Atonement [Bakugo Katsuki]

🤍 Chapter 70 🤍

Kimitsuki had changed into her favourite lilac tracksuit as she brought Inu-Chan downstairs. Inu-Chan seemed surprisingly excited to see Katsuki, who was himself looking rather disgruntled as he carried the heavy bags of trash. He didn't seem to know where the disposal was because this had previously been Izuku's duty. So, Kimitsuki was more than happy to lead him there.

It was such a strange sight – seeing Katsuki doing such chores but even if he looked annoyed, Kimitsuki found his expression strangely endearing. She had known for a long time that even though he always complained about it, his mother always made him do his chores but...

"Ka-Chan," Kimitsuki spoke up, amused, and Katsuki glanced at her from the corner of his red eyes, a bit suspicious of the glint on her pair of eyes. "I think you'd make a housekeeper,"

"What?" Katsuki asked, too astonished to yell as he normally did and the way his eyes widened at her words made Kimitsuki break out into laughter. He looked away. "Are you trying to get on my nerves? Why would I be a housekeeper?"

"I didn't say you would be one," Kimitsuki replied, still amused. "I just think that you would make a good one – you're mindful of cleanliness, and although you don't cook, you're good with food,"

"No, I'm not!" Katsuki responded and Kimitsuki didn't say anything until he looked back at her, at which she smiled and he felt the back of his neck turn hot.

"Why not?" Kimitsuki asked. "I watched over your cleaning this week, and I also saw the way you did all the vegetables during the..." Katsuki watched as her smile fluttered. "... during the..."

"Just because I can chop vegetables doesn't mean I can be a housekeeper," Katsuki replied, slowly continuing on the conversation to avoid picking up that subject.

It was clear to Katsuki from her flickering smile and the distant look in her eyes that Kimitsuki was still struggling with the thoughts of that summer. He wondered if she should've been offered that counselling rather than him. He decided to keep the subject at bay, and she seemed to return.

"I suppose that is right," Kimitsuki said thoughtfully. She looked toward him, meeting eyes with his red pair. "But that is okay, right? I can cook, and you can do the vegetables,"

Upon this, Katsuki stared at her in confusion, taken aback and wondering what she was insinuating – surely, she didn't imagine them living together, does she? How else they could be doing that? He didn't want to imagine these things – he wanted to blame her for putting such ideas into his head.

As he glanced at Kimitsuki, Katsuki remembered the time that they had cooked together. It was true that the two of them weren't on their own, but it had been that sort of feeling.

There was nothing that Katsuki wanted to be other than being a Pro-Hero, or training to be one right now but he supposed that he could spare time for something like that if it was Kimitsuki who was cooking. His father often did that for his mother, too, although he found them annoying when they were hoarding the kitchen by themselves.

But Kimitsuki and Katsuki were not like Mitsuki and Masaru – Katsuki averted his eyes away from Kimitsuki, his skin turning red as he disposed the garbage. Kimitsuki, oblivious to his wild thoughts, stood patiently, watching him turn around and meet eyes with him.

"Are you okay, Ka-Chan?" Kimitsuki asked in that honey voice and Katsuki just stared at her as she squinted at him through the orange sunlight on her face. "You look like you're catching a cold,"

"No, I'm not," Katsuki replied. "You just can't see well!" He looked away; his arms crossed tightly until he remembered that he was speaking to a Visual Hero. "I-It's because of your hair!"