"Oh man, Katsu…" Kirishima drawled, having somewhat planned on jumping the blondes' bones. "I didn't even think of that… It must be super awkward having everyone at Yuuei telling you to knock Midoriya up."

Bakugo snorted without amusement, his head already throbbing from the never-ending questions, suggestions, and insinuations he and Midoriya had been bombarded with from the moment their 'binding' had taken place. Taking a deep breath, he tried to remind himself that despite how annoying it was, their actions came from a good place.

"Yeah, it's a lot to deal with, but so is the fact that Midoriya and I could be part of the last generation of Mers in existence if we don't start repopulating soon," Bakugo explained, knowing Kirishima would understand how deeply this dilemma was bothering him.

"I can tell that you want kids…" Kirishima hummed with affection and a little dreaminess. "And if I'm being honest, I want as many as possible. Even if I can't carry them, you can, right?"

Bakugo couldn't help but laugh, somehow finding it annoyingly endearing that Kirishima wanted 'as many as possible' and had likely planned on having Bakugo pop them out one after another. "Ah? You think I'm just going to go through all that shit repeatedly?"

Kirishima laughed too. "Uh, yeah, bro—We're bound, remember? I can tell you'd be into it."

In truth, Bakugo wasn't intending to have children, with his responsibilities to Midoriya so important, but he supposed it didn't mean a damn thing if the nerd survived only for their species to die out. "Eh, I guess I could make it work. I'd just need to practice a little the first go around, and then it wouldn't be a big deal from there."

"You aren't seriously considering staying on as Midoriya's personal guard the entire time you're pregnant, are you?" Kirishima gushed in amusement-filled disbelief. However, he had little doubt that his loyal and committed mate wouldn't at least try.

Imagining Bakugo attempting to look intimidating with his stomach swollen several times its normal size while a baby punched his organs was simply hilarious. Kirishima snorted and fell back while laughing harder, the vision so clear despite how ridiculous it seemed.

"Ah? Don't you laugh at me, you little shit!" Bakugo growled lovingly. "You know how awesome I am; being constantly huge with your pups won't slow me down at all!"

Kirishima eventually agreed, having no doubts about his lover's strength of will or body. If anyone could do it, it would be Bakugo. "Alright, alright, you won't be slowed down at all… But we don't want to start now, right?"

"Tsk, hell no." The blonde confirmed. "But both of us at least have the potential to get pregnant, so Deku's going to ask Todoroki about checking Endeavor Library for protective measures."

"I'm guessing waiting to have pups isn't something that's supported back at Yuuei, is it?" Kirishima sighed, sensing the shift in his mate's thoughts and feelings. It would probably shock everyone if Bakugo got pregnant since they likely all assumed it would be Midoriya who carried the pups; he was to be the official guard, after all.

Realistically though, unless the pup was born with mostly human genes, it would likely pass for a child born from Midoriya and Bakugo. Mer colorings were extremely varied and often skipped generations at a time, and it wasn't like mates could cheat on one another without their marks breaking.

But despite all that, Kirishima was only a quarter Mer, and there was always the risk that his children, or even grandchildren, would end up with predominantly human characteristics, something they couldn't take a chance on until the two princes were crowned as Kings.

"Yeah, like I said, everyone is on Deku, and I's asses about it already. We couldn't find anything useful when we checked our library or our infirmary. But most of the old bastards that founded Yuuei never had pups of their own, even if they mated because it just wasn't safe then, so I know someone has details on how to prevent it." Bakugo explained with clear annoyance and frustration. "I really don't think anyone would be willing to tell us shit with our numbers so low though."

"We'll figure something out, babe!" Kirishima cooed before nuzzling the mark he'd given his lover, effectively calming him. "I know it."

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"Nothing!" Todoroki hissed, slamming another book shut with irritation. Despite the enormity of knowledge he had at his disposal, their library didn't have what they needed. "We may have to simply abstain from sex entirely."

Kirishima flinched at the thought. Despite being only a quarter Mer, his reproductive cycles mirrored that of a pure blood. Male or female, Merfolk underwent four 'heats' per year, each lasting between three to seven days. In short, they were hell—Pain, fever, and desperation unlike anything else he'd ever experienced.

Initially, these cycles had been a primordial advantage that would encourage Merfolk to seek out a mate and breed as soon as they were physically capable, but that wasn't necessary once civilization took root.

After the genocide and eventual collapse of their society, however, Merfolk were back in the situation that had created a need for heats, only this time each cycle was a potential death sentence.

After millennia of peace, Merfolk had forgotten how to survive in open waters and struggled to get by on the best of days. Having a member of their pod needing to be quarantined put everyone at risk and if they did end up taking a mate, that created another terrifying possibility: A pup. They were barely surviving on their own; adding a defenseless child into the mix was the last thing they wanted.

"You disagree?" Todoroki questioned, having noticed the way Kirishima squirmed like he was in pain from the suggestion.

The redhead fidgeted again, shrugging. "Well, I was kind of looking forward to never having to go through another heat, but you're probably right."

Todoroki blinked in confusion, shifting his attention completely to Kirishima. "But we've already taken mates; Merfolk don't have heats after that… It says so in one of the anatomy books."

"Er, well, that's technically true, but only because they're having consistent sex or one of them is pregnant," Kirishima explained. "My grandma told me about it… Other than maybe some kind of medicine, there are only three things that generally prevent a Mer from having their heat. Regularly having sex, a pregnancy, or an extreme injury."

Todoroki sat back in his chair, the wind stolen from his lungs. This certainly posed a significant problem. What would Bakugo and Midoriya tell everyone? 'Hey, yeah, we just aren't having sex even though we made a conscious decision to take each other as mates.' That wouldn't go over well, especially with the whole 'repopulate our species' thing.

Not to mention the sensations that would no doubt flow through their marks. Having seen Kirishima's behavior during his heats, Todoroki could imagine that Bakugo and Midoriya would likely do just about anything to get to shore, just as Kirishima would attempt to escape into the water.

"No, I think you have a point." Todoroki finally conceded. "Regardless of which one of you is undergoing your heat, both you and Bakugo wouldn't be able to stop yourselves from trying to get to one another. Izuku would act the same way during his heat."

"Okay, but we can't just hope no one ends up pregnant. It's too risky with the human genes you and I would be passing on." Kirishima drawled, not seeing a good way forward at this point.

Todoroki nodded in agreement, wondering what they should do. Of course, there were medicines human women took, but there was no guarantee they'd be remotely effective for an entirely different species. Still, they had to try something.

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Bakugo knocked on Chiyo's door, knowing this was the only realistic way to maintain the safety of his new pod. Though he hadn't gotten to see his mate yet, he knew Kirishima and Todoroki hadn't found anything in the Endeavor library; the unease flowing through his mark made that very clear.

The old woman didn't look entirely surprised to see him; she slowly floated out of the way so that he could come inside. "Let me guess," she hummed knowingly. "You're here to ask me what you and Midoriya can do to keep from getting one another pregnant, right?"

Bakugo nodded solemnly, his head low with shame. "Look, I get why everyone is so insistent we start procreating right away. I'm not stupid; I know how close our people are to dying out. But we aren't ready to be parents, neither of us. Deku and I still have a lot of shit we want to accomplish, and a pup isn't something we can deal with right now."

"Is that so?" Chiyo drawled, eyeing him suspiciously. "Sorahiko told me that he explained why it's better for you or Midoriya to carry and birth children now, but frankly, I think he was too soft on you."

The old woman wiggled her way to her shelves, pointing to a large assortment of medicinal plants and minerals. "These are the only things keeping our leader going. You were here when he received that injury seven years ago; you've seen what it's done to him. No matter what I try, it won't heal, and he grows weaker every day."

Before he'd been injured protecting a new group of refugees, All Might had been strong enough to stop a great white moving at full speed with a single punch. Obviously, their leader's once-hulking form had dwindled considerably since then; no one could deny that. Thick layers of muscle had steadily withered down, leaving him lean and borderline frail. But it wasn't as if he was a skeleton or anything! Bakugo shook his head, refusing to accept what Chiyo had said.

"That's what makes him such a great leader, child. That brave smile he wears is for the sake of our people; they need to believe that he's never afraid." Chiyo continued, reading Bakugo's expressions easily. "And our people are still desperate, fully willing to push reason aside and fool themselves if it means maintaining hope. I don't have such a luxury. All Might may have the willpower to keep going, but his body simply can't, not while suffering under the weight of his current responsibilities."

The old woman slowly made her way back over to Bakugo, placing a shriveled hand on his trembling shoulder. "If All Might doesn't retire soon and focus on his own health rather than the wellbeing of everyone else, I don't think he'll survive longer than a few more years… We need all Mer of childbearing age to reproduce as many times as possible for our species to survive, and that includes you and Midoriya. Having children after he assumes the thrown could leave Yuuei without reliable leadership for months at a time, and realistically, All Might can't hold out much longer."

"So," Chiyo continued after a deep, weary breath. "Tell me, child. Now that you know the truth about our leader, do you still want a contraceptive? Are the things that you and Midoriya want to 'accomplish' before having pups worth the risk that waiting poses to our people's safety?"

Bakugo's mind reeled from what he was hearing. Midoriya would need to take over within the next year or two… Putting his ascension off any longer would be a death sentence to the man who'd turned Yuuei into the stronghold it was today. He had to live. Even if his body was too damaged to fight, All Might's wisdom and support would be critical in the coming years, especially with what Todoroki and Midoriya were planning to do.

Chiyo was technically correct. If he and Midoriya intended to have children together, now was the only logical time to conceive. But the old woman didn't have all the facts… Bakugo wasn't Midoriya's mate and, therefore, wouldn't be affected by a pregnancy and vice versa. Leadership could transition smoothly between them, with Bakugo taking over if it became necessary and then stepping back into his role as primary guard afterward.

Yes. The future that Midoriya and Todoroki planned on creating was more than worth the 'risk' of waiting to have pups; Bakugo was sure of it. He believed in his future king and in his vision of a world where humans and merfolk could coexist in peace once more.

"Yes." He confirmed, finally raising his eyes to meet the old woman's. "Deku won't let us down."

Chiyo hummed again, smiling despite her continued worry. This was the very reason All Might had chosen Midoriya to succeed him… His determination and optimism inspired everyone around him. If Bakugo was this confident in what he and Midoriya thought was best for their people, then she'd support them. "Very well then; I'll show you what you need and how to prepare it."

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