Firework

Chapter Five

Four, Going on Sixteen

"Daaaaaad! Daaaaaaaaaad!"

"Yeah? What?" Katsuki yelled back. Before the Pro Hero knew it, it was nearly four years later. The Bakugos moved to a larger house in the suburbs, but still close to his agency. Added bonus, his home was separated from his work, closer to pre-school and eventually public school.

The lunch he was cooking smelled fantastic, the pork belly sizzling in the oiled pan.

"I can't find my scrunchie!"

"Is it under the bed?" He asked the voice as he split the food onto two plates.

"Nooo!"

"Is it on the bed?"

"No-uh!"

"The doorknob!"

…

"...I found it!"

Bakugo sighed, plopping into the chair. "Food's up! Come eat!"

"K!"

From across their new house, a four-year-old Hanabi came running out of her room, holding her black and orange scrunchie. Yet, somehow still in pajamas. "Hair, peas!"

"It's please. Not peas." Bakugo turned and took the hair tie, tying the little girl's blond bushy hair back into a wide ponytail. Now a bit older, Hanabi's blond mane grew longer and fluffier, reaching down to her shoulders and several inches above her head. Additionally, it began to take a darker tone, growing more dirty blonde than platinum. But it was still just as spiky and wild as her father's.

The similarities continued as she got older. Her sharp, intelligent eyes darted this way and that at all times, bright red and wide open. She was excitable and hyper, seeming to thrum with barely restrained energy.

After he finished, she leapt into her chair to eat. "Tank you for da meal!" She said with practiced ease. Almost anyway. She dug in with her hands, shoveling the deliciousness into her mouth.

"Ez gooood!" She kicked her feet happily.

"Slow down, squirt. You'll choke." Bakugo said calmly, picking up his chopsticks. She was cute, sure, but he still had standards for manners. "And use your utensils!"

"Mm'K!" Hana picked up her two sticks, holding one in each hand. "I got you now, little vegetable!"

Bakugo hummed as he picked up a piece of meat. "Look. Do as I do, ok?" He demonstrated using his chopsticks. "Use one hand, like this."

"That's too hard!" Hana argued. "This is the fun way!" She proceeded to grab food like a claw machine, lifting it about her head to drop into her mouth.

But then the fried pork fell, hit her nose then to the floor.

"Oh. Oops." Hana reached down to grab it. "Five seconds rule! Like Uncle 'Shima said!"

Bakugo sighed and pinched his brow. "Remind me to kill Shark Face when I see him next."

"Noooo!" Hana yelled with food in her mouth. "Don't 'e mean!"

Bakugo came around, sitting her back on the seat. "Here, let me help."

Hana relented, letting Katsuki put the chopsticks in her little hand.

"Hold one in by your thumb there, and the other like a crayon. See? Now try."

Hana stuck her tongue out as she tried the hard way. She carefully picked up a broccoli and ate it before it fell!

"I did it!" She cheered.

"You did!" Bakugo patted her head. "Now eat. Properly."

"Uuuuugh…" she groaned. Bakugo took his seat again, eating and reading a recent news report on his phone.

"Huh, Deku's finally doing it." He muttered. He read on.

Former Number One Hero Izuku Midoriya, or Deku, has announced his formal acceptance to teach at his alma mater, U.A. High.

Since One-for-All, the quirk given to him in childhood by All Might, has faded considerably in recent years, Midoriya states that he wants to continue heroism, whatever form that takes.

"I've always loved U.A," said Midoriya. "And being a hero was my dream. And I did it! But now it's time to hand over the reins. Maybe someone new will take the stage soon."

"Dad, watch this!" Hanabi tossed a pork piece a few feet in the air, then caught it in her teeth! "Am I amazing or wha?"

"Pff, I've known that for a while. Now eat!" he pressed. He kept reading.

Deku was asked if this was a hint towards his successor. But he denied any such candidate.

"One-for-All is gone," said Midoriya. "It's time has passed. My time as an active hero has passed. But I haven't. Not yet, anyway. And I have more to give at U.A."

Bakugo scoffed. "And it pays well."

Then again, it's not like he needed money. He probably genuinely wants to teach. But Bakugo's known him all his life.

And he knows that if Deku had a choice…

Hana pushed her plate away. "M'full."

He looked up. Half her food was gone. If it were his own childhood home, Mitsuki would have made him eat everything on his plate, or suffer the consequences.

But alas, he wasn't Mitsuki.

"Ok, can you help me put it away?"

"Mmk." She hopped up and carried the plate to the counter. But it was too high! Katsuki lifted her up to the counter.

"Remember, ziplock for solids. Containers for liquids."

"Uh-huh." She held the baggie open as he filled it with uneaten food. "Daddy, when do I get my quirk?"

"Soon," Bakugo answered. Just like yesterday and the day before. "Most kids get theirs around your age."

"How long is soon?"

Katsuki smirked. "Almost as long as a while."

"How long is a while?"

"Just a little bit."

"How long is a little bit!?"

"Soon."

"Daddyyyy!" Hana groaned. "I want my quirk! All my friends have quirks! Toshi has hers! And she's younger than me!"

"I know." Bakugo zipped the bag and handed it to her. "Your body has to decide when it manifests. It'll come when it's good and ready. Fridge."

She hopped down, opened the fridge and tossed the food in. "What will it be? Because I want laser eyes! No, I want to fly! Like you!"

"I don't know," He answered honestly. "It might be like my Explosion, or something else."

"..." She looked at her hands, then thrust them out. Nothing. She punched the air a few times, trying to make something, anything happen.

No dice.

"Berightback!"

She ran to her room again while Katsuki finished his own plate. He was almost done cleaning when she ran back out again.

"How do you explode?" She practically demanded. "Is there a button?"

Bakugo snorted at the question. "No, squirt. No button." He knelt to her level. "It's like moving your pinky. An invisible pinky. Then you think 'BOOM', and it goes…

BOOM!

His Explosion fired off in his palm. "Boom. Like that!"

She furrowed her brows and held her palm out. She focused…and focused…and focused…

Not a single spark.

She slumped into a pout. "Maybe I am quirkyless."

Now she had Bakugo's attention. "What…who told you that?" He asked as calmly as he could. Which wasn't a lot.

"No one…" she grumbled. "Deku is quirkyless right?"

Bakugo bit his tongue. Bit of a special case there. "Yes…but no, actually."

She cocked her head to the side. "Huh?"

"See, Deku's quirk…ah…stopped working. He went through a lot, and his body had trouble keeping up."

"So…" she closed her eyes in thought. "If I get too strong, my quirk will die?"

"No! Its just that…Deku…," Dammit! He was at a loss for words. "Listen, you're not quirkless yet ok? You still got time."

"Hmm…" she looked up. "Mmk. Can we go to the park?"

Thank god.

"Yes, of course." Katsuki ruffled her hair. "C'mon, you need outside clothes."

"No! Jammies!" She yelled, clutching her All Might themed pajamas. (Bought by Katsuki, of course.)

xXx

"Hey, Hacchan!" Kaminari called from the park. He and Jirou could hear them coming a mile away. The Bakugo's landed safely on the ground, with Hanabi wrapped around her father's chest. "HI Uncle Denki! Auntie Koka!"

"Hey you!" Kyoka knelt down to hug the rushing child. "Are you behaving?"

"Nu-uh!"

"HA! Good girl!" She laughed. Bakugo strode up behind her.

"Sup losers." He grunted. "Hana, go play for a bit!"

"Mmk! Kodo-chan!" She ran off to a purple haired boy. With a yellow heartbeat streak across his head and black power cords on his ears.

"How's the kid?" Bakugo asked Kaminari. "Figure out how his quirk works?"

"Yep! And it's honestly really cool!" Denki gushed. "His cords are like Kyoka's, but way tougher and absorb electricity like me!"

"But too much energy fries his brain." Kyoka said in exasperation. "You thought he was trouble, try two of them."

"Hey! You love me, you know!" Denki complained. Kyoka rolled her eyes, hiding a smile.

"Still, I'm glad his cords are more durable…" She muttered, playing with her own left earlobe. Though the damage was healed by Eri years ago, she still checked regularly to see if it was still attached.

"How's Hana?" She asked, briskly, putting the Demon Lord out of mind.

"Good." Bakugo said shortly. "Lotta energy. More than I know what to do with sometimes."

"I can tell." She giggled. They looked out to the playground, where Hana and Kodo ran all over the tall structures. But little Kaminari was lagging behind the Bakugo.

"Hahahaha! You can't catch me!" She screamed. "I'm unstop-able!"

"Oh yeah!?" Kodo yelled after her. From his earlobe, a long cord shot out faster than he could run! It wrapped around her wrist!

"Hey! No fair!" Hana yelled back.

"Sure it is!" Kodo argued. "Use your quirk then!"

Hana flushed red. She…she couldn't! But instead of answering…

"OW!" Kodo yelped! He withdrew his cord. "You bit me!"

"Nyaa!" Hana stuck her tongue out and kept running, out of sight of their parents. Kodo ran after her!

"Too slow! Haha-OOF!" She ran into something! No, someone!

"Hey!" A boy snapped at her. This boy was older, maybe 7. "Watch where you're going, brat!"

Hana huffed. "I'm not a brat! YOU'RE a brat!" She yelled indignantly.

"What's that?" The boy snarled. He pushed the girl down! "Watch how you talk! I'm older than you!"

Hana sat up. She had a tear in her eye from the shock.

"Aww, gonna cry?" The boy taunted.

Hana got back up! She opened her mouth to yell.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Kodo caught up. He pointed his cords at the bully. Hana's eyes widened at the action.

"Back off, dummy!" The kid ordered. "Point your freaky plugs somewhere else!"

Instead, Kodo looked back at Hana and smiled. "Don't worry, baby! I'll protect you!"

Now, what the young Kaminari expected (possibly because of stories from his dad) was a look of relief on Hana's face. Or even admiration!

Not barely contained four-year-old fury.

"Go away!" She yelled, a vein popping on her forehead. "I don't need protecting!"

"...huh?" Kodo's mind went blank. What now?

"Pff, whatever!" The older kid stalked off. "Bunch of weenies."

Hana looked after the boy. "Weenie? He said…weenie?"

Meanwhile, Kodo puffed his chest out proudly. "HA! See! I scared him off! Good thing I was here, huh!?"

Hana whipped back to the boy, her rage reset. "I don't need help! I was ok!"

"No, he pushed you!" Kodo argued. "But it's ok! I saved you!"

But her little body trembled with rage! As she flushed red with fury, thin steam hissed from her scalp.

"I…don't…NEED… SAVING!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

BWOOOOSH!

From where she stood, a mushroom cloud of white smoke erupted! She ran off, her head leaving a smoky trail.

"Hey! Come back!" Kodo ran after her, but started coughing! Whatever was in the air, it made him cough! "Hacchan!"

"GO AWAY!" Hana yelled back. She kept running, down to the field outside the playground. She turned to make sure she wasn't followed.

But the playground was gone!

For some reason, it was getting harder for her to see! White clouds swirled around her, from…she didn't know!

She stopped running. Where was she?

"Kodo?" She called through the smoke. "Kodo? Daddy?" She wandered around, but the playground was gone! She couldn't even see her hands!

And the air. It smelled different. Weirdly…sweet?

"Where am I?" She mumbled. "Daddy! Daddy? Where are you?

Somewhere she heard shouting, and other kids yelling and screaming. "Hello? Who's there?" She ran towards the noise. She heard more screaming and coughing.

"Hello!? Anybody? Daddy!?"

"Hanabi!?"

"Daddy! DADDY!"

Then, out of nowhere, she ran right into him!

"Hana!' Katsuki hugged her. "Can you breathe? Breathe baby!"

"I can breathe!" Hana said curiously. "Where is everybody?"

And as soon as it came, the smoke began to clear! The white cloud thinned out, revealing the playground and a lot of coughing kids and adults.

Bakugo looked around. He didn't have trouble breathing, and neither did Hana. As the smoke cleared, the source became obvious.

"Hana…" Bakugo said softly. His eyes were wide with shock! "Take some deep breaths. Slow and steady."

"I'm ok, Daddy!" Hana insisted. "I just got lost!"

"I know, just…do as I say." He took a deep breath. "Like that."

After some convincing, Hana took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. As she breathed, and calmed down, the air began to clear more and more.

"What happened?" She asked. Bakugo blinked. She still didn't realize?

"Honey…look at your arm."

Frowning, she did so.

"GASP!" She held her arm out in fright. The smoke! It was coming from her!

"Congratulations, kiddo," Bakugo said with a grin. "You got your quirk!"

xXx

After quickly leaving the park, also after ensuring all the poisonous smoke was cleared, Bakugo made a call for Deku to pick them up. Flying with a living poison smoke bomb might not be the move. The Kaminari's hurried home to take care of Kodo, who ended up inhaling a lot of the weird gas. No hard feelings or anything, these things happen after all.

And so, a bright green sedan screeched into the lot, with a very excited former hero hopping out.

"Hacchan! You got your quirk! I'm so happy for you!" Midoriya cried as he picked up and hugged the toddler.

"Hi Deku! Look!" She made more gas from her hand!

"That's AMAZING!" He gushed with stars in his eyes. "I can't wait to learn more about it! What can you do with it? How much smoke can you create?"

"Hold the damn questions nerd!" Bakugo yelled. "First things first, you get the stuff?"

"Yes!" Midoriya put on a respirator, muffling his voice. "Don't worry Hacchan, you won't hurt us!"

"Us?" Bakugo asked. "What are you talki-"

"HACCHAN!" They all turned to see a brown haired girl in the backseat, sticking her head out! "I'M SO EXCITED!"

Hana gasped with glee. "TOSHI!"

BWOOOOOSH!

She erupted in smoke, concealing all three of them abruptly.

"AACK! SORRY!" Hana cried out.

"Wow!" Midoriya said in wonder behind his respirator. "This is really thick!"

"Dumbass! Poison gas!" Bakugo said slowly as if speaking to an idiot. "Why did you bring Shortypants!?"

"She was so excited for Hacchan! And she has a respirator too! Hey, the gas doesn't work on you?"

"Save it! Just get in the car!" They emerged from the cloud with Hana in tow and clambered into the vehicle.

"Hana! Are you ok?" Toshiko asked as she jumped in. She was also wearing a respirator for safety.

"Uh-huh!" She said briskly. "I'm smoky! See!?" She held her arm out, letting smoke build in her palm. The white gas was very pretty if you asked the young Midoriya.

"My Dad could do that!" Toshi exclaimed. "Only his smoke was purple."

Hana nodded. "It's not like my Daddy's quirk though."

"I'm not like Dad either!" Toshi reassured her. "Maybe you're like your Mom instead!"

Hana blinked, her smoke dissipated instantly. "My mom?"

Meanwhile, the two Dads got into the front seats, with Izuku driving.

"Roll the windows down," Bakugo instructed. "Can't afford to hotbox in here and crash."

"Please don't say it like that." Izuku sweatdropped. He rolled the front windows down, along with the sunroof. Soon, they were rolling down the road to the Bakugo house.

Meanwhile, Hana listened to Toshiko talk about the latest at preschool and what Elementary School she was going to. And about how she figured out how to control her own quirk better. She almost never floated up by accident anymore!

Hana nodded and laughed…but something didn't feel right. Something was bugging her.

"Toshi…" Hana interrupted. "You have a mom, right?"

Toshiko blinked. "Yeah. I got Mommy and Dad."

Hanabi blinked. If Toshiko had a mom…

"Dad…" she called up.

SCREECH!

"OY! PRECIOUS CARGO OVER HERE!" Bakugo roared at the other driver. "Deku, flip him off!"

"No! I can't do that!"

"If you can't, I will!"

"Kacchan, the kids!

"Relax, I'll reach out the sunroof!"

"DAD!" Hana snapped, leaning out of her seat. Katsuki turned to her.

"What's up, squirt?"

Hana looked at him with a funny face. Like concern…but also sadness?

"Do I have a mom?"

Bakugo went chalk white, his eyes widening. Midoriya held his breath, looking over at his best friend.

But he was speechless. Of all times, she was asking now?

"Hacchan," Midoriya cut in, focusing on the road. "That might be something you and your dad talk about later."

"I don't ask you, I ask Daddy." Hana said snippishly.

"Hey!" Bakugo snapped. "That's rude. Sit your ass down."

"But Daddy, I-"

"I said sit down!" Bakugo snapped again. He got face to face with his daughter. He glared right into her eyes.

"Later. We will talk about that later." He said, leaving no room for discussion.

Her own red eyes widened. Then glared harder.

"No!" she said, steaming up. "I want to know about mama! Now!"

Toshiko inched away from the standoff, unsure of what she just created. Both Bakugos glared at each other silently, both steaming with fury. One literally.

Meanwhile, in Katsuki's mind…

Don'tblowup don'tblowup don'tblowup don'tblowup don'tblowup don'tblowup don'tblowup

Very carefully, he managed to speak.

"Put. Your. Butt. On the seat." he gritted out through a snarl. "Do. Not. TEST. Me."

The steam coming off Hana started to move faster, like a kettle under pressure. Her lip quivered.

Then she sat down. "Hmph!"

Midoriya let out the breath he was holding. Bakugo turned back to the road.

"How much farther."

"A-About 5 minutes." Midoriya replied cautiously. Bakugo sneered, reaching into his coat for his meds.

Despite the tenseness, Midoriya knew that Bakugo was holding back. By several miles of what was normal. His anger-management meds helped, plus therapy, but it was still an ordeal. One thing they had worked on was never yelling and cursing at the same time. Only one or the other. It was a lot of work for him though.

Meanwhile, Hanabi was literally steaming out the ears in frustration. Her little glare reminded Izuku of Katsuki at that age.

In fact, it was right when he got his quirk…

"Kacchan," Midoriya said quietly. Bakugo turned to look.

"What."

Midoriya looked at him seriously, seeming to talk with his eyes.

She deserves to know.

Bakugo glared back. I know dipshit. Just not right now.

Midoriya turned his head, cocking his eyebrow. She's not going to stop asking you know.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. I know, I know. Quit butting in.

Midoriya shrugged.

Toshiko watched the exchange with interest. She had no idea what was being said, but it was worth trying.

"Hacchan?"

Hanabi looked over, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What, Toshi."

Toshiko closed her eyes…

Then swung her head at her, wiggling her eyebrows!

"PFF!" Hanabi coveted her mouth with both hands. "Nooo! I'm angry right now, Toshi!" She regained her glare, forcing a frown.

Toshiko then cocked her eyebrow cartoonishly, tilting her head down.

Hana almost laughed, her mouth shaking from effort. "Stopit!" She hissed. The steam cleared as well as Hana's mood improved.

Toshi kept making funny faces, wearing away at Hana's composure. Soon enough, both girls were giggling messes, all composure lost.

Bakugo turned to the noise. "What are you chuckle heads laughing about?"

Both girls straightened up, holding back laughter. Toshi had tears in her eyes as she grinned. Hana looked out the window to evade his gaze, covering her own smile.

Bakugo deadpanned at the sight. "Weirdos." He turned away.

"PFFFHAHAHAHAHAHA!" they both broke down that very instant. Midoriya started laughing too. It was infectious! Bakugo pinched his brow.

"HA ha…ok, we're here!" Midoriya giggled. They pulled up to the house. "Toshi, stay in the car with me for a minute ok?"

"Aww, but I wanna play with Hana!" Toshi complained as the Bakugos got out.

"Just for a minute ok?" Izuku insisted. "Hana and her dad need to talk for a minute."

On the porch, Bakugo sat down, beckoning Hanabi to do the same. She sat down, less upset than before.

Still frustrated though.

"Daddy…" she started, holding her hands together. "I'm sorry I-"

"No," Katsuki put his hand on her shoulder. " I'm sorry. I snapped at you when I didn't need to. I shouldn't have done that."

Hana nodded.

"But…" Katsuki continued. "You shouldn't have snapped at me either. Or Deku. We will talk about your…about mom. But that wasn't acceptable. Understood?"

Hana nodded again. "'M sorry. I got angry. I don't know why."

"I know kiddo," Bakugo leaned into her. "It's ok."

Hana returned the hug, squeezing tight.

"So…mama?" She prodded.

"Hmm…" Bakugo thought. "Tell you what. Let's do some quirk discovery first. I want make sure you can control it and that it's not hurting you."

"Then we can talk about mama?"

"Yes. Promise." Bakugo smiled. "Besides, Deku might melt if we don't figure out your quirk."

She giggled brightly. Then she held out her arm, letting the gas obscure the limb.

"It's sooo cool!" Hanabi waved her arm around. The gas followed her movements!

"Look!" Hana moved the gas around. "I can move it!"

"That's great!" Katsuki said in relief. She can control where it goes! That makes things easy. He waved over Deku, giving him the ok.

Before long, Toshiko and Deku were standing in the backyard, watching Hanabi and Katsuki experiment from a distance. Izuku was vibrating from excitement, but held his own daughter back. Don't want her to be caught up in the smoke until it was safe. Though they did remove their masks for a better view.

Meanwhile, Hana manipulated a ball of gas in her hands, moving it from hand to hand carefully. She let out more gas from her arms, making the orb as big as herself. Some gas escaped her control and spread out across the yard.

"Focus, kiddo!" Bakugo advised. "It'll be harder to control the more you make!"

"But it's so pretty!" She lifted the gas up above her head, forming it into a large flower shape. "See?"

"I see it!" Bakugo grinned. Sure it wasn't Explosion, but it was still pretty cool. "Deku! Kinda like your smokescreen, huh?"

"Yes!" Midoriya called back. He wrote down as many details about the new quirk as he could. "But it's far more functional than mine ever was! Her control is precise and the added poison effect is amazing! I wonder what it's made of!"

"Whatever it is, I'm immune to it." Bakugo thought carefully. Something was way familiar about the vapor. The way it smelled.

"I don't think it's actually poison." Katsuki theorized. Behind him, Hana twirled around, spreading gas all around her. The gas moved with her, spinning faster and faster. With movements, small sparkles started the shimmer in the smoke.

Then, without even realizing she had done so…

A small spark popped from her palm!

"I think it might be-"

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A gigantic, and multicolored, explosion ripped through the backyard, ripping through the atmosphere with force! Bakugo was blasted face forward at the fence!

CRASH!

Midoriya instinctively shielded his daughter, quirk or no quirk. The entire yard was razed, reduced to a smoldering pit! And Hanabi was nowhere in sight!

"HANABI!" Midoriya looked around frantically! "HACCHAN!"

Then he saw her! Above! Plummeting to the ground!

BABOOM!

In a flash, Bakugo blasted through the air to catch his child, landing with a roll to the ground!

"Hana! Hana, wake up! Answer me!" The child was covered head to toe in black soot and slight burns. And her eyes were closed!

But she was breathing!

He patted her cheek and shook her shoulders. "Hana!"

"Mmm…whazzappening?"

She was awake! "Hana! Thank god, speak to me! Look at me, kid!"

She blinked her eyes open, seeing her dad, Deku, and Toshi all around her.

"What happened?" She asked with a cough. Katsuki tugged her in for a hug.

"All that gas…" He explained shakily. "It exploded!" He set her down, inspecting her. Other than the black soot covering her entire body, she was fine! She shook herself, still feeling dazed. Her clothes were in tatters too, still smoldering from the blast.

"Ex-ploded?" She seemed puzzled. "Why?"

"Not sure…Deku, get a towel."

Midoriya ran off, then back with a white towel to wrap her up.

He held her hands up. Could it be? "Focus on your hands for me."

She looked at her palms. White gas steamed from her hand, just like before.

Her hand twitched.

Boom!

The gas exploded! And the explosion was green! She retracted her hand in shock, but this confirmed it! Her palms emitted small yellow sparks! Just like her dad!

"You can make explosions!" Midoriya gasped. "Just like Kacchan!"

Hana stared at him, then at her dad. Katsuki looked amazed. Then he stiffened in realization.

At the playground. If he had let off even a single spark while wading through the gas…holy. He was suddenly very glad he didn't try to fly over the cloud of nitroglycerin-based gas.

"Hana, how do you feel?"

She looked at her hands again. Then made another small explosion. Purple this time! She made another, red/orange!

She grinned as bright as the sun! "This…is…AWESOME! YEAH! I DID IT! HAHAHA!"

She leapt up, running around the smoking crater! Completely unharmed! "I DID IT! I DID IT! I 'SPLODED! LIKE DADDY! I'M LIKE DADDY! I DID IT!"

Katsuki stood up with a smirk, watching her run in amazement. Toshiko soon joined her, hopping along weightlessly in glee!

"She…she wasn't nearly this excited before!" Bakugo said breathlessly.

Midoriya crossed his arms with a laugh. "Maybe she was hoping to be like you?"

"..." Bakugo watched as she created more gas and sent it skyward. Then she sparked it, creating a weaker, but flashy crack of fire! Her bigger explosions were mostly yellowish like his, but with streaks of color flashing through them!

"WOW!" Toshi ran a small distance away. "Here! Send it here!"

Hana obliged, sending a stream of vapor at her friend. Using her own quirk, Orbit, she drew the gas around her, creating a large ring!

"Heads up!" Midoriya jumped back, pulling the awe-struck father with him.

"Ready…" Hana formed a trail of smoke, connecting her hand to the circle. "Boom!"

Fffffssssshhhhh… BOOOM!

The line caught fire like a fuse and blew the ring up! At the same time, Toshiko surged her gravitational field! The ring of fire shot out in all directions, scorching their surroundings!

Hanabi ducked right in the nic of time! Though she seemed to resist her own explosions, they still hurt!

"That was epic!" Toshi cried out. "We're a team! We can be a hero team!"

"Yeah!" Hana yelled excitedly. "I'm gonna be a hero like Daddy! And blow up the bad guys! Hahaha!"

Midoriya dropped sweat as they watched the two play. That sure sounded familiar. As they approached again, Hana sprinted at Katsuki, jumping into his arms.

"Daddy! I can explode like you!" She yelled.

"I saw!" He grinned, holding her up. "I knew you could do it!"

"Didja!?" Hana squealed. She kicked her little legs. "Put me down! I gotta try something!"

He obliged, letting her sprint to a safe distance. Deku recovered his notebook, writing down even more details.

"Ok…" she furrowed her brow and concentrated. She started to emit gas from one hand and used the other to pack the gas together. She formed a concentrated orb of fuel and held it out!

"Wait…Hana, that's not safe!" Bakugo yelled. "Give it more distance!"

She listened, extended the orb a bit farther out. She sparked her hand, but the flashes of light couldn't reach the gas.

"I can't 'splode it!" She called back. "It's too far!"

"Try a chain reaction!" Katsuki suggested.

"Huh?"

"Make a small explosion to set off the big one!"

She looked back and forth and stuck her tongue out with focus. She gathered a bit of smoke in her palm.

"And…boom!"

"Boom-KABOOOOOM!"

The resulting blast tore through the air, knocking the girl backwards with a flip and onto her face.

Midoriya flinched. "Is that ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Bakugo assured him. Sure enough, she got right back on her feet. "She just needs to learn how much is safe. It's trial and error, just like how I learned."

"Yeah, but her delivery system is different." Midoriya reasoned. Bakugo looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Quirks have different kinds of delivery systems," Midoriya explained. "Yours is internal, so it directly affects your body, namely your hands."

"It's still creepy that you know that much about my quirk. Freak." Bakugo spat. But Midoriya ignored the comment.

"But Hacchan's system is external. Meaning her body doesn't experience the same impact as yours. It functions more like-"

"KA-BOOOOM!"

"-like a trigger. Perfect for setting traps, I'll bet. Not really built for direct combat."

"Says you, Deku. She'll figure it out." Bakugo watched as Hanabi twirled around, setting her explosions off in streams of golden/red fire. "Kinda looks like fireworks, doesn't it?"

"It does, actually!" Izuku kept writing. "I wonder if she'll be able to control what color her explosions are eventually? Her gas doesn't change color, but there has to be some kind of property she's adjusting unconsciously. I wonder…"

"Hmm? What?" Bakugo asked. Behind them, Hana blew the smoke off her hand, which sent it further into the sky. The explosion boomed, flashing all colors of the rainbow.

But Izuku didn't even look up this time. His eyes were the size of dinner plates, his mouth slightly open.

"What, nerd?" Bakugo asked.

"Of the people we know…" Midoriya said shakily, dropping a bead of sweat. "Kacchan, there's only one other person I know who can change the color of her gas."

"Just so you know, this is a weird-ass conversation. Find a different word!"

"How's 'Glamour?'"

Katsuki stared at him. "...what did you say?"

"Glamour." Midoriya repeated. "A quirk that creates mirages to trick opponents. Made out of…"

"Gas." Katsuki's stomach dropped. It couldn't be. Could it?

Lots of love. Take care of yourself. XOXOXO

Right at the edge of his memory, he started to see her face. Wide, clueless eyes. Brown hair. Huge…

"That bitch!"

" Her?" Deku yelped. "That's who you…who you were…"

"It was her." Bakugo snarled. "Whatsherface…Camie!" He pulled out his phone, searching frantically. But he didn't need to, Midoriya was practically a search engine.

"Pro Hero: Illus-o-Camie! She has an agency up in Tokyo. Also an extremely successful model and up and coming pop star! And she's Hanabi's-"

" Shutthefuckup!" Bakugo hissed, clamping Izuku's mouth shut with one hand. They both checked over their shoulder. Hana and Toshi were still playing, unaware of their startling revelation. Bakugo lowered his hand. "She can't know right now. Hell, I'm not even 100% sure!"

"You can't just keep it from her!" Midoriya said seriously. "That's her mom!"

"We don't know that! And if she is, she abandoned her!" Bakugo spat. "She left her, not knowing if I would even take her in or not! Or if I even could! She left her on some doorstep and is just carrying on as a skanky pop artist." He started to pace. "Besides, Hana's four. She won't understand. She'd be devastated!"

"I guess…" Midoriya admitted. "What are you going to do?"

Fury lit up in the man's eyes. His hands boomed in anticipation.

"Watch the girls."

"Watch the…wait, what?"

BOOOOM!

"WAIT! I HAVE DINNER WITH OCHACO'S…parents. Shi…" Midoriya trailed off, watching Bakugo fly away. Once he got high enough, he activated his cluster, exploding away at top speed. Hanabi watched her Dad go, her eyes shining.

'One day…I'm gonna do that!' She thought to herself. She let out a stream of gas and ignited it, sustaining the bright flare for a few seconds. It was like a sparkler, like in New Years!

The 4-year-old grinned at her sparking hand. Other kids in pre-school teased her all the time about not having a quirk. Now she has one! And she loves it!

And it's amazing! And beautiful! Which means… she was amazing and beautiful!

Her eyes shone with glee. And just a hint of pride. Just for that moment, she forgot all about her mom, whoever she was. All that mattered was that her quirk was the best one in the whole world!

And she knew it.

xXx

Meanwhile, in Tokyo…

Pro Hero Dynamight was on a warpath.

It seemed lately that every time he had to go somewhere quickly, crime just had to show its ugly head. Ready to interrupt the single greatest chew-out he's ever had. Nothing came close. He's been preparing this little tirade for the last four years.

And now he knows exactly who Hana's mom is. He thought he wanted to know.

But now? He hated knowing. He hated Camie for doing what she did. He hated alcohol for impairing him so badly. He hated himself for letting himself be so vulnerable. He hated Camie again for leaving him alone with a baby. And he hated all these damn criminals in the way of his rage-fueled trip to give her a piece of his mind!

He wanted so badly to ignore his surroundings, to focus only on flying right to the Glamour Agency. But so much random crime caught his eye on the way there. He had to do something.

After knocking out and calling in his last purse-snatcher, he finally turned the corner. Right down the street of the tall, flashy agency.

And it was surrounded by the worst villains of all time.

"Paparazzi," he growled.

"Illus-o-Camie! Look here!"

"Here! Here! Strike a pose!"

"Show a little leg!"

Photographers surrounded the entrance to the high rise, people and flashes concealing the popular Pro Hero. Bakugo stepped back behind the corner. When he was a younger hero, he would've barged right through with reckless abandon. But the last thing he needed now was attention from the rabid cameramen. Worse, to make a scene right on her doorstep about his…about their daughter.

He turned the corner again, peering out. Paparazzi still surrounded Camie. He even got a few glimpses of her and her skimpy dress. Revolting. He couldn't believe he, drunkenly even, went to bed with her. It wasn't like he wasn't… attracted or anything. But he hated this side of pro-heroes. It was trashy for one, and had nothing to do with actually saving people. Besides, he had no time or energy for relationships, especially with Hanabi in the picture.

He hid again, strategizing. He was thinking about how long he could wait out the vultures when he spotted her.

In plain clothes. Drinking coffee in outdoor seating. Watching the chaos.

'There's no way.' He thought. He looked back at the agency. The Camie up there was not the same Camie sitting just across the street. He was about to cross, but didn't want to be seen like this.

But alas. Camie lowered her heart-shaped sunglasses at him. Their eyes locked, brown meeting scarlet.

She pressed a finger to her lips and blew on her other hand. Her quirk, Glamour, swept around the street, hiding the true scene from the agency's view. She then hopped up, practically skipping to Dynamight.

"O. M. G. Bakugo!" She said springingly. Despite her plain, everyday clothes, she was still drop-dead gorgeous, her hourglass figure shining right through the long-sleeved shirt and pants. Her eyes were wide, almost empty looking. As if she had nothing on her mind at all.

She skipped across the street and hugged Katsuki, who blushed despite his anger. He shook her off. "Stop that. We need to talk. Now."

"Sounds crisp 3! Let's sit here. Keep it fresh, doge." She led him across the street again to her table, letting the mist around them follow to just surround them. "Just a bit of privacy, k?"

"Works for me. Don't know how you deal with those fuckers."

"You looking at it, G." She waved to her quirk. "My illusions can trick photographers 25 hours a day! Not that I don't love my peeps, it just gets tiring sometimes."

"Yeah. Tiring." Bakugo said shortly. "So…can anyone hear us?"

"Nope! Just you and me." Camie confirmed.

"Good." Bakugo pulled something out of his wallet and slammed it on the table. "Take a good long look."

He moved his hand away. At once, Camie's breath hitched, her eyes flaring. It was a picture of a little girl, flying off a swing with glee. A little girl who looked just like…

"Um…who dat? I didn't know you were…"

"DON'T. Bullshit. Me." He snapped. "I know you know who this is. You don't forget that kind of thing. And you know I wouldn't do this unless I was sure."

She bit her lip. He got her. She looked away.

"I don't…know what you're talking about."

"I don't huh?" Bakugo snarled. "Because I seem to remember blacking out and waking up with a headache. And ever since I figured you out, more of that night's been coming back to me."

She closed her eyes. Gently, she pulled a small wire from her shirt and set it on the table. "Do you mind?"

He stared at the device. Sure, Heroes kept comms on them while on duty, but she was clearly on a break.

Bakugo humphed and held the wire, exploding it. "So…someone is listening?"

"My agent. He's a bit…anyway." She flipped her long hair back. "It was his idea. To hide the pregnancy. Said it would be embarrassing. Super easy for me to keep a secret."

"Was it his idea to abandon your kid?" Katsuki snapped. "She's doing ok, by the way. Not that you asked. Guess it would be too embarrassing…"

"I don't need to ask, I know." She snipped. This was a change from the Camie he knew during high school. Her mannerisms were there, but she seemed more…put together. Aware. Mentally that is. "I…check on her. From a distance."

Bakugo leaned back. He was still pissed, but he was getting more of the story here, so he decided listening took priority. "Why didn't you just talk to me? Why did you leave her?"

"My career was taking off." Camie answered. "I know that sounds terrible. But I had haters, you know? People trying to bring me down. Still do, btw. The baby would've-"

"Hanabi."

"Eh?"

"Her name. It's Hanabi." Bakugo glared. "Use it."

"Hanabi…would have been all they needed. The latest scandal. She didn't deserve to be a part of that. Neither did you. You've avoided the press your entire career, so I knew she'd be safe with you!" She smiled, hoping he'd understand her logic.

"I'm the number 2 hero." Bakugo shot that logic down. "Maybe even Number 1 once the charts come out. It's taken everything I've got to keep Hanabi out of the news. She's practically a rumor, otherwise we wouldn't be able to walk outside the house." He stood up, pointing right at her face.

"You have no idea what it's taken to raise her. The doctor visits, the late nights, that one time she had colic for 3 weeks straight, the first steps, none of it. You left your daughter. End of story."

"I didn't just leave her!" Now there was no sign of her usual Gen Z gibberish. "I sent her to the safest place in the world! It wasn't safe for the…for Hanabi here with me! It still isn't!"

"What's not safe?" Bakugo demanded. "Paparazzi is annoying and it would be hard on her, but…"

"Please, I don't have much more time." She waved him off. "But she can't know about me, k? She just can't. I…" She took a shaky breath, tears starting to form on her face.

"I miss her so much. You have no idea what's been like to be away from her!" she sobbed. "I took care of her for as long as they would let me, but it got to be too much! I couldn't quit, I couldn't disappear. So I… I…"

She began to break down in tears, streaming her makeup down her beautiful face. Bakugo simply stared. He couldn't keep yelling at a crying woman, could he? I mean, he could. And has (long story).

But not this time. He put the pieces together, bit by bit. This agent of hers has her under lock and key. Keeping a wire on her, probably watching her at all times. Hell, is there a bug under the table?

"Are you trapped?" Bakugo asked, softly this time. "Are you in control?"

Camie blinked through the tears, taking a makeup bag out of her purse. "I'm fine, but I'm under contract. I'm not supposed to have kids, it's a miracle I still have most of my figure. And I'm not supposed to have relationships either, so forget about it."

"Forget about…what? I don't want a-"

"Shh, shh…it's ok." She said sweetly. She reapplied her makeup, wiping the tear streaks away with every stroke. "I know you miss me, but we can't be together boo. Sorry 3!"

Bakugo grew frustrated again. "Why are you…"

She grabbed his hands on the table, so suddenly that he flinched. Her eyes…were scared. Desperate, even.

"Please, Katsuki." She whispered. "I'm fine. So please…forget about me. And don't tell her. Promise me!"

The mist of her quirk surged, obscuring her from Katsuki's view. He lost her hands!

"Wait! Don't go!" Bakugo pleaded with thin air. Glamour faded, leaving the hero at an empty table.

"No! SHIT!" He sideswiped the table with boom, loudly crumbling it like paper. The Paparazzi turned at once!

"Is that?"

"Huh? It's…"

"Dynamight! Come here!"

"Are you here for Illus-o-Camie?"

Bakugo huffed in frustration. He side-eyed the photographers in disgust and prepared for launch. "No comment."

BOOOOM!

He launched to the air, taking off before the worst career ever had time to catch up. But they for sure caught pictures of him flying away from the Glamour Agency.

But he didnt care right now. He had a lot to think about. As a father and as a hero.

Absently, he wondered how Hanabi was doing? The sun was setting. Deku probably bored her to sleep by now. He kicked himself mentally as boomed through the air. Today was the day she got her quirk. And he left in such a rush on a vendetta. Sure, it felt justified. But he still left her. He needed to be there for her!

He'd make it up to her somehow. And besides, no matter how mad he was at Hanabi's mother…

Her eyes.

She looked like she needed saving.

xXx

The next morning…

Golden light started to peer through the window the next day, shining right on Hanabi's wide, though closed, eyes. She wrinkled her nose at the interruption and awoke, blinking through the rays.

She sat up in her room. The bedroom was covered in hero merch. Some Dynamight, some Deku, even a few All Might posters. She also had some Pinky action figures, a Red Riot wig, and several Uravity stickers.

She blinked tiredly. Uncle Deku was here last night, Toshi too. Her Dad…left? Right after…

She gasped with delight, her discovery as fresh as it was yesterday! She hopped out of bed, still in her tattered clothes from yesterday. She held smoke in her hand, as easy as holding an orange. She tossed it up, letting her finger spark the trail as it flew. A bright firework exploded in a flash of orange and red, further illuminated the room. And her grin.

She skipped around the room, letting small fireworks fly everywhere she went. They flashed in every color she could think of, even blends of each other.

Giggling, she leaped onto her bed again, addressing the heroes on the walls. "Tank you all for coming." She said smugly. "I have a quirk now, so I'm gonna be a hero just like you! And you! And you, Daddy! Hehehehe!" She held her tummy in laughter. She always thought her Dad looked funny in his hero get-up. All angry and explody. Not scary at all, at least to her.

"I'm gonna be the greatest hero in all the world! No…the universe! Cause I got a quirk! And no one's is as good as mine! Cause, cause my friend Jun, he can only pop his fingers off! They crawl around like little worms! Yuck! And and and Toshi…well…Toshi's quirk is alright. But not as strong as my…my…"

Her quirk didn't have a name!

"Explodo! Popa-boom! Snappa-crack! Uh…"

"Eh, needs work."

"BAH!" She jumped, falling off the bed. There was Katsuki, leaning on the doorframe.

"Don't do thaaaat!" She yelled at her snickering father.

He pushed off, making for her dresser. "Change your clothes, we're going out for breakfast."

"OOOH! PANCAKES! PANCAKESPANCAKESPANCAKES!" She tore the clothes out of his hands. Katsuki left to let her change. He must have gotten in around 3am last night. Ochaco came by to help out Deku in his absence.

He would've gotten to bed sooner, if they hadn't had so many questions.

xXx

Last night…

"Did you find her?" Midoriya asked breathlessly.

"Holy fuck Deku, let me get in the door first."

"Let him sit first, sweetie."

Dynamight lumbered in, still in his full gear. The gauntlets practically fell off him as he staggered in and fell on his couch face-first.

"But…did you find her?" Mrs. Midoriya asked. She knelt down to Bakugo's level. Her brown hair hung around her face like a curtain, her eyes full of concern. "And you…having been drinking have you?"

"No…haven't in years…not since…" his words were muffled through the couch. He turned to look at the couple. "...I found her. By her agency."

He told them everything. Meeting her, how scared she seemed, how she put on an act, everything.

"She said she misses her. But what's stopping her?" Bakugo demanded. "She just…there has to be a reason. I think she might be in trouble."

Deku's eyes darted in thought. His quirk might have sputtered out, but his mind was as sharp as ever. "I've never heard of any employment contract that would forbid one from seeing their child. Nor would anyone willingly sign such a thing."

"Camie might," Ochaco reasoned. "She's not really the brightest bulb in the box. But even then, you can argue that she's in duress."

"You're wrong." Bakugo interrupted, sitting up. "She might not be that smart, but she's not as dumb as she seems. You should have seen her. She was…alert. Completely aware of her situation. And it's bad."

"Wish we were aware." Izuku muttered. "I'll ask some old friends at the police station what they can dig up on this 'agent'. Hopefully we'll get some insight here."

"In the meantime, you should get some rest." Ochaco patted their fiend's shoulder. "Hana's excited about her quirk. We went ahead and made the appointment for you for tomorrow."

"Right, thanks for doing that." Bakugo rubbed his eyes. "Did…did she ask-"

"Yes." Ochaco nodded. "She thought I might know. Are you going to tell her?"

Bakugo took a deep breath. He considered everything that had happened. Everything he had learned. Camie was in a potentially dangerous spot. The last thing he needed was Hanabi getting in the middle of it all.

And besides, he had been working to keep Hana an urban legend at most and non-existent at least. But this? She deserved to know who her mother was.

But is it worth it? Knowing who your mom is, but somehow accepting that she won't be able to see you? Not ever?

There was only one correct answer.

xXx

Present

"I've got a love-ely bunch of coconuts, do do-do do…" Hana hummed to herself. She filled in the coloring page on the restaurant table, filling green where Cellophane's head was. "Better that way, right Daddy?"

"Mmm." Bakugo grunted. He gazed absentmindedly into his own breakfast (just toast and decaf-coffee). "Yeah."

Hana paid no mind, happy in her own little world. Katsuki shook out of his stupor and looked around the place. Just a few tables down, a mom fed a happy baby in his high chair. Down the way, a whole family of five calamored together. The mom grappled with two kids at once while the dad enjoyed his breakfast.

She did deserve to know. Just…not yet.

"Hana…about your-"

CRASH!

The glass windows of the diner exploded inward! Bakugo dove instinctively to protect his daughter from the glass.

"Get down!" He barked, shoving her under the table. Hanabi was in shock, not fully processing what was going on. But she got down, hiding under the table.

With his kid safely stashed, Katsuki whipped around to the cause of the destruction. A villain!

"CASH! GIMME YOUR CASH! ALL OF YOU!" He looked like a regular guy, wearing black clothing and a bandana. His eyes looked tired, with visible bags under them.

But he pointed his hand at a table and gripped. His quirk crushed the table to splinters at once, as if a vacuum had suddenly appeared there.

"DO IT! NOW!" He screamed, holding out a bag for his victims to throw money into. The others had started to pull out their wallets…

BOOM-BABOOM!

Bakugo zipped above the robber at once, sending an explosion to his side to distract him. The villain was stunned, unable to spot the source of the attack. "WHO'S THERE?"

"ME, DUMBASS!"

BOOOOM!

In one drop, Dynamight dropped the would-be robber to the ground, knocking him out. He lifted the limp body up to his shoulder like a sack. "Don't worry, I'm a Pro. Someone call the police."

Hanabi watched the whole thing in awe. She started to rise out from under the table…

…but stopped. Bakugo gave her a fierce look. He pointed his finger down, subtly.

Get back down.

Hana dropped back under the table. He never looked at her that way unless it was important. So down she stayed, though she really wanted to go hug her dad and celebrate his win.

The police came and arrested the punk. Bakugo stayed to talk to the owner and some of the onlookers. After some of the commotion had died down, Katsuki signaled his kid to the door. Hanabi understood and left the building as quickly as she could. She watched the police car take the bad guy away as other cops inspected the scene, leaning on the wall.

This kind of thing had happened before, though she didn't normally think about it too much. Sometimes Daddy had to be a hero while they were out and about. She was always excited to see him work, but they had never been attacked before. It was scary.

Whenever they did run into trouble, her Dad always stashed her away or told her to stay put. She always complained, but he never budges when it comes to hero-ing. But normally she could at least talk to onlookers.

Not this time.

Bakugo appeared shortly, spotting his daughter down the street. He jogged up to her. "Hey squirt, come on."

She took his hand and was led away. As they turned the corner, Bakugo knelt down at once.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt? Talk to me kid!"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine! Look!" She twirled around. "'M ok, Daddy!"

"Good. Good, good, good. Fuck…" Bakugo let go of an enormous breath he was holding. He practically crushed Hanabi in a big hug. That was way too close for comfort. If the guy decided to take a hostage…

"That's a bad word, Daddy!" Hanabi said through his shirt, muffled. "Can't breathe!"

"Right, sorry." He let go, dusting her off and fixing her hair. He found some stray glass on her shirt and in her dense hair.

And a cut on her cheek. Probably just the glass.

His vision went red.

"Daddy?" Hana looked worried. Veins bulged across her father's face out of his control. His eyes were enraged dots.

And his heart…his heart was beating too hard.

He took a steadying breath, holding the wall next to them to ground himself. Just like that therapist said. Slow, controlled breaths. He had to keep his stress low.

Or he'd die.

"Dad?" Hanabi said with a tear in her eye. She shoved him! "DAD!"

"Gah! Hold it!" Bakugo yelped. The four-year-old hit him right in the chest! He held his hand out to stop her. "OY! I'm fine, just hold it!"

"You didn't talk!" She cried. Her wide, red eyes welled with tears. "You stopped talking, Daddy!"

"I know, I…" he took another breath. Then another. "Your Dad is…I'm just…" Another breath. His heart calmed down, bit by bit. "I'm ok. I'm just…very, very relieved that you're ok, kiddo."

But Hanabi didn't care about that. As far as she was concerned, her Dad straight up died for a few seconds! Her little tears streamed down as her lip trembled.

"I'm ok, Hana. Chi-" Bakugo stopped himself. Telling a crying girl to "chill" rarely works. "Just-" He stopped again. "Listen…"

Real quick, he looked around their surroundings. A dark alley was not the place for a hard conversation.

"Let's go, Hana." He stood and scooped her up. He peeked around the corner. No press or onlookers from before. He walked through the street.

"We need to talk, kid." He propper her up on his shoulders.

"Bout what?" she asked. She caught her breath. "About Mama!?"

"Yeah, among other things." Bakugo nodded. But this isn't the place. "And about me. About what happened back there."

"..."

"..."

"I'm still hungry."

"Ah, your breakfast. Shit."

"Is that another bad word?"

"Shi-no! Fucking…we'll find something to eat."

"Ice-cream?"

"No, it's 9:30 in the morning."

"Ah shit."

"No, don't-ugh, fine! Ice cream, if you stop saying that."

"K!"

xXx