The Man Behind the Screen

From A to Z

BAKUGO'S POV

"Three months isn't that far away," I sighed, pulling Deku closer. "I know it's rough, but we'll get through it."

"He said so many awful things about how his mom treats him. It almost makes me want to try to terminate her parental rights," he scoffed. He can threaten it all he wants, but we both know he won't. He doesn't have the heart to rip Daiki away from his mom like that.

"I bet he had a lot of good stuff to say about you, though," I said, trying to turn the direction of our conversation to the better part of the interview.

"He did." He smiled softly. "He had a lot of good things to say about you too."

Relief washed over my body. I didn't realize I was nervous until now, even though I had no reason to be. I've always been kind and loving to Daiki. I treat him like he's my own son. "On the way home, he asked me about something we talked about when we first told the kids we were dating," he said nervously.

"Yeah, what's that?" I rubbed soothing circles across his back when he tensed in my arms. I hate it when he tenses. It's usually because he's nervous or anxious.

"He asked if you were going to be his dad, too," he mumbled. My brain froze while I tried to process what he said.

"He's asked you that before?" I feel like that's something we should have talked about.

"It was when he asked to talk to me alone. You and Himari were upstairs. It was still so new, and I wanted to give the kids time to adjust before we talked about it. I didn't know how to handle it then, so I just said it was too soon," he explained.

I pressed my lips to his head. "You don't need to explain, babe. It's okay."

"But I figured I should talk to you about how you feel about the situation," he mumbled. If he's asking how I feel about being a dad for them, it's probably the stupidest question he's ever asked me.

"I love Daiki and Himari like they are my own kids. Nothing is ever going to change that," I said. "I love you and this perfect little family. If you're asking if I'm ready to be a father for them, yes. I would do absolutely anything for them."

"I'm so lucky to have you in my life," he whispered. I couldn't see the tears rolling down his face in the dark, but I could hear them in his voice. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I said while squeezing him tightly. I love him more than he'll ever understand. A part of me wishes I had realized it sooner, but Daiki might not be here if I had. Everything happens for a reason in its own timeline.

"Is this something we want to talk to the kids about, or should we sit on it for a little while?" I love that he asks my feelings about the kids, too. It's because of him that I already feel like I'm a part of this family. I molded in like I'd always been there.

"I think we should tell them that I want to be a father to them, but what they do with that information is up to them. I don't want to force them to accept me if they're not ready."

"Daiki's ready. Himari, I'm not sure. She and I haven't talked about it. Maybe I should talk with her first before we talk to them together. See where she is on the situation." Before I could respond, a loud clash of thunder echoed through the house. It had been storming for the last hour, but we were on the outskirts of the storm. Now, we're probably in the middle. We're only a week away from December, but we had to have one last week of shit storms before the weather dropped and it started to snow.

"Scoot over," Deku said with a quiet sigh.

"Why?" I asked. I didn't want to scoot over. His body heat has been keeping me warm all night.