"Twilight, a time that's neither night nor day. My favorite time of day," a young man whispered as he wrapped his arms around Hikari, pulling her close. "Your hair reminds me of twilight, Ari," he continued softly. No matter how hard Ari tried, she couldn't quite focus on his face.
"Satoru! Hikari!" a woman's voice called out from the distance, just before everything went dark.
Ari woke up in an unfamiliar dark room. The bed was comfortable, and there was a familiar scent on the sheets. As her mind cleared, she realized she didn't recognize where she was. She quickly stood up, glancing around the clean, minimally decorated room. Looking down, she noticed she was dressed in unfamiliar clothing—a dark blue shirt and black basketball shorts meant for a man. To her left, the door was ajar. She prepared to rush out but froze when the door swung open from the other side. Quickly, Ari grabbed a pencil from the top of the bed and activated her quirk, ready to defend herself, but she halted when she saw who it was.
"Bakugo," she whispered, deactivating her quirk.
"FINALLY! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" he bellowed as he entered. Spotting the knife-like pencil in her hand, he raised an eyebrow. "What's with the weapon?"
Ari tried to piece together the events from the night before. After Recovery Girl healed her injuries, her stamina had been completely depleted. She vaguely recalled heading home with Kirishima and Bakugo, but the memory of arriving at the station was hazy.
"Is this your room?" Ari asked, trying to gather her bearings.
"Where else would you be? That red-headed idiot didn't know where you lived. I told him to take you with him, but he kept whining about his mom making a fuss if he brought a girl home, so I had to bring you here! And to top it off, it rained! I hate the rain!" Bakugo explained tersely. Ari could tell she had caused them a lot of trouble, though Bakugo rarely seemed happy in general.
"I can see why you're upset. If you hand me my clothes, I'll be out of your hair," Ari said calmly, trying not to escalate the situation. Bakugo clenched his fists, turned abruptly, and headed downstairs toward the family room. On their way, they encountered a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Bakugo. Her arms were laden with grocery bags, but when she spotted Ari, she dumped the bags onto Bakugo.
"Well, if it isn't Katsuki's girlfriend!" she exclaimed, enveloping Ari in a hug.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Bakugo protested loudly as his mother embraced Ari.
"I always thought my son here would end up alone, with that attitude of his, but he sure got lucky with a pretty girl like you," she continued to smile warmly at Ari.
"Um, thank you, I think..." Ari responded, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden attention.
"DON'T AGREE WITH THE OLD HAG!" Bakugo shouted at Ari.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN OLD HAG?! AND DON'T YELL AT YOUR GIRLFRIEND LIKE THAT!" Bakugo's mom shot back, charging at him playfully.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIENDDD!" Bakugo argued, avoiding his mom's playful swats.
Behind them, a man entered the house with more grocery bags, his face breaking into a gentle smile as he witnessed his wife and son bantering.
"Why don't we all calm down? We have a guest," Bakugo's father suggested, attempting to diffuse the situation.
"It's ok I don't want to bother you all any longer" Ari declined nicely.
"What no way... you should stay for lunch." Bakugo's mom lowered her voice as she stopped fighting with her son to focus her attention on Ari
"It's ok I don't want to bother you all any longer" Ari declined nicely.
"Nonsense! I insist. I won't take no for an answer" She insisted heading towards the kitchen.
Ari glanced at Bakugo nervously, expecting an explosion, but instead, he followed his mother silently, carrying the bags she had given him. Bakugo's father approached Ari kindly, handing her a bag.
"Here you go. Mitsuki bought this for you. She insisted on getting you some nice clothes after changing you out of your wet school ones and into Katsuki's clothes. You can change in the restroom next to his room," Bakugo's father explained.
Ari was surprised by the gesture and hesitated briefly before accepting the bag. Bakugo's father led the way to the kitchen, joining the rest of the family. Ari headed upstairs and stared at the closed door for a moment before heading into the restroom. Inside the bag, she found a snug pink T-shirt dress and a pair of socks. Quickly changing out of Bakugo's clothes and into her new attire, she neatly folded Bakugo's clothes and placed them on his desk by the bed. Returning to his room briefly, she noticed it was now brightly lit with the curtains open. As she glanced around, something caught her eye.
"Are you just going to stand there?" Bakugo snapped impatiently.
"You're a fan of All Might, just like Midoriya," Ari pointed out, gesturing toward a hero card on his headboard. Bakugo snatched the card from the headboard, moved quickly to his desk, and stashed it away in a drawer. He seemed annoyed that Ari had discovered his admiration for All Might, although she couldn't understand why it was a problem, considering many students in Class 1-A were fans.
"You have nice parents," Ari tried to change the subject.
"The old man's a pushover, but he's okay, I guess. The old hag is annoying overall, but I suppose it's because she cares," he muttered awkwardly, unable to meet Ari's eyes as he spoke. It was unusual for Bakugo to say anything remotely positive about his family, making Ari appreciate the moment.
Ari walked over to the desk positioned near the foot of Bakugo's bed. On it lay an array of textbooks covering subjects from pro-hero strategies to the basics of Math, Science, and English. Despite his reluctance to admit it, Bakugo clearly put in considerable effort—no wonder he consistently ranked at the top of the class. Ari explored cautiously, ensuring she didn't seem too intrusive.
"Katsuki! Come down here! Dinner's ready!" Bakugo's mom called from downstairs.
They descended to join his parents. Bakugo's mom had just finished setting the table, while his dad was in the kitchen, still serving the plates. Bakugo pulled out a chair beside him and gestured for Ari to sit, which she did promptly. His father emerged with the food, handing a plate to Bakugo and placing another in front of Ari. Across from them, Bakugo's mom served herself and her husband. They all settled in and began their meal. As everyone enjoyed their food, Ari stood quietly, staring at her plate. Her throat tightened, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Don't you like Karaage?" Bakugo's mom asked gently.
"No, sorry. It's just that I haven't had a home-cooked meal in a while," Ari explained, composing herself and taking a spoonful. While the meal itself wasn't remarkably different from other Karaage dishes Ari had eaten before, this one held a special taste—a familiar flavor she hadn't encountered in a long time.
"It's delicious!" Ari beamed after swallowing the food.
"That's great! Next time, I'll make Bakugo help out. You might not think it, but he knows his way around the kitchen!" Bakugo's mom commented warmly.
"Yes, he makes amazing mapo tofu!" Bakugo's dad added proudly.
"IT'S NOT PERFECT YET! There's still something missing to make it the best in the world—undefeated!" Bakugo interjected boisterously.
That dinner turned out to be one of the best Ari could remember. Despite occasional outbursts from Bakugo and his mom, the lively atmosphere made it feel perfect—a far cry from what Ari had experienced before. After dinner, while Bakugo and his father cleaned the dishes, Ari conversed with Bakugo's mom. She showed Ari old photos of Bakugo as a child and shared stories that would surely embarrass him, much to his vocal dismay. Eventually, the time came for Ari to bid them farewell.
"Come back anytime you want, Ari! We'll be here waiting for you," Bakugo's mother said warmly.
"Take her home, Katsuki! Make sure she gets there safely," she instructed, tossing a bag at him. Suppressing his annoyance, Bakugo walked past Ari towards the street.
"See you again, Ari," Bakugo's dad waved kindly.
"Yes. Thank you for everything," Ari waved back, feeling a hint of sadness as she departed.
Bakugo and Ari made their way silently towards the station. Her home was just two train stops away from Bakugo's, roughly 17 minutes. The walk was quiet, with Bakugo leading the way.
"You don't have to take me all the way home; just to the station is fine," Ari broke the silence.
"IDIOT! I'm taking you all the way home so this never happens again," Bakugo argued gruffly.
"Oh, but I really liked your family. I've never been around a family like yours before. Especially your mom; she's so sweet," Ari continued, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Is your mom the same way?" Bakugo questioned.
"I don't know I never had one," Ari replied casually, bumping into Bakugo's back as she hadn't noticed he had stopped walking.
"What about your old man?" he turned to ask.
"I don't really have one of those, either. Not really," she replied vaguely.
"But that spiky-haired weirdo said you lived with your dad overseas," Bakugo persisted, looking confused.
"Oh, he's... well, he's..." Ari hesitated briefly, then continued, "You shouldn't ask serious questions like that they ruin the mood," laughing it off as she resumed walking. Bakugo followed silently, dissatisfied with her response but refraining from pressing further.
Seventeen minutes later, they arrived at Ari's home. She had recently moved in after spending the first two weeks of school in a hotel, so she was still getting used to the area. Bakugo accompanied her all the way to her door. When they reached it, Bakugo tossed the bag his mother had given him to Ari.
"Here! Your keys should be inside." It was Ari's school bag, and inside, her school uniform still carried the faint scent of Bakugo's home. She smiled fondly and retrieved her keys from the bag.
"What are you smiling about?" Bakugo looked confused.
"They smell like you!" Ari handed her uniform to Bakugo so she could continue searching for her keys. Bakugo blushed slightly and looked away. Moments later, Ari found her keys, unlocked her door, and opened it. Bakugo quickly handed her back her uniform and turned around to leave.
"Bye, Bakugo! Thank you!" She waved before stepping inside.
Later that day, after taking a shower and lying in bed, Ari reflected on the day. It had been short, mainly because she slept through most of it, but it had been a happy day for her nonetheless. She thought about her first family dinner and couldn't help but smile widely, wondering when she might be able to experience it again. Her pleasant thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a phone call—her father was calling.