The Tinker

Chapter 65 - Family Dinner Part II

Once the food was ready on the dinner table Masaru walked up to Y/N and finally extended his hand to her. "It's nice to finally..." Once he locked eyes with her his jaw dropped. "Wait, Whirlwind? You're... Kat, you're dating Whirlwind?! Why didn't you say anything?!" His hand that was extended was now gripping his hair in surprise.

"I did. Told you she was an American hero," Katsuki grumbled. "You know her?"

"Know her? KNOW HER?!" Masaru shouted. "Are you kidding? Every American knows her!"

Katsuki raised his eyebrows. His dad very rarely raised his voice-- even Mitsuki seemed a bit taken aback. Y/N, meanwhile, was flashing an awkward smile at the attention being drawn to her.

"Are you American, Mr. Bakugou?" Y/N asked, tilting her head. "Bakugou never told me."

"I have American family, yes; I visit every once in a while. Enough to definitely know who you are. It's an honor to have you in our home," He gushed. "I should've made something more formal, we should've dressed up, I--"

"Masaru," Mitsuki interrupted. "Take a deep breath. Come sit down."

He did as his wife said and plopped down, his eyes still wide with shock and excitement. Katsuki watched his dad, the usually calm and collected man, lose his mind with giddiness. He knew that Y/N was a popular hero, but... every American knows her?

He felt a bit ashamed that he didn't know.

"So what brings you to Japan in the first place?" Masaru asked. "Did you come to be closer to the Hawks Agency?"

Y/N laughed nervously. "I actually got let go from there after I lost my quirk." When Masaru looked at her in panic she frantically waved her arms to ease his worries. "No no, I got it back. It's all good now. It was a long story, really complicated-- Had a bounty on me for a while--"

"That's when Katsuki got injured, right?" Mitsuki asked.

Y/N lowered her head. The bright atmosphere of the room shifted and the dark clouds of guilt and shame starting creeping in through the edges of her vision. Her heart started to pound at the memory. "Um... yeah. That's when he got shot." She looked up at Katsuki who was watching her intently; she couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling, if anything at all. He was just... looking at her. It made the feelings worse. 

Katsuki turned back to his plate and picked up his burger, examining it. "Barely felt it."

Y/N scoffed at him. "You bled out on me, idiot. I almost watched you die. Don't act like--"

"It doesn't matter," He interrupted. "Even if I did die. Still would've done it."

The words rang in Y/N's head, echoing and repeating the heavy meaning. I still would've done it. Did he just say he would've died for her?

Overwhelmed with what it meant, Y/N stared intently at her burger as she took a bite. Katsuki's parents were looking at each other with alarm-- it seemed the confession was not lost on them either. 

"What matters is that you're both safe. Nothing like that was necessary," Masaru said. 

There were a few more minutes of silent eating before Masaru spoke up again. "So... now that you've got your quirk back, are you planning on returning to the industry?"

The Bakugous awaited her answer eagerly. Even Katsuki was side-eyeing her, pretending not to pay attention, but his fidgeting fingers gave him away. 

Y/N bit her lip. "Well I was offered my position at the Hawks Agency again."

Bakugou spat out his drink.

"Jesus, Katsuki, what's with you?" Mitsuki snapped, tossing a napkin across the table. "Get it together."

He ignored his mother's words and stared intently at Y/N. "Are you gonna take it?"

"I haven't really put much thought into it. I don't know if... I don't know if I have the money to stay in Japan." Her eyes quickly glanced at Bakugou, ashamed, before staring at her hands. "They paid me well for the engineering work, but... almost all of it went to paying my hospital bills from America."

Mitsuki slammed her fist on the table. "Damn American healthcare!" She roared. "Absolute bullshit! They're robbing you blind, they shouldn't be able to--"

"Mitsuki, dear," Masaru said gently. He placed his hand on her arm and his wife calmed down enough to lean back in her chair with a glare.

"She's right, it's fucking bullshit," Bakugou snapped. "How long were you in the hospital?"

"I... I think it was a few weeks or so. I was unconscious-- or unresponsive-- for a lot of it." She took a sip of her water before adding, "Once I came to Japan, Recovery Girl was generous enough to heal the majority of my wounds enough for me to perform basic functions again. With her it was only a few days-- It would've taken much longer back in the states. Maybe even months."

Bakugou's mind was whirling with thoughts. He felt ashamed that he didn't know the details. Why hadn't he asked? Why didn't she mention the hospital bills? She could've asked him for help, he would've--

"Wouldn't the Hawks Agency pay you enough to stay?" Masaru asked. "Surely it's enough for other Japanese heroes. It should be enough for you as well, right?"

"I uh... don't have any savings, so I can't put money down on an apartment," Y/N admitted. She blushed deeply. "All that I had went to the medical bill. It was sixty thousand dollars-- about 6.5 million yen."

Mitsuki slammed her fist on the table once again. "Are you fucking kidding me? You get injured protecting the American people and they charge you that much?!"

"I dunno. I guess we're just so used to it that--"

"IT'S FUCKING UNACCEPTABLE!" Mitsuki shrieked. "I knew America had problems, but fuck!"

"Mitsuki," Masaru hissed. "It's impolite to disrespect her home like that."

"No, it's okay," Y/N laughed. "I get it. I've only been in Japan for about 8 months, but I already love it more than I've ever loved the states."

Bakugou felt a bit of pride at her statement. He hoped her love for Japan was enough to make her stay.

"If I had the resources to put down money on an apartment, I would," Y/N said softly. "But right now it's looking like I'll have to move back home with my parents until I can save enough money to be on my own again. I'm just glad I had the funds to cover it and they didn't have to spend theirs. It was enough stress on them already having me taken across the world. Especially with the media harassing them..."

Why hadn't she told him that she might leave Japan? There was a new sense of dread in his chest now. It was a suffocating kind of fear. 

I can't lose her. I just got her.