Long time no see... [Kirishima x Bakugou + Kaori]
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 4:19 pm
"You didn't just set things on fire in the dorms. But... Yeah, I kinda like the smell now and besides, the sound of the fire is soothing on nice nights and warm on the chilly ones. My place doesn't have a fireplace so I have to make do." He felt like he should fail to mention the mix of bitterness and comfort it brought him while he was gone. Not only did he not want to make him sad or guilty about having left, he also didn't want to taint any future times where they might be sitting around it at his home. If he was lucky, Katsuki wouldn't put that together on his own...
"You won't fuck it up. You're good at everything you think is worth doing and this is definitely worth doing. You've grown so much, both in the time you and I have spent together and even more while we've been apart. I've never known you to be a modest man, but seriously, you've got this and even if you didn't you still have the rest of us now." He assured on, smiling warmly at him and meaning every word. Truthfully, he'd always felt this way. When they were younger, before their relationship came to its sudden and unexpected end, he'd dreamed of having a child with the most precious person in his life. He didn't care if they'd found a surrogate for them or adopted outright, but he'd always known that the blond would make an excellent parent, regardless of what others thought of him.
"Oof, yeah... That's the sort of wrong idea you never want people to have about you. I have vague memories of having to really insist that I'd hurt my own eye when my quirt first manifested. The thought of being taken from my parents was really terrifying at the time." They weren't exactly fond memories, but at least it had worked out in the end. A little girl being constantly in some state of bruised being raised by a man that whose reputation in Japan still more or less consisted of being a terrifyingly angry teenager made things a lot more precarious.
He couldn't help the smile pulling at his lips at the slightly bitter, but mostly sweet memory the mention of pain management brought on in terms of his boyfriend's quirk. "I can give your arms and hands a nice rub like I used to whenever I'm around." He wondered if they would fall back into a similar routine again. Eijirou's own quirk caused numbness when he hardened which was why he generally didn't feel pain during a fight, but sustained use of his quirk, particularly his Unbreakable form, left his body painfully sensitive and rippling in that awful pins and needles sensation. Massage helped his blood flow back to where it needed to be as well as soothing his agitated nerve endings. Sure it sucked ass and hurt while it was happening, but it sped up the process and felt wonderful by the end. They had taken to helping each other in these ways before and he liked the idea they would do it again, even if only sometimes.
"Yeah... It got bad... We're still dealing with it, but... Well I've probably already told you more than I'm supposed to. You understand." The faux redhead shrugged, just happy that things weren't as bad. Sure the ring was still a problem, but it wasn't as terrifyingly huge as it had once been and the burden on Pro Heroes had lessened as a result. Now they could more comfortably rotate their responsibilities and manage to have a life outside of work again. It was nice to be able to relax, but honestly he was happiest for those of them in relationships, not to mention had kids that were starting to worry that Mommy and Daddy didn't love them anymore. It had been really heartbreaking to try and explain to a sweet little pink boy that he wasn't going to be given away like some unwanted pet.
He couldn't help laughing at the shock of what taking care of Chiko could be like. "They do, but they only get him into his harness when they go out. Can't exactly tie him to a stake in the yard at home or something. I promise he's a good kid, he's just curious and has a big imagination. Just... Never agree to play hide and seek with him. Like. Ever. That child can and will vanish. He's not impossible to find, but damn... For a kid that can be so high energy, he can stay quiet and still when he wants to." He chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "Honestly, if you can think of a way for him to burn off some extra energy, by all means."
He found himself flushing in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck when he got a bit of a scolding for his own wreckless heroing. "But I /can/ catch stuff like that nowadays! Honestly, it's the buildings that don't survive the process. I've been trapped under a bunch of them that way, I'll admit. Still, I'd kept the whole thing from coming down on at least a few people and acted as a support to keep the little pocket safe for those people. Had to do it for hours a couple of times. Not fun, but... The death count would have been a little higher otherwise." He shrugged awkwardly clearly in the same awkward position most heroes found themselves in. You should try to keep from getting yourself killed, but dying in the line of duty was common. The mortality rate among young heroes was particularly staggering and though he'd beat that statistic, that just meant he was pitted against bigger and stronger villains between everyday work.
"You had better be the 'die old' type. Gotta live long enough to spoil the grandkids and tell them 'when I was your age' stories." His heart ached at how close he had come to just never seeing the blond again. Honestly, even that would have been preferable to having to attend his funeral. "I will. Just wait till we have a moment alone and your word is the only thing that's gonna be able to stop me. Gonna bury you in kisses and if you think you're gonna be able to breathe normally while I hug you, you're dead wrong." He flushed amusingly bright as a thought flitted into his head, but he refused to give voice to it.
He couldn't help laughing when the little girl had made the choice he'd predicted. Looks like he'd be leaving his hair down more often now. It would take some getting used to, but it would save him a few minutes of getting ready at least. "His hair is a bit short to braid, huh? When we're hanging out at your house, you can play with my hair if you want." He offered, knowing that at least part of himself would regret making the offer, but he couldn't seem to resist.
And so the conversation continued pleasantly between them, something strangely familiar about the whole thing even though they'd never been in a situation quite like this one. He hunched a bit to make it easier to get his little rider off his shoulders and he smiled as she was quick to press the elevator button for them. One couldn't deny the happiness and pleasure a child got from pressing the elevator button. An elevator ride later and they were stepping out and making their way up to the apartment door, the redhead looking around curiously as they got inside. Sure enough, he'd assumed they weren't done unpacking till it was revealed that the boxes were actually going to be donated. Toeing off his shoes, he kept an eye on the little girl, all but holding his breath. If Bakugou thought he wasn't about to be pounced on the moment that little girl was in her room, he was very much mistaken.
.....
"Well, it's reassuring that you think I'm not gonna fuck her up in some kinda way. But thanks, it means a lot. I hate to say it, but I think everything that happened was good for me. Think I needed a change if I was gonna quit being such a stubborn idiot all the time. Not that I wanted to leave you like I did, but in the long run, I think it worked out okay." He gave a small shrug at the thoughts that spilled from his mouth, hoping Kirishima knew what he meant and didn't just fuck up a good thing. In all honesty, Bakugou hadn't always wanted kids. He liked kids of course, but back when he was younger, he thought kids would get in the way of hero work. Of course though, he often would find himself thinking of what it would be like to become a parent with Kirishima, have their own little human running around someday.
"And there's no doubt in my mind that if I got investigated because she had bruises, it'd be all over the hero news sites. I can only imagine how scary that was for you though, I don't want her to have to feel the same way." Now that he thought about it, if Katsuki hadn't been so angry and explosive in his youth, he might not have to worry about his lingering reputation here in Japan. Especially now that he had someone else to think about.
The mention of past post-battle massages earned a smile from Katsuki as well as he thought back on those quiet late nights they'd have after graduation. One, or often times both of them sore from work, quietly taking care of each other. They never really had to say anything in moments like that, it always felt like they knew what needed to be said without voicing it. Deep down, Bakugou hoped they'd fall into a similar routine. "That sounds great. Hell, you were always lucky when I did it to you, considering how fucking warm my hands usually are." He added, giving a small chuckle. He'd always considered it to be sort of an extra bonus to the pain relief, at least for his partner.
"Hell, I don't think they even really need an actual harness for the kid. Sero's more or less a built in kid leash. I mean come on, am I wrong? It's kinda fucked up but you've gotta admit you've thought about it a few times." He joked, snickering at the visual that came to mind. "I get it though, kids are a handful. Even Kaori has her wandering off moments. Especially in the store, fuck that kid knows how to disappear quick. Can't really get mad at her for it though, she's just a kid. I did the same thing to my old man." He grinned at the mention of ideas to get Chiko to burn off energy, gesturing to Kaori in response. "Just put those two together and boom, problem solved. She and my landlord's kids used to play together when his wife would babysit for me, and she said that she had enough energy for all of those little shits. And my landlord has five kids."
Bakugou dismissed Kirishima's defense, crossing his arms as he responded with just a bit more well-meant scolding. "I know you /can/ catch that shit, but that doesn't mean it doesn't scare the shit outta me when you do. I don't wanna lose you the same way you don't wanna lose me, got it?" He arched a brow before dropping his argument, giving a bit of a huff to finish it off. Sometimes he hated how tough Kirishima's quirk made him, because he knew that he /could/ catch falling buildings and survive. But that didn't stop him from worrying everytime he saw Red Riot in a headline.
"If I die it'll be a fucking miracle, let's just say that. Having a kid definitely kicked up those self preservation instincts, that's for sure. Just hope to live to see if my grandkids have as cool of quirks as I do." He couldn't help but flush at Kirishima's determination, the redhead's words making his heart skip a beat. Just imagining being kissed by Kirishima after so long had his face red, definitely looking forward to their next moment alone.
It wasn't long after they were in the apartment that Kaori was running off to her room, no doubt getting as much of her Red Riot merch as she could in order to show it off to Kirishima. Bakugou knew she was in her room as soon as he heard her shut the door, glancing over to Kirishima. When his mother had found out that Katsuki let Kaori shut her door while playing, she was appalled, but really, he saw no harm in it. Kaori knew that if she needed him, to open it and go get him, or there were even times when it was too quiet in the house and Bakugou would ask her to keep it open for noise's sake. So, he didn't worry when he heard the door shut, padding towards the kitchen so he could place his bag on the countertop. "She won't be out of her room unless I ask her, but she's probably getting shit together to show you all her Red Riot stuff. So definitely be prepared for that."
.....
So Katsuki felt that having left was an overall good thing. He had very mixed feelings about that... It had hurt when he'd left. He'd felt unloved and thrown away. He'd felt like in the end, he wasn't good enough, that he wasn't valued. The months that had followed had been some of the darkest he'd ever had and it had taken years for him to find a sense of normalcy again. It had given his anxiety a foothold so it more firmly gripped his psyche and to this day he still struggled with his self-worth. The whole ordeal was legitimately traumatic. While he struggled and failed to move on and find himself a new boyfriend that wasn't horrible, Katsuki found himself someone else and even started a family. It hadn't worked out exactly, but it was far more than he'd managed. It seemed he'd grown and matured better without him too. So the only thing he regretted was how suddenly he'd left... He was hesitating too long. That realization forced him to speak, not wanting to give away his thoughts.
"I'm proud of you. You've grown a lot since we last saw each other. I always knew you'd be great you just..." ...had to leave me behind to do it... "...needed a change in scenery. Sometimes we just need something new in our lives! It can show us different angles and stuff." ...and gets us away from the old things holding us back... Despite his inner thoughts he spoke as cheerfully as he always did. Only a keen eye would be able to notice that he wasn't alright. His smile a touch too delayed and a little too wide. The way he couldn't quite hold the same amount of eye contact. Little tells the people that knew him intimately would be able to pick out with ease. The question was, after all this time, were his subtle tells still noticeable to the blond?
"Mm. My parents were never famous and there was no history indication of abuse before that either. Still it's hard for a hospital to ignore a kid with a split open eyelid. I'm lucky the damage to my eye was minor and healed up just fine. My classmates still made fun of me for the accident, but I was more concerned with the way these weirdly nice adults kept asking me how I hurt my eye and if my parents were really nice to me, like they thought I was lying. They even told me if I told the truth I would go live with a really nice family that would love me." He sighed with a shrug. "It was fine in the end, but trust me, do what you can to avoid that shit if you can."
The reminder of how naturally hot his hands were and the thought of how hot he could make them cause a shiver to skitter down his spine at the memory alone. "Yeessss... They're like those heated stones at a spa, but soft. It was always amazing. I've legitimately missed that. I've gotten way better at regulating my hardening so the painful stage usually only lasts a few minutes now so I'm good pretty fast, but that weird numbish tingling sensation still lingers way after. The pain only sticks around on really bad days."
"Pfft! I mean yeah, but his adhesive isn't great on skin and it would hurt. If he just stuck it to his clothes, Chiko would just slip out of them and bolt. We don't really have to think about it, we've tried it. It's how we figured out he needs an actual harness when we're going out... The first time the kid ditched his shirt and we had to chase him and the second time it took about fifteen minutes to get him to stop crying because he'd ripped himself free. He had a red spot on his arm too. Poor kid... I wasn't there for the first try, but the second I was and it was awful. He didn't seriously hurt himself, but we didn't expect him to try pulling free that hard either. We haven't tried that again." And this is why idiots had to learn how to take care of their kids very quickly...
"I think the kids will get along great though. Who knows. Maybe she'll teach him to be less hyper on his up swings and he'll teach her how to nap." Honestly, the thought of the two of them cuddled up in a warm blankie together was incredibly cute and he really hoped he would get to see it someday soon.
He flinched a little when he got scolded, ducking his head guiltily. He hadn't thought Bakugou had been keeping such close tabs on him. He'd always sort of assumed he would just put him out of his mind, something from the past best left forgotten. "I'm sorry I worried you. I... Kaori's mother wasn't a hero I take it? Katsuki it's what I'm good at. It's the only thing I'm good at. It's part of our job. You... Y-you sure you're good dating another hero?" He dreaded the answer he might get, heart racing as he struggled with wanting to both say anything that Bakugou wanted to hear to make sure he didn't leave again while also wanting to makes sure he knew what he was getting himself into. The only other choice he had available was to avoid danger, something that was virtually impossible in their line of work. He knew he could never forgive himself if he made the conscious choice not to act just because it would be dangerous to him to do so.
At least the conversation was kept light around Bakugou's little one. They had a lot of things to work through it seemed. Eijirou had more than convinced himself that he was the one that needed most of the work too, but that was something to concern themselves with later. Now they were in the Bakugou apartment and Kaori was making her way to her room. There it was, the click of a door and he didn't hesitate following after the blond till he'd put his bag down.
The heartwarming warning barely had the time to be uttered before Bakugou would find himself pinned to the counter. Hips pressed to hips to keep him there, one strong arm slipping around him to all but crush him against his chest, the opposite hand dipping into fluffy blond to finish pulling him in so their lips could crash together with all the pent up desperation the redhead had barely kept in check till now. The single searing kiss lingered, but didn't last for too very long, kiss after heated kiss on the heels of the last.
.....
Even if Katsuki had been out of the country and away from Eijiro for ten long years, it wasn't hard to see that he wasn't alright. Sure, to the untrained eye, the redhead looked fine, but he knew Kirishima's tells like the back of his hand, regardless of how long he'd been away. His features softened as Bakugou reached a hand over to hold the other's, giving a small squeeze to it. "I know what you're thinking, Eijiro. The situation was fucked and I'm not trying to say what I did was good. It was shitty, and fucked up, a-and I'm honestly still trying to figure out why you took me back like you did. I don't deserve that kind of forgiveness. But none of it was about you- I didn't leave because of you, I didn't change because I wasn't with you. I was stupid, and didn't see what I was fucking up. It was my damn job to make you happy, but I fucked that up too."
"I'll be damn sure to not let that happen to my kid. I can understand why the hospital was so worried though, child abuse is serious shit. But at the same time when you have a kid, you've gotta be prepared for whatever quirk the kid ends up with. Bad things are bound to happen with kids just getting their quirks. It's a wonder my parents actually got to keep me after all their shit." The last comment was bitter, considering all his parents had put him through as a kid. And even though he was allowing them to be part of his daughter's life, that didn't mean he didn't hold resentment towards them.
"Those fancy ass spas don't have anything on my hands, that's for damn sure. Who needs stones when you've got these?" He grinned, gesturing to his hands. "But it's great that you're getting better with it. I don't think I miss the way my arms and shoulders would hurt after those huge explosions like howitzer impact. And I'm definitely not looking forward to that pain again now that I'm old, according to Kaori."
"Oh shit, poor kid. Yeah, after that I wouldn't even think about trying that shit again. Hell no. But at least you guys figured it out. From my experience, parenting, especially when you have no fucking semblance of a clue what you're doing, is just a whole lotta trial and error." Honestly most of his parenting advice either came from other parents back in Germany, or the internet, and so far he hasn't traumatized the kid, so he's doing pretty okay.
At Kirishima's question, Bakugou admittedly had to pause and think about it. Did he want to date another hero? Especially when he had a child who no doubt was already fairly attached to him? Even if it was uncertain that he wanted to date another hero, he was certain that he wanted to date Kirishima. That was a given, and all he'd ever wanted for so long. After a few moments, he finally spoke, pulling himself out of his quiet moment. "I- no, she wasn't. And she hated that I was. Probably one of the reasons she didn't want Kaori- she didn't wanna have to deal with a kid by herself if I kicked the bucket. But, I'm not telling you to quit what you're doing. I'm just saying, I don't wanna go to your fucking funeral anytime soon, Eijiro. I love you and I don't want to lose you when I just got you back." The strain in his voice wasn't well held back at all, but he ignored it.
He was more than glad that they kept the conversation light around Kaori. The last thing he needed was her asking anything about what all they talked about at the park, which were some pretty heavy subjects for a four year old. They had a lot of shit to talk about if they were going to cohesively make the relationship work again, but he thought they could do it. Or, at least he hoped.
Bakugou barely had time to get the warning out before he found himself pinned against the counter, Kirishima's lips pressed against his own. While it admittedly took him by surprise for a few seconds, he soon let his hands fall into place, with one on Kirishima's hip, and the other going up to cup his face. It'd been too long since he's had any sort of contact like this, touch starved for much too long. He was surprised they'd gone as long as they had without doing anything like this, but now that they were, he wasn't sure he could stop.
.....
He squeezed the hand that slipped into his own thoughtlessly as soon as it was there only to tense as he was called out. Dammit. He was normally so good at hiding how he felt when he was sad... Not that it ever worked against Mina, Hanta, Denki, or Kyouka, but he'd been hoping Katsuki had lost his touch. Stupid of him to think, honestly, with how observant the blond had always been. He smiled, the gesture a little more openly sad.
"When you quit your job, you can't be held responsible for your old responsibilities, other people need to pick up the slack. Relationships are the same. When you were with me, you were as good at making me happy as you were with anything else you thought was worth your time. When you left, I wasn't your problem anymore. I've taken you back because you can't pick who you fall in love with. I didn't have some kind of puppy crush for you. I'll always love you. If you're with me or not, that doesn't change how I feel."
"Child abuse is serious, but it's also kind of scary how normalized it is in Japan. A kid that gets slapped around isn't abused, that's just a difficult child, stuff like that. It's awful... It's one of the reasons I know you're gonna do great. You've realized how you were treated was wrong so you're never gonna do that and I'm sure you won't let anyone else do that either." He meant it too. He knew without the shadow of a doubt that Katsuki wouldn't allow anyone to hurt his baby, family or no.
He couldn't help laughing at the confident boast and from personal experience knew it to be true. Hot rocks felt lovely, as did massages, but hot rocks couldn't do the massaging. Bakugou could. He snorted softly at the little self jab. "Old? Damn. She's already old enough to be judging us for our ages? Guess we'll just have to show her how awesome old men can be. I don't envy you the soreness though. Getting back into hard training after a month in the hospital is bad enough, I can't imagine what it's like to come back into it after years. We should train together again! I bet Kaori would have fun watching how awesome her dad is in action from the safety of an observation room."
"Yeah... Chiko was fine, like I said, but it was a bad enough scare for us to never try anything like that again. You know how kids are though... He was playing like nothing had happened minutes after he stopped sniffling and in a couple of days there wasn't even redness left. Parenting is hard, man, and I don't even do it full time like you guys do. Still, it's incredibly rewarding too. Chiko's already doing the 'I wanna be a hero' talk. It's really cute. Considering he can already climb walls and even the ceiling though, I don't doubt he could be. Crazy how strong quirks get with each new generation..."
"We'd all die old and peacefully in our beds if we could choose when we die, Katsuki. I'm tougher than most and when I go out there, I have Tetsutetsu watching my back. I'll fight my hardest to keep living, but I can't promise you more than that." His heart hammered at the thought that he'd only just gotten his boyfriend back and here he was saying things that might change his mind about it and leave him painfully single again. Honestly, the thought of going back to being friends when they were this close sounded even worse than him not being there at all. If that weren't enough, he already knew that he would take anything he could get, no matter how cruel it may have been.
With Kaori safely in her room, however, all the painful thoughts were gone as he gave in to the desperation that had been building up in him. For a few terrifying seconds, he got no reaction in return. Had he read the situation wrong? Had Bakugou been joking when he'd said he would hold him to the promise of jumping him as soon as they were alone. Had he made some horrible mistake? Had he ruined everything?!
His panic mind melted into the lust gripping him as he felt lips finally moving against his own, a hand at his hip, and another at his cheek. The tenderness soothed away his anxiety and he was more than happy to continue to kiss him with no less enthusiasm. He hoped beyond hope that Bakugou was right about his little girl not leaving her room till he called because this was a hell of a way to find out your hero had the hots for your dad. While he barely managed to resist the urge to grind their hips together, his lips did part enough to take the blond's lower lip between his own and affectionately suck.
.....
A feeling of dread built up in Katsuki's chest as he watched the sad smile come to Eijiro's face, a look of remorse washing over his own normally stoic features. He felt guilty as fuck for making Kirishima feel this way for so long, never taking responsibility for his actions. Or, well, never coming back until the damage was already done. That's what hurt him the most, was that it would be so hard to earn back that trust he'd just up and thrown away, because he knew Kirishima would never fully trust him again.
"Eijiro, please, it's not like that. It never fucking has been. You were worth my time then, and you're damn sure worth it now. I feel like I don't deserve you, with everything I've done to you. You deserve the fucking world, and I don't know if I can give you that if we're being completely honest here. But I'm gonna sure as hell try. It just seems like everything I say makes it worse, and that makes it so fucking hard to let you know that I'm sorry."
"Child abuse is way too fucking common in Germany too. People were surprised when I told them that Kaori was good without me having to hit or spank her for everything. Almost like they expected me to hit her." He crossed his arms over her chest, scoffing at the thought. If he ever had to spank her, it'd have to be for something terrible, otherwise it'd never happen. "Back at my agency in Germany I found out three sidekicks I had workin for me hit their kids. Let's just say they were picking themselves up off the floor of my office and finding themselves different work after I got done with them."
Bakugou chuckled and nodded at the question of Kaori calling him old, rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah she's my kid alright. Think she might've heard me call my dad my old man one too many times. She'll be playing and I'll ask if I can join her but she'll tell me "no dad, it's not for old people like you." The kid's something else you'll see." His kid was a smartass if anything, even if she was only four. Seems like that's genetic. He perked up some at the mention of training, however. "I'd fucking jump at the chance to train again, especially sparring against your ass. Show ya a few things I learned in Europe. Plus, she's never actually seen me fight, other than a little incident when she was three, but I don't think she remembers much of it."
"Yeah I get it. I feel like kids are way less likely to bitch about getting hurt than heroes are sometimes. At least my kid. She falls off of things all the time, but just cries for a little bit then goes back to playing. But really? He's already doing that kinda talk? Damn. Kaori can't stop asking me when she'll get her quirk. It's scary to think that she either won't get it, or the combination of mine and her mom's quirks will be some kinda crazy shit that's gonna run my insurance up."
".. Alright. Just be careful, as careful as you can be at least. I've got some people I'd love to fucking come home to every night, you being one of them. I can't afford to die on my kid. So..if I end up quitting hero work in a few years, it's because I can't just up and leave her either." He ran a hand through his hair at the subject, shaking his head some. He'd always considered not going back, just because he knew first-hand how dangerous his work could be. And since he was a versatile hero, they used him in all kinds of work, but he'd have to get back into the field to see if he wanted to retire for good or not.
There was no hesitation in Katsuki's mind as their lips met and he felt the counter top behind him. No panic, no second thoughts, just pure drive because he was back and Kirishima was here with him, almost like he'd just been gone for a few days and they were seeing each other again.
Against better judgement, Bakugou's other hand dropped to Kirishima's other hip as well, pulling him almost impossibly closer against his own hips. While Kirishima may have been able to barely fight the urge, Bakugou was unable to win the battle, grinding their hips together with a sigh. This was not the right time but like hell if he cared. The blond reciprocated Kirishima's actions regarding their kissing, trying not to seem as if he hadn't exactly done this for a long five years.
.....
"I believe you, Katsuki. I know you're sorry because you wouldn't be upset if you weren't. That doesn't change how things work though. I know I'm worth your time or you wouldn't give me any of it. That's true of you in particular. You never waste your time so I'm worth that at least. But that only counts for as long as your around. It's not just you, everyone is like that. It's normal. I tried to date after you left. I've been in thirteen different relationships. Thirteen! I didn't break up with a single one of those guys and the reason I'm single now is that I had to, it was affecting my reputation." His breath hitched, but he forced a deep breath. He couldn't let himself cry here. He couldn't look upset with so many people around.
"I didn't spend enough time with them, I was too clingy, I didn't buy them enough stuff, they didn't like me paying for everything, I didn't put out enough, I was a slut, I..." He caught himself as his throat tightened up. No, no, no. Keep it in. Not here. Let it out later. Let it out when no one can see. Not here. "Just... Tell me what you want me to do. I'll do anything for you, just don't leave. Please. Anything at all, just don't leave me..." With every new word, it made it more and more clear just how much of a train wreck Kirishima's romantic life had been and how thick the trauma lay at this point.
"That's awful... There's enough violence in the world, there's no need to be violent towards our kids too. They're so smart... They just need talking to. Not yelling, not hitting, just talking. If you can get them to understand, it does wonders." He shook his head, wishing the laws would be enforced more strictly. This had all been going on more than long enough.
He snickered at the little story, lightly biting the inside of his lip to try and keep it in. "The sass is strong with this one. I bet she'll change her tune once she sees you in action though, particularly when she starts her martial arts classes. How much fun would it be when she decides she wants to spar against you? She's gonna be so cute!" He was excited about it already, not particularly concerned about how much money it would take to rent a place capable of withstanding the kind of havoc the two of them could wreck, particularly together. "She's gonna love seeing what we can do, I'm sure of it! Heh... Maybe she'll finally think her dad is cooler."
"Yeah... It's cute. I'm sure things will work out with her even if she doesn't get one though. She'll just need to know she's loved and supported. Could be a little extra work as you'd have to find things that would help her feel empowered, but I'm sure you can do it and we'll all be here to help!" He assured though he couldn't help smiling at the thought of the blond's insurance jumping up because of her quirk.
"I know, man... I'll be as careful as I can be. I can promise that. But hey, if you decide front line work ain't your thing, you can always run an agency or maybe try for a teaching job. I bet you'd be a killer heroic's teacher." He pointed out, clearly trying to think of other examples, but it wasn't something he'd really looked into. He was sure that Bakugou could find something else all the same that could keep him feeling accomplished. The guy was good at practically everything after all.
His heart lept as another hand found his hip, pulling him forward to grind just like he'd tried to avoid. His resolve crumbled in the face of Bakugou's wordless demand and his own hands were on the move again. They trailed down the man's sides, to his hips only for his grip to tighten. The next moment he was lifting him like he weighed nothing, lightly plunking him down to sit on the counter. The faux redhead shifted forward to slot himself between his boyfriend's legs, hands caressing their way up his thighs.
A final nip to those lips and the kisses started to trail down along the blond's jaw, to his neck and even his shoulder. "I missed you so much... I missed touching you and feeling you against me... You're scent... I'd almost forgotten how good you smell!" Those wandering hands rubbed their way further up, over those slim hips, and finally around to give his ass a nice squeeze. He rolled his hips forward then, pulling the blond into it to firmly grind against him. "Shit... I want you... I want you so bad! I don't even care who's in who I just need to feel you..."
.....
The blond's mouth opened to speak but closed once again as Kirishima continued, raising his brows in surprise at the mention of how many men he'd been with in the last ten years, but not commenting. It wasn't that it was a lot, it was the fact that he'd been able to move on almost so easily, but he'd hurt Kirishima enough to damage him permanently. And that's what had hurt the most in that moment. He was able to settle down and love someone else, and even have a kid with them, but Kirishima had been stuck here, ruining his reputation and trying to find someone to take the hurt away.
His expression softened as Kirishima asked him what he needed him to do, making Katsuki shake his head. "Eijiro, I don't need you to do anything. They were all assholes, and yeah, I'm an asshole too, but I see how fucking amazing you are. You don't have to be someone else for me. I just want you, and that's all I want. If you want to be clingy one day, fine. You want space? I'll give it to you. If you wanna have sex or not? I don't give a shit. I'm not gonna leave because you're not doing enough." He tried to reassure him, meaning every word.
"How cool am I gonna be when she's got her old man doing martial arts right with her? I could use the training, on top of what I already know that is. I'll let her win of course, maybe until she's old enough to kick my old ass." He chuckled, grinning ear to ear at the thought of his daughter kicking his ass one day. "Oh hey they're making the sparring room at Sero and Denki's agency blast proof since I'll be there now too. Could always spar there once it's done." Katsuki offered, giving a shrug.
"I don't think she'll have too much of a problem if she doesn't get one. She's tough." He said proudly, quietly hoping that she would get a quirk though. Every parent did. Not for them, but for their child's safety and happiness. "Her mom's quirk was sound manipulation. Could make things quiet or loud whenever she wanted. Since Kaori turned four I've been thinking of every possible combination to try and be ready for whatever she manifests."
There was no way he could hold back a laugh at the mention of him being a teacher, nudging Kirishima with his elbow. "Me? A teacher? I'm sure Aizawa-Sensei would love to see that happen. But..I dunno I'll think about it. If I decide I don't wanna do front line work I'll put in an application at U.A. for heroics. Might be interesting." He shrugged, his grin slowly fading. Who knows, he could be a good teacher after all.
Katsuki cocked his head as Kirishima went to trail down his neck and shoulder, giving a quiet groan as his boyfriend gripped his ass and went to grind against him. His own hands went to work on undoing the others jeans, pure instinct and need driving him at this point. "I missed you so fucking much...I just need you, Eijiro...fuck please.." He urged into the others ear, nipping on the love like he knew that he enjoyed. Even after ten years, he still knew these things of course.
He'd just gotten Kirishima's jeans undone amidst muttering vulgar things in the others ear, letting him know just how much he wanted him, when an all too familiar- "Daddy!" Rang through the apartment, causing his words to catch in his throat, and back up to look at Kirishima in the face. "I.." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "...think I need to go check on her. I'm sorry."
.....
He shook his head almost immediately when he was assured that he didn't need to do anything different. The poor guy was that sure his shortcomings at this point, even if he wasn't even sure of what they were at this point. "If I were that good, why couldn't I keep a relationship longer than a year? One of them only lasted a couple of months. I... I can't fuck this up. I can't... M-maybe you really don't think I need to change at all, but there's gotta be something wrong with me. There has to be... So... When you start getting annoyed or bored, just t-tell me, okay? Don't just leave, tell me what you want and I'll give it to you." He insisted on, clearly not ready to budge from this standpoint.
If nothing else, it was amply clear that the faux redhead hadn't handled the breakup well and had spiraled in that aspect of his life. He'd kept everything else together. He kept up with friends, worked tirelessly to forward his career, even did everything he could to help his partner do the same at his side. He'd kept it all together, everything but his toxic love life. He'd only been single for the last year or so and only because nasty rumors about him had started to circulate. He'd dragged their rating down and he couldn't allow that. He couldn't bring Tetsutetsu down with him. Sure enough, after a few months of being single, his reputation improved and the hard duo's ranking had started to rise again. Interviews still brought it up from time to time, but for the most part he was being left alone about it for now. He had no idea how the media would take finding out that he had yet another boyfriend and one that had left him out of the blue no less.
He couldn't help laughing at the thought of the little girl actually sparing her father, not to mention the man that would never dream of throwing a fight happily doing so for her. "Better be careful with that. You might end up with something like your first sports festival win. I don't think she'll let you hear the end of it once she realizes you're purposely losing." He was a little surprised they would be so quick to make a modification like that, but then again if they intended to employ Bakugou for the long term, it would be an investment that would quickly pay for itself in the lack of repair costs. "Yeah? I wonder how blast proof 'blast proof' actually is. Don't know if you should test that too hard though. Maybe work up and see how it does. Better for your arms anyway, from the sound of things. Gotta get the bones and joints to accept their fate again."
"Sound manipulation? Interesting quirk, I guess, though I doubt something like that could be used in combat... Maybe something like Present Mic does? I dunno..." He wasn't particularly good with figuring the nuances of how quirks might be applied in a given situation. He was lucky his own only had a few ways to be used so he didn't usually have to think much on things to know how to come at a situation, if there was anything he could help with at all. "Midoriya would be the better one to ask if you wanna talk quirk theory." He answered honestly with a helpless shrug. "That's always been his thing, ya know?"
His smile brightened with a nod. "Yeah! I honestly think you'd make a great heroics teacher! At any level too, I mean you're definitely better with kids now so it would work. You're an inspiration man! People look up to you and want to be as great as you are. That's literally one of the most important things for a teacher to be!" He pointed out, kind of excited at the prospect of Bakugou becoming a teacher after retirement, be that in a few months, a few years, or a few decades. Guilt ate at him when he realized that part of him hoped that the indomitable blond's career would fail and he'd be forced to either depend on others or find work elsewhere. He wanted him to fail because he liked the idea of being his sole provider or at the very least that he be a teacher so that he'd have the time and lifestyle to make it easier to start a family together. Such awful, toxic thoughts... No... He had to hope that things went well, that Katsuki thrived in the one thing he'd thrown his everything into and earned himself that number one title as he'd always said he would. Don't be selfish. Hope for the best for him.
He could feel deft fingers working open his jeans, the loss of some of the restrictive pressure enough to get a pleased groan out of him on its own. Thankfully it was quiet, but he hadn't even thought to try and suppress it. His breath hitched as his earlobe was nipped, heart fluttering at the thought that they still knew each other so well. This intimate knowledge followed through with each new dirty thing whispered to him, urging him forward till his hands finally moved to come around and take hold of the button on his boyfriend's pants. Lube. They'd need lube. Ugh, but no one kept lube in the kitchen. Fuck it. Olive oil made great lube it was just a bigger clean-up after, that's fine.
Before he'd managed to clumsily unbutton it, a tiny voice had him yanking his hands away like he'd just been burned, breath hitching and body giving a sharp startled twitch before he registered the little voice was too far and muffled to be within line of sight. He stepped away, shaking his head as he struggled to catch his breath. "No, no. Don't be sorry. She's way more important. I'll just be here... Thinking about wrinkly old grannies and dead puppies." He stepped aside and leaned his hands on the counter, sure enough trying to will his very stubborn boner back down.
.....
"Ei, we dated for three, almost four- fucking years and I only broke up with you because I was an idiot. I think if you had something I didn't want, I wouldn't be here right now. I fucking love you, and I always have. There's nothing wrong with you, I promise." He reiterated, giving a small sigh upon seeing that Kirishima wouldn't be budging from his standpoint. If only he could get it into his head that Kirishima was perfect, more than perfect actually. Bakugou had always been the one that needed to change.
"What about me? What about all the people that told you to leave me because I was 'abusive' or 'rude' or hell, even straight out mean to you? You know what that did to my reputation? But you didn't leave me, even though I was sure you fucking would. Even our friends told you to, and don't think i didn't overhear that conversation. You never left me for my faults, and I'm not gonna fucking leave you for yours."
"If she's anything like me she'll be pissed if she finds out I let her win. Then again there's no way in hell I'm slapping a muzzle on my kid like they did me, but that's not even gonna happen so I'm not worried about it. When she can hold her own and I don't have to worry about hurting her, then it's every man for themselves." He was actually glad that the agency was so excited to employ him, knowing it would give them a line up of three big pros, which meant the agency would get more money. So of course, they'd do anything to accommodate his quirk like they'd done for the other two. "I told em about my moves and how big my explosions can get, they said they've got it covered. But I'll be the judge of how good it is."
"She wasn't a hero, actually, she composed music. She want to be a singer, but failed, so she did the next best thing." He added, shaking his head some at the nice memories that came back to him. This wasn't the time to think about her. She doesn't even want anything to do with him. Not that he loved her anymore, but he didn't want to think about his ex while with his boyfriend. "I'll text him about it, get his input. He's got tons of notes on my quirk, and I know all about hers, so we can come up with some ideas of what it might be."
He genuinely thought about himself as a heroics teacher, picturing teaching a class of twenty something kids how he was taught in highschool. Well, with hopefully less trauma. "I'm not against it. It's definitely an option, and would keep me busy, cause god knows I can't fucking sit and do nothing for years. At least it gives me a definite answer to if I'll fucking die in my thirties or not." He'd never liked the idea of sitting still and doing nothing. In Germany, he clawed his way up to the number three spot, but it had never been enough. Here, he could make his way up the ranks, and try so so hard for that fabled number one spot his friend held.
As soon as Kaori had called for him, his own hard-on went down instantly, earning a huff from the blond. Kids were such fucking cockblocks. Not that he could be mad at her, but still. It was frustrating. He pressed a kiss to Kirishima's temple before he hopped off the counter, fixing his jeans. "Bathroom is through there if you need it." He offered quietly, feeling terrible that his own daughter put a complete halt on their moment. He felt like it was his fault, but knew it wasn't really anyone's. He padded off to her room, sighing as he went.
When he came back some time later, he looked absolutely exasperated, but also somewhat amused. Kids were... something. "She had so many questions, but she was scared to ask you. Favorite color, who your favorite hero was, if you would play with her later. I'm sorry my kid cockblocked us with silly questions." He apologized, going ahead to grab food he needed for the katsudon. Kaori had also complained about being hungry again, so he figured he should get started.
"You won't fuck it up. You're good at everything you think is worth doing and this is definitely worth doing. You've grown so much, both in the time you and I have spent together and even more while we've been apart. I've never known you to be a modest man, but seriously, you've got this and even if you didn't you still have the rest of us now." He assured on, smiling warmly at him and meaning every word. Truthfully, he'd always felt this way. When they were younger, before their relationship came to its sudden and unexpected end, he'd dreamed of having a child with the most precious person in his life. He didn't care if they'd found a surrogate for them or adopted outright, but he'd always known that the blond would make an excellent parent, regardless of what others thought of him.
"Oof, yeah... That's the sort of wrong idea you never want people to have about you. I have vague memories of having to really insist that I'd hurt my own eye when my quirt first manifested. The thought of being taken from my parents was really terrifying at the time." They weren't exactly fond memories, but at least it had worked out in the end. A little girl being constantly in some state of bruised being raised by a man that whose reputation in Japan still more or less consisted of being a terrifyingly angry teenager made things a lot more precarious.
He couldn't help the smile pulling at his lips at the slightly bitter, but mostly sweet memory the mention of pain management brought on in terms of his boyfriend's quirk. "I can give your arms and hands a nice rub like I used to whenever I'm around." He wondered if they would fall back into a similar routine again. Eijirou's own quirk caused numbness when he hardened which was why he generally didn't feel pain during a fight, but sustained use of his quirk, particularly his Unbreakable form, left his body painfully sensitive and rippling in that awful pins and needles sensation. Massage helped his blood flow back to where it needed to be as well as soothing his agitated nerve endings. Sure it sucked ass and hurt while it was happening, but it sped up the process and felt wonderful by the end. They had taken to helping each other in these ways before and he liked the idea they would do it again, even if only sometimes.
"Yeah... It got bad... We're still dealing with it, but... Well I've probably already told you more than I'm supposed to. You understand." The faux redhead shrugged, just happy that things weren't as bad. Sure the ring was still a problem, but it wasn't as terrifyingly huge as it had once been and the burden on Pro Heroes had lessened as a result. Now they could more comfortably rotate their responsibilities and manage to have a life outside of work again. It was nice to be able to relax, but honestly he was happiest for those of them in relationships, not to mention had kids that were starting to worry that Mommy and Daddy didn't love them anymore. It had been really heartbreaking to try and explain to a sweet little pink boy that he wasn't going to be given away like some unwanted pet.
He couldn't help laughing at the shock of what taking care of Chiko could be like. "They do, but they only get him into his harness when they go out. Can't exactly tie him to a stake in the yard at home or something. I promise he's a good kid, he's just curious and has a big imagination. Just... Never agree to play hide and seek with him. Like. Ever. That child can and will vanish. He's not impossible to find, but damn... For a kid that can be so high energy, he can stay quiet and still when he wants to." He chuckled, shaking his head fondly. "Honestly, if you can think of a way for him to burn off some extra energy, by all means."
He found himself flushing in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck when he got a bit of a scolding for his own wreckless heroing. "But I /can/ catch stuff like that nowadays! Honestly, it's the buildings that don't survive the process. I've been trapped under a bunch of them that way, I'll admit. Still, I'd kept the whole thing from coming down on at least a few people and acted as a support to keep the little pocket safe for those people. Had to do it for hours a couple of times. Not fun, but... The death count would have been a little higher otherwise." He shrugged awkwardly clearly in the same awkward position most heroes found themselves in. You should try to keep from getting yourself killed, but dying in the line of duty was common. The mortality rate among young heroes was particularly staggering and though he'd beat that statistic, that just meant he was pitted against bigger and stronger villains between everyday work.
"You had better be the 'die old' type. Gotta live long enough to spoil the grandkids and tell them 'when I was your age' stories." His heart ached at how close he had come to just never seeing the blond again. Honestly, even that would have been preferable to having to attend his funeral. "I will. Just wait till we have a moment alone and your word is the only thing that's gonna be able to stop me. Gonna bury you in kisses and if you think you're gonna be able to breathe normally while I hug you, you're dead wrong." He flushed amusingly bright as a thought flitted into his head, but he refused to give voice to it.
He couldn't help laughing when the little girl had made the choice he'd predicted. Looks like he'd be leaving his hair down more often now. It would take some getting used to, but it would save him a few minutes of getting ready at least. "His hair is a bit short to braid, huh? When we're hanging out at your house, you can play with my hair if you want." He offered, knowing that at least part of himself would regret making the offer, but he couldn't seem to resist.
And so the conversation continued pleasantly between them, something strangely familiar about the whole thing even though they'd never been in a situation quite like this one. He hunched a bit to make it easier to get his little rider off his shoulders and he smiled as she was quick to press the elevator button for them. One couldn't deny the happiness and pleasure a child got from pressing the elevator button. An elevator ride later and they were stepping out and making their way up to the apartment door, the redhead looking around curiously as they got inside. Sure enough, he'd assumed they weren't done unpacking till it was revealed that the boxes were actually going to be donated. Toeing off his shoes, he kept an eye on the little girl, all but holding his breath. If Bakugou thought he wasn't about to be pounced on the moment that little girl was in her room, he was very much mistaken.
.....
"Well, it's reassuring that you think I'm not gonna fuck her up in some kinda way. But thanks, it means a lot. I hate to say it, but I think everything that happened was good for me. Think I needed a change if I was gonna quit being such a stubborn idiot all the time. Not that I wanted to leave you like I did, but in the long run, I think it worked out okay." He gave a small shrug at the thoughts that spilled from his mouth, hoping Kirishima knew what he meant and didn't just fuck up a good thing. In all honesty, Bakugou hadn't always wanted kids. He liked kids of course, but back when he was younger, he thought kids would get in the way of hero work. Of course though, he often would find himself thinking of what it would be like to become a parent with Kirishima, have their own little human running around someday.
"And there's no doubt in my mind that if I got investigated because she had bruises, it'd be all over the hero news sites. I can only imagine how scary that was for you though, I don't want her to have to feel the same way." Now that he thought about it, if Katsuki hadn't been so angry and explosive in his youth, he might not have to worry about his lingering reputation here in Japan. Especially now that he had someone else to think about.
The mention of past post-battle massages earned a smile from Katsuki as well as he thought back on those quiet late nights they'd have after graduation. One, or often times both of them sore from work, quietly taking care of each other. They never really had to say anything in moments like that, it always felt like they knew what needed to be said without voicing it. Deep down, Bakugou hoped they'd fall into a similar routine. "That sounds great. Hell, you were always lucky when I did it to you, considering how fucking warm my hands usually are." He added, giving a small chuckle. He'd always considered it to be sort of an extra bonus to the pain relief, at least for his partner.
"Hell, I don't think they even really need an actual harness for the kid. Sero's more or less a built in kid leash. I mean come on, am I wrong? It's kinda fucked up but you've gotta admit you've thought about it a few times." He joked, snickering at the visual that came to mind. "I get it though, kids are a handful. Even Kaori has her wandering off moments. Especially in the store, fuck that kid knows how to disappear quick. Can't really get mad at her for it though, she's just a kid. I did the same thing to my old man." He grinned at the mention of ideas to get Chiko to burn off energy, gesturing to Kaori in response. "Just put those two together and boom, problem solved. She and my landlord's kids used to play together when his wife would babysit for me, and she said that she had enough energy for all of those little shits. And my landlord has five kids."
Bakugou dismissed Kirishima's defense, crossing his arms as he responded with just a bit more well-meant scolding. "I know you /can/ catch that shit, but that doesn't mean it doesn't scare the shit outta me when you do. I don't wanna lose you the same way you don't wanna lose me, got it?" He arched a brow before dropping his argument, giving a bit of a huff to finish it off. Sometimes he hated how tough Kirishima's quirk made him, because he knew that he /could/ catch falling buildings and survive. But that didn't stop him from worrying everytime he saw Red Riot in a headline.
"If I die it'll be a fucking miracle, let's just say that. Having a kid definitely kicked up those self preservation instincts, that's for sure. Just hope to live to see if my grandkids have as cool of quirks as I do." He couldn't help but flush at Kirishima's determination, the redhead's words making his heart skip a beat. Just imagining being kissed by Kirishima after so long had his face red, definitely looking forward to their next moment alone.
It wasn't long after they were in the apartment that Kaori was running off to her room, no doubt getting as much of her Red Riot merch as she could in order to show it off to Kirishima. Bakugou knew she was in her room as soon as he heard her shut the door, glancing over to Kirishima. When his mother had found out that Katsuki let Kaori shut her door while playing, she was appalled, but really, he saw no harm in it. Kaori knew that if she needed him, to open it and go get him, or there were even times when it was too quiet in the house and Bakugou would ask her to keep it open for noise's sake. So, he didn't worry when he heard the door shut, padding towards the kitchen so he could place his bag on the countertop. "She won't be out of her room unless I ask her, but she's probably getting shit together to show you all her Red Riot stuff. So definitely be prepared for that."
.....
So Katsuki felt that having left was an overall good thing. He had very mixed feelings about that... It had hurt when he'd left. He'd felt unloved and thrown away. He'd felt like in the end, he wasn't good enough, that he wasn't valued. The months that had followed had been some of the darkest he'd ever had and it had taken years for him to find a sense of normalcy again. It had given his anxiety a foothold so it more firmly gripped his psyche and to this day he still struggled with his self-worth. The whole ordeal was legitimately traumatic. While he struggled and failed to move on and find himself a new boyfriend that wasn't horrible, Katsuki found himself someone else and even started a family. It hadn't worked out exactly, but it was far more than he'd managed. It seemed he'd grown and matured better without him too. So the only thing he regretted was how suddenly he'd left... He was hesitating too long. That realization forced him to speak, not wanting to give away his thoughts.
"I'm proud of you. You've grown a lot since we last saw each other. I always knew you'd be great you just..." ...had to leave me behind to do it... "...needed a change in scenery. Sometimes we just need something new in our lives! It can show us different angles and stuff." ...and gets us away from the old things holding us back... Despite his inner thoughts he spoke as cheerfully as he always did. Only a keen eye would be able to notice that he wasn't alright. His smile a touch too delayed and a little too wide. The way he couldn't quite hold the same amount of eye contact. Little tells the people that knew him intimately would be able to pick out with ease. The question was, after all this time, were his subtle tells still noticeable to the blond?
"Mm. My parents were never famous and there was no history indication of abuse before that either. Still it's hard for a hospital to ignore a kid with a split open eyelid. I'm lucky the damage to my eye was minor and healed up just fine. My classmates still made fun of me for the accident, but I was more concerned with the way these weirdly nice adults kept asking me how I hurt my eye and if my parents were really nice to me, like they thought I was lying. They even told me if I told the truth I would go live with a really nice family that would love me." He sighed with a shrug. "It was fine in the end, but trust me, do what you can to avoid that shit if you can."
The reminder of how naturally hot his hands were and the thought of how hot he could make them cause a shiver to skitter down his spine at the memory alone. "Yeessss... They're like those heated stones at a spa, but soft. It was always amazing. I've legitimately missed that. I've gotten way better at regulating my hardening so the painful stage usually only lasts a few minutes now so I'm good pretty fast, but that weird numbish tingling sensation still lingers way after. The pain only sticks around on really bad days."
"Pfft! I mean yeah, but his adhesive isn't great on skin and it would hurt. If he just stuck it to his clothes, Chiko would just slip out of them and bolt. We don't really have to think about it, we've tried it. It's how we figured out he needs an actual harness when we're going out... The first time the kid ditched his shirt and we had to chase him and the second time it took about fifteen minutes to get him to stop crying because he'd ripped himself free. He had a red spot on his arm too. Poor kid... I wasn't there for the first try, but the second I was and it was awful. He didn't seriously hurt himself, but we didn't expect him to try pulling free that hard either. We haven't tried that again." And this is why idiots had to learn how to take care of their kids very quickly...
"I think the kids will get along great though. Who knows. Maybe she'll teach him to be less hyper on his up swings and he'll teach her how to nap." Honestly, the thought of the two of them cuddled up in a warm blankie together was incredibly cute and he really hoped he would get to see it someday soon.
He flinched a little when he got scolded, ducking his head guiltily. He hadn't thought Bakugou had been keeping such close tabs on him. He'd always sort of assumed he would just put him out of his mind, something from the past best left forgotten. "I'm sorry I worried you. I... Kaori's mother wasn't a hero I take it? Katsuki it's what I'm good at. It's the only thing I'm good at. It's part of our job. You... Y-you sure you're good dating another hero?" He dreaded the answer he might get, heart racing as he struggled with wanting to both say anything that Bakugou wanted to hear to make sure he didn't leave again while also wanting to makes sure he knew what he was getting himself into. The only other choice he had available was to avoid danger, something that was virtually impossible in their line of work. He knew he could never forgive himself if he made the conscious choice not to act just because it would be dangerous to him to do so.
At least the conversation was kept light around Bakugou's little one. They had a lot of things to work through it seemed. Eijirou had more than convinced himself that he was the one that needed most of the work too, but that was something to concern themselves with later. Now they were in the Bakugou apartment and Kaori was making her way to her room. There it was, the click of a door and he didn't hesitate following after the blond till he'd put his bag down.
The heartwarming warning barely had the time to be uttered before Bakugou would find himself pinned to the counter. Hips pressed to hips to keep him there, one strong arm slipping around him to all but crush him against his chest, the opposite hand dipping into fluffy blond to finish pulling him in so their lips could crash together with all the pent up desperation the redhead had barely kept in check till now. The single searing kiss lingered, but didn't last for too very long, kiss after heated kiss on the heels of the last.
.....
Even if Katsuki had been out of the country and away from Eijiro for ten long years, it wasn't hard to see that he wasn't alright. Sure, to the untrained eye, the redhead looked fine, but he knew Kirishima's tells like the back of his hand, regardless of how long he'd been away. His features softened as Bakugou reached a hand over to hold the other's, giving a small squeeze to it. "I know what you're thinking, Eijiro. The situation was fucked and I'm not trying to say what I did was good. It was shitty, and fucked up, a-and I'm honestly still trying to figure out why you took me back like you did. I don't deserve that kind of forgiveness. But none of it was about you- I didn't leave because of you, I didn't change because I wasn't with you. I was stupid, and didn't see what I was fucking up. It was my damn job to make you happy, but I fucked that up too."
"I'll be damn sure to not let that happen to my kid. I can understand why the hospital was so worried though, child abuse is serious shit. But at the same time when you have a kid, you've gotta be prepared for whatever quirk the kid ends up with. Bad things are bound to happen with kids just getting their quirks. It's a wonder my parents actually got to keep me after all their shit." The last comment was bitter, considering all his parents had put him through as a kid. And even though he was allowing them to be part of his daughter's life, that didn't mean he didn't hold resentment towards them.
"Those fancy ass spas don't have anything on my hands, that's for damn sure. Who needs stones when you've got these?" He grinned, gesturing to his hands. "But it's great that you're getting better with it. I don't think I miss the way my arms and shoulders would hurt after those huge explosions like howitzer impact. And I'm definitely not looking forward to that pain again now that I'm old, according to Kaori."
"Oh shit, poor kid. Yeah, after that I wouldn't even think about trying that shit again. Hell no. But at least you guys figured it out. From my experience, parenting, especially when you have no fucking semblance of a clue what you're doing, is just a whole lotta trial and error." Honestly most of his parenting advice either came from other parents back in Germany, or the internet, and so far he hasn't traumatized the kid, so he's doing pretty okay.
At Kirishima's question, Bakugou admittedly had to pause and think about it. Did he want to date another hero? Especially when he had a child who no doubt was already fairly attached to him? Even if it was uncertain that he wanted to date another hero, he was certain that he wanted to date Kirishima. That was a given, and all he'd ever wanted for so long. After a few moments, he finally spoke, pulling himself out of his quiet moment. "I- no, she wasn't. And she hated that I was. Probably one of the reasons she didn't want Kaori- she didn't wanna have to deal with a kid by herself if I kicked the bucket. But, I'm not telling you to quit what you're doing. I'm just saying, I don't wanna go to your fucking funeral anytime soon, Eijiro. I love you and I don't want to lose you when I just got you back." The strain in his voice wasn't well held back at all, but he ignored it.
He was more than glad that they kept the conversation light around Kaori. The last thing he needed was her asking anything about what all they talked about at the park, which were some pretty heavy subjects for a four year old. They had a lot of shit to talk about if they were going to cohesively make the relationship work again, but he thought they could do it. Or, at least he hoped.
Bakugou barely had time to get the warning out before he found himself pinned against the counter, Kirishima's lips pressed against his own. While it admittedly took him by surprise for a few seconds, he soon let his hands fall into place, with one on Kirishima's hip, and the other going up to cup his face. It'd been too long since he's had any sort of contact like this, touch starved for much too long. He was surprised they'd gone as long as they had without doing anything like this, but now that they were, he wasn't sure he could stop.
.....
He squeezed the hand that slipped into his own thoughtlessly as soon as it was there only to tense as he was called out. Dammit. He was normally so good at hiding how he felt when he was sad... Not that it ever worked against Mina, Hanta, Denki, or Kyouka, but he'd been hoping Katsuki had lost his touch. Stupid of him to think, honestly, with how observant the blond had always been. He smiled, the gesture a little more openly sad.
"When you quit your job, you can't be held responsible for your old responsibilities, other people need to pick up the slack. Relationships are the same. When you were with me, you were as good at making me happy as you were with anything else you thought was worth your time. When you left, I wasn't your problem anymore. I've taken you back because you can't pick who you fall in love with. I didn't have some kind of puppy crush for you. I'll always love you. If you're with me or not, that doesn't change how I feel."
"Child abuse is serious, but it's also kind of scary how normalized it is in Japan. A kid that gets slapped around isn't abused, that's just a difficult child, stuff like that. It's awful... It's one of the reasons I know you're gonna do great. You've realized how you were treated was wrong so you're never gonna do that and I'm sure you won't let anyone else do that either." He meant it too. He knew without the shadow of a doubt that Katsuki wouldn't allow anyone to hurt his baby, family or no.
He couldn't help laughing at the confident boast and from personal experience knew it to be true. Hot rocks felt lovely, as did massages, but hot rocks couldn't do the massaging. Bakugou could. He snorted softly at the little self jab. "Old? Damn. She's already old enough to be judging us for our ages? Guess we'll just have to show her how awesome old men can be. I don't envy you the soreness though. Getting back into hard training after a month in the hospital is bad enough, I can't imagine what it's like to come back into it after years. We should train together again! I bet Kaori would have fun watching how awesome her dad is in action from the safety of an observation room."
"Yeah... Chiko was fine, like I said, but it was a bad enough scare for us to never try anything like that again. You know how kids are though... He was playing like nothing had happened minutes after he stopped sniffling and in a couple of days there wasn't even redness left. Parenting is hard, man, and I don't even do it full time like you guys do. Still, it's incredibly rewarding too. Chiko's already doing the 'I wanna be a hero' talk. It's really cute. Considering he can already climb walls and even the ceiling though, I don't doubt he could be. Crazy how strong quirks get with each new generation..."
"We'd all die old and peacefully in our beds if we could choose when we die, Katsuki. I'm tougher than most and when I go out there, I have Tetsutetsu watching my back. I'll fight my hardest to keep living, but I can't promise you more than that." His heart hammered at the thought that he'd only just gotten his boyfriend back and here he was saying things that might change his mind about it and leave him painfully single again. Honestly, the thought of going back to being friends when they were this close sounded even worse than him not being there at all. If that weren't enough, he already knew that he would take anything he could get, no matter how cruel it may have been.
With Kaori safely in her room, however, all the painful thoughts were gone as he gave in to the desperation that had been building up in him. For a few terrifying seconds, he got no reaction in return. Had he read the situation wrong? Had Bakugou been joking when he'd said he would hold him to the promise of jumping him as soon as they were alone. Had he made some horrible mistake? Had he ruined everything?!
His panic mind melted into the lust gripping him as he felt lips finally moving against his own, a hand at his hip, and another at his cheek. The tenderness soothed away his anxiety and he was more than happy to continue to kiss him with no less enthusiasm. He hoped beyond hope that Bakugou was right about his little girl not leaving her room till he called because this was a hell of a way to find out your hero had the hots for your dad. While he barely managed to resist the urge to grind their hips together, his lips did part enough to take the blond's lower lip between his own and affectionately suck.
.....
A feeling of dread built up in Katsuki's chest as he watched the sad smile come to Eijiro's face, a look of remorse washing over his own normally stoic features. He felt guilty as fuck for making Kirishima feel this way for so long, never taking responsibility for his actions. Or, well, never coming back until the damage was already done. That's what hurt him the most, was that it would be so hard to earn back that trust he'd just up and thrown away, because he knew Kirishima would never fully trust him again.
"Eijiro, please, it's not like that. It never fucking has been. You were worth my time then, and you're damn sure worth it now. I feel like I don't deserve you, with everything I've done to you. You deserve the fucking world, and I don't know if I can give you that if we're being completely honest here. But I'm gonna sure as hell try. It just seems like everything I say makes it worse, and that makes it so fucking hard to let you know that I'm sorry."
"Child abuse is way too fucking common in Germany too. People were surprised when I told them that Kaori was good without me having to hit or spank her for everything. Almost like they expected me to hit her." He crossed his arms over her chest, scoffing at the thought. If he ever had to spank her, it'd have to be for something terrible, otherwise it'd never happen. "Back at my agency in Germany I found out three sidekicks I had workin for me hit their kids. Let's just say they were picking themselves up off the floor of my office and finding themselves different work after I got done with them."
Bakugou chuckled and nodded at the question of Kaori calling him old, rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah she's my kid alright. Think she might've heard me call my dad my old man one too many times. She'll be playing and I'll ask if I can join her but she'll tell me "no dad, it's not for old people like you." The kid's something else you'll see." His kid was a smartass if anything, even if she was only four. Seems like that's genetic. He perked up some at the mention of training, however. "I'd fucking jump at the chance to train again, especially sparring against your ass. Show ya a few things I learned in Europe. Plus, she's never actually seen me fight, other than a little incident when she was three, but I don't think she remembers much of it."
"Yeah I get it. I feel like kids are way less likely to bitch about getting hurt than heroes are sometimes. At least my kid. She falls off of things all the time, but just cries for a little bit then goes back to playing. But really? He's already doing that kinda talk? Damn. Kaori can't stop asking me when she'll get her quirk. It's scary to think that she either won't get it, or the combination of mine and her mom's quirks will be some kinda crazy shit that's gonna run my insurance up."
".. Alright. Just be careful, as careful as you can be at least. I've got some people I'd love to fucking come home to every night, you being one of them. I can't afford to die on my kid. So..if I end up quitting hero work in a few years, it's because I can't just up and leave her either." He ran a hand through his hair at the subject, shaking his head some. He'd always considered not going back, just because he knew first-hand how dangerous his work could be. And since he was a versatile hero, they used him in all kinds of work, but he'd have to get back into the field to see if he wanted to retire for good or not.
There was no hesitation in Katsuki's mind as their lips met and he felt the counter top behind him. No panic, no second thoughts, just pure drive because he was back and Kirishima was here with him, almost like he'd just been gone for a few days and they were seeing each other again.
Against better judgement, Bakugou's other hand dropped to Kirishima's other hip as well, pulling him almost impossibly closer against his own hips. While Kirishima may have been able to barely fight the urge, Bakugou was unable to win the battle, grinding their hips together with a sigh. This was not the right time but like hell if he cared. The blond reciprocated Kirishima's actions regarding their kissing, trying not to seem as if he hadn't exactly done this for a long five years.
.....
"I believe you, Katsuki. I know you're sorry because you wouldn't be upset if you weren't. That doesn't change how things work though. I know I'm worth your time or you wouldn't give me any of it. That's true of you in particular. You never waste your time so I'm worth that at least. But that only counts for as long as your around. It's not just you, everyone is like that. It's normal. I tried to date after you left. I've been in thirteen different relationships. Thirteen! I didn't break up with a single one of those guys and the reason I'm single now is that I had to, it was affecting my reputation." His breath hitched, but he forced a deep breath. He couldn't let himself cry here. He couldn't look upset with so many people around.
"I didn't spend enough time with them, I was too clingy, I didn't buy them enough stuff, they didn't like me paying for everything, I didn't put out enough, I was a slut, I..." He caught himself as his throat tightened up. No, no, no. Keep it in. Not here. Let it out later. Let it out when no one can see. Not here. "Just... Tell me what you want me to do. I'll do anything for you, just don't leave. Please. Anything at all, just don't leave me..." With every new word, it made it more and more clear just how much of a train wreck Kirishima's romantic life had been and how thick the trauma lay at this point.
"That's awful... There's enough violence in the world, there's no need to be violent towards our kids too. They're so smart... They just need talking to. Not yelling, not hitting, just talking. If you can get them to understand, it does wonders." He shook his head, wishing the laws would be enforced more strictly. This had all been going on more than long enough.
He snickered at the little story, lightly biting the inside of his lip to try and keep it in. "The sass is strong with this one. I bet she'll change her tune once she sees you in action though, particularly when she starts her martial arts classes. How much fun would it be when she decides she wants to spar against you? She's gonna be so cute!" He was excited about it already, not particularly concerned about how much money it would take to rent a place capable of withstanding the kind of havoc the two of them could wreck, particularly together. "She's gonna love seeing what we can do, I'm sure of it! Heh... Maybe she'll finally think her dad is cooler."
"Yeah... It's cute. I'm sure things will work out with her even if she doesn't get one though. She'll just need to know she's loved and supported. Could be a little extra work as you'd have to find things that would help her feel empowered, but I'm sure you can do it and we'll all be here to help!" He assured though he couldn't help smiling at the thought of the blond's insurance jumping up because of her quirk.
"I know, man... I'll be as careful as I can be. I can promise that. But hey, if you decide front line work ain't your thing, you can always run an agency or maybe try for a teaching job. I bet you'd be a killer heroic's teacher." He pointed out, clearly trying to think of other examples, but it wasn't something he'd really looked into. He was sure that Bakugou could find something else all the same that could keep him feeling accomplished. The guy was good at practically everything after all.
His heart lept as another hand found his hip, pulling him forward to grind just like he'd tried to avoid. His resolve crumbled in the face of Bakugou's wordless demand and his own hands were on the move again. They trailed down the man's sides, to his hips only for his grip to tighten. The next moment he was lifting him like he weighed nothing, lightly plunking him down to sit on the counter. The faux redhead shifted forward to slot himself between his boyfriend's legs, hands caressing their way up his thighs.
A final nip to those lips and the kisses started to trail down along the blond's jaw, to his neck and even his shoulder. "I missed you so much... I missed touching you and feeling you against me... You're scent... I'd almost forgotten how good you smell!" Those wandering hands rubbed their way further up, over those slim hips, and finally around to give his ass a nice squeeze. He rolled his hips forward then, pulling the blond into it to firmly grind against him. "Shit... I want you... I want you so bad! I don't even care who's in who I just need to feel you..."
.....
The blond's mouth opened to speak but closed once again as Kirishima continued, raising his brows in surprise at the mention of how many men he'd been with in the last ten years, but not commenting. It wasn't that it was a lot, it was the fact that he'd been able to move on almost so easily, but he'd hurt Kirishima enough to damage him permanently. And that's what had hurt the most in that moment. He was able to settle down and love someone else, and even have a kid with them, but Kirishima had been stuck here, ruining his reputation and trying to find someone to take the hurt away.
His expression softened as Kirishima asked him what he needed him to do, making Katsuki shake his head. "Eijiro, I don't need you to do anything. They were all assholes, and yeah, I'm an asshole too, but I see how fucking amazing you are. You don't have to be someone else for me. I just want you, and that's all I want. If you want to be clingy one day, fine. You want space? I'll give it to you. If you wanna have sex or not? I don't give a shit. I'm not gonna leave because you're not doing enough." He tried to reassure him, meaning every word.
"How cool am I gonna be when she's got her old man doing martial arts right with her? I could use the training, on top of what I already know that is. I'll let her win of course, maybe until she's old enough to kick my old ass." He chuckled, grinning ear to ear at the thought of his daughter kicking his ass one day. "Oh hey they're making the sparring room at Sero and Denki's agency blast proof since I'll be there now too. Could always spar there once it's done." Katsuki offered, giving a shrug.
"I don't think she'll have too much of a problem if she doesn't get one. She's tough." He said proudly, quietly hoping that she would get a quirk though. Every parent did. Not for them, but for their child's safety and happiness. "Her mom's quirk was sound manipulation. Could make things quiet or loud whenever she wanted. Since Kaori turned four I've been thinking of every possible combination to try and be ready for whatever she manifests."
There was no way he could hold back a laugh at the mention of him being a teacher, nudging Kirishima with his elbow. "Me? A teacher? I'm sure Aizawa-Sensei would love to see that happen. But..I dunno I'll think about it. If I decide I don't wanna do front line work I'll put in an application at U.A. for heroics. Might be interesting." He shrugged, his grin slowly fading. Who knows, he could be a good teacher after all.
Katsuki cocked his head as Kirishima went to trail down his neck and shoulder, giving a quiet groan as his boyfriend gripped his ass and went to grind against him. His own hands went to work on undoing the others jeans, pure instinct and need driving him at this point. "I missed you so fucking much...I just need you, Eijiro...fuck please.." He urged into the others ear, nipping on the love like he knew that he enjoyed. Even after ten years, he still knew these things of course.
He'd just gotten Kirishima's jeans undone amidst muttering vulgar things in the others ear, letting him know just how much he wanted him, when an all too familiar- "Daddy!" Rang through the apartment, causing his words to catch in his throat, and back up to look at Kirishima in the face. "I.." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, "...think I need to go check on her. I'm sorry."
.....
He shook his head almost immediately when he was assured that he didn't need to do anything different. The poor guy was that sure his shortcomings at this point, even if he wasn't even sure of what they were at this point. "If I were that good, why couldn't I keep a relationship longer than a year? One of them only lasted a couple of months. I... I can't fuck this up. I can't... M-maybe you really don't think I need to change at all, but there's gotta be something wrong with me. There has to be... So... When you start getting annoyed or bored, just t-tell me, okay? Don't just leave, tell me what you want and I'll give it to you." He insisted on, clearly not ready to budge from this standpoint.
If nothing else, it was amply clear that the faux redhead hadn't handled the breakup well and had spiraled in that aspect of his life. He'd kept everything else together. He kept up with friends, worked tirelessly to forward his career, even did everything he could to help his partner do the same at his side. He'd kept it all together, everything but his toxic love life. He'd only been single for the last year or so and only because nasty rumors about him had started to circulate. He'd dragged their rating down and he couldn't allow that. He couldn't bring Tetsutetsu down with him. Sure enough, after a few months of being single, his reputation improved and the hard duo's ranking had started to rise again. Interviews still brought it up from time to time, but for the most part he was being left alone about it for now. He had no idea how the media would take finding out that he had yet another boyfriend and one that had left him out of the blue no less.
He couldn't help laughing at the thought of the little girl actually sparing her father, not to mention the man that would never dream of throwing a fight happily doing so for her. "Better be careful with that. You might end up with something like your first sports festival win. I don't think she'll let you hear the end of it once she realizes you're purposely losing." He was a little surprised they would be so quick to make a modification like that, but then again if they intended to employ Bakugou for the long term, it would be an investment that would quickly pay for itself in the lack of repair costs. "Yeah? I wonder how blast proof 'blast proof' actually is. Don't know if you should test that too hard though. Maybe work up and see how it does. Better for your arms anyway, from the sound of things. Gotta get the bones and joints to accept their fate again."
"Sound manipulation? Interesting quirk, I guess, though I doubt something like that could be used in combat... Maybe something like Present Mic does? I dunno..." He wasn't particularly good with figuring the nuances of how quirks might be applied in a given situation. He was lucky his own only had a few ways to be used so he didn't usually have to think much on things to know how to come at a situation, if there was anything he could help with at all. "Midoriya would be the better one to ask if you wanna talk quirk theory." He answered honestly with a helpless shrug. "That's always been his thing, ya know?"
His smile brightened with a nod. "Yeah! I honestly think you'd make a great heroics teacher! At any level too, I mean you're definitely better with kids now so it would work. You're an inspiration man! People look up to you and want to be as great as you are. That's literally one of the most important things for a teacher to be!" He pointed out, kind of excited at the prospect of Bakugou becoming a teacher after retirement, be that in a few months, a few years, or a few decades. Guilt ate at him when he realized that part of him hoped that the indomitable blond's career would fail and he'd be forced to either depend on others or find work elsewhere. He wanted him to fail because he liked the idea of being his sole provider or at the very least that he be a teacher so that he'd have the time and lifestyle to make it easier to start a family together. Such awful, toxic thoughts... No... He had to hope that things went well, that Katsuki thrived in the one thing he'd thrown his everything into and earned himself that number one title as he'd always said he would. Don't be selfish. Hope for the best for him.
He could feel deft fingers working open his jeans, the loss of some of the restrictive pressure enough to get a pleased groan out of him on its own. Thankfully it was quiet, but he hadn't even thought to try and suppress it. His breath hitched as his earlobe was nipped, heart fluttering at the thought that they still knew each other so well. This intimate knowledge followed through with each new dirty thing whispered to him, urging him forward till his hands finally moved to come around and take hold of the button on his boyfriend's pants. Lube. They'd need lube. Ugh, but no one kept lube in the kitchen. Fuck it. Olive oil made great lube it was just a bigger clean-up after, that's fine.
Before he'd managed to clumsily unbutton it, a tiny voice had him yanking his hands away like he'd just been burned, breath hitching and body giving a sharp startled twitch before he registered the little voice was too far and muffled to be within line of sight. He stepped away, shaking his head as he struggled to catch his breath. "No, no. Don't be sorry. She's way more important. I'll just be here... Thinking about wrinkly old grannies and dead puppies." He stepped aside and leaned his hands on the counter, sure enough trying to will his very stubborn boner back down.
.....
"Ei, we dated for three, almost four- fucking years and I only broke up with you because I was an idiot. I think if you had something I didn't want, I wouldn't be here right now. I fucking love you, and I always have. There's nothing wrong with you, I promise." He reiterated, giving a small sigh upon seeing that Kirishima wouldn't be budging from his standpoint. If only he could get it into his head that Kirishima was perfect, more than perfect actually. Bakugou had always been the one that needed to change.
"What about me? What about all the people that told you to leave me because I was 'abusive' or 'rude' or hell, even straight out mean to you? You know what that did to my reputation? But you didn't leave me, even though I was sure you fucking would. Even our friends told you to, and don't think i didn't overhear that conversation. You never left me for my faults, and I'm not gonna fucking leave you for yours."
"If she's anything like me she'll be pissed if she finds out I let her win. Then again there's no way in hell I'm slapping a muzzle on my kid like they did me, but that's not even gonna happen so I'm not worried about it. When she can hold her own and I don't have to worry about hurting her, then it's every man for themselves." He was actually glad that the agency was so excited to employ him, knowing it would give them a line up of three big pros, which meant the agency would get more money. So of course, they'd do anything to accommodate his quirk like they'd done for the other two. "I told em about my moves and how big my explosions can get, they said they've got it covered. But I'll be the judge of how good it is."
"She wasn't a hero, actually, she composed music. She want to be a singer, but failed, so she did the next best thing." He added, shaking his head some at the nice memories that came back to him. This wasn't the time to think about her. She doesn't even want anything to do with him. Not that he loved her anymore, but he didn't want to think about his ex while with his boyfriend. "I'll text him about it, get his input. He's got tons of notes on my quirk, and I know all about hers, so we can come up with some ideas of what it might be."
He genuinely thought about himself as a heroics teacher, picturing teaching a class of twenty something kids how he was taught in highschool. Well, with hopefully less trauma. "I'm not against it. It's definitely an option, and would keep me busy, cause god knows I can't fucking sit and do nothing for years. At least it gives me a definite answer to if I'll fucking die in my thirties or not." He'd never liked the idea of sitting still and doing nothing. In Germany, he clawed his way up to the number three spot, but it had never been enough. Here, he could make his way up the ranks, and try so so hard for that fabled number one spot his friend held.
As soon as Kaori had called for him, his own hard-on went down instantly, earning a huff from the blond. Kids were such fucking cockblocks. Not that he could be mad at her, but still. It was frustrating. He pressed a kiss to Kirishima's temple before he hopped off the counter, fixing his jeans. "Bathroom is through there if you need it." He offered quietly, feeling terrible that his own daughter put a complete halt on their moment. He felt like it was his fault, but knew it wasn't really anyone's. He padded off to her room, sighing as he went.
When he came back some time later, he looked absolutely exasperated, but also somewhat amused. Kids were... something. "She had so many questions, but she was scared to ask you. Favorite color, who your favorite hero was, if you would play with her later. I'm sorry my kid cockblocked us with silly questions." He apologized, going ahead to grab food he needed for the katsudon. Kaori had also complained about being hungry again, so he figured he should get started.