"Shouldn't you be...I don't know, laying down, or something?" Izuku said, putting his hands out to a push-upping Ochako like he was touching an imaginary forcefield. If he could throw her in a bubble, he'd do it. Then leave her there until either the baby came out, or Bakugou came home.

Things might have been a bit less tense between him and Bakugou at this point in their lives, but that didn't mean the man with the explosive quirk wouldn't hesitate to place any blame on Izuku if harm were to come to Ochako while he was away.

"Saturday…" he sighed, "...just one day, at the latest. I can do this. Just keep her safe, and everything will be fine. There isn't much to it. I mean, considering the weird letters, we have to stay vigilant and theoretically the things that could go wr..."

Ochako couldn't help but snort, pink cheeks plumping up at Izuku's muttering. "You can do this, Deku!" She said, half joking, half serious, pumping a fist up while balancing on her other before resuming her pushups.

With cheeks deflated and mouth back in a frown, Ochako easily disguised her mood with the strenuous nature of the exercise. The attention her pregnancy incited in people made her anxious. Many didn't agree with her plans, while others truly believed she was at Katsuki's mercy as if he could force her to work and bare hero children. Convincing them otherwise was impossible when people thought they knew her life.

On top of that, she'd wanted so desperately to go on the trip with Katsuki, but her doctor's orders were simple. No traveling.

Desperate is the exact word she used trying to convince Katsuki to let her go. They were opening an office together, so they should train and learn about how to do that - together. But doctor's orders meant Katsuki wouldn't budge, and so Kirishima went in her stead. Better to maximize the benefit of the trip since Kirishima was opening an affiliate office, eager to build strong partnerships with his former classmates, and keep pace.

So Ochako was here - finally on leave, relegated to paperwork, wallowing in her frustration, and ready as hell for this baby to vacate her womb.

"You can joke, but I'm glad I am here…" Izuku stood up, hands on his hips, "...in case anything goes wrong, even with your exercises."

Ochako's bright laugh filled the space at Izuku's self-satisfied fearless smile. She knew that on the inside, Deku was happy when he could work his former teachers catchphrase into a situation. Like he was replaying an inside joke in his head, except everyone was in on it and couldn't help but be supportive. She guessed it was his way of coping, which made her a little sad at that thought.

Ochako huffed from her position on the floor, a soft smile reappearing because she couldn't be upset with Izuku here. "Twenty...It's fine Deku. The doctor said as long as I'm not going over my existing limits, I'm good to keep exercising and using my quirk….Twenty-one...Twenty-two…"

"I hear you. It's just that, I have this image of you, sort of bursting...and Kacchan saying "DIIIE" and mean it." Izuku said with a nervous laugh, flinching every time Ochako's round belly squished a bit against the hard wood of her living room floor.

"Deku...please...as much as...I do enjoy...your company...and you're...my best friend…so I love you, truly….no one asked you to be here." She breathes out with each push off the floor. " Not only will my parents be here soon, and Katsuki will be back tonight or tomorrow, I can take care of myself, honestly."

"I know, I know. But are you sure you know your husband?" Izuku chuckled. "Kacchan doesn't ask; he says 'If I come home and my wife and kid are anything but safe and sound, I'll hold you personally responsible'," Izuku mimicked a lighter version of that growly-rasp of a Bakugou Katsuki command, missing all the simmering redness and blasts of smoke to back it up.

"I understand," Ochako said, coming to her knees for a break from her set. "But Katsuki doesn't get to sort of demand a security cadre without consulting with me or threaten you to keep me safe. I have control too. No one has bothered me. Besides, if something happens, it's not like it'd be caused by you. Sometimes things just happen." Ochako waved him off then paused to stare at nothing for a moment, touching the bottom of her stomach with a quirked brow.

"I think that's the point," Todoroki added, coming out of the bathroom, wearing dark blue sweats and a grey shirt.

"Bakugou isn't worried about it being our fault; he's worried about the things he can't control. I imagine he thinks the more eyes he has on you, the less likely any of those small things could hurt you."

Ochako sighed.

Sometimes Katsuki still couldn't just say the things he was feeling, and the baby seemed to be bringing back a couple of old habits for him. She knew it didn't make him weak to worry, but it sure made her feel weak to be hassled and coddled by others. "Honestly, you're all a bunch of babies." Uraraka sighed frustratedly, taking a steadying breath as she stood, back slightly hunched.

Izuku's eyes zeroed in on her hands, brow furrowed, noting her avoiding his gaze.

"I'm not. I'm just telling you what I see. I give Bakugou credit for even relying on us for this." Todoroki offered, lacing up his sneakers at the entryway. "You ready?"

Coming out of her thoughts, Ochako caught Deku's stare and straightened up with a smile. "Yes! I did my warm up. Let's go!"

'

"What? Wait, where are you going? I thought you were working out here?" Izuku stared incredulously, following Ochako, clad in her black leggings, and salmon colored long sleeve workout top as she sat beside Todoroki to get her shoes on.

"On my run. I try to go at least once a week. Plus, I never work out here, I like to be out." Ochako happily hopped up, tight and round belly hardly jiggling from all the muscle protecting it.

"You're still running? Out there?"

"Yes, Deku. I just told you. I swore I wouldn't let this be a reason to slow down my career or change my own goals. And I can't let crazy people stop me from living. Katsuki and I can have a family and be heroes too."

"I understand...I just…" Izuku didn't want to dwell and upset her, but the situation was difficult to ignore, "I guess I'm just used to non-active pregnant people and tv show, pregnant people." He said instead as he brought a hand to his chin, thinking about the stereotypes of pregnant people on tv. None of those had been heroes, and he couldn't get pregnant, so what did he know.

"It'll be fine. Trust me. And Todoroki will be with me every step of the way. I just knew that if we let you come, you'd be nervous the entire way, and I just want to enjoy this run. And, convince this baby to pop out." She laughed, but she wasn't joking at all, and she hoped he understood.

"We'll be at the park! See you in about an hour. Help my parents when they get in!" Ochako shouted, scooching past Todoroki and jogging to the elevator.

"Shoto, wait." Izuku grabbed his partner's hand, carefully pulling him back before he can follow Ochako out.

"You sure this is alright? Her due date is in two days. I feel..."

"I don't know if it's alright, or if there's a "right" way, but I trust Ochako to know her body, and the limits she has for herself. Plus, she's right, I'll be there. And I know you trust me." He interrupted, giving Izuku a lingering peck on the corner of his mouth before closing the door.

Izuku sighed.

"Yeh...it's...gonna be okay. Everything is fine." He spoke into the quiet of the Bakugou apartment, touching his lips, walking backward into the living room.

He sat back on the couch, thinking of what to do with a day off, blocking the worry from his mind.

He laid down.

The sound of a clock ticking somewhere made him anxious.

Izuku thought back to Ochako's momentary pause that looked like she felt something but didn't say anything.

"No. She's fine. Everything is fine." He said once more, getting an ache in his chest.

Kacchan would kill him if something happened. And Izuku was inclined to believe he'd gladly let himself be murdered in the most brutal way possible if something were to harm Ochako and he wasn't there.

In a flash of green, he rolled off the couch and dashed into the guest room to change.

"It couldn't hurt to patrol, just in case."


"Thanks for coming with me Todoroki." Ochako smiled, happy to be out, pace relatively slow. She wanted to take her time and see the spring buds blooming across the park grounds.

"It's not a problem." He smiled, noticing Ochako's slightly labored breathing and a pinkness spanning across the top of her nose.

"How are you feeling?"

"Me? Ha! Just a little self-conscious." She laughed a little out of breath as they jogged. Her hand immediately came up behind her head, scratching at something she'd never reach.

"Oh?"

"People are staring at us."

"Oh," Todoroki said, looking around at other runners and park goers in various stages of gawking at a very pregnant Ochako running with someone who wasn't her husband through the park on a glorious spring morning.

Todoroki was fully aware of the level of scrutiny the Bakugou family was under. Not only were the tabloids full of it, but so were the op-eds in the national news. The worst things were anonymous letters from people offering to help Ochako escape, or even hurt her over all this.

Ochako was the first pro-hero her age to continue to work during pregnancy and was already drawing fire from people for her desire to pursue her career afterward. One columnist even dared to say that Ochako was setting an impossible standard for other heroes and parents to follow a

"I think it's unfair," he said without context for his thoughts. Ochako continued to walk without looking at him. "You're choosing to keep your child and provide it every protection you can. And Bakugou isn't Endeavour. I know he would never hurt you and that his temperament is just a part of who he is..."

Todoroki recalled a furious Bakugou exploding a glass into shards and sand at hearing Kaminari read an article aloud, saying he was an unfeeling, power-hungry, hero, unfit to raise a child. Bakugou took it as an insult against everyone close to him as if they were wrong for caring for someone like him. The fact that Bakugou could now admit those things out loud - be vulnerable and rely on his friends - was a testament to the almost decade-long bond they all shared, forged in the wake of All Mights end. "I saw a long time ago that Bakugou is capable of change." Todoroki finished trying to find other words of comfort.

Noticing Ochako's avoidance, Todoroki grabbed her shoulder. "Stop."

Ochako sighed and walked a step back to stand before him.

"This doesn't feel like the best place to talk about this." She said, eyes darting to the various onlookers.

"Well, as Bakugou would say, "screw them," they can think what they like. I'm serious…"

"You're always serious Todoroki." Ochako laughed with the barest of deflection.

"I mean it. This person," he said, gesturing to her stomach, "will have more support than the rest of us had growing up…"

"Except maybe Yaoyorozu," Ochako added lamely, attempting to cut the mood more.

"Maybe. But I'm trying to tell you not to let everyone out there get you down. Trust me when I tell you, every time I visit, I see what you two have built so far in that apartment, and it's full of more love than the first decade, and a half my life ever had. These people are not you; they don't get to decide what is best. You'll have your family, and...not just me and Izuku, but...all of us…" he hesitated. It was enough for Ochako to interrupt by launching forward into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing tight.

Not knowing what to do, Todoroki stood a bit awkwardly with his arms hovering over her, staring blankly at passerby's that smiled. He felt Ochako take in an extra deep breath, like someone trying to pull everything in to fit in a tight space. And he wondered how being alone for the past week had been affecting her. She was exactly the type of person to say everything was fine when it wasn't, but he also knew she genuinely was strong enough to handle anything, it was just a matter of whether or not she should have to.

A slight tremor wracked her body, and Todoroki finally settled his arms around her shoulders, offering his literal warmth to push away some of the coolness of the early spring air.

"I know you all have my back. I'm...super grateful. It's just hard hearing it day in and day out. I've been dreaming about moments where I set the baby down, and just...walk away! I don't even know why because I don't want to do that! That was never an option. Bakugou and I did this because we wanted a family, and we had what it takes to make this work...so I feel confused and a little scared. I don't know why people have to tear each other down. I don't know why it hurts so much."

"It hurts because you're a good person. And you want to make people happy. But you can't make everyone happy, and your life can't be negotiable with the public, especially the loudest minority of them. I've seen your fan mail. There are people looking up to you right now too. School kids in desperate situations are feeling like, if you can be a hero right now, then they can push through anything. But no one owns you. We're still free to decide what we do."

Ochako laughed at that, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Thank you, Shoto. I know you're right. Maybe I just needed to hear it out loud. That's a little hard when Katsuki's not here to shake some sense into me."

Todoroki blinked furiously for a moment, processing his name, before smiling softly, happy to have a barrier down with another former classmate.

"No problem." He patted her back, starting to move them along again. "Ready to jog?"

"Yeh." Ochako huffed out, composing herself, briefly making a face like she was assessing something.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeh, 'tsgood. The baby's just been real fussy since Katsuki left, kicking and moving a ton. "So I think they're like me - missing all the noise." She laughed, rubbing a hand along the bottom of her belly, taking in a deep breath between her teeth, and letting it out.

"Okay...if you say so." He had to be careful with this one. Some people thought that Bakugou was the only stubborn one of the two, but Todoroki realized that Ochako had her own streak when it involved her independence and abilities.

"Yeh, yeh. Course. Though, I think I wanna walk. It's a nice day, and I want to enjoy the last of the blossoms."

"Fair enough."

They continued along in silence. Occasionally, Shoto was unnerved by the drawn-out inhaling and exhaling of breath from Ochako. Whatever that was, Shoto wasn't sure that it wasn't normal either, but he was a bit preoccupied with the sensation of being followed.

At one point Shoto could have sworn he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look, there was nothing. He shook his head, keeping vigilant as they completed two circuits around the park, with nothing but the sounds of the city and distant laughter of park goers to keep them company.

Eventually, Ochako walked off into the grass, settling onto a bench just off the path.

"I just need to raise my feet for a minute; then we gotta grab some food because I am so hungry!" The small brunette groaned deep, pulling her legs up to take up the length of the park bench. "Shoto?" Ochako asked.

"Yes." He replied, eyes scanning every face on the path, stopping on the occasional paparazzi in the distance.

Something was off.

"Could you do me a favor."

"Sure."

"Can you tell me everytime four minutes go by?"

"What?" He looked down at her in confusion.

"Four minutes. Can you look at your watch and tell me everytime four minutes pass?" She insisted.

"You mean, repeatedly?"

"Yes."

"Of...course. For what reason?"

"Oh, ya know, I...have...to check my heart rate over that time, after exercise, to compare when I'm not pregnant. So I can do better with the next one." Ochako winked, making Shoto blush a bit despite his pricked nerves.

Shaking the unwanted image of his friends being intimate, he pulled up his watch, moved to the stopwatch setting, and began. There were other things to worry about right now anyway.

"So, for lunch, maybe we can make you something at your apartment," Shoto suggested.

He then raised his arms, bending backward and pretended to stretch as an excuse to look around more, feeling anxious at the thought that they were seriously being followed, but not wanting to alarm Ochako.

"No way! I'm a horrible cook, and I want something spicy and meaty!" She thought out loud, flexing her legs and feet, rotating them to lessen the bit of pressure building in them.

Shoto's scanning of the area yielded nothing out of the ordinary, but he still couldn't shake the feeling.

"How about I pick something up for you, and we head back to the apartment." He said a little more pointedly this time, causing Ochako to look up worriedly, searching his gaze for his true meaning. His gaze remained stern.

Her heart started to beat loudly in her ears, and the baby inside kicked at her uptick in stress.

"Uhh...yeh...I'm actually feeling a little pooped!" She bounced up with a dance to show that nothing was amiss, ready to make her way home.

Then Ochako paused, seemingly in a bit of pain before she was able to move again.

Shoto put his hand on her lower back. "Hey, are you okay?" He said, guiding her into his side as she straightened her back.

"Yes! I'm doing fine. Just...stress, ya know?" She said as Shoto's watch beeped.

"Four minutes." He stated while resetting the watch for another round. "How long do we track this for?"

"Oh, well, probably just one or two more times, my...heart is already...uh...slowing down, a little early. So...that's good." She said, walking away from him, hoping her nervousness over the situation played in her favor. She didn't want anyone to worry, and he seemed worried about something else. They'd get to the apartment, grab her bag, and then she'd calmly let them know she was ready to go to the hospital.

Shoto caught up to Ochako in a few quick steps, and pulled her into him again, trying to cover as much of her body as he could while they made their way out of the park and onto the city streets.

In her vulnerable state, Ochako knew better than to argue. All she could hear was Katsuki's nagging voice blaring in her mind to be on her guard when she was out. But what better place was there to be than in the company, and actual arms of the number two hero, Todoroki Shoto.

They continued on their way, weaving through the crowds of people going about their business. Shoto noticed some people recognized them, while others did their best to ignore the duo. For a moment, Shoto wished his quirk was like Ragdoll's, so he could search out quirks and stats. Then maybe he could guess intent.

A quick intake of breath from Ochako caused Shoto to panic, thinking something had happened as she bent over. He stepped in front of her to place his hands on her shoulders.

"Ochako?" His attention torn between checking her over, and the people slowing to stare as they walked passed. "You're not okay. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just ready to get home." She grimaced, breathing heavy.

Shoto didn't know what to do or believe. Ochako wouldn't risk losing this baby, so she had to be telling the truth.

Then his watch went off, and the gears inside his head began to spin.

"Four minutes. Ochako?" The tone in which he said her name caused her to look up almost bashfully. Seeing the small smile immediately diffused some of his concern but didn't stop it. "Can you walk?" He asked, thumbing a button on his watch as he looked down the sidewalk ahead.

"Of course." She breathed, standing tall once again with a determined mask on her face. She pushed past him, walking forward slowly and he grabbed her arm to keep her close. "Why are we taking the long way back?" She asked hiding the unease thrumming through her now that her pains were beating Shoto's timer.

"I didn't want to worry you, but there's at least one person following us, I think. It's just hard to tell when the paparazzi are always around because it feels like everyone is always watching."

Just after he spoke, Ochako caught a glimpse of something across the street on one of the buildings out of the corner of her eye, and her heart jumped. A cold shock flooded her limbs, stretching from her fingers to her feet.

Ochako worked so hard to focus only on the things she could control, but it seemed she should have anticipated dealing with this after all.

"Right ther..." Ochako was about to point before she realized maybe it was best not to show they were aware of being followed. Shoto, however, caught her drift and cautiously followed her side-eyeing gaze to the roof of a small office building across the street.

"Okay, I'll ping Izuku," he said, reaching into his pocket for his phone, "and we can...ugh," Shoto grunted as someone bumped into his bent elbow, sending his phone clattering to the ground.

"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you." Said a small black haired woman with a grin.

Shoto reached down to retrieve the phone, "It's no problem."

"Shoto!"

When he looked back up, the sheen of something stood between him and Ochako, separating her from his grasp. It was all around both of them. And the black haired woman stood behind Ochako, hands on the barrier.

It looked like two crisp and gleaming bubbles.

"LET HER GO!" He snapped, punching the hard barrier before putting a hot left hand on the wall encasing him, ready to attempt to burn through it.

People around them suddenly noticing the commotion began to scatter and scream. Seeing the number two and number six hero trapped inside bubbles didn't inspire a lot of confidence to stay nearby.

"Nah ah ah. I wouldn't do that unless you want to eat up all your oxygen. The bubbles aren't permeable."

"Now you just stay right there Todoroki Shoto, and we'll relieve Uravity-san of her burden."

"NO!" He screamed, just as he heard the shink of the anti-gravity hero's quirk, and Ochako's bubble lifted off the ground. Then a crackle of lightning resounded as a green blur dropped down from above, sending concrete and dust flying.

"Izuku?"

The debris cleared to reveal the woman in a bubble partially pushed into the ground, Deku on top of her with his leg outstretched in the aftermath of a wicked ax kick.

"It's okay, I've got the sidekicks on their way, and alerted Kacchan," Deku said, looking up into the sky at Ochako's bubble.

"I need you to let them go. What do you want?!" Deku shouted, stomping on the bubble, causing the woman to tumble about like a child messing with a hamster in a ball.

"I want to free good heroes from the clutches of false ones! We've been waiting so long. Now we have the power to do as we please." She yelled at him, fire in her eyes.

"False heroes?" Deku said, sending a confused look to an equally confounded Shoto. "So what, you follow Stain?" Deku thought to the long incarcerated hero.

"I fight to revive Stains vision. The League showed me I have that freedom."

"The League of...Villains?! What do they want with Uravity?"

From above, heart pounding wildly in fear, Ochako watched the scene play out below her, swiftly rising faster than she intended when she pushed against the top of her bubble.

"What do I do? What do I do?" She panicked out loud, looking around as her bubble climbed higher and higher, searching the ground, unable to center her thoughts. Then a pain hit, and Ochako fell to her knees, hands holding the bottom of her belly as she worked through what she was now certain were contractions. At a little less than four minutes apart, she needed to find a way out of this and fast, or she'd deliver this baby in a bubble with rapidly depleting oxygen.

Looking through the transparent floor, she saw something materialize. It's dark and smoky appearance similar to a swarm of bees looked eerily familiar. The shape and movement of it was like reliving a moment from their first training exercise at U.A., and it was forming partway between her and the ground above Deku.

Then a person, no...a thing, spilled out, falling toward her friends. It couldn't be...

"DEKU, LOOK OUT!" The adrenaline of the situation, fear for her friends, and her pain fueled the pitch and depth of her scream so that people for blocks heard it ring out.

Before he could receive more answers from the nonsensical woman beneath him, Deku looked up, "Nomu?!" and shot away in the nick of time. The brain exposed beast punched into the bubble where Deku'd been standing, bursting it like shards of glass, sending a shockwave rippling through the sidewalk, heaving the concrete and asphalt up meters around and causing the buildings to shake.

Ochako and Shoto's bubbles burst.

As she fell, Ochako's scream lasted for mere seconds, her throat choking with the wind as her stomach felt like it was being pushed into her chest just before she activated her quirk on herself, coming to a gentle stop mid-air, still high above everyone.

But she needed to get the rest of the way down. Without any special gear or a partner, that was only achievable by momentarily free-falling until just the right moment.

Do I wait, or do I help? She struggled internally. Through the blur of her panic, she heard a blast echo between the buildings. She looked down to see Deku and Shoto trading blows with the Nomu below, then felt arms around her waist and under her legs, pulling her to a hard chest before she was hurtling toward the brick wall of the nearest building.

"Katsuki?!" She choked out.

"No time. Help me down Cheeks." He said, not meeting her eyes, jumping off and down toward the street with a jerking motion.

"Oh. Right." She touched him so he could hold her tight to land. He hit the ground at the perfect angle to touch down in a run.

"Release." She whispered, hands together as they crossed the now empty section of street and Katsuki transferred her to Kirishima who was standing with a handful of sidekicks.

"Don't. Let anyone. Near her." He warned, mostly to the sidekicks, before running off to join Deku and Shoto. Kirishima smiled grimly at Katsuki's back. Ochako jostled to be put down while the sidekicks turned their vigilant gazes outward.

"I got ya Chako." Kirishima soothed as Ochako's feet touched the ground and she burst into tears. Pushing away from Kirishima's chest to bend over, a stronger contraction ripped through Ochako hard enough to make her want to throw up, and a pained cry bubbled from between her lips.

Kirishima searched her body for injuries, unsure what to do.

Heart dropping at the sound of her rumbling cry, Katsuki forced himself not to look back, and continued forward, jumping into the fray, blasting off an arm that Shoto had frozen, which immediately grew back without lag time, as Deku moved to get in punch after punch into the Nomu's torso. The force of each blow created a gust of wind forcing everyone to get down low and brace themselves. But this Nomu bobbed like a boxer, never letting Deku get a hit into the same place twice, or at all with the way it blocked.

Deku backed up to allow Katsuki an in with another blast before taking a few quick steps forward, almost parallel with the monster. Dropping his left shoulder, raising his right leg and pushing off with his left, Deku leaped into the air and spun backward to bring a hard kick down into the Nomu's chest, immediately following up with a punch. The beast slipped sideways, still upright, pulling up asphalt as it worked to regain traction and get back to the three men.

"This isn't working," Deku yelled, uppercutting it's chin as it roared back in. This thing was huge.

"It's been years; this one looks more intelligent too." Shouted Shoto, trying to catch the Nomu's feet to lock it in place if even for a moment, but it's minute movements kept it barely out of reach. Katsuki zipped around, popping off shot after shot, trying to explode its head without catching Deku in the crossfire, but any damage seemed to undo in an instant.

In a flurry of leaping, twisting kicks and punches, Deku pushed the monster back, while it flailed at shots of fire from either side as Todoroki and Katsuki worked to stay with the meleeing duo.

Out of the corner of his eye, Katsuki caught Kirishima trying to deal with a doubled over Ochako and realized what was happening just as Deku took a punch to the face that sent him flying toward the group guarding Ochako.

Damn!

Shoto doubled down, rushing to create a path of ice under and behind Deku to help him back on his feet while simultaneously keeping the Nomu back with a wall of flames, it's flesh burning and regenerating instantly.

"That's it!" Katsuki shook his head. "Todoroki! Give 'em everything you got, freeze him in place but leave his head uncovered and get Ochako to the hospital! You've got the smoothest ride; I got this!" He commanded, setting into a low ready stance.

For a second Shoto didn't understand, but then saw his ice path and nodded, slamming his foot into the ground to fully encase the Nomu in as thick a layer of ice as he could muster.

It stilled, screeching in wild fury as the ice already began to crack while Shoto sprinted over to grab Ochako.

Deku knew just what he wanted to do, but before he could reach the beast, Katsuki jumped onto the Nomu, his boots perched on its broad chest, latching onto the creatures head with his hands, palms primed and lit like a forge, melting the flesh. A low keening sound wailed over the Nomu's screams as Katsuki charged his palms at their center.

The Nomu broke free from the ice, and it's attempt at punching Katsuki's legs were met with Deku's own hands pulling down like an odd game of arm wrestling as he helped to give Katsuki the shot.

Shoto held Ochako tight in his arms as his feet simultaneously ran, then slid, while he built a long path over and across the abandoned cars and huddled masses of people watching from blocks away. Ochako watched the scene behind them over Shoto's shoulder.

Usually Katsuki wore a wild grin when he fought, like a twisted version of Deku's. But it was gone now, replaced with terrifying eyes and grit teeth over a lip lifted in disgust.

Katsuki dipped low, head near the ear of the monster, "I got your number asshole, right here." He said in a quiet fury. Pushing harder, Katsuki dug his fingers into the meat of its head, grip shaking in wrath before twin AP shots burst through its skull, down into its back, cutting the creature parallel to its center like slices of meat.

Before it could fall apart, Katsuki released one more explosion to remove the remaining bits of head and backflipped off. Deku released his grip on the chunked beast as Ochako and Shoto disappeared around a far off corner.

Crowds descended from every corner of the street, cheering as police tried to make their way through the mass of people offering their praise.

The sidekicks helped the police to establish a perimeter and searched for signs of other villains while Deku pulled the unconscious black haired woman out of the hole made by his earlier kick.

"Ground Zero. Deku." Asked a detective already on the scene. We need your statements so that we can begin our investigation."

"Uh, Kacchan, why don't you go, I have this. Ground Zero only just arrived. I was watching from above the entire time officer, so I have more information. This woman is the one that bubbled Uravity and Shoto." He offered the woman up like a sacrifice, happy to be rid of her. "I'd also like to speak to chief Tsukauchi; he'll want to know what we encountered here." The detective nodded as the other officers pulled the woman from Deku's arms and restrained her before carrying her away.

"I wanna read everything when it's done," Katsuki demanded, a grim look fixed on Deku as he backed away before turning around to find Kirishima.

"Let's head back to my place and grab Ochako's things. Her parents might already be there, so they'll wanna know what's up too if they haven't already heard."

"Wait, don't you wanna head straight to the hospital?" Kirishima asked, grabbing Katsuki's shoulder. The fiery blonde reared on his friend with a glare, slapping his hand away.

Kirishima put his hands out in a calming gesture, "Okay, man, alright. Whatever you want, let's go," he placated.


"Oooooh! Shoto, it hurts, it hurts! Where's Katsuki?!" Ochako panted, grasping at Shoto's neck, looking around over Shoto's shoulder, hoping Katsuki would follow soon. It was difficult to search while trying to find a way to scrunch up to ease the pain that was coming faster now.

"We're right there Ochako. Just hold on, okay? Bakugou's cleaning up, and he'll be right behind us." He said, eyeing the tall complex a few blocks away.

"I'm sorry. I should've said something way earlier. I thought it was gonna be easy! My mom...she made it seem...I thought...I thought I could just take a shower and grab some food, and go in when it was time. I didn't know someone would...! OW!" Ochako moaned as another contraction hit her, and she balled up in his arms.

Shoto felt something wet and warm running down the front of his shirt and shorts, but the hospital was so close he didn't want to think about what it could be.

"It's okay; you couldn't have known what would happen. I should have taken you home as soon as I thought someone was following." Shouto teared up, teeth clenched, unsure of whether or not what she was experiencing was normal. Ochako seemed a bit crazed, just blurting the first things on her mind.

His path leveled out and touched the ground, landing them under the awning of the emergency entrance of the hospital. A man in scrubs stood outside the sliding glass doors, scrolling through his phone until he noticed the pair arrive.

"Y-you are Sho…" he pointed at the plainclothes heroes in awe.

"Yes. I need you to help her. Now, please." His deep voice snapped the man into action.

"Yes! Uravity. I'm sor...yes; I'll take her." The nurse said. "Can I get some help out here, I've got a patient that appears to be in active labor." He said into a walkie-talkie before Shoto transferred Ochako into his arms. But she pulled on Shoto's shoulder, sliding her hand along the length of his arm as the nurse pulled away to head inside.

"No! Don't leave!" She cried out, her hand clinging onto Shoto's fingers as the nurse pulled.

"I'm sorry Uravity, he isn't family. I can't allow him back into the rooms. But everything is going to be okay." The nurse soothed.

"He is family! Please!?" She tugged harder, activating her quirk on Shoto as the nurse continued walking and another ran out with a wheelchair.

Seeing her this way made Shoto so nervous. He thought he might disobey the man until Bakugou showed up. But he had to be calm for her. "Let go Ochako. It's alright. I'll go back to the apartment, grab your things and see where Bakugou's at." He said with a reassuring pat on her hand, his legs kicking behind him as they lifted above his head.

"Uravity, we do need to get you to a room, it appears your membranes have ruptured. Things will be moving fast from here."

Shoto looked up at his wet sweatpants, and shirt.

"Tell him to hurry, please." She said grimacing then letting go. With a touch of her hands, she released her quirk and Shoto dropped, landing with the grace of a cat. The nurses whisked her away behind a set of double doors just beyond the entrance. It was difficult to ignore the sound of her gasps echoing behind it until the glass doors closed.


"I found her bag. You mind if I take a quick…" Kirishima's question petered off as he walked into the living room from Katsuki and Ochako's bedroom. Katsuki sat on the floor, staring at Ochako's phone on the low table.

"Hey, you...okay?"

Katsuki didn't answer.

"Bakugou?" Kirishima asked, walking around to take a look at his friend's face.

Bakugou lowered his head to escape Kirishima's gaze.

"I'm...gonna...take a quick shower before we head out, kay? You should change too. I doubt they'll let you hold your baby smelling like Nomu guts." Kirishima chuckled, as he dropped the bag beside Katsuki and walked to the main bathroom.

"I don't think I can go."

"What?" Kirishima backtracked.

"I said I'm not gonna fuckin' go!" He said, smashing his hands onto the table.

"Dude, you ca…" Kirishima paused, knowing full well "can't" isn't a word you tell Bakugou. "What the hell's up? For real? You didn't talk at all the whole trip, and when you did, you could only talk about getting back home, and suddenly you don't want to go? You heard her. She was in pain, and probably really scared." He shook his head, remembering Ochako's distress as he tried to hold her up. "Ochako needs you, man."

Kirishima sat down beside him. He'd wait however long it took.

"I wasn't home."

"...Yeh, but...you are now. And you saved her."

"No Kiri, you saw that feed." Bakugou growled out low, "I saw her drifting away in that bubble. I don't even know what that black-haired bitch said but I haven't seen Todoroki that scared since Endeavor's fight…and...he was useless. Even if I'd been with her...I woulda been…"

"No. No. Nah...this is me putting my foot down. You can't say that. There's stuff we can't anticipate. The public trusts us, and we put a certain level of trust in them to not jump us every time we go down the sidewalk. That lady took advantage of that. But that's not on you. It's not a weakness to not be able to tell the future."

"I thought I could do this, but I think it's gonna fuckin' kill me, Kiri." Katsuki's voice cracked. The sound of it like something being wound tight. "She was almost gone...like that." He snapped.

Kirishima sat quietly, unsure of how to respond. There was no denying that, from the looks of it, had the quirk been different, or the intent been different, Ochako and Todoroki could've been taken out like that.

"FUCK!" Katsuki screamed, flipping the table across the room, smashing into the back of the kitchen counter and scattering things.

This was everything Katsuki had been afraid of from the beginning. His nightmares come to life.

"I know I can't tell you what to do. But you know what I've always thought of you." He laughed, "You've given a piece of yourself to someone, to make another person, and you want so bad to protect it, that you're sitting here worrying to death." He said with a nudge of Katsuki's shoulder. "But right now...you're being...and I say this as your friend and someone that loves you, honestly…" Kirishima sucked in a breath, preparing to let out the ultimate criticism. "...you're not being manly at all right now. You're acting like a coward."

As Kirishima finished speaking, the sing-songy sound of the new automatic lock chimed, and the door clicked open.

Shoto walked in, eyeing the mess and broken table, his eyes set into a disapproving glare.

Katsuki shot up, walking over to the scarred man.

"What are you doing here? Where's Chako?" He said accusingly, sticking a finger out to push at Shoto's chest.

"Where you asked me to take her. The question is, what the hell are you doing here?" He answered, pushing Katsuki's hand away.

"Getting her things."

Shoto squared up closer to Katsuki. "Really? Because it looks like your busy acting like a child."

"Wanna run that by me again, Todoroki?" Katsuki met him, their glares burning into the each other.

"I defend you to everyone. I KNOW you are better than this. But this doesn't help," Shoto grit out, gesturing behind Katsuki, shaking the image of Endeavor throwing a fit from his mind, "Push through whatever is wrong with you and go to your wife! She needs you."

"You don't know shit half-n-half!" Katsuki's hands ignited, and he worked to restrain the hate brewing at being called out. "The love of your life could crack the fuckin' earth with a single kick if he tried hard enough! No one could hurt him!"

"AND YOURS COULD LIFT IT! I thought you knew what you had with Ochako! Unshakeable faith that she isn't weak! You were the first to know, and say it out loud! So what the hell is wrong with you right now?"

"Fuck you!" Katsuki moved to push Shoto, ready for a fight, half blinded by his rage and fear.

Shoto gripped Katsuki's burning hands before they could make contact with his chest, chilling them while pushing back hard to slam Katsuki into the wall of the entryway.

Kirishima stood ready, his heart hammering in preparation for how much it might hurt to get between the two titans.

"No! You don't get to do this." Shoto breathed cooly, the crackle of ice shooting up Katsuki's arms accompanied the threat in Shoto's voice. "You think I don't worry about Izuku? You think he's untouchable?!"

Katsuki was secretly grateful for the pain of Shoto's ice. It burned in a way that literally cooled his temper to something he could start to see through and navigate. But as his thoughts cleared, he was faced with the look in Shoto's eyes. They contained an overwhelming vulnerability that made Katsuki sick to see. Sick because he recognized it, and he didn't fucking want to. It caused a tightness in his throat that he held his breath against, like a dam holding back a flash flood.

"I worry more than anyone. My head and heart are wrapped in him. I live every day knowing that people want him gone from this Earth just for what he stands for, and that's my choice. I decided to be by his side, despite the pain and uncertainty, because it means I can also have his back. Just like you decided with Ochako."

Katsuki couldn't muster the heat through Shoto's tightening grip. He didn't know which emotion to pinpoint for the pressure building inside. He wanted it gone.

"We all have weaknesses. And I'm gonna tell you something I told Ochako earlier because clearly, you are both too prideful in this situation, especially you. We're all here for you." He paused to let it sink in, not caring about Katsuki's deer-in-the-headlights stare, "Look at Kirishima. He's ready to jump in, right now! To help you!"

The damn cracked a bit, something seeping through as Katsuki's eyes darted to his best friends matching red ones, desperately searching for something to anchor onto before he spiraled, hands still tense against Shoto's. Kirishima offered a small tilted grin, his brow soft in concern. Shoto shook Katsuki back. "Me, Deku, Everyone! You have us! You can't be everywhere. We can't anticipate everything, but we can fill in the gaps, be there for you and her, and this new person ready to come into the world. If you would just remember who the hell you are, get up, and go to them! We'll be there right behind you!" Shoto ended with another rough push. Katsuki bounced against the wall, head hitting first with a crack. The sound of it clearing away the last of the chafe from his emotions.

The block inside broke, and Katsuki's face crumpled, tears sliding down his cheeks as his festering anger overflowed. His grip went slack in Shoto's grasp as his father's words, telling him to let go of his pride, echoed parallel to Shoto's. His fear seeped out, spilling onto the floor for both men to see, like dead leaves fluttering to the ground. And he screamed.

Kirishima turned away, breath hard to draw without the risk of tears as for once it was hard to bear the frightened and angry sound of Katsuki's outburst. But Shoto didn't shy away, mirroring the blonde's descent to the floor, kneeling before him, hoping to keep him focused on dealing with his feelings.

Katsuki didn't know how to stop it. Covering his face with icy hands to try to keep everything from pouring out, to recover some semblance of control.

But how do you staunch a wound you can't see?

The sound of Ochako's laughter and her soft kisses in the night.

Her body in his grasp just before releasing her into the chaos of battle.

A moment where all his senses reveled in her as he laid his head against her protruding belly while they rested under the kotatsu. All of his memories and feelings slid through his mind with the rapid in and out of his breathing. Then the image of Ochako in a bubble in the sky, floating swiftly out of reach set his shoulders wracking. His chest shuddered as each breath he took rasped like a rake scratching and bouncing to pull at autumn ground fall.

His rising body heat melted away the ice on his hands and arms, and Katsuki was able to grip his top, pulling at the fabric over his heart. He hiccuped for breath.

Forever and always.

He believed that, forever and always, it would only be him responsible for ensuring those honey eyes and pink cheeks stayed bright and warm, even if for some maddening reason, they looked at and burned for someone else. But Shoto put words to things Katsuki'd slowly been realizing over the years.

Not alone. Katsuki's breathing slowed, the shuddering of his body becoming more gentle over time.

A family of twenty were always around. There on patrol during the day, bursting and blasting through villains beside him, glasses clinking and plates clattering over laughter and jovial conversation, having hard conversations and sharing the deepest pieces of themselves in the dark of night. And Katsuki had slowly been allowing himself to sink into it over time, each person chipping away at the parts that would typically make him keep them at arm's length.

He shook his head at the sight of it in his mind. Clear as day. There they were. Katsuki suppressed the urge to laugh hysterically.

Accepting a gift so vast went against Katsuki's very core. It had been painful enough taking it from Ochako, and now the safety and privacy with which she held his feelings was his harbor in any storm.

Now that he understood what he was being offered, could he take hold of it?

In that instant, two very different hands stretched out in his view, palms open wide.

Katsuki looked up, and for the briefest of moments, he felt the swell of rage at the familiarity of the situation. Izuku's concerned eyes, and tiny hands reaching out to pull him up when he was completely fine.

But the tug in his ribs, pain in his throat and emptiness of his home reminded Katsuki he was anything but fine, and the fire died like a simple candle being blown out.

He shifted uncomfortably.

After very little thought, Katsuki seized their hands in his own.

A drawn out sigh escaped his lips as Kirishima and Shoto pulled him up. The only lightness that could compete with the feeling was being touched by Ochako's quirk.

With a final raking breath, Katsuki huffed, running his hands through his spikes while the other two men waited in silence.

"You fuckers aren't ever gonna leave me alone, huh?"

"Not until the day we die." Kirishima beamed with one firm nod. Shoto smiled with soft eyes, nodding in agreement.

"You idiots." He grinned.