Momo still hadn't told her own parents of the events that had been transpiring in her life. Nothing about Katsuki or Itsuki reached their ears as far as Momo was concerned. As far as she knew. Her parents loved her dearly, but they were already of the opinion that she shouldn't have been in the hero course. The idea of her having a "child and partner" would be enough to send them over the edge.

She'd managed to convince them and keep them satisfied with her outstanding marks and rankings amongst the students of UA. Her placement in the Big Three of that year was vital for this argument as well. Momo didn't fear her parents finding out about Itsuki. She knew they would love the boy just as much as she had come to over the past few months.

She worried that they would insist on her giving up her budding hero career in order to settle down and be Katsuki's housewife. Katsuki was a prime marriage candidate; Momo knew this. Her mother would be all over him and his parents. And, knowing Mitsuki and Masaru now, the two of them would most likely be more than happy to oblige.

Father would most likely prefer her to marry a bureaucrat. However, Katsuki was most certainly going to be within the top ten hero rankings some day, if not the top three. She wanted to be right up there with him as a pro hero herself. But, she knew her father would see Katsuki's promising career and would want her to settle down and be his support system that way.

Her parents were wonderful and she loved them immensely; but they were terribly old fashioned. She wanted to be a working woman with her own career and the two of them could not wrap their minds around that. Just like she couldn't wrap her mind around her mother simply staying at home and tending to the manor while her father was their designated breadwinner.

Mother's old fashioned upbringing was becoming more and more apparent to her as well. More often than ever, mother would send her emails, letters, messages - all pleading with her to begin the marriage selection process! Momo couldn't help but scoff. She was hardly eighteen. She had no interest in being married; especially not to some young, rich heir who was most likely full of himself.

While not entirely appropriate, she found herself ignoring her mother's pleas. She had her hands full in the moment and didn't want to risk Itsuki being sent off, should she choose to settle down with one of her mother's marriage candidates.

This had gone on for some time… until her mother had apparently had enough.

The three of them had been gathered around one of the dining tables, a rare moment of the little pseudo family being left to their own devices, the rest of Class A seemingly away. Momo was startled as her phone began to go off.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she told the boys, neither seeming to mind much. She went to silence the device before seeing the familiar number on the screen. Feeling somewhat panicked she excused herself. "I have to take this… I'll be right back."

She picked up, noting the concerned look Katsuki gave her, and stepped away from the dining area, into the kitchenette.

"Hello, Mother…"

"Momo! Is there a reason you haven't responded to any of my letters I've sent you? You don't have to send me a signed document, but at least call or message me your thoughts and concerns on them?"

"Mother, I've told you plenty of times, I don't have thoughts or concerns on-"

"Momo! You'll have to stop ignoring my marriage candidates sometime and actually settle down!" her mother was ranting over the phone. Momo fought to roll her eyes; she loved and respected her mother, but had no intentions of getting married and settling down anytime soon. She was, quite literally, not even eighteen yet.

"Mother, that's unnecessary-"

"Well then get someone yourself. If you can bring me someone that you're set to marry, I'll stop arranging the wedding meetings! Until then, stop refusing to meet them. You could just find someone you like! Of course, as long as it's someone your father and I would approve of."

She saw Katsuki give her a concerned glance over Itsuki's head, helping the boy eat his pasta. He was making quite the mess and it was definitely a spectacle to see Bakugou Katsuki trying to keep the storm contained.

Momo smiled and offered a small wave.

"Yes mother… I'll be sure to do that."

"Excellent. I'll be speaking with you soon. Take care."

She sighed after hanging up.

"What was that all about?" Katsuki asked as she approached the dinner table.

Momo's brow creased a bit. "My mother." Katsuki's brows raised somewhat in surprise at Momo's sour tone. "She wishes for me to settle down and choose one of the many marriage candidates she's proposed to me."

Katsuki choked on his pasta and started coughing.

"Papa!" Itsuki patted Katsuki on the shoulder. "Don't die!"

"I'm good kid," he grumbled after a second. "What the hell-" Momo shot him an icy look, "-heck did she say all that for?"

"Well-"

"Yeah!" Itsuki interjected. "You guys are already married."

The three fell under a pregnant silence, Itsuki happily chewing on his food, while the adults exchanged a dumbfounded look over the boy's head.

"What… gave you that idea, squirt?"

The little boy seemed confused. "Huh? Why wouldn't you be? You're my mama and papa. Mamas and papas are married. Duh." He went right back to eating, acting like he didn't just pull the rug out from his two caretakers.

"Where… did you hear that from, Itsuki?" Momo asked, clearly concerned.

Itsuki gave her an odd look. "Um… the tv shows it all the time. All of those kids have parents and they're all married, so obviously you guys are too. You're so silly!"

Katsuki gave her a look that said "we're gonna talk about this later" and they continued with dinner, a somewhat awkward silence taking over.

The three of them prepared for bed - Katsuki assisting her had become a regular event - and as soon as Itsuki fell asleep, Momo and Katsuki retired to the living room area of the Third Year dorm. They began having nightly chats over decaffeinated tea or coffee after putting their boy to bed.

It started lightly. Katsuki admitted he never even knew her favorite color, always assuming it to be red. She admitted she was more of a fan of orange and he found himself agreeing. Momo asked if he had a favorite food. He informed her that it was spicy ramen.

Then it grew to heavier topics. Those kinds of late night talks where you truly tried to get to know a person on a deeper level. "What do you think is out there? We can't be the only things in the universe." "What do you think happens when we die?" "How do you deal with the pressure?"

Tonight the topic was her mother.

"So, your old bag-" he corrected himself after seeing her sharp glance, "-your mother is trying to force you to get married to some random ass scumbag?"

She took a sip of the tea she had prepared for the two of them, light and dainty, before answering. "My mother would never try to set me up with a 'scumbag'. However… it truly is unnecessary and… unwanted, admittedly."

"Tell her you don't want to, then."

"I have, Katsuki."

"Then I'll tell her."

She nearly choked as Katsuki took a long, contemplative sip of his own tea. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, Ponytail." She gave him another spine chilling look. "Listen, Momo. You're always trying to take care of anybody and everybody except your own damn self. Let me take care of you."

She felt warmth slowly creep into the flesh of her cheeks.

"Don't blush," Katsuki grumbled as he rubbed a hand roughly against the back of his neck. "You look like a damn peach when you blush."

"Then refrain from saying embarrassing things that would cause a person to blush, Bakugou Katsuki."

"It ain't embarrassing," he growled. "It's important. Just have me talk to her or something next time, alright? I'll set her straight."

"Katsuki, you know this is my mother, right? Not some random woman?"

"Yeah?"

"You absolutely cannot cuss out my mother!"

"Why the hell not? Sounds like she's being a prissy jerk who needs to be corrected. She wants you dating and married already? What? Are you not supposed to be allowed to build your hero career? You have the makings of a top ten hero, Momo. I refuse to just fucking sit here and watch you become some trophy wife for a dumbass bastard who just sits behind a desk to make his living."

Being able to look past Katsuki's naturally rough demeanor, sharp tongue, and dastardly language… Momo found herself incredibly touched at his thoughtfulness. She hadn't known he'd been quite that concerned for her…

"I'm sorry… you're right."

"Damn right I'm right!"

"Oh hush," she laughed lightly. "She told me to find someone myself if I'm going to ignore her marriage candidates."

"Oh. Well then what's the damn problem?"

"She won't stop insisting on her choices if I don't present someone to her and my father," Momo informed him, somber. "I don't know what else to do, Katsuki…"

He seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Date me then."

"W-what!?"

"Shh! Momo, do you wanna wake the kid?"

They both glanced over towards Momo's bed to find Itsuki still fast asleep. They were lucky that, once asleep, almost nothing could wake the boy.

"I'm sorry… but what on earth are you proposing?"

"You and me. We fake date until your mom gets off your back." Oh. "You tell her that you and I are an item. If I don't cuss a bunch around them and act like Best Jeanist tries to get me to be like, then I'll probably be a perfect 'marriage candidate' to satisfy your parents and get them to leave you alone. Then, once you're ready to actually try settling down, we 'break up' and you introduce your new boyfriend or whatever to them. Sounds like a decent idea to me."

"You… want us to fake date. To fool my parents and get my mother to leave me alone with her marriage proposals."

"Yeah. I think I'm a goddamn genius but it's up to you, Mo."

"... I… I think I'll have to take you up on that offer, Katsuki."