Trigger warning: There are a lot of thoughts about pregnancy and how it impacts the body in this chapter. Keep in mind that Ayumu never wanted children. so, this transformation is difficult for her. It doesn't mean she's gonna resent the kids, though.
Chapter Text
She was antsy, which was ridiculous. Keigo could be gone for days, for all she knew. Her stomach twisted at the idea of him going into the lions' den. Ayumu felt uncomfortably reliant on him even if she had a phone and the door wasn't barricaded to keep her in (she had checked).
She could watch the news, make sure there wasn't a huge battle— but if there was, she might make herself sick with it.
Would it be any worse than this?
She could nap, but then she might see another one of Keigo's memories. It was inevitable she would see one soon, but she would rather put it off despite the constant edge of exhaustion.
At some point she decided bad news was better than no news, and she turned on Hawks' television.
A white-haired Dabi stared out at her, revealing all the little family secrets she'd learned along the way, and some she hadn't.
She fell onto the couch as he continued and tears fell absently down her cheeks as she listened to the abuse, the horror, the revelation. She was familiar with scars that adorned his body, had seen the memories of some of those worst moments, but now he was laying it all out in the open.
How proudly he spoke about his own sins, a mass murderer, villain, rapist, though not alone in that. The screen blurred as her eyes filled with hot tears, feeling too exposed even as she knelt helplessly on the floor. Soon thereafter was the revelation of Hawks' past. He reveled in the sins of others, in laying a hero bare as a hypocrite. And truth hit her like a blow to the face.
Twice is dead ? Her chest ached, despite not knowing the strange man well. Twice and Best Jeanist. She didn't want to see Keigo committing such atrocities, turning away from the screen rather than seeing the horror for herself. Ayumu could only hope those memories would not transfer to her, but such hope was fleeting at best.
When the broadcast turned back to fighting, she became lightheaded watching the blows. It was too much; she didn't even feel relief when Best Jeanist revealed himself very much alive. There was too much anticipation of certain horror to come. She knew Dabi, and he was not nearly finished with his spectacle.
Dabi held the boy she'd come to know is his youngest brother, a beautiful child with mismatched eyes. He was taunting his father, how he would murder the boy. "But don't worry, gramps, I've already seen to making some replacements."
She had to turn off the television there, running to empty the scant contents of her stomach in the porcelain bowl of the toilet. She heaved and groaned, spittle now drooling down as all the water was out of her system, the tears on her cheeks dry and the snot crusted around her nose.
As Ayumu hung onto the toilet, she realized she hadn't seen Hawks at the fight, which struck her as odd. But not odd enough to turn on the television and watch more of the wreckage unfold.
It was the next day when there was an unexpected knock at the door. Surely, Hawks would not knock before entering his own home, and she doubted his handler would be there so soon.
She approached the door with trepidation, going on tiptoes to look through the peephole. When she saw who it was, she stood for a moment and stared at the blank surface until another knock startled her into action.
"Endeavor." He was about the last person she expected to see, a twinge of dislike flashing through her from memories she'd seen over the months with his son. He looked different, almost naked, and she realized that the man was not on fire.
The hero managed to look chagrined, and she wondered if it was because he knew who she was, or if he just felt shame from what the last day had revealed. "Hawks wanted someone to come tell you he is recovering but lost his phone in the battle."
Ayumu nodded, eyeing the vast man. "Good. That he's recovering, I mean."
"He— he said you might be worrying." Did the man know how to interact with others, or…?
She nodded again. "Yeah, thanks."
His eyes, which were too familiar in the way they burned blue, narrowed, flicking over her form; she frowned. "Are you— how far along are you?"
"What?"
The hero gestured toward her stomach where she was unknowingly holding her belly. It was automatic, it seemed. How hadn't she noticed?
"Oh." Did he know? Her heart rate picked up. "About sixteen weeks or so, I guess." It was sometimes hard to recall, since many of her days looked the same, marked only by when Dabi came through the door.
"I didn't realize Hawks had a partner." So he didn't know; Ayumu didn't know whether she preferred it that way.
"I'm not his partner." She wondered why he was still standing there. "I'm just staying with him for now."
"Oh," he said, echoing her earlier sentiment. "A pregnant young lady shouldn't be staying alone. Are you sure you're only sixteen weeks? You look further along."
"Twins," she answered flatly.
Endeavor nodded, curling his hands into fists awkwardly at his sides. "I have a daughter your age," he said as though it explained something, and Ayumu couldn't help the snort that bubbled up.
"No, you don't. I'm older than all of your kids."
He frowned. "My oldest—"
"I know."
The way she'd spoken the two words said too much; he was staring at her too closely. She didn't want him to put everything together.
"Thank you for the information, Endeavor." Ayumu turned away and was about to swing the door shut, but his giant hand stopped the action.
"Who are you?"
She sighed. "Does it matter?"
There were little burns and fingertip bruises littering her skin, probably a love bite or two; Dabi had left his mark before taking off.
Shit. Dabi. Not watching the news meant she didn't know the aftermath for anyone. Hawks would have found a way to tell her if there were anything to report there, though, she was sure of it. He had to be alive. What did it say about her that she hoped he was?
"My son…" He cleared his throat. "Are those…?"
The older man seemed to have trouble formulating his thoughts, but she knew what he was getting at. No doubt, he'd thought over the ominous words over and over and over again.
"How is he? Shouto, right?" she asked, hoping to waylay him with talk of his youngest.
"Shouto is fine." The way his eyes bored into her was too familiar; he wouldn't drop it. "Are you the one?"
That was close enough. As much as it tightened her chest, she found that she couldn't lie. Not about this.
Ayumu sighed again, shifting her feet and eyes alike. "Yeah." She didn't want to see his face. "Is that all? I'm a bit tired."
Endeavor was quiet for a long moment, then movement caught the corner of her eye; he was holding out a card. "Contact me if you need anything. Anything at all." It sounded like a command, and he seemed to realize that, belatedly adding, "Please."
She took it, gaze darting up to the flash of sorrow in his face. He gave a nod when she lowered her hand, still holding the card, and walked away.
It had his number on it. She gave a joyless chuckle and swung the door shut as the man's large back disappeared from view.
Just one more person to add to her misery.
She set the card on a coffee table and laid on the couch, hand planted over her stomach.
Despite not touching the man, she still dreamt of him that night, a convoluted mess of Dabi's memories tangling with her own subconscious worries and experiences. In the dream, he took her faceless children from her, and they disappeared behind a wall of white fire as she screamed after them, unable to move.
"Hey, hey, you're alright, you're okay." She was thrust violently from her heated nightmare, drenched in sweat so that the sheets underneath her were soaked as well. She sat up, panting in the light streaming in from the wall of windows. "Bad dream?"
Ayumu rubbed at her eyes and her damp nape. "Hawks?" Her voice sounded rough to her own ears, as though she was the one who'd fought a battle recently.
"In the flesh." He was clean and relatively unscathed, but his wings looked shrunken and sparse.
She frowned. "What happened?"
Weight settled across his shoulders as his expression dimmed. "Ah, Dabi burned them off. They haven't had much time to regrow."
"I take it your cover is busted?" Everything was coming back to her now. "Wait—"
"I killed Twice." He smiled sadly. "I didn't want to. I tried talking him into changing sides, you know. But…"
That's right; she'd been unable to watch the brutal recording Dabi had made, but this made more sense than a cold-blooded killing. Hawks was many things, but not that. "Yeah." Twice would never have left the League. Villains and all, they were his family. "Uh, Endeavor came."
He winced. "Sorry about that, but I didn't know who else I could trust, and the president actually got injured, so…" They were both awkward, but she found herself nodding again.
"He's not gonna try taking them, is he?" Keigo looked a question at her, eyes widening when they caught onto her hand holding her stomach.
"I don't think he'd try that. Besides, they might not be his." His, Dabi. Touya. "The commission wants to see you, and some of the other pros, too, to get information on the League."
She scoffed. "You're kidding me, right?"
"I couldn't help what everyone overheard. I tried, but paired with what Dabi said during his big reveal, and the message he sent me after—"
"Message?"
Keigo pulled out a brand-new phone and flicked into the messages, clicking on the audio recording.
"It was you, wasn't it, you cowardly fucking traitor. Did it feel good getting to play hero again? Do you have her hidden away in your own little love nest? Think she'll be so grateful she'll get down on her knees and suck your cock?" T he words were getting progressively louder, until he was roaring with all the force of his flames. "YOU WILL BRING HER BACK TO ME OR I WILL LIGHT THE FUCKING WORLD ON FIRE. Do you hear me, you cowardly pissant. Everything will burn."
She flinched back from the sound of something shattering to punctuate his pronouncement, the recording ending as jarringly as it had begun. "People heard that?"
He nodded. "I didn't realize what it would be until it was too late." Keigo fiddled with his phone once she handed it back. "Listen, I can bring you a list of everyone who wants to talk, and you can choose from there, but I can't put off the commission."
Honestly, she'd known this was coming. There was no way she could avoid talking to the HPSC, not when it was their spy that had rescued her, so she nodded. "When?"
"I was coming to get you, actually." He had the grace to look uncomfortable with that.
Ayumu checked the time and realized it was a little after noon. Shit, these twins were killing her. Then again, she had also tormented herself reading news, which was only slightly better than watching it. She unfolded from the bed, stretching creaky limbs and trying not to notice the way Hawks eyed her bare legs under the long shirt she wore for bed. "I need a shower. And coffee."
"I'll check if I have decaf."
"Fuck you," she muttered on her way out the door. "Can't even have a decent cup of coffee."
He laughed.
The shower was quick, since Ayumu was eager to get rid of her sticky sweat, and even more eager not to see her changing body longer than she needed to. She'd need new clothes soon, since she'd brought what little would barely work for the time being and it wasn't much. Why did twins have to make her grow so quickly?
Afterward she applied lotion, taking special care to rub some on her growing hips and stomach in an effort to avoid new stretch marks. She was pretty sure that was a lost cause. Were her boobs getting bigger already? Might as well do those, too. Fuck, pregnancy was weird.
The dress was maxi-length on her originally, but her stomach raised it a bit higher. She felt ridiculous, since once upon a time the loose fit had made this a comfy, cute, casual garment. It wasn't quite loose anymore.
Keigo's head snapped up as she entered the kitchen area, doing a double take. That's right, he'd never seen her in anything other than the slutty clothes Dabi picked out for her.
"You ready to go?" She nodded, accepting the cup of tea from him and taking a sip. It was an herbal blend. "Sorry; it was the only non-caffeinated thing I had."
"That's fine," she sighed. It hadn't been too much of a bother to change her diet with Dabi, since the man could live on noodles alone. No complaints about the lack of sushi or fish in general.
Keigo directed her out the door and to an elevator, his hand on the small of her back most of the way. He seemed to want to keep contact and kept fiddling around with his coat zipper, his phone, whatever he could touch. It was almost a relief when the elevator stopped (despite how nauseating it was, ugh) and they were walking toward a conference room.
There were two people awaiting them, a sleepy looking man and a haggard woman. They introduced themselves as the president and the vice president, but she was too exhausted to listen to much of their introduction.
"Please sit, Ms. Sato. You must be tired," the president said graciously, gesturing to the leather seat nearest.
Ayumu flopped into the chair, leaning her elbows on the table, and waited for them to get on with it.
"Ms. Sato, first we wish to offer our heartfelt sympathies for the ordeal you have undergone. When Keigo first told us of your plight, we put all our resources into—"
"Cut the bullshit," she interrupted flatly. "I'm quite aware of just how much you wanted to get me out of there." Ayumu's bitter gaze darted to her stomach. "If you'd cared enough to get me out when you first learned about me, I wouldn't be in my current situation. So, skip the canned shit and tell me what you want."
The compassion slipped from the woman's face like a mask and her eyes turned shrewd. "Very well. While we will want to hear everything you might know about the PLF's inner workings and those of the inner circle specifically, it's most important we get a grasp on the situation as it is. Now, Ms. Sato, who is the father of your children?"
Ayumu blinked once, twice, unsure she heard properly. "What?"
"Keigo was unable to provide an answer," the president clarified, and every set of eyes darted to the young hero, who was standing awkwardly by the door.
Her eyes narrowed and the man shrugged. "I told them what I was told."
"Then you know as much as I do," she shot back at the other woman.
The sleepy man shuffled through papers in a manilla folder. "Keigo told us Dabi implied the father could be any number of people, including himself, Hawks, and Shigaraki."
"Only those three people," Ayumu answered.
"No one else?" the man asked.
She ground her jaw. "I'm pretty fucking sure, yeah."
He just nodded as though satisfied with her response.
"We will need to conduct a test—"
"No," she interjected.
The president frowned. "We need to ascertain the parentage."
"I don't give a flying fuck. It doesn't matter." Was this the hormones? She couldn't remember being quite this temperamental, at least not since she was a teenager. Maybe not even then, since she'd had therapy and did emotional regulation fairly well.
"I am going to be quite frank with you, Ms. Sato." The president stood, walking around the table to stop near the window. "It does matter. It matters whether Hawks is the father, because he has the right to know, and so does the commission given our relationship. And if the child is Touya Todoroki's—"
"Endeavor is not touching my children." Her tone was icy and the president's eyes narrowed in response.
"And if the child is Shigaraki's, how do you think the leader of the PLF will respond?" she finished as though never interrupted. "Do you think he will just let it go?"
Ayumu knew what this was building up to. She turned to the silent hero, then back to the vice president, finally settling again on the woman. "You will not be using my children as pawns."
"Do you think whoever their father is would do anything less?" The woman tapped manicured nails against the table. "We will at least need to know for Keigo's sake."
The man in question laid a hand on her shoulder. "Wouldn't it be better to know?"
She shook her head; she did not want to do this. She wanted to keep these little blobs growing in her as anonymous as possible. Right now, for most intents and purposes, they were a part of her, and thinking of them that way was safer than any other. She'd been in this condition, had Dabi dote and fawn long enough, that they were no longer unwanted parasites, but something else.
What they would become, she wasn't quite as prepared for that.
"How long will it take?"
"We just need a blood sample, and then it will take a few hours at most," the woman replied.
The vice president clicked on a button for an intercom. "Send in the technician." Even his voice was sleepy.
A nervous young woman in a white coat entered, carrying a medical tray of goodies which she set on the table. "Are-are you afraid of needles?" she asked.
Ayumu snorted. "Do I look like I'm afraid of needles?"
The technician blanched; Hawks scooted into the chair beside her, hand having moved from shoulder to her back, as though comforting her.
"Are you okay?" he murmured lowly, though she doubted that the sound wasn't loud enough to be heard by all.
"Peachy."
He nodded, understanding the sardonicism lacing the single word. "Do you have a preference? Like, a preferred outcome?"
She turned awkwardly as the tech stuck in the needle, the little phial filling up with red, replaced by another in seconds. "Do I have a preference for which rapist I'd rather be my babies' daddy?" He winced; the tech slipped on a third phial. "I'd rather it's all a mistake."
The band came off from her arm and the tech smiled uncomfortably, cleaning the needle mark, slapping on cotton and a bandage. "There we are. I'll have the results ASAP."
"So," Ayumu said when the tech had scurried back out. "Are we gonna sit here and wait for the results, or…?"
Notes:
I found this chapter a little awkward to write. Oh well. Also, edited high.
I have a few more chapters written, btw, but I'm leery on posting them because, well. It gets a little weird.
Next chapter is the reveal of the twins' paternity. Everything it reveals *is* scientifically possible, if extremely out there. For those who don't mind a hint at a spoiler,
think Castor and Pollux.