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Ochako grimaced as she rolled onto her side. She’d been in pain while lying in bed before, but nothing like this. Instead of healing from an injury from work or dealing with cramps or just sore from working out, this pain flared up only at night when she needed to sleep. She could forget about it all day until she finally laid down to sleep, worn out from the day, and then the pain would flare up. It started in her knees, as if someone was beating her with a bat, and then worked its way up her lower back. No matter what she did, nothing eased the pain.
When she finally couldn’t take it anymore, Ochako pushed herself up into the sitting position and pressed a hand against her back. It didn’t help the pain one bit, and she sighed in aggravation. She was so damn tired. All she wanted to do was sleep, but it was like her entire body had it out against her. The smell of her favorite food made her sick. Her once cozy made brought her pain. She couldn’t do proper hero work. It was an absolute disaster. She hated every second of it.
And yet you’re happy, Hayato hummed through their bond.
Ochako grunted and stretched her back. “So happy.”
Her daemon hopped off the bed, somehow looking cheeky as he meandered out of the bedroom. He knew there would be no going back to sleep for her. Ochako slid off the bed and groaned when she stood up, her ankles and legs protesting the action. Thirty-eight weeks pregnant, and she felt like she was ready to pop at any moment. It was miserable. While her legs had been sore for almost her entire pregnancy, it hadn’t been until the last month that everything else began to hurt. Getting out of bed was a chore, if only because putting weight down on her ankles hurt like a bitch.
There was no beating around the bush. Pregnancy sucked ass. All those pictures she’d seen on social media, all the cute movies and plots in television shows, the fictional novels about it - they were all lies. Ochako was pretty sure this kid was sucking the life out of her. She hadn’t felt this sore even at UA during the worst of their training. At least that had been for a reason. No, now she had to deal with her hips hurting because she sat on the couch for too long and her ankles hurting because she stood for more than fifteen minutes.
Glancing behind her, Ochako took in the empty right side of the bed and frowned. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t alone, but Katsuki was working as much as he could before the baby he was born. He showed up to every doctor’s appointment, flushed and out of breath, but it never felt like he had time for her. She knew it wasn’t fair of her to think that way, especially since she’d officially gone on maternity leave, but she missed him. He wanted him here, home with her, his arms curled around her, his hand splayed across her stomach, his Mako curled up at their feet laying her head on her legs, the only time she got any comfort due to the wolf daemon’s weight.
“They’ll be home soon,” Hayato told her as she shuffled into the kitchen.
Ochako opened the fridge and searched for nothing in particular. “I know.”
“You can’t be mad at them.”
“I’m not.”
Hayato flicked his tail. “Yes you are. I can feel it.”
Ochako slammed the fridge shut and glared at her cat daemon sitting on the kitchen island. “I’m not mad. I’m in pain. There’s a difference.”
The two stared at each other. Hayato knew she was in pain. He could no doubt feel her discomfort through their bond. Also, she tossed and turned in bed all night, groaning with every movement she made. Ever since she was little, she had wanted to be a mom, but no one had warned her how painful growing a human would be. Birth, sure, she expected that to be painful as hell, but not something as simple as walking to the couch or lying in bed. Every, little thing hurt.
“I just want this to be over,” Ochako whined, feeling pathetic. She reached out to touch Hayato, running her hand along his back. His fur was so soft and smooth. He arched into her familiar touch and then pressed his head against her swollen belly. She’d been able to hide it until she was four months pregnant when it was suddenly there, visible for the whole world to see in her hero costume. Certain shirts were able to hide it until she was seven months pregnant, and now it was just there, unavoidable and impossible to miss.
“What do you think their daemon will look like?” Hayato asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” Ochako mused thoughtfully. “I suppose it depends on if they’re a boy or girl.”
Hayato huffed. “I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t let the doctor tell you.”
Ochako grinned down at her stubborn daemon. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“You’re the stubborn one,” Hayato shot back. He sat back down and peered at her stomach, eye-level with it, lost in thought as he considered the baby.
There were so many little things to consider. Ochako had never really wondered about how daemons were born, but her mother told her that the simply formed into existence when a child was born. Girls got boy daemons and boys got girl daemons, although there were rare exceptions. Most first formed as puppies, kittens, or chicks, but that didn’t spell what they would settle as later on.
“You picked out names, didn’t you?” Hayato asked.
“Of course,” Ochako replied, “but we won’t know which one is right until they’re formed.”
“How long does it take?”
Ochako tilted her head curiously. “Shouldn’t you know these things as a daemon?”
Hayato turned his head. “It’s not that simple. We aren’t born knowing everything about daemons or settling wouldn’t mean much. We’d have more control over it.”
Nodding distantly, Ochako scratched her daemon behind his ears. Stubborn and prideful as he might be, she knew how much he enjoyed that. It was the little things. It would be hard not to touch her child’s daemon, especially in the beginning when they were young and helpless too, but that was where Hayato and Mako would step in. Even if they weren’t here now, she knew that Mako would be an incredible protector. She was of Ochako and Hayato now, so she could only imagine how protective the wolf daemon would be once their child was born.
“She’s going to be obnoxious,” Hayato said with a snort. “Totally prideful and aggressive.”
“Probably,” Ochako hummed.
“You’ll love it.”
Ochako giggled. “It’s so sweet.”
Hayato shook his head and stood up so he could leap off the kitchen island and onto the floor. “Your definition of ‘sweet’ is much different from mine.”
The conversation done, he meandered into the living room. Snagging a pear, Ochako followed and then curled up on the couch. She grabbed the remote and turned on the television, lifting her arm so that Hayato could hop in her lap. Since it was impossible for her to go back to sleep, she might as well watch some television. She picked an episode at random and then set it down, snuggling into the couch and holding onto Hayato.
And that was where Katsuki found her two hours later, out cold and snoring with the television still playing.
Mako sighed, nudging Hayato gently with her nose. “You can’t work hours like this anymore.”
“I know,” Katsuki muttered before sliding his hands under Ochako. She was a little heavier than before she got pregnant, but he was still able to lift her up and carry her into the bedroom. No more night shifts. No more long hours until he got overtime and paid extra. It was time to come home. His eyes caught onto her belly, and a soft look fell on his face. He couldn’t wait.