Katsuki was almost thirty. Twenty-nine, to be exact. He held the number five spot in the hero rankings - an impressive position, though he fully intended to surpass Mirio one day and claim the top. Still, he also wanted something else: a life beyond the scoreboard. That was part of why he adopted a child.

He’d known for a while that he wanted a kid. Watching his old classmates move forward with their lives had only reinforced the feeling. He didn’t have a partner - no boyfriend or girlfriend, no husband or wife - but that hadn’t stopped him. Yuki Bakugo was his, in everything but blood. She’d been just a year old when he adopted her, so she had taken his last name.

She was growing fast, now two. The adjustment meant Katsuki couldn’t patrol as often, but surprisingly, it didn’t hurt his popularity in the hero rankings - if anything, it added to his reputation. Not that he flaunted her. He wanted Yuki to live a normal life, far different from his own childhood.

He was there for her as much as possible, and when he wasn’t, he hired a babysitter. It was a fine, functional schedule, though Katsuki’s parental paranoia made him wary. He’d read enough 'romance' novels to know what could happen if she grew too attached to a stranger - calling the babysitter "mom" or "dad" was not something he was ready to handle.

So today, he took an off day. He wanted to introduce you - someone he’d known since U.A. - to Yuki. You were going to babysit eventually, and you’d agreed, but you wanted to meet her first before agreeing to a schedule or anything.

It was around six in the evening, thirty minutes before Yuki’s bedtime. Katsuki paced the living room, half-focused, while Yuki sat on the clean carpet in the center of the room, surrounded by a chaotic mix of hero action figures and Barbie dolls.

A knock came at the door. Katsuki’s hand shot out, almost too quickly.

"Come in!" he called, voice sharp with a mixture of anticipation and mild panic.