Shoko refused to believe it at first.

"That's not possible, I've been on birth control ever since Izuku and I got together," she said.

Recovery Girl harrumphed. "And how often have you two been intimate, dear?"

Shoko blushed more fiercely as she thought, "Multiple times a night, every night, for six months...there's no way I'm going to admit that to her, though."

Recovery Girl continued, "But that's just speculation on my part. Here, I'll give you a test, and we'll get our answer."

Shoko nodded, and accepted the small plastic kit Recovery Girl handed her.

Fifteen minutes later, Recovery Girl turned the small pregnancy test towards Shoko.

Even Shoko knew what that little plus symbol meant.

Smiling softly, the old nurse said, "Congratulations, Miss Todoroki. You're going to be a mother."

Shoko couldn't breathe.

She hadn't expected it, and it could bring up a whole host of new problems for her future.

But she felt so happy.

Then, another thought struck her.

If a villain attacked or a disaster happened now, she was putting more than herself in danger.

Suddenly, she realized how vulnerable her belly seemed, and, acting on instinct, she crossed her arms over her torso protectively.

But she still didn't have any idea how this had happened.

"W-what?" Shoko stammered, "how?"

Recovery Girl asked, "Do you remember when you had to switch prescriptions about two months ago?"

Shoko nodded absently, recalling how she'd started having a reaction to the birth control drug she'd been using, and Recovery Girl had given her a different one.

"Yeah, I remember," she answered.

"I don't know if you recall, but when I gave you the new drug, I did warn you that it was somewhat less effective," the nurse explained.

Shoko frowned and said, "So it just...didn't work, then?"

The older woman told her, "Most likely. That particular drug is even less effective in younger women, especially particularly fertile ones. Plus, your symptoms do seem to line up with the time frame...when exactly did you first start to notice the lethargy?"

Shoko thought for a second. "Maybe a few weeks ago? I remember having trouble staying awake while I was helping my mom move furniture about three weeks ago…" she responded.

Recovery Girl seemed to nod to herself. "Well, I can't say for sure, and we won't be able to get more information for a few more weeks, but from my knowledge...you're likely to be close to two months along."

Shoko's voice cracked as she whispered, "Two months? How haven't I noticed?"

"Most women don't for well over the first month," the nurse informed her, "and even then, it seems like your symptoms have been fairly mild, all things considered."

"Vomiting every morning is mild?"" Shoko thought.

Recovery Girl seemed to recognize Shoko's disbelief, and she said, "Yes, dear, mild. And the good news is that your morning sickness is likely to clear up soon, if I'm correct on the time frame."

That was a relief, at least. Shoko asked, "If the term ends in a few days, what should I do...during break?"

Recovery Girl smiled as she told Shoko, "Well, first of all, dear, I'm glad you're being so proactive about this. I have to tell too many expectant hero mothers to actually take care of themselves. In your case...do you know where you'll be staying for the break?"

Shoko shook her head as she replied, "Not for sure, no. I'm going to try to stay with my mother in Musutafu, though."

The nurse said, "Good. I know a few excellent specialists in the city, I'll make sure you get a referral."

Shoko was only half listening as Recovery Girl started to tell her what to eat, what not to eat, what she wasn't allowed to do anymore, and all the other things that would only her fears.

Her mind went in circles as she imagined all the things that could go wrong, all the ways her life would be changed now.

And above all, she kept thinking of a few things that made her afraid.

How would Izuku react, when Shoko knew he hadn't wanted kids yet? Would this keep Izuku and her from fulfilling their promise?

And most worrying, What would Endeavor do when he found out?

Shoko hadn't cared about her father's opinion on her life for months now, but she knew he still wanted to regain control of her; he still saw her life as his.

And the stakes had just gotten ten times higher. Shoko had no idea what her father might do if he got ahold of her somehow, only to find out she was pregnant.

She ignored a few scenarios; they were too terrible to contemplate.

But if Endeavor tried to take Izuku's child from her and use them as a way to gain even more power for his bloodline...

Shoko's blood went cold at the thought of giving Endeavor another generation to torture in the name of furthering his own legacy.

All Might had told them once that he had no idea if One For All was genetically inheritable, but what if it was?

Her mind swirled with awful futures, each one worse than the last.

How was she going to keep them from happening?

"Miss Todoroki, are you listening to me?" came Recovery Girl's voice through the haze of terror descending on Shoko.

The mismatched girl shook her head. "Sorry, I was distracted," she said, embarrassed.

Recovery Girl looked like she was about to snap at Shoko, but then the old hero saw something in her patient's face that made her own eyes soften.

"What's wrong, Miss Todoroki?" she asked gently.

Shoko hesitated; she couldn't tell Recovery Girl about her true fears, it would just make them more vivid.

But, Shoko realized, maybe she could ask the old woman for advice on some of her other worries.

Slowly, she admitted, "I'm just...worried about what it might mean for me and Izuku in the future. I don't want this to slow down our dreams. Will...will this keep me from graduating?"

Recovery Girl didn't dismiss her fears out of hand, which Shoko was thankful for. Instead, the nurse looked thoughtful for a second, then cut to the core of Shoko's worries.

"Well, if you really are two months pregnant, then you will have the child well before third year ends; by the time you graduate, you should be fully recovered and entirely capable of being an effective field hero again," Recovery Girl assured her, "and UA has many resources for you to take advantage of, Miss Todoroki. You won't just graduate on time, we will do everything we can to make sure you don't even fall behind in class."

Shoko took a deep breath; that was the first part of her fears assuaged.

Then, the nurse continued, "But I believe you are forgetting something, Miss Todoroki. Midoriya will be there to help you, of course. And from the look on your face, you're more concerned about him than you are about yourself, am I right?"

Shoko tried not to look at the ground as she replied, "Yes. I'll be okay, I can handle the pressure of this and heroics work, I think...but Izuku wants to be the greatest hero of all one day, and I know that he will be. But if he's so worried about me and a kid, I don't know if he'll be able to give his all to being a hero. I don't want to be the reason he can't reach his dream."

Recovery Girl smacked Shoko on the head with her cane.

"Ow!" Shoko exclaimed as she rubbed her skull, "what was that for?"

Recovery Girl was unapologetic. "Foolish girl!" she scolded, "you will be the reason he reaches the top, not what keeps him from it! Never say something so silly in my office ever again."

Shoko stopped complaining as the nurse continued, "Miss Todoroki, you are selling Midoriya short. Do you really think he will leave you to do all the work of raising a child alone?"

Shoko shook her head slowly.

Recovery Girl continued, "Exactly. He will lighten your burden, and you will lighten his. Share the work, both in the field and at home. Together, I have faith you will be able to reach the top together, even with a child. Of all the students I have seen at UA in my life, you two are perhaps the best prepared for this challenge. Now, stop doubting yourself!"

Shoko couldn't help but straighten her spine a little at the healer's command.

Then, Recovery Girl said, "There is one more thing we have to discuss, Miss Todoroki, and that is how you plan to tell Midoriya about this."

Shoko froze. She hadn't considered not telling him, but the thought still worried her.

Could she really burden him with this?

Maybe she should wait...just not tell him for a few days? Until she had had time to process?

Recovery Girl hit her with the cane again.

"Oh no you don't, Miss Todoroki," she warned, "I know that look. You were thinking of not telling him immediately, weren't you?"

Shoko stayed quiet to avoid getting smacked again, but the look on her face was all the confirmation the old woman needed.

Recovery Girl sighed, and looked tempted to use the cane a third time.

Instead, she looked at Shoko and said firmly, "Miss Todoroki, you are going to tell your fiancé about your pregnancy, and you are going to do it today. I don't care how you do it, quite frankly. It doesn't matter if you walk out and tell him in that lobby, or tell him tonight, or even if you do it in pillow talk. But you are going to tell him, if only to get these silly fears out of your head when he starts crying with happiness. Do you understand me?"

Shoko couldn't find an argument against what she was being told, so for once, she listened.

"Yes, Recovery Girl, I understand," she confirmed.

Instantly, the nurse was smiling again. She said, "I'm glad, Miss Todoroki. I have nothing else for you at the moment. If anything feels wrong, come to me immediately. Schedule a follow up appointment with the obstetrician I'll refer you to a few weeks from now for an ultrasound, alright? And stay safe and healthy, or else."

Shoko nodded absently as she stood, only to stop again as she finally processed the old woman's earlier words.

"Izuku's not my fiancé! Why did you say that?" she protested, her face turning bright red again as she waved her hands in front of her in a very Izuku-like manner.

Recovery Girl glared at her amusedly. "My dear," she said, "I am far too old for you young people's nonsense. I know what an engaged couple looks like when I see one."

Shoko tried to argue, but Recovery Girl had already pushed open the examining room door, and Izuku was rushing over to them.

He asked, "Is everything alright with her?"

Shoko just smiled shyly, resisting the urge to tell him immediately.

She had a better plan for that.

Recovery Girl smirked at the look on Shoko's face, then said, "Yes, she's in perfect health. I gave her something that should help her, but it seems like it was just the lingering effects of that incident a little while ago."

Izuku smiled brightly. "Thank you, Recovery Girl!" he said.

The old woman nodded. "Of course. You can thank me by not getting injured."

Shoko replied, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

Recovery Girl simply answered, "I'm sure you will. Now, get back to class, both of you!"

As they followed her orders, Shoko found that even though her heart still beat heavily with fear, her step felt light. She practically skipped back to class.

She was pregnant.

She was pregnant!

By the time Izuku and Shoko got upstairs after dinner, Izuku knew Shoko was keeping something from him. He could see all the little looks she was giving him, the times she seemed to be bursting with the need to say something, only to keep her mouth shut.

She seemed happy, though, practically bouncing up and down with glee. It earned her some strange looks from their classmates, but Izuku took it as a sign that she had a surprise she wanted to tell him, and he decided to be patient and let her tell him when she was ready.

Finally, Shoko told him, "Hey, Izuku, can I talk to you upstairs for a second?"

"Of course, Shoko," he replied.

She reached for his hand, and led him upstairs; nobody even commented on it, they were used to Shoko's horniness by now.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Izuku asked, "So, what did you want to talk about, Shoko?"

She turned to face him, and Izuku was surprised to see her reverting to being shy and hesitant again. Had something happened, or was she just struggling to tell him?

Finally, Shoko began, "Izuku, do you remember when we talked about the future? About what our plans were?"

Izuku responded, "I do. Why? Has something happened?"

Shoko nodded.

Izuku's heart thumped.

"Was something wrong?" he wondered.

"Remember when I said I wanted to have kids after UA? Umm...I think we might have to change that plan, Izuku." Shoko said.

Izuku didn't understand. "Why?" he asked, "Did Recovery Girl give you bad news? Are you okay?"

Shoko's smile got wider. "I'm better than I've ever been, Izuku."

"Well then, what's going on?" Izuku said.

Shoko walked closer, taking his hands. She looked at him, fear and joy and hope warring in her eyes.

"I'm pregnant, Izuku," she confessed.

Izuku's brain screeched to a halt.

"W...wha…. what?" he stammered, unable to comprehend, "are...are you serious?"

She nodded wordlessly, wearing the most loving smile Izuku had ever seen.

Izuku thought his legs would give out. He could feel tears welling in his eyes.

"How?" he croaked.

She had the decency to look a little embarrassed as she answered, "Recovery Girl switched my birth control medication a few months ago, but this type was less effective, and...well, we have been fucking a lot, Izuku. She said I'm about two months along, which lines up exactly with when I started the new drug."

He nodded in wordless agreement.

Then, he finally processed it.

Shoko was pregnant.

He was going to be a father.

He hugged Shoko desperately as tears started to stream down his face.

He couldn't find words to express how much joy he felt in that moment.

He just laughed, tears streaming down his face as he picked Shoko up by her waist and spun her around.

Now, Izuku understood why Shoko had been so happy all day; he felt like he would float away on a cloud

He kept pressing kisses to her face, trying to communicate how much he loved her in that moment.

Shoko was laughing and crying and kissing him, too, letting her guard drop fully for once.

And when Izuku stopped to let her down, they paused for a long moment, a shared second of understanding about what they'd gotten themselves into.

" Wow," Izuku breathed, "you're really pregnant, huh?"

Shoko smiled, spreading her arms wide. "Surprise!" she said wryly.

Izuku laughed, nuzzling her again.

Shoko hadn't dared hope he would take it this well.

"Are you really not upset or worried?" she asked,

Izuku smiled blissfully as he replied, "Oh, god no, I'm terrified! How am I supposed to be a father? But…then I think about how wonderful of a mother you'll be, and I know that we'll be okay. "

Shoko just smiled. "That's funny," she said, "because I'm just as scared about being a mother. The idea of you as a father, though...I'm not afraid anymore when I think about that."

Izuku kissed her again. When it ended, he leaned in close, his eyes suddenly serious.

He promised, "Shoko, I want you to know that, whatever happens, I'll always be here. You and...and the baby are more important than anything to me."

Shoko nodded, tears coming up again. "But…what about being the best heroes?" she asked, "what if I'm holding you back?"

He shook his head. "Shoko, you will always be right beside me, I don't doubt it for a second. We'll be there for each other; this won't slow us down."

For the first time, Shoko believed it.

"Thank you," she whispered as she drew Izuku tightly to her.

Izuku held her, too, but suddenly his arms left her.

"Shoko," he said, "I need to go for a second, there's something I want to get for you."

She didn't want him to go. "Please...stay…" she pleaded, even as her grip slackened.

He kissed her forehead softly. "I'll be right back, Shoko. I promise," he told her.

Finally, Shoko let go. She watched him race out the door, and she sat down to wait for him.

Izuku had promised he'd be back, and she knew he never lied to her.

Izuku sprinted down the hall, determined to make his way back to his room. He resisted the urge to scream in joy as he went; their classmates didn't need to know about this just yet.

But God, did he want to yell it out to the world, he was so happy.

He'd been scared when Shoko had talked about kids all those months ago; he hadn't felt ready.

Now, he meant every word of what he'd said to her; they'd do this, together.

It was because of that certainty that he opened his door and charged towards the closet.

He didn't stay in this room much anymore, true, but he did still use it for some things, like hiding what he was now looking for.

"Come on, where is it?" he thought as he rummaged through the closet.

Finally, he found it; a small wooden box, old and battered, with a tiny latch on it.

As he grabbed it and raced out of the room, Izuku remembered what his mom had told him while giving him the box.

"Izuku, I want you to give this to Shoko one day," she'd said.

When he'd realized what it was, he'd protested, saying he couldn't accept something like this, that he couldn't take his grandmother's ring.

Inko had looked at him with an expression that brooked no argument, and told him, "I want that ring to be used , Izuku. We both know you're going to marry that girl, so you'll need one of these anyway."

In the end, he'd taken it, planning to save it for a while, maybe until after UA.

As time had gone on, though, he'd decided that he and Shoko wouldn't wait that long. He knew he wanted to marry her, it was just a matter of finding the right time to propose.

Even if they didn't have the wedding for another year, he wanted to do this for her.

And he didn't think that there would be a better time to ask Shoko to marry him than right now.

When he returned, Shoko smiled at him from where she was resting on the bed.

"What were you getting, Izuku?" she asked, standing up and walking over to him expectantly.

Izuku had always imagined saying something flowery or romantic before proposing to Shoko, maybe taking a knee.

But he found that all the words had already been said.

They loved each other; they were going to have a kid. What more did he need to add?

So he simply replied, "This," and brought the simple box out of his back pocket.

Shoko's eyes went wide as she asked, "Izuku, what is that?"

As Izuku opened the box, he asked a question of his own instead.

"Shoko, will you marry me?"

Shoko choked in shock, eyes wide as she covered her mouth with her hands.

She started crying again, and she replied, "Izuku... YES! Yes, I'll marry you."

He was on a cloud again as she ignored the ring he held out and went right for him, kissing him frantically. Izuku staggered from the sudden force; he had just enough time to set the box safely down before Shoko was demanding all his attention just to stay afloat.

When she finally let him breathe, she spluttered, "What...you...Izuku! You can't just do things like that!"

He smiled; Shoko was beaming even as she playfully yelled at him, smacking his chest for emphasis.

"Why not? It worked!" he pointed out.

Shoko paused. When she focused back on Izuku, she replied, "I guess it did. Izuku...you aren't just doing this because I'm pregnant, right?"

He shook his head emphatically. "Absolutely not, Shoko. I've wanted to marry you for so long now; I just wanted to wait for the perfect moment to ask," he assured her.

"And finding out that you knocked me up is the perfect moment?" Shoko teased.

Izuku nodded, a grin on his face.

"Well," Shoko said as she picked up the ring with the hand not currently clutching Izuku's shirt, "I'll allow it, fiancé."

She slipped on the silver band, admiring the small twinkling diamond before turning back to her future husband.

"So, you're satisfied that it won't be a shotgun wedding?" Izuku asked.

"Oh, it might still be one," Shoko informed him as she pushed him down onto the bed, "because if you don't marry me after that, I'm going to be the one holding the shotgun."

Izuku shuddered at that image, before shuddering again as Shoko yanked off her shirt and bra while standing over him.

She said huskily, " Now... Izuku, I am horny, pregnant, and newly engaged. All three of those things are your fault, so I'm going to enjoy myself, and you're going to help me."

Izuku fell in love all over again at the sight of her, like always.

Then, she pounced, and Izuku let himself get lost in the arms of his new fiancé.