A/N: Oh, man, this underwent…five revisions. I was so close to posting the previous version of this until I re-did my research regarding Japan's judicial and prison system and realized that I'd have to rewrite the chapter because there'd be a bit of an unreasonable plot hole. Thankfully, I managed to salvage most of this chapter to still communicate what I wanted to intend.
In the previous chapter's comments on AO3, I mentioned how I had various parts written that could've been for Chapter 9 and Chapter 10, but I decided to combine all of it into Chapter 9 due to the AO3 complaints on Chapter 8 regarding the lack of progression between Katsuki's and Tsuyu's relationship.
Also, I will say that at the time I planned this chapter, it was before I found out about the 5-year age gap between Mitsuki and Masaru, so that part of canon will not be part of this story. Horikoshi has yet to share more information about Hisashi Midoriya at this point in time, so there's a chance that what I have planned for this chapter will conflict with canon as well.
Anyway, here are some general disclaimers and cultural notes (if you'd like to see my sources and links, please go to the AO3 version of this chapter):
• I did my best to research Japan's judicial and prison system, which is not the same as the U.S.'s judicial and prison system. I am not a lawyer, nor have I lived, experienced, or studied Japan's criminal justice system for me to truly represent it in depth for Change of Heart. This means that there may be some inconsistencies, especially since laws are changing as time passes.
• Japan's prison system is meant to rehabilitate people who are incarcerated. However, the treatment that people who are incarcerated receive is still strict and quite horrid due to the "hostage justice" notion implemented into the Japanese system. (This "hostage justice" system has changed for the better now.) For my fellow Americans, the best way I can explain it is that in the U.S., there's a saying that's called "innocent until proven guilty," which means that anyone who is accused of a crime is innocent until there is evidence that proves they are guilty. (Naturally, we Americans have seen this rightfully backfire when people who should be incarcerated for their horrible crimes are not.) In Japan, their notion is more like "guilty until proven innocent," but even after being proven innocent, you're forever branded and marked as a guilty person—so, in a way, "once accused guilty, forever guilty." If any of you have played Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royale, then you'll have a better idea of understanding what I mean.
• Most likely due to Japan's penal system, conjugal visits are not allowed. This differs from the U.S. where unless the individual is incarcerated at a federal prison, then depending on the state, conjugal visits are allowed. However, according to the Japan Federal Bar Association (JFBA) as of November 2016, this may have changed due to past advocacy to improve individuals' livelihoods while incarcerated since visits from immediate relatives are now allowed and letters can be sent and received, but letters could still be censored by the prison.
• Fuchu Prison is a real prison located in Fuchu, Tokyo, and it only has men who are incarcerated there. If the name of this prison sounds familiar to you, it's because this is the prison that tends to hold the most male foreigners who are incarcerated. That said, notable yakuza men have been incarcerated at Fuchu Prison before, which is partially why I decided to use this prison. You can read more information on what Fuchu Prison is like at the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Japan.
With all that said, enjoy!
Change of Heart
Chapter 9: Familial History
The afternoon of Saturday, December 1 came, and there Katsuki was with Izuku; Eijiro; his mom, Mitsuki; and Izuku's mom, Inko, at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant seated in a booth.
It was fun and nice—to sit with the people who he considered as family and, for a moment, to forget about the stresses of college and trying to get by.
Of course, it helped that he wasn't paying for the food, but that was just a small bonus.
As he heard Mitsuki and Inko happily chat, Katsuki heard the familiar LINE notification from his phone.
"Katsuki, what did I tell you?" Mitsuki asked dryly with a raised eyebrow. "No phones while we're hanging out for my birthday, remember?"
"My bad," Katsuki replied with a grimace as he pulled his phone out. "I forgot to silence my phone."
"Kacchan forgets stuff sometimes," Izuku added with a grin.
"You do?" Eijiro asked, furrowing his brow before he grunted in pain.
"Are you alright?" Mitsuki asked, her eyes wide as she placed a hand on Eijiro's shoulder.
"Yes, I'm fine, ma'am," Eijiro grumbled with a grimace.
"Are you sure?" Inko added, already rummaging in her handbag. "I have some stomach medicine—"
"No, ma'am, I'm totally fine!" Eijiro then exclaimed before giving a sheepish grin when he realized he said it a bit too loudly. "Seriously, I'm okay!"
"Oh, hush, you better not be hiding it! I can run to the pharmacy and be right back before you know it!"
"Inko, please, I think you're scaring the poor boy," Mitsuki said as she laughed at Eijiro's distraught face.
Katsuki took this moment to check a group chat LINE message from Izuku—who he noticed had been on his phone a couple of times for a while, but he didn't think much about it until now because he thought maybe Izuku was chatting with Ochaco.
Do you both have time after this? Izuku texted. I want to talk to you guys about something.
Katsuki frowned.
"What's wrong, honey?" Mitsuki asked, this time in concern.
Katsuki put his phone away and then drummed his fingers to a beat on the table, pretending it was in tune with the restaurant music they heard. "Nothing, Mom. Just a classmate asking for help on homework."
"Even on a weekend? Oh, man, I don't miss our college days at all, Inko…"
"Now, now, Mitsuki," Inko replied with a laugh. "We don't have to bring up our days with the boys here."
"Why? Because it makes you feel old?" Mitsuki teased with a large grin.
"Mitsuki!"
Mitsuki cackled as Inko sent her a deadpan look.
Meanwhile, Katsuki glanced at Eijiro, who nodded before devouring more sashimi, and Izuku, who sent his thumbs-up underneath the table.
Katsuki, Mitsuki, and Eijiro had gone over to Izuku's home later that evening, and he hadn't gotten a chance to privately talk to Izuku yet. While Mitsuki and Inko started cooking dinner—because despite having sushi for lunch, they both wanted to bond and cook dinner for their sons and Eijiro—Izuku, Katsuki, and Eijiro decided to go hang out in Izuku's room.
By the time Katsuki had gone upstairs, despite how all right Izuku was when they entered the home and Katsuki helped lay out the groceries for their mothers to cook dinner, he found Eijiro already looking out the window and commenting about the nice sunset and Izuku sitting at the desk he had seen him sit at numerous times to study or geek out over his comic books—but this time, his posture slumped, his head in his hands as he hunched over.
Katsuki closed the door behind him before he let out a sigh. "So? How are you faring?"
"Yeah, man, considering how you stepped on my foot," Eijiro said with a slight frown. "That hurt, you know!"
Izuku didn't respond.
At that, Eijiro's frown faltered, and he glanced at Katsuki in concern.
"I know you when you're suppressing how you're feeling, you know," Katsuki added after sighing.
"I know," Izuku replied, just barely audible in the silence of the room.
Katsuki pursed his lips. "What happened?"
Izuku stayed silent.
"Deku—"
"I don't know what to do," Izuku interrupted, still not facing Katsuki and Eijiro.
Katsuki furrowed his brow in confusion. "About?"
"Dad."
Katsuki stiffened, and Eijiro's face blanched.
"I found letters, guys," Izuku whispered, his voice strained before he finally swirled around, his face in anguish. "Letters he had been sending to Mom since he's been in prison."
Katsuki's gaze softened. "Deku—"
"Mom doesn't know that I found them," Izuku interrupted hastily, and for once, Katsuki was thankful that Izuku's room was upstairs, far away from the kitchen where neither of their mothers could overhear. "I-I was just helping Mom clean up and do chores yesterday, and I saw some old mail Mom left around that I guess she hadn't put away yet, and I saw something from a prison, which confused me until I saw Dad's name, and I just—"
"Midoriya," Eijiro interrupted as he moved forward, his gaze steady this time as he gently grabbed Izuku's arms. "Come on, man. Look at us, and just breathe."
Izuku inhaled and then exhaled for what seemed like a long time, but it was enough to steady himself. He pursed his lips and let out another sigh. "Sorry, I just—I just panicked at the time, but I didn't know what to do, and I figured you were asleep, so I thought I should wait until today—"
"We know," Katsuki replied before he sat on Izuku's bed. "When it comes to your old man, you get like this. You don't have to apologize."
"Bakugo's right, man," Eijiro added, his gaze still in concern. "This is about your old man, after all. If anything, it'd be more concerning if you didn't react to this."
Katsuki watched Izuku's lips quiver for a few seconds after Eijiro released his grip on him. "Did you get to see what's inside the letters?"
Izuku slowly nodded.
"What did they say?"
"I…I guess Mom's been sending him letters without me knowing because he wrote about how much he still loves her." Izuku paused, his lips pursing further as his face dropped in anguish. "And how much he still loves me and cares for us."
"And what else did he say?" Katsuki replied, his voice softer.
"He wished he could see us, but he can't because of how strict Fuchu Prison is because of who he is." Izuku paused, his lips pursing as his voice temporarily broke. "And he said how he wishes he could see how grown up I am now."
Eijiro placed an arm around Izuku in comfort. "Midoriya…"
"A-And that's not the only thing I found, too."
"What else did you find?" Katsuki asked.
Izuku frowned and averted his gaze. "You might get upset, Kacchan."
At this, Katsuki furrowed his brow in confusion, even more so when Izuku finally looked at him. "Deku, what are you talking about?"
Izuku hesitated again, his gaze flickering between Katsuki and Eijiro.
"Midoriya," Eijiro said, moving his arm off Izuku. "Why would Bakugo get angry at you"—Eijiro gestured in emphasis to Izuku—"of all people?"
"Not me. I…I meant at what I found."
"What are you talking about?" Katsuki asked, this time approaching Izuku and narrowing his eyes as he tried to figure out what Izuku was implying—but nothing came to mind. "Spit it out, Deku."
Izuku sighed, this time in defeat, and he stood up and went to his bedside drawer.
Katsuki heard the fumbling of papers, pens, and who knew what else he kept in there with how often Izuku stayed up late to study—and finally, he saw Izuku hold a photograph with the white background facing him and Eijiro.
"You might get upset," Izuku said, his gaze hesitant. "So you got to prepare yourself—"
"Deku—"
"I mean it, Kacchan." Izuku paused. "So, brace yourself."
Katsuki let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'm ready."
"Okay," Izuku mumbled, and he hesitated again. "So, I didn't just find letters… I found a photo from when our moms were teenagers, Kacchan."
"And?"
"Is it related to your old man?" Eijiro asked, his tone hardened.
Izuku nodded. "But…not just mine."
Eijiro blinked a few times, and he furrowed his brow. "What?"
"It's related to Kacchan's dad, too."
"Say what?"
Katsuki's eyes widened, and he snatched the photograph from Izuku's hands without hesitation.
In the photograph, he saw four people standing against the railing in the sunset arching over a river. From left to right, he could see Mitsuki as a teenage girl wearing joggers and a hoodie with her hair up in a ponytail as she yelled at the river, then Inko as a teenage girl dressed in a light green sundress during what seemed like a hot summer evening as she laughed at what looked like Mitsuki's antics while holding down her hat, then a light-skinned teenage boy with white hair and red eyes whose loving gaze was captured toward Inko as he leaned against the railing, and finally…
"What the hell?" Katsuki mumbled.
Izuku's gaze softened. "Kacchan…"
"What the hell is this?" Katsuki exclaimed as he stared at the photo.
There, next to the white-haired teenage boy, was another teenage boy who had one arm around the white-haired boy's shoulder and grinned at the camera. His gentle brown eyes, his dark brown hair, his tan skin—everything about him, Katsuki recognized in an instant.
His father, Masaru Bakugo.
"What the hell is this?!" Katsuki yelled, hoping something would make sense from this photograph as he felt Eijiro's presence and could tell that even Eijiro stiffened upon seeing the photograph.
"Kacchan, I don't know," Izuku stressed, his voice strained. "Mom never told me that our dads knew each other—"
"Yeah, well, Mom never told me shit, too," Katsuki spat before he shoved the photograph into Izuku's chest, and he could feel his long-time emotions begin to run haywire. "This is such bullshit—"
"Whoa, Bakugo, man, calm down," Eijiro gently reminded.
Katsuki stiffened, and he tried to recollect himself because Eijiro was right. He had to calm down. This wasn't about him, nor was he going to make it about him.
The person hurting the most here was Izuku.
"My bad," Katsuki mumbled after letting out a deep sigh. "I just…"
"I know," Izuku said, his empathetic gaze present. "I just wanted to let you know because it felt wrong to hide it from you, Kacchan."
"Yeah, I know," Katsuki replied before he paused. "Thanks for telling me, Deku."
"So, are you going to talk to your mom about, you know, my dad's connection to yours?"
Katsuki let out a long sigh, pursing his lips again. "I don't know."
"You can talk to your mom whenever you're ready," Eijiro added.
"Yeah, I know, but…" Katsuki let out an aggravated sigh. "Now that I think about it, it suddenly makes sense now."
"What do you mean, man?"
"Why Mom's asshole ex kept picking fights with me," Katsuki grumbled. "If he knew Dad's connection to Izuku's old man, then it explains why he kept saying all that bullshit about me being a delinquent and everything."
"I hate that guy," Eijiro retorted, narrowing his eyes.
"I thought you hated Deku's old man."
"No, your mom's asshole ex is #1. Izuku's old man is, like, #2."
Katsuki snorted in response.
Izuku frowned. "Wait, Kacchan, do you think your dad was a delinquent? Mom kind of hinted to me that Dad was a bit…wild when they met as teenagers. Although, they look normal in this picture."
"I don't know," Katsuki replied, shrugging. "Mom never said anything."
"My mom never said anything either," Izuku mumbled.
Katsuki let out an aggravated sigh. "Why am I dealing with this bullshit before the new year on Mom's birthday of all times? This is all your fault, Deku."
Izuku blinked before letting out a laugh at Katsuki's deadpanned look. "Yeah, it's all my fault that you got to learn more about your family history."
Katsuki snorted. "By the way, are you going to tell Uraraka?"
Izuku's face dropped. "About Dad, you mean?"
Katsuki nodded.
Izuku pursed his lips.
"You and I both know that she won't judge you for it if that's what you're scared of."
Izuku let out a small laugh. "Is my anxiety about it that obvious?"
"It's pretty damn obvious, yeah." Katsuki paused. "But to be fair, I think anyone would be worried in your position. It's not every day that you're the son of All for One, one of the most renowned, infamous criminals throughout Japan, after all."
"Damn, dude," Eijiro said, wincing a bit. "When you put it like that, that's kind of…"
Katsuki sent him a deadpan look, which shut Eijiro up and made him look elsewhere.
"It's not just her judging me that I'm scared about, though," Izuku replied, his look solemn, bringing both Eijiro's and Katsuki's attention to him again.
Katsuki blinked before raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"I'm scared that she'll leave me."
Katsuki stiffened. He blinked a few times, pursing his lips, before sighing. "She won't leave you—"
"That's what I thought, too, back when we were kids, until everyone left me and none of the parents wanted their kids to interact with me, the son of the All for One." Izuku paused. "Except you, Kacchan. You were the only one who kept playing with me and hanging out with me. You were the only one who stood up against those big bullies who made fun of me—"
"You forget one thing."
Izuku blinked. "What?"
"You stood up to them, too, when they made fun of me for not having a dad."
"Kacchan—"
"You're braver than you think, and don't you think that the fact that you think Uraraka's going to leave you if you tell her is a little undermining?"
Izuku pursed her lips. "I mean, well, when you put it like that…"
"Bakugo's right," Eijiro replied before he scowled. "Man, the people you guys were around during childhood were horrible. If I ever see them again, they're getting it from me."
"One of them was in my chemistry class," Katsuki said.
"What?! And you tell me this now?!"
Katsuki shrugged. "I'm over it by now, but if he dared to do it again to Deku, I would've decked him with no hesitation."
"Kacchan, you can't solve everything with violence!" Izuku exclaimed.
"He had one chance to make it up to us, and he never apologized to either of us, so if he interacted with us again and spread any shit about you, I would've known it was him." Katsuki paused before sighing. "Look, this is beside the point. You trust Uraraka, don't you?"
"I…I do."
"Do you love her?" Katsuki asked without hesitation, and he could see Eijiro's shocked face—not at the sudden question, but because he knew what Eijiro was thinking.
Izuku's eyes widened, and he became flustered once more. "I-I—wait, why? That came out of nowhere! Kacchan!"
"I'm serious," Katsuki said, undeterred. "Do you love Uraraka?"
Izuku's jaw dropped before he pursed his lips and then smiled. "Yeah, I do. I love her. I love her as a friend. I love her as someone more than that. It's why I'm scared of telling her."
"She'll understand." Katsuki paused. "You got to tell her, you know."
"I know," Izuku mumbled.
"When are you thinking of telling her?"
"About my feelings?"
"Well, that, and about your dad." Katsuki paused. "Although, uh, you should probably tell her about your old man before confessing."
"Fair point," Izuku replied, letting out a laugh before he sighed. "I…I got to think about how to tell Uraraka."
"When you're ready?"
"Yeah," Izuku mumbled as he gazed at the floor. "When I'm ready."
Katsuki knew that Eijiro had glanced at him—had given him the look, one that had questions and was confused at Katsuki's behavior just now—and, deep down, Katsuki didn't know why, but he felt too much weight on his shoulders and the shock still going through his system that, to be quite honest, his past feelings for Uraraka were the last thing on his mind.
The following Sunday morning, Katsuki's conversation with him, Eijiro, and Izuku continued to nag at Katsuki's mind as he stayed where he used to live with his mother—with his father when he was still alive.
Katsuki stared at the picture of his father at the small alter they made at home, and he could smell the recently relit incense that Mitsuki would always do.
"So, what's up?" Mitsuki asked from the kitchen, interrupting his thoughts.
Katsuki turned his head, resisting the urge to flinch, and headed to the couch to pretend to relax—to shake off what he learned earlier that day. "What are you talking about?"
Mitsuki then put her hands on her hips, and Katsuki resisted the urge to cringe at the incoming potential lecture.
"I know when my son is not himself," Mitsuki retorted as she narrowed her eyes.
"Mom," Katsuki groaned as he hung his head over the ledge of the couch.
"Katsuki Bakugo, don't you dare give me that tone."
Katsuki shut his eyes and took a sharp intake of breath, knowing that there was no other way around it, that he had to ask her because, if he didn't, it would've kept annoying him for the rest of the day or week.
Katsuki stood up from the couch—too fast, probably, but that didn't matter as he tried to compose himself as he looked at his mother. Within seconds, he watched how her demeanor changed, and he told himself not to be too scared to ask—because this was important to ask.
"Katsuki," Mitsuki asked, this time approaching him and then putting her hands on his arms, "what's wrong, honey?"
At that point, Katsuki felt all parts of him collapse, and he let out a long heavy sigh. "Mom, how much do you know about Dad?"
Mitsuki's brow furrowed. "What? Where is this coming from?"
"Did you know everything about him?"
"Yes, I did, but, honey—"
"So, did he know Deku's dad, too?" Katsuki interrupted, this time bringing his gaze to Mitsuki, and he tried every inch not to flinch at the brief glimpse of surprise that came across Mitsuki's face.
"Why are you asking this out of nowhere?" Mitsuki asked, this time her grip tighter. "I don't understand—"
"No, Mom, I don't understand why you haven't told me about Dad's ties with Izuku's old man!" Katsuki exclaimed, this time shaking off Mitsuki's grip, and he tried so hard not to stop at what he wanted to know, what he had every right to know when he saw the conflicted gaze on Mitsuki's face. "I'm not an idiot! I know Izuku's old man wasn't great! You don't think I remember hearing all the shit the kids to Izuku said back then?! Is that why they gave me shit when Dad died, too?!"
"Katsuki, honey, listen—"
"I don't want to listen unless you tell me if it's true!" Katsuki roared, and he watched how Mitsuki's gaze widened—at Katsuki's tone, at his despair—and for a moment, Katsuki felt horrible for raising his voice, and he held his head and looked at the floor to avoid her gaze. "Just…Just tell me if Dad had criminal ties, at least. That's all I need to know for now, Mom."
There was a long pause of silence.
"Yes," Mitsuki replied, clearly and resolutely without hesitation.
Katsuki's head snapped up, and his eyes were wide as he saw Mitsuki's serious demeanor return. It was unlike her—sure, he had seen her yell and snap and joke and laugh, but this was…so unlike her that Katsuki barely had time to register what she said next.
"Yes, your father had ties to All for One," Mitsuki added before sighing. "I…I wanted to wait until you were ready—"
"Mom, I'm 20 years old," Katsuki hissed.
"That doesn't mean you're ready to know the truth, honey."
Katsuki let out a long sigh—yet it did nothing to ease the festering, conflicting emotions he felt deep in his gut.
He felt uneasy—anxious, perhaps—at the idea of learning more about his dad's ties to Izuku's dad. Was his dad the same? Did he do the same terrible things that Izuku's dad did, but came home and treated him with love like any wonderful father did?
Suddenly, Katsuki could empathize with how Izuku felt when his world came crashing down when they were both kids.
"Honey," Mitsuki said, this time holding Katsuki's face in her hands and forcing him to look at her, her voice gentle yet firm in that motherly tone he had always known her for—a tone that he knew, deep down, was her looking out for him as she had always done. "Your father loved you with all his heart. Remember that."
"I know," Katsuki grumbled before he shook his head out of Mitsuki's hands, yet even her hug with him to reassure him about the whole situation wasn't enough to help him feel relieved.
Katsuki didn't remember the last thing he should've been doing later that night after returning home. Studying, reading, exercising, taking notes—they escaped from his mind as he tried to process everything that he learned about his father.
Was this how Izuku felt when his world came crashing down, too? All when they were kids?
It bothered Katsuki again, aching and trembling and poking and prickling at the bottom of his gut and deep in his chest as it traveled upward, even though he had already tried processing it alone and with Izuku and Eijiro over LINE—yet no matter how much he tried to suppress it, even with a cup of decaffeinated coffee since he still needed to sleep, it wouldn't go away.
So, here he was, standing in front of Tsuyu's door, thinking about how, really, with how late it was at this point—Kirishima was most likely asleep since he was such a damn early bird, and Izuku needed time to process and maybe even finally talk to Ochaco—Katsuki didn't know where else to go or whoever else to talk to.
He just needed to talk—and Tsuyu felt like the best person to talk to.
Katsuki knocked on the door and waited for any indication that Tsuyu was awake. After a few seconds, he rang the doorbell, hoping that didn't disturb her too much—but a part of him deeply hoped that at 11:52 P.M., she was still awake and could talk with him.
Just as he was about to lose hope, he heard the door lock turn, and within seconds, the door opened to reveal Tsuyu.
"Hey," Tsuyu greeted before she stood in front of her doorway. "What's up?"
"Can we talk?" Katsuki asked, his fingers twitching as he recalled his conflicting feelings rising in his chest again, and he quickly added, "Inside your apartment, if that's all right."
Tsuyu stared at Katsuki in silence, and as every second passed, Katsuki could feel the piercing gaze of her dark eyes burn into his body. A part of him hoped that she understood what he was feeling, like she always did, even back in high school.
"Come on in," Tsuyu said as she opened the doorway for Katsuki.
Katsuki made his way to Tsuyu's dining table after taking off his shoes, and as he heard Tsuyu lock the door behind him, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Was this even considered appropriate now that he thought about it? Here he was, in a woman's apartment late at night, after all. But Tsuyu was his friend, and to his knowledge, she wasn't seeing anyone, and they were friends, so this wasn't too inappropriate based on their past interactions.
Katsuki stood near the table, and he hesitated to sit down and now debated whether talking to Tsuyu this late at night was the right choice.
"Hey."
Katsuki flinched—noticeably, too, since he could feel the pulse of his heartbeat increase—and he stepped backward to see Tsuyu beside him, this time with worried eyes.
"Bakugo, what's wrong?" Tsuyu asked, her voice cautious.
Katsuki stared at Tsuyu, trying to think of what to say—because, really, what could he say? Tsuyu didn't know anything about Izuku's background or father, and Katsuki knew that wasn't something or his place to say, but still, his father…
"Bakugo?"
Katsuki shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I just…"
There was a long pause of silence as Katsuki tried to recollect his thoughts and emotions, trying to control his swirling feelings of turmoil that he never thought he'd recall since he was a child, yet this time it felt so much more intense, and finally, he looked at Tsuyu—his gaze hopefully indifferent, yet he wondered if maybe she picked up on how he truly felt.
"What would you do if you found out someone you knew could've been horrible?" Katsuki finally asked, his voice quiet, barely echoing off the empty apartment.
Tsuyu blinked a few times, her confusion growing as every second of silence passed. "Bakugo, I don't understand—"
"What would you do?" Katsuki asked, this time his voice stern—and he tried to avoid raising his voice further to startle Tsuyu. "Tell me what you'd do, Tsuyu."
Tsuyu blinked again, her gaze wary, yet she let out a collected sigh—one that made Katsuki nervous. "I'd feel hurt, and I'd try to find out whether they were truly someone horrible."
"What if they were horrible?"
"Bakugo, what's with—"
"Answer me, damn it."
Tsuyu let out an exasperated sigh, one that Katsuki knew he should instead address how he honestly felt with her, but he didn't want to drop something so shocking to her out of nowhere—not to mention when he thought about how the last time he spoke with her about his father, his father was just someone who died to a heart condition when he was five.
Katsuki tried to recall memories of his father—faint memories of a smiling brown-haired man who wore glasses due to his vision problems, someone who was gentle with him and always made sure Katsuki was well-fed and had toys and could hang out with Izuku and—
"Bakugo!"
Katsuki's eyes widened as he realized that Tsuyu had been shaking his arm for the past few seconds. "Wh-Wha—"
"Bakugo, you need to tell me what's wrong, or else I can't help you," Tsuyu interrupted, this time her voice and gaze stern.
Katsuki recalled the last time she was like this, and he tried not to flinch again at how steely her gaze was. He waited for a few seconds before finally telling her, "Remember my father?"
"Yes. What about him?"
"I…I found out he was a criminal." Katsuki paused. "Or, well, that…he had criminal ties, at least…"
Tsuyu said nothing, but Katsuki watched how her eyes widened further and further at this piece of news as he felt her hand drop from his arm.
Before Katsuki realized what he was doing, he grabbed onto her arms, feeling overwhelmed again—from everything he knew, everything he thought was real, what was hidden from him all this time—and due to the towering difference between them, he wished he could just hide his face away from her, yet he was forced to stare at her doe-like eyes that began swirling in concern, confusion, and empathy.
"How are you feeling, Bakugo?" Tsuyu asked.
"Like shit," he muttered.
"I figured…but you know, that doesn't change who your father was to you."
"Which was?"
"A good man. And a good father."
At that point, Katsuki couldn't help it.
He hugged her tightly, not wanting to face her as he felt his emotions swirl again. He could feel his face distort and his emotions rise and rise and rise until he couldn't contain them as he recalled the smiling face of his father and tried to suppress how he felt.
"It's okay, Bakugo," he heard Tsuyu whisper as he felt her arms wrapped around him. "It's okay."
Katsuki didn't cry. He didn't dare shed a tear. The last time he recalled crying was when he knew he'd never see his father again—all as his father's remains were reduced to ashes.
"Tsu—" Katsuki's voice came out choked, muffled, hard to speak, and he grimaced as he resisted the urge to continue talking, the lump in his throat growing more and more as every second passed.
"I'm here," Tsuyu whispered, hugging Katsuki tighter. "As long as you need me as a friend, I'll always be here."