Inmate

𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢-𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚎

"Shouto."

"Shouto."

"Shouto!!"

I felt someone shaking me, which quickly snapped me out of my thoughts.  I looked up quickly, expecting to see Katsuki.

"Oh..it's you"

"What do you mean 'Oh'? Jeez no need to sound so excited to see me. Get your head out of the clouds." My coworker, Shinsou, scoffed.

I rubbed my head and sighed.  I need to stop spacing out like this..

"Some school is on the phone by the way. You should go answer."

"What?" My eyebrows furrowed as I stormed over to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Mr. Todoroki, correct?" I cringed at the sound of my own last name.

"Yes but I prefer Bakugou instead, please." I mumbled.

"Right, my apologies, Mr. Bakugou.  Your daughter Hiromi is currently sitting in the principal's office for punching one of her classmates in the face."

"She- She what?"

"Punched a classmate in the face.  It'd be best if you arrived as soon as possible to discuss in-class behavior with your daughter and her principal, seen as she doesn't know basic rules."

I bit my tongue, refraining myself from yelling at the secretary through the phone.

"I'll be there soon." I hung up quickly.

"I have to pick up my daughter. Cover for me and I'll pay you 20$." I pushed the front door open.

"Tell Hiromi I said hi." Shinsou laughed a bit as I walked out the door.

Obviously someone must've provoked her for her to have done that.

I parked quickly, making my way to the entrance and clicking a button.  I waited until I was buzzed in before walking inside to the principal's office.

"Excuse me." I knocked on the door.

"Ahh Mr.Todo-"

"It's Bakugou."

"Ahem.. Mr. Bakugou, come in."

I walked inside, looking at Hiromi sitting arms crossed in one of the chairs. 

I bent down next to her, putting my hand on her head.

"Sunshine, what did you do?"

"She-" The principal began.

"Ah." I glared at the principal, cutting him off. "I asked my daughter."

Hiromi looked down at her fingers, twirling her thumbs.

"H-He was making fun of you, Daddy! So- So I hit him!" 

"Thank you for sticking up for me, Darling, but you didn't need to go so far.. You know violence isn't the right way to solve things."

"Since it's only her first day there won't be any severe consequences.. The student was a bit over dramatic about being 'punched.' He didn't have any marks on him so he's fine."

"Understandable, but why is my daughter the only one in here when this other student provoked her? Shouldn't he also be in here for 'not knowing basic rules,' according to your secretary."

"Well we do not condemn violence, and I what he said should not have resulted in a physical response."

I looked back at Hiromi and sighed.

"What did this boy tell you, Darling?"

"He said that- that we are weird for not having a Mommy, and and she left us because she didn't love us anymore.. Everyone else has a Mommy.." Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

I looked at the principal, basically fuming.

"Really? So that's not a big deal to you? Saying her other parent left because she doesn't love us? It seems that student needs to learn manners, rather than my daughter."  I picked her up, along with her bag.  "I don't want my daughter in a school full of biased idiots."

I left his office, slamming the door behind me.

"I'm sorry about that, baby. You did a good job.  Though we need to have a grown-up conversation when we get home."  I buckled her in her car seat before getting in myself.

The ride home was silent, but was interrupted a few times by her sniffles.

She really was like Katsuki.

"Someone made me angry."
"They were talking about you."

Suddenly the road ahead was blurry as my eyes filled with tears, remembering when Katsuki fought someone for me.

I felt like it was only yesterday.

-

Soon we arrived home. I took Hiromi out of the car, bringing her inside. I took off her shoes before setting her on the couch in the living room.

"You remember how everyone had a Mommy and a Daddy?" She nodded as I spoke.

"Sometimes there can be two Daddies, but one of them is kind of like a Mommy."

"Do I have two Daddies?" She tilted her head.

"You did, but now you only have one Daddy, which is me." I held her hands. I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye.

"Where's... where's my other Daddy?"

"He had to go somewhere, sort of like a mission. He's making sure no bad guys get to us."

"Was he my Mommy too?" I laughed and put her on my lap.

"No, love. That's me. I'm like your Mommy."

"Do I have to call you Mommy now?" Her eyes widened as she looked back at me.

"No no, silly goose. I'm still your Dad."

"What about Daddy number 2? When is he coming home?"

"He's.. He's not coming home." I picked her up and carried her over to the photo of Katsuki and I.

"That's your other Daddy." I pointed to him, my voice cracking.

"He looks like me!"

"He sure does.." Tears slipped down my cheeks. I feel weak, crying in front of my daughter like this.

"Why are you crying, Daddy?" She put her hands on my cheeks, trying to catch the tears.

"I just miss him a lot." I gave her a weak smile, trying to stop the tears from flowing.

"We can go see him, right?" She aggressively wiped my tears away.

"We can.. but it's different. You know when someone gets very old, and they have to go to a better place at a certain time?"

She nodded. "Was Daddy old?"

"No no, he wasn't old."

"Why is he in the better place then?"

"A very bad guy did a mean thing to Daddy, and so he had to go the better place early."

She gasped and put her hands over her mouth.

"We have to get him back from the better place!! He wasn't ready to go!"

"You're right, sweetheart, but we can't get him back.. He's stuck there. Now his job is to watch over us."

"No fair.."

She pouted and plopped her head right onto my shoulder. I held her tight, crying softly as I kissed her head a few times.

"Y-You'll just have to be happy with one Daddy..."  She'll understand better once she's older.