when he'd first come in. "Mr. Banno will see you now."
He nodded and stood, attempting to steel his nerves. It was now or never. He couldn't let this conversation wait. He followed the receptionist into a little conference room. There sat the presumed Mr. Banno. He was a tall, dark-haired man with a beak like a raven. He had dark eyes like a bird, too, and feathers protruding around his eyes like a mask. When Katsuki entered, he stood and bowed politely. Katsuki returned the gesture.
"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Bakugou. Or should I say Hero Dynamight," the lawyer said.
"Bakugou is fine," he said stiffly. "I prefer to keep my personal life away from work."
"As you rightfully deserve," Banno said. "Please, have a seat."
Katsuki took a seat across the table from Banno. It was stiff and uncomfortable. Or maybe it was him that was stiff and uncomfortable. He'd been having a hard time relaxing all damn day. It could be him and not the damn chair.
It didn't help that the lawyer he would have preferred to go with, the one that had handled Etsuki's custody case, had retired. It fucking sucked having to start fresh with all of this information to a new lawyer.
"My receptionist took down a bit of information when you called. You wanted to discuss custody of a child?"
"Yeah. Uh. I'm not exactly sure how to go about all this shit. It's kind of a mess," he admitted, his brows furrowed. "The last time I did this, it was pretty obvious who my daughter's custodial parent should be."
"Hmm... Explain the situation?"
"I think my ex-wife had my child, and she's kept it from me? But I'm not sure if the kid is mine?"
"Why do you think the child is yours?"
"His age, er, lines up with the last time we had sex and now. And uh, he's got my eyes all that crap. Hang on. I have a picture."
Katsuki dug out his phone and pulled up the picture Yaoyorozu had send him the night before. He turned it to face Banno, who studied it intently.
"The similarities are stunning," he said. "And who is the woman in the picture? Is that Pro Hero Creati?"
"Yeah. She's a former classmate of mine. She's the one who let me know about Katsuo," he said.
"And Katsuo is..?"
"That's his name. The baby. My son," he replied.
"Well, Mr. Bakugou, I believe that we could have a case here if we can prove your paternity. The first step is getting a court ordered paternity test."
"When can we do that? I don't exactly want her to have him very long. She's got a history of violence."
"That's actually very concerning. Any criminal record?"
Katsuki nodded stiffly. "Yes, she does."
"Well, we'll have to meet with a judge. And I'll have to get the paperwork together. We'll have to serve your ex-wife as well. It might take a few weeks to get that far. But considering you're a pro hero and her criminal record, I might be able to expedite the process to a week."
"I'd uh, I'd really appreciate that. Thank you," Katsuki said. "Really. You, uh, know my public image. I'm not great with people."
"Well, I'm here to make sure the right thing is done by the child," Banno said. "And if the things you've said about your ex-wife are true, then I'm sure the courts will make the right decision."
Katsuki hit the call button and put his phone to his ear. It rang twice before a feminine voice answered on the other side.
"Hello? Brat?" his mother asked.
He clutched his phone tightly in his hand. "Hey old hag... I'm outside with Aizawa. Let us in?"
Beside him, Aizawa snorted. "I'm not surprised that that's the way you talk to your mother, kid," he said. "Would it kill you to say please to her every now and again?"
Katsuki shot him a half-hearted glare. "Tch. Whatever. You're not my dad, old man."
"Considering I practically raised you through your teenage years, I'd say I could be," he said.
Katsuki scowled. He couldn't bring himself to look at Aizawa. He was right. He had gotten Katsuki scrape his way through his teenage years, and when suspension and possible expulsion were on the line during his second year, he'd fought for him to stay at UA. He owed Aizawa a lot, and considering what he was asking the man to do now, he owed him even more.
The door of his childhood home swung open to the flushed face of his mother.
"I could do with a little more warning next time, brat!" she said with a scowl. "While it's always a pleasure to have you Mr. Aizawa, my brat could give me a bit more notice. I could have put tea on."
Aizawa sent his mother a smile that was more of a grimace than anything. "No worries, Mrs. Bakugou. Katsuki's always been a bit of a brat."
"I tell myself that all the time," she said. "C'mon in. Katsuki, show him to the living room while I get some tea together."
Katsuki followed his mother into the house, toed off his shoes, and led Aizawa to the living room. He threw himself down on the couch with a heavy sigh. Aizawa sat down in one of the armchairs in the living room.
"Do you know how you're going to tell her?" Aizawa asked.
Katsuki looked at him miserable. "Not a fuckin' clue."
Katsuki had called Aizawa just after his meeting with Banno. Despite how he talked to his former teacher, he'd always considered Aizawa a second father to him. So when he'd gotten some spec of hope that he could get custody of Katsuo, he called him. He knew Aizawa would stand in his corner. He knew that he had some knowledge of the legal system.
He'd even agreed to come with him to speak to his mother about this all. Besides, Aizawa was a dad himself. He understood. He could help.
"She's going to be supportive of you no matter what, Bakugou," Aizawa said. "She's your mother."
"She's an old fuckin' hag," he said gruffly.
Immediately, there was a slap upside the back of his head. Katsuki let out a surprised growl and clutched his skull despite there not being any real pain.
"That's not how you talk about your mother, brat," his mother snapped as she came round with the tea. "Have some damn respect."
She poured three cups and handed them each one, but Katsuki opted to put his on the table in front of him. His mother sat down in the other armchair across from Aizawa.
"I'm stressed, dammit," he snarled.
"Why are you stressed, brat? You don't even have Etsuki today. Your dad has her for a grandpa granddaughter date," she said.
He snorted. "I wish Etsuki was my biggest problem."
"What do you mean?" his mother asked quietly, her brows furrowed.
Katsuki ran his hands over his face hopelessly. "I think I have a son, ma."
A frown formed on his mother's face. "Katsuki, please tell me you weren't sleeping around?"
He heard Aizawa chuckle, and he shot both his mother and his teacher a glare. "No, I wasn't sleeping around, hag."
"Then how do you explain having a son?" she asked.
"He's Kiruka's, ma."
The tea cup that was in his mother's hand fell and shattered on the floor over the living room. Her mouth dropped open and a strangled sound came from her throat.
"No, no. She can't. She can't have your baby. That evil bitch doesn't deserve to have children," his mother said, shaking her head.
"Unfortunately, Mrs. Bakugou, he's correct. Your son has a lawyer, and he's going to attempt to gain custody of him."
His mother stood from her chair and flung herself at Katsuki. He caught her in his arms as she locked him in a bearhug. From the sounds of her sniffling, he guessed that she was crying.
"I never thought I'd get one grandkid out of you let alone two," she sobbed.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to say that he didn't want Katsuo, but he could definitely say that he wasn't, by any means, planned.
"Yeah, yeah. I get that. Fuck off, hag," he grumbled.
"Mrs. Bakugou, I came along with your son because I'm going to be there with him during the court case-"
"And I need to watch Etsuki double time," Katsuki added, cutting Aizawa off. "Can't be a pro hero and a parent in court at the same time."
"Anything you need," she said before giving him one last squeeze.
"But ma. You can't tell Etsuki," he said as they pulled away from each other. "I don't want to get her hopes up and have somethin' fall through. It'd crush her."
His mother nodded. "My lips are sealed."
Just as Banno had promised, he'd been able to expedite the process to get them an initial hearing. It had only taken him a week. Katsuki was dressed in a tailored suit, one that he usually reserved for funerals and pro hero events. If the swat on the ass and the kiss Deku had given him this morning was anything to go off of, then he knew he looked fucking good.
Banno and Aizawa walked into the small courtroom with him. Deku couldn't be there. He had to be a hero and work. Two out of the top five heroes couldn't be off-duty so consistently. Deku could come to the major hearings. His parents were at home with Etsuki. They'd agreed to keep things as normal as possible for his daughter by being the ones to care for her while he went to these court dates. For now, Katsuki's main support would be Aizawa. He could do this. He had to for the sake of his family.
The first thing he did was look around. It didn't take him long to find her. Kiruka stood off to the side with her own lawyer. The sight of her caused fear to strike through Katsuki. It ran to his very core.
He was Bakugou Katsuki. He was Pro Hero Dynamight. He didn't get scared of thin women with sneers on their faces. He faced villains with terrifying quirks head on without hesitation. He went headlong into battles with a grin on his face because he enjoyed it. But Kiruka had the ability to terrify him with only her presence. And that in and of itself was so damn crippling. He found that he couldn't look at her very long because of the awful memories her presence invoked. So he looked away from her, at anything but her.
His eyes found the baby carrier that sat on the table behind her.
Katsuo. His son. He was right there across the room, but he was so far out of Katsuki's reach. He knew that if he even attempted to approach him, Kiruka would be up in arms against him. Despite his every instinct telling him to go to Katsuo, he resisted. He wouldn't jeopardize offending the judge or making himself out to be a bad guy.
He felt Aizawa's hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling, Bakugou?" he asked.
Katsuki wanted to admit to him that he was feeling anxious. That he couldn't physically stand to be in the same room as the woman who'd hurt him time and time again. But he resisted and put up a stoic front.
"I'm fine," he said in his usual gruff tone as he took a seat at the table that his legal team was assigned to.
Katsuki wasn't sure what he was expecting from the judge, but what he got definitely wasn't it. The man was older and mild-tempered. He also seemed completely unaffected by the fact that Katsuki was a pro hero. It was actually kind of nice to have the legal system feel unbiased. It meant that if there was an asshole hero trying to pull wool over the eyes of the legal system, they wouldn't get past this judge.
The proceedings actually went pretty damn smooth considering Kiruka was involved. It was all pretty typical of any other court case. Out of it all, however, there was one instance that stuck out to him, and that was when Kiruka took the stand.
Banno stood before her with a small pad of notes in his hands. Apparently those notes meant that he was armed to the teeth.
"Ms. Hasaki," he started, calling his ex by her surname. Katsuki didn't think she deserved such respect. Rotten cunt was a better name for her. "Do you know who the father of your child is?"
A sneer immediately curled onto Kiruka's lips, one that had been aimed at Katsuki countless times before. "No."
"Is there a possibility that the child is Mr. Bakugou's?"
"I'm not sure, your Honor. After our divorce, I had several boyfriends. Anyone of them could be the father."
"When was the last time you and your ex-husband had intercourse?"
Kiruka hadn't taken that question well at all. He was surprised that she'd kept her hair in check at all.
"I can't believe you're asking me, a lady, about my sexual experiences!" she roared, teeth bared.
Even though you literally just told the entire courtroom that you don't know who Katsuo's father is because you've been whoring around, Katsuki thought.
"Ms. Hasaki, might I remind you that this is a courtroom," the judge said from his perch. "Please take your tone down a notch and answer the question before I hold you in contempt of court."
"Sorry, your honor," she said as she smoothed her hands down over her hair, which had started to bristle. "The last Bakugou and I had sex was just over a year ago."
"And how old is your son, Ms. Hasaki?" Banno asked.
"Five months," she said tightly.
"So, that would put the date of conception to just over a year ago. Could that not mean that Mr. Bakugou has the potential to be the father."
And although she didn't look pleased about it, Kiruka admitted, "Yes, I suppose it does."
"No further questions, your Honor."
From there, it was simple. The judge ordered a paternity test to be done, and that was the end of it. All Katsuki had to do was get the test done. Once the results came back, they could proceed to a custody hearing.
But even if Katsuo wasn't his - which he doubted that anyone else could possibly be his father - Katsuki planned to fight for the kid. Kiruka was a horrible fucking human. She was the scum of the Earth and didn't deserve to have a child. It was his job as a hero to make sure villains like her didn't hurt anyone else. She'd hurt that baby if he remained in her care. He just knew it.
The judge left the courtroom after the court session was adjourned. Katsuki and Banno were collecting their things to go when Kiruka stormed right up to them, blue flames raging in her eyes.
"How fucking dare you!" she roared, hair standing on end. While none of it was poised to strike, it still left Katsuki on edge. "You dare question the paternity of my son?! You have no right!"
"I'm not fuckin' talking to you," Katsuki said, turning away from the woman.
Her words just begged him to say something more. His hold on his temper was fragile at best. He desperately wanted to put this bitch in her place. Everyone fuckin' knew she deserved it. But he was gonna be the responsible adult and ignore her for the sake of his family.
Apparently, that pissed Kiruka off even more.
"Katsuki, you deaf mother fucker!"
Again, he ignored her despite the jabs at both his patience and his hearing. He didn't want to see what her hair was doing behind his back. It was likely aimed right at his back, just as it had been through most of their marriage. And from the sound of her heavy breathing and snarls, he was right. And then, all of a sudden, she was outraged? Katsuki looked behind him, only to see Aizawa with glowing red eyes and hair standing on end. He'd activated his own quirk, effectively nullifying Kiruka's. She sent the older pro hero an infuriated look and jabbed a finger at him.
"Stay the fuck out of this," she snarled.
"No, I won't. This is a courtroom - not a sparring arena. Your quirk isn't necessary here so don't activate it," Aizawa replied.
Instead of responding to Aizawa, Kiruka picked the easier battle and aimed her sights back on Katsuki. "He is not your son Katsuki, and you will never get your hands on him!"
What little hold he had on his temper snapped as her words challenged his desires. She wouldn't get a say in any of this. This wasn't some petty battle that he was trying to have out with her. This was the life of a fucking kid! She'd already said in the past that she didn't want Etsuki! What made her have a sudden change of heart beyond finally getting a leg up on Katsuki? Fuck! This woman pissed him the hell off.
"If he is my son, then-"
Aizawa cut him off before he could even get going. "Then the paternity test will prove whether or not Bakugou is his father, and from there, the judge will decide where the child is best off."
With that, Aizawa grabbed hold his arm and dragged him toward the exit of the courtroom. Banno was hot on their heels, having gone quiet through the whole argument with Kiruka. It was probably best that way. The poor guy didn't need to get involved in Katsuki's drama more than he already was.
As Aizawa dragged him out, Katsuki craned his neck to catch one last glimpse of Katsuo. All he heard were the infant's cries, probably startled from the argument that he and Kiruka had had. It broke Katsuki's heart to leave him there.
Soon, mini-gremlin, he thought. Soon you'll be away from that bitch.
Once they were out in the hall, Banno dismissed himself with a promise of calling Katsuki as soon as the results of the paternity test were in. That left only him and Aizawa. The older man didn't stop walking, though, until they were several hallways away from the courtroom and well enough out of Kiruka's earshot to be safe.
"Why'd you stop me back there?" Katsuki asked, whirling in Aizawa as soon as they were alone.
"Because your behavior would have only provoked her," he said simply.
"Yeah? And? Anything I say will fuckin' provoke that broad," he snarled childishly. "I tried to ignore her, and you saw how that turned out."
"You need to ignore her entire, Bakugou. Don't say a word to her."
"Well, it's fuckin' hard to do that."
"Try harder. You can't provoke her. From what you've told me, your ex-wife has no impulse control and will attack you if she wants. And you know you won't fight back."
Katsuki's mouth suddenly felt dry. He couldn't find the words to negate Aizawa's statement. They were true, and he fucking hated that they were. He knew he wouldn't fight back against Kiruka because at some point he'd loved her. And love did scary things to a person. It made thoughts illogical. And evidently, Katsuki became fucking stupid when it came to that woman. He should have fought back against her a long time ago. He shouldn't have had sex with her.
And it wasn't as if he didn't want the little red-haired mini-gremlin. Fuck. Now that he was here, Katsuki wouldn't trade him for the world. But he could at least say that this entire situation was preventable.
Still, Aizawa's words were true. He'd never fight back against Kiruka if he could help it. He was too damn weak.
"You don't know shit, old man," Katsuki eventually settled with.
"I'm sure your scars prove my point well enough, Bakugou," Aizawa said with a sigh. "Get your head out of your ass. You know that it wouldn't make you look good if you started a fight with her. If you want to win this custody battle, you need to keep a level head."
"Look, I get it. You don't think I know this? This isn't the first time I've dealt with custody bullshit, you know," he snapped.
Aizawa sighed wearily and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah. I know," he said. "You and Midoriya were always my problem children. I don't know why I thought graduation would stop that."
Katsuki snorted. "I could ask you the same damn thing."
"Let's get lunch, problem child. I need lunch and a nap after that," he said with a disgruntled look.
"Alright. But you're buyin'. Banno and my parents ain't cheap."
He and Aizawa settled down in a little café not far from the courthouse. It was tiny, and honestly, there were too many people that recognized both him and Aizawa as they settled down at their table. Before they even placed an order, three different civilians asked them for autographs. Katsuki was about to fucking flip shit.
He tore his tie from around his neck and tossed it down on the table before thumbing open the top two buttons of his shirt. He then leaned back in his chair, face looking up toward the ceiling.
"This is the one thing I hate about being pro," he grumbled.
"It doesn't stop, either," Aizawa droned.
"There's days I'd rather just tell 'em to fuck off."
"Another reason you're a problem child."
"It's the PR team's problem to deal with," he said with a shrug.
"Have you even met your PR team?"
"Yeah, actually. Fuckin' last week."
"Surprise, surprise," Aizawa said.
Katsuki rolled his eyes and settled with looking over the menu. They sat there for a while, content with the silence. They both lived loud lives, with Aizawa being married to Present Mic and Katsuki having a kid. Silence was welcome. The waitress came and went, bringing drinks with her.
Aizawa was the one to break their calm silence. "How are you feeling about today?" he asked.
Katsuki frowned at the question. There were a lot of emotions to describe the day, stressful being at the top of the list. Right after that came infuriating and depressing. But the judge had at least ordered the paternity test. He was going to get through this. He had a chance to save his son from that she-devil.
"Optimistic, I guess," he said.
"Better than when you walked in," Aizawa replied.
"Yeah, I guess it-"
A police officer's radio sounding off at a nearby table disrupted their conversation. The natural hero instincts in Katsuki froze his words on his lips and tuned him into the radio. The dispatcher's voice came off warbly on the radio, but he was still close enough for Katsuki to make it out with his hearing aids.
"We need all nearby units to respond to a house fire in residential Musutafu…"
The rest of the sentence was a blur after the dispatcher read out the address of the fire. It was familiar. Too familiar. He couldn't bear to hear it coming from that warbly voice.
The address was his.
Katsuki was barreling out of the cafe faster than he could think, Aizawa close on his heels.
"Bakugou! Stop!" Aizawa shouted after him.
But it was too late. Katsuki was blasting off from the ground, heading in the direction of home. His heart was racing, and his thoughts were incoherent. He couldn't get himself to focus on anything but the one person that made up his entire world. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a cruel sick joke. He prayed to whatever shitty gods that were out there that he'd heard wrong. That this wasn't happening to him.
Regardless, he had to get to her. He had to get to Etsuki. He had to confirm that she was okay, that his shitty hearing had scared him for nothing.
His phone rang in his pocket, but he didn't answer. He let it ring and ring to voicemail as he blasted himself across the sky. It was probably Aizawa, calling to tell him not to act rashly. But when it came to Etsuki, he'd destroy mountains. Anything to ensure her safety.
The wind whipped across his face as he soared through Musutafu. He was going faster than anyone else around him, but it wasn't fast enough. Not nearly enough. It took him ten precious minutes to get home. And when he got there, he was met with a horrifying sight. It stopped him dead in his tracks, a mixture of dread and terror crossing his features. He stood on the sidewalk, limbs slack and jaw open.
His house, the one he and Etsuki had only moved into back in August, was up in flames. The little place he'd come to call home these last few months was burning to the ground, soon to be nothing but ash. But the house itself wasn't the significant part. No. The flames were. They were the bright blue color that was a key characteristic of the quirk Cremation. It was a quirk yielded by none other than Dabi from the Paranormal Liberation Front.
The fear that was building inside of Katsuki exploded.
"Sir! You need to- Dynamight!" a familiar voice said. Katsuki turned to face the owner, only to see a wide-eyed Tsukauchi.
"Tell me she's not in there, Tsukauchi!" Katsuki roared, panic overtaking all of his self control. "Tell my my daughter isn't in that fucking inferno!"
"The fire department and Deku are in there now. They already brought one man out, but he was unconscious."
Just then, someone came barreling into him, wrapping their arms around him in a hug. Katsuki briefly hoped for his child, but those hopes were quickly crushed when his brain took in the height and weight of the person. Stunned, he looked at them only to see his mother. He wrapped his arms around her as that pit of dread continued to grow inside of him. They'd rescued his father. Here was his mother outside of the inferno without an ounce of soot on her. But where was Etsuki?
"Where is she?" he asked, pulling his mother away from him. when she didn't respond, he asked again, "Ma. Where is Etsuki?"
She let out a sob and shook her head.
Katsuki pushed past her and ran for the house. He didn't care that he didn't have gear. He didn't care that he was off duty. As a parent, he was never off duty. And if his daughter was in there, he was going to find her.
Just before he could get to the door that was missing from its hinges, someone else barreled into Katsuki. His shoulder hit the pavement with a crash, but he ignored the pain in favor of sending an explosion at his assailant.
"Kacchan! Stop!" Deku's voice commanded.
Crouching over him was Deku in all of his sooty glory. The stance he took was a protective one, and before he knew it, the greenette was tearing away. He barreled across Katsuki's front yard toward none other than the Cremation user himself, Dabi. Etsuki wasn't with him.
Katsuki looked around. The PLF wouldn't have left her in the house. She was no use to them- No! He refused to even entertain the thought that Etsuki was. He swallowed and scanned the skies instead. If Dabi was here, it was likely that she was still close.
He spotted a figure running across the roof of his neighbor's house only a moment later. His sights narrowed in on them and without thinking, he went after them. His explosions had him on the roof in only a moment. He tore after the figure, using his quirk to propel him forward. And when he got closer, he saw the blond curls waving in the wind.
"Ms. Nakamura!" Etsuki's little voice called. "It's Daddy! Stop! Daddy's here!"
But the woman holding his daughter - Ms. Nakamura - didn't stop. Instead, she ran faster. He snarled in anger and sent another shockwave of explosions through his palms. He could already feel a soreness building in his forearms. The flight here had not only burned up some of his sweat supply, but had also left him feeling tired. Fuck his weak ass body. He needed to catch that lying bitch Nakamura before he got the fuck away with his daughter.
Etsuki seemed to realize something was wrong when Ms. Nakamura. She began shouting.
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" she hollered while she beat her little fists into Nakamura's chest.
Katsuki looked at her with wide eyes as he barrelled closer. Why wasn't her quirk going off? Usually, when she got upset, her quirk would shoot off like firecrackers. But it wasn't activating at all. What was going on?
"Put me down! Daddy! Help!"
The way that she screamed to him and cried for his help tore at his heart. But he couldn't afford to lose focus. Not when they were less than ten feet from him. He gave himself one last burst of explosion. His body ached for him to stop. His forearms were on fire. Sweat beaded its way down his forehead. His heart hammered in his chest. He was running on next to no sleep and adrenaline. But he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop. That last explosion got him close enough for him to reach out and grab Nakamura. But before he could, another figure joined the fight. Katsuki took one look at him and knew who he was.
The Pied Piper.
A snarl grew on his lips as he reached out and grabbed Etsuki. Immediately, her shouts and cries died on her lips. She grew eerily quiet as a blank expression fell over her tear-stained face.
Katsuki sucked in a sharp breath.
"Get your mother fucking hands off of her!" he roared as he closed the gap between himself and Nakamura.
"I don't think I will," the Pied Piper said with a big, ugly grin on his face. "I think I'd quite like to keep this little doll. She's mine now."
The woman's quirk suddenly roared its big, ugly head. Tendrils of white energy burst from her body, blocking off his path to the Pied Piper and Etsuki. Those tentacle things went straight for him. Katsuki blasted at them, shooting himself up into the air in the process.
In those two seconds he took his eyes off of his daughter, a portal opened up. The Pied Piper took two steps back, waving as he went with Etsuki in his arms.
"Goodbye, Dynamight," he said.
The portal closed and then, he was gone.
It only took him a moment to process what happened. And at that moment, something in Katsuki broke. In its place was anger. No. Fury. It was something white and hot and dangerous that boiled up inside of Katsuki. His breaths came out harsh and ragged as he advanced toward Nakamura. He felt explosions crackling in his palms. They were small at first, but they quickly became large and untamed on that rooftop.
"BRING HER BACK!" he roared at the top of his lungs. His demands were louder than the explosions bursting in his palms. "BRING HER THE FUCK BACK YOU FUCKING BITCH!"
There was fear in Nakamura's eyes as he came closer and closer still. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted to feel her bones break beneath his hands. And he would have fucking ended her if a set of strong arms didn't wrap around him in a bearhug, pulling his back. He fought against the hold. He fought to get to her, the bitch who had sentenced him to this hell that he was living. But it was too strong.
Crackles of green lightning told him just who was holding him back. He was dragged away from Nakamura as other pro heroes worked at subduing the woman. And as Deku pulled him away from the fight, whispering calming, reassuring words into his ear, Katsuki screamed. He screamed at the top of his lungs as tears rained down from his eyes. The fury he'd felt just moments ago was gone, and all he felt now was pain. He ached for his daughter who had been stolen right in front of his eyes. His heart was shattering into thousands of tiny pieces because his daughter had just been reduced to yet another name on the list of the children that he'd lost.
A/N/: I'm sorry