5 years after high school

Midoriya's P.O.V

"Izuku, where is he?"

"I'm not sure mom, but I'm sure he'll be here soon." He's been gone for hours… "It will all be just fine."

"Katsumi's guests will be here any minute."

"I know mom." She shook her head and picked up my daughter, taking her to the backyard where the party would be held. I walked into the kitchen and Kirishima was making popcorn, setting out random snacks from the pantry. Not party snacks.

"Have you heard from him?" I asked my packmate.

"He would have called you first." No, he wouldn't have. He would have called you. It's clear you're his favorite. You have a much higher chance of knowing where he is than I do.

"He was supposed to pick up the cake, the food, all the decorations…"

"I know, I'm sure he has a good reason for being late, it's Bakugo."

"You don't think he's getting back at me for last night?" Because I do. It would be just like him.

"I mean…" Eijiro scratched his head. "Not at the Katsumi's expense."

"Then where is he?" I was starting to get mad. An emotion I'm not exactly unfamiliar with these days. I tell him I don't want to have another baby right now, that Katsumi is a lot to handle and I'd like to focus on my career, then he pulls some shit like this. Left last night, pissed off as usual, but now Katsumi's third birthday party is about to start and he's nowhere to be seen! He was supposed to pick up everything! He has the only car and what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and hope he shows up? I'm so mad at him, I can barely hold it together. But I had to put a smile on my face because the doorbell just rang. The Iida's were here. Punctual as usual. I don't say this often but fuck.

"Tenya! Inasa! Wow, you're getting big!" I said answering the door and looking in shock at my fellow omega.

"I just popped like… three days ago. Can you believe it? Tenya's pups are going to be strong alphas that's for sure." Inasa said rubbing his now obvious pregnant belly. He just announced, hiding his pregnancy for nearly four months, but now he's showing it off like the most proud omega there was. I remember that happiness with Katsumi. Being so proud and happy you're having an alpha's baby. Even though you just got fired from your hero job and now your baby is turning three and you haven't lost the baby weight, won't even be considered for hero work, and all your alpha can think about is knocking you up again. "Midoriya?"

"Sorry, right, come on in guys. My mom and Katsumi are in the back yard." I said letting them in, trying to pull myself away from my thoughts.

"Katsumi looks more like Katsuki every day. If she didn't have your eyes." Inasa gawked like omega have been trained to do.

"Oh, she is just like her alpha sire." In every possible way.

"Where is Bakugo?" No idea.

"He got caught up, he's on his way." I said as the doorbell rang. All the guests were coming now and we're sitting here with our pants down.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. No one's gonna even notice." Kirishima whispered to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. As comforting as it was, I knew it was just lies. Everyone was going to notice. And because I'm the "wife" of the pack, the head omega, the one with the ring, I'm going to get blamed for everything. I could already see Inasa holding his nose up, gawking with Camie about how there are no decorations and an absent cake. Doesn't matter if Kacchan was supposed to get it and Eijiro help. No, it will all be Izuku's fault. I busied myself in the kitchen to try and not make a complete embarrassment of the Bakugo family today. We had popcorn in a bowl and old Halloween candy, pretzels… granola bars. It would have to do. I had Kirishima set it out while I got working on some kind of cake. All I really had was butter so… I guess a butter cake it is. Flour, sugar, a hint of anger and a touch spite, and then the cake was ready. As I waited for it to cool, I went outside and enjoyed my friends.

Ochaco and Tsu got married a while back, they both have incredible careers as heroes. Jiro went back to music, but moonlights as a hero when she wants to. She and Denki already have two kids and he's heavily pregnant with their third. He never did become a hero. Mina is dating Mt. Lady and Sero's still single, both are steadily climbing the ranks. It was really nice to see a lot of my friends from high school here with their families. We try to hang out whenever we can. For that, at least, I'm grateful.

A good hour into the party Kacchan finally showed up. He had pissed off written all over his face. Yeah, well Kacchan I'm pissed off too. So put a damn smile on your face and that truck better be filled with party favors. I glared at him talking to Eijiro in the doorway and went to the kitchen to frost the cake. After several minutes he finally came into the kitchen. He had a new tattoo on his bicep and his gages seemed bigger. If I remember correctly his publicist said no more tattoos, heroes aren't bad boys, but when does Kacchan ever listen to anyone.

"Where have you been?" I finally said with a coldness that made the room seem to freeze over.

"None of your business Deku." Oh of course not. Because you being late to your daughter's birthday party is clearly none of my business. I held my tongue.

"Did you get the cake?"

"You seem to have that covered." He said going into the fridge and getting a beer. This is a pulled together nightmare and she was supposed to have an expensive princess cake from Sato's store!

"And the decorations, the food? You know we're supposed to be having a party today."

"So order a pizza." He said coldly, leaving the kitchen to go out and help Eijiro. Now why Kirishima needed help couldn't have pissed me off more.

"A princess castle Kacchan?!"

"The princess castle. Best one money can buy."

"Shu, ha, I know! You know we have a mortgage to pay right? And bills? We can't afford this!" Money is extremely tight! I haven't gone back to work yet since I had Katsumi, and it's not like the Number 46 and 178th heroes make all that much money. Not when we bought a house that's way above our means complete with a pool we don't need, outrageous homeowner's fees, and a truck we'll never pay off! He didn't answer me, just walked in the house dual carrying the castle with Kirishima. Was that the moment I snapped today? Maybe. It would explain the wooden spoon now in pieces in my hands.

I don't remember the rest of the party. Honestly, I don't. I was blinded by rage and to make matters worse, all I could do was smile. Pretend everything was just fine. Because that's what you do when your married to Katsuki Bakugo. You let him blow up, fly off the handle, call you names, hurt every feeling you own, and you pretend everything is just fine. So that's what I did. We ordered pizza, which was not the plan. Played in the pool which we didn't want because Katsumi is one of the older kids, who only just turned three and none of them could swim, or were diaper trained for that matter. We had no decorations, no party favors. Just a giant princess castle she'll grow out of in a year's time. I wanted to strangle Kacchan.

After the party, Kacchan's mom took Katsumi to her apartment, maybe sensing a storm brewing. It was extremely smart of her. Eijiro and I cleaned up while Kacchan took a shower and got ready for bed. As an alpha, housework is beneath him. He can't be bothered to clean up. Oh is he going to hear it tonight!

"Izuku?"

"What Kirishima?" I snapped as we tied off the last trash bag.

"Umm… maybe… you shouldn't confront him. Not tonight. He seemed in a seriously bad mood today."

No. No! He doesn't get a free pass. Not after today. "Yeah well I'm in a seriously bad mood today too."

I said moving to head up to stairs. The sturdy hero stopped me. "Maybe… let me… have the nest tonight."

"You're asking me to sleep on the couch?" In my house? After everything that happened today? No. Not this time. I am not in the wrong here. I pushed him out of the way.

"Midoriya!"

"Sleep in the spare room tonight, I need the nest to have a word with Kacchan." I said slipping past him, thinking how wholly unfair it was that Kirishima has his own room, but when Kacchan and I fight, he gets to sleep with Kacchan in the California King, and I always have to take the couch. Even when I was pregnant. I ran into the master bedroom and locked the door. Kacchan was drying his hair with a towel, shirtless, wearing dark blue joggers, prominently displaying all of his tattoos.

"We need to talk." He didn't even look at me. Didn't even hear it. I went to my phone and used the app to turn on his implant. Kacchan is completely deaf now. He can only hear using his implant which he conveniently turns off whenever we're fighting. Thank goodness I hacked his phone and got the app information. "We need to talk Kacchan." I repeated both verbally and through sign language.

"Ain't nothing to say." He turned off his implant again and again I turned it back on.

"Nothing to say? Really? After the hell you put me through today?"

"Hell? For being a little late to my kid's birthday party? Give me a break Deku." Yeah, I will, maybe I'll just break your arm! How's that for a break?!

"You leave in the middle of the night, don't call, don't text, knowing full well it was your responsibility to pick up the party supplies in the morning and be back on time. Then you show up an hour late with nothing to show for it but a princess castle we already agreed was way too expensive!"

"I make enough damn money. You don't have to keep bringing it up like I don't."

"You don't. I balance the checkbook. I know how much we're losing each month." Kacchan rolled his eyes at me. "What's this about Kacchan? Finances? You don't feel like an alpha enough? That I said I wasn't ready to have another baby yet?"

"Don't go there again Deku." The media has been hitting Kacchan hard lately. Questioning how much of an alpha he is. Saying he should be higher in the rankings, criticizing his every move. He's not wildly popular like all of us thought he would be, and his agency has no real interest in promoting him or trying to get his name out there. It would love for him to go independent, but that takes popularity and financial stability we just don't have right now.

"But that's why you want to have another baby isn't it? To raise your alpha status." I know I was pushing him, but I was just so mad. We had a hard time getting pregnant with Katsumi. We all thought it was me, after the miscarriage, that I had lost my fertility. Well, they tested Kacchan, just for good measure, found that while he isn't impotent and can obviously produce sperm, because of his stress levels, he doesn't always produce the testosterone rich sample that is needed. It took us six months to get pregnant with Katsumi after we started seriously trying.

"I told you not to go there and you went there anyway."

"Katsumi is a serious handful Kacchan, and you know that's why I haven't gone back to work, caring for her is a full-time job."

"You don't get it Deku."

"No I think you're the one who doesn't get it! You have no idea how hard-"

"I have no idea? You don't even know what the problem is and you're sitting here yelling at me like you have a fuckin clue."

"Well clue me in Kacchan, be my guest!"

"It's not my status I'm worried about, it's yours!"

That made me stop dead in my tracks. "What?" He looked away, clearly still fuming. "What are you talking about?"

"You've been out of the game for a long time Deku."

"And you think me having another baby will get me back in uniform any faster?!"

"No but it would explain…-"

"Explain what Kacchan?"

"Explain why you're not in the field Deku. Show the world it's not because of a lock out or that you're out of shape or scared."

"I'm not scared, and I'm not out of shape!" He raised his pierced eyebrow at me "I just haven't been able to lose all the baby weight yet."

"Yeah, baby weight plus twenty pounds a year since the day you pushed her out." That cut hard and deep. He didn't need to go there. Don't cry, hold it together.

"Screw you Kacchan." I said, moving to leave.

"You sure don't." Another low blow.

"I don't? Then how come every time I try, you're already in our nest screwing my unexpected packmate?"

"Unexpected packmate? We're really gonna have this fight again?"

"Yeah, I guess we are. I come back from my honeymoon with my husband who just promised me that I was his one and only, only to find another omega living in our apartment, claiming we're a pack."

"Another omega? Like he's some stranger. It's Kiri, he was always going to be in my pack."

"You could have asked me! Given me a choice!"

"There wasn't a choice. No one had a choice in the matter. And you know what? Even if there was a choice to be made, I never would have chosen any different! Kirishima is the backbone of this damn family and don't you forget it!" Would you ever let me? It has nothing to do with Eijiro. It's about the fact that you didn't let me decide if I even wanted a pack, just thrust it upon me because you're the alpha. Because I'm the submissive and supposed to go along with everything you say. We weren't even married for a week before the pack was made. Had I known that Kirishima was already claimed… maybe… maybe we wouldn't have gotten married so fast… let you claim me… given you my whole heart…

"Yeah well some days I think you like him more than me." I said wiping a tear from my eyes, crossing my arms and looking away. Do not cry Izuku.

"Yeah well maybe I do!" Blow after blow after blow. Am I fighting a villain or my husband here? Sometimes I'm not sure I know the difference.

"Then why'd we even get married Kacchan? Kirishima was already marked by you well before then!" I yelled, just trying to hurt him as bad as he was hurting me.

"Because it was the right thing to do." He said darkly. I was taken aback. What did that mean?

"The right thing to do? What am I some charity case to you?" He looked at me. A look that made my heart break. "Oh my god."

"Don't oh my god me, it's not like that."

"I think it's exactly like that. You… you took pity on me." I was taken by complete surprise, shocked. "Like you have our entire lives. Poor Deku, the quirkless loser. Have I… Have I ever meant anything to you? This entire time we've been together, or did you just feel sorry for me? Like I'm your duty or something."

"Now you're questioning our entire marriage? Our relationship? I loved you!"

"Loved? Past tense?"

"Yeah, cause I'm not so sure I do now." This time I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"You don't love me anymore."

"You're not the same Deku you used to be. I don't know who the hell you are anymore."

"You can't be serious Kacchan."

"The Deku I know would have fought, clawed and chewed his way to get back into the field. You just gave up." No, no I didn't that's not true!

"I had a baby Kacchan. I was handed a pink slip the second I started showing. What am I supposed to do? No one will hire me! Not knowing that I have a child at home and could have another at any time. That's how being an omega in this society works Kacchan! I tried to go back Katsuki." I don't know if his real name had ever left my lips before. I could tell he was stunned.

He shook his head. "You never tried, not really. You were ten pounds overweight, still breastfeeding and completely committed to that baby. Not to mention the depression. We all knew you weren't coming back six months in. But now, three years later, you're no closer than you were that day, farther from it if anything. At least if you had another baby, you'd have an excuse."

"An excuse? Yeah, that's a great reason to have another baby!"

"Just admit it Deku, you've changed. I married a hero, the kid who's supposed to surpass All Might, when was the last time you even used One for All? Left this damn house? Even thought about being heroic?"

"And because of that you don't love me anymore?"

"I thought my mate was strong, and different from all the rest. I didn't want a damn house omega that does nothing but cook and clean all day. So yeah, maybe I have fallen out of love with you." I ran my fingers along my claim, just letting the tears fall.

"You did this to me. You Kacchan! How am I supposed to be different when I have an alpha who wants nothing but a kept omega? You won't help me with Katsumi, you think cleaning is beneath you! And now you're telling me I've changed when I had to change to accommodate you!"

"So you admit you've changed."

"You think I want to be this? That I want it to be this way!" He looked away, closing his eyes. "What? What are you thinking?"

"That we made a mistake."

"A mistake?"

This time he was the one that let the tears fall. "Deku." Suddenly the air changed. He sat on the bed, sniffling into his forearm as he hung his head. I got on my knees in from of him, trying in vain to wipe away his tears. He wouldn't let me. It's one thing for him to cry in front of me, but for him to let me try to comfort him. No, he'd never.

"Kacchan?"

"Our whole relationship. All of it. It all started because I wanted something I couldn't have. Because I was lusting after you." I thought back to all those years ago.

"We were lusting after each other."

"I wanted what Icy Hot had." Todoroki…no, no we can't go down that road, not now. I don't think I could take it if we did.

"What's done is done. It happened."

"I wanted what he had. The type of relationship you two had. But maybe… what I wanted was love not… you." So this is what if feels like to have your heart ripped out of your chest. Kacchan doesn't want me anymore. Maybe he never did. All these years… I let go of his hands, sat back in silence for a good long time. And then, then I just lost it. I slapped him. Kacchan with his lighting fast reflexes let me, but grabbed my wrist immediately after, dragging me close. No, I can't take it, I can't be near him right now. "Tomorrow's a new day. Lets just move on. Go to sleep."

"That's it? You break my heart over and over again this conversation, call me fat, tell my I'm a shadow of my former self, tell me you don't love me and possibly never did and you expect me to just… go to sleep?"

"I don't know what more you want."

I felt my hands ball into fists. "I want a divorce."