Long Time Coming

War - Wear Red

"D-d-dada!" Little feet padded on the wooden floors, claws ticked along after. "Pa-papa!"

"What is it Aka?" Bakugou swung around, paint splatter clinging to his forearms and face. "Oh..." He knelt, carefully setting the paintbrush down. "Oh what happened?" Slowly turning on a bended knee. "Eiji? Babe-"

"Hmm?" The redhead turned on the step ladder, immediately swaying as shock gut punched him. "Oh fuck!"

"A little more tact?" The blond hissed, turning back to the weepy four year old. "What happened baby?"

"I-I was petting the puppy and-and it-it got-" She hiccupped, wiping her nose, smearing snot across her cheek.

Bakugou grimace, pulling out a rag and wiping her face, pulling the poor, whimpering animal close as Kirishima hurried off the ladder and to his husbands side. Easily he took their daughter into his arms, rocking her gently as he whispered to her, stroking the wild black hair, plucking a leaf out of the depths. She shivered against him, her sobs quieting as time passed allowing Katsuki the time to inspect the wounds on the animal. The smell of burnt fur and flesh was nauseating - bringing back too many gruesome memories of times when the pro hero had been just a little too late.

"It got hurt." She whispered after a while, fingers tangling in once-again long red hair, comforting herself in the strands, in the strength of her Dada. "It was scared and it bit me and I hurt it." Her eyes watered again, "I didn't mean to!" She insisted, lips quivering. "It was a accident! I got scared and it got scared!"

"You?" Katsuki's eyes snapped up for a split second, then back down to the scorched claw marks. "The wound's already cauterized... it's not bleeding... But... I-I don't-" He looked to Kirishima helplessly. "The puppy will be okay sweetheart." He smiled, his voice didn't waiver though his eyes were cold as they carefully inspected the deep gauges in it's skin. "I'm gunna go give the filthy mutt a bath. Do you wanna help, baby?" He stood slowly, cradling the small thing in his arm, hand extended to their trembling daughter.

She sniffled, turning from Eijirou's chest. She rubbed at her nose again, looking at her Dada. He gave a sharp toothed grin, nodding, "C'mon, Aka." He grabbed her up over his shoulder as he stood, wincing and flexing his back at her gleeful shrieks, eyes widened.

Bakugou caught his gaze, questioning without saying a word. Eijirou shook his head, spinning in a slow circle instead of answering. His right shoulder blade was hardened, his shirt ripped and scorched through to where his skin should be, black lines following the trail of her tiny fingertips. Little Akane's fingers and forearms were the same rough, opaque texture of Kirishima's when his quirk was active before he had changed, though the texture was more like small scales and circles as opposed to her Dada's squares and angles. Her fingers were glowing white hot and despite Kirishima's ability to withstand the heat Katsuki couldn't believe he didn't feel the pain at a least a little.

"Oh, Dada." She looked down at her hands, her little voice hitching up as she raised her fingers to her face. "Oh, Papa."

"Now, now." Slowly Katsuki lowered the puppy in the bathroom, closing the door quickly, never letting his gaze leave Akane's. "Don't touch your face baby. It's just your quirk. Like Dada's or Papa's. That's all. That's it. Your's is just a little different. That's all it is." Worry and anxiety filled his chest as the puppy began barking and yelping in the bathroom, adding to the stress in the room.

"My-my fingers... I hurt the puppy." Her chin jumped as tears fell down her cheeks. "I hurt the puppy."

"Shh, shh." Eijirou pulled their daughter from his shoulder, hand gently wrapping around her hands as he hardened his fist, his other arm cradling her. "I know quirks can be scary." He nodded to Katsuki who eased open the bathroom door, capturing the grey and brown mutt before letting the other two in. Eijirou immediately sat on the floor with their baby in his arms. Her glowing fingers casting fractured light through his crystalline skin. "But look how beautiful it can be when we learn to control ourselves." He smiled softly at her, large deep ruby eyes wide with wonder.