Quirkless

Chapter 40 - A Positive Change

Katsuki avoided his parents' looks as he stood in the doorframe, holding the small blonde dog in his arms. He was sure his mom didn't expect him to come back with a dog after she pushed him to go out with his friends. It was an unexpected development for all of them, for sure.

"So... Who is this little fellow?" Masaru asked, closing the door behind his son as Katsuki took a few more steps inside.
"This is King" Katsuki breathed, looking up to make eye contact with Mitsuki.
"King, huh?" she hummed.

"Short for King Explosion Murder" Katsuki added, making her snort.

"The others insisted on me naming him, if you're wondering"
"So if you can't take it as your hero name, you're giving it to a dog?" Mitsuki laughed.
"Where did he even come from?" Masaru asked.
"We found him on the street when we were walking back to school. He didn't have a collar and one of my previous classmates checked and he isn't chipped either" Katsuki explained.

"So they pushed the responsibility onto you huh? You're starting to become more and more like your dad, a total pushover" Mitsuki joked.
"I'm not a fucking pushover you old hag! King isn't comfortable around the others and Aizawa will fucking murder those idiots if he discovers they're keeping a dog at the dorms" Katsuki hissed.

"There is no need to get upset" Masaru said quickly, being used to defusing any and all conflict between his wife and his son. That was before Katsuki lost his quirk though, when his relationship with his parents was still very different from what it is now.
"I'm not- I just- Ugh!" Katsuki groaned, putting the dog on the ground as he started struggling in his arms.

"Can we keep him, yes or no?"

King barked, sniffing around the room as he explored. Mitsuki sighed, giving the small creature a smile as she picked him up from the ground again. King growled for a moment, shutting up quickly as Mitsuki glared at him.

"Well, he's small enough for this studio and we have a garden he can run around in at home..." Masaru started, trying to see if keeping the dog was a possibility.
"The real question is, are you willing to take responsibility and take care of him? Go for walks and things like that?"

"You think I can't take care of a damn dog?" Katsuki asked, raising a brow. Was his dad underestimating him? He didn't like it when people saw him as incapable for trivial tasks, he should know that.
"That's not what he means, Katsuki" Mitsuki sighed, petting King as she held him in her arms.

"We know the current circumstances are draining for you. A lot is happening all at once and maybe it's not the best to throw yet another change in your life right now"

Katsuki frowned, knowing she was right. His life was changing at a rapid pace, putting pressure on him, making him stressed. All this stuff with All For One and his statement... It was weighing down on him. Katsuki knew his parents were worried for his well-being. Of course they were...

He was diagnosed with depression, had to take medication and was seeing a therapist... He had been haunted by one of the most dangerous people alive, still had scars on his arms from the times he harmed himself... It's all been so much and Katsuki understood where his parents were coming from. But wasn't a dog a good change?

"Shiemi told me I need to allow positivity into my life again" Katsuki stated. He had talked to her about the period he pushed everyone away from him, or well, he had to, didn't he?
"That I need to try and open up again... That I need to take time to think about my own happiness and that it's okay to be selfish sometimes"

"You want to keep him" Mitsuki said. It wasn't a question, but a statement. It was quiet for a moment as Mitsuki and Masaru exchanged a glance.
"Alright, but only if we get permission to have an animal on campus" she answered, making Katsuki smile.