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Kaminari’s heart aches as he looks down upon the tiny baby within his arms, all pink and wrinkled and endearingly ugly. He almost can’t believe it, that this is his son, born just hours prior after months of painful waiting. The love he feels, so strong that he’ll never be able to fully express it, outweighs the dwelling fear in the back of his mind. He’d been worried for so long that he wouldn’t be good enough, that his baby will need more than he could ever offer. But looking into his wide eyes, so bright despite the soft grey colour they currently are, he feels confident.
He isn’t alone, though, and he’s reminded of this when Bakugou rests a gentle hand on his lower back. They don’t speak, watching their baby slowly adjust to the living world before them. All touches are delicate, brimming with affection, even when their only items of clothing are stained with sick and dribble.
Choosing a name that fits perfectly is a little trickier than they expected, only because of the amount of people Bakugou is familiar with. They deliberate for a few days, trying out different names and variations, calling their son sweet nicknames in the meantime. They settle on Raiyuu, with some help from their families, with the meaning gentle lightening.
The first few days are nothing short of a dream. Kaminari’s favourite pastime becomes watching Bakugou, no matter how tired or stressed, smile down at their son with such loving adoration that his eyes cloud over. They’re currently sat on the sofa in their living room, not really paying attention to the television as it announces the daily news, watching Raiyuu as he squirms around and kicks his legs.
Kaminari presses his cheek against Bakugou’s shoulder, more than content to now listen to the sounds of their son as he works his vocal cords. Bakugou wraps an arm around him, taking the time to squeeze his side in a silent 'I love you' that seems to hold so much more weight now that they have proof of their love. The moment lasts only until feeding time nears and Raiyuu starts with his cries.
“I’ll do his bottle,” Bakugou says, though not before pressing a lingering kiss to the top of Kaminari’s head. They exchange easily, Kaminari brushing a finger softly over Raiyuu’s reddened cheeks, scrunched up in want as hunger kicks in. The volume doesn’t faze him, more than used to the communication now.
“It’s on its way, Rai,” he whispers to his son, more happiness welling within him when he settles, even if it is for just a few seconds. Bakugou re-joins them before there’s further crying, shaking a warmed bottle of milk. Parenthood suits him, much more than Kaminari could ever have imagined.
Kaminari passes Raiyuu back, watching with a fond smile as Bakugou checks the temperature of the milk on his wrist before offering it out. It takes a few moments for Raiyuu to latch, but as soon as he does, all squirming ceases as he concentrates on drinking. Kaminari blows out a soft breath, then smiles when Bakugou tilts his head to look at him.
“He still doesn’t feel real,” he admits, even as he watches the intimate scene. Perhaps it falls back to his own insecurities, that someone like him shouldn’t be this happy when there are others that deserve it more.
“I know what you mean,” Bakugou whispers, almost too quietly to hear as he looks back down at their son. “He’s ours, for the rest of our lives, and nothing will change that.”
Kaminari almost tears up, once again moving to rest his cheek on Bakugou’s shoulder. He considers himself so lucky, to not only have a healthy, beautiful baby boy, but to have such a wonderful husband. He’s made enough jokes about it to last several lifetimes; that he must’ve saved the world in a past body to be granted the luck he has.
“We’re going to raise him to be the best that he can be.” Bakugou sounds so certain that it makes Kaminari smile.
“Hell yeah we are,” he says, with just as much determination.
-
Bakugou going back to work comes far too soon for Kaminari’s liking, and with it, the realisation that any shift could be his last. While the worry had always been present, from the day he and Bakugou had made the step to becoming pro-heroes, it seems to hit him tenfold now. Now they have Raiyuu to love and protect, who couldn’t be without them. They were needed.
It’s difficult to adjust to, especially in that first year, when Kaminari goes back to work too. Attacks that usually would’ve been easy missions cause fear, voices screaming ‘if this takes you down, it takes the whole family down’ on repeat in the back of their minds. It does get easier as months roll into years, but it never completely goes away. They talk to other people, friends that also have children, and realise that it likely never will. It’s all a part of being a parent.
When Raiyuu hits three and a half, he gives them one of the biggest surprises of their lives. Bakugou had just arrived home from an afternoon patrol, carrying a few bags of shopping that he’d stopped to buy on the way.
“Daddy!” Raiyuu screeches in welcome, running straight to the front door to greet him, as he always did when either Bakugou or Kaminari arrived home after a few hours out. Bakugou grins, setting the bags down in time to catch his son when he jumps up, more than familiar with the eager reaction.
“Hey bud! What are you doing?” He asks, smoothing down his hair, locks of blonde with random tufts of black, from where it was standing on end. He doesn’t think much of it until Raiyuu giggles and kicks to be let down.
“I will show you! I will show you, come on, come on! But don’t tell papa, he said no to me!”
Bakugou raises an eyebrow, allowing himself to be led into their living room by the hand. At the mention, he does look around, but doesn’t see Kaminari anywhere. He assumes he’s in the office, and will likely come out once he’s finished the report he’s working on.
“Why did papa say no to you, bud?” He asks as he’s pushed onto the sofa. He can’t help but find Raiyuu’s mischievous little giggle endearing.
“Well, I don’t really know!” His son exclaims, and while Bakugou knows better than to believe him, he nods anyway.
“Go on then,” he sighs, smiling in encouragement. Raiyuu takes after him in far too many ways.
He’s expecting a song or a dance, perhaps even a colouring done on a surface he shouldn’t. He absolutely isn’t expecting for his son to turn to the television as it plays in the background on a kid’s channel and shoot what looks like a laser from his pointer finger, causing it to power off immediately.
Raiyuu looks back at him with eager excitement written all over his face, but Bakugou is far too shocked to say anything in response. He looks from his son, to the black screen, then back, jaw dropped. Apparently, Raiyuu finds it hilarious, and laughs loudly as he slaps at Bakugou’s knees.
“Rai… Holy- Do it again, can you turn it on?” Bakugou asks, because he needs to know, sitting forward on the sofa. There’s no hesitation in the way Raiyuu turns back to the screen and shoots another laser from his fingertip, the screen powering on.
Bakugou doesn’t need to say anything now, laughing in disbelief as he pulls Raiyuu up into his lap and gives him a hug, hand on the back of head. “Oh my god, Rai, good job! Good job!”
Raiyuu giggles again and cuddles back into him, his hair now starting to lift. Bakugou assumes that it’s static relating to his quirk somehow, before realising that Kaminari may know the specifics.
“I’m going to go say hi to papa now, bud. Why don’t you do some drawing so that you can show Uncle Kiri when he comes tomorrow?” The suggestion is taken easily, and Bakugou figures that the shopping bags that remain by the front door can wait until after he’s spoken to his husband.
Kaminari isn’t in the office like Bakugou expects him to be, nor is he in the bedroom when he checks. “Denks?” Bakugou calls out, stopping outside of the bathroom. The door is closed, but he can hear movement.
“Ah. I’m in here! Door’s unlocked.”
Bakugou doesn’t think twice about sliding the door open, ready with his usual greeting when he stops, shock filling him for the second time in the past ten minutes. This time, though, there’s no hesitation in the way he walks forward.
“Shit, baby- How… No, did he?” He asks, taking the antibacterial wipe from his Kaminari’s shaking hand.
There’s a small burn, surrounded by fresh Lichtenburg scars, just above his left hip, bleeding sparsely. It looks painful despite its size, so he ushers Kaminari up onto the counter to give his legs a rest.
“He didn’t mean to. He didn’t mean to, bless him, but fuck, it really hurts.”
Bakugou wipes around the wound carefully, rubbing his thigh in a way he hopes is comforting. “Does he realise he hurt you?” He asks, keeping his voice low. He’s extra careful as he moves to get some toilet paper to press to the area to try and stop the thin flow of blood.
“No, no. I like to think I did a good job hiding it. He was frightened enough as it is,” Kaminari says, managing a small laugh. “Poor baby jumped about a foot.”
“Do you feel okay?” Bakugou asks, taking the paper away to assess the wound once more.
Kaminari hums, dropping a hand to his husbands’ hair to gently brush through it as a distraction. “Yeah. Small headache but otherwise I’m completely fine.”
Bakugou shakes his head, still in disbelief, readying the bandage and gauze that Kaminari had already prepared. “It’s electricity then? He turned the TV off and on again…”
Kaminari tilts his head, “he did? But yeah, it’s electricity. I’m so thankful it was me, anyway, because if the voltage is high enough, he could’ve really hurt anyone else…”
Bakugou takes a deep breath to steady his hands before placing the gauze over the burn, wrapping the bandage around Kaminari’s waist a few times to secure it. “Guess we’ll be having the quirk talk a little earlier than we planned,” he mumbles, pinning the bandage in place with a safety pin.
Kaminari laughs softly, wrapping both his arms and legs around Bakugou as soon as he finishes. “He’s a good boy. If he has enough control to show off to you, I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
Bakugou hums, pressing a few kisses to Kaminari’s cheek, “yeah. C’mon, let’s fetch you some painkillers.”
The talk is a lot easier than either of them expect it to be. They’re sure to be firm and very clear about the consequences of Raiyuu using his lasers on people. They try not to scare him, and Kaminari never does show their son the burn mark residing on his hip, though Raiyuu does promise to never use them against anyone without much persuasion. He discovers the limitations of his quirk through electronic equipment that Kaminari buys specifically for him to test on. It’s a compromise that works for everyone, (even if there are slip ups regarding Bakugou’s brand new PlayStation 5 that mysteriously fries itself after a few hours.)
By the time Raiyuu turns six and is ready for elementary school, Kaminari and Bakugou are expecting not only their second, but also their third child. Kaminari feels much more confident than the first time around, and while there is still fear that lingers unnecessarily, he channels it into positivity.
Before the twins are born, Kaminari steps down from his position as a pro-hero for good, and though Bakugou continues to be the worlds number three, he’ll always be Kaminari’s number one. They move out, to an apartment with more space but a more homely atmosphere. It’s perfect, and it’s certainly where they’ll live out their lives.
When the twins arrive, both girls, screaming and kicking, (much to Raiyuu’s horror,) their lives fill somehow further with unconditional love. They wouldn’t change a single thing.