Katsuki Bakugo had always been good at handling explosions—literal and figurative. As a pro hero, he’d faced down more villains than he could count, saved lives, and dealt with the chaos. But nothing in his career had prepared him for this.

Dating Izuku Midoriya was one thing. It was something that had been building for years, long after they’d outgrown their rivalry and found themselves drawn back together. It had taken way too long for him to admit it, but he had. And, honestly? He was happy.

But his kid? Not so much.

His teenage kid had been handling the news about as well as a civilian caught in the middle of a villain fight. They didn’t say much about it, but their sharp glances whenever Izuku was around and the clipped responses whenever Izuku tried to be friendly? Yeah. It wasn’t hard to figure out.

And now, sitting across the dinner table while Izuku sat beside him, smiling nervously, Katsuki could feel the tension hanging in the air like a storm about to break.

He sighed, setting down his chopsticks. Here we go.

“Alright, what’s your problem?” he asked. His kid didn’t look up, just kept shoving rice around their plate. “Tch. Don’t pretend like there isn’t one. You’ve been acting like a damn porcupine every time Deku’s around.”

“Kacchan,” Izuku muttered beside him, shooting him a really? kind of look. Katsuki ignored it. He wasn’t one to beat around the bush.

His kid finally lifted their gaze. “I don’t have a problem.”

“The hell you don’t.”

His kid huffed. “Why does he have to be here all the time?”

Izuku straightened slightly, eyes widening just a fraction, like he hadn’t expected them to say it out loud.

Katsuki clenched his jaw. He knew this was going to be tough. He’d spent years raising his kid alone, making them his priority. It had always been him and them, no one else. So, of course, this was a big change.

“He’s here because I want him here,” Katsuki said, keeping his voice steady. “That’s not gonna change.”