#it sometimes hurts me that this is our relationship now

[strawberrystepmom]

bakugou x f!reader. established relationship, a dad and the dog he didn't want etc. cw: non graphic death (side character, no cause of death mentioned), dogs. | wc: 2.3k, reading time: 10 minutes.

“Are you home?”

Generally speaking, being asked to confirm your location with Katsuki would give you pause to hear the little alarm bells ringing in the back of your head. His tone always gives him away which is why you are surprised that on this evening, it’s surprisingly…light? Perhaps even playful?

You decide to bite. There’s always a chance he’s read something about ways to keep flirting with your partner fresh, why not indulge him a little just in case?

“Where else would I be at 11 pm on a Tuesday?” You joke cheekily, dumping whatever seasoning you could find in the cupboard over the top of a bowl of freshly popped popcorn.

Dynamight’s evening patrol schedule for the month has left you both missing him and relishing in the few extra evening hours to watch only the trashiest of television without risking interruption. You can have your snacks, giggles, and a little extra couch space until he gets home near the turn of the hours into the next day, ready to shower and meet you between freshly washed sheets.

His patrol is definitely over, the digital clock on your microwave confirming that much when you look at it. The vibe seems even more strange now that you know he isn’t being rushed because he’s on the clock and he doesn’t seem hurt or angry…perhaps a little excited?

Tilting your head to the side, you toss a few kernels of popcorn into your mouth while his voice crackles through the speaker.

“Well, sometimes you go to that place—” preparing to launch into a monologue about the neighborhood izakaya that you love but he feels is shady, he pauses before he can begin. “Y’know what, never mind. I’m about to pull into the garage and need you to open the door for me when I get up to you.”

Placing the jar of seasoning down, you pin your phone between your shoulder and ear and clap your hands together loudly enough he can hear it through the speaker.

“Give me one sec and I’ll meet you down there!”

He scoffs, gliding into the garage and his parking spot. “No, it’s cold as fuck out here and…“

Hearing the shuffling of clothing through the speaker and the scuff against the floor he knows is the sound of your slippers being switched for outside shoes, he stops himself. You’ll know soon enough what he was trying to surprise you with, just a staircase away in your eager state.

“It’s a dog.”

He finally admits, exhaling loudly and gazing down at the zipper of his jacket where tufts of long fur poke out.

“I have a puppy with me.”

You squeal from the other end of the phone, predictably. A rumbling chuckle in his chest cannot be suppressed so he doesn’t bother, eyes still pinned downward toward the softly breathing lump snuggled against him.

“But,” he starts knowing very well you probably aren’t listening or have managed to make your way downstairs so fast he’ll hear you coming in a second. “We aren’t keeping it.”

Practically on cue, you fling the car door open.

“Don’t be ridiculous, if you brought it home it’s ours,” you respond, tossing your phone into the center console and sliding into the passenger seat next to him with a breathless grin.

You make grabby hands for the front of his jacket and he shakes his head in response, leaning his face forward and puckering up wordlessly. Pressing your lips against his, you smile against his mouth and cup his jaw with gentle fingers. Tilting his head so that his forehead is pressed against yours and your eyes meet. Smiling up at him, you steal another small peck and speak still practically stuck together.

“Hi baby love, how was your night?”

He steals another kiss from you and backs away to give his answer, unzipping his jacket further.

“There was an incident.” Your eyes widen in concern and Katsuki shakes his head, thumb stroking over the furry back of the little dog. “I’m fine, he seems to be, but his, uh…his person didn’t make it.”

Frowning, you look down at his chest and then back up at his face, solemn and handsome. Your thumb rubs small circles into his jaw, between his chin and lower lip, while you search for the thing to say that can make it at least a little bit better.

“Thank you for saving him,” you whisper. “And trying to save everyone else. Some things aren’t in our control.”

Of course he knows that and though a failed save with a fatality stings, the proof of how hard he tries snores against the cotton of his t-shirt. The reason he tries sits next to him in his vehicle. He’s safe and home but now he has to figure out what to do about this damn dog.

“I figured we could give him a place to be for the night and then I’d check to see if my mom is feeling up to a new project.”

Raising an eyebrow you drop his chin and card your fingers through the dog’s fur, your fingers slipping over his and resting.

“Let’s take it a step at a time. She may not even want a dog,” you remind, using your other hand to tug the zipper of his jacket down enough that it stirs the dog, his fuzzy little face turning toward the source of light just above your head.

A Pomeranian. You pout, finally being granted an audience with the very important little guy, nuzzling your face against his. That’s the last thing your boyfriend needed to see, his heart already softening with each passing minute toward the dog.

“Don’t get too attached.”

You aren’t sure if he’s talking to you or himself. You smile regardless, leaning to open the car door and escaping with the dog and a wicked giggle that echoes through the entire staircase as he follows you home.

━━━━━━━━

Somewhere between midnight and three in the morning, you managed to fall asleep sprawled across your bed. You ended up beneath the covers, of course, with Katsuki nowhere to be found but the small clanging sound of his beloved wooden spatula hitting against the side of a pan in the kitchen tells you that he’s up.

He may have never slept to begin with, preoccupied with what to do now that he impulsively saved something with no plan made about what to do next. It’s out of character for him and you could tell last night he was feeling strange about bringing the dog home. The last few hours may have softened his stance on parting with the animal though. Part of you hopes so while you roll over and place your feet on the ground at the side of the bed, stretching.

The slow walk from your bedroom into the hallway gives you a peek into the living room. You see Katsuki kneeling down on the rug, petting the dog with small and almost terrified strokes, a little bowl with an egg in it in front of him.

“Ah.”

The single sound assessment captures Katsuki’s attention, briefly pulling him away from, as he’ll claim, methodically checking the dog out for hidden wounds or burns. He looks over his shoulder, a single brow raised.

“What’s that s‘posed to mean?”

Shrugging and turning your head so that your smile can be hidden by your shoulder, you approach him from behind and kneel down to place your arm across his chest and your head on his shoulder.

“It means that I should probably go get this little guy a bed today unless he’ll be sleeping in ours. And some toys and, hm…food? Although I doubt he’ll complain if you decide that eggs will make up the largest part of his new diet.”

Looking down at the surprisingly calm ball of fluff in the middle of your living room floor, you wait for disagreement from the owner of the hands he’s currently between. Thick fingers precisely and gently continue to press against the skin beneath the small pup’s thick fur.

“No.” He shakes his head but catches his lips against the side of your face before completing a full turn. “But I need to make sure he’s okay. He needs to go to the vet and a real bath after that…”

Stifling a giggle, you only hum enthusiastically and beam in Katsuki’s direction. He can’t hide those softie tendencies for long.

“Didn’t they check him out last night?”

Nodding, he sighs softly. “Yeah, he ”didn’t get injured or anything," is what they said. Perfectly healthy.”

Keeping this little creature for even one more day will prove disastrous for him, his heart squeezing a little bit every time the shockingly brave for its size puppy looks up at him.

“I’ll tell you what,” you start, hand sliding gently down your boyfriend’s torso and his forearm where one of your hands meets his in the dog's fur.

“Let's invite your parents over for dinner tonight to get them acquainted. If your mom likes him as much as you’re pretending not to, he’s theirs.”

Another sigh from your beloved who seems surprisingly conflicted.

“Or you could just tell that I need to find someplace else for him to be and that we don’t have time for a puppy.”

Those giggles you’ve been stifling burst out of you all at once. Leaning against his side, you gaze up at him with a wry smile.

“If you wanted to be told no you certainly picked the wrong woman.”

The pretty gaze you wield against him so often shifts back to the puppy and he chuckles along with you.

“You’re right.”

You may not be the first to tell him no but somehow he managed to pick the exact kind of woman he needs.

One of his hands leaves the dog to dig for his phone in his pocket, searching for a vet who will see him without an appointment today.

━━━━━━━━

After being given a clean bill of health and the most thorough and highly rated washing in all of Musutafu, the puppy officially returned home with the two of you. There was a half-hearted attempt to offer him up to the people you hope will be your future in-laws, Mitsuki shaking her head and insisting that you’ll need the practice for when you have kids.

You shrugged her off yet a part of you felt obnoxiously smug about being foreseen as the mother of her future grandchildren. Until then, you’ll at least have the one that continues to snore and look around from his perch upon your boyfriends’ chest.

“You know how I knew he was ours?”

“Hm?” He responds gruffly, refusing to hide his annoyance over being caught from the beginning.

“When you actually agreed to the ridiculous demands of that vet.”

As though he’s been dying to rant about it, Bakugou scoffs and sits up halfway. You grin at him, laying on your belly across the bed to gaze lovingly in his direction while he holds the still unnamed dog to his chest and begins to rant, that furrow in his brow deepening with each level of disgust he enters.

“He wanted to call himself a hero for animals but only if I let his fourteen year old hold me hostage. Ridiculous.”

Sighing, you find it hard to disagree. A dozen photos later of your boyfriend with the dog and then just the girl and then the dog and the girl were what it took to get an appointment for the little guy today.

“Technically you started it by throwing ‘this is Dynamight’ around.”

Rolling his eyes, he stops them and raises blond brows in your direction.

“It got it done though, didn’t it?”

With a smile and nod in response to his question, you shift from your belly to your knees and sit with them tucked beneath you next to him. He watches your every move, his free hand finding its usual home on the curve of your waist. You kiss his forehead and then change your focus on the puppy, scooping him up with your hands and kissing his little furry face.

“Can you believe that big mean fire tried to roast you like a chestnut, puppy?” You coo, curling his legs inward and holding him against your chest.

Katsuki tries to pretend like your terrible joke isn’t funny, looking away and squeezing your waist. He also tries to pretend there isn’t a very frustrating feeling tugging at his heart seeing you hold something so small and vulnerable that close to your heart that’s so big he’s surprised it fits inside of you sometimes.

The two of you sit in comfortable silence for a few beats, you idly singing a made up lullaby to the puppy who stares at you and he breaks it, gently tugging you in his direction so you’re sat nearly on top of him.

“Maybe Chestnut is a good name for him. He’s sort of the color of one.”

Grinning, you pull the dog away from your chest and hold him out and upward, toward the sky.

“Then dub your son Chestnut, Katsuki Bakugou.”

The seriousness of the request is absurd and he laughs, reaching for the dog and gently placing him back on his chest. “You did that with the cat too and he doesn’t see me as his dad, just a subordinate.”

“You got me there.” You admit, laying down beside him and nuzzling into his side. The cat who predates your relationship is nowhere to be seen but you imagine that he’ll be making an appearance to glare at the dog from your closet before the evening has concluded.

“Is he sleeping in bed with us again tonight?”

Katsuki sighs but it’s light, a serene smile on his face. “Well I told you not to buy a bed so I guess so.”

You snuggle into his side, kicking your feet against his calves gently, draping an arm across his torso to lavish the newest member of your developing family with affection he’ll have no choice but to become accustomed to.

[prettyprettyswan]

It is sometimes sad when I think about how my sister and I used to be so close with each other when we were younger, and now every time we are near each other one of us will just start fighting with  one another. I miss the old days so much sometimes.

[yardsards]

"they never dated but they ARE exes" is such a funny relationship for two characters to have. very awkward relationship to have irl tho

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[6mayhem]

anyway i need to hang out with my brother again he is the one person who i am pretty sure knows literally everything about me so he's the only person i trust that i can absolutely not disappoint. nothing i can do could be worse than the sum of everything i've been doing to that poor man (and him to me) the past 19 years

[olymphianblood]

ok guys its not funny anymore when is d&p hard lauching im starting to getting anxious /hj

[priestfrommidnightmass]

he could absolutely break my heart eventually. and i genuinely couldn’t care less

[puppybearuniverse]

thinking about the tragedy that is never truly getting to be close with my family. i feel guilty about it sometimes. but then i remember how hard I've tried, my entire life, to connect. and i remember the things they did to me in return. and i remember that it's okay not to have a relationship with them.

[beeceit]

it makes me so sad how Raph sets himself on a different level from his brothers when he's having a big protective moment, even in more comedic episodes. I actually had to pause the screen and yell for a minute watching Pizza Puffs when he said "but they're just kids" bc it's like RAPH BABY BOY YOU ARE ONE YEAR OLDER YOU ARE ALSO JUST KIDS. But the worst part is that it's not really something anyone else seems to expect of him, it's something he puts on himself. Like, no one ever tells him he's supposed to fix everything. The boys look to him first because he's the leader, but that also seems to be self appointed. He's way too relatable and it breaks me. Like, I'll be watching and be like "Ah, yeah, big sibling moment. I'm like that, too" and then getting hit with the emotional equivalent of a frying pan bc he SHOULDN'T be as relatable as he is to me. I'm an actual adult and the age difference between me and my brothers are 6 years and 20 years. I just want to wrap this boy in 30 blankets and give him a day off. He makes himself responsible for way more than a teen ever should

[izzy-b-hands]

Cancelled the in person interview for today after discussing phone interview with Mum and Housemate last night (and the numerous red flags and cost of the lyft there and back for a job that ultimately the place wouldn't be able to convince me to take if offered, bc the general consensus was 'this is literally likely to be as bad as the current job BUT with the added cost of lyfts back and forth that they wouldn't be paying enough to offset, why on earth would you (me) take this job lmaooooo')

Which works out good bc the ongoing Mum trauma stuff is hitting hard as soon as I've woken and maybe I can get the Big Cry out today. Or write down any of the memories that have been playing on repeat in my mind

(with all this said, yes, I still asked and do legitimately care abt my mum's opinion and experience with jobs despite this; yes it feels weird; no I don't know how healthy that is or not lmao but I'm gonna lean towards Not Healthy bc im discovering that the work my previous doc did certainly uncovered this codependency and trauma which absolutely was a great help but like...we didn't actually really untangle any of it so I could try and untangle myself from my mum, even from 1600+ miles from one another. So. probably not healthy.)

[tonystarkstan]

hey just a fun question. for Science. do you ever get over your first love and how long does it take?

[alreadywondering]

nothing like seeing pics of your ex with her new gf looking so happy on christmas

[foragings]

true blue by boygenius is literally so everything. like yeah that's love

[weezerlvr228]

It's giving the...main character syndrome. like who tf does she think she is??? Y/N???

NO OH MY GOSH ANON. LET ME TELL YOU. LET ME FRIGGIN TELL YOU.

[neinnerr]

I care a lot about the opinion of my sister since she basically raised me, this is a really hard hit because now i know that she finds issue with everything i do and say, she thinks of me as a person who thinks about myself like morally superior to her and others when I just feel helpless, there's nothing much else i can do but to share with her the information available on the internet about the several crisis's happenings all around her, she thinks that i talk to her about things that matter to me to shame her somehow or that i express opinions to criticize her all the time, and I don't know how to feel about this at all. It's not like i talk about world issues all the time, but when i do, I don't do it out of a desire to make her feel bad. I don't open my mouth with the intention of hurting her in any way, but now I know that when i speak to her all i say she will take it the wrong way because she sees me like i operate specifically to say mean things to her. Like all I say the assumes i do in bad faith. How can I be at peace knowing that she has such a poor image of me?

[maybefae]

Messages From Your Forever Person

Pile 1 - Pile 2 - Pile 3

Remember, this is a general reading and it may not resonate for everyone or completely. Tarot is a tool to help guide but you are responsible for your actions and life, you choose your path.

Just a note!: I don’t like doing general love readings because I don’t feel like they are as personal as, well, personal love readings, but I had the urge to make one. Your forever person can be what you consider your significant other, long-term partner, or future spouse.

Tips!

|Pile 1

Tarot: King of Pentacles, The Fool, Ace of Pentacles, Three of Pentacles, Black Numen, Six of Wands, Knight of Pentacles, Three of Swords, Ace of Swords, The Star, Ten of Cups (Bottom of the Deck:

Oracle: Uplift, Forgiveness, Consistency

You know how the planet Jupiter is the defender of our solar system? How Jupiter pulls asteroids away from Earth and even take the hits itself? That’s the energy of this person. As soon as I pulled the cards, I got the feeling of comfort from a strong and stable energy. I must say, this person also has a comforting smile and as soon as you look at them, your nerves will instantly be soothed. They feel like they are standing beside me, hands in pockets, as they watch me write this. They could have a favorite cream cable knit sweater that they like to wear as soon as there’s a chill in the air. 

They are very patient and have the mentality of “it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be done”. You could suffer from anxiety, but I feel this panicked and shaky energy coming from you. I don’t know if you used to be yelled at or punished for doing something wrong by a parent or partner, but it feels like you are terrified of doing anything around your forever person at first. And there are cards here that are telling me that you have been hurt in the past. It seems like this could be the first safe and healthy partner you’ve had. This could just be the first partner you’ve ever had and now you're 20/25+ years old and you don’t know what you’re doing, which brings out this anxiety towards this relationship. But your partner here holds a lot of patience and comfort for you! They really love you. Honestly, this is really fucking close to unconditional love (which is rare). They hold no judgement towards how you operate now because of your past, absolutely not. And they want you to know that. It’s like they have told you this but you continuously don’t believe them, which does hurt them a little ngl. The Jupiter reference could be what this was for. They will take the small hurts you do but persistently and consistently show up until you believe in their love for you. And it’s not that you don’t know, but there is a voice in your head that makes you doubt often even if there isn’t proof of those thoughts. 

God, pile 1, they love you. They are such a steady energy. They are also very stable in the physical and spiritual realms. They are a very hard worker and would do anything to help your dreams become a reality. Your dreams are their dreams and vice versa. They really just want a peaceful home life with you honestly; they like the simple things. I think a good personality reference would be the husband to the pregnant wife in Kiki’s Delivery Service. 

They really want me to drive home the message of forgiving yourself, pile 1. Sure, your actions or thoughts do hurt them sometimes, but they don’t really want that to be the focus. They want you to be aware that they do but in a way to help you heal. They aren’t your past partner, they aren’t going to react like your parent, they aren’t playing you just because you haven’t had a partner. It’s heartbreaking that you would dare to even compare them to others. Maybe this person hides a lot of their hurt not to upset you and this is a hurdle that they have to work through. It’s only really coming out towards the end so that’s why I want to say that. 

I think this message was to let you know how the beginning part of your relationship will be like. They just want to make you aware of it, maybe so you can comfort the insecurities you have so the beginning won’t be as difficult.

|Pile 2

Tarot: Ten of Swords, Queen of Pentacles, Six of Swords, The Hierophant, Three of Pentacles, King of Cups, Three of Cups, The Sun, King of Pentacles, Seven of Pentacles, The High Priestess, The Moon

Oracle: The Moon (again!), Wept Breath, The Chariot, Vulnerability, Divinity, Sacred

Before I pulled the cards, I heard six months to a year or eight weeks. I don’t like to do timing but that’s what I heard. So if that feels right to you, then take it. Or somewhere between a waning crescent and a waning gibbous moon.

Honestly, they are just happy to be here. I think they were ready to give up on love after so many failed attempts and heartbreak before you came along. And you honestly could’ve sworn off love too but you saw them and was like “I want that one.” This is the black cat, golden retriever pile. Raven and Beast Boy, Maleficent and Diaval, or Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit. 

The vulnerability oracle strongly comes from your side. It does come from theirs but they admit that they were practically enchanted by you. “The idea of giving up on love was a stupid idea on their part, sorry your highness, that was my bad.” They just folded and they would happily fall under any love spell you send their way. They are obsessed with you, in the most healthy way possible. They are banging the table with their fist, credit card in hand. There’s an energy that you were in the same room with them and kept your eye on them because you were drawn to how “pathetic” they were. You couldn’t help yourself so you gave in. There’s also an energy of “of course, you’re the fated one to be with me.” You two end up talking and you could kinda bust their balls a little, tease and be a little sassy, but they keep up with you and “pass your little test.” 

I don’t think they were necessarily a player in the past but they had quite a few lovers and most of them played your person. They could have the vibe of one just from how cheeky and flirty they are but those thoughts are soon squashed with you seeing how pathetically devoted they are to you. They are just a lover at their core, they like to keep things light and fun, but they also know how to be serious and fix any issue that comes up in the relationship. They would truly do anything for you. This could come from an insecurity of not getting the love they needed from their past partners so they are overcompensating to keep you in love with them. :( 

Are these the older daughters/siblings that I usually get? There could be something here that they have a pretty put-together family and you’re the first partner that the family actually loves. You could honestly get the love and care that you missed out on with their family. 

God, I keep seeing your partner looking at you with the biggest heart eyes and they do this all the time, which could make you so flustered. This could be one of the things about them that honestly gets you to melt a little and lower some walls you have up. This feels like a love that you probably didn’t get to experience in your teen years but this will span on until you're old and wrinkly. They will carry the “honeymoon phase” through the rest of your lives. You know those videos that people make of their parents being in love and fooling around? That’s you two! 

There’s just an overall feeling of excitement coming from them. They could talk about you a lot to their friends and family, but not in a bragging way. They are just so happy with you and thinks you’re the most beautiful person they have ever seen. I heard “A wish I didn’t know I was wishing for.”

|Pile 3

Tarot: Two of Cups, King of Swords, The Hermit, The Fool, ? Dreamworld (reconnection), Six of Wands, Two of Wands, Four of Pentacles, Five of Cups, The Chariot (rest, feeling at home)

Oracle: Serenity, Sincerity, Respite, Surrender

If this resonates, this could be a lover you had that had passed away.

For others, this pile is for the ones who believe in lifetimes before the one you’re currently living. Energy is recycled after all. This is the more mystical pile. 

Your person here has a large energy and could come off as cold and intimidating. They have come to me wearing all black, leather boots, and darker hair. They have very muscular arms and a broad chest, very tall. They could be goth. This could’ve been them in the past life or that is how they show up in this lifetime. They have their head down as they stand beside me and there is an energy of wanting you to know they are here. Their soul does watch over you and guide you but they may stay quiet and don’t give you many signs or messages that they are around. But I suppose they came through today to say hi! 

They are very protective over you and they think you’re a ray of sunshine that graces their life. They aren’t one to show many emotions nor really speak them out, but you accept this and know that you are deeply loved. They know you doubt that they even exist or if they are coming or if they love you and so they are very hesitantly showing up through this reading to say that “I’m on my way” and “just sit tight.” They could have a deeper voice. They could give you reassurance if you ask for it, by the way! They want me to specify that so they don’t come across as heartless. I think you’re the only one that they truly love with their whole being and they do make it known, but if you need a little verbal reassurance, all you gotta do is ask. They are a cat person.

There is something here that you may have lived in timelines where they never got to exist in, like it has been a long while since you two have been together. I heard, “I waited for the right time.” There could’ve been timelines where your lives probably wouldn’t have worked together or it was going to end in tragedy “like the one I met you in.” So they had to wait. And they watched over you through each timeline. Everytime you didn’t get to live a happy lifetime or if your partner of any lifetime didn’t treat you right, it would make your person terribly upset and they couldn’t do anything about it. They are very upset while they show this to me, angry and frustrated. But this lifetime is the one where you two will finally be together. 

You could feel like you are meant to be someone, like a little void spot where your soul is…and you could be waiting out until you meet this person. You actually could’ve done this for the past three lifetimes (which you probably lived more happily than others). And this could’ve been a lifetime where you planned to do the same thing, but your person is coming in. You will be suspicious but you will probably be very enamoured by them. They are different than others and stand out to you. I think they like to rub your back because I just got the feeling of someone doing that to me. They let you be your bubbly and lively self and actually love that about you. They have complete trust in you. They may be on the more quiet/shy side but you two work together perfectly. You two can rest easy in this lifetime. 

Dividers: @inklore