"I'M JUST SICK OF IT, OKAY!? I'm sick of feeling like everything in my life's a goddamn secret! All I've ever wanted was to proudly say who my dads are. Not one - BOTH! But no! I'm only allowed to talk about Dad if someone ASKS, and you! Oh! You're just my dad's work partner - his roommate! We can't be like a normal freakin' family! No! You two have to keep your marriage a secret from everybody and act like I don't exist, or else the whole world will explode! God, your reputation!"

"Do you have any idea what villains would do to you if they knew who you were!? Threaten you, torture you, KILL you!? They would do all kinds of shit just to get to me and Ei!"

"So I'm a burden to you!"

"What - !?"

"Don't even lie! I remember what Dad said! You never wanted to take me in the first place! The little abandoned brat that just plopped herself into your life! The little defenseless girl who's too useless and chicken to become a hero and has the powers of a goddamn rapist! You've ALWAYS been ashamed of me!"

"Don't you DARE put words in my mouth! That's a goddamn lie and you know it is!"

"Oh my GOD! WHAT BULLSHIT! I've always just been an obligation to you! Maybe I amuse you every so often, but you've NEVER loved me! YOU DON'T LOVE ANYTHING!"

"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"THERE it is!"

"Get your ass upstairs! NOW!"

"NO! I'm not a baby anymore!"

"You sure as hell ain't an adult either! NOW GO UPSTAIRS BEFORE I MAKE YOU!"

"I'm sorry! Am I being a pain in your ass!? Guess if I leave, you won't have to deal with me ever again!"

"Kiko, I swear to God - !"

"BETTER YET, MAYBE WE'D ALL BE HAPPIER IF YOU'D JUST LEFT ME IN THAT DUMPSTER WHERE YOU FOUND ME!"

"KIKO!"

That exclamation didn't come from her papa, but rather from a familiar voice behind her. The two of them immediately whipped their heads toward the sound to see her dad standing in the front entrance, just having returned from grabbing their dinner. While his shout had been sharp and full of authority, his expression was an incredibly painful mixture of shock, confusion, and hurt. His daughter wondered how much he had heard. Regardless, the weight of everything she'd said suddenly hit her like a wave of bricks, and she felt the shame begin to pile up in her chest. She hadn't noticed until now, but her body was actually shaking a little from adrenaline, frustration, and maybe even a bit of fear. She quickly averted her gaze to the floor, away from both of her fathers.

Run. Run. Run. A powerful voice echoed in her brain.

Before she knew it, she'd shoved past her dad and began sprinting down the sidewalk, though she wasn't quite sure to where at this point. She vaguely heard Dad call after her, and maybe Papa did too, but she wasn't quite sure. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't…

His furious eyes flashed in her mind. As her sprint turned into a jog turned into a walk turned into a shuffle, as she began to feel her eyes sting with tears, she suddenly realized there had been a hint of pain in his face as well.

She'd screwed up.

The first thing Kiko's brain registered when she opened her eyes was that she definitely wasn't in her bedroom. On top of that, she wasn't in Ainu's room either. That was weird. Hadn't she just been walking to her best friend's house? Her brain felt like it was coming out of a thick fog, but she was sure...hadn't she just had a fight with Papa? Or was that...a dream?

After a few stale seconds of staring up at the tiles, her body finally registered the soreness coming from her abdomen, and suddenly it all came back to her. No, that fight was no dream. The heist, Zombie, the gunshot - she hadn't made any of that up either. She became aware of the stiffness in her arm from the IV, as well as the hum of the monitors hooked up to her. Okay: hospital. That made sense now.

Her body still felt heavy, sinking somewhat into her mattress, but she weakly turned her head to look at her surroundings. No big surprise, there was nothing really out-of-the-ordinary about it. From the sunlight that filled the room, it looked as if it were late morning or early afternoon. Across from her bed, her fathers sat in two chairs along the wall, Papa looking at something on his phone while Dad had his head on his shoulder, seemingly asleep. The two of them looked like they did after a long, difficult shift - which they had definitely had - but the exhaustion in their faces seemed to go far beyond that. Her papa had small, but noticeable bags under his eyes, and her dad's forehead was heavily crinkled as he napped on his husband. This was a type of tiredness she'd never seen in them. Still, the sight of them suddenly made her feel so safe and happy that she would have tackled them with a hug if she could move at all. Her voice came out quietly and broken, as if she had laryngitis, but she managed a small, "Papa…"

It was amazing how quickly her father looked up, whatever he was looking at immediately forgotten. His husband also opened his eyes instantly, implying that he'd never been asleep but was merely resting. The two stared at her for a second in slight surprise. They must have been either comprehending that she was actually awake or shocked that she'd woken up when she did.

"Kiko…" Her dad got up first, moving quickly to her before kneeling at her bedside. His initial expression was that of fatherly concern, one hand covering hers and the other reaching out to brush back some hair that had fallen over her eyes when she'd moved. After observing her face for a moment, he flashed her his signature pointed-tooth smile, though his eyes and voice were more gentler than his normal wild demeanor. "Hey, sweet girl. Good to see you awake."

While she felt her energy slowly building back over the seconds, she still felt pretty weak. Managing a small, thin-lipped smile, she said the only thing that came to her mind. Maybe the only thing that needed to be said. "Hi, Dad."

She felt him grip her hand a little bit tighter, and a small glint appeared in his eyes at her simple sentence. "Hold on. I'm gonna go get the doctor."

As he got up, he stole a more subdued glance at his partner before heading out of the room. Papa, who'd moved to the foot of the bed and silently watched their exchange, kept his gaze on the door for a little longer than necessary before turning his attention back to her. His face held an expression that Kiko had trouble reading, which was nothing new, but it was still a look that she didn't think she'd seen before. If she had to name it, it was a lot like his relaxed default face, though there was an underlying thoughtfulness and laces of concern in his eyes. The blonde made his way around, slowly sitting down next to her on the edge of the bed. Like his husband, he stared at her for a moment, observing her face. After a moment of comfortable silence, he said quietly, "Welcome back, squirt."

Her weak smile managed to grow a little bit more. For whatever reason, that sentence made her feel like everything was right in the world, even for a moment. Still, it also caused her to scrunch her eyebrows inquisitively. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About a day," he informed. His gaze shifted to the ground, his eyes far off and his voice seeming more restrained than normal. "With what happened, we thought you'd be out of it for longer."

If Kiko had to be honest, she was a little surprised that she'd woken up at all - at least, if she was remembering everything correctly. She was no doctor, but she remembered seeing how much blood had spilled out of her, and she'd certainly felt like she was dying on that roof. Her vision blurring, her heart slowing, their desperate pleas for her to stay awake - at the time, even though her mind was telling her she was just falling asleep, she'd been so sure that that was it. Then again...she didn't know what had happened after she lost consciousness. Maybe that's why there was still such a serious and gloomy look in her papa's eyes.

The door opened once more to reveal her dad and whom she assumed was her doctor - a well-groomed man in probably his thirties. Seeing his patient alert, he gave her a warm smile as he walked over. "Hello, Ms. Kirishima. I'm Dr. Takahata. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, I guess." She shifted a bit to try to meet his eye better. Seeing this, the man pressed a button on the side of the bed, which began to move it into a sitting position.

"Well, that's to be expected. I'll say, though, you must have the gods of luck on your side." He went on to explain her condition, not really holding back on the details - an honesty that she appreciated. She was told how she'd lost nearly half the blood in her body, just on the cusp of no return, and how one of her kidneys and parts of muscle had been severely torn up by the bullet. The hospital's few healers had done their best to patch up what they could, as well as mend her beat-up back, but her organ was unsalvageable. That last part was the only thing that kind of shook her a bit - the blood and torn muscle weren't much of surprise, but she hadn't expected having something taken out of her. Dad and Papa stood together off to the side in silence, not really seeming to enjoy the details being repeated to them. Still, their eyes never left their daughter once.

Dr. Takahata, who'd been very professional up until that point, now looked at her with a more amicable expression, speaking in a slightly more familiar tone. "To tell the truth, it's honestly a miracle that you're alive and doing so well right now. If your father hadn't put pressure on your wound when he did, if they didn't get you to the hospital when they did, if we were later for anything, who knows what would have happened. Still, I'm glad, and I promise that we'll do our best to make you better as quickly as possible."

Kiko nodded in understanding, smiling both out of respect and relief. "Okay."

The man gave her a gentle smile back before turning to leave. Walking towards the door, he said, "Just rest up for now. I'll be back in a couple hours to check -"

"Hey, Doc." Papa's deep voice caused the other three people in the room to immediately turn to him. The blonde hero's face held its natural stoicism, though his eyebrows were furrowed in a serious gaze. After staring at the doctor for a couple seconds, he slowly walked towards him in heavy, deliberate steps before stopping a few feet from him. Maybe it was the sound of his footsteps in the otherwise quiet room or the indecipherable expression on his face, but the sudden tension in the air was palpable. Kiko watched anxiously, a little nervous for whatever was about to happen. Then, her father did something that made her feel like she'd been shot again, this time straight through the heart.

He bowed.

Papa never bowed. To anyone.

It wasn't full on ninety degrees or anything like that, but it was certainly deeper than a simple head tilt, which was usually the most he'd do if his husband really pushed him. Kiko noticed that his fists were somewhat clenched at his sides, and his eyes were lightly squeezed shut. After a second or two, he let out a clear and heavy, "Thank you."

You've never loved me! You don't love anything!

The words she'd screamed at him were suddenly echoing through her head like a war gong.

Her dad actually let out an audible gasp, also surprised at his husband's actions. However, after that brief moment of shock, he quickly moved up to meet them, giving a bow that would have otherwise been stereotypically horizontal. Face scrunched up with reverence, Kiko's red-haired father repeated in a much louder and rougher voice, "Thank you!"

Maybe we'd all be happier if you'd just left me in that dumpster where you found me!

"No, no, please! Raise your heads!" Dr. Takahata's face turned a bit red in embarrassment, and he reached out as if he wanted to lift them himself but was too afraid to. "Really, this is all part of my job. I'm at your service. Besides, my wife and I just had a daughter ourselves, so I couldn't be happier than to help yours. I owe you just as much with everything you do."

The two heroes did as he asked, and the three men shared what looked like a moment of understanding. Letting out a sigh of relief, the doctor's smile returned, though much gentler than before. "I'll check in with you all later."

After he left, Dad and Papa watched the door for a moment before exchanging a look with one another. They could have been having a silent conversation for all she knew - one of those powers you develop after being together so long. Finally, her dad took a deep breath, a genuine smile appearing on his face as he looked at his husband. Changing the subject entirely, he turned to his daughter, "Hey, Kiko. You feeling hungry at all?"

She only vaguely heard his question, feeling shaken for some reason. Still staring at the two of them, she gave a simple, "Yeah, I guess…"

Her expression must not have been too concerning, as he turned to Papa with an almost excited smile. "None of us have eaten yet. I could go grab us something. She should be okay to have outside food right?"

"She just woke up, and you wanna fill her with some greasy convenience store junk?"

"Oh, yeah...guess you're right. Oh! I was talking to Ashido earlier, and she said she'd bring us something homemade if we wanted."

"Since when can Raccoon Eyes cook?"

The rest of their conversation sounded far off in Kiko's ears. As she looked down at her pure white sheets, all kinds of thoughts and memories swirled in her brain to create a strange cacophony of gratitude, confusion, and - most of all - overwhelming guilt. The argument with Papa was playing over itself a billion times like a broken record. All of the things she'd accused him of, even the things she'd blamed Dad for - they played over all the amazing times she'd had with them in her life. She remembered during kindergarten when she'd thrown a boy to the ground for pulling her hair, and instead of being angry like she'd expected him to, Papa had taken her out to ice cream with the most amused smirk on his face. She thought back to her later elementary school days when she'd accompanied them to the gym and her dad had helped her bench press. It had to have been only ten pounds, but the way he'd encouraged her and gawked when she flexed her "muscles" afterward made her feel so powerful. Papa fuming over her confusing homework instructions, Dad increasingly failing at cooking, them inviting her to sleep with them when she used to be scared of thunderstorms, her kicking their butts at crane games, them showing her how to throw a punch, her watching the TV with glee as they gave interviews after defeating a huge villain. She'd always felt so proud at the fact that these two incredible men - the best heroes in the world - would choose to have her in their lives, and yet...after all that…

Pools of tears formed instantly in Kiko's eyes, causing streams of water to flow down her cheeks and bringing her back to reality. Her chest constricted with immense remorse, making it hard to breathe in a much worse way than getting shot. As sobs began to escape her throat, she involuntarily scrunched over, squeezing her face tightly in a futile attempt to keep the sound in. Her new position didn't help the soreness of her stomach, but she didn't really care.

Her fathers' conversation about food abruptly cut off at the sound of her crying. She heard the two of them rush over and felt her dad firmly grab her shoulders. Concern and maybe even a little fear in his voice, he quickly asked, "Kiko, what's wrong? Does your wound hurt? What is it?"

She furiously shook her head, the worry in his words only further burying her in guilt. Damn it, she hated crying, but it was all she felt like doing right now. Her own voice garbled with emotion, she choked out, "I'm so sorry...Dad, Papa, I'm so sorry. I...I said horrible things to you. Unforgivable things...I'm so...so sorry! I'm such an...ungrateful brat, and...I got in your way. And I didn't pay attention...I didn't mean it...I didn't mean for any of this…"

"Kiko…" Her dad pulled her against him, cradling her as he rested his head on hers. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt, probably drenching it with the waterfalls coming out of her eyes. He squeezed her tightly, yet still gently enough so he didn't hurt her injury. His voice was quiet and soothing, but she could tell he was trying to hold some emotion back with its underlying roughness. "None of that matters now, okay? You're alive and talking to us. That's all we care about now. Right, Katsuki?"

"What the hell are you even saying, idiot?" Kiko opened her eyes to look at her papa, who'd made his way around the bed to look at her better. He stood there, arms crossed and eyes narrowed in a way that showed that he was a little pissed at her thought process. Gritting his teeth a bit, he said, "I should have been able to handle the situation with that bald jackass, even if you were there, but I didn't. I should have stopped that bastard from nearly killing you, but I couldn't. Even if you're sorry for it now, you meant what you said then. I failed as a hero and as your dad, and you called me out on it. So, don't you dare apologize to me, god dammit."

His voice, though sharp and distinct, grew quieter with that last sentence - a tell that he was getting slightly emotional, since he didn't really get choked up. Kiko had never seen him tear up once in her whole life - she wondered when the last time he cried was, if ever. Still, the idea that he believed she actually thought all of that made her heart crack down the middle and caused her to let out another small sob, "No, Papa. I was stupid. I didn't -"

"Sweetheart." Her other father gingerly turned her face so she was looking at him. He wasn't crying, but his eyes and voice held a slight melancholy. "The two of us talked a bit, and...it doesn't matter if you meant what you said, or if you still mean it. The fact that you even thought it, that you believed for even a second that you were unloved...that's our failure as your parents. When you came into our lives, we knew it wasn't going to be easy, but we wanted you so badly, so we were willing to accept the challenge if it meant you could be with us...I guess we were being selfish. Our relationship not being public, keeping you from the press - all of those things were decisions we made because we thought that's what was right to protect you, to protect each other. We didn't really think about how those things would affect you in the long run or how you would feel about them. We never gave you a choice…"

"But listen here." Papa now sat on the bed with them on the opposite end from his husband. It was amazing how his eyes could be so serious but hold their own unique softness at the same time. "I told you this before: where you came from or what's come before now - none of that crap matters. It doesn't matter whether we like it or not. You're not a baby anymore, and you're the only one who chooses what the hell your future is going to be. So, if this isn't the life you want, then spit it out. You make that choice."

His words surprisingly had a profound calming effect on her. Her crying had stopped, though her face still felt hot and was probably blistering red, and her breathing was slowly returning to normal. Looking between her two fathers, she saw that, while they still looked at her with the same care and love they always had, there was something different about their eyes, as if they were now seeing her in a new light, kind of like she was with them.

Slowly pulling out of her dad's arms, she sat up straighter and stared down in her lap, collecting her thoughts. "I guess...I was more frustrated with everything than I thought. Up until this year, I was actually fine with how we were. I didn't mind keeping secrets because I knew how important that was. I still do, but...suddenly Toshi and Kotone and everyone...they started training to be heroes. They were learning how to be strong and fight villains, so they didn't need to worry about keeping things secret anymore. If worse comes to worst, it doesn't matter if bad guys know Yuki is Uncle Shoto's son or not - he can fight back now. All of them can. And I've been seeing them post pictures with their parents more and talk about their families with other people and I just...got jealous. It's so childish, but I've always wanted to be able to do that, to just say, Red Riot and Ground Zero are my dads, so my parents are cooler than yours! But I know I can't have that luxury. If a villain targeted me, I wouldn't be able to do much, and then -"

"You sure as hell did a lot yesterday," Papa argued, scowling at her as if she'd just said a stupid joke.

"He's right, Kiko. You saved all those people's lives. If you hadn't called us, we would have never known anything was happening in the first place." Her dad pursed his lips at a sudden thought, his eyes turning a bit sad again. "Then we really would have lost you, and we couldn't have done anything about it."

The look on his face both broke and warmed her heart a little. How could she have ever thought that she wasn't loved? Despite their earlier assurances, the shame still weighed on her shoulders. "I just...didn't want our fight to be the last thing I said to you...if anything happened. Besides, with Zombie and the other guys I just came up with dumb ideas on the fly, and I didn't really use my quirk like I should have…"

Her eyebrows furrowed a bit, thinking about something else she'd said during their argument. "That's another thing too, I think. When you told me about my mom and...everything else, I was really shocked, yeah, but...I didn't think it was actually bothering me that much. Still, to think about the person I got my quirk from using it to...to do that to her...I guess I've kind of been having an identity crisis or something. I know that you said it's my power and that that stuff doesn't define who I am, but it's still a part of me, and...I'm still trying to figure out where that part fits."

A moment of silence passed between the three of them, and she had the feeling both of her dads were trying to find something to say. After a bit, Dad gave her a sympathetic look, sighing heavily. "A lot got dropped on you at once, huh?"

"Guess so, but…" All of those precious memories began flooding into mind again. Suddenly, she desperately wanted to go out and make more, gunshot wound be damned. However, since that wasn't possible, she reached out and grabbed each of their hands, declaring with a sure stare, "I can't imagine having another life than this. I don't want one either. You guys have been…" Damn it, she was so sick of getting choked up at this point. "You are the best parents I could have ever asked for and I love you so much."

Her dad squeezed her hand back, giving his first grin in what felt like forever. His pointed teeth even shined a bit. "The feeling's mutual, Little Riot."

His old nickname for her achieved the levity he was going for, as she actually chuckled a bit in surprise. Then, out of habit, they released each other's hands and executed a steely fistbump, shooting each other the biggest, cheesiest grins they could. It was something they did all the time when she was little, and though it hurt her knuckles quite a bit against his much bigger hand, she couldn't help but melt into a wave of happy nostalgia.

"You morons…" Papa let out a deep sigh. Before Kiko could turn to look at him, she felt him gently pull her head towards him, placing a light kiss on her forehead. He'd pulled his husband in too, so the three of them now had their heads cuddled together. Looking down and taking in their closeness, her father had a small, warm smile on his face - not an amused smirk, not his usual unreadable way of displaying affection, but gentle, upturned lips. His voice vibrated in a low hum. "I love you. More than anything."

Kiko stared at his content expression for a second in slight surprise, though it wasn't long before her chest filled with warmth and her own smile appeared on her face. Yeah...how could she want anything else?

"Aw, Katsuki! You know I can't control myself when you get soft like that!" Her dad half teased and pouted, peppering his cheek and jaw with kisses.

"Idiot! Cut that out!" Papa growled, his normal scowl returning, though his cheeks turned noticeably red.

While she was happy with the fact that her parents loved each other so much, like every other child, she wasn't too much on parental PDA. Averting her eyes, she shouted, "Please don't start making out in front of me!"

"We're not!"

"Just don't look."

"I can still hear you!"

"Ei, stop, damn it!"

"What? I'm just -"

"WEREN'T YOU GONNA GET US FOOD OR SOMETHING!?"

And that's the end, friends! I really hope you've enjoyed this story! PLEASE feel free to leave a comment telling me what you think of this chapter or the story overall! Also, if you want, favorite and/or follow this story and/or me, and check out my other fics as well!

I hope you have an amazing day! Please stay safe, happy, and healthy!