Chapter Text
Things were… back to normal, Saitama wanted to say. Sonic kept close by, and he was more quiet than normal. Not really up to arguing with genos.
But if Sonic wasn’t going to say anything, Saitama wasn’t going to press the matter. It was clear something happened in those few weeks he had gone missing, but… later. She’d ask later.
Right now she was enjoying him rubbing her sore back. “You know, Genos is gone for the day, getting repairs.”
“Yeah?”
“And it’s just you and me… you should take me out on a date.”
“A date? The dried fruit?” she swatted at his leg.
“No! You take me out for food and a movie and stuff. I mean…”
“Oh! Yes.” he leaned up against her, chest to her back. She could feel how tense he was, even just touching causally like this. “I’ve never taken anyone out before. There is that fancy ramen place down the street, it looks pretentious.”
“Perfect. We can eat there and make it less classy.”
The weather was a bit brisk, making it pleasant to walk arm in arm. The little restaurant was just as pretentious as he said, with warm wood floors and hipster music, but it was steamy and full of the scent of pork broth. They each got a bowl with extra pork belly and seasoned eggs, finding a place in the back where Sonic could watch the door while they ate. He was trying so hard, she thought, but still couldn’t relax.
“So you’ve never watched any sentai shows? Even when you were a kid?” saitama dabbed at her shirt, her breasts catching all the drips.
“We didn’t exactly have Tv where I grew up.” there was that slightly haunted look that sometimes came up when he talked about his childhood. Not that he actually talked about it. “I’m not sure what a sentai show is.”
“Well, we’re going to have to fix that.” she laughed as he tried to help her clean her shirt. “So-”
Across the restaurant, a certain Blue-haired A-class hero turned to look at the laugh.
“So- when my maternity leave starts, we will hole up and watch the newest Kamen rider series. We might need to get Mumen on board since he knows all of them-”
“Excuse me.” The speaker was tall, broad shouldered and his jeans cost more than saitama’s entire wardrobe. “Were you at a costume party some time ago as wonder woman?” his eyes dropped to her belly. “Oh.”
“Oh, oh shit it’s you! How’s the arm?”
“Working just fine.” he demonstrated, perfect muscles moving under the t-shirt. She could feel sonic tense beside her, and she took his hand before he could pull out a knife. “Ah, could I speak with her alone?”
For a bad moment, she thought sonic was going to jump him.
“I will get us more tea.” he finally said, without making it sound too much like a threat. Amai nodded his thanks, slipping into a chair across from saitama.
“So…”
“Yeah, she’s yours. Oof, sorry, she’s kicking again. She gets excited around mealtimes.”
“Wow.” he blinked. “Anyone else would have gone to the tabloids or-”
“I don’t care about that stuff. We had a good time, I got knocked up.” she shrugged a shoulder. “You should try some of this ramen, it's really good.”
“I will, it looks good.” his perfect tv smile turned into something crooked and real, the same kind of smile after she ripped off his arm by accident. “The baby, you said she?”
“Yeah, we’re going to call her Yuki. she’s getting big, we have six or seven weeks to go.”
“Healthy? Everything normal, nothing… weird?”
“Healthy as a horse, so I’m told. Ten fingers, ten toes.”
“Perfect.” he seemed relieved. “Do you need financial support? I don’t want it out in public, but I don’t mind helping out-”
“Oh don’t worry about that. My hate mail seems to think it’s King’s baby anyway.”
“Hate mail? Why would you get hate mail?” he hadn’t connected caped baldy with the woman he’d had enthusiastic sex (that poor car hood had a very large dent in it afterwards) outside of a HA costume party, before, but the other heroes had good things to say about her. He couldn’t imagine anyone disliking her enough to send her hate mail.
“Genos said something about misogyny, then went on and on and I tuned her out. I dunno. Guess I’m hot enough to be hated but whatever.”
“I’ll talk to some people. You shouldn’t be getting hate mail.”
“Dude, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”
“Still. It’s the least I can do.” he squeezed her free hand, feeling eyes burn through his back. “Let me give you my number to my private line. I’m serious, I don’t mind helping out with little Yuki.”
“Thanks dude.” her eyes flicked up and her smile grew as Sonic scooted in next to her again. “Thanks for the tea, babe.”
The ninja gave him a glare, and Amai took the time to memorize that face before saying his goodbyes.
Sonic was practically vibrating with nervous energy.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Fine.” he was still watching Amai’s retreating back.
“...I’m not going to pick him over you.” sonic flinched at that, physically flinched.
“He’s-”
“He’s not you, okay? I like you. Could you see him trying to change a diaper? I mean, I’m glad he wants to be involved, but it’s not like he is gonna be there like you.”
“I…” he blinked. “I am… going to be there.” he said carefully, like he was testing the weight of those words. “I’m going to be here for yuki.”
“Yup!” she wanted to hug him, but with how tight and tense he was- she settled for squeezing his hand. It seemed to help, he smiled, one that reached his eyes. “We got this.”
It was a good thing her OB/GYN was used to an odder patient base.
“It's not terribly high, but-” the doctor ignored the increased whirring of genos’s internal fans. “But! It’s something to watch. It might be time to start your maternity leave a bit early.”
“Ug.” she had been worried about that. “Boring.”
“We could-” sonic said softly. “Start watching Kamen Rider?”
“Yeah, but that can’t possibly take up the next 6 weeks.” the OB gave them a smile, this being something she’d hear time and time again.
“Well, rest as much as you can and try to avoid as many monster fights as you can.”
A Saturday afternoon and season 35 of Kamen Rider was- well, it was mindless. Saitama was crampy and restless. Sonic rubbed her back, soup was simmering on the stove, filling the place with a warm steam.
So of course Genos’s HA phone went off. Saitama made a face.
“I can-”
“No, answer it. It might be important.” she wasn’t going to be frumpy about missing a fun fight. Genos answered the phone, face going serious.
“Teacher, there is a dragon-level threat to c-city. I have been asked to go. Sonic too.”
She felt sonic tense behind him. A short intake of air. If she asked if he was okay, he would only say he was fine.
“Alright.” he said sharply.
“If you want us to stay close-”
“I’m not due for another four weeks. I’ll be fine. But you two! Sonic, make sure she doesn’t get torn up, genos, please work with Sonic.”
“Yes mother.” Sonic muttered, but leaned into her patting his head.
Okay, she had her reasons for kicking them out for a little while. It was nice to have a quiet apartment to herself, read some trashy comics in peace, and eat the snacks genos had declared too high in sodium for her blood pressure.
Well, yuki was kicking up a storm.
“Do you want to go in on the monster fight too, hm?” she rubbed her belly. “Or are you just liking the shrimp crisps?”
Yuki kicked against her hand, as if impatient to come out and do something already. Oh she knew that feeling, feeling as fat as a whale.
Soon, soon little one.
She settled back down, news on in the background. Just in case her roommate/student and her boy- person… date friend? Showed up.
Oh no. She really liked him, didn’t she? Shit. well… she had a bag of clothes here and his own futon in her room and… that meant something serious? It was more than any other boyfriend had done.
Eh. she shouldn’t worry about it too much. It’d work or it wouldn’t, as long as he didn’t get himself killed. If he could handle changing diapers, she’d keep him around and worry about all the squishy feelings later.
(she’d been so worried when he was gone and so much better when he came back. Oh no, she actually, might be in-)
Huh. That neighborhood on the news camera looked familiar. She could almost hear it- she paused then hauled herself up to the window and opened it. She could see the dust cloud from here.
Shit.
On one hand, she was not supposed to be bouncing around the city and getting into fights. Buuuut on the other hand, the heroes she knew were utter disasters.
Her back cramped. She grumbled, rubbing the sore muscles. Checked out the news. If she just went to check- it wasn’t far. She could use the walk, it usually helped with the false labor cramps anyway.
The neighborhood next to hers was a mess. Cars everywhere, and that cheap ice cream shop that sonic liked so much was now a ruin. She pulled mumen rider out of a bush.
“Saitama!” he said happily.
“You look like shit.”
“I think I broke my wrist- no, it’s okay, just a sprain.”
“You should be more careful.” she said as she sat him on his feet. “Have you seen sonic and genos?”
She would not admit to being /worried./ not yet at least.
“Ah, no, most of the fighting is down there.” he pointed in the general direction with his good hand.
“Okay. are you good or should I walk you to the medics?” Why was she even bothering to ask? He was as bad as the other two.
“Oh I’m fine.” he took a step and nearly fell over. She caught him by the collar, scruffing him like a kitten. See?
“Right. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but EMS for you.” she cramped and he caught her wince.
“Saitama? Is the baby-?”
“Heck no. just regular pre labor stuff. I got another month to go.”
“Maybe the EMS can look you over too?”
“Eh maybe after I make sure genos and sonic are okay.” there was a heavy, almost burning feeling deep in her pelvis.
Mumen agreed to go to the EMS after walking Saitama to where the fighting was.
The sound of crunching concrete got louder, crashing around them. She had to kick away a large chunk before it could splatter them
“It must be huge!” she said in delight, almost stepping on what was left of zombieman.
“Ow.” he muttered. “You see my left leg anywhere? I think my lighter is still in the pocket.”
“Sorry dude, if I see it I’ll let you know. What kind of monster is it?”
“Giant centipede.” he shrugged with his half-regrown shoulder.
“Again?” she groaned. “That thing was stupid easy last time.”
Both mumen rider and zombie man stared at her like she had lost her mind.
“Ah, saitama, should you-”
“I’m just going to help a little! It’s an easy monster.” another cramp, a bad one, and she bent in half trying to breathe through it.
“I think you might be in actual labor.” mumen said helplessly. Zombieman looked actually terrified at the concept of a woman giving birth in front of him.
“Shit. ow. Shit. okay, new plan. We-” something moved on the edge of her vision and she punched out of reflex. All them were splattered with centipede goo, the neighborhood suddenly quiet.
“Saitama?” mumen asked, eyes wide. “Did your water break?”
“Did what? No, it’s just-” she checked herself, realizing there was a growing damp spot in her pants. Shit.
“You’re not going to have the baby NOW are you?” zombieman sounded panicked, getting to his newly regrown feet.
“Dude, pants! No one wants to see your bits. Ow.”
“No one panic.” mumen said, clearly panicking himself now. “We'll just-”
“You’re early, but not too early.” the OB said soothingly. It was more for the crowd that was with Saitama than her. It was a good thing the doctor was already used to the sword-wielding boyfriend and scary cyborg roommate. Having an esper, a martial arts master and the world’s strongest man (who wasn’t sure why or how he got there, but here he was) also in tow could not be good for anyone’s nerves.
“We will give you some steroids to help the baby’s lungs and put you both on a monitor. She is a good size.”
Sonic’s face was white, sitting on the edge of the bed. So stiff, he moved carefully when he walked and a bruise bloomed across his face. He looked almost ready to run. She rubbed his arm like soothing a pet, he flinched at first then slowly relaxed.
“This sounds like it might take a while, how about you get a sandwich and some tea?”
Flash was by the doorway, tight black shirt, black jeans, long white coat. He nodded once, following sonic out. Good, now for the other rubberneckers-
“Sonic, I know you’re not okay, so don’t say you’re fine.” flash said, heels clicking on the fake wood flooring.
“I’m fine.” he said, trying to keep his hands from shaking. “Why do you care?”
It was several long minutes before Flash spoke.
“Family.”
“We’re not-”
“I’ve been thinking about this. It’s more than just blood, we’re… family. I don’t think I appreciated it until now. And now…” he opened up his arms.
“I don’t…” sonic hesitated for a moment. “I don’t feel real. Or.. the bits of me are all together. It’s fine while I’m fighting, but now… I can’t /feel/ anything.”
“You’re real. You’re alive.”
Sonic looked around, pulling flash into the alcove with the vending machines.
“Fuck me.” he demanded suddenly, pressing up against him. “I need you.”
Flash stared at him for a long moment.
“No.”
“I need you- I need to feel.. I need to feel something!”
“You’re saitama’s partner now, and you don’t want sex.”
“I trust you, you… you know me.” he was close to tears. “She’s having a baby and she doesn’t need this-” Flash pulled him into a hug and sonic slumped into it. “What if I’m too fucked up to raise a baby?” he muttered into Flash's chest. “What if I’m putting all of them into danger by being around?”
“We’ll figure it out. Between all of us, we make at least one functioning adult. Come on, let's get some food for you. We’ll feel better with full bellies.”
Saitama broke both bedrails, a wall, and accidentally tore off one of Genos’s arms. (genos seemed rather honored by it.)
But despite the property damage, a healthy baby girl was delivered an hour later.
“She’s precious and as bald as mommy.” Fubuki cooed over Yuki.
“It’ll grow in.” Saitama grumbled, rubbing her head self consciously. “She is pretty cute though. I mean, she kinda looks like a frog, but in a cute way?”
Yuki scrunched up her face, a two second warning before wailing.
“Eek!” Fubuki handed her over to Saitama, eyes huge. “Uhh, she wants mommy, I think.”
“She needs changed. Here, I could use the practice.” Sonic took the newborn, patting her back before getting to it.
“So who’s the daddy? You haven't said anything about him.”
“Oh, him, he’s no one you’d-”
And if on cue, Amai Mask strolled in with a stupidly large bouquet. Saitama wondered how many weapons Sonic had on him, and how good amai would be at dodging them.
Good thing the hero’s association was paying the birthing center bill.
“And how is saitama?” he smiled his best TV smile, the one that charmed all the nurses on the way in. even saitama felt her face warm at the intensity of it.
“In one piece. Her eyes flicked from his face to the flowers and back up again.
“And Yuki?” his smile went to something honest and open as he saw her. “She has strong lungs, I heard her down the hall.”
He handed the flowers off to Fubuki and put out his hands for the baby. And for a moment she thought sonic was not going to give her up- but reluctantly he handed her over to her… father. Weird to link Amai mask of all people to that word.
It took him a minute to figure out how to hold a newborn properly, but he looked rather pleased as she snuffled back to sleep.
“She’s perfect, saitama, absolutely perfect.” he ignored sonic’s death glare. He settled on one of the chairs, a stupid smile across his face that saitama liked much better than his tv one. “Do you think she might inherit any of our powers?”
“Dunno, I don’t think any of the other heroes have had kids… or at least no one I know.”
“Teacher, if you were not born to your strength, or Amai Mask to his… skills…” She was trying to be polite and failing. “Then it might not be genetic, and not be passed down.”
“Oh, okay.” Amai looked relieved, rocking Yuki against his chest. “A normal little girl.”
“Normal is a relative term.” Sonic pointed out, a small figure sitting at the foot of the bed.
“Fair.”
“You should have brought food. I could murder a pizza or a cake.”
“Giving birth is hungry work, huh?” and he was trying to be charming again, but saitama’s gaze was on sonic.
“Babe, did you eat?”
“Ah-” a blink.
“You should be starving by now too. Order us something from the chicken place you like?”
“Ah, sure.”
Yuki was a doll. A loud, fussy doll, but nonetheless… so small, small and warm.
The nurses at the birthing center patiently walked them through basic care. Like how to change a diaper, feeding, the normal things a baby would do and what not to panic about.
It made him a little.. Sad, he decided. He liked cuddling a baby, it felt good to hold one. He just wished… why be sad about what he could not do. He sort of had yuki now. He was sort of dating Saitama, it made him sort of a step-parent.
He curled up against saitama in the birthing center bed, yuki noisy nursing.
“She’s perfect.” he murmured, stroking her head with a finger.
“She really is.” she glanced over at him. “Sonic?”
“Hm?”
“Are we-?”
“Are we what?”
“Ah, never mind.” she settled, warm and pressed up against him before pressing her lips to his forehead. It was foreign to him, this much contact. Warm and nice. “Are you ready to be a Dad?”
“I… what about that man? Amai mask?”
“Him? I mean, it’s nice he wants to be involved, that’s more than what I expected. But it’s not like he’s really going to be there. You were there for all the messy bits.”
“Oh.” hesitantly he laid his head on her shoulder, watching yuki finish up and yawn. “Do… you like me?”
“Of course I do! In fact, I kinda love you.”
“Oh.” he buried his face into her shirt, squirming.
“Oh babe.”
“Saitama… I’ve never been with anyone before.”
“You don’t say.” there was a smile in her voice.
“Where… Flash and I grew up, you didn’t and weren’t supposed to have relationships. Not friends, not… anyone. Not family, not children.” he swallowed, trying to find the right words, trying to finally tell someone. She said she loved him...she had to know. “They made sure we couldn’t have children.”
“Oh sonic… I’m so sorry.
“I wasn’t born…” he gestured helplessly, he never really understood it, it was hard to explain. “Fully male. They surgically… I don’t know. It’s not right, down there and I… When they sterilized me they took it all out too. So I can’t.. Give you another baby if you want one.”
And she pulled him against her, tight enough his bones creaked with the pressure.
“If they weren’t dead, I’d find them for doing that to you.” she growled, and that made him feel better, strangely enough. “The rest? We can figure out as we go. I’ve already decided I’m going to keep you around.”
“Thank you.” he murmured.
“No wonder Yuki’s so important to you”
“Family. Family is important.” like flash said, it was more than blood. they were family now.