The Tinker

Chapter 100 - Loose Ends

"Dad, someone's at the door!" Sara called.

"Then get it, lazy ass."

"Can't, I still gotta do my makeup."

There were a few moments of silence. Milo was definitely not getting the door.

Sara sighed. "It's probably Y/N, ya know."

That seemed to do it. Milo bolted through the apartment in anticipation. It had been days since they'd heard from Y/N-- All they'd gotten was a few texts saying that she was fine, that she needed time to think things through, that she wasn't upset with them-- but Milo was a parent, for god's sake. No amount of reassurance from her would've calmed his worries. There were only 2 days left of Y/N's time in New York.

He swung open the door. "Dammit Y/N, we waited for-- oh."

It wasn't his daughter. It was Bakugou, completely drenched from the rain with a nervous look on his face. "Y/N's fine," he said quickly. Another bit of silence. "Can I uh... come in?"

Milo didn't know what to think. "Right, yeah. Get in here." He beckoned Katsuki in, stepping to the side to avoid getting wet too. "Where is she? Did you come alone?"

"She's at home, still sleeping. Just me." Bakugou shook his hair a bit to let the excess water out. "Would've called, but I don't know any phone numbers."

It was super awkward. Of course it was. Why was he here? More importantly, why was he here without Y/N? Milo didn't know what to do, what to say, what to feel.

"Came here to talk to you. All of you," Bakugou confessed. "Is... is your wife home?"

Sara, who had been watching dumbfounded from the bathroom doorway, finally spoke. "Mom! Bakugou is here!"

Rachel peeked her head out from the bedroom, and when she saw how drenched her guest was, she gasped. "Milo! Get him a towel!"

~~~

Bakugou sat awkwardly across from Y/N's family members at the table, trying not to second guess himself. He rubbed the back of his neck with the towel before setting it down and taking a deep breath and finally talking. "I don't think Y/N ever wanted to be a hero."

Not sure if they were going to say something, he waited, but they remained silent and watched him intently. Even Sara seemed hung up on his every word.

"She saw it as a job that paid well. She didn't realize that she didn't like it until her injury," He continued. "Going to Japan and engineering full time while she was in hiding... I think she figured out that that was what she wanted. She's really fucking good at it, and it makes her happy, and..." 

He'd always been so bad at this. It was his worst nightmare to try and mediate a situation this complicated, but he knew that Y/N wasn't going to fix it on her own. It didn't help that Sara was squinting at him in suspicion.

"Fuck. What I'm... trying to say is that it wasn't your fault. If someone told her that fucking marine biology would help her family then she would've done that shit, too. Don't... don't be upset at yourselves for her choosing hero work."

Milo looked... surprised? Bakugou was pretty sure he looked surprised. He wasn't great at reading facial expressions, either. 

"She's going to do engineering now, full time. Y/N won't have to do a job she doesn't want to ever again. My, uh... my agency has enough money to make sure of it."

"It's still hero work," Sara retorted. "She's still working for a fucking agency."

Bakugou didn't hesitate. "Call it whatever the hell you want. She's doing what makes her happy now, and I'll go to my fucking grave making sure it stays that way. If not at my agency, then wherever the hell she wants." It came out a little more aggressive than he wanted, but he made his point well enough.

"Did she tell you to explain this to us?" Milo asked. He still seemed hesitant.

"No," Katsuki confessed. "I just... didn't want you to think she would be unhappy in Japan."

Sara stood up and leaned menacingly against the table, going on the offense. "What if she dumps you, huh? You gonna fire her like Hawks?"

"Never."

The three of them stared at Katsuki. Sara crossed her arms, her glare deepening. "Whatever. She's still dating a fucking hero."

Bakugou huffed in frustration, leaning forward to match Sara. "Look, I don't give a shit if you like me, but don't take it out on her. She's dealt with enough bullshit without getting hounded by her sister."

"I'm trying to protect her," Sara snapped.

"And you think I'm not? I took a fucking bullet for that girl, and I'd do it again. I'd die before seeing her unhappy," Bakugou seethed, slamming his hand flat on the table.

The energy shifted in the room, Katsuki knew that, but he wasn't sure why. All he knew was that all three of their expressions changed as they stared at him-- eyes wide, jaws dropped. Had he gone too far? He hadn't meant to snap like that.

Sara's fists unclenched. "You... what? You took a bullet for her?"

Bakugou stared at them. Did they not know what happened? The realization settled and he shoved his hands into his pockets. It felt unnecessary now.

"This isn't about me," He muttered, now a bit embarrassed that he mentioned it at all. "I'm not trying to get you to approve of me or whatever. I really don't care. Just... believe me when I tell you that I'll keep her safe. She'll be happy. That's all." 

He folded the towel, set it neatly on the table, and made his way over to the door. "You guys mean a lot to her, alright? She'll call you when she's ready." 

He closed the door behind him, leaving the three of them to process the weird morning.

____________________________

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the shorter chapter, friends! This past week I've been crazy busy with my next story, which should be coming out SO SOON! (I'm so excited y'all don't even know lmao)

The Tinker will be wrapping up within the next few chapters. It breaks my heart to be saying goodbye to it, but good news-- Whirlwind and Dynamight will be in the next story as well, 4 years after the events of this story.

Thank you for all of your lovely comments! I look forward to seeing your reactions to the end of this book and the beginning of the next.

See you soon!

Polly

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ