Jan 7, 2023
We don't do compulsive behaviors because we lack willpower. We do them because it's the only way we know how to self soothe. Soothing is an instinctual behavior, not a moral one.
~Dr. Nicole Lepera~
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We don't do compulsive behaviors because we lack willpower. We do them because it's the only way we know how to self soothe. Soothing is an instinctual behavior, not a moral one.
~Dr. Nicole Lepera~
Title: What We Lack Part 22 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 4,463 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to Kelly and Adri for reading this over <3
The ground felt cold against Arata's knees. His body shivered, his temperature dangerously low. He had to warm himself up after the fight with Shouhei but he couldn't bring himself to move. Around him he could hear the murmuring of the massive stadium, though it was muffled, drowned out by the sound of his heart throbbing in his ears. Each beat was painful; a reminder that he once again, was a loser.
Meanwhile, Shouhei left the field victorious.
Shouhei, Shouhei, Shouhei. It was always Shouhei. Even when they were kids, he always had to be the best. Arata supposed it was part of his 'Bakugou' nature. But even now, Yuuta only cared about Shouhei. Part of the reason he wanted to come to the school in the first place was to follow the idiot.
Arata couldn't stand it. Even after all his training, all the grief and drama he'd caused with his parents, he hadn't been good enough. Endeavor would be ashamed, probably wouldn't let him back in the house.
His hands curled into fists, trembling against the ground. This wasn't how this was supposed to go at all. He had to get up, but his legs didn't want to move, his body shivering.
Soon, Shouhei would stand on the podium in first place and Arata would be stuck as second place. He should've been the one to stand there, make his parents proud, make his grandfather proud. He wanted to prove that a Todoroki deserved to hold that spot. Would his legacy be staying at number two?
He didn't even want to go to the ceremony. But he couldn't look like a sore loser either, part of these matches were used to garner attention for internships and eventual work studies.
"Arata-kun," Mina's voice cut through his thoughts and her hand gently touched his shoulder. "You need to get off the field."
He clenched his fists hard, pressing his teeth in his lips. He didn't want to get off the field, he wanted to redo the whole goddamn match.
"Arata-"
"No!" he snapped, his body lurching forward.
"Come on," Mina said softly. "We have to take you to the infirmary before the award ceremony. You're freezing, you need to be warmed up."
His body shook, even under her touch. He knew he had to get up. He had to prove the match hadn't hurt him that much.
"Let's get you ready, okay?" she said softly.
Arata growled, rolling his eyes as her hand gripped his arm, lifting him up. "Come on. The longer you stay on the field the more you're going to worry your mother," she giggled.
"I'm fine," he snapped, yanking his arm away from her as he stumbled down the steps. He clutched the jacket Shouhei had given him. He should've tossed it to the side, but he clung to it, his body still shivering.
Mina sighed. "Arata-kun, I know it's hard to lose, but you did incredibly well! You're going to get plenty of offers-"
He grunted, drowning Mina out as she tried to reassure him, but he didn't need it. He wanted to start training again. Obviously this loss only proved he needed to be better, he hadn't worked hard enough before.
Stepping out of the stadium and behind the backstage area, Arata sighed. It was warmer indoors, but his body was having a difficult time accumulating heat. He had created too many things during the fight with Shouhei.
"Arata!" Yuuta cried out, his eyes trembling as he stood at the top of the stairs. "I was waiting for you!"
He stumbled down the stairs, leaping over the first two, almost tripping, like the idiot he was. He jumped forward and hugged him. "Are you okay?!"
Eye fluttering shut, Arata leaned into his brother. He should've pushed him back, should've told him to run off to his stupid boyfriend. But Yuuta's body was so warm, familiar. Arata had clung to Yuuta so many times when they were younger, his body cold from using too much of his heat. Yuuta, despite having a fire that could fluctuate temperatures was always so warm, and Arata wanted him here, wanted him close. If he could, he would've sucked the heat from his brother, clinging to it.
"Arata..." Yuuta sighed, hugging him hard. He pressed his nose to his shoulder, staying close. "Why would you do that?" he whispered. "I know you've been pushing yourself to be better, but don't you think this is getting to be too much? You know how dangerous this can be. You're freezing..."
He was, and Yuuta was so warm...
Arata's eyes shot open and he pushed away, shaking his head. "What... what the hell are you trying to say, Yuuta?" he stammered.
Frowning, Yuuta looked hurt. "W-What do you mean? I'm just worried about you, Arata. I don't know how many times I'm going to say that to you until you start to actually believe me."
He shivered again, reminded his body was still cold. Yuuta had provided a brief reprieve, but Arata didn't want to stay close to him. He didn't need that anymore; they were far too old.
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you there's nothing for you to worry about," he grumbled, pushing past him to walk up the stairs. "Go help your boyfriend."
Yuuta frowned. "You know I can care about both of you right? Shouhei is my best friend and boyfriend, but you're my best friend and brother. I care about both of you."
"Yeah, I know. You've told me," he muttered.
His brother stepped forward, reaching for Arata. "I just want you to know I'm happy you won-"
"No," Arata growled, shoving away from him once more. "Don't you dare say you're happy for me when you know damn well I wanted to beat Shouhei-"
"But you still did amazing-"
"It doesn't matter. Don't you get it, Yuuta? Second place doesn't matter!" he yelled.
Yuuta frowned. "I'm not going to argue about this with you again, Arata. Second place is amazing. You beat everyone in your own class, and you beat me! If second place doesn't matter, then you must think I really suck..." He bowed his head, glancing down. "I want you to be happy, but if that means destroying yourself, then I don't want to support you."
The words were a lot stronger than Arata expected. He always knew Yuuta didn't understand, he didn't expect him to. He didn't need his support either...
"Fine," he said. "I have to go prepare for the ceremony."
Yuuta pressed his teeth into his lip, nodding as he turned his back on Arata, stepping away.
As cold as he was before, with Yuuta gone, it was even colder.
~~
Arata was an idiot. Yuuta stormed away from him, making his way to find Shouhei. At least his boyfriend would accept his congratulations. He didn't understand why his brother was so angry all the time, but quite frankly he was more than sick of it.
It didn't help that Arata would get to stand on the podium. Second place was more than enough for Yuuta. Hell, he would've settled for third. He said he didn't care about the sports festival, really he hadn't, but he did wish he could've stood up there with Shouhei and his brother.
Instead, he would watch the two of them from the sidelines. It wasn't that he wanted to win, but he liked the idea of it being the three of them-
"Yuu!"
He blinked, pulled from his thoughts by Shouhei's excited voice. His boyfriend ran toward him, his smile wide as he scooped Yuuta into a strong hug.
"Shou!" he laughed, hugging him back. The difference between his brother and Shouhei's hugs were glaringly obvious. Then again, he hadn't been at odds with Shouhei for the past few months.
"I've been looking for you! Where were you?" he chuckled.
"Oh, I was with my brother. But uhm, Congratulations!" Yuuta said, pulling back. He leaned in, pecking his lips against Shouhei's. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Really? Even though I beat your brother?" Shouhei said, stroking his fingers through Yuuta's hair.
"Yeah, he's... fine," Yuuta said, despite knowing his brother was anything but.
Shouhei nodded, and Yuuta let his shoulders sag. Shouhei always knew when not to ask about something and this was definitely one of those times. "The ceremony is about to start!! I'm so glad you didn't miss it!"
"Are you kidding?" Yuuta snorted. "I wouldn't miss it for anything, Shou."
"C'mon!" Shouhei grabbed Yuuta's hand, tugging him toward the field.
When they arrived back at the entrance of the stadium, Shouhei was dragged off by Mina to head toward his podium.
Yuuta hadn't expected to stay with Shouhei, but watching him rush off, he felt a pang in his heart. Maybe next year he would be up there too. Rushing back towards the 1-A seating section, Yuuta didn't want to miss it.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Mirio's voice boomed from the speakers. "It's time to announce the winners of this year's sports fest! It's so exciting!"
"Very," Tamaki muttered into the mic next to him.
Yuuta leaned forward, his knee bouncing up and down. He prayed Arata wouldn't be visibly angry. Yuuta had seen plenty of footage from the year their father had won, and of course, Katsuki had been a total mess. Then again, Katsuki had been a total mess the year he won as well. As much as he didn't want to, Yuuta kept having flashes of Arata being so angry that he did something ridiculous on the winner's podium. Arata wasn't usually like that, but with how he had been acting lately...
"We present the top three winners of this year's sports fest. It should be no surprise to see Bakugou Shouhei in the number one spot! He's followed by Todoroki Arata-"
It was a miracle Yuuta didn't fall out of his seat. He was leaning forward so far to watch the podiums rise up. Shouhei stood on the tallest and he waved. He made himself float upwards, doing a flip in the air as people cheered loudly for him.
Yuuta scoffed. His boyfriend was such a show off.
Next to him, Arata stood completely still. He kept his eyes turned toward the ground, the front part of his hair covering his face. With a sigh, Yuuta pulled in a long breath, at least he was just going to be quiet.
Mina approached Arata and draped the medal around his neck. Yuuta winced when he saw the way she squeezed his cheeks and laughed, clearly congratulating him.
The silver medal hung around his neck, but Arata's gaze stayed fixated on the ground. Yuuta had a feeling he wasn't going to look up. He wished his brother could be proud of himself.
When had Arata gotten so angry? Yuuta tried to put his finger on it while he watched his brother and his boyfriend. The three of them had always been so close, but lately Arata had been insufferable. He'd tattled on them at school when they tried to help Sayuri. He had gotten angry at getting in a different class, and he'd even gone so far as to go train with their grandfather. If only Yuuta knew why...
Arata wanted to be the best, Yuuta could understand that. But his attitude...
Shouhei flipped around and turned up toward Yuuta, waving back and forth with a huge smirk on his face. A laugh slipped from his own lips and he waved back.
He was proud of his boyfriend and his brother, but there still was that small pang of jealousy, wishing he could be up with them.
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he stood up, gasping.
"Todoroki-kun?" one of the girls in his class stared up at him, confused as to what he was doing.
"Uh..." he glanced around and shook his head. "Sorry, I gotta, uh... I gotta... be right back!"
"Wait!"
He heard a few of his classmates murmur behind him, but he didn't care. How could he have been such an idiot? Had it really taken him this long to figure out?! The three of them had always been inseparable, but lately he and Shouhei had probably made Arata feel left out. He most likely wasn't jealous, but Yuuta could understand if he felt alone.
This whole time, his brother had felt alone and Yuuta had been so caught up in his relationship with Shouhei to notice. But he'd felt it, just now, when they hugged... It was why it felt so weird.
He had to talk to his brother. He needed to apologize, and maybe, just maybe, Arata could calm down and things would start to feel a bit more normal.
~~
Sayuri knew it was coming. She braced herself for it when her brother won.
She was proud. She was. She was always proud of her brother. The crowd erupted when the podium began to rise up, a large number 1 on the stone behind Shouhei.
Bakugou Shouhei. Always number one. Something Sayuri would never have.
She couldn't deny that Shouhei looked good up there. He stood tall, with pride only a Bakugou could have. The smirk on his face was genuine, and she could tell how happy he was. He made himself float, doing a backflip as he showed off his gold medal. At first, he pointed toward them, but then he turned in another direction and Sayuri could only assume he was looking at Yuuta.
"THAT'S MY FUCKIN' SON!" Katsuki screamed, hollering loudly. He leaned over the balcony, thrusting his fist into the air. "Suck it, Half and Half!" he growled, pointing at Shouto and Momo.
"Katsuki!" Ochako hissed. "You're making a scene."
"When does he not," Shouto scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.
"Don't be a sore loser!" Katsuki snorted and turned back to the field. "I'm so proud of you, kid!" he yelled. He wrapped his arm around Ochako and hugged her, pressing his lips against her forehead. "That's our son. I'm so fucking proud."
"I know, me too," Ochako giggled, wrapping her arms around Katsuki's waist. "I can't believe he won!"
"I can! Who else did you think was gonna fuckin' win!? He's been training for weeks!"
Sayuri pressed her fingers into her legs. She had expected this. She had planned for this moment and yet, the longer she sat there, the louder the noise grew. Her parents were so loud, the crowd was so loud, everything around her threatened to drown her in the noise.
She couldn't breathe, the sounds choking her, trapping her emotions in her lungs. How could she do this? How could she watch this? Was this going to be the rest of her life? Staring at her parents back while Shouhei rose higher and higher above her?
There was no way for her to catch up. There was no way she would be able to climb to those heights. She was forever grounded and she had no idea how to ever get her parents to laugh with the same excitement.
Nothing she did would ever compare. The three of them would always share this bond, something she would never truly understand, despite how much she wanted to.
"-yuri? Sayuri?"
She jerked up, noticing the hand over her knee.
"Kazu?" she blinked, facing him.
"Are you okay? You're really pale and you keep digging your fingers into your legs," he said, leaning closer to her.
She inhaled sharply, glancing down at her thighs. The indentations on her legs were red when she pulled her hands back quickly. "I-I... I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Kazu asked, concern apparent in his green eyes.
"Y-Yeah!" she laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm fine, I think, I uhm... I think I need some air."
"What? But we're outside?"
"A-Away from... the people, I dunno." Jumping up, she turned around in the bleachers and began to run up the stairs.
"Sayuri!?" Her mother's voice echoed behind her but she couldn't turn around to look at her. Her legs carried her up the stadium steps and out through the entrance as she pushed past crowds of people hoping to slip out early. She pushed and pushed, making her way to the sidewalk as she panted, doubling over trying to catch her breath.
Where was she supposed to go?! She couldn't walk home, it was way too far, but her parents weren't going to be ready to leave for a bit. Of course, they'd probably want to celebrate too and how could she look Shouhei in the eye when she was being such... a brat!?
She knew she shouldn't make it about her. This wasn't about Bakugou Sayuri, this wasn't about her at all. And yet here she was, being dramatic once again.
Swallowing, she tried to fight back the tears as she recalled her father's back. He had lunged forward over the railing, cheering and laughing with her mother. He was so proud. He was so happy.
Those emotions, her father would never direct them towards her. It would never be the same. Sure, he didn't hate that she was quirkless, but she would never make him so proud.
She wanted to scream, or punch a wall. Her body felt so constricted and all she wanted to do was explode.
It was too much. She thought she could handle it; she had prepared all week to handle it. And yet, seeing Shouhei rising up on the platform. It was too much for her. Everytime she thought she could handle the path her life was going to take. Something would happen and it felt like the whole world was crashing down on her.
She clutched her stomach, her body tense as she tried to pull in air. She felt dizzy, like she might faint from how desperate she was to breathe. No matter how hard she tired, air didn't seem to want to come to her lungs.
It was so stupid! She had told Shouhei to win; in fact she probably would've been pissed at him if he lost at this point. Yet here she was, freaking out that he had actually gone and done it.
Really, what had she expected? Even if he hadn't won he still would've gotten far. There was no way around witnessing her parents cheer for her brother. Why couldn't she let it go? Why had she not been cheering with them too? She was proud of him! She was! And yet-
"Sayuri!" Her father's voice echoed.
She froze, turning to see him running for her. She couldn't talk to him. Not now, not when they were supposed to be celebrating. Shaking her head, she turned from him and immediately dashed across the street heading into the park. Anything to avoid talking to her father.
~~
The second Sayuri bolted from the stadium, Bakugou knew he had to follow her.
Ochako called after her, but he immediately took off, chasing her. He pushed through the crowds, ignoring people calling out his hero name, asking for selfies and wanting to take a picture.
There was a part of him that wondered how things would go if Shouhei won the sports fest. He expected Sayuri to react intensely, but he hadn't expected her to run away so quickly.
He glanced around the street, looking for any sign of her blonde pigtails. He rubbed his forehead, growling. He understood her frustration, he did.
He saw her on the sidewalk, panting heavily, her body shaking. He was just happy she hadn't gone far.
"Sayuri!" he yelled and she immediately took off again, dashing across the street into the park. "Goddamn," he cursed. Running through the crowded sidewalk, he made his way across the street, heading into the trees, and down the path into the park.
"Sayu!" he yelled again, knowing it wouldn't take him long to catch her. Small explosions popped in his hand as he propelled himself forward towards her.
Her small frame continued to run down the path, deeper into the park, but Bakugou didn't lose sight of her bouncing pigtails.
With a burst of speed, he moved forward, grabbing her wrist. "Sayuri-"
"Dad-" she gasped, not realizing how he had closed in fast. "Let go!"
"No," he growled while she struggled against his grip.
"What are you doing!?" she yelped. "You should be back there with Mom, celebrating!"
"And where the hell are you supposed to be?!" he snapped.
Her brown eyes went wide, trembling. "I don't fucking know!" she yelled. "Anywhere but there!"
"Baby Girl," he sighed, letting go of her wrist. "We can't let you just run around the damn park-"
"Why not!? You should be in there celebrating, not dealing with my stupid ass-"
"Oi! Stop talking yourself down. I don't wanna hear it," he snapped, pressing his fingers against his forehead. "Look, I get that this shit is going to be hard-"
"Do you!?" she hissed, cutting him off. "Do you know what it's like to sit and watch you cheer for Shouhei knowing you'll never do that for me?!"
"Now you're just making assumptions, Sayu!" Katsuki knew he couldn't lose his temper, not when she was desperately trying to work something out.
"I'm not! There is no way you will ever be able to do something like this for me! I hate it! I hate knowing I'll never..." she paused, her lip trembling as fat tears rolled down her cheek. "I hate knowing I'll never make you and Mom proud."
"Don't be a dumbass," Katsuki growled. "Your mother and I have made it clear that we're proud of you. No matter what you do or what choices you make, we're gonna support you and be fuckin' proud!"
Her lip trembled and she turned her head to the side. "You say that, but I know you don't mean it."
Groaning, Katsuki ran his fingers through his hair. "Sayuri, I don't know what your mother and I have to do to fuckin' prove to you that we're always going to be proud of you."
"But I'll never be able to do what Shouhei does... what you and Mom do! I hate that! I hate..." she trailed off, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, a sob choking through her lips.
Katsuki thought back to their conversation, when she asked if he hated if she was quirkless. She had asked him so bluntly, had made horrible assumptions. Maybe, it was never that she was scared he hated her, but more that she hated herself and didn’t know how to handle it.
Would she ever be able to?
Pursing his lips, Katsuki sucked in a deep breath. "Sayu..." he said slowly, taking a step toward her. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to answer me fuckin' honestly."
Sniffling, she looked at him and slowly nodded. "O-Okay," she stammered, waiting for him to speak.
"Do you hate that you're quirkless?"
The question hung in the air for a moment, awkward silence floating between them. Sayuri's mouth was open and she blinked, staring at her father. She looked flabbergasted, completely taken aback and confused why he would even ask her.
"O-Of course, I do!" she yelled. "It's the worst-"
"No," he said, cutting her off. "No, no. Stop. I want you to really fucking think about this for a second. Take everyone else out of the equation. Me, your mom, your brother, fuckin'... society! Throw all that aside. Do you hate... yourself? Do you hate that this is the way you are?"
Her chest rose and fell, like she was trying to breathe through a pit of sludge. "W-What?" she asked.
Clicking his tongue, Katsuki rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just askin' you to be fucking honest with yourself. I don't want you to care about anyone else's opinion. I just want to know, deep down, if you really fucking hate this. It's got nothing to do with my feelings or anyone else's just yours. Bakugou Sayuri, do you hate being quirkless?"
She turned her gaze to the ground, her fists trembling at her side. "What... what the hell kind of question is that Dad?!" she snarled, her eyes narrowing at him. "Of course, I fucking hate it! Do you really think there's any way I could like being this way?!"
Her voice echoed around them, her anger tensing up the atmosphere.
Pulling in a slow breath, Bakugou nodded. "Okay."
"Okay...? Okay!? You ask me this serious as fuck question and you just-" He cut her off by hugging her, pulling her close to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his hand to the back of her head. He had promised her he would always keep her safe, he had promised he would do anything.
Even if it meant asking for the one thing he never wanted to ask for.
Swallowing, he pulled back and turned away from her. "C'mon, I'll take you home."
She blinked, staring at her father's back once again. He could feel her eyes burning onto the skin of his neck. She obviously didn't understand, but she would.
"You will?" she asked softly.
"Yeah. I gotta come back and celebrate with your brother, but I'll drop you at home so you can have some fucking space," he muttered.
"T-Thank you..." she whispered.
He glanced back at her while they walked back to the street, seeing the tears flowing down her cheeks. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't watch her suffer over and over again. Just as he had feared, her whole life was going to be plagued by this, especially if she couldn't overcome it.
Deep down inside, she hated it, she hated herself. Katsuki could understand that, but he couldn't watch his daughter feel that way.
Her own sludge monster was consuming her, just like in his nightmares. He couldn't reach her either. No matter how hard he tried, it wasn't him that could save her. There was only one person who could help her now and it tore his heart from his chest to even think about it.
Katsuki paused, his red eyes looking her up and down. "For the record," he said, his voice abnormally soft. "I have never hated you like this. To me, you will always be my daughter. Quirk or no quirk, you will always be perfect."
He wasn't great with words, he never had been, but he hoped, after everything, she would maybe remember these ones.
Looking into her brown eyes, he thought, for a moment, things looked a little clearer.
Title: When She Arrives For @kacchakoweek! Day 4 - Domestic Pairing: Kacchako Rating: T Word Count: 6,465 Read on Ao3 Summary:
With Ochako about to give birth at any moment, Bakugou doesn't want to leave for work. She assures him she'll be fine; after all, this isn't her first time having a baby.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole and @amaisenshi for reading this ahead of time. This is technically in my What We Lack verse, but it can be read alone.
Five tiny fingers spread out across her swollen stomach and Ochako smiled. Shouhei stared up at her, his round brown eyes wide. "Are you sure she's in there, Mama?" He asked, tilting his head.
Ochako couldn't help but laugh. "Of course I'm sure. She's been kicking me all morning."
"Kicking you!?" Shouhei gasped.
"Mhm," she said. "But it doesn't hurt."
"It seems mean of her to kick you," Shouhei pouted, gently brushing his padded fingers over Ochako's stomach.
"You know, Shou," she whispered, leaning forward towards the smaller boy. She scooped under his arms and picked him up, pulling him onto the sofa with her. "When you were in there, you kicked me too."
His eyes widened. "What!? I didn't mean to!"
Ochako couldn't help but laugh at the small boy's exclamation. "I know you didn't sweetheart," she said, leaning down to hug him.
He puffed out his cheeks. "I’m better than my sister," he pouted.
"Now Shou, there's no need to be competitive with her! She isn't even here yet!" Ochako laughed, gently tickling his sides. The small boy began to laugh with her, rolling around on the couch.
"Oi," Katsuki's voice echoed from the hall as he stepped into the room, adjusting his gauntlets. He was dressed in his hero costume, ready for his night shift, but Ochako could tell he seemed far tenser than normal.
"Papa!" Shouhei cheered and jumped off the couch, running to hug his father. "Don't get mad but... my sister is kicking Mama!" he whispered, smirking at Ochako as if he had won some sort of game.
Katsuki snorted. "I know, you did that too, you little jerk." He poked at his cheek.
"But- But... I didn't mean it!" He flailed.
"Do you think your sister does?" Katsuki asked, raising his eyes at his son behind his mask.
"Uhm... Maybe..."
"What a goof," Katsuki snorted, clicking his tongue. "I gotta get going!"
"Time to be a hero!" Shouhei cheered, thrusting his fist in the air. "Can I come with you, Papa? Please! Please! Please!" He kept repeating the word over and over and Ochako bit her lip and tried not to laugh. Somehow Shouhei had a plethora of energy even this late at night.
"No, Shou. You can patrol with me when you're a hero," Katsuki said, looking determined and Shouhei pouted.
"That's going to take so long!"
"Yeah, you gotta work freaking hard, kiddo," Katsuki said, gently poking at his chest. "Besides," he smirked. "I have a more important job for you."
Shouhei's eyes widened, his lips pulling into a wide smile. "Really?!"
"Yeah, really."
Katsuki carried the small boy over to the couch and gently placed him down next to Ochako. "You gotta take care of Mom tonight," he said.
"Katsuki," Ochako sighed, shaking her head.
"Okay!" Shouhei nodded, about to take his job extremely serious.
"That's my boy," Katsuki smirked, and Ochako could tell her husband was feeling rather proud of himself.
With a grunt, she pushed herself off of the couch to stand up, pressing her hands against her lower back. She enjoyed being pregnant normally, but being this pregnant was somewhat of a struggle. The baby was already a week late, and she was ready to welcome her to the world.
"Oi! What are you doing?!"
"Katsuki, I'm pregnant, I'm not an invalid," she snorted and leaned up to kiss his cheek.
"Yeah but you look like you're going to pop any minute now," he muttered, a soft growl rumbling in his throat. "I should fuckin' stay," he muttered, not wanting Shouhei to hear him curse.
"I promise I'm fine. I'll call you if anything happens."
"And what if I can't answer!" he snapped.
"Katsuki," Ochako hummed, cupping his cheeks. "We talked about this. You will get to the hospital when you can. I'm sure Momo-chan or Meli-chan can take me." Unlike with Shouhei, when Ochako had been so nervous... she was feeling confident she could handle having a second baby. "I survived giving birth to Shouhei, I'm sure I'll survive this too."
Once again, Ochako was assuming the baby was a girl, just as she had done with Shouhei. But this time... this time she was convinced she was right.
Katsuki growled. "I don't like it. I"m not going to miss this," he said, brushing his hand over her stomach.
"You won't miss it!" She kissed his cheek again. "Go. You're going to be late. Besides, Shouhei will keep me company," she called out, peering over her shoulder.
"Huh? Yeah!" he said, cheering.
"See? We'll be fine. Go to work," she giggled and squeezed his hand.
"You better fuckin' call me immediately if something happens," he snarled, pecking her forehead.
"I will, I will," she said. Admittedly, she did prefer if Katsuki was by her side, but it wasn't anything she hadn't experienced before. "I love you."
"Love you more," he grumbled, kissing her lips before walking over to Shouhei. "Okay little jerk, I'm going. You take of Mama."
"Yes, sir!" Shouhei said, nodding as if he was accepting an order from a superior officer.
Katsuki leaned down and kissed his son's forehead and Ochako couldn't help but smile. Everyone, including Katsuki himself, had been so concerned about Katsuki being a father. They thought he would be too unruly, rowdy and angry around the children, but Ochako knew better. Deep down, Katsuki was a huge softie. She knew by the way he treated her, by how he did everything to the fullest. Katsuki had to be the best at everything, which meant he was truly the best father too.
"You better call," he snapped, stomping past her.
"I will, I will," she repeated. "Go to work, Hero."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, gently spreading his hand over her belly while he leaned in to kiss her one more time before heading towards the door.
"I'll see you tonight!" she called out after him, and he waved his hand.
Admittedly, Ochako wasn't very concerned. It was taking forever for this baby to come out, and things had been quiet lately... so even if the girl decided to come tonight, Katsuki would most likely be able to leave his shift no problem.
She took a seat back on the couch with Shouhei, feeling a slight kick against her stomach. The little baby was rolling around inside of her and she couldn't help but giggle. As much as she was ready for it to be over, there was a small part of her that would always miss being pregnant; feeling that connection between her and her unborn child.
"What should we do tonight, Shouhei?" Ochako asked. "Are you hungry? Maybe we should get dinner started and watch a movie!"
"Movie!" Shouhei cheered, kicking his legs over the side of the couch.
"How about... you come help me make dinner and we can watch while we eat?"
"Yes!" he said and jumped up to sort through their tall stack of DVDs. "Mama... can't we just have popcorn for dinner?" Shouhei asked.
Ochako snorted. "Absolutely not! But if you eat everything I cook, maybe we can have some after while we watch."
"Okay," Shouhei pouted, running into the kitchen. Sometimes she couldn't believe how much energy the tiny boy had.
Grunting she stood up again. She wished she hadn't sat down in the first place and she mentally slapped herself. Standing up really was the hardest part. She wobbled into the kitchen and bent down, her side aching as she did. "Oh boy..." she muttered, rubbing at her lower back.
When she'd had Shouhei, all the signs of labor were very apparent. Her water had broken while she and Katsuki awoke one morning and the contractions had kicked in almost right away. Katsuki had rushed her to the hospital, screaming at everyone along the way, saying his wife needed to have a baby and they should all fucking help her. She laughed to herself, recalling the memory.
Katsuki was more stressed about the situation than she was, she hoped he would be calmer this time since it was their second.
There was a dull ache in her lower abdomen as she began to fill the pot up with water, but it didn't register to her. Lately, her whole body felt sore, she was used to it. Currently, she was focused on pulling out some pasta and sauce. Something simple sounded perfect; there was no way she could mess up spaghetti.
"Want to help me mix the sauce Shouhei?"
"Uh-huh!" he nodded, pushing a chair over from the kitchen table so he could stand on it.
She watched Shouhei mix together the red sauce, stirring with a spoon. He was so determined and eager to help. Honestly, it just made Ochako want to scoop him up in her arms and snuggle her little boy forever. Who knew she and Katsuki would make such perfect children? She brushed her hand over her stomach, hoping this one would be the same.
A sharp pain hit her lower abdomen again and she twitched. That had certainly hurt more than the first... but it didn't feel like a contraction. She frowned for a moment, brushing her hand over her stomach. "Be nice to Mommy," she whispered. But really she was speaking more on behalf of Katsuki. She could only imagine his rage if she went into labor before he got home.
She supposed she couldn't stop it from happening.
When the pasta was done, she carried the two bowls over to the couch, letting Shouhei pick the movie. Of course he picked some cartoon movie they'd made about All Might a few years ago; like father like son.
The little boy was on the edge of the couch, bouncing up and down as he rapidly shoved the spaghetti into his mouth. His brown hair flopped against his forehead as he danced with the music, his eyes fixated on the screen.
She hoped he would get along with their second child. She hoped Shouhei would do everything to protect his baby sister (because it was going to be a girl). She'd never had siblings and neither had Katsuki, and Ochako wanted Shouhei to appreciate growing up with a friend.
She reached forward and gently brushed some of his bangs to the side. "You like All Might, Shou?"
"Yeah!" he said, his mouth full of spaghetti. "But... you're cooler, Mama!" he said, smiling brightly. "Uravity and Ground Zero are the number one heroes! I like Deku too. And Shouto! And Ingenium!" Ochako laughed as Shouhei continued to list off their various friends.
"So you love everyone," she asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Heroes are amazing!" he said, and he leaped from the couch, running around their living room.
"Yes they are!" Ochako laughed.
"I hope I get my quirk soon." He squeezed his face in, so excited as he jumped up and clapped his hands together. "Float, float, float," he mumbled, pressing his hands against his chest as if he wanted to make himself float.
"Okay my little hero," Ochako snorted, watching the credits roll across the screen. "I think it's pajama time."
"What?! No!" Shouhei pouted. "I'll run away!"
"No you won't," Ochako laughed, pushing herself up slowly from the couch. There was another pang of pain in her lower belly and she froze. "Ngh..." That one had definitely hurt more than the others and she took a deep breath. Maybe... something was wrong?
"Mama?" Shouhei asked, looking as if he was ready to dash around the room.
She took a deep breath and stood up, wiping the sweat forming on her brow. "It just takes me a minute to get up," she giggled. "I'll let you play a bit longer while I clean the kitchen."
There was another pang of pain and Ochako bit her lip, waiting a moment before walking towards the sink. Was she in labor? It was strange... with Shouhei everything had happened so fast... Maybe she expected that to happen again.
She placed their bowls into the sink and began running the water when another sharp pain hit, the force of it shaking up her spine.
Fuck.
There was no way that wasn't a contraction. She should've expected this; of course Katsuki would be on patrol.
"Ah..." she gasped, breathing heavily as another one hit quickly after and she gripped the edge of the counter. "Why now..." she whimpered, her knees trembling. Her water hadn't broken yet thankfully, so at least she had a bit of time to try and get things together... if she could focus.
Phone. She needed her phone.
"Shouhei!" she called out. "Can you bring Mama's phone in here?"
"Not if you're gonna make me go to bed!"
Another sharp contraction hit, her body clenching. "S-Shouhei! Please!"
Shouhei stomped into the room with the phone, clutching it to his chest protectively. "I'm not going to bed."
"No, you're probably not," Ochako panted, holding her hand out and Shouhei's eyes widened when he realized his mother was definitely in pain. Slowly he approached her and handed her the phone. "I think Mommy is having the baby," she whispered.
Shouhei's eyes widened. "Right here!? Didn't Papa say-"
"I know!" Ochako snapped, cutting Shouhei off as she gripped the counter tightly. "I'm gonna call him."
She pressed on his name, holding the phone in front of her.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up," she muttered, groaning when it went to voicemail. She had to try again.
The phone rang and rang, with no answer. She tried a third time, only to have the same thing happen again. She groaned, though the sound quickly turned into a whine when another contraction hit.
"Okay," she breathed. "Okay. Daddy is obviously busy," she said, trying to stay calm for Shouhei. The boy looked like he wanted to cry, and she could understand to a small 2 and 1/2 year old, this probably looked terrifying.
"I'll call Jeanist," she said, thinking out loud. His phone went straight to voicemail. She took a few deep breaths, trying not to panic. What if Katsuki was in a villain fight... what if he was hurt?! No. She had to stay calm.
"Okay, Momo-chan first..." she muttered.
"Mama?" Shouhei asked, gently tugging on her shirt.
"I'm okay, baby," she said, gently brushing her hand through Shouhei's hair. "I just gotta find someone to take me to the hospital. Or I'll call an ambulance-"
"A-An ambulance?!" Shouhei asked, panic lacing his small voice.
"Oh sweetheart, Mommy just can't drive herself like this, okay? I promise I'm not in any danger."
She tapped Momo's name, letting it ring until it also went to voicemail. She tried Shouto, wondering if maybe the two of them were out together, but nothing. Maybe they were putting the twins to bed...
She tried not to curse as she scrolled through the list. Tenya and Mei had just had their third child and Ochako didn't want to bother them. Maybe Mina and Eijirou? She tapped Eijirou's name and his phone went straight to voicemail. Mina's phone rang... and didn't stop ringing, causing Ochako to just hang out up on her. Tsu-chan was out of the country right now...
Ochako hovered her finger over Deku's name. She could imagine Katsuki would be annoyed, but when another contraction hit, she knew she couldn't care about that. She panted heavily, the phone ringing.
"Ochako-chan?"
"DEKU-KUN!" she screamed, so thankful someone had finally answered.
"E-Eh!? Is everything okay!?"
She wanted to cry... so happy to finally get in touch with someone. Breathing, she swallowed and gripped the phone tightly. "Yes but... I-I need your help..."
"What? Anything!" Deku said.
"I need you or Melissa to take me to the hospital... and maybe watch Shouhei? I-I think I'm in labor and-"
"EH!? I'll be right over!? Where is Kacchan?"
"I-I dunno..." she admitted, biting down hard on her lip. "He's at work... and... and I tried calling him and Best Jeanist and Momo and Shouto and-"
"I'm coming Ochako. Melissa and I are on the way!"
"Thank you..." she breathed, hanging up.
She slowly made her way back to the couch, desperate to sit down. Thankfully, her and Katsuki had packed a bag for the hospital days ago. She pulled out her phone and tried to call him again; still no answer. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
He was going to be so mad.
"Mama...?" Shouhei asked, sitting next to her while she continued to focus on her breathing. "A-Are you going to die?" Water began to fill up in his eyes and Ochako let out a soft laugh.
"Oh sweetheart, no," she said. "I'm going to bring your baby sister into the world. Don't you wanna meet her?"
"Well... yeah but I don't want you to die."
"I promise I won't die. I didn't die having you," she said, and gently pressed her finger against his round cheeks.
"O-Okay..." he said, sniffling.
"Auntie Meli and Uncle Deku are gonna help, okay?"
"Okay," he said. "Do you think Papa is going to be mad I didn't protect you?" he mumbled.
"What?!" Ochako gasped, trying not to wince. "You're doing a great job, Shou! You've been by my side this whole time. Papa is going to be so proud."
"Okay!" he smiled, and snuggled close to her.
Within a few moments there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Shouhei said, and he leaped off the couch.
She dialed Katsuki's number again, only to be directed to voicemail yet again.
"Ochako-chan?" Deku's voice called down the hall as he walked towards her.
"D-Deku..." she whimpered, seeing her best friend's face made her want to cry. Or maybe it was just the hormones. Either way...
"Are you okay?!" He immediately rushed to her side, gently gripping her arm as he helped her stand up. "Should we call an ambulance?"
"No, no! Your car should be fine," she said, and smiled warmly at Melissa as she walked down the hall.
The blonde woman was also pregnant, though she wasn't quite as far along as Ochako. She still had a few more months to go.
"I see this is what I have to look forward to," she said.
"Mhm," Ochako laughed, breathing heavily.
"We should get going," Melissa leaned down and picked up Shouhei, grabbing Ochako’s hospital bag. "You ready for an adventure?"
"Yes!" Shouhei cheered. "You better take care of Mama because it's my job to protect her when Papa isn't around."
"I think your Mama takes pretty good care of herself," Melissa chuckled, carrying him down the hall as they headed out of the house towards the car.
"Thank you," Ochako muttered. "I keep calling Katsuki but... he's not answering. Do you think he's okay?"
"Knowing Kacchan, he's probably in the middle of some big fight or something," Deku laughed, helping Ochako into the front seat of the car.
"Probably..." Ochako whimpered, dialing his number yet again.
She kept trying to call him all the way to the hospital to no avail. Even Momo had called back, apologizing profusely for not looking at her phone while her and Shouto had put the children to bed.
Where was Katsuki?
"He's going to be so mad!" she groaned, leaning against Deku as he helped her into the hospital the moment they got there.
"Kacchan is always mad, Ocha..." Deku teased, helping her sit down in one of the wheelchairs.
"I-I know that..." she muttered. "But missing the birth of his daughter and me calling you of all people. He's going to blow up the goddamn building!" she whined.
"T-That's definitely a possibility..." Deku sighed, rubbing at his neck. "Let's just hope that doesn't happen..."
He began to push the wheelchair to the check-in desk.
Ochako began to stand up, but Deku rest a hand on her shoulder. "I'm Midoriya-"
"DEKU!?" The nurse shouted and then quickly covered her mouth. "S-Sorry! I-I just didn't expect-... and Uravity?!" the woman continued, once she turned her gaze down towards Ochako. "But..."
Ochako rolled her eyes. Of all the places to have a fan...
"I'm Bakugou Ochako," she said. "Katsuki and I applied to have a private room and-"
"Right! Yes! Of course!" the nurse said. "Where is Ground Zer- I-I mean... Bakugou-san..."
"He's on duty right now... I've been trying to call him but Deku is helping me-"
"Of course! We'll get you in your room right away!" the woman said, obviously flustered as she dug through papers. "You'll be in room 361. We can allow one other person in the room who isn't family-"
"Uh..." Ochako breathed. She couldn't exactly just ask Deku to come with her into the birthing room... Melissa was holding Shouhei and... and really she just wanted Katsuki. She bit down on her lip. She thought it would be fine... she had done this before... so why... why couldn't she do it again?!
But last time things had gone smoothly, Katsuki had been with her, they'd gone into the room together, and he held her hand through the entire process. She wasn't weak... she could handle it on her own... but... she wanted him.
A whimper left her lips and she leaned back. "It's fine... please just stay with Shou..." she breathed, placing her hands on her stomach as Deku wheeled her to the elevator.
"Mama!" Shouhei whined and wiggled in Melissa's hands, trying to break free. He reached down, wanting to be with Ochako. "I wanna go with you."
"I know, baby," Ochako said, trying not to cry. "I wish you could too, but you have to stay with Uncle Deku and Auntie Melissa, okay?"
"Ochako..." Melissa said. "Take Izuku in the room with you."
"E-Eh!?" Deku blinked, glancing between the two women.
"Me-Melissa?!" Ochako gasped. Wouldn't it be odd to be in the room with someone who wasn't her husband?! Maybe... but then again... she didn't want to be alone.
"You two have been friends forever... and I know if it were me, I wouldn't want to go in there alone," she said. "Plus, it's not like she'll be able to break your hand."
The three laughed, and Ochako nodded. "I, uhm, would that make you uncomfortable, Deku-kun?"
Deku squeezed her shoulder. "I'd be honored to help you, Ochako-chan. I'll stay with you until Katsuki gets here."
"I'll keep calling him," Melissa said, taking Ochako's phone from her lap. "I'll use your phone. He probably won't pick up if it's me or Izuku."
"He better!" Ochako snapped, gripping the edge of the wheelchair.
"We'll be here," Melissa said, carrying Shouhei over to the waiting room.
"Goddamn Katsuki!" Ochako whimpered. "The one night!"
"It's gonna be o-okay, Ochako," Deku stammered, looking nervous as he wheeled her into the room and helped her onto the bed.
"You seem nervous, Deku, I guess this is good practice for when you and Melissa do this in a few months."
"Yeah..." he muttered. "It's a little scary."
"Don't be scared," she said, and gripped her stomach as another contraction came. "Ah... SHIT..." she grunted, and leaned back against the bed, panting heavily. "They're getting more intense..." She turned to Deku who was wide-eyed. "B-But uh!! It's... really not that bad! I promise! You and Melissa won't have any problems!"
"I-I gotta take off time from work... I don't want... this to happen!" Deku said.
"Yeah... Maybe this... was a little dumb," she breathed. "Katsuki is going to be livid if he misses this..."
A nurse peeked her head in. "A doctor will be right with you!"
"Thanks!" Deku squeaked out and held out his hand to her. "Do you need to hold my hand?"
Ochako shook her head. "Not yet."
~~
Melissa pursed her lips and glanced down at Shouhei swinging his feet back and forth. He was playing with some toy the nurse had given him and right now, he seemed distracted enough.
Puffing out her cheeks, she gently stroked over her own stomach. In just 3 months, she would be in Ochako's shoes... clinging to Izuku, praying that having a baby didn't hurt as much as everyone said it did. Though generally speaking, she wasn't too concerned about that.
She was more nervous about actually being a mother. She was smart and good at most things she put her mind to, but... being a mother was oddly terrifying.
Izuku, on the other hand, would be amazing at it. Part of the reason they had even decided to have kids was because every time she saw him with the public, excitedly interacting with children, something burned deep in her core and she was desperate to watch him raise their child.
She wanted to be amazing at it. It was the most important job she would ever have... and she wanted to do it justice. Izuku had told her so many times about how perfect she would be.
"Think about it!" he said. "You treat all your inventions with such care and kindness!"
"A baby isn't an invention, Izuku," she giggled.
"I know, but... it'll be even more important to you! I can't imagine how good you'll be to our child."
She really hoped Izuku was right.
"So are you going to be in pain soon too?" Shouhei asked, pulling Melissa from her thoughts.
"Huh?" she blinked, staring down at the little boy. It was incredible how similar Shouhei looked to Ochako. His brown eyes were wide, his cheeks pink and round and his hair was as chocolate brown as hers.
"Mama is having a baby and she looked like she was really hurt and you and Uncle Deku are also having a baby soon too right?" he said, twisting his lips.
Melissa chuckled nervously. What a blunt question. She supposed she shouldn’t expect much else from Bakugou Katsuki's son.
"Well..." Melissa began, clearing her throat. How was she supposed to say this? "Having a baby is... painful. Bringing a new life into this world... it isn't easy," she said slowly. "But... in the end it's worth it... don't you think?" she asked.
"Mmm... Not if Mama dies!" he said.
Melissa couldn't help but laugh at the boy. "I promise you, your mom is not going to die," she said, and gently stroked her fingers through Shouhei's brown hair. "She's one of the strongest people I know! She had you."
"I think my sister might be meaner than me. She's always kicking Mama! Papa said I did that too, but I don't know if I believe him," Shouhei babbled, yawning as he spoke. Melissa was starting to think it was way past the boy's bedtime.
"All babies kick their moms when they're in their bellies!" Melissa laughed. "Even mine!"
"Really?" Shouhei said, looking at Melissa's stomach. "Seems mean."
And yet, in so many ways, Shouhei was Ochako's son.
"It doesn't hurt. Just feels like a little bump," she said. At least they hadn't hurt for her.
"Hm," Shouhei said, still staring at her stomach as if he would understand just by looking.
"We should call your Papa again," Melissa said, wanting to change the subject. The last thing she needed was Shouhei to start asking her where babies came from.
The phone rang twice before Bakugou picked up.
"OI! CHEEKS!" he screamed on the other end of the phone. "I'm coming! Are you having her?"
"Bakugou-"
"What the HELL?!" he screamed. "You're not Ochako. Fuck. Put her on right now!"
Melissa gasped, looking towards Shouhei who seemed unphased by the swearing. Knowing Bakugou, he had probably slipped around him plenty of times. Sighing, she rolled her eyes. Bakugou was often too much for her to deal with. "Bakugou, she's in labor! They already took her in the room. I'm sitting with Shou-kun and Izuku is with her-"
"WHAT!?" he screamed and Melissa thought the phone was going to fly out of her hand from how loudly he spoke. "DEKU IS IN THE ROOM WITH HER!?"
"Yes!" Melissa yelled back. "She didn't want to be alone-"
"I'm going to be there in two seconds and if anything happens to her I'm going to murder your nerd of a husband!" Bakugou screamed before he hung up the phone.
"Bakugou-" Melissa paused, staring at the home screen. Sighing, she placed it down. At least he was on the way.
"Don't worry," Shouhei smiled and gently pat Melissa's knee. "Papa's always like that."
"Oh," Melissa said, clicking her tongue. "I know."
~~
Katsuki had never been so angry in his whole goddamn life.
If only Ochako had actually listened to him and let him take off from work like he wanted to. It was so rare he didn't want to go in for his shifts, so he wished she would've taken him more seriously.
"It's not like I've never had a baby before," she had teased playfully a few nights back.
But Katsuki wanted to be there! He wanted her to hold his hand so hard it almost broke. He wanted to hear his baby cry for the first time and hold her (or him. Probably him, Ochako was terrible at guessing these things). He had been there for Shouhei's birth and yet this time...
Oh...
This time Deku was there; holding his wife's hand and watching the birth of his child.
Small explosions crackled in Katsuki's palm as he tossed his gauntlets into the backseat.
"Woah, woah, we're almost there dude!" Kaminari said, holding his hands up.
"SHUT IT!" Katsuki snapped, glaring at the blond. "I don't wanna hear it." He'd practically chucked his phone against the car seat when he'd spoken to Melissa. Why was it that Deku always had to butt in on every part of his goddamn life?! Why was the nerd actually friends with Ochako!?
Fuck.
Katsuki tapped his foot against the floor, watching the car speed down the streets. If he could've used his explosions to propel himself to her goddamn window he would've. His arms hurt just thinking about it. Missed fucking opportunity. He tried not to explode himself out of the car, and finally it came to a halt outside of the hospital. "Let me out," he screamed, snapping his seatbelt off.
"Good luck dude!" Kaminari called out, but Katsuki wasn't paying attention at all.
He stormed into the hospital, his mask draped around his neck. A few people gasped and he heard murmurs of his name slip from their lips. He didn't really give a fuck what these people thought; his wife was having their kid and he wasn't going to wait around.
"Where is she-" he snarled, slamming his hands on the desk. "Bakugou Ochako-"
"O-Oh!" the nurse gasped. "G-Ground Zero, sir!" she blinked and pointed to the elevator. "Room 361-"
Katsuki didn't wait to hear what she had to say as he slammed his palm against the elevator button. The doors finally opened, and few doctors looked at him strangely, his eyebrow twitching. What the hell did they want from him? He wasn't going to change out of his goddamn hero costume and potentially waste more time.
The door opened up and Katsuki stormed down the hall, immediately seeing Melissa and Shouhei in the waiting room.
"Papa!" he said, bouncing out of his chair.
"Oi, squirt," he said, kneeling down. "Where the hell's your mom?" he asked.
Shouhei's eyes widened and he pointed towards the door. "Are you gonna help her? She was really hurting." Katsuki glanced up towards Melissa who shook her head quickly.
"Yeah. I am," Katsuki said. "You gotta stay here with your Aunt, okay?"
He stood up and stormed over to the door, swinging it open.
"K-Katsuki!" Ochako gasped, her body twitching when he swung the door open. She was sat in the bed, legs up on the stirrups, the doctor just taking a seat in front of her.
She was already to that point!?
"Bakugou-san!" The doctor smiled. "Good, just in time. Your wife is about to start pushing. This one is coming fast."
"Kacchan! You made it!" Deku smiled, stepping away from the bed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing nerd?!" he snapped, storming towards Deku. He hated that in the end, the green-haired boy had ended up taller than him, it made it difficult to yell in his face.
"Eh?" Deku blinked. "I-I'm leaving. I'll go sit with Melissa and Shou-"
"DAMN RIGHT you're leaving. This is my wife and our kid and you think you can just-"
"Sir-" The doctor attempted to interject, but was interrupted by the loudest one of them all.
"KATSUKI!" Ochako yelled, panting heavily. "Deku-kun was kind enough to stay in here with me because I didn't want to be alone! Was it awkward? A little! But he was being a GOOD FRIEND! I'm about to push a baby out of me. YOUR baby, I might add, and I don't have time for your petty bullshit. Now come over here and let me start pushing!"
Both boys blinked, staring at Ochako while she panted heavily, her hands gripping the railings on her bed.
"S-Sorry Ochako-chan," Deku stammered. "I'll leave you two to it." Bowing, he left the two of them in the room.
"KATSUKI!" she yelled. "Hand. Now."
"Fuck..." he muttered and stood by her side, tentatively reaching his hand forward to wrap their fingers together. He had seen Ochako yell before, but not like that.
"We... are going to talk about your attitude later... but for now... I really need to get this baby out of me..." she whined, pressing her head against the pillow. She squeezed his hand, her fingers holding onto his gloves.
"A-Are you... both ready?" the doctor asked nervously, as if he was waiting for Ochako to explode again.
"Yes, please..." Ochako breathed, biting down on her lip.
"Okay, go ahead and push!" The doctor said.
And with that, Ochako screamed.
It wasn't the first time Katsuki had seen his wife do this and yet he was still in awe of her. He always knew she was strong, but in these moments, when she gave birth to their children, he couldn't help but think she was the strongest damn person he knew. Stronger than Todoroki, than Deku, than him... even All Might. She was his number one hero.
It took a few hours of pushing and screaming and heavy breathing, tears streaking down her face. "You got this Cheeks, you got this. We're gonna have another beautiful fuckin' kid," he said. He knew he had to reassure her, though he wondered why. She'd done this before... he knew she was amazing.
"I-I know..." she moaned, her chest heaving as she looked up at him. "I'm so mad at you..." she breathed. "But I love you so goddamn much."
"What the hell?!" he snapped. He almost expected her to blame him for getting her pregnant again, but he knew she was probably more pissed about the whole stupid Deku thing.
He wasn't looking forward to hearing about that later.
"You're almost there," the doctor said, urging her on.
"I-I'm trying," she whimpered, gritting her teeth hard. "I-I'm really pushing!" she said, squeezing Katsuki's hand so damn hard. Her brown locks were drenched in sweat, her body trembling. "I-I just wanna meet her..." she cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Just a couple more Cheeks and you can."
She strained, pushing against his gloves as she breathed heavily, her body twitching. She was doing her very best, her pink cheeks bright red. She was close, and Katsuki wished he could do more then just squeeze her hand.
"Dammit!" she screamed out one final time, panting heavily when Katsuki finally heard the loud cry of a baby echo through the room.
The baby was out...
"Congratulations," the doctor sighed, holding the small infant in his hands. "You've got a new baby girl."
"R-Really?!" Ochako breathed, laughing through her tears. "I-I was right."
"You were right, Cheeks," Katsuki chuckled, watching as the doctor gently wiped off their daughter, wrapping her in cloth.
"Here," he said, handing her to Ochako.
"I-I can't believe... we made another one of these," she breathed. "She's beautiful," she cried. "God... hormones are so stupid! I can't stop crying!"
"S'fine, Ochako," Katsuki said, peering over her shoulder. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, looking at the crying infant. "You did it... I'm so happy I fuckin' made it..." he breathed.
"Me too..." she whispered. "I'm still mad but... I'm so happy you were here..." She let herself fall against him, her head pressing into his chest. "I love her... I love you..."
"I love you more," he said, kissing Ochako's head. "But shit... I love her too..."
"Here," she breathed. "You should hold her."
He swallowed, taking the tiny girl into his arms. "Hey... you're gonna be the best, most badass girl this world has ever seen. Your mom is a lot to live up to, but I know you can do it."
"She has the best Papa after all," Ochako whispered, gently running her finger over the small girl's cheek. "It looks like she's gonna be blonde," she said, letting the pads of her fingers brush over the few blonde hairs on top of her tiny head.
"Heh... yeah..." he said, leaning down to kiss her head. "Fuck... we really made the best kids."
"Of course we did," she said. "But... she needs a name."
"Yeah..." he said. "What was the one you said you liked a few weeks ago?"
"Oh, when you didn't believe we were having a girl?" she smirked.
"Don't be smug," he snorted.
Ochako rolled her eyes, giggling again. "Sayuri..." she said finally. "That was the name I liked."
"Bakugou Sayuri..." he whispered. "It has a nice ring to it. We gotta make sure it sounds good when she becomes the greatest fucking hero later. Tied with her brother."
Ochako giggled. "I think it sounds nice. I can't wait for Shou to come see her."
"Yeah... he's gonna love her," Katsuki whispered and leaned down to kiss her head. "Thank you... for being so fucking badass and bringing both our kids into the world."
"You don't have to thank me, but you can't keep swearing in front of her," Ochako teased, reaching up to poke his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah..." he sighed. "My perfect baby girl and my perfect wife," he said.
He knew Ochako would probably yell at him later, but in this moment, he didn't care. She could yell at him all she wanted; he was just happy he made it to see her give birth to his daughter. Later his son would come see her and Katsuki knew it would be perfect and so complete. All his life he'd wanted to be number one, and as great as that was, this was even better. His heart had never been so full of love for his family.
Title: What We Lack Part 20 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 5,203 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole and @amaisenshi for reading this over and letting me freak out always.
The arena was bustling, massive crowds coming to watch the sports festival, and Sayuri had forgotten how busy it was going to be. Her and Shouhei had watched the sports fest every year together, but watching on T.V. and being a part of it in person were two very different things.
Her parents had been given VIP seats, partially due to who they were, but also because Shouhei would be participating. However, even with the secret entrance U.A had provided and disguises her parents had put on, avoiding the press was next to impossible.
"It's Ground Zero! And Uravity!" A woman cried out, pointing right in their direction and Sayuri immediately recoiled, stepping towards her father.
"Oh! Hello! Please excuse us, we're about to go watch our son-" Ochako began to say, but before she could finish, microphones were being thrust in all of their faces.
"Ground Zero! You won the sports fest as a first year! Are you hoping your son will do the same?!"
"You must be so proud of your son for following in your footsteps, Uravity! He has a quirk similar to yours, how do you think he'll be using it today?"
Sayuri's eyes darted about, listening to her parents field questions, answering as quickly as possible. She let out a sigh, happy they were focusing on her parents and not her. The few times she had been questioned by the press, she had nearly combusted from embarrassment and having no idea what to say.
"Please, we'll be happy to answer questions after the event but for now, we really should be-" Ochako tried to speak, gently turning them down.
Glancing to the side, Sayuri could see Deku, Melissa and Kazu, as well as Shouto and Momo also dealing with the press. Kazu, like her, was standing mostly behind his parents, hoping to avoid any questions.
For a moment, they caught eyes and Kazu smiled, waving at her. She waved back but stopped suddenly when a microphone was thrust into her face as well.
"Sayuri, is it difficult to watch your brother compete when you know you won't have a chance to?"
She froze. Of course it was difficult. Was she jealous? Of course. Did she want to run and hide in her room and forget her brother was going to be better than her in every way she could possibly imagine? Yes. Was she going to secretly wish she could be a hero like him the whole goddamn time. Duh. Was that question... real? Had the woman really just asked her-
"Oi!" Her father's voice cut through the noise and he smacked the microphone out of the woman's hand. It fell to the ground with a loud noise, a sharp distortion filling the air. "Don't you dare ask my daughter shitty fuckin' questions like that. You can ask us whatever you want, but stay away from her!" he snapped.
He pressed his hand to the small of Ochako's back and pushed her forward, grabbing Sayuri's hand to pull them away from the press.
"T-Thanks Dad," she whispered. She gently brushed her fingers over the edge of one of her pigtails. Why did the press care about her? She wasn't her parents; in fact, because she didn't have a quirk, she really wasn't anyone special.
Swallowing, she followed them inside, clinging to her father's hand. She felt like a child, wanting to hide away. She never knew what to do around the press, and she was thankful her father had shooed them away.
"Sayu, sweetheart," her mother said, turning to her once they were away from the crowd. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, we should've tried to block them faster."
"Fuckin' idiots!" Bakugou snapped, waving his hand back and forth. "Can't stand all of them. How dare they fucking ask you that shit. They're lucky I didn't just explode them all."
Ochako snorted. "It's for the best you didn't do that... but... they are rude." She gently stroked her hand over one of Sayuri's blonde pigtails. "My perfect girl. I want you to enjoy today okay?" she said. "I know you and Shou have loved the sports festival for so long, try not to worry about the press."
"Don't listen to a goddamn thing they say," Katsuki snorted.
"I-I know..." she whispered. "It's fine. Really I'm just excited to see Shou."
It wasn't a lie. She was excited, just... jealous as hell.
The three of them made their way to the arena, taking their seats. The place was huge, and Sayuri's eyes widened as she stared at the large field. It was so strange seeing it up close, like she could reach out and actually touch it. Seeing the full field in front of her, her heart yearned to be down there; to stand with her peers and fight with a quirk.
She always imagined she would have something similar to her father’s... something explosive and flashy. She would light up the stage and the world with her quirk, showing off her amazing ability and everyone would be impressed she was even stronger than Ground Zero.
It was a dream she’d had for forever, so much so being here made her almost feel a sense of nostalgia.
Sayuri stood at the railing, watching as people bustled about the field, setting up what looked to be some sort of giant obstacle course.
"Ochako-chan!"
Turning around, Sayuri saw Momo and Shouto walking down the steps. As always, Momo was dressed far fancier than she needed to be, wearing a cute red summer dress and large hat.
"Momo-chan!" Ochako jumped up, waving to her friend. "You always look so cute!"
"Please," Momo giggled, cupping her cheek. "How are you?"
"Glad to see you avoided the press," Shouto said, taking a seat.
"Well, it took Katsuki knocking a microphone out of one reporter’s hand to get us away from them," Ochako giggled.
"Good morning, Sayu-chan," Momo smiled, waving to her. "I keep forgetting how big you are now," she sighed. "I hate seeing our children grow up so fast."
"I know," Ochako whined.
"But!" Momo's eyes lit up and she gently wrapped her fingers around Ochako's "Did you hear our boys are dating!?"
Ochako gasped. "I know! I couldn't be happier! Maybe we'll get to be in-laws!"
Katsuki clicked his tongue. "Spare me."
"Katsuki!" Ochako snapped. "Being in-laws with Momo and Shouto would be amazing! Stop that."
"Whatever."
Sayuri couldn't help the snort that slipped from her lips. Her father was always so pissed about Deku and Shouto.
"Yuuta texted me today to say he was worried he would have to face Shou-kun. He really doesn't want to."
"Oh my gosh," Ochako sighed. "He's so precious. It would be cute to see them face each other."
"Shouhei will kick both of your kids’ asses!" Katsuki hissed.
"Katsuki! It's not a competition."
"Actually," Shouto hummed, "it is. We have two chances for our children to beat Shouhei."
"Shouto... don't be petty!" Momo sighed.
"I'm not being petty, I'm being honest," Shouto said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Tch, we'll see who ends up winning. Hopefully your boys will actually try!" Katsuki snapped.
"Are you still on that? We're in our forties and you haven't let this go?" Shouto scoffed.
"Of course fuckin' not, Half and Half. You're a goddamn bastard-"
"Kacchan! Ochako-chan! Ah! Shouto and Momo too!" Deku smiled, waving to them as he interrupted the growing tension between Katsuki and Shouto.
"Deku!" Ochako waved. "Come sit!"
"What the hell are you doing here, fuckin' nerd?!" Katsuki hissed, folding his arms across his chest.
"I invited them!" Ochako exclaimed, standing to give Melissa a hug as they moved to sit in the chairs behind them, though Kazu walked around, taking his seat next to Sayuri.
"Yes, we've only been around your children for years now, of course we would want to come and support them," Melissa sighed, taking a seat behind them.
Katsuki clicked his tongue, turning to Sayuri. "Can you believe this shit?"
"Well... I'm happy Kazu is here," she smirked.
"Fuckin' betrayed," Katsuki scoffed.
"It's good to see you both," Momo smiled, ignoring Katsuki's outbursts. "I haven't seen you in quite some time Melissa."
"You must be so proud; both of your boys are participating today, right?" Melissa asked.
"Mhm!"
"How is Arata handling it?" Ochako asked. "You mentioned Yuuta but is Arata nervous at all?"
"Mmm..." Momo glanced downwards.
"Arata has been... temperamental lately," Shouto explained. "We know he's very determined to win this."
"Well, they are teenagers," Melissa chuckled. "There's bound to be some frustrations." She glanced towards Kazu. "Please stay easy going."
"E-Eh!? M-Mom! I-I'll do my best!"
Sayuri snorted, rolling her eyes at her best friend. Kazu wasn't exactly easy going, but he wasn't the type to cause any problems.
"Don't worry, Meli-chan," Sayuri hummed, poking at Kazu's shoulder. "Kazu is such a goody-goody, it almost hurts."
"Just like his fuckin' nerdy ass father," Katsuki hissed, interjecting into the conversation.
"K-Kacchan..." Deku stammered.
"Shut it, Deku," Katsuki snapped, gritting his teeth.
Sayuri sat on the other side of her father, glancing out at the field while the adults continued to chatter between themselves. She had seen videos of her parents’ first fight. Ochako always claimed that was the moment Katsuki fell in love with her.
There was a small part of her that wanted to see Shou fight Yuuta. She could picture him losing for Yuuta’s sake; fucking sap.
Then again, as fun as the sports fest was for her, she knew it was stressful for her brother. It was the first time scouts would look at him and it would give him the potential to get an internship. It was how both her mother and father had started. Given his legacy, it would probably be easier for him, but knowing Shouhei, Sayuri was sure he would want to get it on his own merit.
Pursing her lips, she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the stadium.
[Text Shouhei]: We're here. You better do a good job or I'm going to kick your ass!
[Text from Shouhei]: Don't worry I plan on winning this thing.
Kazu leaned over, nudging Sayuri. "Pretty exciting we're gonna get to see Shouhei out there."
"Heh, yeah. He better not suck!" she snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean technically he's representing both of us out there."
"There's no way he'll suck! He's been working super hard, yeah?"
"Yeah..." Sayuri said, looking at the field.
She thought about the question the reporter had asked her before her dad had slapped the mic out of her hand. Of course she would never get to do this, which is why she would have to live vicariously through Shouhei.
Her phone buzzed once more and she turned it over, looking at Shouhei's message
[Text from Shouhei]: I'm gonna win for both us.
Swallowing, Sayuri pushed the phone against her chest as she scraped her teeth across her lower lip.
"Are you okay, Sayu-chan?" Kazu asked.
"Yeah," she muttered. "Shou is just... an idiot!" A smile pulled across her lips. "I'm probably gonna kick his ass if he doesn't win this."
"Sayu, be nice," Ochako said, leaning over Katsuki. "Your brother has been working really hard and he's probably very stressed."
"I dunno, he seems fine to me," Sayuri shrugged.
"I wasn't worried before the sports fest," Katsuki snorted. "I knew I was going to win."
"Yes, we all remember your eloquent speech," Shouto sighed.
"Shut it! Like you would do any better!" Katsuki hissed.
"What did you say Dad?"
"Mmm... If I recall he said something about pledging to be number 1," Momo said, tapping her finger against her chin.
"That was it!" Ochako laughed. "No one was surprised!"
"Yeah but then he was number one," Sayuri said, looking proudly at her father.
"I am number one, baby girl," he snorted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.
"Dad!" she cried out, pushing against his chest.
"Is Kacchan number one right now?" Deku asked.
"I don't know-" Ochako began, but Katsuki was quick to cut her off.
"Course I fuckin' am!" he snapped.
"Well hopefully Shouhei will be number one today," Ochako smirked, ignoring her husband's outburst.
"He better be," Katsuki hissed.
"We'll see about that," Shouto muttered, clicking his tongue.
Sayuri slipped out from her father's grasp when he began to yell at Shouto some more. She couldn't help but roll her eyes, turning her gaze to the field. Things were going to start soon and she prayed she could handle watching it. As excited as she was, there was a small feeling in the pit of her stomach reminding her how difficult watching this would be.
~~
"You ready, Yuu?" Shouhei smirked, tucking his phone into the locker.
"I mean, no!" Yuuta said, his legs trembling. "I-I have no idea what it's going to be like out there! And what if I have to face you!"
Shouhei sighed, shutting the locker door. "Yuu, we've been over this." He walked towards him, cupping his cheeks. "It's gonna be fine, ya idiot."
"I know..."
Earlier, Yuuta had wanted to believe Shouhei, but as they made their way out to the field, he grew more and more tense. The sports festival had been looming over him for so long and now it was finally here.
"Welcome to the U.A. Sports Festival! I'm Mirio Togata and I'll be your host on this lovely day. Joining me is my beautiful partner, Tamaki Amajiki."
Mirio paused, turning towards Tamaki.
"Hi..." he muttered softly.
"We're here to bring you all the best commentary of today's event!" Mirio cheered. "I'm so excited to be back in this arena. This is where it all begins for so many young heroes!"
Tamaki had never been much of a talker, so Yuuta couldn't really understand why they would choose him for something like this; probably because he and Mirio were usually glued together.
As they stepped onto the field, Yuuta realized the first event was a giant obstacle course and he swallowed, not wanting to panic. He glanced to the side, looking at how confident Shouhei seemed. A little ways down the line, Arata also looked confident, a fiery passion burning in his eyes.
The obstacle course would determine who would make it to the tournament round. Additionally it would also decide who would be facing who.
Yuuta took a deep breath, waiting for the alarm to sound. He had spent all morning panicking to Shouhei about what the first event would be, as they rotated it year after year, always trying out new things.
He wanted to do well, he really did. Maybe not to the same level as Arata and Shou... but he didn't want to make a complete fool of himself, especially not when his parents and scouts were watching.
There was no time to panic. They'd all been spending the past few weeks training for this event and Yuuta wanted to say he was prepared but he had no idea how it would go. He looked around the stadium, wishing his parents were in sight. He had a feeling that would've either helped his nerves or made him want to combust from fear.
He glanced to the large rock wall that stood in front of them; who knew what lay on the other side? He could only pray it wouldn't be horrible.
The horn sounded and Yuuta gasped, immediately rushing forward. His fire should be able to propel him upwards, if he made the flames hot enough.
Letting his hands fall to his side, he allowed the blue flames to tickle his fingertips, shooting out in long waves. He clenched his fists, heating them up as he flicked his fingers out, holding his palms to the ground as he shot up.
He knew he couldn't look to see where others were at, it would only slow him down and he needed to pay attention.
Still, his eyes fell upon his boyfriend, Shouhei floating himself over the wall with ease.
Yuuta propelled himself over the wall, landing on the other side. There were tall spikes which were grouped together in the middle of the arena. It almost looked like a giant wooden forest. He dashed inside, zigzagging past the tall spikes. The last thing he wanted to do was set them on fire, though he supposed it would've disintegrated if he made his flames hot enough.
He continued forward realizing the spikes were getting much closer together. Holding his hand out, he seared the wood, allowing it to catch in flame, bursting upwards. "D-Dammit!" he gasped, not taking the time to stop. They had people at the ready to stop any disasters and Yuuta decided to trust them.
Behind him, he heard a few screams, other students stopping when a wall of his blue flames flared up, blocking them from continuing forward in that spot. Oops… he hadn’t meant to block others, though he supposed this was part of the competition.
He then came to a long spread of water across the arena floor. It was clearly too deep to walk across and swimming would take too much time. He lowered his flame to the water, allowing his body temperature to lower, cooling off the water as it began to seal, creating ice along the ground as he walked across the bridge he made.
Yuuta couldn't help the smile crossing his face. He wasn't failing.
He made his way through the arena: dodging flying blunt arrows, climbing over a different giant wall; going through a small dirt maze filled to the brim with hidden bombs. He had lost sight of Arata and Shouhei, but a few other students were close by him.
One girl with a shrinking quirk had gotta through some of the obstacles with ease, but was currently struggling to climb over one of the tall walls.
A boy who had fish-like qualities had zoomed past Yuuta during the water section of the course.
He knew he wasn’t going to be first; Yuuta had never expected that. However, he didn’t want to be last. His chest hurt, his heart pounding hard against his rib cage. His breathing was loud in his ears, and though other students were rushing around him, fighting to get to the end, he couldn’t hear. All he had was his focus.
To Yuuta, it felt never ending, but he kept pushing through, needing desperately to get to the end.
He pushed himself, crossing to the finish line as he climbed over a wall of spikes and hidden bombs. Panting, he tried not to fall to the ground, instead choosing to look at his classmates and who had made through so far. He was pleased to see Arata and Shouhei already there. Arata looked positively winded, as if he had just run a marathon. Yuuta supposed this was just as intense... if not more.
"I-I can't believe... we did it..." Yuuta panted, trying to catch his breath.
"Of course we did," Arata scoffed. "We've been training for weeks, maybe even months for this."
"Y-Yeah..." Yuuta stammered.
Shouhei frowned, placing his arm around his boyfriend. "We did fuckin' great." Yuuta knew Shouhei was tired of Arata's negativity.
As the other students began to cross the finish line, it was clear to see who was going to be moving on and who was falling behind. Yuuta knew a few people didn't even finish when they called the event completed.
The entire stadium erupted in a loud roar; cheers were heard all across the entire arena.
"It was a thrilling first event, but we all know exactly what you've all been waiting for. Introducing Pinky! Pinky is one of the teachers keeping a close eye on these rascals!" Mirio cackled.
Mina waved from the stage at the back of the stadium, a small podium awaiting her.
"We all know people want to watch the sports festival to see the epic battles that go on between you kids! Parents, fans, and friends of U.A gather here to witness these face offs of epic proportions.
"After the first event, we've selected who will be moving forward; let's take a look now!"
Cheers rang out through the stadium, and pictures and names of the finalists were displayed on the screen. It was no surprise to Yuuta to see Arata’s and Shouhei's names up there and he was so grateful to see his own too.
"The first match up will be a special pair! Yuuta Todoroki will be facing Arata Todoroki, the clash of the twins."
Yuuta felt all the blood rush from his face, his eyes filling with fear as he looked for Arata’s red and black hair in the crowd. His brother’s kept his gaze turned towards the ground, looking more determined than ever.
Swallowing, Yuuta turned towards Shouhei. "I-I'll do my best," he whispered.
"We'll be taking a short break to clear the field!" Mirio called out.
"S-Shou..." Yuuta whimpered. He didn't want to face off against his brother, other than facing Shouhei this was his worst nightmare.
Shouhei blinked nervously, walking beside Yuuta as they made their way off of the field. "It’s gonna be okay, Yuu. I mean you and Arata have sparred before right?"
"Y-Yeah..."
This was different. Arata was far more intense about this.
Yuuta squeezed his lips together, making his way to the locker room where they would wait for the arena to be set up.
Immediately, Mina ushered Yuuta and Arata to the waiting area.
"Alright boys, you ready?" she laughed. "Your mother is probably panicking right now, so try not to kill each other. I don't wanna give Momo any more stress than she already has!" Mina hummed, gently patting both of their shoulders. She nudged Arata, but his brother didn’t respond.
It was true, their mother was probably terrified of watching the two of them fight.
"I'll leave you two to it. Have a good clean battle," she said, waving once. "We'll call you out shortly."
Arata took a seat at the table and sat in silence while Yuuta couldn't help but pace around the room. He cracked his knuckles and wiggled his fingers, trying to ignore the desire to ignite his flames.
Yuuta kept sneaking glances awkwardly at his brother. When his twin would turn towards him, Yuuta would immediately look away. He knew his brother was probably angry he was having to go up against Yuuta of all the people.
Pushing himself up with a huff, Arata glared at Yuuta. "You better take this seriously, Yuuta."
"E-Eh?" Yuuta blushed. "W-Why wouldn't I?"
"Because, I know you don't care about this as much as I do."
Yuuta sucked in a long breath of air. "Of course I care about it. You're too intense about things-"
"I'm not too intense. This is what it takes to be a hero. Scouts are here today. People who want to scope out our abilities; do you understand how important that is?" he snapped.
"I do, I just... I just don't think we need to be so angry at each other-"
"Tch..." Arata clicked his tongue and looked away, his eyes trembling with something softer. "Look Yuuta, you're my brother and I love you... but I have to do this. I have to use today to prove how strong I am."
Yuuta frowned. How long would this nonsense go on for?! He was so tired of Arata pushing himself and pushing everyone in his life away in the process. "To who!?" Yuuta snapped. "Arata everyone knows you're strong. Mom does, Dad does, I do, Shou, even grandfather must think you're strong if he's willing to train you. I just don't understand what you're trying to prove-"
"Alright boys, it's time!" Mina's voice called out, as she peaked in from the hall. "Like I said, keep it clean."
Arata immediately pushed up away from the table, heading out onto the field. Making his way across the large arena, people cheered for both him and Yuuta as they stepped to their respective sides.
"A battle between twins! From Class 1-A we have Todoroki Yuuta!" Mirio cheered, and the stadium erupted with applause. Yuuta knew some of the excitement came from fans of their parents, and that terrified him. What would those people say if he made a total fool of himself?
He could sort of understand why Arata felt pressured.
"And from Class 1-B we have Todoroki Arata!" The stadium continued to cheer, the loud noise echoing in the large space.
"Are you ready?!" Mirio called out, and Yuuta tried to focus on what was happening and not the loud sound of his rapid heartbeat. "And FIGHT!"
A loud alarm sounded, the entire arena exploding with excitement as Arata began to walk towards the center of the field. What was he doing?
"I already told you, Yuuta," he said, unzipping the top of his jersey. "I won't go easy on you just because you're my brother."
"I wouldn't expect you to-" Yuuta said, blue flames dancing over the tips of his fingers. He had to keep his flames cold. Since Arata's fire crystals would be insanely hot, the only way Yuuta would be able to stop him would be to freeze said crystals.
Arata pressed his hand against his chest, pulling a long molton crystal in the shape of a spear, similar to ones their mother often used.
Blinking, Yuuta tried not to be shocked. It made sense Arata's quirk would be able to mold the crystals into such a thing, since it was so similar to their mother's quirk. Still... it threw him off for a moment, seeing his brother do something so… advanced.
"Let's go!" he cried out, charging for him.
Yuuta gasped, and spread out his hands, circling a wall of cold blue fire around him. It was a temporary solution, while he tried not to panic. If Arata had weapons... what did he have? Fire? He couldn't freeze Arata with his cold flames, but if he could get close enough to the weapon... that would work right? His mind was moving at insane speeds.
"Yuuta!" Arata cried out, jumping over the wall of flames. "I know your fire is cold, this won't work on me," he smirked, charging for him with the spear.
Grunting, Yuuta held up his arm, covering it in his flame in an attempt to block the attack from the spear. He should've known Arata wouldn't hesitate going through the fire.
Arata thrust the molton object towards Yuuta, scraping at his arm. He hissed, stumbling backwards as the cut on his arm burned. Yuuta was used to things being hot. Being able to control the temperature of his flame, it was something his body could handle, but Arata's spear searing his skin was a boiling pain Yuuta had never experienced.
Arata charged at him rapidly, while Yuuta fell backwards, trying not to stumble, the spear scraping against his forearms. He needed to make his flames colder to try and freeze it.
He fell to his knees as he stumbled towards the edge of the arena. If he stepped out, he was disqualified, which he refused to let happen. His arms burned and his chest felt tight. He had to fight back, especially since Arata was being so aggressive.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Arata snapped. "Get up, Yuu. This is pathetic-"
Lunging forward, Yuuta wrapped his hand around the molton spear, his hand burning as it did. He winced, letting the cool flames wrap around it, lowering the temperature of his hand as much as he could to freeze the damn thing.
His body was shivering, so cold from changing the temperature so fast, but he shoved Arata back, stepping up.
The arena exploded with cheers.
"I'm not pathetic, Arata," he hissed. "Just because I don't have as much drive as you or care about these sorts of things... it doesn't make me pathetic or any less of a hero than you!" He yelled, watching Arata's eyes widen.
Using his other hand, he shot his flame towards Arata, who tossed the frozen spear to the side, shattering it. He ducked, just barely in time.
It was time for Yuuta to counter. He shot flames towards Arata, walking slowly towards him, aiming all the shots directly for him. If Arata wasn't scared to fight, neither was Yuuta and he was going to prove he wasn't weak or pathetic. It didn’t matter if he didn’t train as much as Arata, Yuuta was strong too.
Arata dove to the side, rolling forward as he began to run back around. Pressing his hand to his chest, he pulled another crystal out, a long sword, hissing with heat. Yuuta saw his brother shiver, and he wondered if he was losing too much body heat from making such large objects.
He charged again, running so fast towards Yuuta. Shooting a long trail of flames towards him, Arata dodged out of the way, thrusting the sword towards his brother.
Yuuta meant to dodge, but Arata was fast and the blade of the sword scraped against his cheek, cutting the skin and burning it harshly.
Screaming, Yuuta clutched at his cheek, stumbling backwards. With Arata charging again, he tried to hold up his hand, creating a small wall of flames again, but Arata cut right through it, pushing Yuuta back further.
His brother was relentless, swinging the sword and slicing through any flames Yuuta tried to use to block.
He didn’t want to faint, his breathing shallow as he attempted to fight back, blocking and shooting smaller flames towards Arata which he deftly dodged.
Arata was definitely stronger than him... there was no argument. Yuuta had never wanted to be stronger, hadn't been putting as much effort in as his brother, and it showed.
Arata swiped in front of Yuuta, purposefully not using the sword to slice open his brother and Yuuta gasped when he went to put his foot back and instead he fell out of the arena, landing sharply on his back.
Panting, Yuuta felt the heat from the sword oddly close to his face as Arata stabbed down in the ground right next to Yuuta's face. Blood trickled down his cheek as he stared up at his brother's intense turquoise eyes.
"I win," he hissed, stepping back as he made his way to the middle of the arena.
"Todoroki Yuuta has stepped out of the arena! Todoroki Arata will be moving on to the next round!"
Cheers sounded throughout the stadium and Yuuta winced. His hand hurt, his body ached. Arata had felt so angry during the fight, and he wondered if it was because of grandfather's training. Arata was pushing himself far too much.
Yuuta stared at the sky, watching the clouds above him as he lay on the ground of the arena, the cheers from the crowd slowly getting quieter as he escaped into his own mind. Arata had won, and Yuuta prayed Arata wouldn't overdo it by the end of the day. More than anything, Yuuta hoped his brother would be okay.
Title: What We Lack Part 15 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 3,721 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole and @amaisenshi for reading this over and letting me freak out always.
"I hope she looks like you," Ochako said, leaning her head back to nuzzle in the crook of Bakugou's neck.
He scoffed, running his hands down her hip, gently stroking over her swollen stomach. She was rounder this time and he spread his palm out across her, secretly hoping to feel a kick or some movement. "So you think it's a girl. Again."
"This time I know it's a girl," she whispered.
Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I'll tell Shou he's getting a baby brother then."
She jabbed her elbow against his stomach and he grunted. "I'm serious!" she laughed. Slowly, she rolled onto her back and turned to face him. "I just think the universe wants our family to be even."
He raised his eyebrow and shook his head, leaning down to kiss her. "Alright, but why the fuck do you want her to look like me?"
"Well..." She trailed off, her hand coming to his cheek. "You're beautiful Katsuki."
He frowned, wrinkling up his nose. "Fuckin' gross."
She giggled, the sound like music as it echoed through their bedroom. She brought her other hand to his cheek, and pulled him in for a kiss, a smile pulled across her lips. "You are very handsome, Katsuki," she said, running her hand through his hair. "I just think a little blonde girl would be so cute! Besides Shouhei kind of takes after me," she said.
"I can't wait to see their quirks," he chuckled, still rubbing his palm over her stomach, and he pressed his lips to shoulder.
"I know... I kinda hope they both can't explode things... " she said, looking a little nervous.
"What?! My quirk is the fuckin' best!" he snapped, looking at his hand for a brief moment. When he was a child, it had been difficult to control sometimes, plus his ego was inflated when everyone talked about how amazing his quirk was. Maybe his kids didn't need to go through the same things he did.
"Two young children exploding things in the house? Imagine how much of a disaster that could be," Ochako chuckled, her eyes fluttering shut while he kissed at her neck.
"As long as they're not quirkless."
"Katsuki!" Ochako snapped and hit him on the arm. "You take that back right now."
"Hah!?"
"If one of our children is quirkless then so be it!" Ochako said, frowning at him.
Bakugou rolled his eyes and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her fingers to his lips. "I just..." he sighed. "Look, I know how shitty I was and I don't want someone being shitty to her or him... whatever... You know how fuckin' awful teenagers can be about this kinda bullshit. I was one of those fucking awful kids."
Ochako's brown eyes softened and she stroked her thumb over his lower lip. "Oh Katsuki... you know that if any of our children are quirkless, you'd do everything in your power to keep them safe."
"Yeah..." he muttered, closing his eyes as he took in her gentle scent. "'Course I would."
"Mmm," she hummed, snuggling close to him. "Quirkless or not, I can't imagine you would be okay with anyone bullying our children."
"Hell fuckin' no. I'll kick their goddamn asses!" he snapped, yelling far too loudly.
"Shhh," Ochako said with a laugh, pressing her finger to his lips. "I know you would. I believe in the goodness in your heart."
He sighed, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. "I'm glad someone does."
~~
He jinxed himself that day. That's always how he felt. It was his fault. He'd done this to her. After how awful he had treated Deku, it was some sort of sick fucking karma his own daughter would struggle with the very thing he'd always made fun of.
In many ways, Ochako had gotten what she predicted. A baby girl, bright blonde hair, the most beautiful gift they could've ever received. She was a small version of Bakugou in so many ways; fiery, passionate, strong-willed.
But her eyes. Her eyes were chocolate brown, round, full of love and joy, just like Ochako.
Right now, those brown eyes glared at him so hard, Katsuki felt his entire body tremble with emotion.
"You fuckin' lied to me!" she snapped.
Probably. Lying had never been his forte, but when it came to protecting her, he didn't mind a little white lie or two.
"How can you call yourself a hero when you bullied Uncle Deku when you were young!?"
He froze, clutching the back of the chair.
How could he?
Her knuckles were white, her eyes trembling with tears. She looked as though she were about to collapse on the ground, her knees shaking, barely holding her up.
He swallowed, knowing he had to say something, anything. Lying wouldn't work, he didn't want to run away from this.
"I could tell you've been looking at me strange lately!" she yelled, her voice cracking as she did.
"Sayuri," he spoke finally, but it almost didn't feel fair to say her name so calmly.
"And now I know it's because... Because you hate this! You hate that I'm quirkless, You... You..."
No. She had it all wrong. He needed to tell her. As much as he sucked at talking about bullshit like this.
"Sayuri!" he snapped and slammed his hand down against his desk, causing her to jump. "Enough."
"No!" she said. "You told him to go jump off a roof?!"
Did he? That sounded accurate, a shitty thing he would say when he was in shitty middle school; when he hated weakness more than anything else in the world.
He rubbed his forehead. "Who told you this?" he snapped. It was probably Deku's shitty little son.
He was an idiot, for thinking he could hide what he had done from her for her whole life. He had always been honest about his frustrations with Deku, partially because they were still there. Whenever Deku passed him in rank it pissed him off, whenever Deku gave a particularly heartwarming speech it pissed him off. Deku just... pissed him off, despite being closer now than they ever were.
Storming up to his desk, she slammed her hands down on it too, the slapping noise echoing in his small office. "No. You don't get to ask me questions until you answer mine! Did you... did you actually tell Uncle Deku to go jump off a roof? Because he was... because he was... useless to you?"
Her brown eyes stayed fixated on him waiting for an answer. Her chest heaved with her deep breaths, her body trying not to breakdown. She wanted to be strong; he could tell. Her stance, her gaze, everything about her demeanor however, gave away that she was fighting every instinct she had to break down.
He knew his daughter. He understood her on a level maybe she didn't even understand. In many ways, they were the same.
"...Look Baby Girl... If I fuckin' tell you about this, you have to understand-"
"I don't have to understand anything!" she screamed. "Will you just admit you hate that I'm quirkless?!"
"NO!" he yelled back. She was pushing and pushing and even with years of being a parent, he couldn't help but push back. He made his way around the desk, glaring at her, staring down at the only girl besides Ochako who meant the world to him. "It has nothing to fucking do with that and you should know that."
"Should I!?" she snapped, not faltering even for a moment. In a weird way, he was proud of her, happy to see she wasn't about to back down.
"It's never fucking mattered to me what you are," he said. "You are my daughter and I love you more than my own goddamn life."
"How?!" She paused, pulling in tight breaths of air. Bakugou could tell, he had fought internally with himself in the same way. She was trying to hold back her tears, the intense emotions threatening to rush out of her heart and into the world, making them an intense reality. His daughter was breaking apart right in front of him, and it was his own goddamn fault. "H-How… can you fucking say that?!" she stammered, sniffling. "How?!" she repeated, pushing against his chest. "Did you hate it?! When the doctors told you that day?! Were you hoping I would have your quirk since Shou basically has Mom's?!" Tears were falling down her cheeks, the questions pouring out of her.
He wanted to hug her and wrap his arms around her. She wasn't a child anymore, not in the same way she used to be. Now she was on the brink of adulthood and he was convinced she would push him away.
And yet somewhere along the way it had become his number one goal to protect her and Shouhei. Shouhei was off at school, doing well, independent, and happy.
When it came to Sayuri, he had never felt like he had failed more than this moment. She stood in front of him, crying, accusing him of not being a hero. For so long her wide brown eyes always looked at him like he was a fuckin' god. He could do no wrong.
And now he stood before her, the villain of her nightmares.
"Will you let me fuckin' speak, Baby Girl?" he asked, the words choking out from his throat.
"It doesn't fucking matter what you say-"
"I did hate it," he muttered, turning his gaze to the floor. "That day..."
"W-What..." she breathed out, snot running down her face, her eyes frozen from the shock of the admission.
He swallowed, bringing his hand up to cover his eyes. He couldn't look at her while he spoke.
He was worse than a villain. He was such a goddamn coward.
"I did hate it... when they told me..." he said, turning his gaze to face her. "I hated every word that came out of the doctor's mouth. I grabbed his goddamn collar and asked him to run the tests again. I think I punched a fuckin' wall."
Her brow furrowed and she stepped back, shaking her head as if she didn't actually want to hear the answer to her questions.
"And I know... exactly what you're thinking right now. You're thinking I did it because I was mad you wouldn't get my quirk, or that you couldn’t be a hero like me and your mom," he said, curling his hand into a fist against the wood of the desk.
"Y-Yeah..." she breathed out, the word swallowed by a small sob.
"That had nothing to fucking do with it! I was fucking pissed there would be assholes like me trying to make your life miserable!" he yelled. "Yeah, I told Deku to jump off a goddamn roof. I hated how fucking weak he was. I hated that despite being weak, he always seemed to surpass me. I didn't want to be like him, I didn't want anything to fuckin' do with him. I was an ass!" he yelled.
Even as he spoke, he hated how tight his chest felt, how awful it was to admit to the villain-like thoughts which plagued his mind when he was younger. "I hated that he wanted to pass me, I hated that he thought he could pass me. I was the goddamn best... I still am the goddamn best!" he snapped, even if, for once, he didn't feel like it at all.
"But you know what? I'm not the only one who thinks like this," he growled. "I've come to fucking learn that over the years. I knew that day... when the doctor told us... I knew there was going to be someone who made you cry. Someone who tore you down and called you names and maybe... didn't want you to exist. You. The person I am so fuckin' grateful for... And that killed me. I hate that. I hate that this is what you have to deal with. I hate that it's probably worse because of who your mom and I are.
"But worst of all, I hate that I can't protect you from it. I hate that every time I send you to school you seem to get farther and farther away from me," he whispered. "I hate that I can't be your personal goddamn hero... every single day. So if I look at you weird... " he said, his voice trembling. He didn't want to cry in front of her... he was better than that, stronger than that. Still, his eyes glassed over, the water pooling at the bottom of his eyes.
"It's got nothing to do with you... and everything to do with how I failed you. That in a way, I was your villain. I can see it..."
He paused, pressing his fist against the desk.
"Dad..." she whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks. She tried to wipe her eyes, but she kept sniffing, unable to keep up with her steady flow of tears. "You're... a fuckin' idiot, you know that?" she choked out, sobs rolling through her entire body.
"Yeah," he scoffed, finally taking the step forward. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to his chest.
"Yeah," she breathed, pulling back to look up at him. "School kinda sucks... but you know I've been told middle school isn't really all that fun anyway," she sniffed.
"It's the worst one," he said, not wanting to let her go.
She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face in close to his chest. "You really don't hate me?"
Was she really scared of that? Did she really believe he could hate her?
"Oi," he said, a gentleness in his tone he tended to only show to her. He stroked over the back of her head, holding her close. If he could’ve held her there forever, he would have. "I love you, Baby Girl… I love you the most," he muttered. "I don't hate that you're quirkless, I hate that it makes your life harder. I hate that I can't blast those shitty girls to smithereens."
"Yeah... I kinda wish you could too... But... even if you can't... you're still my number one hero, Dad..." she whispered. "I just... I wish you had been honest with me, about Deku and... all this. I know you suck at talking, I get it. I hate talking too," she muttered, and gently pushed her fist against his chest. "Finding about all this from Kazu was... the worst," she admitted.
He sighed, pulling away from her. Even when she looked so much older, like a teenager, he had the hardest time seeing her as such. To him, she was still the toddler that needed his help with everything.
"I never wanted you to fucking find out," he grumbled.
"Yeah... you should've just told me. I-I mean you and Deku... you're beyond it now? You apologized right?" she asked.
He froze. Were they beyond it? Mostly. Had he ever apologized? Not really. Sort of. He had grumbled it one time towards the end of their high school days and Deku had made it clear he didn't care. They had come so far, were so past it, he'd said.
"Don't lie, Dad," she hissed.
He ran his hand down his face. "...you know..." he mumbled. "There are sometimes. Very rare times... when Deku... that fuckin' idiot... is a little stronger than me. He fought against so much, struggled and came out striving. I can respect that. But it's just a fucking little, it's a tiny ass amount and it's not all the time-"
"Dad," she sighed, shaking her head.
"I want you to be like that," he said flatly. "Despite all this bullshit. It doesn't matter that you're fucking quirkless. You're strong. You're gonna be the strongest fuckin' girl I know."
"Stronger than Mom?" she asked, sniffling, her brown eyes staring at him with hope again.
"Stronger than Mom."
A smile pulled across her face as she stared up at him. She brought her fingers to the tip of her long blonde hair as she rubbed it. "Okay… but… you have to apologize to Uncle Deku. For real."
"Eh!? It was fuckin' years ago, Baby Girl. There's no reason-"
"What if it still bothers him?" she asked.
Bakugou stared at Sayuri, the way her brown eyes trembled with a shyness he wasn't used to seeing from her. He pulled his teeth across his lower lip. He knew for a fact, that what had happened in middle school no longer bothered Deku, the idiot had brought it up plenty of times, however... it clearly bothered Sayuri.
With a sigh, he ran his hand down his face.
"Al-fuckin'-right."
~~
"K-Kacchan!?" Deku blinked, holding the door to his house open. "Sayu-chan!" he smiled. "Uhm... I didn't realize you were coming over."
After their long talk, both of them settling down, Sayuri had insisted Bakugou go to Deku's house, not giving him any time to change his mind.
"Oi, Deku," he growled, stepping inside. "We gotta fuckin' talk."
"We do?" Deku asked, looking between the two of them.
"...Yeah..." Bakugou swallowed, looking from Deku to his daughter.
"Did something happen? Are you okay, Sayu-chan?" he asked, immediately looking at her confused. "Kazu is down in the basement with Melissa if you-"
"No that's okay, we wanted to talk to you," Sayuri said, nudging her father.
"Me?" Deku smiled. "Alright then."
Bakugou folded his arms over his chest. He knew this wouldn't change anything about his and Deku's relationship, but he wanted to do it, for the sake of his daughter. He didn't hate that she was quirkless, and he wanted her to believe in him. If that meant formally apologizing to Deku... so be it.
"Deku..." Bakugou growled, the name rolling out of his throat. Forever the cause of so many of his frustrations. Deku made Bakugou face himself in ways he hated.
"Yeah, Kacchan?" Deku rubbed his neck. "You're kind of freaking me out. I haven't seen you look this angry since high school!"
He ran his hand down his face, puffing out his cheeks. Was this really happening right now? Deku fuckin’ knew this was behind them. He flicked his red eyes to the side, seeing Sayuri looking down at the floor, nervous. This wasn’t about him and Deku, not at all. "I-... I'm fuckin' sorry, okay?!" Bakugou blurted out, the words echoing through Deku's kitchen.
"Izuku? Is someone here-oh..." Melissa said, pausing as she stood in the doorway, keeping the door open to the basement.
Great. More people to see him be a total ass.
"Eh?" Deku blinked. "What? What are you sorry for Kacchan?"
"...For... middle school..." he grumbled.
"Middle school?" he raised his brow. "Kacchan, it's been years..."
"No," Melissa said, interrupting her husband. She stepped forward and wrapped her arm through Deku's, glaring at Bakugou. "He should be sorry."
"Meli... it's been years," Deku repeated. "I forgave Kacchan a long time ago."
"Because you are good and kind," Melissa said softly.
Bakugou rolled his eyes. He knew Melissa didn't care for him, not that he blamed her much. Still, he wished she had stayed in the goddamn basement.
"I should never... have told you to jump off a roof," he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest, barely able to look Deku in the eye.
Deku chuckled softly, stepping forward. He gently placed his hand on Bakugou's shoulder. "No, you shouldn't have. But... it doesn't matter anymore. I forgive you, Kacchan. I always have."
"Yeah, yeah," Bakugou muttered.
"Uncle Deku, I think you're too forgiving," Sayuri huffed, folding her arms across her chest in the same manner as her father.
Deku laughed, glancing back at Melissa who nodded in silent agreement. "Maybe. But Kacchan had his own struggles. Sometimes he still has them," he smirked.
"Shut it, nerd," Bakugou growled.
"Dad!" Sayuri sighed.
"Sayu-chan," Deku began, ignoring Bakugou's anger. He was quite good at that, after so many years of doing so. "I hear you've been having trouble at school."
"No," she snapped, her cheeks turning bright red. "I-I mean... I'm handling it."
"Mmm..." Deku nodded. "That's understandable. Just know that no matter what they say to you, you are stronger than them."
"Yeah," she nodded.
"'Course she's stronger!" Bakugou snapped. "She's the strongest fuckin' girl."
Deku laughed. "See? You're always going to be number one to your dad."
"Yeah," she said softly. "He's always going to be number one to me. Even if he was an asshole to you when you guys were kids."
"He's less of one now," Deku teased.
"Shut up, I'm nice as shit to you," he snorted.
"Definitely," Deku laughed. "So... will you two be staying for dinner?"
"No," Bakugou said, a soft sigh slipping from his lips. "If I don't go cook for Ochako, she'll either die or eat some shit that's terrible for her."
"Ah! Yeah, please go take care of Ochako-chan," Deku said, still smiling.
"Someone's gotta..." he grumbled. "Let's go, Baby Girl." He began to make his way towards the front of Deku's house with Sayuri when he paused, turning around. "I meant it," he said. "I shouldn't have said that shit."
"I know, Kacchan," Deku smiled. "It's really okay. It always has been."
"Yeah, right," he muttered, leaving them behind. He wasn't sure if it would really ever be okay, but at least he had said it.
The two began the walk back to their own house, heading down the street when he felt Sayuri slip her hand in his. "Thanks..." she whispered. "I know you... did that more for me than for him."
She wasn't wrong, but he squeezed her hand gently. "Anything for you, Baby Girl."
Swallowing, she nodded. "I know... and... I meant what I said... You're still my number one hero..."
For a moment, his breath caught in his chest and he stopped walking. He pressed his teeth into his lips, squeezing her hand harder. "That's right..." he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "You'll always be my perfect girl."
"I know," she said, smiling at him.
And her smile was enough. As long as he was number one to her, it would always be enough.
Title: What We Lack Part 14 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 4,351 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole and @amaisenshi for reading this over and letting me freak out always.
"So you're friends again?" Shouhei asked, scooping a large bite of rice into his mouth. "Does this mean Arata is gonna stop being a dick to us?" He grunted, swallowing down the large bite of rice he took, coughing as he did.
Yuuta raised an eyebrow. "Shou-kun... you really should take smaller bites," he muttered, shaking his head.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he coughed, patting his chest.
"You're making a mess," Yuuta giggled, leaning forward to gently brush some of the rice off of Shouhei's cheek. They had come up to the roof for lunch, actually taking time to relax with each other.
Here, it was easy for them to be... a little closer. Something Shouhei seemed to avoid when they were together in class or ate lunch in the classroom. It was just... different... when they were alone. Maybe Shouhei really was embarrassed. Yuuta could understand why... it wasn't like he was highly regarded in their class.
He swallowed, knowing he still needed to just ask Shouhei what they were to each other. It was such an easy question, and yet... here he was, concerned and nervous... terrified if he brought it up, it would all be over.
"Yuu..." Shouhei said, leaning towards him with a smirk. He wrapped his fingers around Yuuta's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "You're thinking about something."
"E-Eh!?" he gasped, practically falling backwards. "I-I'm not..."
"You didn't answer me about Arata," Shouhei said, his brown eyes staring intently at Yuuta.
"Mmm..." Yuuta hummed softly, happy Shouhei was willing to divert the subject to his brother. "Well, it seems like he's going to be less of a dick to me, I dunno about you."
Shouhei sighed, letting his head flop forward. "What? You're not gonna put in a good word for me?" he asked.
Giggling, Yuuta shook his head. "Nope. You're gonna have to talk to him yourself."
Shouhei sighed, sitting up. He gently ran his fingers through Yuuta's black and white strands. "So..." he whispered, "is it because he's jealous?"
Yuuta's cheeks heated up, his face throbbing with embarrassment. "J-Jealous of what?"
"Us..." Shouhei said, his fingers gently curling around Yuuta's ear. He stroked at his jaw, his lips hovering above Yuuta's.
"I-I don't know," Yuuta's eyes flicked to the side. "I think Arata... Uhm... I think he..."
"What?" Shouhei asked, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Likes girls?" he muttered. "I-I dunno it's really hard to think when I know you're about to kiss me."
"Good," Shouhei teased, pressing his lips to Yuuta's, kissing him so softly. Shouhei always made Yuuta's stomach flip flop, his body shivering as he melted against the other boy. He wondered if Shouhei had ever kissed anyone else, if that was how he practiced, since he was so damn good at kissing it made Yuuta's head spin.
Sometimes he wanted to do more... he wanted Shouhei to touch and kiss him in other places than his lips. Maybe even a little... lower? Was that horrible? Was he dirty?!
He knew it was better to take things slow, so even after kissing for a bit, Yuuta was happy to snuggle close until the curfew was up and he was forced to return to his room, or the lunch bell rang and they made their way back to the classroom.
"Shou..." he whispered, not wanting the other boy to pull away.
"So... you really think Arata only likes girls?" Shouhei said, still cupping Yuuta's cheeks.
Why did Shouhei care about Arata so much? Did he want to kiss both of them? Yuuta immediately wrinkled his nose and pulled away. "I-I dunno! He never talks about that kind of stuff!"
"Yuu?"
"Do you want to kiss him instead of me? I get that Arata is better at most stuff compared to me but-"
"Ew! Yuu.... Yuuta... no... no, no... one thousand times no. I don't want to kiss your brother! I want to kiss you!" Shouhei said waving his hands.
"You know, Arata and I are twins," Yuuta said, raising an eyebrow. "If it's so gross to you, why am I not gross?"
"I-I just meant it would be gross to kiss him after kissing you!" he stammered. "You know, this is confusing. First you're upset that you think I wanna kiss him instead of you and then you're upset I don't wanna kiss him?" Shouhei admitted, tilting his head to the side. "Gettin' some mixed signals from you, Yuuta."
"Ugh..." Yuuta sighed, raising his dark eyes to look at Shouhei. "Sorry. I just..." he paused and pressed his teeth against his lips.
"What?" Shouhei asked, concern flickering through his brown eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
He slammed his eyes shut, curling his hands into fists as he pressed them hard against his own legs. "What are we, Shou?" Yuuta whispered finally, knowing he could no longer put this question off.
"Huh?" Shouhei blinked, completely confused. "What do you mean 'what are we'?"
"I-I mean are we boyfriends?" he muttered, the question sounding so stupid as it left his lips.
Shouhei's mouth practically dropped as he stared at Yuuta. "Uh... is this a serious question?"
"Kinda?" Yuuta muttered, poking his fingers together. "I-I mean, you never do anything publicly or have really said if we are or not."
Shouhei's cheeks turned red, his gaze turning away from Yuuta. "Y-Yeah cause PDA kinda... grosses me out," he muttered. "I just want you to know how much I care about you... the world doesn't fucking need to know. But... it's not because we're not... boyfriends."
"The world doesn't need to know... or you don't want them to know?" Yuuta asked, looking at the ground.
Shouhei pursed his lips. "No, I meant they don't need to know. If you want me to shout from this rooftop that we're dating, I fucking will. I just... kinda assumed we were after I kissed you that first time."
"Well you never specifically asked," Yuuta giggled.
Shouhei adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. "Alright. Todoroki Yuuta, will you be my boyfriend?"
The words were so soft, even coming from Shouhei's gruff voice, and Yuuta's heart fluttered a bit. He'd been wanting Shouhei to say it all officially and now that he had, Yuuta was convinced he was going to combust into blue flames.
Instead, he grabbed Shouhei's cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. "Of course I will."
Shouhei cracked a smile. "And you know, If you want, I can be more honest about all this."
Yuuta shrugged. "Mmm… okay. Maybe we could... hold hands every so often."
Shouhei nodded. "Good deal."
Yuuta nodded, leaning his head against Shouhei's shoulder. Honestly, the more time Yuuta spent with Shouhei, the easier it was to adjust to U.A. It truly felt like he was meant to be here.
~~
Arata sighed, adjusting his backpack as he stood outside of his parents' house. He hoped they were even home. Though he supposed if they weren't it would save him a huge headache.
He knew his father was going to be so incredibly disappointed.
Sucking in a large breath of air, he raised his hand to knock on the door. It was the one day off he had from training with his grandfather, and after talking to Yuuta, he thought maybe he should at least... tell his father. He knew it would be a huge fight, but at least... he wouldn't be hiding anything from them.
He knew he didn't really owe them an explanation... but there was a small part of him deep inside that hated worrying his parents. He hated seeing his mother so... distressed.
Pursing his lips, he knocked on the door and squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe he would be lucky and they would've been gone for the evening or working...
Instead, his father opened the door. "Arata? Why are you not at school?"
He clutched at the straps of his backpack, his hands trembling. "C-Can I come in?" he asked, his blue eyes locking with his father's mismatched ones.
"Of course," Shouto whispered, placing his hand on Arata's shoulder, gently leading him inside. "Is everything okay?"
Why did his dad have to be so straightforward and to the point?
Arata swallowed. "Yeah, fine. I uh... I just thought I could tell you and Mom about the first week."
"You know," Shouto chuckled, "you're always welcome to come home. But you can also call us if you don't want to leave the dorm."
"Yeah... I know..." Arata said. Maybe he should've just called. It would've been easier to hang up when his father started ranting at him about how horrible Enji was and how Shouto didn't approve and... just thinking about these things made Arata tired. "I guess I should've just called."
Shouto's eyes were so soft. "No, no it's good to see you. Like I said, you can always come home."
"Where's Mom?" he asked, peering into the living room.
It was strange, even though he'd only been gone for a few weeks, already his house felt foreign. His parents hadn't changed a thing and yet he felt like a stranger. Like his father and the living room kept moving farther and farther away from him, no matter how fast he tried to work.
And really he had no one to blame but himself.
"Finishing paperwork at her agency. You know how your mother is. Everything has to be in order before she comes home," Shouto chuckled. "Do you want some tea? I'll make some."
Arata shook his head and took a seat on the couch, not even taking his backpack off. He was certain his father was going to kick him out shortly anyway.
Shouto took a seat next to him. "How are your classes going?"
"Good," Arata shrugged. "I uh, I'm one of the strongest in the class, that's for sure," he said, unsure if his father cared about something like that.
"And you've been training?"
Arata nodded again, shaking his red and black hair across his forehead. "Yeah, a lot."
"And your brother? Have you seen him? Are you two getting along?"
Arata sighed. Everything always came back to Yuuta. "We're in separate classes, Dad..."
"Right... of course," he replied, buying that as a good excuse.
Arata sighed, sitting back against the couch. He had no idea how to really even bring this up. What would he say? Casually tell his father he was training with the man Shouto had worked so hard to keep him and Yuuta from?
"Good. It sounds like things are going well," Shouto said.
"Mmm... yeah..." Arata said. "Really well. I'm uhm... grateful..." he whispered, letting his hair fall over his eyes. He wanted to say it, he really did... but he couldn't find the words. Why was he absolutely terrible at speaking... not that his father was really any better.
"Grateful?"
"Mmm... for being able to attend U.A..." he said softly.
Shouto nodded. "Arata... you are lucky to be attending there, yes, but you work hard too."
"Right..." Arata whispered.
Shouto scooted forward on his chair and leaned in to gently place his hand on the arm of the couch. "Arata... if there's something you need to talk about... your mother and I are always here for you. I know I may not be the best at communicating, but we love you and want you to be happy."
Why was his father being so forthcoming and kind? Arata had never been able to communicate well with him... and yet...
"Yeah," he said, his throat running dry. "I know."
"Good," Shouto nodded and let his hand slide down the couch. He sat back and stared at his son for a moment before nodding. "I just... appreciate your honesty. With everything, Arata."
Arata's face paled. Did he know? Did Yuuta tell him? No. There was no way... his father was way too calm... he would be angrier? Right?
Why did being home make his chest feel tight? Like he was about to suffocate and he could never escape from the disappointment he knew his parents had for him... or even if they didn't have disappointment now, they surely would when they learned what he was doing.
"I know that..."
"Good," Shouto smiled. "We're on the same page."
"Yeah..." Arata said and pushed himself off the couch. "I guess I should... get back because of curfew."
"I'm sure if we signed you out, we could say you stayed for dinner? Your mother would-"
"Sorry, Dad, I have a lot of homework..." he muttered, rubbing his neck. Why had he come here? This was all such a mistake. He wasn't ready to be a disappointment.
"You know, Arata," Shouto sighed, "if something is wrong you can always tell me. Your brother and you left for school, both of you unsure of your path. When I was your age, I felt similarly upon entering U.A. No one said this to me, but I want you to know... that no matter what path you choose, your mother and I are always going to love you."
"Right, yeah... of course," Arata nodded, agreeing with his father's sentiment, though he wasn't quite sure that was actually true.
~~
"Arata was here?!" Momo gasped, looking around the house for a moment as if she would make him reappear or find him somewhere she hadn't seen.
"Yes, love, and he left so he wouldn't be late for curfew."
"Well, that's good at least," she sighed. "You should've texted me."
"I didn't have much time," Shouto replied. "He came in, sat here awkwardly and left after I gave him some advice. Something is wrong but he won't say what?"
Momo sighed, letting herself drop to the couch. "I know... I can tell... but we can't do anything if he won't tell us what is wrong."
Shouto moved to sit next to her, gently stroking over Momo's knee. "I told him he could always talk to us. He needs to realize I am telling the truth."
"I wish I hadn't worked tonight," she muttered. "I just want to know my boy is okay... and here I thought we'd be worrying about Yuuta the whole time..." She ran her hand down her face and gently laced her fingers together with Shouto’s.
"Maybe if I text him..." she said, glancing to her purse on the table.
"I think we need to wait for him to come to us. I think that's why he came here today," Shouto admitted. "It seemed like there was something he wanted to talk about but obviously, he's not ready yet. I don't want to push him..."
"Maybe we should push him..." Momo whispered. "We are his parents and... I don't want anything to happen to him..."
"I don't know... You know how awkward I was when I was a teenager. We both were. In many ways Arata reminds me of myself and I would like to think I'm much better now I'm older... Arata might just need a little bit of time..." he said. "I don't know how to force it out of him anyway..."
"Well... we can give him a little more time but if he doesn't tell us... maybe we'll need to take more drastic measures," she said.
"...Drastic measures how?" he murmured.
"I-I don't know, nothing actually extreme," she said softly.
"...Momo..." he whispered, glancing down to the floor. "Do you think I’m making the right choice?"
"Huh!?" she blinked. "I… think so. I suppose we’ll have to see if he comes to us again."
"I don't know..." Shouto sighed. "Arata was looking for something when he came here and I have no idea if I gave him a good answer... I keep thinking I didn't..." he admitted softly. "He didn't say whatever it was he wanted to.... and I just have to wonder if maybe he would've if he talked to you. You know how hard it is for me to gauge how I'm being with the boys."
"I know," Momo whispered. She moved herself close to him and gently reached forward to touch his cheek. "I love you... and you're a wonderful father. I think I'm learning these are definitely the most complicated years," she said.
"Heh... me too..." he muttered. "These boys."
"If only they were tiny little babies again," Momo sighed. "I miss that..."
"It was much easier," Shouto agreed.
"Well," Momo said, leaning forward to grab her purse. She pulled her phone out. "I at least want him to know I was sad I missed him."
"I think he was sad he missed you too," Shouto said. He hated the hurt, distant look on Momo's face while she texted their son. Of course he was worried, but he knew pushing, especially with teenagers would only lead to more trouble. There was no way Arata would respond well if they tried to force it out of him.
"How about this," Shouto said, stroking over Momo's leg. "We'll give him a little bit more space and during their first break we'll push more... we'll tell him he needs to be more honest. It's a lesson I know he needs to learn."
"Alright," Momo sighed, and Shouto was glad he could give her a little peace of mind. "I just wish I knew what was so difficult to tell us. Maybe he's worried we'll be angry or disappointed."
"It's possible," Shouto whispered. "I guess we won't know until he comes clean."
"Mhm..." Momo said, moving closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I just want our boys to be okay."
"They will be," Shouto said, lacing their fingers together. He would make sure their boys were happy doing whatever they chose to do with their lives. Even if it took awhile for Arata to open up about whatever was bothering him.
~~
"Hah! Nice try quikless!" Hayami screeched, swiping the small bag out of Sayuri's hand, her lunch falling to the floor, the rice scattering on the ground.
"You gonna clean up that mess?" Sayuri scoffed, trying not to flinch when the cat girl leaned down, getting right in her face.
She purred softly while she spoke, "No," Hayami giggled.
"You pushed my damn food off the table, you can pick up the goddamn mess!" Sayuri retorted quickly.
"Yeah, right. Like I'd get my nails dirty for that," Hayami howled, laughing as she walked away with her two henchmen.
"Ugh..." Sayuri sighed, scooping the contents of the rice back into a small plastic baggie. At least now she could throw it away easier. "I just don't get what her fuckin' problem is with me! It's not like I can do anything to her." Sayuri clicked her tongue.
"I know it's easier said than done, but you should probably just ignore them. We're not going to be at this school forever," Kazu said, already dumping some rice onto her plate.
"I guess..." Sayuri sighed. "I just hate that she thinks she can push people around cause she has a cool quirk. You know sometimes I want to just sic my dad on her or something. But, I know I'm not a baby anymore, I can't have my dad fighting all my battles."
"You could ask him for advice. I mean I'm sure he'd know why she's doing it," Kazu suggested.
"Wait... my dad? Why? You do know we're talking about my dad, yeah?" Sayuri snorted. "He's not great with words."
"No I just meant because of my dad and your dad, and their history?" Kazu offered, but it only made Sayuri tilt her head in confusion. She was well aware of the long standing rivalry between her father, her Uncle Deku and Uncle Half and Half… and yes, her father hadn’t always been nice to Uncle Deku, but he wasn't a bully. He was a hero.
"Because they're rivals?" Sayuri asked, completely confused as to what Kazu was implying exactly.
"No," he shook his head, scratching his cheek. It was a sensitive topic. "I mean about the whole bullying thing."
"Bullying..." she whispered.
Katsuki had never really told her in full detail. Just that he'd said some awful things to her Uncle Deku about being quirkless. He wanted her to know he thought differently of it now... but... bullying seemed like a strong word for what her father did... or so it seemed.
She knew her father was jealous All Might had chosen to pass his quirk onto Deku, especially when her father viewed him as weak when they were younger and Deku was quirkless. He had explained how he realized how wrong he was and that he respected Deku, quirk or no quirk. Just as he respected her.
But did he?
The way he explained it... he always made it seem like he'd said things out of jealousy.
Kazu's face paled, and Sayuri hated the way his eyes flicked back and forth, the freckles on his cheeks glistening in the harsh light from the school.
"W-Wait, your dad has never told you about this?" Kazu asked, his cheeks heating as they spoke. "I-I thought we'd talked about it... I mean you're one of the only people who know... about my dad's quirk," he whispered, making certain no one heard him.
"He told me he said a few things to your dad once, but they had talked it through? Am I wrong!?" Sayuri asked, practically leaning over the desk.
"You know I really think you should have him tell you himself?!" Kazu said, his voice turning squeaky and high pitched. He always did this when he was nervous or hiding something.
"Midoriya Kazuya, if you do not tell me what my father did I will personally kill you," Sayuri hissed, leaning over her desk to grab at Kazu's collar.
"Why me!? This about your dad and my dad!" he said. "I-I just think he should tell you himself."
"No. Tell me. Right now," she demanded. Apparently she didn’t know all the horrible things Katsuki had said.
"When my dad was still quirkless... He... he told him to go jump off a roof..." Kazu whispered, glancing down to the floor. "And that wasn't the only instance... they grew up together but... your dad was never nice to my dad until they started to mature... and I-I mean my dad and your mom have always been best friends."
Kazu continued to ramble but Sayuri sat... unmoving. All this time she wondered why her father sometimes looked at her in the way he did, like she was already so see through. Maybe he didn't even want her to exist.
Her father... at one point in time... had told her Uncle Deku to jump off a roof because he had no quirk.
She’d known he had said awful things, but this was different.
For a moment, she couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own breath. She was alive... painfully alive... letting the concept of her father being an actual bully to her Uncle Deku like Hayami was to her settle in. How could he? How could he say that to... anyone? She knew he was abrasive and rude but... this was something else entirely.
And what if he wanted her to do the same?
No... there was no way. He was different now, right?
Seeds of doubt sprouted in her stomach, making the room spin.
"S-Sayu... are you okay? You know that your dad would do anything for you? I-I mean think about how stupid all our classmates are... how stupid we are...! Your dad was probably just an idiot kid," he urged.
Taking a step back, Sayuri practically caused the chair to fall over as she backed away slowly.
"Sayuri... where are you going?"
She shook her head and turned away, dashing out the door.
"Wait!" She heard Kazu call out behind her, but she continued down the school hall, not turning back for anything.
She needed answers and she needed answers now, she didn't care what the hell happened at school.
Running down the street, she ignored the blurs of people as she passed them by. Her eyes caught a poster with her parents on it and she paused, wrinkling her nose. How could her father call himself a hero if he said such awful things to an innocent person. Sure, he was in middle school when he said it but… still!
It made her heart ache.
She continued down the street and sighed, praying Katsuki was actually at his agency and not out on patrol.
She pushed the doors to the agency open and stormed through the stairwell door, her feet slamming against the stairs, all the way up to the fourth floor where Katsuki had his office.
Sayuri stomped down the hall to Katsuki, ignoring even her Uncle Kaminari who waved furiously and called her name.
Nothing would stop her from getting to her father.
She yanked the door to his office open, seeing her father standing by the window on his cell. His muscular back looked strong against the lighting of the room, and she could see his aggravation with the call, especially since his knuckles were turning white while he clutched the back of his chair.
Slamming the door behind her, she stood in his office and he turned around, shocked by her presence. His eyes widened, and he pushed his mask down around his neck.
"Gotta go," he said and slammed the phone down on the desk. "Baby girl, what the hell are you doing here?! You should be at that damn school!"
"Don't give me that shit," she snapped. "You fuckin' lied to me!"
Bakugou raised his eyebrow, staring at his daughter in confusion.
Her brow furrowed as she sucked in a long breath of air. "How can you call yourself a hero when you bullied Uncle Deku when you were young!?"
She watched her father grip his chair tightly, eyes wide with no words to be found.
Title: What We Lack Part 13 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 4,158 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole for beta-ing
"Come on, Yuuta, attack me!" Shouhei called out, bouncing back and forth on his feet. He hadn't even activated his quirk yet, and already he was ready for a fight.
"Sh-Shou!" Yuuta cried back, shaking his head. "I think it's a bad idea for us to fight." He couldn't attack his boyfriend, if he was even calling him his boyfriend. Yuuta still hadn't worked up the nerve to clarify.
"We're not fighting, Yuu," Shouhei snorted, folding his arms across his chest. "We're fucking training! There's a difference, and this will be fun!"
Yuuta swallowed, unsure of how any of this could be classified as fun.
"But Shou... what if I... what if I hurt you?" he said, glancing down at the ground.
"Then we get healed! The whole point of training is to get stronger. You're going to have to face your classmates during the sports fest!" Shouhei said, pointing out the rather obvious truth Yuuta was trying to avoid thinking about.
Admittedly it was one of his biggest fears, fighting both Shouhei and Arata during the sports fest. Knowing his luck, he'd probably have to face both.
He slammed his eyes shut, trying to breathe. So many times now had he pictured the large stadium... Shouhei standing across from him, a smirk pulled across his lips. Sometimes it was Arata, his piercing turquoise eyes looking as though he were about to murder Yuuta.
Neither were a pleasant daydream and Yuuta's heart began to pound in his chest, his breathing growing shallow. He shook his head back and forth.
"N-No..." he said, pressing his head to his hands. "I can't!"
"Oi, oi, oi," Shouhei said, jogging over to him. His hands wrapped gently around Yuuta's wrists, pulling them down. "What's going on?"
Slowly turning his gaze to Shouhei, Yuuta bit his lip. "I-I... I can't fight you Shouhei," he whispered. "I'm terrified I'll hurt you or... or..."
Shouhei scoffed. "I guess I should be offended you think I'm weak enough to let you land a hit."
"Eh?" Yuuta blinked, confusion dancing through his dark eyes. "I-I don't think you're weak at all, Shou."
"Exactly. I can hold my own against you," he smirked. His thumbs brushed over the backs of Yuuta's hands. Somehow Shouhei was always so gentle, even behind his sometimes gruff personality.
"Yes but..."
"Boys!" Mina's voice cut Yuuta off and he jerked away quickly, not wanting her to see them holding hands. Or well, he supposed Shouhei probably wouldn't want her to see them holding hands. He wasn't sure how much it mattered.
"M-Mina-sensei! A-Ah uhm... Kirishima-sensei," Yuuta stammered. He knew they should be calling her by her family name, despite being more familiar with her.
"Yuu-kun," Mina chuckled, smirking at both of them. "If the rest of the class isn't around, you don't have to be so nervous and formal!" She giggled. "It's cute how much like your mom you are. Momo-chan must be so proud."
"I-I uh, I hope..." Yuuta muttered, looking down at the ground. So far he hadn't done much to warrant his parents being proud of him.
"What seems to be the problem over here? Everyone is training and you two are just standing here talking," Mina said, narrowing her eyes at the two boys. "You shouldn't take this time for granted, especially with the sports festival coming up! These hours we set aside for training are crucial!" she said, tapping her foot against the ground.
"Well Yuu-"
"It's my fault Mina-sensei!" Yuuta said, immediately cutting Shouhei off. "I-I told Shou I didn't want to attack him and I started thinking about having to face Shou or Arata during the sports festival and I just... I freaked out..." he muttered, his cheeks flushing.
"Yuuta," Mina said and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I get that fighting against your classmates might seem a little bizarre, but I promise it will be good for you! I paired you with Shouhei today because I thought you would feel more comfortable working with someone you know very well. I guess that was maybe a mistake?" She raised her eyebrow, smiling at the two of them.
"N-No!" Yuuta said, shaking his head. "I need to get over it... I know..."
"Try not to think too much about it," Mina explained. "Your mother and I used to spar all the time!" she laughed. "Same with me and Ocha-chan!" She glanced towards Shou. "Your dad was a different story. No one wanted to fight against Bakugou, save for like Eiji... Midoriya... Todoroki occasionally... Oh and of course him and Ochako-chan sparred all the time, probably why they got married," she teased, waving her hand back and forth. "Well, either way, neither of you are going to explode the other, so just try and have fun and give it your all! You're on the hero track for a reason," she said.
Yuuta bit his lip. She was right. He had chosen to do this... he knew what it entailed. He wasn't sure why he thought he would never have to potentially spar against everyone in class. As heroes, his parents never fought against their friends. Only people who were quite obviously villains… but even they probably did things like this in school.
"Right," Yuuta nodded.
"I can promise you your parents sparred all the time as well, Yuu-kun," Mina explained. "None of us became heroes by holding ourselves back."
"I keep telling him he's not going to hurt me," Shouhei huffed.
"Yes, give Shou-kun some credit!" Mina giggled. "Do you think you boys can try to practice now? If you don't want to be paired up in the future, I can make sure to avoid this again, but I think the two of you can help each other get stronger-"
"No! We can do it!" Yuuta said, pulling away from them to go stand more in the middle of the field. The last thing he wanted was to be denied more chances to work with Shouhei. "Let's go Shou!" he called out, letting the blue flames flicker around his palms.
"Alright, alright, give me a second," he said, running to stand across from him.
Yuuta glanced down at his hands, the blue flames cold as he started to warm their temperature, he saw Shouhei press his hands against a few large rocks, moving his fingers to raise them up.
They could do this... it was just like Mina said, they could help each other get stronger.
~~
SLAP
The sound was sharp, echoing across the training room, Enji's palm connecting with Arata's face.
"You're late," he stated flatly.
The sting spread across Arata's cheek and he instinctively brought his own palm to gently rub the spot.
"I-I had to... change after class," Arata muttered, though even as the words left his mouth, he could tell they felt like a piss poor excuse. It wouldn't matter to Enji what he was doing... Arata was late and Enji wasn't going to accept any sort of reason.
"I don't appreciate people who disrespect my time," Enji scoffed. "You came to me Arata. Please keep that in mind."
"Yes Grandfather," he breathed.
"Good, I'd like you to spend the first hour rotating between core training; jogging, pushups, sit ups, etc."
He opened his mouth about to argue they had worked on those things today during their training session at school, but he didn't wish to elicit anymore slaps.
"If you truly wish to be stronger, Arata, you must discipline yourself. Right now, I question how serious you are taking this."
Arata's stomach dropped. He was questioning that? After how much time and how hard he was working both here and at school? Arata couldn't allow Enji to think that.
"I-I promise I want to take it seriously."
"Words are empty. Actions will prove to me how serious you are."
Arata nodded silently, making his way to the training hall. He would work all night if he had to, homework be damned. Even if he lost sleep, he could make up for the time at some point.
"There are many reasons we don't speak to your grandfather."
His father's voice echoed in his ear. It was a well known fact, even amongst the professional heroes that Todoroki Shouto and Todoroki Enji did not speak. Enji had been a strong hero before his retirement, maintaining the number one spot for quite some time. Eventually, as did most heroes, he grew too old, forced to retire the name Endeavor.
Arata didn't remember much about his grandfather. He recalled the smell of the house, like something was burning inside of it at all times. He remembered hugging him and excitedly showing his grandfather his quirk for the first time... that was the last day he had seen him with his parents alone.
Aunt Fuyumi occasionally would have the entire Todoroki family over, and Enji always went to that. He attended but he barely spoke, keeping to himself until he said goodbye to each of them, only glancing at Shouto once, nodding his head in acknowledgment.
Shouto never made it clear what their grandfather had done, but Arata wondered how bad it could've been. Then again, based on the way Enji spoke sometimes, Arata had a suspicion it had to do with their mother, and knowing his father, he was very protective of her.
Even Arata disliked the way Enji had made a few subtle comments about his quirk being too similar to his mother's.
"Grandfather..." Arata began, standing in the middle of the room. "Do you think... my mother is strong?"
"Your mother?" Enji asked. He sighed, letting his eyes shut. "Your mother is a strong woman, yes. She uses her quirk well, and has clearly put a great deal into her training."
"I see," Arata said.
"Your father is stronger..." Enji said, trailing off. "I don't believe this is something we should speak on. We're wasting precious training time."
Arata glanced down, staring his feet. "Do you think that... they shouldn't have gotten together?" he asked, biting his lip. Enji clearly wanted to change the subject, unsurprisingly. The few times Arata and Yuuta had brought up the topic of their grandfather to their parents, they too had been dodgy.
"Hm..." Enji sighed, huffing out a breath of air. "No. I don't think that. Momo has always brought out something good in Shouto." His voice gruff as he spoke the words, as though they were painful to him. "She makes him work harder and the two of them have always been a good... duo."
"Oh..." Arata muttered. "Have... you ever told him you think that?"
"He never gave me a chance," Enji muttered, standing up.
"Why is it that... you two don't talk?" Arata knew he was pushing his luck, especially from the way Enji's face fell slightly.
"Mmm," Enji hummed, tapping his finger against his arm. Arata watched, waiting for Enji to respond. "I wanted Shouto to be number one. I wanted him to carry on our family legacy. I pushed him, and he did not wish to be pushed in that way..." he explained. "But you, Arata, despite your tardiness today, I do think you can make it to the top. Your father is constantly fighting for the number one spot against Ground Zero and Deku, but if you work hard, you could own that spot. Just you."
"The number one hero," Arata whispered. It seemed like a dream beyond his reach. He never felt as strong as his father, nor did he think he was as strong as Yuuta even. Though his brother certainly didn't have the same drive Arata did. From what he could tell, he was only interested in following Shouhei around.
He clenched his fists, his eyes burning with more determination. "I'll do it. I'll be the number one hero," he said.
"Good, then I trust you will work hard at this training, and no more being late," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I do not wish to discipline you any more than I have to."
"No more being late," Arata repeated softly. He wondered if this was what his father hadn't liked. The pressure was already tightening in his chest, hoping he wouldn't do anything wrong to upset his grandfather again. If this was what he had to do to be the best... so be it.
~~
Tapping his pencil against his desk, Yuuta twisted his lips. He was tired, and he really didn't feel like continuing his homework, but they had barely started school. He couldn't lose steam now.
He made his way down to the common room, pulling out a kettle to put some tea on when he glanced out the window, noticing a figure heading back towards the B dorm. He raised his eyebrow, noting the way they walked, their backpack and hoodie. There was no doubt in his mind it was Arata.
He pursed his lips and pulled out his phone, glancing at their messages.
[Text to: Arata]: Wow! Training was hard today, huh?
Yuuta sighed. Of course Arata hadn't responded to him. He barely acknowledged him, even when he saw him in the hall.
But what exactly was he doing sneaking around after curfew? Yuuta leaned over the counter, glancing down the hall. There didn't seem to be much movement... he wondered if he could sneak out himself...
He just wanted to talk to his brother... even for a second.
Stepping quietly back to his room, he grabbed his own hoodie and tucked his phone into his pocket. He prayed he wouldn't get caught, but even if he did, worst case, he could make up some excuse about missing his brother or something.
He snuck across the grass to the other building, stepping inside. Arata was on the fourth floor, and of course he had to be at the very top at the other end of the hall.
Taking a deep breath, he scurried towards his door, knocking on it lightly. "Arata," he whispered, and the door immediately swung open. His brother glared at him and grabbed his hoodie, yanking him inside.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, frowning. "It's after curfew."
Yuuta glanced down. "I could ask you the same question."
"It's... my room?" Arata said, glancing around.
Clicking his tongue, Yuuta folded his arms. "I meant I saw you sneaking back inside just now!" he huffed, and then frowned, noticing the redness on the side of Arata's face. Maybe he had been training... or... "Where... were you, Arata?"
"Whatever Yuuta," he scoffed, yanking his chair out to sit down. "I have homework."
"Arata, please," he said. "Are you doing extra training?"
"Yes, now go back to your room before you get us both in trouble!" he hissed, slamming his fist down against the desk. Yuuta jumped, freezing in place. He really didn't want to get caught in Arata's room but...
He had to get to the bottom of this.
"Where is this anger coming from? I don't... I don't understand," he whispered, stepping towards his brother's desk.
"I don't expect you to," Arata muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Look, Yuuta. We're both here to learn and become pro heroes. Can we just... focus on that? Please?"
"I just want to know where you've been."
"It's none of your business," he hissed. "Can't you just go back to Shouhei's room and make out or something?"
Yuuta bit his lip, his body deflating. "Arata I... don't understand why you're acting so... mean? What did I do to upset you? I-I just want to apologize and we can figure this out-"
"Yuuta, not everything is about you, okay? We don't all have our perfect lives figured out and we can't all just laugh and play around with our boyfriend while we half-assedly train. I don't get to just use my quirk casually like you," he snapped. "There's a lot to think about, and it takes way more practice!"
Sighing, Yuuta sat on Arata's bed, looking at his hands. "When we were little... I... was always really jealous of you," he began to explain. "You had such control over your quirk, and your crystals were... well, are, so beautiful. Mom was so helpful to you and... and I was a mess. I still am a mess. My quirk isn't easy to control. It's not like Dad where one side is ice and one is fire... it feels like mine is a weird mix of both and I still... suck at it. Secretly deep down it terrifies me," he laughed softly.
"So I guess what I mean to say is I don't understand why you're so jealous of me when... you have your life together way more than I do. I-I’m terrified I'm going to be a horrible hero. You're strong and badass, like... the perfect combination of Mom and Dad. I don't know why you feel so weak," he said, raising his eyes to look at Arata.
His brother had turned away, staring straight down at his desk.
"You were also the only person who wasn't afraid of my flame at first. When my hands ignited and I screamed, you were the only one to reach forward and grab them, completely unafraid. You've always been brave Arata, so I don't understand... this attitude. It kinda sucks," Yuuta shrugged. "Being pushed away over and over again... I... I don't like it."
Turning around, Arata sat next to him on the bed in a huff. "I wanna be the best, Yuuta. I know you don't care about this and you probably think I'm being crazy but... I need to do this... for myself. You need to do things for yourself too... we can't rely on each other forever."
Yuuta sighed and leaned against him. "Yeah but... we can still be friends. You're my best friend Arata, you always have been and always will be."
Arata sighed with him, rolling his eyes. "You're such a sap, Yuu," he chuckled, gently bumping his side.
"Can you please tell me where you went... I'm just worried..." he said quietly.
"Ugh, Yuu..." he muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Look if I tell you, you can't tell Mom or Dad. Especially Dad."
Yuuta blinked, nodding his head once before pausing. "You... You're training with Grandfather!" he said, thrusting his finger in Arata's face.
"W-What?!"
"Of course!" He jumped up, staring at him. "You want to get stronger and you're working really hard and sneaking away from school! Oh man," he smirked. "Dad is gonna kill you."
"Not if he doesn't find out! Yuuta I swear... if you tell them..."
"Oh my gosh, I'm right," he gasped, covering his mouth.
"I swear, if you tell Mom and Dad, I will kill you."
"Arata, you know how Dad is about Grandfather!" Yuuta said. "Dad might kill you first!"
"Look it's just... extra training and it's going really well... they don't need to know! I-I just... let me tell them on my own time?" he asked.
Yuuta sighed, taking a seat back on the bed. "Okay, okay... I won't tell them. You just have to promise me three things."
"Three?" Arata scoffed.
"Yes three," Yuuta nodded, folding his arms indignantly. "One, if anything goes wrong, you'll stop! Two, you tell Mom and Dad soon, and three, we can be best friends again."
Arata let out a long groan and fell back against his bed. "Fine, fine... I agree... but if I find out you tattled on me..."
"I promise I'll keep your secret... for now. If you don't tell Mom and Dad soon though... all promises are off," he hummed, falling backwards with him. "I really miss you Arata."
Pain flickered in his brother's eyes and Yuuta wondered why Arata was putting so much pressure on himself, why he felt like he had to hold back whatever he was feeling.
"Yeah," Arata swallowed. "I missed you too."
Yuuta could tell from the crack in his voice, Arata truly meant it.
~~
Ochako stared at the table in front of her. For so long it had felt complete; her and Katsuki at the ends, Shouhei and Sayuri sitting across from one another in the middle. It felt whole, complete, and she hated that now the table had dwindled back to three.
She couldn't imagine what she would do in a few short years when it was back down to just two.
Katsuki stood in the kitchen, scrubbing dishes before he loaded them into the dishwasher. Sayuri had slipped away almost immediately after dinner. This was becoming her new habit, eat in almost silence, then escape to her room to work on what she claimed was homework.
She knew Sayuri was still adjusting to Shouhei being gone, and of course, the horrible girls in school who were still bullying her.
"Oi," Katsuki growled. "What's wrong, Cheeks?" He spoke, but didn't turn around from his dishes. How he was so in tune with her emotions always shocked her momentarily.
"I-I just..." She glanced down the hallway towards Sayuri's room. "I'm worried about Sayu," she whispered softly.
"No shit... she's barely talking to us," he snorted.
"Well you're not much of a talker, I guess she gets it from you," Ochako teased, watching the muscles in her husband’s back while he continued to wash through their plates.
"Probably," he grunted. "I'll make her speak if I have to. If it's those girls at school I'll fuckin' murder 'em myself," he snarled, his hand moving faster as he washed the plates aggressively and slammed them into the dishwasher.
Ochako giggled and stood up, making her way to wrap her arms around him. "I understand where you're coming from, Katsuki, but please don't break our plates."
"Those bitches deserve it! What does it matter if she doesn't have a quirk!? I just... it doesn't fucking matter. I sure have fucking learned my lesson there," he said, his voice getting quieter the more he spoke.
"I know," she said, gently stroking her hands over his chest. "Her being quirkless doesn't matter... it shouldn't matter."
"Why are you guys talking about me?" Sayuri's voice made both Ochako and Katsuki freeze in the kitchen.
"Eh? Honey!" Ochako gasped, turning away from Katsuki. "We were just discussing work, that's all."
"Mom, I'm not a fucking idiot," she snapped, glaring at both of her parents, admittedly taking on Katsuki's level of rage. "I get it okay!? It would be so much easier if I just had a damn quirk, wouldn't it?!"
"Honey that's not what-"
"Baby girl..." Katuski growled, turning to face his daughter. "That's not what we were talking about. We were angry about the shit girls at your school. Your mom is stopping me from killing them."
"Ugh, why," she rolled her eyes, snorting as she popped back down into her dining chair.
"Because that's wrong-"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Katsuki and Sayuri muttered at the same time.
Ochako couldn't help the giggle, shaking her head at the two of them. "We can start training soon," Ochako suggested gently, sitting down with her daughter.
Sayuri pursed her lips. "Yeah..."
"What's wrong, baby girl?" Katsuki asked, peering over his shoulder as he took his own seat at the table.
Gently brushing her thumbs over her own fingers, Sayuri shrugged. "I-I guess... being quirkless... not having a power or ability... it used to be normal right?" she asked softly. "Not having a 'mutation' was considered the normal and now..." she trailed off. "I guess I just don't understand why now it's considered so abnormal to be what once was normal..." She twisted her lips and looked down as if she was trying not to cry. "I just don't get why it matters-"
"It doesn't," Katsuki was quick to snap. "So don't tell yourself it does."
"I-I just don't understand why I don't have one. You two have such powerful quirks, Shouhei has one... so why am I sitting here with the short end of the goddamn stick!" she snapped, growing angrier.
"Sweetheart..." Ochako said, and gently touched her shoulder. "I don't want to give you a... scientific answer but... I guess it has something to do with genetics. There was nothing we could do about it, and honey you have to know we tried..."
Sayuri glanced towards Katsuki briefly and then back at her mother. "Well, science is fucking dumb," she hissed, pushing away from the table as she stormed back into her room.
Ochako sighed and glanced at her husband. "Well that went well..."
"Oh yeah," Katsuki snorted, rolling his eyes.
"She is your daughter after all," Ochako said, wishing she could say something to understand and make her daughter feel better.
"Yeah," Katsuki muttered, pushing away from the table to continue the dishes.
As Ochako sat by herself, she realized the table had never felt so empty.
Title: What We Lack Part 8 Pairing: Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 4,484 Read on Ao3 Summary:
Quirkless.
They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.
Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.
Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole for beta-ing
Full fic under the cut
Small rocks floated around the brown-haired boy's body and he grinned at the cowering girls in front of him.
"Shouhei please...!"
"No," he growled. "No one talks to my sister like that."
Blue flames covered Todoroki Yuuta's arm, his white and black hair covering his eyes. "I'll help," he muttered.
"No! Stop! You're just going to get in trouble for using your quirks at school again-" Sayuri begged, anger laced in her voice.
How many times would other people have to stick up for her?
And as if on cue, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker:
"Bakugou Shouhei and Todoroki Yuuta must cease all quirk activities immediately. Come straight to the principal's office now!"
Shouhei clenched his fist, his arms trembling at his side. "Hell no. Like I can stop now," he growled, holding his hand out. "How the fuck did they even know we were fighting?! I'm sorry sis, but I can't let these girls get away with attacking you."
Pushing herself up, she limped towards him, putting herself in between the girls and the two boys. "Please... guys... stop." She glared at her brother, knowing nothing good was going to come of this.
Yuuta glanced towards Shouhei, only stopping his flames when the other boy lowered his arm, the rocks falling to the ground. "Fucking fine," Shouhei growled,
The two girls slouched against the wall. "I hate them so much. They think because their parents are famous they can do whatever they want," one of them whispered.
Sayuri bit her lip and immediately snapped back around at the two girls. "I would shut your mouths if I were you two," she hissed. "The only reason my brother didn't destroy you is because I stopped him," she said, pushing against Shouhei's back, not wanting him to erupt at the two girls. As much as she didn't wish to attack them, she hated when people spoke of them that way... she hated when people looked down on her for being quirkless.
'What a useless bitch.'
'She doesn't even have a quirk?'
'Can you believe her mom is Uravity and her dad is Ground Zero? They must be so proud!'
She'd heard it all; the biting sarcasm, the mean comments. The words often echoed in her head over and over, and sometimes, like today, things escalated even when she tried to keep the peace, like her mother always taught her. But when things went too far... it was no surprise Shouhei stepped in.
She usually attempted to hide it from him, knowing he would explode at them as he almost just had. But when she didn't meet him, Yuuta, and Arata to walk home together, he obviously knew something was wrong.
Today one of the girls kicked her in the leg so hard, she was convinced she'd maybe fractured something. The girl had a strength quirk, and though it was subtle, she used it to add power to her kick, slamming into Sayuri's leg when she was taken off guard. Normally, she would've fought back physically... it wasn't like she was a weakling or anything!
But as she limped after her brother and Yuuta, she never felt more pathetic.
Shouhei glanced over his shoulder and sighed, turning around to help her. He let her lean against him. "Shou... you have to stop doing this..." she mumbled. "I don't want you and Yuuta to ruin your chances of going to U.A..." she said softly, trying to calm her anger. She was her father's daughter in so many ways, but she knew it wouldn't do her any good to explode at school.
"I don't fucking care. That bitch practically broke your leg!"
"It doesn't really matter-"
"Of COURSE it fucking matters!" Shouhei cursed loudly.
The three walked slowly to the principal's office, knowing punishment awaited them. Luckily, they hadn't attacked, but quirk use was strictly prohibited on school property, and Sayuri knew the two were going to get in trouble because of her. Again. This certainly wasn't the first time, and a sinking feeling in her gut told her it might not be the last.
As they rounded the corner, Sayuri felt her stomach drop even more. "Oh no..." she muttered, recognizing the tall blond head of her father, and next to him stood a frowning Todoroki Shouto, the white part of his hair brushed to the side across his forehead. Arata stood next to his father, looking guilty. Had he told on them? Sayuri wouldn't have been surprised.
"What the FUCK is this?!" Katsuki growled and stormed over to his two children. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Daddy...I... " she whispered, her voice breaking. Something about seeing her father here instead of her mother made her want to cry.
"No!" Shouhei yelled. "Don't you dare apologize. These girls were attacking her, and me and Yuuta were trying to help her until the damn principal told me to stop!" he growled.
Katsuki's brow twitched and he stormed back towards the man's office. The principal was a tall man with dark hair. To this day, Sayuri was still unaware of his quirk, but the man took the rules very seriously. Sayuri unfortunately met with him many times due to incidents with her brother and bullying.
So far, middle school wasn't shaping up to be great.
"The fuck is this?" Katsuki growled. "You call me in here to yell about my son, but you're not doing anything to stop the girls attacking my fucking daughter to the point where she's limping."
"We're looking into the bullying incident as well, Bakugou-san but-"
"Bullshit!" Katsuki yelled, slamming his fist against the wall. "Why the fuck are my kids and Half and Half's getting in trouble over THIS?"
The tall man sighed. "Look... we should be giving your son far more than a warning for how many times he's used his quirk in school. But... given the nature of this incident we will allow you both to handle how you wish to punish your children accordingly. No matter the situation, we don't allow quirks to be used at school."
"Fine. I'll just punch them with my fists next time," Shouhei grumbled.
"If only," Sayuri growled and shook her head.
"We're fucking leaving," Katsuki hissed, making his way to his children. He bent down, picking Sayuri up onto his back.
"D-Dad! I can walk."
"Forget it," he snapped. "Let's get out of this hellhole."
"We're leaving as well," Shouto muttered, glancing towards the principal. "I will speak to my children about using their quirks in school, but I won't stop them if they're going to do what they think is right." He spoke coldly, and shot an icy glare towards the principal.
"Bye Shou-kun..." Yuuta muttered, following his father and brother in the opposite direction out of the school.
"See ya..." he grumbled, following after his dad and sister.
Yeah, middle school wasn't the best.
~~
The car ride home was uncomfortably silent, and Sayuri could feel the anger resonating off of her dad and brother.
"That school is so fucking terrible," Katsuki grumbled under his breath. "We'll look at switching."
"No!" Sayuri spat out quickly.
"Hah?" Katsuki said, turning to face his daughter once they stopped at a red light.
She frowned and folded her arms. "It doesn't matter where I go to school. People are going to say the same shit to me. Where I go won't change who I fucking am!" she cursed angrily. "I want to stay with Kazu-kun..." she said. "He's my best friend and without him, it will be really fucking terrible," she muttered, speaking Katsuki's words back to him.
Katsuki rubbed his forehead. "We'll speak with your mother when she's home tonight. She's not going to be happy with that damn school." He mostly grumbled under his breath, angry. "You're both fucking lucky that damn principal wants to kiss me and Half and Half's asses!"
"Whatever," Shouhei said, rolling his eyes. "Those girls didn't even give Sayu a chance to fight back." He glanced back at her, his brown eyes nodding to her. "You know she would've kicked their asses if they did," he said.
"Duh," she muttered, leaning her chin on her hand as she stared out the window. She didn't want Shouhei to constantly protect her. Besides, she had two years left at the place and Shouhei was about to graduate.
"Yeah I get that, baby girl, but no one should be fucking fighting in school. And Shou, you have the U.A recommendation exam next week! You're lucky your mother-"
"'--and I are famous ranked heroes cause otherwise you wouldn't be so damn lucky!'" Shouhei spoke over their father, his head tilting back and forth as he said the words Katsuki spoke to him a million times. "I get it, Dad," he snapped.
A growl slipped from Katsuki's lips. Sayuri knew her father would never yell at Shouhei for protecting her, but he was concerned about his application status for the future. She knew how important it was to Shouhei to attend her parents alma mater. He was the only one who really could apply to the hero track, even though both of them wanted to when they were young children.
Katsuki tapped his fingers with frustration against the steering wheel. "I'm dropping you off at home Shouhei," he said, "while I take Sayuri to the doctor to get her leg looked at. And you better be fucking studying when I get home."
"What!?" Sayuri yelled. "I don't need a doctor!"
"You might need a fucking brace," he said. "If they really kicked you so hard you're limping..." he muttered and clenched his fists around the steering wheel. "Hell if I had been there I would've killed them myself!"
"Dad..." Sayuri snorted. "I'm really fine..."
"Your mother will worry and fuss if we don't go, so shaddup and listen," Katsuki snapped.
"Okay, okay," she folded her arms, not looking forward to dealing with another doctor visit.
~~
Shouto glanced up at his two sons both sitting in the backseat. Neither of them were looking at each other, and he could only assume things were tense since Arata was the one who told the principal about the incident.
He knew he needed to ask for Yuuta’s side. The last thing he wanted was one them thinking Shouto was playing favorites. "Yuuta," Shouto began softly, flicking his eyes up to the mirror. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Yuuta twisted his lips, glancing up front. "What? You don't want to ask world-class tattle-tail, Arata?" he mumbled. Yuuta never was great at arguing or fighting. He was the quieter of the two, which was why it shocked Shouto to see Yuuta be the troublemaker. It didn't help that Bakugou Shouhei was usually involved, no surprises there.
"Shut up, Yuuta. If you ruin my chance of getting into U.A on recommendation-" Arata growled.
"What does anything I do have to do with you getting in?" Yuuta snapped, folding his arms angrily over his chest.
"We're twins! We have the same name and the same connections! Of course they'll associate us together and you-"
"Boys!" Shouto called out slamming his foot on the brake which caused them both to lurch forward. "Enough. Yuuta, I asked you a question. It was not an invitation to argue with your brother." He continued to drive, pulling into their driveway as he placed the car in park.
Yuuta let out a sigh. "Sayuri... was in trouble. Those same girls started to beat her again. They caught her completely off guard so she had no chance to fight back. When Shouhei ran off, I followed him to help-"
"Yeah, cause you're so far up his ass-"
"Arata! W-What the hell are you talking about?!" Yuuta yelled, his face turning bright red.
"Boys!" Shouto hissed, turning around to glare at his sons. "You both... did the right thing... in a way."
"We're not supposed to use our quirks at school-"
"No, no, Arata, please... listen to me. Both of you need to listen," Shouto said. "Yuuta, I understand the desire to help Shouhei keep Sayuri safe. Though it's against the rules, you are doing what you think is right and I commend you for that."
Yuuta's eyes lit up, and he turned to smirk at Arata before Shouto continued to talk. "However, Arata is right. When the rules are being broken and it could cause harm to others, it is okay to ask for help in stopping something. Both of you need to be very cautious. The U.A recommendation exam is next week and I know you'll both excel at it. Please think of your futures." Shouto nodded at both before stepping out of the car. "I will speak to your mother about this matter so as not to stress her out more than needed."
Yuuta let out a sigh as he stepped around the car, following his father and his brother towards the house. He paused watching them walk, his legs feeling heavy, as if he couldn't keep up with them.
His brother turned towards him, glaring as he headed inside of their house. Yuuta was familiar with the look, and could read his brother well. 'I know you don't care about the U.A exam, but I do. He wasn't... wrong necessarily. Arata was so concerned about the U.A exam, when Yuuta wasn't even sure if he wanted to take the damn thing. The last thing he wanted was to fall behind his brother and Shouhei, but was he really cut out to be a hero? Would he really be able to pass? His father seemed so sure and yet...
Yuuta had never felt so unsure of anything in his whole life.
~~
Sayuri tapped her uninjured foot as she and her father sat in the waiting room for her results. She glanced to the side to stare at him, surprised by how much older he looked. His arms were crossed, his lips curled into his signature pout and the wrinkles around his red eyes were creased as he kept his brow furrowed.
"So, uh... why did you come instead of Mom?" she asked. She knew her father wasn't one for casual conversation, but the tension was too much for her to handle.
"She's helping a rescue team on the other side of the city," he grumbled.
"Oh... Sorry to pull you from work," she mumbled, knowing how seriously 'Ground Zero' took his work. He was number one for a reason.
"Shut it," he growled. "Don't apologize for bullshit like that."
"R-Right," she stammered, turning to face away from him.
They were silent, the sound of old music echoing through the speakers, crackling in her ear. The last thing she wanted to be was a disappointment to him, though she knew she probably was the moment they discovered she was quirkless.
It wasn't something they usually talked about. In fact, most of the time they avoided it altogether. Shouhei discussed his quirk all the time, especially lately when he'd been readying himself to apply to U.A. Not that any of them were worried. Shouhei was strong; son of the number 1 hero and number 4 hero. He was their pride and joy. Why wouldn't he be?
And then there was her. Quirkless Sayuri. She got good grades since she spent most of her time studying or working on fun tech projects with Kazu. Together they worked on various science projects, occasionally sneaking into Kazu' mother's private lab at his house to fiddle with her unused, scrapped projects.
When they got caught, Melissa usually joined in.
She was passionate about it, mostly. She liked the idea of helping heroes to better use their quirks. But as much as she wanted to let it go, there was a part of her that longed to fight alongside them.
Her eyes glanced to her father's hands, the source of all his power. She bit her lip and wondered what it would feel like to have so much strength at her fingertips. Knowing her, she'd probably explode too many things she wasn't supposed to.
"What?" he said, catching her eyes staring.
"EH?! Nothing!" she snapped, and folded her arms, glancing away from him. Dreaming of having a quirk like her father’s was silly.
Useless.
Forever a dream.
"Bakugou Sayuri?" the doctor said, calling her back into the room. Her father followed behind her. She could hear the murmurs of a few of the nurses, wondering if it was 'actually him, actually Ground Zero'. She was half tempted to yell at them to take a picture, but she knew her father would hate that.
Still, she could feel their stares. Always could feel their stares. It wasn't so bad if she was alone, but if either of her parents were there, she could forget about flying under the radar.
Part of the problem with having famous parents meant she was, in turn, famous too. Infamous maybe was a better word. Ground Zero and Uravity's quirkless daughter; 'a wonder'! More like, something to stare at.
"It seems you have some internal bruising and-"
Next to her she heard the small crackle of tiny explosions and she saw the sparks flying in her father's hand.
"I have to ask you to not use your quirk in here, I apologize, Ground Zero-" the man said, and Katsuki let out a long huff.
"I'll kill the girls who did this."
"Dad... it's fine..."
"It's not fuckin' fine! No one touches my family. No one."
"They're just shitty middle schoolers," she said, clenching her fists over the side of the chair.
"If you're having trouble at school-" the doctor began.
Sayuri rolled her eyes, unable to hold her tongue this time. "What? Do you really think I wouldn't have trouble at school!? I'm the quirkless daughter of Ground Zero and Uravity! You think that would just go untouched? Are you a fucking moron?!" she growled at her doctor. "Let me guess, ice it and use crutches if I can. Got it. We can leave."
"I apologize. I wanted to offer you assistance-"
"Yeah, thanks, but no thanks." She stepped down slowly, leaning against her father so she could walk easier.
"Let's go baby girl," Katsuki muttered, and Sayuri could tell he was holding back his anger.
He was better at it now than she was apparently.
~~
"They did what?!" Momo gasped, pushing her glasses up onto her head as she placed her book down. "And why, Shouto, are you just telling me now?"
"I didn't want you to stress about it. I've already talked to both of them," Shouto said calmly, pulling his shirt over his head.
"I see..." she sighed. "What is Yuuta thinking!? So close to the U.A exam and both him and Shouhei are causing problems?" She shook her head, running her hand down her face. "No wonder Arata told on them."
"I don't know..." Shouto said. "I get the feeling Yuuta doesn't care about the exam much. I think he's only doing it to stay with Shouhei."
"Eh?" Momo blinked. "Really? But Yuuta seems so much better about his quirk lately!"
Ever since he was a young boy, Yuuta struggled with his quirk. He made blue flames, similar to Shouto's, however, oddly enough, they were usually cold to the touch. He could adjust the temperature as he pleased, but that was something he had only come to work on for the past few years or so. For a bit, he struggled with being able to even control turning it on and off, but he'd come a long way since then.
"Yes... but I don't know if he actually wishes to do this."
Momo frowned. "Do you think he feels pressured because of us? I never wanted him to think he had to become a hero! Maybe I said something wrong to him and he felt he had to go to U.A?" She began to babble, like she normally did when she became stressed.
Leaning forward, Todoroki brushed his lips against hers. "Momo," he muttered, cupping her cheeks. "We can talk to Yuuta about it. I want to make sure he knows he can do whatever he pleases. More than anything I never wanted to sway my sons in a certain direction. If this is what they want, I want them to choose this," he said, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks.
"I know," Momo said, and pecked his lips back. "I love you... and I trust you. I know how open you've been with them about their life choices, I just... don't want them to feel any pressure."
"Me neither," he said. The last thing he wanted was to be anything like his own father, and he wanted his sons to feel happy.
"Why do you think he wants to follow Shouhei?" she asked softly. Her lithe fingers trailed up Shouto's arm, gently stroking his skin.
"I think... he might be in love with him. Whether or not he realizes it yet..."
Momo blushed. "Really? You think so!?"
"Mhm, I looked the same way when I was in denial about my feelings for you and someone called me out on them," he confessed.
Momo couldn't contain her laughter. "Oh Shouto. You're so cute." She pecked his lips once more. "Well... it would be certainly interesting if your son and Bakugou-kun's son dated."
"Mmm... yes..." Shouto muttered, a hint of competition in his tone. Being the number 3 hero, Shouto was frequently chasing after Midoriya and Bakugou. The three often rotated their spots depending on the month and various incidents they dealt with.
"It's alright. We'll talk to him and make sure he knows. I don't want him getting in trouble either," she sighed.
"I know. Hence why I didn't want to worry you."
"Mmm..." Momo hummed. "Still, it'll be good for us to sit down with both of them separately to discuss their future plans."
"I think so," Shouto nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist. When it came to his wife, he was always happy to be on the same page.
~~
Ochako knocked on Sayuri's door, while she knew her daughter was trying to to focus on her work, she wanted to speak with her at least for a moment. She apparently hadn't wanted to see her father or her brother, so she ate quietly at the kitchen bar and retreated back to her room, claiming she had too much to study, or so Katsuki told Ochako when she arrived home. She knew there was a technology fair coming up and Sayuri was probably putting a hypothesis together for her and Kazu's potential entry.
Still, she knocked softly, feeling a bit guilty for disturbing her daughter.
"Come in," came her blunt voice.
"Hi sweetheart!" Ochako said, walking over to kiss the top of her head.
"You're home late," she said, not turning to face her mother as she typed furiously on the laptop in front of her.
"Mhm. There were a lot of reports I had to file on today's rescue. Your father told me what happened though. Are you okay?"
"Fine," she said, still typing. "I'm trying to get these ideas sorted right now."
"I know, I can see that. My little scientist lady," she giggled, but stopped when Sayuri still didn't turn to look.
Sometimes, her daughter was so sweet and excited. Her whole face vibrant and full of joy for the things her mind could create. She didn't have a quirk, but she was incredibly brilliant and a fantastic thinker.
And then there were times like this, when Ochako felt like she was talking to brick wall, a smaller version of Katsuki who regressed into his younger self.
"Sweetheart," she sighed, taking a seat on her bed. "I know you don't want to talk to me."
"Good, if you know, we can end this conversation now," she snapped, her fingers hitting the keys a little harder.
Ochako bit her lip. "Sayu-chan..."
"...Sorry Mom..." she mumbled and finally turned her brown eyes towards her mother. She played with the long pieces of blonde hair which rest on her shoulder. "I just... I dunno what you want me to say?"
"What happened?"
Sayuri rolled her eyes. "These two girls kicked me when I wasn't paying attention and... bruised my leg. I can walk and shit so whatever."
Ochako frowned. "I really wish we could convince you to switch schools."
"I have like... two more years there, I think I'll survive. I have Kazu-kun."
"I know you do, love... I just worry about these mean girls. I also worry about your father going to your school and murdering them," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Sayuri snorted, giggling at that. "Yeah, he almost blew up the doctor's office today!" she laughed.
"Of course," Ochako said, smiling. "You're his baby girl."
"...I know... Look, Mom... there's nothing I can do about it."
"That's not true!" Ochako said. "When your leg is healed, me and you... we'll train some more, okay?"
"Alright," Sayuri shrugged, as if she thought it wouldn't matter much.
"I'll... leave you to it then."
"Thanks," she said, and bit her lip, turning to look at her. "I'm really okay Mom, okay?"
"I know, sweetie," Ochako nodded, slipping out of her room.
She made her way to her own room, where Katsuki lay in bed, facing the wall. "Katsuki..." Ochako whispered. She slipped her bathrobe off, sliding into bed with him as she pressed her face against his back. "She's hurting... but she won't talk to me..."
"I fucking know..." he growled. "Physically these shitty girls keep hurting her and she just... FUCK!" he yelled, slamming his fist against their bed. The whole thing shook with the two of them in it, and Ochako kissed the back of his neck, hoping to calm him down. "I fuckin' hate this. I hate feeling... useless to help her... I run around all day saving random extras while my own fucking daughter gets kicked to the ground by some stupid, middle school bitches!"
"I know..." Ochako whispered. "We're going to figure it out though, okay?" She trailed her fingers down his bare arm, the pads on her fingertips gently stroking the smooth skin which covered his thick muscles. "We're going to find a way to keep her safe and happy..."
Her hand trembled against his arm as she felt the tears slip down her cheeks. She just wanted her baby girl to be happy. Free from the judgmental eyes of the public and other awful children around her.
"Yeah, we are," Katsuki hissed, and covered her hand with his own, giving it a squeeze. She could tell he only wished they had a more immediate solution.