Ochako woke up to the sound of a baby crying out. She yawned and pulled herself out of bed instantly, dragging to the room next door. Inside the room was a tall crib where the tiny human wriggled helplessly for her.
"I'm here, baby. I'm here." Ochako said as she picked up the child's frame and held him against her chest.
She spent a couple minutes rocking the baby in her arms, swaying on her legs gently. The sounds of crying turned to whimpering, and then content silence. The woman carried her child into her room and began feeding him.
Her eyes refused to physically stay open more than 50%. This was the second time tonight that he woke her up.
She brushed her finger across his green hair. He had locks just like his father, but brown eyes like herself.
Every time she took him out with her in public, and people recognized them, they would compliment how much he looked like his father. That always gave her a mix of emotions.
Seeing his face, even late at night. No, especially at night, was a blessing itself to her. She had the nightmare again.
More of a memory than a nightmare. But her little Sashi always cheered her up a little, no matter how much additional work he put on for her on a daily basis.
Yet it flashed in her mind. And all she had left of it was Sashi.
It was supposed to be a clear, sunny day. But the sky was covered in clouds, or ash. Or dust. Something unnatural was keeping it dark.
Everywhere she looked, buildings and people had collapsed and crumbled into nothingness. The air was thick and it smelled like fire, yet nothing burned.
And there he was, Izuku Midoriya, taking a stand before him. Tomura Shigaraki. The nefarious and merciless embodiment of pure evil. Thousands had died before this moment. Shigaraki seemed entirely unbeatable in every way.
And yet, Izuku Midoriya still stood tall in defiance.
Behind him stood a few of their strongest allies and friends from their high school. They hadn't even graduated at this point.
Izuku took a second to turn his head back. He gave Ochako a wink and a warm reassuring smile.
She stood just behind them, watching as they charged the mighty villain with everything they had.
Then a bright flash shot into her eyes as the open ground before her exploded.
Moments passed. The light faded away.
Ochako looked on and saw her friends all lying on the battlefield lifeless, each with wounds too great to heal.
And only a few meters ahead of her lay her green haired partner.
She scrambled to him and picked up his shoulders, setting them on her lap as she cradled his face in her padded fingers, besides her pinkies.
"Y-You..." Words couldn't form. She didn't know what to say.
"We won." Izuku smiled. "You don't have to be afraid anymore..."
Ochako sobbed. "Life as a hero won't be worth it without you..."
He weakly held on to her right hand. "...Yes it will... Chako..."
It was always at that point, that Sashi woke her up. He was born nine months after one of the nights before their final battle together.
In that time, the fallen were remembered as legends, and the events were memorialized in the history books. Society began to repair itself and correct some of the laws that indirectly started this. Less on restrictions and more on responsibility.
Everyone mourned, and moved on.
Now Sashi was almost three months old as Ochako fed him full and burped him against her shoulder when she suddenly got a call from her friend Mina. She wasn't the closest of her friends, but their experiences together made them close.
The young mother picked up her cellphone and answered. "Hello?"
"Hey Ochako! I'm so sorry to bother you... But I'm pregnant... Are you busy today?" Mina's voice asked.
Ochako looked at the clock and saw that it was five in the morning. "Today is my day off. I was thinking of taking it slower. What do you need? How long have you been pregnant?"
"Well, I just found out... I woke up early for some reason so I took a pregnancy test..."
Ochako remembered that Eijiro Kirishima had recovered from the events last year and they were living together. Everyone saw that coming.
"I was wondering if we could go get some lunch and I could ask you...how do you do it?" Mina asked.
The brunette smiled. "Y'know. That actually sounds nice. Sure. Do you mind if Sashi comes along too?"
"Not at all! I wanna see the little guy anyway! It's been too many weeks since I got to pinch those cheeks!" The pink woman squeaked in delight.
"Okay. I better put Sashi back to bed. I'll talk to you more in the morning." Ochako said.
"Fair enough. Talk in a bit!" Mina cheered as she quickly hung up.
As Sashi finally let out a good burp, Ochako giggled and carried him back into his crib space.
"We could use some time out of the apartment, huh, sweetie?" She whispered down to her sleeping baby. She yawned and shuffled back into her bed.
Later that day, she and Mina had planned to meet up for lunch. Ochako sat with Sashi in a baby carrier strapped to her chest.
"Hey you two!"
Ochako turned her head and smiled to see Mina approach the table and hug her across. Mina then bent down and kissed Sashi's cheek, careful not to hit Ochako's head with her horns.
"He's just as cute as ever!" She smiled and sat herself down. "He looks just like him..."
Ochako nodded. "Yes. He does. He missed you. You're one of his favorite aunts."
"Aww!" Mina squealed.
Sashi responded with a toothless smile and a short laugh seeing the woman with pink hair and skin, black eyes, and pointy horns.
"Oh I just wanna pinch those cheeks until they pop!" She flexed her fingers and smiled big.
Ochako laughed. "It's good to see you again, Mina."
"It's good to see you too! And you Sashi!" She responded.
"How is Eijiro doing?" The brunette asked.
"He's doing much better now. His scars are starting to fade a little and we do exercises a lot." Mina answered.
"Does he know about you being pregnant?"
Mina's smile dropped. "N-No. I found out then called the first person I felt comfortable with. That was you. I don't know how he'll take the news after everything that's happened. I mean... It's only been a year since we've gone actually pro. Having a baby at this time is-" She looked into Ochako's eyes and stopped herself. "Sorry..."
Ochako smiled. "No no, it's okay."
"I guess I just need advice on how I start..." Mina sighed.
"First, you gotta tell Eiji." Ochako said.
Mina gulped. "I don't know how he'll take it..."
"Eijiro is one the manliest and nicest men I know, he'll be so happy to hear the news. In fact, the longer you wait, the more upset he'll be that you didn't tell him first." The young mother explained. "He'd love to be a father even if it is a little early."
Mina nodded.
"Believe me, I don't encourage what me and Izuku did for everyone, but sometimes things just happen." She said.
Mina's look became more concerned. "Ochako. This isn't all just about me. How have you been? If I think it's going to be a lot for me and Eijiro, you..."
"I've been good. I have been a little overwhelmed at times... But Sashi really does make it worth everything." Ochako said. "If I can do it, you two certainly can." She gave her pink friend a warm smile.
"Do me a favor and don't ever start to think that you're not doing enough, Chako." Mina said. "Out of everyone in our class at UA, you were probably the strongest. I don't mean by Quirk or even physically. But you never give up. Your determination actually made Izuku look like a slacker sometimes."
Ochako smiled. "Thanks. So what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to tell Eijiro first thing after lunch." Mina sighed.
"Good. And then you're gonna let me give you both some advice because pregnancies, especially as a pro-hero, aren't all warm fuzzy moments." She said sternly.
"Okay, drill sergeant." Mina snickered.
Ochako went on to enjoy her afternoon with her friend before they had to part ways. But at least she knew she wasn't as alone as she once thought.
YEARS LATER
"Um...Miss Uravity?" The voice of Eri asked over the phone.
Ochako held up her phone. "What is it, Eri?"
"It's Sashi... I think his Quirk is coming in...except he just flipped over the kitchen table and bruised up his arms." Eri answered.
Ochako nearly dropped her phone from her hand.
"...What?"
