A/N: Hey all!

So, I saw this post on Tumblr by ask-kacchako, and they linked the originator in it, which was fandomgarbage11806, and they let me use it! I am so grateful, because this hit me like a truck of inspiration.

I hope you enjoy it!

~Star

Disclaimer: I do not own the Kacchako kids Bakugou Eiji and Bakugou Reika. Those two belong to fandomgarbage11806 on Tumblr! Bakugou Kokoro is mine though XD thanks for letting me write a fic based on your idea! I really enjoyed it!

Bakugou Katsuki stared at the amber liquid in his glass, the light reflecting off of it nearly mesmerizing, but that had more to do with him trying to keep his mind blank then the alcohol having any effect on him. He could feel the panic brush against the edges of his mind every time he thought of why he was at the bar and not at home, and would once again attempt to think of nothing. It was a vicious cycle that got him nowhere when he came here for answers.

"Damn, you look terrible, Kacchan." A male voice commented, and Katsuki frowned at the old nickname. He turned to face the man who had spoken, and ended up snorting.

"You look ridiculous."

Midoriya Izuku chuckled as he took the stool next to Bakugou at the bar. It was true; Midoriya was dressed in casual wear, but had a scarf, shades, and a baseball cap atop his head. In the middle if summer. "It's the only way I can get around these days when I'm not on-duty."

"This is a hero bar; no one cares what the hell your ranking is."

"Then why do you have a pair of shades and a cap with you?"

"F*ck off."

More than used to his friend's crass nature, Izuku merely brushed the insult off and ordered a beer. While he waited, he took off his disguise and noticed immediately when the other heroes began to recognize him. It wasn't every day that Deku, the Number One Hero, made an appearance at Flow's Rig.

A few pros he was on good terms with, and a few he barely knew, made to approach him, but ultimately decided against it. He didn't blame them, for even he could feel the glare Katsuki was directing at anyone who approached them.

With a presence likened to that of a villain, it was a wonder as to how Ground Zero had made it to the Number Two spot. Then again, Katsuki had always had a habit of achieving his goals; it's what he had admired about him as a teen. Still did.

Beer finally in hand, Izuku took a long swig before asking, "What did you want to talk about?"

Bakugou didn't answer right away. Instead, he closed his eyes as guilt began to mix with his fear. 'This is f*cking karma at its finest.'

Izuku frowned once more at his friend's tense posture and became worried. "Kacchan."

"We took Reika to the doctors today." Katsuki began. He tried to say more, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Now even more worried, Midoriya twisted his torso so that he was facing Bakugou. "Is she okay? What happened?" Out of all of Katsuki and Ochako's kids, their youngest was his favorite. Bakugou Reika was a ball of sunshine with a love for all things explosive, no doubt something she got from her father. When Bakugou didn't answer him once more, he made to place his hand on the other hero's arm when—

"She's Quirkless." The blonde blurted, fingers tightening around the shot glass in his hands. A bar probably wasn't the best place to share such personal news, but he couldn't invite Midoriya over at the moment, and there was no way in hell he was going over the nerd's house after the media tried to insinuate there was something between them. Ochako had gotten a good laugh at that until he kissed her thoroughly on live television.

Izuku froze, certain he had heard him wrong.

When he didn't get a response, Bakugou opened his eyes, but kept his gaze firmly on his drink as he continued. "She's turning five next week, and hasn't shown any sign of her Quirk like the boys did, so we decided to take her in. Ochako made the appointment, and I took her since she was called suddenly into work." He moved his hands to cover his face, his shoulders hunched. "Goddamnit! The f*cker didn't even try to be nice about it, like crushing her dreams meant nothing to him. I've never wanted to blow up someone so bad in my life. He's f*cking lucky Reika's my priority, or that bastard would be six feet under." His fingers shifted to rake through his hair, gripping tightly at large blonde tuffs. "F*ck, I haven't even told Ochako or the boys yet…"

It was like reliving that moment so many years ago, except from a different view. Looking at his friend's posture, he couldn't help but think, 'Is this how Mom felt?' It was only then that he realized why Katsuki had called him out that evening.

Bakugou seemed to catch onto this, and slumped a little forward against the bartop. "She's already getting picked on. She won't say anything; the squirt's too much like her mother. You know how I found out? Eiji. Came home with scraps on his face, and when I asked him why, he said it was because someone said she couldn't play with them until she got her Quirk, and he didn't think that was fair. What the f*ck."

"Kacchan…" Izuku murmured as he lowered his hand back to the bar top, recognizing that Katsuki was beginning to ramble.

"What if it gets worse? What if she runs into someone like-like me." The word came out choked and mangled, as if it left his throat raw with its passage. His eyes burned with the guilt, frustration, agony, and pure helplessness he felt with the whole situation, but he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn in that moment. "God, I told you to f*cking kill yourself! The f*ck was wrong with me?! If someone said that to my explosive angel, I don't know what the f*ck I'd do."

"Katsuki-kun." Izuku interrupted gently, gaining Bakugou's full attention despite the blonde not looking at him. Knowing each other for as long as they did, it was rare when either used their names, only doing so when the other was serious about something. It was just a habit neither one of them grew out of. "This isn't your fault."" He placed a comforting hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "And I forgave you a long time ago."

Katsuki remained quiet as he thought back to that time. It was a subdued affair—the exact opposite of their fight during their first year at UA, and long overdue. Just before they had graduated, Bakugou had apologized to Midoriya—for everything. Izuku, the pure person that he was, had forgiven him without a second thought. It wasn't a thoughtless decision, but was done with his childhood friend in mind. He had seen the guilt take its toll on him, and had forgiven him, because that's what heroes did; they saved people, even if it was from themselves. From there, their relationship had slowly, slowly mended into the friendship it was now.

Izuku took a swig from his warming beer and made a face at it, before sighing. "You said Ochako-chan's working? Where are the kids?"

"Left Reika with the hag as soon as she'd knocked out, and messaged Eiji and Kokoro to head over there after their club activities were done." Katsuki rubbed his face before looking at his watch. "They must be there already." He then took a moment to call his eldest, Kokoro. 'Ten texts and three missed calls from Ochako, and ten from the hag.' He wasn't surprised. He hadn't explained anything to his mother when he dropped Reika off, before heading straight to the bar and messaging Izuku to meet him at Flow's. Ignoring the texts for now, knowing it was going to backfire on him spectacularly, Bakugou called his oldest. While he was much better at handling his emotions than when he was a teen, there was only so much he could take at a time.

Izuku waited patiently as Katsuki talked with his kids. Finishing his lukewarm beer, the corner of his lips quirked upward as he heard, "I'm fine. Love you, too, you damn brat." 'Never would have pegged him as the doting parent type.'

Finished with the call, Katsuki sighed, and a silence settled over the two men. It was not uncomfortable, but one born through the struggle to understand one another.

"What do I need to do?"

The simple question was one that Midoriya expected, and had contemplated during the silence. The answer, unsurprising, came easily to him.

"Don't give up on her." Izuku said with conviction as he turned to meet Katsuki's gaze. "You can't protect her from everyone, Kacchan. There will be bullies; kids can be cruel." They both knew the harsh truth of those words. "That doesn't mean her dreams need to end. With you and Ochako-chan supporting her, she may very well be the first Quirkless Hero."

Bakugou snorted at that, but settled into contemplative silence. "A Quirkless Hero, huh?" He mused aloud, before shooting Midoriya a halfhearted glare. "I didn't need you to tell me not to give up on her. I would never do that."

The Number One Hero merely smiled, patting Katsuki shoulder as the blonde nearly growled at him. The quiet "Thank you" that followed made him grin.

Katsuki didn't stay for much longer, having gotten what he'd come for, and feeling ten times lighter. He still felt as if this was a twisted form of punishment for how he'd been as a youth, but knew dwelling on it further wouldn't help anyone, least of all his daughter. As soon as he was outside of Flow's Rig, he dialed Ochako's cell.

"Katsuki!" Came her obviously flustered and upset voice, having answered on the first ring. "Where have you been?! During the middle of a rescue I get a voicemail from Mitsu-chan that you left a red-eyed Rei-chan with her with no explanation, and then you don't answer my calls, and—"

"I'm sorry." Came his soft reply, shutting her up. He heard her give a slow breath.

"I was really worried, Katsuki." She said softly.

"I know. I love you."

"I love you, too." She tried to hide it, but he heard her sniffle, and felt horrible at being the cause. "What did the doctor say?"

Katsuki took a deep breath. "About that…"

~o.8.o~

Bakugou Reika stayed curled in a tight ball under her sheets as tears continued to flow from her eyes, her short brown hair a tangled mess. She had just woken up and never wanted to move again.

'Why bother, when I can't be like Mommy and Daddy?'

The sound of the door opening to the guest room she rested in had her curling even tighter. She didn't want to talk to anyone!

The side of the bed behind her dipped under the weight of the intruder, and she felt a large hand press gently against her head.

"I know you're awake." Came her father's voice, and Reika gave a sharp hiccup. The next thing she knew, she was pulled into her father's arms, a repeat of how they had been earlier that day when her dreams had been broken.

"D-Daddy…!" She cried as she fisted her tiny hands into Katsuki's shirt, ruining it with her tears. Not that he exactly cared. He would gladly hold all his children as they cried; had done so many times in fact. Being his only daughter, Reika had gained a special place in his heart that every father both loved and feared.

He let her release her emotions freely, having learned first-hand that keeping them in was never a good thing. He merely soothed her as he waited for her to calm down. It didn't take long, and when her tears were mostly dry, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"Daddy?" She asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"Do you think I can still be hero?"

If Katsuki were completely honest, he couldn't see it happening. The concept of a Quirkless Hero did not mesh well with the view of the world he had. But just because he couldn't see it, that didn't mean it couldn't happen. "The f*ck kind of question is that? Of course you can." 'I'll make it happen.'

Her resulting giggles were music to his ears.

"That's a bad word."

"Shh, don't tell your mom."

"Okay." She agreed easily, snuggling into his embrace even further. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "I love you, Daddy."

Tightening his hold on her so he wouldn't jostler her too much as he stood up, Katsuki gave another kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, too, angel."

So what were your thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the reviews!

~Star