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Shota could kiss his saturday goodbye. It was such a shame, for he had planned the perfect day : sleeping until he woke up, then going back to sleep, feeding the cats, then sleeping. Did he mention sleeping ? But that was before. Because two days ago, Bakugo had come to him bearing a request.
The kid had been tenser than a wooden plank, frowning, clutching his hands tight to prevent sparks from flying. Then, in a hoarse but firm voice, had asked Shota to take them to Pride since they couldn't leave campus without a chaperon.
Shota had blinked, silent. He hadn't know Bakugou wasn't straight, but then it wasn't his business. He didn't need to know the details of his students' lives. Except, this student lived with him now, so may be he should pay attention to the details.
And right now, Bakugou was uncomfortable. He looked ready to either fight of flight (knowing him it was more likely the former), squaring his shoulders, lips twisted in a snarl, but his eyes were challenging, daring Shota to say anything about this new piece of information. Shota recalled the state Bakugou was in when he took him in all those months ago, and it occured to him that the kid had never actually explained why his mother lost it that day. Not that it mattered, there was no reason to justify hitting your kid, but it would explain why he was bracing himself for a blow.
Damn that woman.
So Shota, making sure to remain impassive, had simply asked when. Bakugou had relaxed, his hands no longer balled into fists, his body morphing into its usual slouching stance. And that was that.
Which was why Shota was entering the common room of 1-A's dorms at seven thirty in the morning. He expected to find his students waiting for him already concocting some kind of shenanigans, considering Ashido and Kaminari were two of the students coming. He didn't expect them to be sitting on the floor, surrounding Bakugou as the kid did their makeup.
Shota blinked. The image didn't change.
Bakugou was sitting on the couch, a bag of makeup on one side, Shinsou on the other. The kid had put his feet in the blond's laps and was busy scrolling through his phone, though he regularly casted glances at his moving pillow. In front of the blond, sitting on a chair taken from the kitchen, was Jirou. She stayed diligently still as Bakugou put eye shadow on her eyelids, her twirling earjacks the only thing betraying her nervousness.
« Hello, sensei, » greeted Yaoyorozu from her seat on the floor, next to her girlfriend.
« Oh, hey, sensei ! » screamed Kaminari. He was the only one standing, pacing around the room, too excited to stay still. « Are we goin' soon ? Can I sit shotgun ? Do we even take the car ? »
Shota eyed him suspiciously. « Are you on a sugar high ? » He hoped not, one time was enough, thank you.
« Sensei, » said the kid, suddenly very serious, turning toward him. Shota rise an eyebrow ; he was wearing makeup too. « I'm always high. »
« Yeah, high on bullshit. »
Kaminari turned toward Bakugou, who hadn't bother to look up from his work. « Kachaaaaan ! » he whined noisily.
« Keep calling me that, and I'll rip your spine out. »
« Scaaaary... »
« Stop threatening bodily harm on everyone, Bakugou," he half-heartedly lectured.
« Yeah, yeah. »
Shota sighed, knowing better than to think the kid would do it. He didn't mean it, obviously, and that's what mattered. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and watching as Bakugou finished Jirou's makeup. She had some purple, pink and blue eye shadow, which he knew to be the colours of the bisexual flag, purple lipstick and her nails were covered in black nail polish. It matched the entire black attire she was wearing. She looked at her reflection in the mirror Bakugou had put in front of her.
She hummed. « You're really good at this, Bakugo. It's perfect. »
« Of course it is, » the blond scoffed, offended she could even suggested he would do nothing short of perfection. He hit her thigh with the mirror, motionning for her to leave. « Now scram, your girlfriend is the last. »
That when Shota noticed Jirou and Kaminari weren't the only one wearing makeup. They all did. All of them. Shinsou had a rainbow makeup, the colours split between his eyes : red, orange and yellow on one side and green, blue and purple on the other. He was also wearing eyeliner, and had put his hair in a high ponytail. He was wearing a black t-shirt with rainbow letter saying « I'm here, I'm queer, get used to it. » and white jeans. His funeral. Shota knew nothing about fashion, but he did know this : white jeans didn't stay white for long. A shining spark drew his gaze back to the purple hair and he stared in horror, praying it was a trick of the light. But alas, the univers couldn't be that kind to him. There was glitter in Shinsou's hair. Lots of it.
Shota almost groaned. He knew from past experiences with Eri that glitter was a bitch to come off of clothes, let alone hair. Shinsou was going to be a disco ball for a few weeks. This was going to be a mess.
« This is going to be amazing ! » Kaminari cheered, clapping his hands together. His makeup was blue, pink and white, his nails painting with the same colours, and he was covered in glitter too. Fantastic. He was wearing a crop top, saying « Respect my existence or expect my resistance » (Shota knew it was a gift from Bakugou when Kaminari had came out. He had been surprised, as he had never seen his kid gift anyone anything, but Bakugou had said « I don't give a shit about those things, but it's... nice knowing I'm not alone. Pikachu is an idiot, but a brave idiot ». It was Bakugou's way of showing Kaminari that he was accepted, that he wasn't alone.) and... was that leather pants ? God, he was going to have a heatstroke under the sun.
So was Jirou with her leather jacket and black clothes (except for her blue t-shirt, saying « I'm bisexual and still not into you. »). That was going to be his day, wasn't it ? Glitter and heatstrokes.
Shota wanted a raise. Scratch that, Shota deserved a raise.
Did Vlad King had to deal with this ? He had been a teacher for years and yet this was the first time this happened. What this class saw in him that screams "dad !" that the others didn't ? (He silenced the voice in his head telling him he kinda was, calling them "his kids" and everything. They weren't actually his, obviously. Except Bakugou, legally speaking. And Eri, also legally speaking. That was it, just him doing his job as a guardian. Nothing else. Nothing else.
...
Shut up.)
« Heck yeah ! This is gonna be my first Pride, I'm so excited ! » Ashido said, grinning like a madman. Her makeup was green, white, grey and black, she had put on gloss and eyeliner. She was wearing a light grey top, a blue shirt tied around her waist, black shorts and black boots. Shota was relieved to see the heels were very short. She wouldn't complain about her feet hurting after two hours. He got ninty-nine problems but a blister ain't one. Shota hated Mic for making him listened to that song.
« It really is exciting, isn't it ? » Yaoyorozu asked from her chair. She waited until Bakugou put the last touch before looking over her shoulder, sending Ashido a bright smile. Her pink, white and maroon make up went beautifully with her flowery white halter neck dress. For once, her hair was not put in a ponytail, but in a complicated-looking braid. No doubts, Bakugou was also the architect of such design. « This is the third time I'm participating, but the novelty never wears off ! »
« What about you, Blasty ? » Ashido asked.
Bakugou shrugged. « I've seen it before, but never actually participated. » He picked up the products used for their little make up session and began putting them back into the bag, wiping the table clean.
His makeup was pink, yellow and blue, with a trace of eyeliner. His nails were painting in black, grey, white and purple. He was wearing a black t-shirt, as usual, on which was a skull drawn with the same bright colours, ripped black jeans and combat boots.
« I've never been either, » Shinsou answered when the pink girl looked at him. « I've know I was gay for a while, but it seemed bothersome to go alone. »
« Fear not, noble gentleman ! » Kaminari screeched, posing like a knight about to slay a dragon. « You now have a whole squad to go with ! »
« Oh, joy, » Shinsou drawled drily. Bakugou snorted, tapping his boyfriend's legs so he could get up.
Out of the blue, Ashido gasped. Shota looked at her, half-expecting to see her backing away from a spider, as it had been proven before she was terrified of them. Kaminari and Seto had not used that information wisely. Instead, she looked stunned, like she just had a revelation. Shota feared the worst.
« We're the Queer Squad. » She whispered it like a secret.
Kaminari jumped in, while Jirou huffed. « Hail the Queer Squad ! »
« Hail, » she said, smirking when Shota face-planted. Why did he agree to this again ?
« And hail our Messiah ! » Ashido screamed, bowing in front of Bakugou who had been putting the bag on a shelf, away from his most noisy classmates. « Our Lord and Saviour ! »
« Aah ? »
«She's kinda right, » Jirou said, shrugging when he glared at her. « You're the first one to come out. You're, like, our queer Jesus. »
Yaoyorozu laughed behind her hand. « It is appropriate. Are you able to turn water into wine ? »
« No, but I can turn all of you into fucking corpses. »
« Oh, kinky, » Kaminari winked, because he was an idiot and couldn't keep his mouth shut.
« That's so fucking gross, Dunce Face. »
« Alright, now that's you're done, let's go, » Shota intervened before knives could fly, or explosions. Too late. A pillow was launched in the air, ending its course in Kaminari's face. Bakugou's accuracy was as good as ever it seemed.
« Yeah ! » Ashido pumped her fist in the air. « Let's go lose our Pride virginity ! »
Katsuki looked at her blandly. « Shut the fuck up.»
Shota wholeheartedly agreed.
They walked all the way to the Pride, Ashido's and Kaminari's incessant chattering a background noise. Shota had long since stopped trying to calm their enthuisasm. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. He glanced behind him, at Yaoyorozu and Jirou. They were holding hands, Yaoyorozu going into raptures about a classical piece of music Jirou was showing her on her phone, who watching her girlfriend talking with a soft smile on her face. Bakugou and Shinsou were following a few steps behind. Shota watched as Shinsou bumped his shoulder against Bakugou's. The blond retaliated by punching him in the stomach, though by Shinsou's lack of reaction, it was more playful than violent, then he sneaked an arm around the purple head's neck. Bakugou leaned his forehead against Shinsou's temple, never once breaking his stride. It last only a second, then he leaned away. He didn't draw back his arm though. Shinsou smiled, and put an arm around the blond's waist, dragging him closer. They were joined to the hips, and although Shota knew it was a really uncomfortable position to walk in (thanks to Drunk Mic), neither of them moved away.
Shota felt the corner of his mouth rise involuntarily. For a couple of little shits, they were annoyingly cute.
He teared his gaze away, looking forward in time to see Kaminari walking into a lamp post, courtesy of his brilliant idea to start walking backward. The kid stumbled, tried to stay upright, tripped on the pavement, and spectacularly face-planted on the asphalt. Ashido howled with laughter, doubling over and drawing the attention of the four others, while Shota lifted him and dropped him back on the road, away from any obstacles, like a sack of potatoes.
« What did Pikachu do now ? » Bakugou asked when they were within hearing range. They stopped next to the girls, Shinsou leaning on the blond.
« Come on, » Kaminari drawled in a high-pitched voice. He was slumped on the ground where Shota had dropped him, doing a pretty convincing impression of a starfish. « Why d'you always assume it's me ? »
« It fucking saves time. »
« So mean ! » He leaped to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at Bakugou who swatted it away. « I need a new friend ! Shinsou, be my friend ! »
« No, » the boy deadpanned. Bakugou snickered at the offence-stricken expression on Kaminari's face.
« Aahh, » Ashido exhales loudly, wiping an invisible tear from her eye. « That's was hilarious !»
Kaminari grumbled. « Speak for yourself. »
« Alright, enough. Let's go before one of you manages to crack open their skull, » Shota sighed, herding his little duklings forward.
« Are you alright, Kaminari-san ? » Yaoyorozu asked.
The blond smiled, nodding, his little misfortune already forgotten. « Yeah, totally fine ! Thanks YaoMomo ! »
« I am glad ! It would be bad luck to injure yourself just before the Pride. »
« Yeah, that would suck ! »
Before long, they could hear music reverbating in the air, loud and joyful, along with the screams and chatter of countless people. They arrived at the end of the street, opening up on a crowded and colourful boulevard. Ashido gasped, while Kaminari yelled in excitement. Even Jirou couldn't quite contained the awed hum that escaped her.
Shota couldn't blame them.
The street was unrecognisable. Flags of hundreds of colour hanged high in the air, the road was painted in rainbow colours, and some buildings even had repainted their frontages in flags. Not to be outdone, the shops were going all out : there a bakery whose shop window presented all sort of cakes adorning the LGBT's colours, there a library showcasing their books about the LGBT's history, with glitter thrown on the window, a few feet away a café with rainbow chairs and tables coloured with different flags, boa feathers scarves hanging from the ceiling like tinsels, and a florist whose bouquets were all in the adequate colours. Shota even spotted a rainbow rose.
« Alright, let's move ! » Ashido screamed.
She grabbed the nearest person, who was Bakugou and dragged him towards the festivities.
Bakugou swore, dragging Shinsou along as they were still merged together, who gripped Kaminari. The blond latched himself onto Jirou who was sent tumbling forward with a jolt. Yaoyorozu, still holding her hand, prevented her from falling, before she was dragged away too.
Shota snorted, following at a more leisure pace. They really looked like a pack of duckling.
Ashido let go of Bakugou as soon as they were nearing the crowd, then she threw herself at the first free-hugger she saw. The guy laughed, giving her a bone-crushing hug, his eletrical blue hair failing in Ashido's own pink, creating their own candy floss. His unnatural white skin turned apple green when she tickled him.
Kaminari yelled « Free hugs ! » and proceeded to tackle a girl with fox ears. The girl saw him coming and litteraly jumped in his arms, also screaming. Ashido grabbed his arm and pulled. Soon, all four of them were hugging, and screaming mindlessly.
Yayorozu giggled, before the sun reflecting on the library's glitter drew her attention. She approached the window, her eyes sparkling when she realized what she was seeing. Jirou took a few photos of the idiots' hug before following her. She hooked her chin on the other girl's shoulder, listening as she babbled about books and what she knew about the LGBT's history. Which was a lot. It was Yaoyorozu after all.
Meanwhile, Shinsou had, unsurprisingly, made a beeline to the café to get his quota of coffe for the hour. Bakugou was sneering at a man with nothing but black thights who was too close to his personal bubble. The man took one look at his bared teeths and his swirming red eyes before promptly running away. Shinsou stepped outside a few minutes later, coffe in one hand and some beverage in the other. He gave it to Bakugou who sniffed at it suspiciously. Shinsou said something, earning a kick in the shin in response. Still, the blond took a sip. He didn't immediately threw it away, so it must have been to his liking.
Shota went back to the Troublesome Duo to make sure they didn't set something on fire. Thankfully, they didn't. Yet. The day had just began, after all. Instead, they were going from free-hugger to free-hugger. They actually seemed to be in some kind of contest. Judging by her triumphant grin, Ashido was winning.
His kids were weird.
Yaoyrozu and Jirou were making their way back, and he wasn't surprised to see a book in the girl's hands. Jirou took the book and put it in her backpack. A flustered smile bloomed on her face when Yaoyorozu kissed her on the cheek.
By the time everyone was gathered again, the cortege was begining to move. There were five chariots in total, but they waited until the third left before they moved. This way they had more room to walk and avoided the cramped crowd at the head of the cortege. The music was loud and upbeat, the DJ on the chariot moving his arms in rythm with the tempo.
At some point, Ashido left to see a nearby shop and came back with an aro flag thrown on her shoulders like a cape. She flung a rainbow crown in Kaminari's face, and gave Jirou a barette doused in the bi flag colours. The blond lighted up, quite litteraly, a few sparkles coming to life on his arms. Thankfully, they died before Shota had to do anything. He put the crown on his head with a pride more fitted for a king. Jirou snickered and gave him a thumbs-up, while Yaoyorozu complimented him.
Shinsou and Bakugou were busy looking at something on the blond's phone. The purple head turned toward them, and snorted when he saw Kaminari. He had a new rainbow tattoo on his cheek. Shota had no idea where it came from.
Then Bakugou's and Jirou's heads snapped up as a new song was played. They looked at each others, smirked and jumped in the song.
« Girls love girls and boys ! » Jirou sang, swaying with the music. She was grinning ears to ears, laughing when Bakugou joined her.
« Love is not a choice ! »
Now, Shota knew Jirou could sing, everyone who wasn't deaf (and even some who were) knew about her performance at the festival. But Bakugou ? That was surprising. And he was good, he was really good.
Standing next to him, Shinsou was shamelessly filming the whole thing, Yaoyorozu cheering happily. Ashido and Kaminari moved around the two, in some creepy skeletons dance, turning into a chorus.
His kids were so fucking weird.
They had started to attract an audience. Cheers and claps were rising from the onlookers, some of them even joining the creepy dance chorus. Someone threw more glitter in the wind, while a teenage boy started to beatboxing. Which Shota thought was useless when the music was as loud as it was.
« Girls love girls, » Jirou sang, winking at her girlfriend who blushed, then she twirled around and pointed at Bakugou. « And boys ! »
Said boy took her outstretched hand and pulled her closer, making her swirl. She landed on his chest, laughing.
« Love is not a choice. »
The song ended, another promptly taking its place.
Immediately, the crow exploded in applauds and whistles. Ashido and Kaminari bowed like theatrical actors, waving their hands. A kid, no holder than ten, came up to them. They were holding an elongated package from which they pulled out flowers. Unusual, but okay. Ashido got a green and black tulip, and Kaminari a pink and blue iris. Then the kid gave Jirou a purple and blue anemone, already handing Bakugou the same before they saw his makeup. Wordlessly, they changed flowers, giving the teen a pink, blue and yellow orchid. Yaoyorozu got a pink and white daisy, while Shota was gifted a black camelia and Shinsou the rainbow rose he saw earlier.
After lots of thanks, the kid waived goodbye, running back to their father, who was proudly wearing a necklace of flowers. He ruffled his kid's hair and gave a wave of his own before they left.
« That was so cute ! »
« I know right ? »
Bakugou reached to take Shinsou's flower, placing it in the purple hair so it was resting above his ear. Shinsou took Bakugou's own flower and put it around his wrist like a bracelet, while Ashido put her own around her belt. Kaminari's found its place on his head with the crown, and Jirou's in her breastpocket.
Fifteen minutes later, they were at a hero-themed café, sitting in front of their refreshments. Yaoyorozu who was sitting next to the explosive blond, asked him : « Bakugou-san ? Could you incorporate the flower into the braid ? »
« Who do you think I am ? Of fucking course I can, » he said, waving her closer.
The girl smiled, and brought her chair closer to Bakugou's, turning her back to him. Bakugou turned fully towards her, hands already moving to undo the braid. Shinsou's arm, which had been on the back of the blond's chair, dropped around his waist, giving a squeeze. Bakugou absent-mindedly tapped it twice, missing Shinsou's relaxed and soft smile.
Shota let his kids plan their next moves, enjoying his coffe while he still could. It took only a few minutes for Bakugou to redo the braid with the flower intertwined in it. Yaoyorozu thanked him while Kaminari and Jirou argued about nonsensical things Shota hadn't bothered to listen to. Eventually they left, catching the last chariot since their own had moved own while they took their break.
They followed it, sometimes singing along the songs, sometimes dancing, sometimes going to see the shops stationed on the road. Shinsou dragged Bakugou to a shop selling animals sculptures. The owner, a gender-fluid cat-lover who recognized Shinsou as one as well, welcomed them warmly. Bakugou rolled his eyes but didn't move. Shinsou left with a white cat clip in his hair, clipped to the flower so it wouldn't fall.
A guy on rollerskates wearing a gigantic pink hat, a bright orange and green skirt and fishnet stockings, ran past them, screeching something about brakes before being engulfed by the gaudy mass of limbs ahead.
One down.
Eventually, the chariot came to a stop next to a beach. The white sand was glistering under the sun, and the water was crystal clear. It was the perfect weather for a swim, but, thankfully, his students didn't seem interested in the water. No, what draw their attention was a pool farther away. Well, pools actually. There was a dozen of quite large pools placed along the beach, some already crowded. Pools on a beach. Weird, but okay.
The kids run to an empty one, curious to see what was inside. Shota followed them lazily, keeping an eye on them, another on the crowd. Never hurt to be careful.
As it turned out, to Shota's horror, the pools were brimming with powder. Not any kind of powder, but multicoloured powder. And there was no way that pool wasn't about to be filled with delighted teenagers.
There was a wooden platform glued to the pool for a lack of diving board that could hold several people. Jirou, Kaminari, Ashido and Bakugo climbed on it. Kaminari was diving his hand in the powder, watching it cascading through his fingers, giggling like a child.
Bakugou tilted his head, a contemplative look on his face. His gaze went from the pool to his friends. A devious smile blossomed on his face. Shota's stomach was weighted down by dread. He knew that smile, the one that meant « shit was about to go down. »
He was right.
Bakugou, being the little shit that he was, screamed « This is Sparta ! » and kicked Jirou straight (no pun intended) into the Powders' Pit. The girl yelped and landed in a puff of colours. A cloudy mushroom gushed out of the pool, staining those standing too close. Like himself. At least he was wearing black.
« Bakugou, you dick ! » she raged, rubbing at her eyes.
You tell him, Jirou.
Kaminari, too busy making fun of Jirou, didn't notice the malevolant shadow looming over him until it was too late. On second he was roaring with laughter, the next he was eating powder through his nose next to the girl. He spluttered, spitting out blue powder and frantically wiping at his face to get it off. He only suceeded in smearing it on his skin.
« Bakubro ! Not cool ! »
Ashido howled with mirth, doubling over. Bakugou didn't have to push her, she lost her balance and fell in the pool. Immediately, she sprung upward before diving back in again, whooping like a lunatic.
« Oi, Ponytail, get your ass up here, » Bakugou commended, his eyes boring holes in her skull.
Yaoyorozu laughed nervously. « I'm quite alright here, Bakugou-san. Thank you. »
The blond plissed his eyes. « Like hell you are. »
And he hopped down the platform, marched toward the girl. Ignoring her weak protests, he picked her up and litterally threw her into the pool.
« Momo, » Jirou greeted like they were meeting for tea, once she came back up. « Fancy meeting you here. »
The girl chuckled, green powder falling from her hair. « Do you come here often ? »
« Occasionally. The company is quite exquisite. »
Yaoyorozu smiled, pleased. She reached forward and drew Jirou closer until their lips were touching. The kiss was short and sweet, just like she intended. Kaminari screamed something about PDA before Ashido tried to drown him.
Meanwhile, Bakugou was back on the platform, standing in front of Shinsou. The purple head teen looked hesitant, watching the blond wearily.
Bakugou rolled his eyes. « Relax, I'm not going to push you. »
Shinsou, in fact, didn't relax. « You pushed them. »
« They're idiots, » Bakugou shrugged, like it explained everything.
« Fair enough. »
The blond cupped Shinsou's face with his hand, his thumb stroking his skin, smiling when he leaned in his touch.
« No, » he whispered, sneaking an arm around his boyfriend's waist. « I have other plans for you. »
Shinsou barely had time to register his words before they were moving. Towards the abyss.
« I'm taking you down with me ! »
And with those final words, Bakugou lifted Shinsou and jumped. The puff of powder resuting from their dropping was quite impressive.
« I hate you, » Shinsou declared with a flat voice.
Bakugou dedicated him a smug smirk. « I know. »
Shinsou glared at him, annoyed. Then he pushed Bakugou against the side of the pool, tangling one hand in his hair and kissed him. Kaminari whooped, while Ashido threw powder everywhere like rice during a wedding. Bakugou put his hands on Shinsou's hips and dragged him closer, tilting his head to deepen the kiss while a vibrant rain fell around them. After a few seconds, they drew apart, though they didn't go very far. Shinsou rested his forehead against Bakugou's, gazing into his eyes.
« I still hate you, » he murmured against the blond's lips.
« You wish, dipshit. »
They shared a smile, then another kiss, mixing the colours clinging to their lips. The moment was broken by Kaminari's wolf-whistles and his yell of « get a room ! ». In a blink of an eye, Bakugou was on him, shoving his head under the sea of powder. Jirou snorted, though it didn't last long. A handful of vivid grain was dumped on her head. She turned around, almost comically slow, her expression shifting from thunderous to betrayed when she saw her attacker.
« Momo, how could you ? »
« I'm sorry Kyouka, » she didn't really look sorry though. « I couldn't help it. »
« Well, that's it. Every man for themselves ! »
And with a war cry worth of the most ferocious viking to ever exist, she threw herself at Yaoyorozu, laching on her. They disappeared in a smoke of purple and yellow. Kaminari, having escaped Bakugou's clutches, or more likely have been released, picked up the cry, and tackled Shinsou. Or at least tried to. He face-palmed on Shinsou's outstreched hand, who pushed him under the canopy of colours. Ashido tried to avenge him, but Bakugou tripped her, and she was lost the Pit. Soon enough, everyone was up and trying to drown each others. Ashido and Kaminari's alliance crumbled barely two minutes after being born, while Jirou and Bakugou made a frighteningly good team. Shinsou mostly swam around them, although he wasn't above cunningly shoving someone while they're distracted. Yaoyorozu was trying (and falling) to bring back a semblance of peace and tranquility. She quickly changed her mind whan Ashido pulled her feet from underneath her.
Shota sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and sat on the sand, taking out a book he had had the clairvoyance of bringing with him. This was going to be long.
Eventually, the kids were joined by more and more people, and decided to leave before it was too suffocating. They went to a nearby travelling salesman to buy a mountain of churros, strawberry and raspeberry jams, honey, and chocolate spread. Shota was surprised that Bakugou and Yaoyorozu, two of the most healthier eaters in the whole class, agreed to such menu. Then again, it was a special day. And he knew Bakugou would wake everyone up at the crack of dawn and run them to the ground to burn all those calories. They were going to suffer.
The jams were actually pretty tasty, and so was the spread. The kids were clearly enjoying it. Shota had to admit it was nice, sitting on the white sand, listening the waves gently roaming behind them, eating good food with his kids. The sun was starting its descent, coating the skyline in orange, pink and red. It was a bit cooler now, but still comfortably warm.
After their dinner, they began the trek back to UA. On the way, they came across Miruko and Hawks, in civilians attires. The kids stopped dead at the sight of the number two hero. He had dropped his feathers in paint to make a giant bisexual flag hovering above his shoulders. It was kind of impressive, honestly. They must have felt their gazes because Miruko turned towards them. She took one look at Bakugou and grinned widly. She yanked Hawks with her as she crossed the street to meet them.
« Bakugou, you feral gremlin ! »
Shota twitched. She was way too excited to see his kid. This particular combination was an oath of destruction. They should leave. Now, while the city was still standing.
« What's up, Bitch ? »
Shota twitched for another reason. Eventually, Bakugou would learn not to swear at pro heroes. Or maybe not. If the kid could swear at All Might and Endeavour, the current number 1, he would do so at anyone else. Truly, the day Bakugou would stop swearing would be the day the world would end.
Far from being offended, Miruko threw her head back and guffawed loudly. She punched him in the stomach, putting her arm around his shoulders when he hunched forward, shoving him on her chest. The blond exploded in slander and violently jabbed his elbow in her ribs.
« So, » Hawks started nonchalantly. « That's your new kid ? »
Shota just stared at him.
« Rumi talked highly of him. Well, highly for her at least, » he said, watching as she and Bakugou kept fighting like a couple of eigh-year-old. « Not a lot of people share her love for brutality and are as straight forward as her. » A soft smile birthed on his face as Rumi threw Bakugou over her shoulder, the kid clinging to her, taking her down with him. « I've heard about him, you know. Everyone did. Although I don't listent to the medias or the public when it comes to futur pro heroes, I do listen to fellow heroes. Rumi. Endeavour. All Might. Your kid somehow managed to impress those three. That's no small feat. You have a good kid, Eraserhead. »
« I know. »
And he did. He truly did know.
Shota was one of the few privy to see the real Bakugou : the one who would left him a home-made dinner on the table to eat when he back from patrol, the one who would quietly activate his quirk when Eri had a nightmare, letting sparks fall around her, bringing the stars within her reach, the one who would make Uraraka dinner under the cover of teaching her how to cook because he knew she was low on money, the one who would drag Kirishima into the gym to spare when the boy's insecurities were up and kicking. The same one who rescued a little girl a month ago from her classmates' bullying, because they judged her quirk villainous. Bakugou had stormed over, scaring the living crap out of the kids and spend the next fifteen minutes lecturing them about quirks and how the way they're used defined wether or not you're a villain. That was his kid. He admitted it.
« I know, » he repeated with conviction, staring at Hawks.
The hero smiled. « Good. »
Shota kept staring, half-expecting him to speak up again. When it was clear he wasn't, he looked back at the children messing around.
« Bakugou, » he called. The kid looked up from the ground, where he had Miruko in a headlock.
« Yeah ? » he asked casually.
« Stop that. We have to go. »
He grumbled but complied. As soon as she was free, Miruko kicked him in the hip. Bakugou grabbed her and tossed her at Hawks, who floundered unexpectedly. She crashed into him and they toppled over.
« Come back here, you little shit ! »
« Bye, Shitty Rabbit ! » Bakugou called, as they left the two in a pile of limbs. Ashido and Kaminari echoing the farewell, while Jirou whiped out her phone to take a picture.
« Rumi, you're crushing me...»
« You're a fucking doll, Keigo. »
They made it back to the dorm before curfew. They entrance was not discrete. Not only did Ashido and Kaminari litterally stumbled through the doors, but they were all covered in powder. They looked like kaleidoscopic pine trees. Kaminari was still wearing his flower crown, Shinsou's jeans looked like a unicorn had barfed on it, and Yaoyorozu's dress was such a bright mish-mash of colours, it actually hurt to look at it. The students in the common room gaped at them, mouths touching the floor.
Bakugou took advantage of their immobility and dashed to the shower, Kaminari hot on his heels, leaving splashy footprints in their wake. Shinsou left without a word, while Yaoyorozu politely excused herself and Jirou, and Ashido jumped on Sero, hugging him like an octopus to transfer as much colours as she could. As soon as he realised what she was doing, the boy disentangled himself from the hug and made a run for it. Ashido ran after him, cackling loudly.
Silence fall after their departure, only to be broken by Kirishima.
« What the hell ? »
The kids looked at him, clearly expecting some kind of explanation. Instead, Shota shrugged and left.
His sleeping bag was calling him.
When he woke up the next day, he found a still steaming bowl of curry next to his door. There was also a thermos of hot tea, some kind of burnt cookies smelling like cinammon, a picture of a kitten showing his belly, a pair of sound-reducing earphones and a bright yellow phone charger.
Shota smiled. His kids were little demons, but he wouldn't have it any other way.