"How did it feel?"
Saiki sat back, trying to examine his feelings, trying to come to the right answer. "I'm supposed to say 'good'," he replied to Midnight. She didn't comment. Didn't prod. Just let him come to his answer. "It did feel good, I guess, kind of. Kyoka knows a little more about me now, which also feels unnerving." He couldn't bring himself to say 'scary'. "More than anything else I guess I feel relieved. I didn't realise... She thought our relationship was just sex. That we were both with Momo and only with each other for fun. So I'm glad I fixed that."
"You did. Do you understand why?" the teacher, the acting counsellor asked. "Because your relationship was just sex, Saisei. A real relationship is an emotional connection, not just a physical one. And I mean that in every sense. Just because you had sex doesn't make it a real relationship. Just because she came to your rescue in Kamino, that doesn't make it a real relationship. What makes it more than just sex is the willingness to let things grow beyond just the physical. To open up, who you are, who she is, and know one another in ways other people don't." She shrugged with a smile, once again naked as had become the custom for these sessions. "Just sex is fun. There's nothing wrong with that. But if you want more than that... You're going to have to get used to that... 'Unnerving' feeling. It comes with the territory. Knowing that the other person can hurt you, but knowing that they won't."
"But they might."
"But they might," she agreed with a nod. "And that's most of why it will hurt if it happens. The tricky thing is setting aside that fear, and letting yourself trust them. It might be harder for you than most, but it's hard for everyone. Take Midoriya for example. You hurt her." He immediately took a defensive posture, folding his arms, yet his jaw clenched with guilt. "You were the first person she had a romantic interest in. She trusted you, and you can dress it up as you like, but you betrayed that trust. She forgave you. She let you back in, didn't she?"
He swallowed. "You did say you wanted to get at me about this."
"I did. I won't pretend that isn't part of why I'm bringing it up. But the point is, you already hurt her once, and despite that, she gave you the chance to hurt her again. If she can bring herself to do that, I think you can handle a little vulnerability too, don't you?"
She put it as a challenge again. It was annoying how proficient she was at getting under his skin, even if it was for his sake. "Hrm."
The naked hero smiled at him in a slightly teasing manner. "Don't worry. My jabs at you being a philandering cad in the bad way are over, and for what it's worth, I'm proud of you. Now." Once again she took a provocative pose, hefting her pendulous breasts with one arm while pulling on of her folded legs onto the couch, leaving her thighs spread wide. "I'm a woman of my word. Have you thought about what you'd like to do to me? It won't be today, of course. I'm sure Hound Dog wants his office back and I don't want to offend his poor nose."
Right. His quirk gave him a strong sense of smell. Good call on her part. "So you said I could do anything. What's the limit?"
"Like I said, I'm a woman of my word. I said anything."
He scoffed with humour. "Come on. You don't really mean that. There's gotta be a limit. It's not like you'd let me knock you up or anything crazy like that."
She raised her eyebrows. "Is that what you want?"
Suddenly, a silence fell on the room. One that dragged on for several seconds.
"... Come on," he said, once again deciding it was a joke. He was around ninety percent sure. "Don't pretend you'd go that far just for a dumb—"
"I don't think anything that happened here was dumb," Midnight countered. "I also think you wouldn't have brought it up unless you wanted that. Do you want to put a baby in me, Saiki Saisei?"
"Uh..." His certainty had fallen to about sixty percent, and he wasn't sure what to do with that level of uncertainty. "I mean, we both know any guy would want to—"
She cut off his deflection only part way through. "We're not talking about 'any guy'. We're talking about you."
"Why are you dragging this out? Why aren't you asking me to be serious already?"
"Because I think you were being serious, and pretending you weren't. And because I did say anything."
"Come on, you can't be serious."
She shrugged again, smiling slightly, not mockingly. "My clock might be ticking, but the alarm isn't ringing yet. I don't have a significant other, I can be a little intimidating. And I would like to be a mom. In principle it isn't off the table."
Saiki felt his mouth go dry. "In principle."
"Mm-hm. I want you to ask yourself first, though. Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to knock me up badly enough it was the first thing you thought of?"
"What?" he asked with a scoff that was genuinely dismissive. "You want to psychoanalyse my fetishes now? Assuming it were a fetish and not just a dumb idea I said as a ridiculous example to set boundaries."
She rolled her eyes at his continued attempts to pretend he wasn't serious, even as he tacitly admitted he was. "It doesn't take a fully accredited psychiatrist to figure those out, Saisei. And it wouldn't be anything you haven't already told me. So? Why do you want to knock me up?"
… There was a list of answers to that and many of them resided in his other preferences. He was dominant. He wanted to be on top, in control. He didn't like feeling vulnerable. He was possessive. He wanted to be the man with everything. The last thing that pushed him over the edge, that helped him open up to Kyoka, was the idea that she thought she wasn't his. If he had to be hers too, that was fine, but she was his. He wanted her. He wanted.
And... And he had told Kyoka where that came from. He told Kyoka why he wanted. It was the childish spite that fuelled him all his life. And really... It was never going away. "I said it, didn't I? We both know any guy would want to. No, every guy who ever saw you parade around naked, or in that skintight suit, they all would've thought the same thing. 'I wanna fill her up and put my kid in her'. I want that too, but I want it more because they want you. I want to fill your womb, I want to watch your belly swell, knowing I lived out every other man's dream."
"Ahahahaha!" She laughed, deep and genuine. "It's cute how petty you are! And so shameless! You're telling me to my face you want to make me the mother of your child just so you can NTR all my fans?"
"Is that a problem? You said 'anything'," he threw her own words back at her.
"I did!" she laughed. "Do you want to film it? A leaked sex tape, can you imagine? Oh, my Midnight Boys would be heartbroken!" Her amusement died down as she got control of herself again. "... I'm on birth control. Were I to agree, it would take until after the festival for the effects to completely disappear, then waiting for an unsafe day. You really want to do this?" she asked, and he nodded slightly, making sure to look her in the eye. "... Then I want you to take this time, and really think about the implications. A fetish is one thing. What you want... It can't be taken back. You'll have a child. I won't demand anything from you. I'm not exactly hurting for money. My income from figurines alone is enough to cover everything and then some. If you like, you'd be as involved as a sperm donor, just giving a particularly direct deposit. Or, you could be involved. But these are the real questions I want, no, I need you to ask yourself before going through with this. It's not a game. It's not for play. There will be a life involved. Understand?"
Did he? He wasn't sure. But, he supposed that was why he had to think about it. Midnight hadn't steered him wrong yet.
Vacating her seat, the naked hero took position resting herself in Saiki's lap, caressing his face with one hand. "Talk to your lovers about this. Don't do this without telling them. When you think about this, think about that little girl you saved. Put her in the context of being your child, and decide if this is really what you want. And if you change your mind, there's no shame in it. The choice to become a parent, no matter how involved you end up being, it's more important than your pride. Take it seriously. If you change your mind, I'll take my birth control, and we can do something else instead. Okay?"
"Yeah... I understand."
-(-)-
"Are you ready to do this?"
"No... But I have to do this."
Out on the stage in front of the entire student body, Nezu spoke. It was a long speech, mostly advising safety and caution, but also encouraging students to have fun with the upcoming festival. To put on a great show for their guests. The assembly had a main purpose. To properly outline the security procedures for the festival. After the many incidents that had taken place over the year, security concerns were at their highest in over a decade. As a result, they had a zero tolerance policy for any large disturbances. If such a thing happened, the event would end then and there and the guests would be escorted off the campus. It was harsh, but necessary for the safety of the students.
This was the main purpose of the assembly. However, it did have a secondary purpose. One that a student had volunteered for. And so, as Nezu wrapped up his briefing, he ceded the floor to two students. A redhead girl with seafoam green eyes, escorting a blond with blue eyes. Both were familiar faces to the students for more than attending the same school. They had both been semi-prominent figures in the first year sports festival, making them recognisable to all.
Monoma took a breath before stepping up to the microphone. "I have something I need to say, and I thank the staff for giving me the chance to do so." It was a speech he had prepared. That only made it slightly easier. "I'm here to deliver an apology. To all of you, to the school as a whole, and to the two students I hurt most with my actions. Two weeks ago, I got into a verbal altercation with a student from another class. During that altercation, I had used my own quirk to copy a passing student's quirk which happened to be Brainwash." He took a steadying breath, and continued. "In my anger, I elected to use that borrowed quirk to humiliate the student I was arguing with, instructing him to 'bare it all to the whole school'. Instructions he had no choice but to follow, as he then went directly to the cafeteria before he stripped naked in front of every student there."
"This however..." He swallowed, bit his lip, but felt a hand settle on his arm. Looking to his side, he saw Kendo standing there looking at him. Expectantly, but supportively. "This however," he continued into the microphone, "was not the end. After my involvement was discovered, in a panic, I took the cowardly choice and attempted to shift blame onto the student whose quirk I had copied."
A murmur swept through the student body. By that admission, he had confessed to sole responsibility for the incident, fully exonerating his victims.
"As a result of my actions, my provisional hero license has been revoked. As it should, as this was conduct unbecoming of a hero student, much less a licensed hero. I am here to publicly apologise for everything I have done. I have let myself down, I have let my classmates down, and I have let this school down. And so all I can do is offer my heartfelt apologies to all of you, and of course in particular Saiki Saisei and Hitoshi Shinso." Stepping back, he bowed low. "I am so very sorry for what I've done."
It would have been difficult to argue otherwise. Even if there were an inclination toward disbelief, a willingness to unequivocally take responsibility for his actions in public was an acceptance of the consequences of his actions. With the most cynical read, that it would increase his chances of staying in the hero program, he had publicly admitted to a crime committed out of anger and spite. A stain that couldn't be completely washed away from his reputation. It would follow him for the rest of his career.
And he had accepted that.
It was for that reason that Saiki leapt from out of the crowd onto the stage in a single bound. Looked at the young man who had humiliated him, with a fraction of a second glance at the redhead at his side. He made sure his voice would be picked up by the microphone as he said, "I can't speak for Shinso. But thank you for the apology." Then, extended his hand.
Tears welling up in his eyes, Monoma took that hand. Not necessarily an offering of forgiveness, but a willingness to bury the hatchet, and a lifeline that would keep him in the hero program.
Were there selfish motivations to do it for Saiki? Absolutely. Forgiveness. Magnanimity. Those were appealing and appreciated traits, and he had been given the chance to demonstrate them in public. Even more, in front of a girl he wanted to join him and Momo in bed. Itsuka's grateful and approving smile said enough about the progress this stunt made for him. He lost nothing doing this, and gained a great deal.
Yet it wasn't just selfishness that drove him. All along, Saiki had seen himself in Monoma. Bitter. Spiteful. Out to prove himself. Just like Saiki, Monoma had gone about it the wrong way. Just like Saiki, in a fit of self-doubt, he had acted rashly. Just like Saiki, he had taken the consequences head-on.
And so just like Saiki, he was given a second chance.
-(-)-
The students of 1-A continued to work hard on their preparations for their show. It had become a bit of a concern what exactly Saiki would do during it. The first thought had been to set him as part of the dance troupe. However, Mei had a bright idea, perhaps partially as a result of her desire to see her newest invention used for something, as the circumstances hadn't come up for a live fire test at Saiki's apprenticeship at the Ryukyu Agency.
The music had been written quickly, relative to the lyrics that Kyoka continued to fret over right up to the day of the event. The night before, she was still making revisions while being gently bounced in Saiki's lap. Him carefully teasing her pussy with his fingers as he impaled her ass. All the while she would softly sing, trying to make sure it sounded right, felt right. For as much as she wanted to be a hero, and that was the main thrust of the song, she was still incredibly passionate about getting her music right.
Saiki wasn't sure how helpful his dick in her ass was for the process. But, she was his girlfriend, and if she demanded anal, he wasn't about to say no. That was just what a good boyfriend was.
"Are you nervous?" he asked her on the morning of the event.
His tomboy girlfriend looked at him with somehow even more of a deadpan stare than usual. "Fuck you."
"Okay, that's fair, stupid question," he said in surrender. "You put a lot of work into this. Trust that. You're gonna be great." He smiled. "And hey! If it all goes to shit, I can swap out my cartridges for knockout gas and the whole thing will just be a bad dream."
"Pff, shut up!" she snickered, shoving his shoulder. "Whatever. Distract me. You decided yet?"
"I think so."
"Not really a 'think so' kind of situation, right?" Kyoka asked. "Seriously asking. I got no idea how this kind of thing is supposed to work or how you're supposed to feel about it. I guess 'think so' might be as good as you're gonna get in the end. If you didn't have worries, you wouldn't be taking it seriously."
"Maybe." He sighed, leaning with his elbows on the lounge table. "I guess... I want to do it. I don't have a problem with doing it at all. Midnight'll be a great mom. Just don't know if I wanna try to be a dad. Kind of set up to fail there."
"Says the guy with the kid's artwork pinned in pride of place on his wall."
"That's not the same thing."
He had told them. Maybe fudged a couple of details. Maybe made it sound a little more like Midnight's idea than his, but otherwise he had been honest.
Katsumi hadn't cared. Or at least she pretended not to, despite quickly changing the subject to getting his cock inside her.
Momo had been openly supportive. She expressed her wish that she could be the first to carry his child, but acknowledged it would be years away at the soonest. Called it selfish to demand he wait if he wanted children.
Weirdly enough, Izuku had also been supportive. Maybe because she had a lot of hangups about the kind of real relationship she could have. Maybe she was wondering whether she wanted or should have kids at all, and wanted him to take the chance for himself.
Kyoka... The conversation made him even more glad to have properly made at least the start of a connection with Kyoka. She was the one to prod at how he felt about it more than anything. Maybe she didn't feel that invested to care about it for herself. But she acknowledged she had no problem with it, then immediately turned it back on him. Asked him the questions Midnight had suggested he consider, only in more detail.
He wanted this. But what version of this? Would he be an entirely absent figure? Just some donated DNA? Would he be the kind of dad Izuku had? A known figure, a name, a face, but with no connection at all? That one at least, made him feel a little sick somehow. Would he be a part of the kid's life for real?
Problem was... He knew which one he wanted. But the question of it was, did he trust himself to be that? Did he trust himself not to fuck everything up like his own dad had? Was he being selfish even considering it when he knew his own past had set him up to fail?
Kyoka reached across the table, taking his hand. "Hey. You're not him." It was like she was reading his mind. Her eyes softened as she smiled. "He couldn't and wouldn't have done everything you've already done, right? You're you, and I think you'd be a great dad."
He didn't express his gratitude for the sentiment out loud. Just squeezed her hand. "You want kids?"
"Pfft, you kidding? A little dude or dudette I can teach to be as cool as I am? Hell yeah."
"Just the one?"
"We both know Momo will want like, a dozen. That in mind, I'm okay with just one and you should be grateful for just one. After all, you're gonna be a real dad? You're gonna be more grateful than ever that you don't need to sleep."
He couldn't help but laugh, even if it was a little on the nervous side. "Yeah, you've got a point."
Time passed. A nervous breakfast turned to nervous final prep, moving the last bits of equipment into the gym they would be using as a concert hall. Izuku woke up late in a rush to get a new rope from a hardware store in town. Meanwhile Saiki was able to take a breather for a little bit. Watch crowds start to file into the festival as they passed through the security screening. And it was because of that, he was there to see a familiar face. "Eri!"
The little girl's face lit up with a heart-melting smile. "Mister Flygon!"
"It's good to see you out of the hospital!" he said, lowering himself to a knee, not really expecting her to launch herself at him for a hug but accepting it nonetheless. "Mister Aizawa?"
Her escort kept a careful eye on the little girl. "She's been doing much better working with a quirk counsellor, getting control of her quirk. It was decided she should get a chance to get out of the hospital." To be a real little girl for once. It didn't need to be said. She needed to control her quirk, but it was just as important to help her recover from everything she had gone through. She was a danger, but she was a little girl first. One who needed help.
"Everything's so colourful!" she gushed.
"It's a celebration," Saiki said. "All different people at the school are putting on their own little piece of it. My class are putting on a concert."
The little girl gasped. "Mister Flygon does music?"
He laughed, a little embarrassed. "No, but some friends of mine do. I'll be helping with part of it though."
Eri let him go, tugging on Aizawa's pant leg. "Mister 'Raser! Can we go?! Please?!"
"Of course we can."
"Yay!"
Saiki checked the time. He... Still had a little time. He could put a rush on to get into his costume. "There's a little time left before I have to get ready. I can hang out for a bit if you like?"
"YAY!"
And that was how Saiki got to witness the wonder in a little girl's eyes as she tried cotton candy for the first time.
And he made a decision.
A little while later, Saiki and Izuku arrived in the backstage area of the concert, each getting into costume. Her in the same dress as the rest of the 1-A students. Him in his hero costume. Shortly after, he was in the rafters with her and Aoyama. "You guys ready?"
"Our twinkling will bring joy to all!" the flamboyant blond boy declared.
Izuku, strangely out of breath, nodded in agreement.
Down below, the band and stage crew began their performance. For as nervous as she had been, Kyoka looked as though she had never been quite so happy as she was right then and there. She had been nervous. She had been afraid. Doubting if she could let herself have this. Of course she could. She deserved it.
And so as the chorus kicked in, the makeshift disco ball that was Yuga Aoyama lit up, soaring through the air above the crowd, or really on a pulley system moved by Izuku. And then as second verse moved into second chorus, Saiki's wings burst free, his hero costume ignited into a spectrum of colours. A lucky dragonfly flitting over the crowd.
Then, gas-powered canisters burst a powdery substance out around him and over his wings. With high-speed fluttering and flight, that powder was scattered down and through the whole room. Little glittering flecks that made the air itself sparkle with the scattering lights, dissolving in the air as they reached the people below.
The joy and cheers of the crowd made all of it worth it. It would be a treasured memory for those who made it happen, and one little girl who seemed determined to cheer louder than anyone else.
-(-)-
A/N: This chapter seen very early by my generous supporters on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!