"I feel like this goes without saying, but... play nice, okay?"

Your father held back a smile. "Of course. We're always on our best behavior, sweetheart."

"I recall you being rather rude to Katsuki-kun the first time you met."

"What's this now? I don't think so. Maybe I'm just remembering it differently."

"Ugh..."

You were standing on Katsuki's doorstep, joined by your mother and father, who'd in turn brought along flowers and wine as little gifts. It was the first time both of your families were actually meeting each other, and you were feeling pretty nervous, admittedly. Even though your father had accepted Katsuki as your boyfriend, it hadn't exactly been the smoothest of transitions. You just hoped tonight wouldn't run askew.

"Welcome, welcome!" The door opened to reveal Mitsuki, grinning ear-to-ear as she raked her eyes over your family. Your mother presented her with the flowers; your father with the wine. She grabbed both and smiled even wider. "It's so nice to finally meet you all! I'm Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother. Please, come in!"

Masaru was just beside her, smiling as gently as always. The three of you stepped inside, and both families immediately began shaking hands and diving into their introductions. You spotted Katsuki reclining against the wall with his hands buried in his pockets. You smiled and made your way over.

"Hi, Katsuki-kun. How are you—"

He caught you in a bear hug before you could say much else. You half-squealed, smothered by the muscles of his taut forearms. Katsuki chuckled and hurriedly pecked your forehead.

"Hey," he smirked. "You look cute today."

You flushed. "T-Thank you..."

Since you'd interpreted it to be a somewhat festive occasion, you'd thrown on a soft, cream-colored dress that hugged your curves but still flowed around you in breathable ribbons. You'd styled your hair a bit differently than usual, too, though you hadn't expected him to actually notice. He always seemed to take note of these things, no matter how small or insignificant.

"Yes, yes—the two of us were absolutely baffled at the start!" you could hear Mitsuki babbling. "Well, of course we already knew that Katsuki had a soulmate somewhere out there, but we certainly weren't expecting it to be with such a sweet young lady. Truth be told, when he brought her over the first time, I was convinced he'd paid her off to pretend to be his girlfriend..."

"The fuck did you just say?!"

"Quiet, you snot-nosed little shit!" Mitsuki sighed, ignoring the wary looks your parents were giving her. "See? He's so rough around the edges. Thank goodness for [Name], that angel. If only I'd been blessed with a daughter instead..."

Katsuki gritted his teeth, every fiber of his being likely on the verge of exploding. Your father half-smirked in the blonde's direction, as if he was challenging him to lose his nerve. You probably should've known better than to expect a quiet evening.

"N-Now, now," Masaru chimed in, always the voice of reason. "We can talk at the dinner table, Mitsuki. We wouldn't want the food to get cold. Is it alright if we open the bottle of wine you've brought us...?"

"Oh, of course," your mother smiled. "By all means."

"Thank you."

He waved for his wife to follow him into the dining room. Your parents trailed closely behind, with you and Katsuki lagging near the back. You brushed your hand by his and offered a consoling smile.

"Don't worry, Katsuki-kun. Just be yourself. My family already knows the kind of person you are, so there's nothing to stress over."

"Yeah, sure," he grumbled. "Be myself. Your dad loves it when I do that."

"He's fine with you, seriously. You guys just need to get to know each other better. Once he's more familiar with you, it'll start feeling more natural."

Katsuki shrugged, grabbing a seat at the table and saving you the spot beside him. You didn't even need to glance down to the plates to know what you were having. The thick scent of spice was playing at your nostrils, already making you salivate.

"Fuck yeah," Katsuki grinned. "Curry's on the menu tonight."

"Hey!" Mitsuki hissed, narrowing her crimson irises into slits. "Watch your language, asshole! We have guests over, for crying out loud!"

"M-Mitsuki," the husband tried, "that goes for you, as well..."

"The hell did I say wrong?!"

"Your language... ugh. Nevermind." Masaru hung his head in defeat. "Let's just eat..."

You glanced across the table, only to see that your parents were cracking up in their seats, just shy of breaking out into a fit of laughter. Theirs was a bit of an unconventional family, yes, but you hoped your parents would be able to understand just how dear these people were to you.

"Oh, delicious." Your mother wiped away at her lip, having just taken her first bite. She smiled in Mitsuki's direction. "This curry is amazing. I'll have to steal your recipe sometime."

"Do you like it?" Mitsuki grinned. "My asshole son—"

"Mitsuki."

"My stupid son really likes spicy food, so I've made a lot of curry in my day. I've gotten so used to eating it at his preferred blend that it's a little difficult to gauge how spicy to make it when we have guests over, though. It's not too hot, is it?"

"No, no," your mother smiled. "It's lovely, thank you."

"Very good," your father affirmed.

"It's really yummy!" you beamed.

"Tastes pretty fucking good, not gonna lie."

"Language, shithead!"

If you didn't know any better, you would've thought this scene was just shy of a food fight. Well, both your families were around, so there was no way that—

Oh. Nevermind. Katsuki had just flicked a spoonful all over his mother's shirt.

Yeah, he's dead.

"KATSUKI, YOU ILL-MANNERED PIECE OF SHIT SON...!!"

Too many things were happening at the table right now, and so, being the coward you were, you hastily stood up and belted for the bathroom. You could hear the cacophony of Katsuki and Mitsuki's clashing cries, though it seemed that your parents' laughter was mixed in as well, so at least they were enjoying themselves.

Once you'd freshened up and returned, Katsuki was back in his spot, picking silently at his half-eaten curry. His cheeks were flushed and swollen. Mitsuki had probably pinched them so hard they'd nearly torn off.

"I swear," the mother huffed, "he's always doing things like this. Embarrassing us when we've got guests over."

If you had the guts, you might've pointed out how she was technically the one who'd riled him up to begin with, but your good sense prevented you from doing so. Katsuki and Mitsuki were each a flushed, grumbling mess, but your parents were laughing so hard they were probably about to split a rib.

"S-Sorry," your father chortled, wiping away at misty eyes. "I don't mean to be rude, it's just... your family's so lively. It's certainly not something you see every day."

Mitsuki twisted her lips into a pout. "Look, Katsuki. You've gone and made a fool out of our family. Shame on you."

"I didn't even—!" He squeezed his palms together, inhaling a sharp growl. "Nevermind," he hissed. "I'm not saying shit anymore."

"If you'd only you'd done that to begin with."

Katsuki gave his mother the death glare. Your parents broke out into another fit of laughter. You and Masaru just stared back at each other with that helpless, 'what-to-do' look.

Just another day with the Bakugous, you supposed.

"Thank god we live in the dorms now," Katsuki muttered, stealing a glance in your direction. "Now do you realize what I had to put up with every damn day?"

"Haha. They're cute, though. It's how they express their love, I'm sure."

"Yeah, well, their love is fucking weird."

He resumed spearing the chunks of meat in his curry with pronounced vigor. You looked down at your plate, then at the families sitting before you, then back to Katsuki.

A smile rose to your lips.

"The hell are you grinning at me for?" Katsuki frowned. "Creep."

"Mhm."

"Seriously, what's so fucking amusing. Tell me."

"Mhm."

"Oi. I'll tickle you till you barf, goddammit."

You didn't respond, and your eyes drifted back across the table.

"Mitsuki-san," you straightened up, "Masaru-san. Can I say something real quick?"

"Hm? Of course, sweetie. What is it?"

You gripped at the edge of your chair. "I'm just super happy right now. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life, and I can't thank you enough for supporting my relationship with Katsuki-kun up until now. I know this might sound super cheesy and unnecessary, but... I just needed to say it. So thank you, again. For allowing me to be a part of his life."

The two stared back at you, mouths agape, stunned to silence. Your parents bore similar expressions—unblinking, unmoving. Even Katsuki was at a loss for words.

"Oh, goodness," Mitsuki breathed, her chest rising and falling with it. "That's so... we should be the ones thanking you, [Name]. Katsuki's never been better than he is right now. I've never seen him smile as much as he does around you. As a parent... that kind of thing leaves a lasting impression. So thank you," she smiled, "for making him so happy."

You shuffled further up against the back of your seat, wary of the blush rising to your warm temples. Katsuki was just as red beside you.

"[Name]'s never been good at speaking her mind," your mother began, the creases by her eyes softening. "For her to go out of her way to say this must mean it's genuine. I'm sure she treasures your son very much."

"It's the same for Katsuki as well," Masaru smiled.

Your father leaned forward in his chair. "So it appears this soulmate arrangement is the real deal. It definitely wasn't easy for us to see that our baby daughter had been born with such uncouth words on her body, but such is life. It has a way of figuring itself out, so to speak."

Your parents exchanged knowing glances among one another, then smiled. You felt Katsuki's fingers work their way underneath the table to give you a gentle squeeze. He was still staring down at his food, not looking in your direction, but the warmth of his touch was more than enough.

Mitsuki stiffened. "Actually... what were Katsuki's first words to [Name]? He never told us, no matter how often we asked. I'm sure it was probably rude and barbaric, but I'm still quite curious."

Katsuki stiffened up. With all the mess of your mark fading then reappearing, it had just been simpler to keep your parents and families out of the loop. Then again, you hadn't yet revealed to Katsuki what Uraraka had discovered the other day. You'd been wanting it to be some sort of surprise, and showing it to a bunch of people right away was a bit...

"His first words to me weren't all that kind," you admitted, shaking your head in your parents' direction. "They were a bit off-putting, truth be told, but I don't dwell on them anymore. Since then, the things Katsuki-kun's spoken to be have only become more and more meaningful. At the end of the day, they're just first words—I don't think it's worth judging a person simply based off of that."

You popped another spoonful of curry into your mouth. Mitsuki and Masaru were still gazing at you expectantly, but probably realized that you weren't all that keen on revisiting such memories. And, even if they didn't know it yet, you now had a beautiful phrase that you could wear with pride for the rest of your days.

"Don't think we're out of the clear yet," Katsuki grumbled. "Your parents know exactly what I said, so I'm sure they'll just end up telling mine at some point. My shitty mom's definitely gonna whoop my ass for that one later. Anyways, I'm—"

"Hold on a second, I wanna show you something."

You'd dropped your voice to a whisper so that the rest of the table couldn't hear. The parents had already shifted the topic of conversation by now, so you figured you had enough leeway to do what you hadn't yet been able to do. You picked at the edge of your shirt and lifted it so that the new, slowly-darkening letters on your hip were in clear view.

Katsuki squinted.

Then he inhaled.

"Is that—?"

"It is," you smiled, gently running your fingers over the cool patch of skin. Every time you touched it, you felt like you were right back in that moment again, the moment where he'd stared lovingly into your eyes and spoken from his heart.

Katsuki couldn't seem to believe his eyes. "So, when the new writing was coming in... it changed to this?"

"Seems so."

"And you're sure they're my words?" He half-glared. "You haven't been running around with other guys, have you?"

"Oops, you caught me."

"Asshole." He leaned closer and let his knuckles fall against the ink-like writing. You could feel them trembling against your skin. "It's not faded," he murmured to himself. "You're still mine."

"I'll always be yours."

Katsuki's lips melted against your own. Your cheeks reddened and erupted into waves of heat. You leaned into him, fingers instinctively finding his again underneath the table. You would've lost yourself in his embrace right then and there, if not for the fact that you were—regretfully—not alone.

"Jeez!" Mitsuki guffawed. "Save that for after dessert, kiddos!"

"M-Mitsuki, you're embarrassing them..."

"Ohh, look, dear! [Name]'s so red!"

"Shouldn't these things be done in private? We're trying to eat here. Have some class, Bakugou—"

"FUCK OFF, ALL OF YOU!"

Having finally snapped, Katsuki pressed you up against his chest and glared daggers at his assailants. In spite of the flush creeping up your neck, you managed a soft laugh.

"She's my damn girlfriend, and I can kiss her whenever the hell I want!"