New Beginnings

Of Scars and Tattoos

MIDORIYA'S POV

"Go ahead and stir it up," my mom said, pushing the large mixing bowl toward Hanako. Hanako smiled while grabbing the rubber spatula from her hand and mixing the contents of the bowl until her arm got tired, and Kenzo took over for a little while.

"I missed your baking," I told my mom. I hadn't had it in who knows how long, and just the smell of it reminds me of when I was a kid. "I hope you're making enough for here, too."

"We are," Hanako said with a wide smile. "We're making sugar cookies, caramel crunch cookies with pretzels instead of nuts, birthday cake cookies, and cupcakes." I think the last time I saw her this excited, I was dropping her off for her first dance class.

"What kind of cupcakes?" I asked, leaning against the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen to avoid getting in the way.

"We're making strawberry for you, spicy cupcakes for Dad, and chocolate and vanilla for us! We'll take some strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla to the school. Nobody there will want Daddy's spicy cupcakes."

I cocked a brow at my mom. "Spicy cupcakes?"

"I heard he's a spice fanatic, so I found a recipe called 'Cinco de Chili Chocolate Cupcakes.' I'm even going to make the frosting spicy."

"That sounds delicious," Bakugo said, walking into the room with Masao behind him. "Masao's hungry."

"I can make lunch," I offered. "I can give him something light since it's almost his nap time."

"No nap," Masao whined. "I stay up."

Bakugo dropped to one knee before his son, so they were at eye level. "Bud, we're going somewhere super fun later, but you can't go if you don't nap."

He groaned and tossed his arms in the air in frustration. "Why, Daddy?"

"Because you'll be too tired to go. If that happens, you'll be mean and cranky." I loved how Bakugo took the time to explain things to his kids instead of just saying things like, "Because I'm the parent" or "Because I said so."

"Lunch, then nap," Masao sighed in defeat.

"What do you want for lunch?" Bakugo asked, standing up again. "Chicken nuggets, a sandwich, or macaroni?"

"Mmm," he brought his hand up to his mouth and thought about it. "Nuggies. We have dino?"

"Let me see," Bakugo said, walking over to the freezer. "Hanako, do you want some?"

She shook her head. "I think I want the leftovers from dinner."

"I'll go ask Kenzo what he wants." I pushed away from the counter and turned toward the stairs.

"Isn't he supposed to be helping?" Bakugo asked, pulling a bag of frozen Dinosaur Nuggets from the freezer.

Hanako shrugged. "He helped for a little while, but he got sad all of a sudden and said he wanted to go upstairs."

"Why did he get sad?" I asked. I also wanted to ask why nobody told Bakugo or myself. When Hanako shrugged, I walked to Bakugo and grabbed the bag from his hands. "I'll make these if you want to go check on him."

"Thank you," he muttered before turning toward the stairs.

I watched him walk away before turning my attention to the bag of Dinosaur Nuggets now in my hand. Walking to the stove, I made sure to set it to the right temperature. Then I placed the tray full of nuggets in the oven, being careful not to hit the cupcakes, and set the timer.

"Alright, we have the strawberry rice crispy treats ready to be cut into squares. The cupcakes are in the oven, and the cookies are cooling. Now, I will start on the cupcakes that stay here," my mom said as she smiled at Hanako. "Izuku, what happened to Kenzo?" I smiled at my mom, unsure what to say or what actually happened. "I am not sure Bakugo went to talk to him." She returned a smile to me, but it held a bit of worry. I'm sure she is hoping she didn't upset him in any way. My mom is a huge worry wort; that is where I get it from.