just thought about stepdad bakugo being caught off guard the first time your teenage son calls him ādadā š„ŗ
itās after years of being with you. their relationship isnāt bad by any meansāitās okay; itās good. but your son has called him katsuki for the longest time, and he was happy with that, perfectly content even (at least, he thought he was).
it was enough that your boy dubbed his cooking āthe best in the entire universe and beyondā; it was enough that your boy trusted him enough with a few harmless secrets that you may never know. it was enough that youād both welcomed him into your home, into your lives, in a way thatās made him feel like he belongs.
it was enough (at least, he thought it was), until your kid comes home with a group of friends one day and they ask him, āwhoās the guy in your backyard?ā
between the scrapes of soil against his gardening shovel and mild hearing problems, katsuki shouldnāt have been able to hear anythingābut he hears this loud and clear.
your kid tells his friends, āoh, thatās just my dad,ā like itās the most obvious, natural thing in the world and it hits katsuki square in the chest.
the next thing he knows, heās smiling, eyes a little wet but not yet crying (āis what heāll tell you later). itās a small curve of his lips, but it stays plastered on until the moment you come home.
you wonder, when the three of you are cleaning up after dinner, āwhatās got you all smiley today?ā
he looks at you, back a little straighter and chest puffed out just a bit more. then, he glances at your son just an earshot away, wiping the table clean; he turns to you, mumbling, ātell ya ābout it later.ā
(like heās got all the pride in the world, like heās got all the love in the world).