"Need and Want" Bakugou x Reader x Kirishima AU

Unexpected

On the train ride home, Hatsuki stirred awake in Bakugou's arms. "Mm...daddy...?"

He glanced down at his daughter briefly as she yawned. "On our way home. We're on the train now." Pausing for a moment to figure out how to phrase it, Bakugo added, "(y/n) told me what you said earlier. We'll talk about it when we get home." Leaving the issue unaddressed would eat at him even though he knew the conversation would be awkward.

Hatsuki stilled and curled up into a tight ball in his arms, knowing from his tone that she was at least mildly in trouble.

When the train stopped at their station, Bakugou set Hatsuki down and grabbed her small hand to lead her through the crowd of people towards the apartment they called home. Both were quiet most of the way, Bakugou wondering how to explain to a four-year-old why you couldn't be her mom. The fact that she'd even ask that hurt more than he admitted to you openly as the feeling of inadequacy sunk into his chest like a stone weight.

Once they made it home, Bakugou pulled his keys out of his pocket to open the front door. Hatsuki shuffled past him, kicked off her shoes, and ran to her room. She always did this when she knew she was in trouble, so Bakugou took his time locking the door and settling in before he followed her down the hallway.

Her room was a mixture of purple and orange with splashes of every other color dotted around in the form of toys, books, and clothes. Action figures and merch of Bakugou's friends lined the top of a bookshelf. He had the most merch, though. Purple was her favorite color but she liked orange, too, because of the detailing in her dad's Hero outfit. Bakugou thought it was tacky as hell but said nothing because stifling the creativity of a four-year-old sounded absurd.

"Get out from under there. Let's talk." A lump sat in the middle of her bed as she hid under the covers. She was never scared of her father...she just hated disappointing him. "C'mon," he repeated before yanking the patterned comforter back to reveal Hatsuki curled up in a ball again.

She avoided eye contact as she spoke, her voice small and hesitant. "Are you mad?"

Bakugou sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I'm not mad. You just need you to know why asking something like that of (y/n) wasn't OK."

"She wasn't mad...she just said she couldn't. Why?"

He reached forward and sat her up, though she still tried to avoid looking at him until Bakugou nudged her chin up to make sure she listened. "You can't just ask someone to be your mom or dad. I'm your dad. People..." Fuck, this was harder to say than he thought it'd be. "People are usually in relationships when they're someone's parents."

She looked confused. "But, um, Uncle Kiri and Auntie (y/n) are, um, that. Right?"

Where did she learn to find loopholes in everything? Oh, right, from him. "I meant in a relationship with me, Hatsu." Voicing it aloud made almost made him feel like puking. "They can babysit, and watch over you when I'm not around, but that's it. Understand?"

As if it was the most obvious answer, Hatsuki said, "just be in a relationship with them then! Dad you're suppose to be real smart. "

Bakugou's face turned a fierce shade of crimson at his daughter's words. Kids failed to grasp the implications of what they said half the time, blurting out things without the tactical filter most adults gained with age and experience. "It doesn't work like that! You should love them first, and they just love each other. Not me."

He thought briefly of the times he'd glimpsed their grossly affectionate PDA: holding hands, cuddling, kissing. Kirishima was the exact opposite of shy when it came to the people he cared about, unashamed of letting everyone know who he felt closest to. Kirishima was still Bakugou's best friend; he'd always be that. They'd known each other for going on nine years at this point. You dated him while Bakugou stuck around for everything else. It worked.