"I need to go to the bathroom! Please! Please!?" Ochako pled desperately at the latest nurse to enter her room in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital. She sat on her knees on her bed, bent over, trying to find some form of relief from the pain and ache. "Mama! Where's my mother?! Where're my parents!?" She said frustratedly looking back to the door, waiting for anyone that gave a damn about her to arrive.
She was done calling out for Katsuki. She was in this mess because of his stupid idea in the first place. All she had wanted to know about was hypothetical baby quirks, and this is what she got!
"Everything is alright Bakugou-san, you're just very close my dear. So everything's going to be coming on a lot stronger. But you're doing beautifully, and progressing well, so keep breathing until the doctor tells you it's time. Just a little bit more. Whatever you do, don't push yet, okay?"
Ochako nodded tiredly.
"Would you like me to bring you some more ice chips?"
"Yes, please." Ochako grimaced, and the nurse walked calmly out of the room.
Ochako's body bucked and tensed. She was torn between the urge to defecate something more massive than she was capable of passing like her body was threatening to split if she let it out, and the pain of the muscles in her legs, stomach, and back spasming uncontrollably. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to scream. But neither would be helpful, so she sucked in harsh breaths, and released them quickly, rocking into the pillows of her hospital bed and grasping the bed railing with her backside barely covered by a teal gown.
Out of nowhere, a warm hand slid hers off the rails, and the sound of Katsuki's husky voice came to her ear. "Lookin' good from this side Cheeks."
She would be lying if she said she didn't feel any relief at his arrival. In fact, her heart stuttered at the way he greeted her, his other hand sliding along her spine to rest at her lower back, rubbing smooth circles while he looked into her eyes. Ochako immediately envied how clean and comfortable he looked in charcoal straight leg jeans and a grey v-neck with a black hoodie. It only added to her resentment.
"Get. Out."
"What?!" He stepped back.
"What took you so long? It's been almost two hours." She puffed out her cheeks, utterly melting Katsuki's heart at her cute and furious expression, but he scowled as it compounded his irritation with her greeting.
"Which do you want? Me to get out or to answer your question?" He retorted with an attitude.
"Answeeeerrr!" She growled as another contraction ripped through her, lengthening her consonant as if holding it would help relieve the pressure and throbbing. Her heaving breaths made Katsuki uneasy. But seeing the redness in her cheeks bloom, and her brow furrowed, eyes stern, he thought she looked like she did right before she flew into a fight, and he couldn't help his pride swelling at seeing her holding it together.
Because, for all intents and purposes, she was preparing for a battle, and he thought she never looked sexier than she did at this moment, body prone, the curve of her spine accentuated as her lower half was raised up, head on the pillows with hands clenched tight on metal, like a cat mid-stretch. He'd only just arrived, and already she amazed him.
She raised her head, ignoring him to call out into the room. "Can I go now! Can I push, please?! Please?!" She breathed, cheeks puffing in and out rapidly.
"Oh, Bakugou-san! Just in time." A young person in a white coat came in with a wide toothy grin, seemingly trying to overcome an urge to gush and geek out at her patient as she shakily set a mug of broken ice on the bedside table. A cadre of nurses broke off behind them to prep various items around the room. "I don't know if you remember me from your first visit, but I'm doctor Hino." She looked briefly at Katsuki with a nod before turning her attention to Ochako. The shaking ceased as if switching from one mode to another. "Ochako-san, the nurses are telling me you're ready, so I'm going to check here..." and Katsuki's face brightened, eyes narrowing, immensely as he watched the doctor casually reach a gloved hand beneath Ochako's bent form and Doctor Hino's fingers disappeared to feel somewhere inside her.
The quick exam seemed to last for minutes as opposed to the seconds it probably was.
"Well, you are fully effaced and dilated, looks like it's time to start pushing." They said, pulling away. "You can stay like that, lay on your back, or however is most comfortable for you, so as soon as you feel the next contraction, go ahead and start bearing down and push. Bakugou-san, try to support her however she needs."
"Got it doc."
"No! I want my family in here, now…" Ochako cringed as another contraction placed immense pressure in her lower region and she pushed despite the newfound urge to wait.
"Your parents caught a late train babe; they're not here yet." Katsuki offered softly, face in a severe mask as she dug her nails into his hand.
Ochako glared at Katsuki with a seriousness with which he was unfamiliar. "They're not my only family you jerk." She panted out coldly while pushing through the pain, her patience non-existent.
Tch.
Katsuki was conflicted. Part of him relished her tone and the way it sent a little thrill up his back. Another piece of him was pissed that she was so upset - with him it seemed - to begin with.
From her position behind Ochako, Doctor Hino snapped her fingers at a nurse and pointed out the door. The nurse walked out briskly, presumably to grab anyone waiting for Ochako outside.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Fucking fine."
Ochako glared in defiance, never taking her eyes off his as she pushed. As if he had a choice.
"Okay, now I need you to stop pushing. Just wait a moment Ochako-san."
"Idon'twannadie! Idon'twannadie! Katsuki! I'm sorry!" Ochako whimpered, throwing her head back with a grunt as she laid back against the head of the bed, chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath. Katsuki paled at hearing her words and Kirishima, standing right behind him, turned to face the wall with a grimace. He couldn't help his friends. He couldn't help Bakugou, not with this.
From Izuku's vantage point, it was easy to see the doctor readying to catch a baby as a small dark-haired head gradually emerged from Ochako's center.
"Breathe, Ochako-san. What's happening, what are you feeling?" The doctor asked with only mild concern.
Izuku thought of his anxiety from earlier this morning and realized it was nothing compared to the very real image of standing at Ochako's head, stroking her hand while her eyes glazed over and she stared right through everyone in the room, the intensity of her pain draining her of energy.
"It burns...everything's slow...and…" Ochako trailed off, face contorting as she spasmed.
Equally as bad was watching Katsuki's evident distress. His fire diminished as he was out of his depth. He hadn't said a word since they'd entered the room and at the moment he completely missed what was happening below, focusing so intently on trying to hold Ochako's gaze. Now he was closer, his forehead leaning against the side of her head, whispering words that only they could hear and Izuku turned to Shoto's heterochromatic stare in an effort to give some sense of privacy.
Izuku's panicked breathing caused Shoto to pull him close while still holding onto Ochako's other hand which grew slack and shook as she poured all her energy into pushing. The doctor's placid mien confused Izuku, as everyone else rushed around his friend. He wasn't sure if it was just the pain or if Ochako was actually in danger, and he was too afraid to ask out loud, but the uncertainty was agonizing.
"Okay, okay, breathe and then push again on the next." Doctor Hino said, raising her brows in question at the nurse with the chart overseeing the soundless monitors behind them.
The next came so fast, barely a chance at all for her to catch a breath, and Ochako didn't even shout. She merely bared down, cheeks puffed, sweat sticking her hair to her face.
There was a feeling of all the sound suddenly getting sucked from the room.
Shoto leaned his forehead against the back of Izuku's shoulder. He didn't want to look. Today was already too much. He'd almost been responsible for losing Ochako once, and it felt strange to have the three top heroes of Japan together in a room, yet be utterly helpless.
Ochako released a stuttering gasp, and Izuku turned to see her close her eyes, and the clipped sound of a gargled cry filled the room.
"Fuck. Chako?" Katsuki's voice trembled. Eyes terrified, looking from his wife's pallid features to the small puffy alien-like baby being jostled, wiped and examined. Katsuki felt a shot of electricity surge in his fingers, and he gripped her hand tighter. "Ochako?!"
Her lashes fluttered, eyes half-lidded and a sort of drunken grin spread across her lips, and Katsuki slammed his face into the pillow beside her with a low grumble, smoke emitting from the fabric beneath his palms as he screamed while Kirishima joyfully slammed a hardened palm into his back. Izuku laughed with tears in his eyes and Shouto inhaled, his lungs burning from unintentionally holding his breath for so long.
"Congratulations. Bakugou-san, Ochako-san, you're parents to a healthy baby girl." Doctor Hino announced cheerily as a nurse swiftly wrapped the child in a blanket and placed her in Ochako's arms. "I'll give you a moment."
"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" Izuku said, bending down to wrap his arms around Ochako and the baby. At least Ochako didn't look in pain anymore. She looked almost like nothing had even happened, only like she needed a bath and some sleep.
"Izuku's right Ochako. That was amazing. For a second I thought you were dying."
A curt, "Shut the fuck up Icy-Hot!", and, "Shoto!", escaped from Izuku and Katsuki at the same time.
Ochako chuckled, unable to muster the ability to laugh fully. "I thought so too. It felt like I was floating away. And it hurt so bad." She grimaced, adjusting to situp as a nurse scooched in to raise the head of the bed.
Katsuki busily smacked at the smoldering embers on his edge of the bed while staring in awe at the shifty red-eyed, lip-smacking, rosy-cheeked bundle of auburn-haired joy fidgeting in Ochako's arms. The piece of him he'd given over freely - in the flesh. A little living extension of them both, searching and grasping for something it couldn't quite see.
It felt surreal. Like a memory from a dream.
When Izuku lifted away, Katsuki's hand cautiously moved to touch before he stopped short, eyes flicked to his palm as he felt the slick sweat along it, then pocketed his hands with a scowl. Izuku and Shoto exchanged glances.
Ochako caught Katsuki's look and scoffed, affronted at having him pull away. "Stop. You'd never hurt the baby. Come on." She offered, palm out in invitation. Kirishima sidled into view over Katsuki's shoulder, bouncing up and down in excitement with his thumbs up in approval.
It was the second time today someone else reached out for Katsuki, and the gesture wasn't lost on anyone.
Stupid fucking trust...and love...and...shit. Katsuki thought, expression still aggravated as he wiped his hands and took Ochako's. He'd be damned if he left her hanging after what he almost did earlier. He'd have to be honest later.
She pulled on him, bringing his palm to her lips and kissed softly, staring straight at him with a considerable blush gracing her cheeks. His heart jumped, breath catching before she pulled his fingers down on the blanket covering the baby.
Scoffing, he drew his face closer to Ochako's, the heat in his stare causing her to grin nervously. "You can't show me up Cheeks," he said before kissing her fiercely.
"Mm...mwait." She mumbled against his lips, pushing him back with a hand. "The baby."
"What? I didn't forget about the little runt." He lifted away a bit to take a look. Running his fingers across the babies cheeks and nose, and watching her open her little red eyes was like nothing he'd ever felt. Just as he was finally coming to terms with all sorts of extra feelings and love, this thing went ahead and shot a new one right through his heart.
Fuck. "She's fuckin' awesome Cheeks." He grinned like a maniac. "I'd say we did pretty damn good."
Ochako beamed, shrugging her shoulders happily. "I didn't do much, just ate."
"No way, you did way more than that. She's beautiful Ochako. Brand new, but already I can tell the cheeks come from you, and those eyes, just like a tiny Kacchan!" Izuku nodded vigorously.
"Yep, the perfect mix of my besties! So great!" Kirishima sniffed, nudging Katsuki aside to get a better look. "And oh my gosh! Listen to the sounds she makes, it's so cute!" Eyes twinkling, Kirishima moved his fingers in front of the baby happily trying to elicit more cooing and smacking noises.
Expression screaming murder, Katsuki pushed back hard with his shoulder, grunting with the exertion to not destroy the delivery room. "Alright, alright. Back the fuck up nerds. This is all mine."
"Glad to hear everything is still going well." The doctor said as they re-entered the room. "Ochako-san, before we move you to the maternity ward, if you already have a name for your baby, we can put that down for the files."
They'd thought about this awhile. Ochako wanted something simple, and Katsuki wanted something grand. In the end, they compromised, taking advantage of kanji that could mean something elaborate, but still create a simple name that pleased Ochako.
Ochako nodded, and the doctor brought forth a document and pen.
美火
Taking the form back, the doctor smiled in surprise. "Oh, fire kanji, so sparkly*, no?" The doctor said with admiration at the unique character. "And how will you be pronouncing this?"
"Miho."
"Ah, without the spelling it seems like a simple country name. But a beautiful fire sounds very much like something extravagant, fitting for a hero such as Ground Zero-san."
Knowing full well Bakugou would have something to say Ochako preemptively smacked his arm. "Bakugou." she shot and he clicked his jaw shut. He then directed his ire to his wife's use of his surname.
"My apologies, for overstepping. I mean no offense. It's a lovely name. And, you know, in another spelling it could be especially apt. It can mean future as well." The doctor smiled, causing Ochako to nod her head in wonder at the happy coincidence. With a snap of the doctor's fingers and a thumbs up, the nurses pushed past the heroes to wheel out Ochako, who manipulated the baby's fingers into a wave at the boys. The doctor then turned to the heroes in the room.
"If you could grab her belongings, we will get Ochako-san setup in her suite for observation to make sure everything stays good. The nurses can direct you when you're ready. The police have stated they would like to ask you to keep shifts, if you weren't already thinking of it, to add extra security to the hospital, the chief will arrive soon." With a deep bow, they left the room, white coat fluttering.
The men turned to one another, feeling the weight of the chasm where Ochako's bed had just been. No one had yet brought up the earlier events of the day, and without Ochako to focus on, it was now in the forefront. Kirishima grasped Katsuki's shoulder, forcing his gaze to show him a resolute nod.
Thinking about tiny baby hands and chubby cheeks suddenly made the stakes feel that much higher. They thought of the youth of the world in a way that they hadn't yet done before now. For an instant, Katsuki wished to do away with the restrictions on killing villains. Anyone who would harm a child deserved to be erased from history.
Izuku grabbed Katsuki's smoldering fist and squeezed tight with a dip of his chin. Katsuki swiped his hand away, pissed that Deku was always hurting himself in little ways for others. Shoto nodded as well, looking every bit ready to take out whatever came next.
They'd get to the bottom of the new Nomu and the League, no matter what.
"For now, let's just be with Ochako and Miho, okay?" The serenity of Shoto's voice placated even Katsuki's volatile thoughts.
"Yeh," Katsuki replied, shrugging off Kirishima's grip to pick up Ochako's bags. "Thanks, assholes." He tsked, tossing one to Shoto and another to Kirishima, putting a damper on his emotions so he didn't say the next thing with glassy eyes. "I couldn't do it alone."
*This spelling of Miho is considered, Kira Kira, or literally "sparkly" in Japanese. It is a phenomenon where people make their children's names standout too much. It's similar to actresses naming their kids "Apple", or "North" in English, but the doctor is noting how the name sounds perfectly normal until you look at the spelling, and then you realize that Bakugou was being ostentatious as fuck because apparently, people in Japan don't often use the kanji for fire. Apparently, it's weird, or too showy.
