Inko was mad.

No, she was furious.

Her husband, Hisashi, was supposed to be coming home for a visit, instead he was calling to tell her he wasn't coming at all.

When they were dating, part of the reason Inko had found Hisashi so exciting was that his job took him all over the world. He had so many fascinating stories to tell about the sights he'd seen and the countries he visited. When they got married, Inko sold most of her possessions and broke the lease on her apartment so that she could travel with him. They had great plans to see Paris, London, New York, Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok…

Until a condom broke…

And a test came up positive…

Unfortunately for Inko, pregnancy did not agree with her at all, and she soon found herself too sick to travel with her new husband. They found a small apartment in Mustafu near her parents, and Hisashi sent her money every month for expenses. He came home when Izuku was born and a few times after, but shortly thereafter his visits had come fewer and further between.

They began to have arguments: Inko couldn't travel with him because Izuku was too little. Hisashi wouldn't leave his job and come home because he was becoming more important at work, and a big promotion was just around the corner. All they needed to do was stick it out one more year; one more year, and then he'd get that promotion, which would mean the end of his traveling.

Inko had been waiting for five years now, and it seemed like it was finally ending. His visit home this time was supposed to be a celebration. Hisashi had a meeting with the CEO earlier in the week, and he was sure he'd get the vice president job that had opened up in his division. He'd told Inko to send Izuku to her parents' house for the weekend, make reservations at a fancy restaurant, and to pick out a slinky outfit, because they were going to spend the whole time he was home making up for lost time. Inko had put the most effort into choosing the lingerie, thinking it was well past time that Izuku had a sibling.

"I am so sorry, Honey," Hisashi said over the phone. "This client is a significant percentage of my portfolio. If I don't smooth this over, I'll be out on my ass!"

Inko gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, doing all she could to keep from exploding on him. She shivered slightly, the sheer teddy and bikini panties she was wearing weren't doing much to keep her warm. She'd put on the set thinking that the plane he was supposed to be on had landed, and he'd be coming through the door any minute now. Not that she'd be getting a phone call from him while he was still an ocean away. "You promised that this was going to be done," she hissed. "You promised."

"I know. I swear, I'll make it up to you."

This wasn't the first time he'd made that promise. "You're not going to smooth this over with another diamond tennis bracelet," she growled. "I don't wear the three others you've already sent me." She took a shuddering breath, willing the tears to stay back. "I don't need more jewelry, I need you! I'm so lonely…" her chin started to wobble at her confession, but she refused to let him hear her cry.

Hisashi sighed, and then was quiet. The silence stretched, nearly as long as the distance between them. Inko pulled her phone away from her ear to see if they'd been disconnected, but the call timer was still scrolling. She was about to hang up on him when he finally spoke. "What if… What if you found a… a companion."

Inko laughed derisively. "Yeah, a dog is exactly what we need in this tiny apartment."

"No, I meant… a person."

Inko rolled her eyes. "I don't need a friend, I need my husband! I have needs you know. We didn't even have sex the last time you were home, because you were so jet lagged the whole time you were home! It has been years!"

Hisashi growled in frustration, then let out a breath. "Sorry," he said. "There are other people around so I'm trying to be subtle." He lowered his voice, enough that Inko had to turn up the volume on her phone. "What I meant is: find yourself a boyfriend."

Inko was shocked. The tears she'd been fighting so hard to hold back disappeared faster than a snowball in the desert. Her jaw dropped, and unintelligible sounds came from her mouth.

"Or, maybe you'd be more interested in a girlfriend? Remember that Halloween party just after we got married? Where you got drunk and kissed Akane Tendo from my office? I think she's still single. I could tell her it was ok with me if it would help."

Inko blushed hard as the memories of the cute woman in the martial artist costume flooded back. She'd admitted to Hisashi early in the relationship that she found women attractive too, and he'd encouraged her at that party to shoot her shot. Not only had making out with Akane been a lot of fun, but Hisashi had enjoyed watching them together so much they'd gone home and had the hottest sex of their relationship. Izuku was born nine months later.

She shook her head hard to dislodge the memories. "W-wait wait wait!" she said, trying to regain control of the conversation. "You're saying you want me to cheat on you?"

She could practically hear him shrug through the phone. "Is it cheating if I'm telling you to do it? Look, I… I understand what you're going through. I have a hard time with it sometimes too. What I'm saying is that if you need to find a companion from time to time to make the nights not so lonely, I'd be okay with it."

Inko was flabbergasted. She'd heard the rumors around Izuku's preschool that some of the other parents had an open marriage and sometimes slept with other people, but she always thought they were just stories that bored housewives liked to tell each other. Now Hisashi was telling her he wanted to be one of those couples?

Wait a minute…

"Are you fucking someone?" she accused, her voice dripping with venom. "Is that why you're suggesting I find someone to sleep with?"

"No, I swear. I'm not sleeping with anybody else. I've never done anything behind your back, just like you've never done anything behind mine."

Inko frowned. "But you have someone in mind."

Hisashi sighed. "Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

Inko tried to respond, to shout him down for asking this of her when he already had someone he wanted in his bed. But the words didn't come.

"Look, sleep on it," he continued when she didn't say anything. "Think about my… proposal… for a few days, and call me back when you have an answer. Nothing is happening in my bed or yours. If you say 'no,' then nothing will happen, and we both keep going as we are now. But I don't think either of us will be very happy with that."

Inko's lips formed a firm line on her face. "Fine," she said flatly. "I'll talk to you later this week."

"I love y—"

Inko hung up the phone, cutting him off. Then she lay facedown on her bed, and cried her eyes out.


A few days later, Inko opened the front door to find Mitsuki Bakugo on the other side, her son Katsuki in tow. The women exchanged pleasantries, before Inko knelt down to Katsuki's level. "Izuku is in the living room about to watch an All Might movie. Why don't you go in there to join him?" Katsuki's eyes widened in excitement, and he ran off to join his classmate.

"Inko, I owe you big time for this," said Mitsuki with a frustrated sigh. She started to massage the bridge of her nose, as if trying to stave off a migraine. "We've had this reservation lined up for three weeks, and our babysitter canceled this morning. She caught the fucking chicken pox. Can you believe it? I thought nobody got that any more!"

Inko hid a giggle behind a hand. She'd only known Mitsuki for a few months since Izuku started at preschool with Katsuki, and the other woman's brash demeanor and bluntness always made her laugh. She subtly looked Mitsuki up and down. Her friend was wearing an off the shoulder slinky black dress that showed plenty of cleavage and thigh. She was accented with diamond jewelry on her ears, throat, and wrist, and the faint floral scent of her perfume that just added to her allure. Shockingly red high heels finished the outfit, an eye-catching pop of color that matched her clutch.

Inko hoped she wasn't drooling. It wouldn't do to get all hot and bothered over her son's friend's mother. She shrugged. "Well, maybe she can't get vaccinated for some reason. Besides, canceling is better than spreading it to Katsuki. You look amazing by the way."

Mitsuki smiled, a small blush prettily decorating her cheeks. "Thanks. It's date night, and I'm hoping to get lucky," she said with a wink.

Inko sighed, and looked down. Mitsuki's expression froze, then shifted from excited to worried. "What's the matter?"

Inko shook her head, berating herself internally for letting her emotions show through. "It's nothing. I just haven't had a 'date night' in a long, long time."

"Oh, honey…" Mitsuki was savvy enough to read between the lines around "date night" to understand what she meant. "Wasn't he supposed to come home last week?"

Inko shook her head. "He had to cancel at the last minute. He said his job was on the line if he didn't stay and take care of some client." She sighed, and started to twiddle with her hair. "Do you know what he told me? When I was sitting on our bed wearing lingerie waiting for him, and he called me on the phone instead of coming home?"

Mitsuki gasped, scandalized. She felt sorry for her friend, but this gossip was going to be juicy. "No, what did he say?"

Inko hesitated, looking over her shoulder at the boys to make sure they weren't listening. Thankfully, their attention was locked onto the screen, where All Might had just saved a train full of passengers from being sent through a portal into deep space. She leaned in closer, and lowered her voice. "You have to swear not to breathe this to another soul!" she threatened. Mitsuki was taken aback, but she nodded quickly. Inko backed off, scratching at her arm and looking away, humiliated by what she was about to say. "He told me I should find a lover while he was away. Someone to help 'satisfy my needs'."

Mitsuki's eyes widened in surprise, then her temper flared. "That little bitch," she hissed. "He's fucking around on you! This is just to try to assuage his own conscience. It's not as bad if you're doing it too!"

Inko shook her head. "No, he said he isn't. At least, not yet. He did imply heavily that he wanted to, but that if I didn't agree to his idea, he wouldn't." She sighed. "He also said that we'd both be miserable if I didn't say yes. So, of course, I was up all night worrying about what I was going to do if I said no and he divorced me, and I had to try to find a job with a five year gap in my resume. And…" she looked down, ashamed. "And wondering if he was right…"

Mitsuki worried her lip with her teeth, her eyes going blank as her mind raced. Could it be…? Would she…? But what if…?

Inko looked at her curiously, surprised at her lack of response. They'd only known each other a short time, but if there was one thing she knew about Mitsuki Bakugo, it was that she wore her heart on her sleeve and was fiercely loyal to her friends. The fact that she wasn't cursing like a sailor and telling Inko to "drop that bastard like a fucking bad habit, and sue him for every penny he had" was rather unexpected.

Finally, Mitsuki seemed to come to a decision with a nod, and her attention focused on Inko again. "Ok, first off, you're coming out with us tonight. Who is your regular babysitter? Can you call them? I'll pay for their time. For both boys!"

Inko's eyes widened. "Oh! No, I couldn't intrude on your time with your husband! Especially not…" she gestured at Mitsuki's outfit, "when you're dressed like that for him."

Mitsuki preened at the compliment. "Oh, I know I'm sexy," she said, posing with one hand on the back of her head, and another on her hip. "We'll just have to make sure you're dressed to match, is all."

Inko frowned. "I don't have anything in my closet that looks like that."

Mitsuki waved off her concern. "You let me worry about that." She looked at Inko with a critical eye, a hand on her chin. "You are shorter than me, but I think we're close enough in size otherwise. Do you wear a size seven?"

Inko blinked in surprise. "Yes! How did you know?"

Mitsuki grinned slyly. "I was a model before I had Katsuki. I know clothes." She made a shooing motion at Inko. "Now go! Call the babysitter! We'll go back to my place and raid my closet before we go to dinner. Quickly now! Masaru is waiting!"


While Inko ran off to call a babysitter and get ready to go out for the evening, Mitsuki pulled out her phone, and texted her husband.

Mitsuki: Gonna be late, hun. Got a crisis over here at Inko's. She's having a hard time.

Masaru: Is something wrong? Do you need to stay with her tonight? We can have our date another time.

Mitsuki: No, don't cancel the reservations. Inko will be joining us. She desperately needs a night out.

We're just gonna be late so she can borrow something from my closet.

Masaru: Oh! Well that's fun! I'm looking forward to finally meeting her.

Mitsuki worried her lip with her teeth while she considered her next text. She did promise not to tell anyone, so…

Mitsuki: The night MIGHT not be ruined after all, even though the Kuonjis canceled on us.

There was a long pause on the other end, before Mitsuki's phone showed the three dots indicating her husband was typing.

Masaru: Wait…

Does that mean…?

Mitsuki: Down, Boy.

It means we're going to have a nice dinner, a discussion over coffee, and then MAYBE we'll get to have desert.

Mitsuki put her phone back in her clutch, waited patiently for Inko to return, and started to plan out her next step.


Inko frowned at herself in the mirror and pulled at her bustline, certain that her chest was going to spill out of the dress any minute. "Are you sure about this?" she asked for what seemed like the fortieth time. "I'd really hate to be a third wheel on your date with your husband."

"Nonsense," said Mitsuki, coming up behind her and putting her hands on Inko's shoulders. "What man wouldn't want to eat dinner with two beautiful women like us?" She smiled at Inko in the mirror. "You look fucking hot in that dress, Darling."

Inko blushed at the compliment, and especially the pet name. She looked down at the dress and smoothed out the front. Mitsuki had made her try on about a dozen other dresses before they landed on this one: A strapless, off the shoulder "little black dress" that showed off her clavicles, lots of leg, and plenty of cleavage–a little more than Inko usually preferred to show. Still, Mitsuki was the model, and if she said she looked hot…"You think so? I just think I'm going to fall out of it and flash everyone."

Mitsuki handed her a small metal box. "Yeah, you're a little smaller than me in the chest, but that's what boob tape is for."

Inko opened the box, and started to apply strips of double sided tape to the inside of the dress. "I think I'd feel better if I could wear a bra."

Mitsuki shook her head, running her hands on Inko's shoulders and down her back. "The straps and band would show. Can't have that!"

"Then why did you tell me to put on some sexy underwear before we left if I can't wear the bra?" Inko whined. She reached behind and picked at her butt. "I've got the worst wedgie!"

Mitsuki hid a giggle behind her hand. "If you wore your usual comfy cotton panties, the lines would show through the dress, ruining how gorgeous you look, Darling!" She paused for a moment, a hand on her chin. "Something's missing…" She looked her friend up and down critically. "What's your shoe size?"

"Twenty-five. Why?"

Mitsuki clapped her hands together. "Oh wonderful! We're the same size! I have just the pair to go with that dress." She disappeared into her walk-in closet and started rummaging around.

Inko fussed with her dress, pressing the tape to her chest. "And you're sure your husband is ok with me crashing the party?" she asked.

Mitsuki emerged from the closet holding a pair of strappy heels. "I checked with Masaru before we left your place. His exact response was: 'Oh! Well, that's fun! I can't wait to meet her'." She handed Inko the shoes, then gently wrapped her arms around the shorter woman, giving her a friendly squeeze. "I promise, you won't be a third wheel. You need to have a little fun! And some adults to talk to."

Inko giggled, and returned the hug. "You've got that last part right," she admitted before they broke apart. She nodded, a determined look on her face. "Ok. I'll come. But please tell me if I'm getting in the way or anything? I promise I'll grab a taxi home immediately, you won't have to worry about me."

Mitsuki smiled sultrily, before walking back into the closet. "Trust me Darling, that won't happen," she called over her shoulder.

Inko jumped a little as Mitsuki brushed past. Sure, she was standing near the entrance to the closet, but it seemed like every time Mitsuki walked past she touched her. A hand, or her arm, or her shoulder always made contact with her skin. And was it her imagination, or did Mitsuki brush her hand on her butt that last time? She bit her bottom lip. Don't get a crush on your son's friend's mom, she reminded herself. Besides, you don't even know if she's interested in women…

…Right?


Inko couldn't believe the restaurant she'd been taken to. It was the fanciest place she'd ever been in! The waiters were dressed in black tie, the menus were covered in leather with embossed gold lettering, and the smells coming from the kitchen had her mouth watering. She leaned in close to Mitsuki. "What are we doing here?" she asked, trying to remain calm.

Mitsuki was scanning the room, looking for her husband. "We're eating here of course, Darling," she said without looking at her. Finally, she caught sight of Masaru's shaggy brown hair, and waved at him. He smiled and stood up so they could find the table easier. He was wearing a smartly cut gray suit, with a red striped tie. Mitsuki grabbed Inko's hand, and gently led her to the table.

Inko struggled to keep from blushing and pulling her hand away. "But I can't afford this place!" she whisper-yelled. "I'm pretty sure they charge you for breathing in here!"

Mitsuki looked over her shoulder and grinned at her friend, sticking her tongue out. "Oh relax. We're buying, so don't worry about your budget. Besides," she winked conspiratorially, "the head waiter owes me a favor."

Inko was still trying to work out what that meant when they arrived at the table. Masaru greeted the ladies, leaning over to kiss his wife on her proffered cheek. "Wow, Midoriya-san," he said as he turned his attention to the other woman. "You look stunning in that dress."

Inko ducked her head, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the attention. First Mitsuki, and now her husband giving her compliments like that? She looked up with a shy smile. "Really? It's your wife's dress…" She started to nervously play with her fingers.

"Darling, you look divine in it," assured Mitsuki as she put an arm around her husband. "Better than I did the last time I wore it."

Masaru nodded. "I know better than to entirely agree with that last statement…" he said with a chuckle.

Mitsuki patted him on the cheek. "Good boy."

"But yes, the dress certainly compliments you beautifully. I'm very happy to see you wearing my design." He gestured for her to sit.

Inko plopped into the chair, looking down at herself in amazement. "You made this dress?" she asked.

"Yes," Masaru replied as he sat with a proud smile. "I make all of the dresses that Mitsuki models."

"Well, you did before I took that hiatus to have the brat," Mitsuki replied. "But now that he's in school, I think it's about time to get back to work." She turned to Inko. "Are you planning to go back to work soon as well? What did you do before you had Izuku?"

Inko forced her hands into her lap to keep from fiddling with her fingers too much. "I did some data entry work, just a typical office lady job. It wasn't anything nearly as glamorous as modeling, but it paid the bills."

They were interrupted by the waiter coming to take their drink order. Masaru ordered a bottle of wine for the table, while Mitsuki kept making eyes and grinning at the waiter. Inko frowned. Just what kind of favor did their waiter owe Mitsuki anyway?

Glasses poured, Masaru gestured to their guest. "You were saying, Midoriya-san? About going back to work?"

"Oh! Um…" Inko broke out of her thoughts about what Mitsuki and the waiter might be getting up to. "Y-you can call me 'Inko' by the way," she said. "Mitsuki and I are good friends, and I think it would be rather silly for her to use my name, when you don't."

Masaru gave her a small smile, and raised his glass in acknowledgement.

Inko returned the smile. Mitsuki was gorgeous, but her husband was quite handsome as well. He was soft spoken, but confident. His body was of an average build, but his suit was fitted to him perfectly, and he wore the clothes well. His face was pleasant to look at, adorned with a neatly trimmed mustache and a pair of glasses. His best feature though, was his eyes; they were piercingly beautiful, and Inko felt like she could stare into them all night. She'd heard the story about how Mitsuki had pursued him, and now she understood why.

She took a sip of her own wine, the bitter taste washing over her tongue, and the alcohol going to her head. If she'd known she was going to be drinking, she wouldn't have skipped lunch. "Anyway, my husband, Hisashi? He's not too enamored with the idea of me going back to work. He thinks he should be the sole breadwinner, and take care of us." She frowned. "Just because he can be the only one to make money doesn't mean he has to," she grumbled.

Mitsuki reached over and put a comforting hand on Inko's. "Oh, Sweetie," she said sympathetically.

Masaru clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Well, hopefully we can help you take your mind off of your troubles tonight." He gestured to the menu sitting in front of her. "Please, order anything you like. I insist you not even look at the prices."

Inko opened the menu, burying her nose in it. She sighed. These nice people didn't invite her out to dinner to be a downer. They wanted to have a good time, and so far she'd been nothing but a worry wart. Inko set her jaw determinedly, took a large drink of her wine, and decided she was going to have fun tonight if it killed her. "Now, should I get the lobster, or the wagyu steak?" she peeked over the menu, a glint in her eye showing she was kidding.

Masaru chuckled. "Get both."


Inko got both.

The dinner was absolutely superb. The steak was so juicy and cooked to perfection that it absolutely melted in her mouth. The lobster, drenched in garlic butter, tasted like heaven. The wine paired beautifully with both, and the pleasant buzz it left behind made her feel good. It was enough to make her jitters disappear, and relax for the first time in ages.

The Bakugos played the perfect hosts, offering her tastes off of their plates, making small talk about their days, and drawing her into the conversation whenever possible. Inko found that she was having a great time. She should really try to get out with friends more often! Maybe meet some of the other moms at the preschool? There was that woman with purple hair and interesting earlobes…

Her plate removed by the waiter, and a cup of coffee in front of her, Inko sighed contentedly. This really was the perfect evening. She smiled at her hosts. They returned the smile, but they seemed a little forced to her. Like there was something on their collective mind.

Of course! Mitsuki must have told her husband that she was feeling low lately about her marriage, and now they were trying to determine if they'd helped cheer her up. Well! Best not to keep them in suspense! She cleared her throat. "Thank you both so much for such a lovely evening! I really needed that."

Mitsuki's grin turned genuine. "I'm glad you had a good time. Besides! The night isn't over yet, there's still the matter of… dessert."

Inko patted her stomach. "Oh, I don't know that I have room, even for a wafer thin mint!" she giggled gaily at her reference. "You know! Like that English movie!"

Masaru laughed, though Mitsuki looked confused. She shook her head. "No, that's not quite what I meant." She hesitated, reaching across the table to grab Inko's hand. "Do you maybe want to tell my husband what you told me before we left?" she asked. "I'll take it to my grave if you say no, but I promise he wants to hear it."

Inko frowned, her good mood doused. "Why? Is his brother a divorce lawyer or something?"

Mitsuki shook her head. "Just trust me," she said, squeezing Inko's hand.

Inko sighed. She didn't want to think about her stupid husband or his stupid proposal right now! Still, Mitsuki looked like she thought it was important, and Inko did owe her for picking up the bill. She turned to Masaru. "My husband works out of the country, and doesn't come home very often. The last time we spoke on the phone he told me that I should find a lover to keep me company. The implication being that he already had one in mind, and wanted to open the relationship so he didn't feel badly about pursuing it."

Masaru's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at his wife, who gave him a serious nod. He paused, then picked up his coffee and took a long draught, before putting the cup back down. "And, what was your reply?" he asked softly.

Inko shrugged. "I told him I'd think about it." She leaned forward, folded her arms on the table, and put her head in them. "But it's just been depressing me ever since! I mean, I'm 27! I'm married, and have a little boy! What man will want to give me the time of day?"

Masaru cleared his throat. "Well, how about me?" he asked.

Inko looked up, confusion written all over her face. "What?"

Mitsuki smiled at her. "Or me?" she asked.

Inko sat up. "I don't…"

Masaru held up a hand. "What we're trying to say is, Mitsuki and I have an open relationship."

"And I like women as much as men," chimed in his wife.

"We sometimes go out with other couples for dinner, and if we click, we spend the whole night together."

"In bed," Mitsuki clarified.

Inko's eyes widened as realization dawned. "You mean you…"

"Fuck other people?" finished Mitsuki. "Yes, but we're very choosy about our partners, and always play safe. We get tested regularly, and have never had a scare."

Masaru shook his head, chuckling at his wife's bluntness. "Dear, you're burying the lede a bit." He turned back to Inko. "What we're saying is: we would both love it if you joined us tonight. We'd like for you to come with us back to our house."

"Or, we could get a hotel room if you'd be more comfortable with that," suggested Mitsuki.

Inko was stunned. She'd been practically on her own for five years now, and now here were two people who wanted her in their bed. That didn't even happen when she was single! She looked at Mitsuki, who had a sultry smile on her face. Inko gulped, and found herself rubbing her thighs together under the table. "I…" she started, her mouth feeling dry. She licked her lips.

"It's okay if you say no," Masaru reassured.

Mitsuki nodded in agreement. "We can go back to just being friends if you want, and I'll never ask you about it again. No hard feelings."

Inko took a deep, shuddering breath. "I need to text my husband before I can make a decision."

Masaru held up his hands. "Of course. Do you need some privacy? Mitsuki and I can go over to the bar."

Inko shook her head. "No. I mean…" she was so flustered she could barely keep her thoughts straight. "Yes, I would like some privacy, but you don't need to leave. Finish your coffee, I'll go to the ladies' room." She stood from her chair, bowed her head politely, then scurried off to the bathroom.

Mitsuki sat back in her chair, taking a sip off of her coffee. "So what do you think?" she asked her husband.

Masaru nodded. "She's very attractive," he said. "She seems skittish though. Are you sure she's going to say yes?"

Mitsuki watched Inko's behind as she walked away. "Oh yeah. Remember how insanely horny I was after we decided to 'settle down' when Katsuki was born; that year where we didn't play with anyone? Remember how you felt? And that was with us fucking each other every night. Now multiply that by four years, and again by, like, a thousand because her husband has been away. She'll say yes."


Inko did her very best to not seem like she was rushing to the bathroom, so that people wouldn't stare at her and wonder if she had IBS or something.

She was very proud that she managed to make it across the restaurant floor to the hallway in the back before she picked up the pace.

She burst into the bathroom, and ran into a stall, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it. She sat down heavily on the seat of the toilet, and cradled her head in her hands.

Holy shit! she thought to herself. They want me! They both do!

It had been a long time since she felt like this. Sexy. Desired. It was nearly enough to make her head spin. Her husband barely made her feel that way when he was home…

Her husband…

She fumbled with her clutch and yanked her phone out of the purse. She unlocked the screen, and typed out a desperate text.

Inko: I've got to know that you're absolutely sure about this "plan" of yours. Because I NEED to be touched, and that's going to happen TONIGHT if you say yes.

She paused, her thumb hovering over the send key, then shook her head. She sounded too desperate. She needed to make sure he knew this was all his cockamamie idea, and that she was only going along with it. She deleted the text, took a deep breath, and started again.

Inko: If we're going to do this, what are the ground rules?

She smiled. Much better. She hit the send key.

She knew that it might be a while before he answered, it was early morning in his time zone. However, she also knew that his phone was programmed to accept all calls and texts from her even when he had "do not disturb" mode turned on. Even then—

Hisashi: What did you have in mind?

Inko blinked in surprise. He responded already?

She shook her head. Not important right now.

He was putting the onus on her to come up with the rules. That rubbed her wrong a little, but at least he was taking her feelings into consideration. She thought for a moment, before she began to type.

Inko: I don't want to know about any of your trysts.

I don't want to know their names, see their pictures, or even acknowledge their existence.

You are still MY husband, and as far as I'm concerned, you're staying faithful.

I will extend the same courtesy to you.

Inko nodded in satisfaction. Perfect.

It wasn't long before the three dots indicating that he was typing showed up on her screen.

Hisashi: That's all reasonable, and I agree. I also do not need to hear about your extracurricular play time.

Inko breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was gather the courage to go back out there and accept the Bakugos' proposal. She was about to put her phone away, when she noticed he was still typing.

Hisashi: I would also ask you to do everything in your power to keep from getting pregnant.

Inko frowned. Why was he asking for that? Of course she'd try to prevent that.

Inko: Duh.

My husband has been overseas for years and suddenly I get knocked up?

Do you think I'm an idiot?

Hisashi: And if there's an accident? Like what happened to us?

I don't want my mother to see you at the grocery

store all big and round and badgering me about

visiting her more often.

Then I have to be the one to tell her the kid ISN'T her grandchild.

Ok. Inko could understand what he was asking about now.

Inko: If there's an accident I'll take care of it.

But I still expect you to come home some time and we at least DISCUSS giving Izuku a sibling.

Hisashi: OK. I promise.

Inko nodded. She shut off the phone, and put it back in her clutch. She stood from the toilet, and was about to open the door when her phone chimed in her purse. She pulled it out, and read the notification.

Hisashi: Have fun tonight!

Inko was glad there was nobody else in the bathroom to witness her immense blush.