Today was a good day.
Mitsuki walked through the streets of Musutafu with the afternoon sun hitting her full in the face. She was wearing tight jeans and a red blouse that fit her perfectly; she knew exactly what looked good on her. The beauty spa was only three blocks away, and she could already imagine the back massage and facial treatment she'd been putting off for months.
I need this, she thought while dodging a group of college students. Between the explosive brat at home and work, I deserve to pamper myself a bit.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out while waiting at a traffic light.
Ren: I miss you, Mitsuki. Days at UA have been so exhausting. Sorry for hardly stopping by the house.
Mitsuki felt a smile form on her lips. The message was accompanied by a tired face emoji that she found adorable. She started typing while crossing the street.
Mitsuki: My favorite bald guy, do you not miss me or why are you being so absent? I was thinking if we can see each other one of these days. Lately, you're hardly around. Love, Mitsuki. P.S. I'm willing to show you something special if you come see me ;)
She sent the message and put her phone away. Three steps later, something crashed into her.
Mitsuki barely stumbled, but the other person ended up on the ground with a muffled cry of surprise.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The voice was feminine and sounded embarrassed. "I wasn't looking where I was going, sorry, sorry..."
Mitsuki looked down. The girl who'd tripped over her had white hair with red streaks falling over her shoulders as she tried to pick up her bag from the pavement. She looked young, probably about twenty-three or twenty-four.
"Take it easy, it was nothing." Mitsuki held out her hand. "Come on, get up."
The girl accepted the help with a small apologetic bow that made Mitsuki raise an eyebrow. When she finally had her standing, she could see her better. She had gray eyes and the general look of someone who'd just received bad news.
"Are you okay?" Mitsuki couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm really sorry for..."
"I'm not talking about the trip." Mitsuki studied her with a direct gaze. "You look like someone just canceled your birthday."
The girl blinked, clearly taken by surprise by her bluntness.
"I... no, I'm fine, really. It's just been a long day."
Mitsuki narrowed her eyes. Terrible liar. Katsuki lies better than you, and my son is awful at lying.
"Look," she said, making an impulsive decision like she usually did. "I was on my way to the spa. I have an appointment for a full treatment: massage, haircut, the whole package. And I happen to have no company."
"Oh, no, I couldn't..."
"I'm not asking." Mitsuki took her by the arm. "We women help each other out when we see the other's having a hard time. So you're coming with me, they're going to give you a massage that'll leave you feeling like jelly, and then you're going to tell me what's got you wearing that funeral face."
"But I don't know..."
"We know each other now. I'm Mitsuki Bakugo." She was already practically dragging her toward the spa. "And you are...?"
"Fuyumi Todoroki," the girl replied, half-dazed.
"Perfect. Nice to meet you, Fuyumi. Now move your butt because we're late."
Fuyumi tried to protest twice more in the half-block that was left, but Mitsuki had years of experience dealing with an explosive teenager. A shy girl was no match for her.
Five minutes later, Fuyumi found herself sitting in the spa reception while Mitsuki talked animatedly with the receptionist.
"Yes, for two. The full package. Yes, her too."
"Bakugo-san, really, it's not necessary..."
"Shut up and let someone pamper you for once." Mitsuki winked at her. "You look like someone who's always taking care of others and never takes care of herself."
Fuyumi opened her mouth, closed it, and blushed slightly because she was absolutely right.
How did I get here?
Fuyumi asked herself the question mentally for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. She was lying face down on a padded table, covered by a white towel from her hips to her thighs. A professional masseuse worked the muscles of her back with aromatic oils.
How did this happen?
On the next table, separated by a translucent paper screen, Mitsuki was in the same position receiving the same treatment.
"So," Mitsuki said in a relaxed voice, "what's got you like this?"
Fuyumi closed her eyes. The masseuse pressed a point between her shoulder blades that drew an involuntary sigh from her.
"Nothing important."
"Liar. And a bad one at that." Mitsuki made a sound of satisfaction when her own masseuse found a knot in her back. "Look, I don't know you at all, but that's exactly why it's easier to talk. I'm not going to judge you and we probably won't see each other again after today."
There was a certain twisted logic to that. Fuyumi considered the situation. This unknown woman had literally dragged her to a spa, paid for an expensive treatment, and was now lying there waiting for her to speak.
Whatever.
"My mother is hospitalized," Fuyumi said quietly. "And today they denied a request to extend the visiting hours."
There was a brief silence. Fuyumi's masseuse continued working on her back professionally.
"Is she very sick?" Mitsuki asked.
"Not physically. It's... psychiatric."
"Ah."
There was no judgment in Mitsuki's voice. Only understanding.
"She's been hospitalized for years," Fuyumi continued, and now that she'd started she couldn't stop the words. "Visits are limited: one hour every two weeks. I go whenever I can, but my younger brother... he hasn't gone in a long time."
"Why not?"
Fuyumi bit her lip. Because Dad traumatized him so much that he can't even look at Mom without remembering everything that happened.
"It's complicated," was what she said.
"Families always are." Mitsuki paused. "I have an explosive brat who gives me gray hairs every time he opens his mouth. We fight constantly; our dynamic is simple: he yells at me, I yell back. Half the time I want to strangle him."
Fuyumi didn't know what to say to that.
"But he's always there," Mitsuki continued. "Every night he comes home, eats my food even if he insults it, sleeps in his room... And I know he's safe because I can hear him moving around the house."
Fuyumi felt a knot tighten in her chest.
"Your mother doesn't have that," Mitsuki said gently. "She can't see her children every night. She can't fight with them or take care of them."
"No," Fuyumi had to swallow hard. "She can't."
The masseuse asked her to turn over and Fuyumi obeyed mechanically. Now she was on her back with the towel covering her chest. She could see the white ceiling of the spa and the indirect lights that created a relaxing atmosphere.
"My brother is at UA," she said suddenly. She didn't know why she kept talking. "Shoto Todoroki. He's a first-year."
There was a sound of genuine surprise from the other side of the screen.
"Todoroki?"
Fuyumi blinked. "Do you know him?"
"My son is in his class: Katsuki Bakugo."
Oh.
Fuyumi had heard of Katsuki Bakugo. Shoto mentioned him occasionally, usually in the context of "that explosive idiot did something stupid again."
"Small world," she murmured.
"Too small." Mitsuki laughed. "Though now that I think about it, my brat mentions your brother quite often. Usually calls him 'half-and-half bastard' or some creative variation of that."
"Shoto calls him 'the explosive idiot'."
"Appropriate." Mitsuki sounded amused. "Maybe I should work on my son's temper before he gets expelled for accidental homicide."
Fuyumi surprised herself by smiling slightly.
The conversation flowed more easily after that. Mitsuki had a way of talking that made everything seem less heavy. She told stories about Katsuki as a child that were simultaneously exasperating and adorable. She talked about her work in fashion design, her friends, and the time she almost burned down the kitchen trying to make a birthday cake.
Fuyumi, for her part, ended up talking more than she'd planned: about her work as an elementary school teacher and how she tried to keep her family together despite everything.
"And your father?" Mitsuki asked at some point, when the masseuses were applying facial masks to them.
"Endeavor," Fuyumi said, and the word came out more bitter than she intended.
"Ah. The number two hero."
"Your mother must be proud."
It was a simple statement, but Fuyumi felt as if something broke inside her.
"My mother doesn't know much about him..." she said, and her voice cracked slightly. "Because hardly anyone goes to visit her; my father never goes and Shoto doesn't either... I'm the only one who..."
She stopped while taking a deep breath.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Don't apologize for having feelings, brat." Mitsuki's voice was firm. "Your mother is alone in there; she has a right to know what's going on with her family, and you have a right to be angry because no one else goes."
Fuyumi didn't trust her voice to respond.
"I'd like," she said slowly, "for Mom to have someone else visit her. Someone who wouldn't remind her of all the bad things."
There was a brief silence. Then, Fuyumi heard movement on the other side of the screen. A hand appeared over the top, with the mask still on her face, groping around until it found Fuyumi's shoulder.
"Give me the hospital's address," Mitsuki said.
Fuyumi's eyes snapped open. "What?"
"The address of the hospital where your mother is."
"You can't... you don't know her..."
"Not yet." Mitsuki squeezed her shoulder. "But I'm going to tell her stories about my explosive brat, and about how her half-and-half son is surviving UA despite having to deal with Katsuki every day."
Fuyumi felt tears pooling in her eyes, which was a problem because the facial mask wasn't designed for that.
"You don't have to do that."
"I know. I'm going to do it anyway." Mitsuki withdrew her hand. "Now stop arguing and enjoy your facial before you ruin it by crying."
Fuyumi laughed while trying to stop crying.
*****
Three days later, Mitsuki stood in front of a white door on the third floor of the Musutafu Psychiatric Hospital.
She'd done her research. She called the hospital pretending to be a friend of the Todoroki family (which technically wasn't a lie after the spa). Now she was there with a bouquet of yellow flowers in one hand and a thermal container with homemade curry in the other.
I can do this, she thought.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a feminine voice said from inside.
Mitsuki opened the door.
The room was small. There was a perfectly made single bed, a desk with a chair, and a window with white curtains. By the window, sitting in a padded armchair, was a woman with long white hair falling over her shoulders. Rei Todoroki looked at her with tired gray eyes.
For a second, Mitsuki stood completely still. She'd expected many things, but not the simple, quiet beauty of this woman.
Damn, she thought. No wonder Endeavor got obsessed with her.
"Hi," Mitsuki said, finding her voice. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. "I'm Mitsuki Bakugo. My son's in the same class as yours at UA and I brought you curry because hospital food's always crap."
******
Author's Note: hitting that like button is the best way to let me know you want more.
We hit the goal from my recent challenge! As promised, here are two bonus chapters. Huge thanks to everyone, and have an awesome day! Don't forget, you can find several early access chapters exclusively at patreon.com/itszeroo