Chapter Five: Tsu's POV
'Where are you right now?'
'That's a rather impolite way to greet someone when they answer your call, don't you think, kero?'
'Tsuyu! Where. Are. You?!'
Tsu sighed, ignoring the knowing look her little sister, Satsuki, was giving her as the heroine followed her into her tiny apartment. Her sister only recently started to live with a roommate while finishing her studies in art school, much to their parents' displeasure, who would rather have her still living under their roof. She was the youngest of their children, and it seemed they were more aware of how empty their house was with age and less work.
'Baku-chan,' Tsu said and attempted a calm and even voice, knowing her Number One Hero fake boyfriend was only like this because he was worried about her wellbeing, 'I texted you I'm fine.'
Over an hour ago, some unknown person released Tsu's home address to a public site, where it got picked up by the media and some eager fans. Given how interested everyone was in the sea-green-haired heroine nowadays because of her status as the girlfriend of the new Number One Hero, the building quickly got swapped with paparazzi, media folk, and fans trying to catch a glimpse of Tsu or Katsuki or both.
For now, the situation was alarming but not yet life-threatening, although Tsu already knew she would have to find a new place altogether, and at least for a night or two, a different place to stay.
Girlfriend or simply good friend, she and Katsuki were close, and the public knew it. And apart from the villains she defeated during her career and those that Katsuki did, hurting the Number One Hero or his loved ones would surely be a statement many villains who hated the heroes would love to make.
The sea-green-haired woman would be lying if she didn't admit her initial response was concern and panic before she managed to find her peace in a quick breathing technique.
Knowing Katsuki's shift would run late, she quickly called her sister, who already learned of the situation from the internet and was about to offer Tsu to stay the night at her place anyway.
'Damn it!' Katsuki snapped, obviously crossed with her now, 'That's not what I was asking, Froggy. I mean it! Where the fuck are you right now?' he asked seriously, and as much as Tsu enjoyed teasing the ash-blond, she might even enjoy it too much if what happened during the photo shoot was anything to go by. She didn't have it in her to stress him out more than he already must have been.
Even before she and Katsuki crossed paths all those months ago, Tsu knew he was a good person who cared a lot. After spending so much time with him and receiving a lot of his kindness in the process, she was sure about it.
She purposely turned away from Satsuki's gaze and lowered her voice to better calm the man, 'I'm at my sister's. So please stop working.'
He didn't say anything, but she thought she heard a small sigh of relief before she continued, 'I'll stay the night. Unless you want to be caught by the media, don't go to my place, kero.'
'Text me the address.'
Tsuyu sighed, 'Katsu-chan.' As admirable as it was that the ash-blond was concerned, Tsu didn't have endless patience for his stubbornness tonight, given that she was forced to use her camouflage and leave her home. She was forced to leave her privacy and sanctuary with a single bag like a runaway child, not a professional heroine while trying to avoid paparazzi and fans. She couldn't even take her car as it was surrounded by people and had to take a train.
What was worse, she was planning her bathing ritual. Something which she desperately needed after the radio show, but mostly because of the photo shoot that happened a day ago and was still very fresh in her mind and other parts of her body mainly when she thought about those kisses and Katsuki's obvious flirting.
Such a jerk!
Her sister's apartment only had a shower, so her bath would have to wait.
Worst of all, now that her address was public, there was no way she could stay in her apartment. Her pretty and cozy apartment, she adored so damn much and lived for just a little over a year. It was the first place she got on her own, and she enjoyed giving it her whole personality without additional people for once. It was freeing and making her feel like the first time she came to live in the dorms during her U.A. days. As much as she missed her family. There was a certain liberation in being on her own for once and her own person, not just a big sister to her siblings.
'Fuck! Text me the address!' he said again, close to the tone that made Tsu wonder if she should hang up and give him time to cool off before she heard a very distinguish and broken, 'p-please, Tsu.'
Her own frustration blew away like a cloud of smoke, and she found herself smiling a tiny bit, feeling a sense of warmth caused by Katsuki's interest and care. Her feelings were a mess tonight.
'Alright, kero,' ultimately, giving in wasn't hard at all. She didn't have the heart to give Katsuki a hard time when he was only being caring.
'Good,' he said and ended the call probably so she could text him, which she did, all the while ignoring the look her sister was giving her as she let her into the apartment, 'Aren't you all lovey-dovey, kero?'
'No need to be jealous, Satsu-chan.'
'Cruel, onee-chan,' replied the other girl and gave Tsu her guest shoes.
Tsu quietly thanked her, not for the first time, taking in just how much taller Satsuki was compared to her. It seemed she and her brother took her father's height while Tsu was after their mother, the shortest of the three siblings.
'Will you tell me what he's like, though?' asked her little sister, grinning at her, making it clear what she was asking.
'He's a great hero,' said Tsu, hoping she wasn't blushing, partly remembering how it felt to be held by Katuski during the photo shot and what she felt pushing against her stomach, 'That's what he's like.'
She shot her a look, 'Onee-chan, that's not what I wanted to know.'
Tsu grinned, 'And yet, that's all you will ever know.'
'So unfair. I'm not a child, you know,' said her sister and crossed her arms, obviously pouting.
Tsu took pity on her and put her index finger against her lower lip, thinking back to the kisses they shared in the bar and during the photo shoot before smiling, 'When he kisses me, I can't properly think about anything else, but the feeling of his kiss. That's what he's like.'
Satsuki looked suitably surprised she got an answer and even more, so she got that answer, 'Whoa.'
'Yup,' said Tsu. It wasn't a lie. So far, they kissed two separate times, and in both of those times, Tsu honestly couldn't think of anything else but how good it felt. Katsuki was a breathtakingly good kisser who seemed to kiss with his entire body, stealing not only her breath but also every spare thought away and leaving nothing behind but him, his smell, his touch and his kiss.
Tsu hoped her face wasn't blushing anymore, as she caught herself a few times in the mirrors around her when she was thinking about the steamy make-out session during the photo shoot and found her face utterly red.
'I'll make us some tea,' said her sister after she showed her when she could unpack, to which Tsu quickly replied, 'I'll help.'
'Nah, relax a bit. I got this, kero,' grinned Satsuki and went to the small kitchen counter that was connected to the hallway and living room. It was all convenient, and honestly, it wasn't all that different from Tsu's first apartment she shared with Ochako. It felt like ages ago that the two would share breakfasts on their days off, discussing Ochako's relationship with Deku to insane and unimportant details.
Right now, something about watching her little sister work on preparing anything for Tsu resonated with the sea-green-haired woman and got her to reminisce.
Even if almost nineteen years old, Satsuki was still a bit of a baby of the family. Their parents allowed her to choose her own career. Still, they constantly called, visited her, and made sure she had enough to eat, enough money, good grades, and friends and didn't need anything. Their parents mostly supported her art studies as they believed someone as creative, easy-going, and free as Satsuki should pursue a career like that. A job that they didn't deem too serious, like Samidare's, who got hired by a successful tech company and was currently working abroad, or Tsu's dangerous one that required a particular need for skill and professionalism.
Tsuyu couldn't help but smile, thinking at the age of thirteen, she had more responsibilities than Satsuki had now, and seeing her do something as prepare tea on her own was a bit funny as she was usually the one who had everything done for her, including but not limited to cutting her food for her or making sure it wasn't too hot to eat. It was bizarre to see her live without their parents, too. It was weird to realize she was a grown-up ready to live her own life in some ways.
'Oops,' she heard the taller girl gasped, 'Tsu-chan?'
The heroine chuckled before she got up and walked over, 'Did you make it too bitter, kero?'
'I didn't-'
Tsu's phone went off, and she quickly checked it, only to be met with Katsuki's name across the screen.
She mouthed his name for Satsuki to know it was him before she answered, 'Moshi-Moshi-'
'Are you still at your sisters?!' demanded the loud voice on the other end, almost causing Tsu to flinch.
She glanced at her phone, a bit annoyed, before she closed her eyes and spoke with an even voice, hoping to reason with the stressed-out man, 'Baku-chan, I get that you're worried. But honestly-'
'No! Fucking listen to me!' he said, dropping any hint of concern in favor of a commanding and professional seriousness that immediately caused Tsu to recognize his authority and straighten her back, 'What's going on?'
'My agency contacted some B-lister hero who has a hacking quirk to try and figure out who leaked your address,' his voice then took an even more dangerous and severe tone hinting at what he was about to say even before he said it, 'Two minutes ago someone tried to post the address you are currently at on the same site, but the hero caught onto it and blocked it.'
Tsu's entire body froze for a second before she started frantically thinking, trying to compose herself and act like a hero, 'I didn't tell anyone but you that I was here. My phone could be hacked.'
'I'm on my way. Is your sister's name anywhere on the door or doorbell?' he demanded. Tsu shook her head while explaining, 'No, I didn't want anyone to know where she lived if some villain would look up my name.'
'Good,' praised Katsuki her on the other line, and she could hear he was driving really fast, 'I'll be there in five minutes. Turn off your phone and wait for me. Stay alert.'
'Alright,' said Tsu, and for a moment, she thought he wanted to say more, but when he didn't take the chance in the next two seconds, she ended the call.
'Did someone really post this address too?' asked her sister, now sounding freakout and justifiably so.
Satsuki being scared was the last thing Tsu wanted when she came here, and the sea-green-haired immediately cursed herself for involving her little sister like this. The leak of her address was alarming, but she didn't stop to consider it might have been something more sinister or that it could harm her anyway. Maybe as she took so many measures to avoid potential danger to others.
I should have gotten to my agency or…maybe Ochako…no that would have been worse because of her state and Nagi-chan.
… She couldn't really think properly at the moment where else she could have gone.
If they found me here. Then nowhere is safe.
'Yeah,' the older woman admitted before quickly texting her agency to contact her through Katsuki's agency as she wouldn't be available to answer her phone.
She turned the device off, and a little over ten minutes later, Katsuki showed up, pounding at the door, startling them.
Once they opened, he stepped inside without an invitation, looking very much like a man on a mission. Someone who commanded respect and authority as a Number One Hero should.
His red eyes immediately landed on Tsu's, grabbing hold of her shoulder as if he wanted to get her attention when, in reality, he was all the sea-green-haired heroine could see and focus on to calm her nerves.
Even with his narrowed eyes and furrowed eyebrows and that typical upset scowl of his that made other people walk the other day, Tsu couldn't help but feel the same way she did as a kid whenever she saw the former Number One Hero All-Might enter a situation in crises with his typical I am here phrase. Right now, watching Bakugou Katsuki Tsu felt just like that, like he came to a desperate situation and smiling or not, it would turn out alright because he was here.
The sea-green-haired heroine nodded while answering his unspoken question, almost believing her own words, 'Yeah, we're good.'
Katsuki's eyes remained on her face a bit longer, probably trying to see if she meant it or not, before he slowly nodded and let go of her.
'Turn it on for a second. I'll call the guy,' said Katsuki and immediately called the hero he mentioned earlier, putting the phone on speaker.
'Good evening, Floppy. I'm sorry we meet under such circumstances,' said a robotic-like voice as he introduced himself. He must have been one of the newer heroes since she wasn't familiar with the hero name he used or his quirk.
'Good evening, it's still nice to meet you,' said Tsu politely before the hero quickly explained, 'The person who posted the addresses used several devices and I.P. addresses, so it will take a while to find them. Now, we need you to turn on your phone and type this number I'd sent to Dynamight 's phone. Once you do, I will run a quick scan to determine if there's anything that could be spying on you.'
Tsu did just that and waited for what felt like a second before the robotic voice spoke again, 'There were no traces of anything that could have been used to spy on you inside your phone. Do you carry around any other devices that could be hacked?'
'No, I have a laptop at home and work, but I never carry it outside the agency or my home.'
'Might I suggest you check your other belongings, such as personal bags, wallets, clothing, and shoes? Devices for listening or tracking one's location can be small and easy to miss if you're not looking for them.'
Katsuki and Tsu shared a look before she rushed to the handbag and the small suitcase she brought to her sister's place for the night.
The ash-blond set the phone aside, and they both started to open her belongings, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. It took a while, but almost before Katsuki was about to tear open the small bag containing her underwear, Tsu found a tiny, lightweight, stainless-steel disc she couldn't identify, 'Here.'
Katsuki leaned closer, and so did Satsuki, who hadn't said much ever since the other hero showed up but watched them with unmasked curiosity and hints of concern, 'What is that?'
The Number One Hero took the disc and turned it between his fingers a couple of times, growing angrier and angrier by the minute, 'This is a prototype of a new tracking device that can reveal location up to 100 km without any need for a signal tower, internet or anything else. It turns on and off every half an hour or so, depending on the battery.'
'Whoa,' commented Satsuki, but Tsu felt herself growing more horrified than impressed by the discovery with all sorts of thoughts running through her mind before she dared to weakly ask, 'How do you know this, Katsuki?'
He didn't answer but crushed the device in his fist, almost hard enough to break it.
In the end, he didn't, as he must have realized they would lose their evidence.
Instead, Katsuki put his clenched fist into his pocket and looked at Tsu and then her sisters, 'Pack something for a couple of days. You can't stay here. I'll drop this off at the agency. You two got anywhere to go?'
'Of course,' said Satsuki quickly, and despite how uncertain and concerning the situation was at the moment, the idea that they would go to where Satsuki planned filled the sea-green-haired heroine with even more dread.
Her little sister looked like she might want to stay around, but Tsu urged her to go and pack like Katsuki said, leaving the two alone.
The heroine quickly started to pack the things she and Katsuki tossed out of her luggage while looking for the tracking device, 'Katsuki, how did you know what the device was?'
She tried to be quiet so her sister wouldn't hear, as she figured she was the reason, while the ash-blond didn't elaborate sooner.
When Katsuki glanced in the direction where Satsuki left, obviously making sure she wasn't around, Tsu knew she was right.
In the next moment, he squatted beside her and, using the same volume as her, said, 'Two months ago when Deku was still Number One, a similar-looking prototype was introduced to him by the Hero Association. The Association often approves or works on devices and gadgets that can be used against villains. I was only given the report with the picture, but it was stated that for now, the approval for the device was postponed by some members as they wanted to look into the legal aspect of the idea of using something like that.'
Tsu's dark eyes widened as she realized what he was saying.
The Hero Association.
Her mind drifted to what he said about them being displeased with Katsuki as the new Number One as well, the unsupportive and very clearly hostile phone call from one of the members, and the visit from another member who was present during their photo shot to keep an eye on Katsuki.
She wanted to talk, ask more about the issue, or perhaps just start to brainstorm about what it could all mean, but all too soon, her sister returned, and she and Katsuki were forced to share a quick look and agree to return to this later.
They walked out of the apartment, and Tsu couldn't help but feel as if the bag with her clothes was heavier than it was when she came to Satsuki's apartment less than an hour ago. It felt bizarre that in such a short time, she was once again forced to find a new place to sleep, this time forcing her sister to abandon her place, too.
She felt horrible about it, and the guilt was eating her up even more than her own fear.
Katsuki walked ahead of them, looking around and securing the perimeter as he would during a mission, somewhat grounding Tsu and forcing her to do the same. If nothing else, it was better to think that she had a civilian, her own sister, that she needed to keep safe than to dwell on what was going on.
As the ash-blond got to the car, he opened the back and put their bags inside, making Tsu realize that she was so distracted she didn't even notice he was carrying them. Then, he opened the door for her sister to get into the back and then for her in the passenger's seat, 'You can use your phone to call your parents now.'
She mentally winced, not all that thrilled about the idea, but nevertheless, Tsu nodded, knowing she should warn them about what was going on.
Katsuki closed the door once she was inside and went around while her sister leaned closer to Tsu and whispered, 'Holy Shit! I never would have picked Dynamight for a gentleman. Like damn, kero!'
'Satsu-chan,' sighed Tsu, 'You shouldn't judge people based on what you see they do on the internet,' as Katsuki opened the door, even if for a second the heroine couldn't help but comment, 'I will have you know, Katsu-chan is always nothing but a gentleman to me. He might look rough and scary, but he's a real sweetheart. Right, kero?'
The ash-blond shot her a look, making her almost smile before he leaned toward her close enough; she thought he was planning to kiss her with how shamelessly he was looking at her mouth.
For a moment, Tsu forgot all about the looming threat and uncertainties regarding the Hero Association and returned right back to the photo shoot with her rising body temperate, rapidly beating heart, and a need to press her legs firmly together.
'I'm just being a good boyfriend, Tsu,' said Katsuki, obviously just to play with her a bit. If nothing else, it at least got her to think about something else, and if it resolved in another kiss, Tsu wouldn't mind one bit.
However, nothing like that happened, as the hero leaned away without another word, pulling along her seatbelt before he put it around her and into the buckle that let out a little click.
Huh?
She honestly didn't even notice he took it.
They dropped off the tracking device at Katsuki's agency for further investigation and then headed toward their parents' house. The ride was mostly quiet, and it seemed no one minded as they were all lost in their thoughts.
Occasionally, Tsu caught Satsuki looking between her and Katsuki in the mirror, but whatever was on her mind, she kept it to herself, only ever so slightly raising her eyebrows and smiling.
At one point, Tsu felt Katsuki's hand on her knee and turned to face him, curious about what he was doing.
His red eyes were focused on the road, but even so, he squeezed her knee and mumbled something like, 'Almost there.' It was a sort of attempt at assurance, and even if she appreciated the effort, Tsu couldn't really allow herself to embrace it.
She absently nodded, recognizing the road all too well.
To be completely honest, something that Asui Tsuyu always aimed to be, she was unsure how she felt about visiting her parents.
Naturally, she loved them dearly and wanted nothing but good things to happen to them. She thought they were good people and loving parents, and she knew she should have spent more time with them than she had in the past. The truth was she neglected them quite a bit over the last few years, but at the same time, it didn't seem they were overly bothered by it. She indeed received fewer phone calls than her sister did.
However, she couldn't stop herself from feeling a looming dread over the idea that Katsuki could potentially meet her parents.
He would stop the car, and they could take their bags and go into the house without him meeting them, but she would hate it if her parents would consider this rude and try and backtalk about Katsuki.
They think he's your boyfriend. A real boyfriend. A real boyfriend would have come to meet the parents if he drove his girlfriend somewhere.
Tsu knew how awkward and annoyed Katsuki was about the whole situation, and despite how well it worked out in the end at the beginning, they were painfully unconvincing during the photo shoot. She couldn't imagine they would be any better in front of her parents.
Especially when she wasn't sure how to act around them. Their family just fell into certain habits that they weren't able to get rid of. With time, Tsu recognized them and even attempted to try and talk about them with her parents, but she was too worried about offending them to carry on and always ended the conversation before it could become productive. For now, she mainly knew something wasn't right with the way things were inside her family, but she couldn't find it in herself to deal with it on her own.
I…I don't think I want Katsuki to see our…dynamic, Tsu admitted to herself, hoping she would get away with simply thanking her partner in crime, taking her luggage and leaving.
Of course, given how poor of a day she had, she sort of expected she wouldn't be so lucky.
'You're coming to meet our parents, right, Bakugou-san?' asked her sister the moment he parked the car in front of their childhood home.
His red eyes met Tsu's, and she was quick to explain, 'I think Katsuki needs to return to his agency to deal with the tracking device-'
'Who's there?!' they heard the male voice from the outside, and Tsu immediately recognized her father and mother coming out from the front door.
Satsuki gave her a teasing smile, 'Come on now. It would be very rude if you didn't at least introduce yourself, Bakugou-san.'
She opened the door and waved at their parents while Tsu tried to offer the ash-blond a small smile and a single sorry before doing the same.
'Satsu-chan, Tsu-chan!' cheered her mother and immediately went to hug one and then the other, 'It's so good to see you.'
'Ah, I hope you weren't keeping your sister from her drawings, Tsu-chan,' said her papa, not necessarily strictly in any way, but the sea-green-haired heroine still felt like there was some hidden undertone in his words, 'You know she needs to prepare a lot for her classes.'
'Don't worry, papa,' assured him Tsu just as Katsuki got out of the car and went around it.
Tsu wasn't sure why she felt her heart speed up as the man found his place by her side, but she did. It couldn't be helped. Ever since she realized they would come to her parent's place, she felt a sense of dread that she couldn't shake off, and it only grew and grew inside her, causing her to almost feel nauseous.
Swallowing as much of the nervousness as she could, she pointed at Katsuki and spoke, 'Mama, papa. T-this is Bakugou Katsuki. My boyfriend.'
For some reason, she didn't bother to wait for their reactions and rather turned to the man by her side and said, 'Th-these are my parents, Asui Beru and Asui Ganma, kero.'
The ash-blond blinked at her, and instead of instantly greeting them, he put his hand on her lower back for a moment.
Tsu was surprised by the gesture, but in a good way, as his warm palm on her body gave her a momentary burst of comradery and support. It wasn't enough to properly make her feel better, but it was a small release, one which she was properly grateful for.
A moment later, the ash-blond politely bowed to her parents and gave them a respectful greeting, all the while still keeping his palm on her as if he didn't want to lose her in a crowd. Tsu felt slightly better at the thought of it.
'How nice. Tsu-chan rarely brings boyfriends to meet us. She's not as open about her relationships as Satsu-chan,' said her mama, hugging Satsuki from the back while smiling.
'It's not like I want to, mama. You're just too nosey and pestering if I don't,' complained the youngest daughter.
Tsu couldn't help but grimace upon hearing their mama's words and turned to Katsuki, feeling like she needed to explain herself even if rationally she knew she didn't.
'I rarely had long or deep relationships that required meeting the parents.'
It was partly true. So far, her relationships weren't anything serious, so there wasn't a reason or time to meet her parents before they were over. The other reason for this was that, just like now, she always got nervous and even comfortable about anyone visiting her parents with her. She feared someone would comment on their family too much to allow it to happen.
The ash-blond didn't seem alarmed or anything and merely shrugged his shoulders, still keeping his palm on her back, giving her some release from her guilt and dread, 'That's fine. My old-mother,' he corrected himself but only barely and obviously annoyed that he had to, 'Only ever met one of my girlfriends apart from you, and that was a disaster, so don't sweat it.'
Even if she couldn't completely get the feeling of a storm inside her body out, she offered Katsuki a small smile for his attempt. She could only imagine how did a meeting with Bakugou Mitsuki and Katsuki's ex-girlfriend go, given everything she knew and heard about the woman.
'We're happy to meet you, but what brought this on, Tsu-chan?' asked her father, stealing her attention to himself, 'It isn't like you to not call and schedule in advance. We could have been out, and then what would you do? I would expect such a thing from Satsu-chan. She's still so forgetful. But you were always the responsible one. You know better than this.'
He then reached over and patted her younger sister's head the way he did when she was a child.
Tsu could see her sister rolling her eyes at the gesture but allowing him to do it either way.
I supposed they will always treat us the same, thought Tsu before she took the lead and explained what happened and why it would be better if they didn't remain in Satsuki's place for tonight. She kept out what she and Katsuki spoke while Satsuki wasn't present and did her best to try and water down the seriousness of the situation.
'Oh, how horrible,' said her mama, hugging her sister tighter before she tried to take Tsu's hand as they made their way into the house.
'Tsu-chan, you should have been more careful,' said her papa, still looking worried and upset, 'You promised your hero work wouldn't cause trouble for anyone in the family, remember?'
The heroine nodded, feeling even more defeated.
It was true. When she first came to her parents as a fourteen-year-old preparing for her U.A. entrance exam, she gave a whole speech to ensure they would allow her to go.
'I know, and believe me, I'm doing everything I can to make sure this doesn't affect or put anyone else in harm's way,' she said, feeling the guilt could just as well swallow her whole. It wasn't like she planned for this to happen, but it did, and she knew her parents and siblings were now worried.
Defeated, she said, 'I'll figure it out.'
'I know you will. You were always very resourceful and responsible,' said her mother before she turned her attention to Katsuki, 'You see. Tsu-chan promised she would make sure her hero work wouldn't interfere with our work, her helping around the house and her siblings, and that she wouldn't endanger anyone. Then again, she couldn't keep the promise when she was forced to move into the dorms.'
Tsu's stomach sank even deeper into the pit of despair inside her while she remembered just how tense and uncomfortable the whole ordeal was. Not only was she miserable over her decision not to be involved in helping Katsuki when he was kidnapped, but her parents were very upset about her giving up on her chores and obligations to their family by leaving home so soon.
The ash-blond didn't comment on it, but Tsu felt his gaze shift toward her face, and the touch on her lower back became far firmer and warmer.
I knew it wouldn't be a good idea for him to come here, she thought, blaming herself for what happened tonight, back when she was in the U.A., and right now when she didn't stand up for herself.
'It was certainly hard to figure things out without Tsu doing her part, but we managed,' finally said her papa before smiling at her, 'In the end, it worked out for the best, didn't it?'
She hoped he meant as she nodded and honestly agreed, 'It did kero.'
They finally moved toward the dining room, and almost immediately, her mama spoke, 'You can all sit down and relax. Tsu-chan will help me with dinner,' she turned and smiled at her before she glanced back at the others, 'I will bring some tea in a bit, alright?'
Usually, Tsu didn't mind helping her mama out. She was used to it that while Satsuki and Samidare remained talking with papa about their work and school, she would prepare the food and tea. Yet, tonight, given everything that happened, she was already pretty stressed, and that feeling only worsened as she knew Katsuki was witnessing all of this and thinking about what was going on.
Just before she went through the door, she caught him frowning at her, partly upset and partly confused, no doubt going over everything that happened.
'Bakugou-san seems like a nice man,' said her mama as they started to prepare the food, 'He's so handsome and went out of his way to take care of you and Satsu-chan. Very kind. I hope you thanked him.'
Tsu sighed, 'Of course I did, and he really is a good man.' She knew this, and she was grateful for it. Right now, she would even be more grateful if he was around.
Her mama then tried to pry some more about their relationship, but honestly, Tsu was too stressed to humor her and rather focused on the food.
When they finished and returned to the dining room, Satsuki informed them that papa wanted to show Katsuki his garden, 'He worked very hard on it,' she grinned, 'But I think it was just an excuse to give your boyfriend some heat, kero.'
Tsu frowned a bit, 'How rude. Katsuki doesn't need or deserve any heat. He's been nothing but amazing to me. Always,' she underlined before she got up and went to look for them. She was too stressed to hide it and didn't feel like it either way.
Before she was out of earshot, she heard Satsuki hum, 'I guess so. He does look at you a lot.'
'Ah, I noticed that too,' giggled her mama while Tsu carried on.
She found her papa and Katsuki outside, and before she opened the backdoor to reveal herself, she heard them talking rather heatedly about something.
Are they fighting?
She hoped the door, and the moment she did, their harsh and rough voices stopped seemingly mid-sentence before turning toward her.
'Ah, Tsu-chan,' said her papa, but he wasn't smiling, and the nickname didn't carry the usual enthusiasm it did.
Katsuki, on the other hand, looked properly pissed and like he wanted to snap or yell something. His red, narrowed eyes were visible even in the dark, and with how hard he was clenching his fist, Tsu was surprised he didn't break the skin.
She was tempted to ask what happened, but before she could, the ash-blond marched toward her and put his hand on her back again, 'Dinner's done?'
'Yes,' she said, blinking, 'Uh, yeah.'
Her eyes shifted to her papa, who offered her a small wave before he followed them.
'D-did something happen?' she asked quietly, 'Baku-chan?'
The ash-blond didn't answer, but he brought her closer to him, and as much as Tsu wished to know what was going on, for now, she was grateful for the heat and contact.
They started to eat, and Tsu felt ashamed and embarrassed. For the most part, the conversations were alright. Her parents and sister were curious about Katsuki and her and Katsuki's new status as the Number One Hero. However, occasionally, her papa and mama would say something that would leave Tsu to close her mouth and stare at them, wishing Katsuki wasn't around to hear it.
'Don't worry about it, Satsu-chan. Tsu-chan will help me prepare your old room.'
'The food is good because Tsu-chan always cooked. When she was younger, she took care of both her siblings while doing homework and chores when we worked. She was such a skillful child.'
'Leave it. Tsu-chan will do the dishes.'
'Ah, now that you're here, Tsu-chan, you can take some of your old things before you leave,' said her papa, causing her to almost drop the tray with new tea she prepared a moment ago and brought to the dining room.
'Yes,' agreed her mama eagerly, 'You left some of your books and clothes behind. They had been taking a lot of space. We're allowed more hours to work from home,' explained the woman, turning to Katsuki as she did while Tsu tried to hand around the tea mugs and think, 'So we changed Tsu's room into a sort of office.'
'An office?' asked Tsu, genuinely confused, and when she shared a look with her sister, Satsuki also looked like this was the first time she heard about it.
'Yes, your room hasn't been used in a while. But don't worry, we packed most of your things, but they were taking up so much space, we would really appreciate it if you took some with you,' explained her mama, looking like she genuinely thought it wasn't a big deal.
Tsu wasn't sure what to say, so she put the tray away and took her seat by Katsuki's side.
She could see from the corner of her eyes; he kept trying to catch her gaze, but she didn't have it in to meet his eyes since she felt unbelievably embarrassed by him being there to witness it all. She couldn't even begin to think where she would go if she couldn't stay in her parents' place anymore because it seemed like they genuinely didn't even want her to stay with them.
However, just as she thought it couldn't get worse, her papa said, 'That reminds me. Tomorrow, I can drive you myself, but it would be better for Satsu-chan if you left her your car, Tsu-chan.'
The sea-green-haired raised her head upon hearing that, 'What?'
'Papa,' said Satsuki, sounding annoyed, 'I told you. I'm not a child. I can go by train just fine. I don't want Tsu-chan's car.'
'Nonsense. Your classes finish late, and you're still a student,' argued her mama, 'Tsu-chan understands, don't you, dear?'
'Not really,' said Tsu and frowned, 'I used to take the train at odd hours back when I was much younger than Satsu-chan is now, and I never complained.'
'I'm not complaining,' said the younger woman, 'I said I don't want Tsu-chan's car. I told you not to bring it up.'
'If you were staying at your roommate's place, it wouldn't be an issue, but here you will come home during the dark and that's not alright,' said their papa, attempting to reason his decision, 'Besides,' he then looked directly at Tsu, 'It's Tsu's fault she brought you into her mess, I'm sure she's mature enough to take the responsibility and make amends.'
Each word was like a punch into the stomach, and Tsu was stunned neither of her parents heard what they were saying and how it sounded.
She was about to try and reason with them. She knew just how much her going to Satsuki affected and put her in danger. She hated that it did and would everything in her power to find out what happened and who was behind it. Still, her sister didn't even want her car, and it seemed ridiculous for Tsu to surrender it when she herself would need it to get to work.
Now more than ever, she wondered if she wasn't even sure where she would be coming from to work.
The sea-green-haired eldest daughter had a flashback of all those times she was forced to surrender or sacrifice something merely because she was the oldest and a girl, and she felt both fed up and sad over it.
Then her papa looked down to take his tea and almost offhandedly commented, 'It's only fair.'
'THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO HER?'
At that point, Tsu honestly forgot about Katsuki being there with them as he remained silent throughout the whole exchange.
Tsu, as well as the rest of her present family, turned to look at the ash-blond, who looked properly furious while glaring at her papa and mama.
'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?' he yelled, regardless of the late hour or this being someone else's house.
'Tsu is your daughter. Not your fucking slave, not your fucking maid or other employee for you to boss around,' he continued, 'What happened wasn't even her fucking fault, and she sure as hell can't just give up her sole means of transport just to please you two, when her sister couldn't even give two shits about her car. You should feel fucking lucky and grateful that you have a good older daughter like Tsu to pick up your slack. And you should in no way think it's your achievement. It's fucking sickening that you forced all that on her as a kid. My old hag is crazy too, but she sure as hell doesn't forget I'm her kid.'
Everyone was left speechless, merely watching the ash-blond for a moment that felt unbelievably long and tense.
'What is this?' asked her papa, finally breaking the silence.
The question was obviously directed at Tsu as she could sense his furious gaze on her, but the heroine simply couldn't take her dark eyes off Katsuki, feeling overwhelmed with a sense of shame and gratitude that he spoke about her behave like.
Like no one else had.
Ever.
It wasn't like anyone had a choice. Tsu purposely rarely allowed people to see her around her parents because deep down, she understood how they treated her wasn't good or right. It was why she was so fearful of Katsuki witnessing it all because she knew he would tell right away this wasn't right. She partly felt guilty and ashamed, worried he might think she was weak or crazy. She let it go this far, but she wanted to help her parents all her life. It just seemed they forgot it wasn't her sole purpose in the world, and she let him get away with it.
'Are you going to allow this boy to speak to us like this?' demanded her papa now in a voice he rarely used on her because, up until now, he never had to. He and her mama just told her what to do, and she always did like a good oldest daughter would without a single complaint.
Katsuki didn't look at her as he probably wanted to keep eye contact with her papa. Still, even so, Tsu made her feelings clear by taking hold of his fisted hand sitting against his knee.
His narrowed eyes eased up a fraction while she turned to her papa, 'Honestly? Yes.'
'Tsu-chan!' started her mama, but Tsu shook her head and turned back to the ash-blond hero, 'Katsu-chan?'
He finally turned to look at her, and she knew that he wouldn't have gotten him to apologize even if she wanted to, especially when the cold truth was that she didn't wish for Katsuki to apologize or take his words back. Because for the first time, he spoke of something that had been eating away at the corner of her mind and soul about her relationship with her parents for far too long. And she was glad that he spoke about it and defended her more than that.
'Please be more mindful of the neighbors, kero,' she said and would have smiled if the situation wasn't so serious at the quick 'Are you fucking kidding me right now' look he shot her.
She turned back to her parents, 'But he's not wrong.'
Upon that, she felt him shift his palm so he could adequately hold her hand, intertwining their fingers as she continued, 'The truth is, even now, you tend to forget that I'm your daughter too. I may be the oldest and not mind helping you out, but I'm also your daughter first.'
'Tsu-chan, what are you saying?' asked her papa, who sounded upset and confused, but Tsu didn't let it stop her from gaining more and more support from Katsuki's warm palm, 'You don't act like I'm your daughter. Just like you treat Satsu-chan as a baby because she is the youngest and Sami-chan as the king simply because he was born a boy, you treat me as a nanny and maid. Today, I had been through a lot, and instead of compassion, you pushed chores on me? And you demanded my car? I was way younger than Satsu-chan and took two trains to get to school, kero.'
She licked her lips, 'And yes, I promised that my hero studies and work wouldn't affect this family, but I was thirteen years old. How can you possibly hold it against me that something I had no control over happened? I'm sorry, and I will make sure you're all safe, but it's insane to expect a child to make such a promise knowing the full meaning of those words.'
Suddenly, her parents felt silent. In her heart, Tsu genuinely believed to be good people. They just weren't always the best parents to her or her siblings.
'Look, I don't mind helping you out when I come to visit, and if Satsu-chan says she needs my car, I will manage, but I please don't treat me like a slave and paint it as my role as the eldest daughter.'
'Tsu-chan, you never acted like this, kero,' said her papa, but it sounded more regretful than like an accusation, which Tsu took as a good sign, 'But I felt it. This isn't something that happened today, but it has been slowly happening since I was ten, and you left me alone with a toddler and infant to take care of while you worked overtime. I was changing diapers while doing my homework, taking care of sick children while fighting my cold, and learning to cook while struggling with sleep deprivation.
Her parents remained silent before Satsuki spoke, 'Damn, that was awesome Tsu-chan, kero! Baku-chan must be rubbing off on you-'
'Don't call me that,' he interjected immediately before he reached out and put an arm around Tsu's shoulders causing the sea-green-haired woman to smile at him for giving her so much strength tonight, 'She's the only one who gets to call me that.'
'Such a tsunade,' commented her little sister, and Tsu calmly warned her to stop before she turned to her parents again.
'I still love you and respect you, both dearly,' she lowered her head a bit, still finding it hard to see their faces as she admitted, 'But I also love and respect myself, so I won't spend the night. You didn't make me feel welcome, whether you meant it or not-'
Her mama immediately interrupted, 'Tsu-chan, please, don't do that. We…we never meant for you to feel like you weren't welcome to stay.'
'I know, mama,' she assured her and made her gaze offering the older woman a smile, 'But it's for the best.'
They finished their tea in silence, but Satsuki couldn't stop smiling, and although it was a bit impractical, Katsuki refused to let her go, keeping his arm around her shoulders and Tsu's side against his.
Still, for the first time since she learned she would have to go to her parent's house, Tsu felt relief and freedom from her dread and shame, and as silly as it might have sounded to some, for the sea-green-haired eldest daughter that was everything.
Once they finished the tea, Satsuki offered to clean the mugs and hugged Tsu, 'Promise we can meet soon. You and Bakugou are too much fun.'
Tsu giggled a bit, 'Promise, kero.'
'Good thing I didn't unpack my things from your car,' commented Tsu while they put their shoes on.
Katsuki paused outside the doorway. He still wasn't looking overly fond of her parents, but he still offered them a polite bow, 'Thank you for your hospitality.'
She would think her parents weren't too impressed with him either, but her papa surprised her by shaking hands with the ash-blond, 'I don't think I need you to promise me to treat her well, huh? You seem like the man who will no matter what.'
'Always,' he said in a way, Tsu didn't just think it was a promise, but a full-on vow that made her want to praise Katsuki's actor skills, except she never felt like he didn't mean anything nice he said regarding of her.
'Tsu-chan,' said her mama and took her hands in hers, 'We're really sorry for making you feel the way we did.'
'It's true,' agreed her papa, putting his palm on her shoulder, 'We had no idea. Until tonight, you never made us feel like we were crossing any lines and should feel bad about everything we were putting on you.'
Tsu nodded, 'I know, but I don't think a child has to prove anything to a parent. A parent should know.'
'Forgive us, Tsu-chan, kero,' said her mama and pulled her in for a hug that her father then joined. For a moment, Tsu imagined she was her ten-year-old self who said all those things and received validation and support from her parents, who stopped putting so many responsibilities on her. It wasn't a complete victory, but it was more than enough for now.
When she pulled away from them, she wished them a good night and took hold of Katsuki's offered hand before she followed him back to his car. The gesture didn't even resonate with her until he let her hand go in order to open the car door for her.
For tonight, she decided she wouldn't overanalyze such gestures and simply accept them as they came.
The car ride after leaving her parents' house was relatively silent, and for most of the time, Tsu didn't even pay attention to where Katsuki stopped until he was out of the car, leaving her all alone for once during this bizarre day.
It was the first time she could properly unwrap everything that happened that day, and in conclusion, she couldn't help but see the only possible way to describe it would be to use Katsuki's rude language.
It was bullshit,she thought to herself, and even with that, she was being generous.
Her home she loved so much and put so much effort into was no longer safe or her own. Her sister's privacy and security were almost compromised and could still be unless they figured out who was behind this all. The Hero Association, the organization with the main authority over her and Katsuki's jobs, might be honestly out to get them. Not to mention, she finally got a chance to speak to her parents about how they were making her feel.
Honestly, this day should just end already, thought Tsu as she was alone in Katsuki's expensive car. It was too bizarre and exhausting, and the longer she remained alone, the more she couldn't help but shrink into herself and wish for all of this to be over and for her to just fall into a dreamless sleep.
'I can only hope tomorrow will be better,' she mumbled to herself just as the car door on the driver's side yanked open, 'Quit it! Talking to yourself is for crazy folk, and you're not crazy. Yet.'
'So generous, kero,' she said dryly.
She hugged herself a bit tighter as Katsuki got inside his seat and turned his attention toward her.
'Shit, you're cold?' he asked, sounding genuinely concerned, which made Tsu look at him.
The ash-blond hero immediately maxed up the heat without bothering to wait for a reply.
'Thank you, but it's not that bad. I've had worse-' she didn't manage to finish the sentence by reminding him of the times she was severely freezing during work as out of the blue, Katsuki snatched her palms, pulling them away from her body toward his face.
'Katsu-'
He immediately buried them into his hands and started blowing warm, hot air on them.
Her dark eyes blinked at the gesture, and watching the focused look on the Number One Hero's face, along with seeing her hands held by his like this, truly caused something inside Tsu to melt on the inside.
Even if her fingers were pretty wide and, therefore, her hands were usually larger than average, Katsuki's hands, just like the rest of his, were rather big too and managed to cover most of her skin just fine.
Before she knew it, Tsu felt a wave of comfort wash over her due to the gentle warmth caused by Katsuki's warm breath and touch. She was sure, based on the slight dampness, that he was using his quirk, which, for some reason, made her entire face feel hotter.
He's so good to me, she thought, hoping she could get away with blaming her flushness on the heat.
After a while of watching Katsuki's part every few moments over her palms and feeling the breath coming from behind them, he stopped and raised his red eyes to look at her.
'Better?' he asked, his voice so incredibly soft it almost came out as a whisper.
Tsu nodded a bit, absently caught up in the moment.
She honestly felt much warmer than before, and not only because of his quirk or car heat. Katsuki could be so gentle with her at times, and yet he acted so fiercely whenever he defeated her. It was surreal that someone like him existed and cared for her so much. Tsu was no wallflower. She had many friends and close people, even if lately she felt a bit alone, like everyone was too busy, her included. But even so, she didn't think she ever had anyone just like Bakugou Katsuki in her life. Someone who would bite someone's head off for being rude to her on the spot before turning to her and checking to see if their harsh words left bruises. Even with partners and lovers who had cared for her, she never really felt a sense of passion that could be both violent and kind like she had by merely having this friendship with Katsuki.
It feels good to have someone like Katsuki in my corner, she thought, not for the first time since he stood up for her during in the changing room before their infamous interview. It felt good not to always have to do everything alone and by herself.
The ash-blond watched her face for a little long, but when she didn't say anything else out loud, so he finally started the car again.
As the soft purring of Katsuki's expensive engine came to life, Tsu had to sigh and force her thoughts into a more practical direction.
Running a quick search through her handbag, she picked up her phone and sighed when she saw the time, 'Ocha-chan is probably giving Nagi-chan a bath.'
'So?' asked Katsuki, and Tsu pressed a finger against her lower lip, 'Do you know if Deku's on night shift tonight or something?'
She went into her contacts, ready to search his name, before Katsuki suddenly reached over and snatched her phone, 'We're not bothering Number One Daddy with this tonight. He's already on my ass about you, and so is Cheeks about getting you into this mess, texting me five times if I got to you and if we're alright.'
Tsu smiled a bit, 'Sorry, I guess I've gotten worse with replying to her lately.'
It was true. Given everything, she let her friend know she was alright and not to worry before going to her sisters and parents. Everything was just happening too fast to deal with properly.
'No shit,' said Katsuki, returning her phone to her so he could switch gears, 'Look, don't bother them tonight. I have a solid place without screaming toddlers, pregnant best friends, or nervous mumbling heroes. You can take my bed for tonight, and tomorrow we'll figure this shit out.'
Tsu appreciated the offer, but she had to set things straight, 'I can't take your bed, Baku-chan. But if you're really alright with me staying, then I would be grateful for your couch.'
'Bed.'
'Couch, kero.'
'So stubborn,' he shook his head, glancing at her briefly and back at the road, 'You know, Froggy. You have a good act going on. Acting all sweet and calm, but you're really stubborn.'
'Only when it comes to you,' she said sweetly and offered him a small smile, feeling more and more like herself with each minute.
'Seriously, thank you, Katsuki,' she finally said, glad at least for tonight, she didn't have to brainstorm places to sleep.
'By the way, why did we stop there a moment ago?' she asked after of peaceful silence as she realized she didn't recognize the street they were on while she was having her small meltdown.
The ash-blond gave her a side-eye look before he vaguely said, 'I bought some stuff.'
Tsu raised his eyebrows at him, taking in his profile, 'Stuff? What stuff?'
The ash-blond didn't glance at her as he drove, but he must have felt her gaze because, after a heartbeat, he sighed and admitted, 'Jelly and other snacks.'
Tsu blinked, surprised upon hearing those words, 'Really?'
'Yeah,' confirmed Katsuki before he explained, 'you're staying with me. I've already figured it was too late to call Midoriya's, and besides, fuck that shit.'
He looked at her with his red eyes burning with the familiar passion all the while his face remained serious and herolike, 'I fucking promised your shitty parents to treat you right. After all but fucking accusing them of neglect, I sure as hell am not leaving you somewhere on your own.'
Before she could figure out what to say to that, once again enjoying just how intense on her behave the ash-blond man could be, he turned back toward the round, 'So fucking deal with it.'
He swallowed, and even if, just by his profile, Tsu could see he was dealing with his emotions after his words and needed a moment.
Once he got it, though, he chuckled to himself, 'But fair warning, Tsu. If I'm hosting your ass, my rules apply. Meaning you make no fucking comment about the movies I pick, got it?'
Tsu's eyes widened as she couldn't help but ask to clarify, 'We're going to watch a movie, Katsu-chan?'
'Yeah.'
Tsu's heart speeded up, and she bit the inside of her cheek for a moment before she shyly she asked, 'Like a sleepover?'
She could see the corner of his mouth lift a bit before he hummed, causing her own smile to break free with each passing second.
'Like movies with snacks and jelly in our PJs?' she asked, feeling incredibly giddy and hopeful. She almost squeaked when the ash-blond chuckled all so beautifully again. It was enough for her to forget all about her problems and negative thoughts from earlier that day.
'Yeah, yeah, but I'm telling you right now, toss any girly nail-painting shit you have going inside your mind out. I won't be caught dead in some class group chat like Sero had.'
Tsu started to laugh, remembering all too well what he was referring to as it was properly hilarious when Mina posted into their class group chat Sero in full makeup and hair and nails while wearing her pink robe.
Katsuki also kept on smirking the whole drive while she tried to control herself and not pee herself over the memory of the ridiculous picture.
Once Tsu finally caught a break, she brushed the tears from her eyes, still smiling and feeling much better, almost like her usual self.
That felt so good, she thought before she turned her head again to Katsuki.
He was still smirking, which was as good as it could get at that moment, and even if he wasn't looking ahead at the traffic, Tsu found peace in how happy and beautiful he looked like this.
He's so good to me; she watched him, feeling nothing but admiration and gratitude toward the beautiful man. He was such a good friend and person, and not just tonight but every damn time they were together. He did so much for her and out of the blue. Small and big things.
How? How can anyone claim that he's anything but an amazing and beautiful soul?
Tsu thought about everything he had done for her just today. How he was worried about her and came to check up on her. How he drove her to her parents' place and even defeated her and gave her strength to speak up about how she felt regardless of their treatment, all the while still impressing her papa. How he bought her jelly and snacks even if she knew for a fact he was not a fan of junk food. And now? He wanted to have a movie night with her, all the while giving her a place to stay and making her laugh when she felt nothing but numb over everything just a little while ago.
Not to mention everything he did up until today. He got her an interview she was sure would get rescheduled again. He defeated her against a misogynistic interviewer. He humored her attempts to make him feel better after Deku named him his successor. He always walked her to her car. He cooked her food. He made her decide what to do about the photo of their kiss, fully prepared to pay his own money to some jerk blackmailer. He brought her jelly during their photoshoot. And so many other small and big gestures as proof of just how kind his heart really was.
Bakugou Katsuki
Her heart had swollen with affection and softness for him.
Noticing they were about to stop at a red light, Tsu leaned closer. Her attempt was innocent enough. She wished to express her gratitude and own kindness due to everything he had done for her so far and give him a soft kiss on the cheek. Something friendly and sweet anyone could share without it falling to the intense and thrilling dance they shared during the photo shoot or the beautifully almost romantic first kiss they had in the bar. She just felt so overwhelmed in that moment over realizing all that he had done for her that she needed to show him somehow how she felt about it. She needed to touch him somehow, but more than that.
She needed to touch him…more.
However, Katsuki's instincts took over, and at the last moment, just as her lips were about to touch his skin, he turned his head to face her and see what she was doing.
'Oh,' she gasped and blinked, immediately moving away. After the split second, she once again touched Katsuki's lips with her own.
The ash-blond's red eyes were widened, and immediately after, his expression became unreadable.
Another second passed before in a high-pitched voice she never heard before, he asked, 'Tsu-what?'
Caught in the moment of awkwardness and feeling like a teenager with a crush again, she let out a nervous giggle, feeling embarrassment settle into the pit of her stomach like a large rock that threatened to sink her with it, 'Uh, I-I was aiming for the cheek I swear, kero.'
It sounded so unbelievably pathetic for a moment. Tsu would almost believe she was a teenager and not a well-established grownup heroine.
Katsuki opened and closed his mouth twice before he snapped his head so quickly ahead and away from her it almost gave her whiplash just being looking at him.
This, however, allowed the sea-green-haired woman to see just how red his ears were.
Tsu wished she could find comfort in knowing he was just as embarrassed about the situation as she was, but that wasn't the case.
He took a couple of deep breaths without looking at her once before he quietly mumbled, 'For fuck's sake. What are you doing to me, Tsu?'
It was unclear if he was meant to say that to himself or her since it was so quiet, but she heard him anyway, and covering her mouth with her palm feeling like an idiot, she apologized, 'I'm so sorry, Katsu-chan.'
It was an accident. Even if they seemed to have a habit of kissing, those other times, they had good reasons for their kisses, like shutting down some assholes and convincing people they were a real and in love couple.
Katsuki swallowed, and Tsu's dark eyes watched his Adam's apple move before finally he spoke with his more or less normal voice, 'It's fine.'
After another moment, once they were driving again, he spoke again, 'Better than a headbutt.'
Tsu chuckled too, although it came out more breathless than anything else, 'You didn't seriously expect one, did you, kero?'
'I'm the Number One Hero. I'm always prepared for the worst-case scenario,' he said very seriously, but Tsu recognized it for an attempt at an icebreaker and took it by giggling, 'So you expected my address to be leaked and having to endure my presence at your place?'
She pressed her index finger against her lower lip, 'Come to think of it, I think no one ever saw your apartment. I'm pretty sure Mina once asked, and no one could confirm where it even was.'
The ash-blond smirked looking beyond proud, 'Damn right. Kirishima found out half a year ago, though. It was nice while it lasted.'
Tsuyu grinned, 'I'm surprised you didn't immediately move just so no one would have your address again?'
'Thought about it, but moving is a bitch,' he said, and Tsu could only agree. Between her parents' house, the dorms, her and Ochako's first apartment, helping her second ex-roommate and ex-colleague move, and finally her lovely own place, moving truly sucked.
'Plus, I have a killer view,' he said with absolute confidence before he stole a look at her, 'You'll see.'
The sea-green-haired woman offered him a smile and tried to purposely make poor guesses about why the view was so special to pass the time.
Luckily, their conversations broke the ice, and their ride wasn't as tense or embarrassing as Tsu would once feared. It seemed they genuinely came to some sort of understanding regarding their little kissing incidents.
It was weird that they kept on happening, and Tsu wasn't a fan of the weird aftermath, but overall, they could only be brushed aside and moved on from. After all, what else could they do about them? Her only other option was to obsess about them and see too much in them, and she valued and cared for her and Katsuki's friendship far too deeply to allow that to happen.
So, brushing those things and feelings aside was just it.
By the time they got to Katsuki's building, Tsu felt nothing but relaxed again and even a bit excited over the prospect of a sleepover and a movie night. It had been far too long since she had either of those things, and she really missed them. Sure, adulthood wasn't all that boring and mundane, but there was a certain level of spark and youth lost with each passing year.
Then, just as she was certain, this was as good as this day could get, Katsuki, while leading her toward the elevator, commented, 'Listen, do you want to use my bathtub?'
'What?' Tsu asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.
'You like to soak, right? I might not have all your fancy shit, but you packed some for your sister's, right?'
'Yes, kero!' she beamed at the man and snatched his hand between her palms, 'Katsu-chan, are you sure?'
His red eyes glanced down to her hands holding his and then back to her face before he nodded.
Feeling overjoyed, Tsu offered him a smile that could express her full gratitude and closed her eyes, 'Thank you, Katsuki. For everything. You're the absolute best, kero.'
'Damn right, and don't you dare to forget it,' he said.
When she opened her eyes, she caught the smirk across his face as he turned around and pulled her with him into the now-present elevator.
Once inside, he punched in a code instead of pushing a floor, and not for the first time, Tsu realized that even if not completely spoiled by money, Katsuki did seem to like expensive things.
The building itself was definitely luxurious and expensive, and it seemed the elevator opened right in the apartments, with Katsuki's being on the highest floor like a personal penthouse.
'Huh? So, you made this much money even before you became Number One Hero?'
'It's not that special. I still only have a one-bedroom apartment. The extra shit is for privacy and security reasons,' he explained, crossing his arms over his chest, perhaps a bit crossed she would think he was spoiled.
She patted his arm, 'Relax, I was only curious. I know you worked really hard to earn this.'
He looked at her to maybe try and see if she was being honest with him before he hesitantly nodded, 'I wanted to be the best. I sacrificed everything and then some. I'm not gonna lie. I was also lucky. I have a flashy and powerful quirk, and despite my personality, I'm popular enough to be recognized when I get shit done.'
Tsu grimaced. He said it like it was. There wasn't a way to fake it till you made it to the top when it came to being a hero. But it sure helped when you had the right quirk, background, gender, and looks.
'Hey, you'll earn yours too,' said Katsuki, causing her to blink and realize they were already at the top, standing in front of a large steel door.
So it doesn't go all the way into the apartment.
Her curious look caused Katsuki to explain, 'Like I said, the extra cost goes to security and privacy.'
The door opened after Katsuki scanned his palm, added another code, and pressed a card against it, further underlining just how paranoid he was. Then again, after what happened today, Tsu would probably invest in more security, too, from now on.
Once the door opened, she was greeted with the most fabulous and expensive-looking home she ever visited in her entire life or could even imagine.
Whoa was all that came to her mind as she hesitantly stepped toward the large hallway that was open and, therefore, allowed them a view of the living room area, a bit of kitchen, and another smaller hallway.
'You can put your shit in my bedroom for now,' he told her as they entered the place, but she barely heard him looking around the high ceiling and beautiful colors.
Tsu was very proud of the apartment she made her home. She put all her ideas and soul into it, adoring the cozy, lovable place, but even so, she had to admit Katsuki's place was far more modern and expensive looking. Oddly, as much as Tsu would expect the man to lack in the decoration department, he proved her wrong since it seemed he played with the colors and created an elegant space with matching furniture and clean or dark colors.
'Did you hire someone to make this place for you?' she asked, unsure how to explain the whole vibe that was so very Bakugou Katsuki in its core. Practical, intelligent, expensive, modern but not cold. No, even if less cozy than her own, the colors showed a certain almost homey warmth that Tsu could very well picture going well with the man.
The ash-blond put on his home shoes and frowned, 'No, only unimaginative amateurs do that.'
She chuckled, knowing he would say something like that, and waited as Katsuki searched for something in his shoe rack only to pull out a pair of unused guest shoes that were still in their packaging.
Tsu was about to protest that it was wasteful to do that when he had a perfectly good-looking used pair in the rack before he pulled them out and she realized they weren't the standard white color most of the guest shoes were, but instead, they were green.
A tired smile forced itself across her face, and she had to close her eyes and take a moment not to start crying, feeling overwhelmed by the gesture, 'Katsuki, you're soooo good to me.'
The man let out a single grunt, but Tsu didn't care and carefully put the shoes on before she followed him further into his fancy apartment. With everything that happened that night, she was tempted to hug him for his effort but decided against it recalling their little misstep in the car. It was still too fresh in her memory, and she knew she was too giddy at the moment not to push it over the friendship line again.
There's only so much even I can make an idiot out of myself for one evening.
'Your place is really elegant and nice, Katsu-chan,' she praised him, and the ash-blond nodded while explaining, 'It's what I always wanted. Growing up, my parents had a house with a backyard and stuff like that, but Deku had a cool view of the city. I always told myself that when I would become the Number One Hero, I would have a view just like that, just better.'
Tsu chuckled, 'Of course you did. Did you ever want something without it becoming a competition to be the best?'
He turned to look at her, 'You can do that?'
Tsu's eyes widened before she caught the jerk of the corner of his mouth and realized he was messing with her.
'Haha,' she said dryly.
'So gullible,' he said and turned his back to her, leading her further, but she simply shook her head, 'You can't blame me. It's hard to believe you have a funny bone in you, kero.'
'For someone without a funny bone, I sure made you laugh a lot recently,' he said, leaving her speechless because it was true. Katsuki did manage to lift up her spirit a lot. She did the same for him, but she didn't have a reputation for being nothing but a loudmouthed workaholic.
He didn't really show her around the place, but once they came to his bedroom and he led her in without turning on the lights, she was certain there was nothing in Katsuki's home that would be as breathtaking or interesting as the view of the night city from his large windows.
Whoa, she thought silently, incapable of taking her eyes off the view.
'I managed to get it before I became Number One, though,' he commented, but Tsu was still too caught up in the beauty of the view to respond.
Almost like she was hypnotized, she walked toward the glass and stopped in front of it, knowing she could see everyone, but no one could see her. It was like being a ghost on top of the world.
It's so beautiful and lonely simultaneously, she wondered if this was how it felt to be Katsuki, to be on the top. He had people around him, but just like Tsu, most of them were in a working capacity. He didn't have any girlfriend, and from what she could tell, his meetings with Kirishima or Deku weren't as frequent as they used to be.
She turned around and found him leaning against the door frame, looking at her, all quiet and haunting, like a real ghost.
It caused her to shiver for some reason, and her breathing became shallow.
'It's breathtaking, Katsuki,' she breathed out honestly about how it made her feel. She didn't know why she was feeling like this when Katsuki wasn't even near her, but for a moment, she recalled how she felt in the changing room and during the photo shoot from yesterday.
He nodded and went to turn on the light. Some of the intimate atmosphere was lost, but the room still remained a nice-looking one.
'Take your time to prepare and take the bath. The bathroom is in the small hallway. Single door. I'll contact the agency to check if they got something, and we can watch the movies when you finish.'
Tsu nodded and offered him another kind smile. She was genuinely grateful for everything he did for her and not just tonight, even if she would try to avoid showing her gratitude by kissing, at least in the immediate future.
'Thank you, Baku-chan.'
He didn't say anything and merely left her, offering her some privacy. Not being in his presence caused her to breathe easier, but also to feel oddly alone. She tried to convince herself it was merely the fact that she spent a lot of time with him these past two days, but she wasn't certain she was successful.
Don't be silly. He's right behind this door, she told herself and went to pick up her things.
Although tempted to look around and see just how Bakugou Katsuki lived, Tsu would never betray his trust by snooping around. Instead, she prepared some things she might need and went to the bathroom.
She noticed Katsuki was on his phone in the living room area, so she didn't try to catch his attention or speak.
The bathroom and tub were outstanding. And going from knowing she wouldn't be able to take a bath at least for a couple of days to being able to dive into such a large and deep one left Tsu ready to weep like a little baby. From all the nice things Katsuki had done for her so far, she was certain this would be her most favorite one yet.
She hurriedly closed the door and immediately started to fill the tub with water while adding her special salt, opening her oils to fill the bathroom with her favorite, most relaxing scents, and preparing all the products she would need for her hair and body.
Once she was satisfied with the amount of water in the tub, she stripped without a single second to spare and finally allowed her body to dive in.
The moment her poor body got completely covered by the water, and Tsu pressed her back against the side of the tub, all the while being able to spread her legs and still not touch the other end. She let out a soft sigh to voice the absolute bliss she was feeling in that moment.
This was what her body and soul needed after a shitty day like this one.
This was what her body and soul needed every day.
This was heaven.
Today was horrible, not even Tsu's usually positive mind could convince her otherwise, but the feeling of warm and clean water soaking her body was just too good to let the negative emotions stick. Nothing wrong could remain inside her mind when she felt this good.
If she died right now, she would probably be fine with it as long as she got to feel this good for a little bit longer.
Sinking a bit lower until the water reached her lower lip and breathing in the waterlily scent, Tsu closed her dark eyes to properly experience and enjoy all the sensations.
Katsuki wouldn't blame me for falling asleep, would he now? She asked herself, not really thinking about anything too hard at the moment.
Everything was so relaxing and lovely it was impossible to stress or overthink.
Sooo good, she thought calmly.
It would be all too easy to just fall asleep. It was probably the most tempting thing that happened to her lately, but the heroine knew she couldn't do that.
Katsuki would surely come and investigate why she took so long sooner or later, and after everything that happened at the photo shoot, Tsu doubted their friendship needed any more incidents like that. Not to mention, she would surely die of embarrassment, and she already came pretty close in the car and with what was happening inside her parents' house.
Although she was honest to the point of blunt and an open book she had to admit, she felt a bit self-aware about allowing the ash-blond to see so much of her today. No one, certainly not her ex-boyfriends or even some of her friends, got to see her with her parents and fully see their dynamic because Tsu always knew it wasn't right.
But even so, Katsuki didn't make her feel like he was pitying her or found her weak or stupid for allowing it all to happen. Instead, he made it clear he blamed her parents and even praised her for all the things she did for them. If he thought she was weak or pathetic because of it, he kept it to himself, and given his attitude, it meant a lot that he did.
Tsu blinked to herself.
He's always so quick to defend me without smothering me or making me feel like he's manhandling me, she giggled a bit to herself thinking all the time he had her back, but still let her handle most of the things on her own.
If he did come into the bathroom, he would surely yell and run away, she thought to herself. He would probably even apologize…suddenly she thought back to their exchange in the dressing room where they shared her jelly cup and where his employee and the hairdresser found them.
Her cheeks grew warmer, and not just because of the water temperature. Or maybe he wouldn't yell or leave or apologize…
She shifted her legs, pressing them together as her mind supplied her with ideas of him not only showing up but also joining her in the tub.
Oh, that would be…odd but not wholly unpleasant.
Some of those thoughts were sexual and completely inappropriate, causing her legs to press even firmer together, but others were rather practical, like to save water or genuinely nice.
Tsu bit the inside of her cheek. She knew Katsuki took showers right after work inside his agency. She usually did as well, but just to get the smell and work off her. Baths were sacred and relaxing for her whole body and soul. Being surrounded by warm water with the waterlily scent of the products she used was a divine experience, and she was sure if Katsuki ever decided to take a nice long bath too, he would agree.
Her eyes partly opened, and she glanced at the end of the tub that she couldn't even reach with her toes.
This could totally fit us both, she thought, reminding herself that she shouldn't be embarrassed for her own thoughts.
She allowed herself a weak moment, knowing Katsuki would never know, and even if he did, he would see it in a practical sense rather than anything lewd. She hoped.
Carefully, almost barely moving, she slid her palm between her legs and daydreamed a bit.
This wasn't her typical pastime when she was a guest at someone's home, but the bath was large and perfect, and the water was hot and did wonders to Tsu's emotional struggles. It would only be a small moment in the comfort of the privacy of her own thoughts. No one would know.
She wanted to be quick as she feared she would have been caught, but at the same time, she knew if she honestly worried about it, she wouldn't surrender to her own weakness in the first place, but fight it.
Tsu already knew herself well enough to know how to work herself to make it good for her.
Sadly, she was often the sole provider of her female release, even when in a relationship. If she wished to prolong it, she would have used her tongue, which was even better in this, but for today, she settled for her fingers.
Listening to the sounds of water moving along with each of her movements and her increasing breathing, Tsu's fingers started to slowly rub small circles around her clit.
Her eyes remained closed, taking in only the sensation of one of her erotogenic zones and the weak sounds of her pleasure coming from her parted lips.
So good, crossed her mind while she listened to herself and the water moving along with her rotating wrist.
She tried not to think about anyone and anything, but the peaceful feeling of content caused by the bath. Just abstract pleasant thoughts. Nothing too heavy or anything to feel guilty over.
However, the closer she got, the more she couldn't seem to stay on track, and in a weak moment, her mind slipped to intense red eyes and a fine firmness that she felt pressed against her stomach during their photo shoot the other day.
Kami, she said as she let out a weak kero, recalling how hot she felt in that moment. Katsuki pulled her closer, and it suddenly was right there, even against her lower belly. She how tempted she was to slide her palm over his abs and lower toward his pants to properly take it into her palm and map just how firm his cock could really be.
Another small croaking sound escaped her lips, and Tsu allowed herself a small treat to fantasize about how the Number One Hero would enter his bathroom and find her there in his tub rubbing her clit while moaning and croaking for him, silently urging and begging him to come closer.
She could almost hear him saying something clever to tease her and make it almost hard for her to stay focused before he would replace her fingers with his hard cock.
Cute. Now let me show how good I can make you feel, Tsu. She could almost hear him say it, partly mocking her and partly breathless, just as he was when they shared her jelly.
She imaged him rubbing the pre-cum on his tip against her clit, causing her to moan some more.
Then he would aim lower between her lips and slowly dive in, teasing her with every centimeter, all the while mocking and praising her until she would feel fuller than ever with no other place to go.
Imagining that, she pushed her own fingers inside her moaning croak echoing through the bathroom just a tiny bit too loudly.
Tsu carried on pushing her fingers in and out, imagining it was Katsuki moving inside her, causing her to moan again.
She pressed her forehead against the side of the tub as she started to feverishly move along with her fingers.
Feels good, doesn't it? I promised I would fill you to your heart's content, didn't I? she heard her fantasy say, recalling the absolute hottest thing anyone had ever said to her in her entire life.
'I promise, I'll give you so fucking much you'll be so fucking full of it you won't be able to walk properly.'
She let out more desperate sounds of her pleasure, feeling her release close, all the while imagining she was with Katsuki, remembering all those things he said to her. All those things already sounded dirty then when he flirted with her so mercilessly. Now, they were completely rotten.
'But if you do well on the photo shoot, I promise to give you more afterward.'
'Tsuyu…'
With the memory of Bakugou Katsuki saying her name in a hoarse voice, Asui Tsuyu came.
Her body shuddered with the orgasm that washed over her, completely erasing any traces of her fears and struggles from today away, leaving behind nothing but an adequately satisfied and relaxed woman.
Just like that, she felt wonderfully boneless and tired, almost ready to really fall asleep and stay in the tub for the night. She wouldn't even care.
Humming to herself, she dived underwater and made sure to stay there for a moment to compose herself after such an experience.
It was a fantastic release, and she needed probably as much as her bath and a roof over her head for tonight. Tsu didn't allow herself to feel bad or weird about getting off like that while imagining Katsuki. It was healthy and normal, and she was extended past the stigma and shame about her own sexuality. Still, she knew it wasn't something she could admit or do in the future. Katsuki was an attractive man, who went out of his way so many times already to treat her well as a good and decent friend would, and the whole fake dating was just messing with her head.
Besides, what did he expect? Yesterday, he teased her about filling her up and even putting jelly on her body and tasting it. He was lucky. She didn't become aroused every time she looked at her beloved desert from now on.
She told herself that once she would resurface, she would act nothing but like the good friend and fake girlfriend that she was. She refused to allow herself some delusional pinning or projecting feelings caused by loneliness. Katsuki deserved better, and so did she.
She came back up and took a small breath. She felt good and told herself she could easily be around the ash-blond without making it awkward. She knew she could.
She cleaned herself up and washed her hair using all her special products.
Once she finished, she deemed she had abused the poor tub enough and got out, picking up the towel she took with her and drying her body, pushing all her wandering thoughts about Katsuki away as soon as they entered.
Don't be a creep, she told herself before setting the towel aside and freezing as she realized she must have left her PJs in Katsuki's room.
She turned around, wondering if she could get away with camouflaging herself, only to pause, confused, when she found her green PJs on the floor.
Did I put them there? She asked herself and tried to look around, but she realized Katsuki didn't have a washing machine in the bathroom to set her clothes the way she did in her bathroom.
I guess I must have put them there myself, she thought, but still found it odd.
Nevertheless, she was grateful she could put them on and not have to hassle with leaving the bathroom and running into Katsuki while naked under a single towel.
That would only end in a disaster; she had too many of those for tonight.
When she was finally ready, she stepped outside.
Katsuki was long since gone from the living room area, so she went to find him in his bedroom, already changed into much more comfortable-looking clothing, 'The bath was wonderful. Thank you, kero.'
The ash-blond looked up from his phone and nodded before he turned back to the screen.
Tsu thought his ears looked red for a moment, but before she could ask, he cleared his throat and spoke, 'My agency didn't have any news. B-lister was able to track down the leak to one of the coffee shops, but it might take a while before we're allowed access to their camera footage. It might be better if you try to file a police report. That way, they could get to the footage immediately.'
Tsu nodded, knowing he was right. Despite all their authorities and competencies, getting security footage regarding minor incidents wasn't it, 'That sounds like a good idea.'
Walking further into the room and the ash-blond she found herself asking, 'Anything from the Hero Association?'
She knew she wasn't imagining it when she saw him grip the phone tighter with how prominent the veins on his palm became and how he flexed his arm muscles over his shirt.
She tried not to think about it too much and focus on his next words instead.
'Just like some others. They expressed disappointment and regret over this happening, and that if they can help in any way, we should let them know,' Katsuki parroted adding a clear fake innocent town before he frowned, 'What a lot of crap that they couldn't even say it to you directly, but told me just to rub it in.'
'It does sound shitty that they didn't contact me,' agreed Tsu before she walked to her bag and picked up her hair comb thinking out loud, 'Do you think they're trying to…catch us at something?'
Somehow, after tonight, she didn't feel comfortable saying the words fake dating or implying there was something like their agreement taking place. Even now, when they should be safe, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched and listened to.
Katsuki stood up and walked toward her, facing her. Tsu took in their height difference, not for the first time, and surely not for the last time either. Despite being a well-established heroine herself, she always found Katsuki and his bulky towering form rather authorities.
With so little time passing after she took care of herself, she was stunned to realize how easily she was turned on by him just standing in front of her like this.
'I don't know, and honestly, I couldn't care less what their goal was in all of this,' said Katsuki with unshakable confidence, 'They ruined your home for you, forced you out, and upset you. I'll fucking burn them to the ground for that alone.'
Tsu smiled a bit at how intense and passionate the man could be, feeling a sense of comfort and security that he would have her back and plan revenge on her for behaving like this.
'You know it should be alarming to hear you say such things, but I always find it nothing but comforting and caring, kero,' she admitted still smiling and glanced down at her comb, 'It's nice to have someone willing to do that much for you. I'm not sure I deserve it though.'
A moment passed between them while her finger slid against the comb's teeth.
Fishing for compliments or not, Tsu got them when Katsuki took the tool from her hand and motioned for her to sit on the bed, 'You deserve everything, and you fucking do for me more than I can ever repay you back for.'
She was too stunned to answer even if she knew he meant her deciding to fake date him and keep his agency slip up from the media.
Katsuki didn't budge. She just waited for her, still pointing at his bed with her comb in his hand.
Blinking, she slowly walked toward him and sat down on his bed, noting the mattress was like her firm and not soft.
'Tell me if I'm too rough, alright?' he asked and carefully but making it clear he meant to do his job well, he started to run the comb through her sea-green hair.
'A-alright,' she said still puzzled, wondering if she didn't fall asleep in the tub because Bakugou Katsuki was combing her hair. Not only that, but he was doing a decent job at it.
'How is it?' he asked after a moment, and Tsu returned to the moment, accepting this was really happening.
'It's nice,' she admitted since it really was nice. Katsuki was careful, but firm doing a decent job. Her hair wasn't as long as it used to be back in U.A but it was still very long and at times tiring to handle. She was tempted to go back to a couple of years right after her photoshoot when she cut almost to her shoulders, but she never really had the time.
Katsuki hummed upon hearing her praised and carried on while Tsu looked out at the night city, 'Did you do this for your mother?'
'Don't be stupid,' he said, sounding almost offended, 'Best Jeanist showed me how. My hair was never this long, but it's not fucking rocket science.'
Tsu giggled when she heard him say that, finally relaxed.
Her dark eyes shifted to watch the night city lights below them, 'Guess not.'
Another moment passed, and Tsu couldn't help but sigh, 'I think whoever put the tracker in my bag, tossed away the jelly cup.'
It was a theory she had been thinking about every now and then.
She couldn't see Katsuki's face, so his silence was hard to read, but after a moment, he spoke, 'There was someone who mentioned the jelly cup during the photo shoot.'
Tsu nodded, but the comb stopped her, so she spoke instead, 'I remember. They talked about it, and we then talked about…it too,' she said, dancing around the fact that they discussed licking it off of someone's body. Surrounded by people from the magazine and knowing nothing could happen was one thing, but to be alone in Katsuki's bedroom after pleasing herself to a fantasy of him in his tub was a totally different thing, she rather not go into tonight.
She quickly added, 'I couldn't find the cup before we left. I thought someone just tossed it away.'
'So someone was snooping around your bag.'
She nodded just barely with the comb still sliding over her hair, 'We can go and talk to the staff. Maybe they would remember who mentioned the cup first?'
'Maybe,' he agreed and for a moment both of them were lost in their thoughts before Katsuki spoke, 'My publicist and the fucker from the Hero Association weren't there during the end of the photo shoot.'
The thought caused her eyes to narrow and her body to tense. She recalled Katsuki's publicist, the older man, who wanted to talk to her before they agreed to a fake date, who seemed to be at the center of a lot of the incidents they had lately, and then the member of the Hero Association who didn't even bother to wait for them to finish.
'You think he's working for them?'
The ash-blond was quiet for a while before he spoke, 'I don't know, but it all seems just all too coincidental. Don't you think?'
'Yes, kero,' she admitted.
For a while, neither of them said anything else. It wasn't like they could figure all of this out tonight anyway, but it was shady, and neither of them was pleased by it. What could the Hero Association want? Did they really want to find dirt on Katsuki so badly they sank so low? Wouldn't it look just as bad for them if they discredited Katsuki? It was frustrating to play these games, and honestly, Tsu wasn't a fan of them to begin with.
Katsuki continued combing her hair, and despite the stressful situation and mystery, Tsu slowly relaxed again.
'I used to do this to my sister all the time, kero,' she closed her eyes, reminiscing over Satsuki being just a little girl who needed help getting ready for school in the morning, 'I can't remember the last time someone did it for me though.' It must have been before Satsuki was born or even Samidare. Her parents wanted a good life for their children, so they worked a lot, and Tsu took care of her siblings, so there was never a lot of time to take care of her. She wasn't complaining, but after today, the knowledge filled her with sadness and grief over her lost childhood.
'I didn't realize just how I minded it until tonight,' she mumbled honestly, 'When I knew you would meet my parents, and they would act like they always do, I felt kinda pathetic and ashamed.'
Katsuki didn't stop combing as he spoke again almost softly, 'That's not on you. I never told my old hag how she made me feel until a few years ago.'
'Really? You fought all the time, kero,' said Tsu, trying to imagine how Katsuki and his mother could not have all the cards in the open when they were so honest while arguing.
'Yeah, but it still took a lot for me to just tell her, she fucked me up,' for a moment, the combing was a bit rough, but just as quickly, Katsuki returned to his steady pace, 'I guess when she saw how everyone was giving me attention for the wrong reasons and treating me like some gift to mankind, she felt she needed to be meaner and harsher to keep my ego in check. I get what she was trying to do, but I think she would have done a better job if she had taught me to use my quirk and strength and brutality to protect others and not acted like I shouldn't be proud of myself or feel special in the first place.'
Tsu was stunned by Katsuki's honesty for a moment before she smiled, 'I hope you know you do all that, Katsu-chan. You do protect people with your quirk and attitude. And no matter what anyone says. Today, when you were so authoritative and professional, it calmed me down and made me focus on the matter at hand rather than panic.'
She turned to look at him, 'So please know you got everything it takes to be a good leader and our Number One Hero.'
His features were soft, and even if she could tell he was a bit awkward with the praise, he accepted it by almost shyly looking away and rubbing the back of his neck, 'Good. I didn't want you to panic.'
'I wasn't because of you,' she assured him, and he nodded, 'good. I'm glad.'
When he looked back at her, she offered him a smile, and after a moment, she saw the corner of his mouth pull into a smirk before he motioned for her to turn around, 'Come on Froggy. I don't have all day. We need to watch at least two movies tonight and eat all that junk food shit. Whatever stays until tomorrow will be thrown out.'
Tsu giggled at his words, 'Alright, Number One Hero.'
'Damn right,' he said and resumed combing her hair until he was done.
'Your hair is nice,' he said, handing the comb back to her.
He didn't bother to wait for her reaction and instead rushed out of the room, 'Very silky and smells good.'
'Yeah?' she called after him, smiling to herself.
What a gentleman.
Tsu put her comb away and checked herself in Katsuki's mirror in the hallway before she followed him into the living room area.
They took refuge for their movie night on his couch, each on the opposite end of it with tons of space between them, and properly went through most of the snacks Katsuki brought.
After finishing her third jelly cup and sipping a little more coke, Tsu giggled and settled with a content smile.
'Oi! There's not smiling during horror movies, Froggy,' said Katsuki from his side of the couch during some talking scene.
Tsu turned toward him, still smiling, 'I know, kero. But I could not help but feel like we're in the U.A. again. Remember those first times our whole class had a movie night. I miss those times.'
The ash-blond groaned, 'Don't remind me. Those fuckers forced me to go instead of sleeping, threatening to knock on my door the whole night.'
She grinned, 'Oh, admit it, Katsu-chan. You were glad to join us.'
'Was not,' he said firmly and sipped from his can.
Tsu leaned closer, 'Was too, you always stayed.'
'Was not, and you can't convince me to say otherwise.'
'Fine, can I at least convince you to admit this is nice?'
'We're watching horrors based on urban legends, and you want to call it nice?'
Tsu tossed her tongue at him but made sure not to actually touch him. She still surprised him, though, as he jumped a bit and tried to cover against the side of the couch, 'Fucking do that again, I dare you.'
She shook her head and pulled her knees toward her chest while looking at the screen.
They managed to get through two movies and a half, or at least that was all that Tsu remembered they managed before she closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, she found Katsuki standing above her, shaking her awake while the credits were rolling on the screen behind him.
'Get up. You're sleeping in my room, remember?' it might have been a question, but right from the start, he made sure to make it sound like a command, 'I'll take the couch.'
She was partly awake and partly asleep, but Tsu knew she didn't agree to take his room in the end while he would be forced to the couch. She already used up his good nature and hospitality. It would be enormously rude and shitty of her to take his bed from him, too, even for just one night.
'I'll stay here,' she said, leaving no room for argument, but of course, Katsuki wouldn't be Bakugou Katsuki if he didn't try.
'The couch is no good for sleeping all night when you have a shift tomorrow. Come on,' he said and took a step toward the bedroom, but Tsu wasn't having it.
'No,' she said stubbornly, which would have sounded far better if she hadn't yawned before she continued, 'I'm not taking your bed. You did too much for me already, Katsu-chan.'
'Fuck, Tsu, it's late. Don't argue,' he hissed, but she shook her head and tried to turn around so he would be facing her back, 'No, good night, kero.'
'The fuck?' she heard him ask.
For a moment, nothing happened, but she knew the man well enough to know this wouldn't be an easy victory.
A second later, he let out a loud and exhausted sigh and then spoke again, sounding very serious and dangerous as if he was talking to a villain, 'Tsuyu, I'm giving you one chance to fucking get up and go to the bedroom.'
She wasn't sure if it was the mysterious threat at the edge of his voice or the words themselves, but Tsu's heart speeded up, and she felt a sensation in her underbelly over his demeanor.
The sea-green-haired woman didn't move or say anything else for a while, biting into the inside of her cheek, wondering if she really wanted to play with fire like this.
Yes, her mind supplied almost moaning.
She swallowed, feeling her mouth was dry now, knowing it wasn't just from all the salty and sweet food she had before falling asleep, 'Or what, Katsuki?'
The moment she asked, she was caught off guard by a quick grab and roll that ended with her being tossed over Katsuki's shoulder like some stubborn princess from a fairy tale or a sack of potatoes.
'Y-you?! Katsuki!' she yelled, stunned. Absolutely stunned that he would seriously do this. 'Put me down!'
'Nah,' he said, sounding almost lazy, and even if she couldn't see him, she would have a sword. He was smirking and teasing her.
Before she could argue further, he started to march with her toward the direction of his bedroom, not bothered by her position or weight one bit, 'I gave you a chance-'
'You can't be serious,' she started to wiggle. She could have broken free; she was trained for all sorts of situations, and despite his impressive quirk, Tsu was confident she could take him in hand-to-hand combat if she needed to. But at the same time, she wasn't sure it would end in a small physical confrontation or if she really wanted to have a fight with the Number One Hero in his home in the middle of the night like that.
'Knock it off-'
'Put me down, kero,' she argued while wiggling, 'I don't want to steal your bed.'
'I offered it to you!'
'I don't want it,' she replied, wiggling more.
Then, out of the blue, she felt a semi-hard slap against her bottom, causing her to let out a surprise yelp.
Immediately, something like thrill and arousal shot over her entire body, knocking all the fight out of her.
Did he just spank my butt, and it turned me on?! She thought to herself, shocked beyond words.
'Tsu,' said Katsuki, catching her attention again, 'be good.'
Her palm shot up and covered her mouth while her widened eyes.
As the living room grew smaller, the closer they got to his bedroom, she felt his words like an arrow hitting the bullseye between her legs.
Tsu felt wide awake now, trying to tell herself that it was a normal reaction and not a newfound kink about Katsuki slapping her ass and telling her to be good, but given how sweaty and aroused she felt, she doubted it.
When he finally got her into the bedroom and set her against his bed, she was still shocked by what happened and her reaction to it. She didn't even argue anymore; she just gave him a silent thanks and good night.
If Katsuki noticed anything, he didn't say, and just walked out of the room grunting a good night and turning off the lights.
I can't believe that happened. First the jelly and now spanking; what else will he awaken inside me next time? She asked herself while biting the inside of her cheek, partly dreading it and partly curious about it.
Tsu remained sitting on the edge of the bed, where Katsuki left her for a while before she finally got under the covers.
I was just surprised. She convinced herself and told herself that if she ever got to date someone else and take them to her bed, she would give something like that a go.
It shouldn't have made me as aroused as it did, though.
Once again, aroused or not, after her time in the bathroom, she didn't feel like abusing Katsuki's bed, too, so instead, she tried to close her eyes and sleep.
However, falling asleep again proved to be a significant problem. Even after what felt like hours, Tsu couldn't find the proper position, spot, or direction. It was odd because the mattress was firm, like she liked it, and the room temperature was perfect.
When sleep didn't seem to come, she opened her eyes and watched the night city.
The view was beautiful but also very haunting, and she had to admit, the longer she watched it all alone in the bed, the more lonely she felt.
For the second time tonight, she wondered if Katsuki felt like that, too, whenever he was here and found the thought unsettling. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel bad or lonely.
After twenty more minutes or so of failed attempts at sleep, Tsu had enough and returned back into the living room. Being a good guest or not, she just couldn't sleep in that room like that.
Katsuki was still on the couch with his back toward her, and he must have gotten a spare pillow and blanket from one of the closets in the hallway.
Despite how quiet his breathing was, she could tell he wasn't asleep either.
Gathering her courage in the dark living room area, she put an index finger against her lower lip and asked him, 'Can you come to bed with me, Katsu-chan.'
'No,' he said in a heartbeat, leaving no room for argument, causing her to sigh as she knew that she would argue or at least discuss it with him despite that.
'Please, Katsu-chan.'
'No.'
She remained standing in front of him for a while before she tried again, this time dropping any hints of cuteness she might have had left from before in her voice, 'Katsuki, please.'
It seemed to have worked because he slowly turned around after a moment, and even in the dark, she could tell he was looking at her, 'Why?'
'It's…,' she put her hands down, 'I just feel so lonely… it's a big room, and the bed is big and the view, and…,' she sighed, 'I just feel so alone there,' she admitted, hoping he would understand, 'I don't like it. It makes me sad, kero.'
His face softened in the dark, in that unique way she long since accepted it sometimes did just for her.
She took it as a good sign, 'You can pick your side.'
He sat up, and she smiled, knowing she got to him, 'I'll even build a small pillow wall. We won't cross it.'
His red eyes watched for a moment before, with a defeated sigh, he stood up, looking frustrated like he was tired of dealing with his kid, 'Just until you fall asleep, and no touching.'
'Deal,' she said quickly, ready to agree to anything as long as she would get him to join her. Wise or not, given her conflicted feelings, Tsu needed someone by her side just for tonight. Tomorrow, she would be better. Maybe she wouldn't even be there, but for tonight, she really wanted Katsuki with her.
He took his spare pillow and blanket, and they made their journey back to his bedroom.
When they arrived, she prepared her pillow wall, promising herself to tease him some other time about how good he was at picking up decorative things for his apartment.
She made him choose his preferred bedside while he had the automatic curtains cover the view and offer them a much more suitable dark.
'Why don't you always sleep in the dark? It's better for your sleep, kero,' she said as they got under their separate covers.
Katsuki waited until he turned off the lights and the room became properly dark before he answered, 'It isn't always a lonely view. Sometimes, it makes me feel invincible.' His words were meant to be hopeful, but Tsu found them sad, like those times didn't happen so often anymore.
She would have thought it would be a bit awkward at first. After all, they were friends and never shared a bed before. However, to her absolute surprise, she found herself slipping into the dreamland almost immediately, barely finding the time to call out to him, 'Katsuki, I'm really happy I have you in my life…thank you.'
The ash-blond remained silent for a while, almost making her believe he was already asleep before she felt his palm reach for her, 'Me too, and tonight was nice. Horror movies and junk food and shit.'
His hand was warm and comforting just as Tsu learned everything about him, at least for her, whether it was his roughness, passion, or care. Everything seemed to comfort and keep her warm, Tsu, in her times of need today.
'Good night, Tsu-chan. You can rest, I'll watch over you.'
A.N: Thank you for reading and your support. :) I'm glad you like the story so far. Have a nice day, and please stay safe.
