Chapter Text
“Breaking news: a villian with a shape shifting quirk has broken out in the streets of Kyushu. The police are on the scene as we speak and we have yet to find out the intentions of the villian but it appears no heros have appeared yet. Civilians are being evacuated but the damage caused is unfathomable-”
Wide, (e/c) eyes peer at the large screen as she holds onto her cat plushie, wondering what all the horrible graphics of crumbled concrete and scattered blood could be. Normally, she was never allowed to watch TV if the news was airing but after abruptly waking up from her two hour nap, she couldn’t help the curiosity that rose inside her. Unfortunately, her mother, (Y/n), wasn’t aware of her child’s presence due to cooking lunch in the kitchen.
It was supposed to be the night her husband came home from a business trip in Nagoya and she wanted to surprise him with his favorite meal: yakitori with rice, green bean shiraae, chilled tofu, and last but not least, cucumber and chicken marinated in chili oil. Despite the guy only being 5’7-8’, he ate like a pig. Even when he ate muckbang sessions of chicken, he never gained more than 3-5 pounds. Sometimes she found herself jealous of the fact he could workout so easily without protesting. However, he pushed her when he needed to, so she was thankful for that.
As she threw the rice in the pot, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Humming to herself, the woman dug in, grabbed the mobile device, and checked the caller ID. She smiled then swiped left to answer.
“If you’re bailing on me again, I’m gonna cut that pretty nose of yours off.”
“Woah there! Hi to you too, baby.” he chuckled. “I just called in to tell you I’m on my way home. Just got out of a business meeting.”
“Great! They’ve been holding you hostage for far too long.”
“You have noooooo idea. It’s so boring in there I almost fell asleep. Although, the chief would’ve had my head if I did that, so I kept my visor over my face.”
“Smooth, bird brain. Real smooth.”
She could feel him grin through the phone, “How’s my baby girl? Is she taking a nap?”
“Surprisingly yes. She misses you a lot, you know. Every night she’s crawled into our bed hugging your pillow. That’s not fair! That’s my thing!”
He laughed hysterically, “Like mother like daughter. Can’t say I’m surprised, she’s been attached to me since the day she was born.”
Another thing (Y/n) was envious of. Due to the amount of blood she’d lost giving birth to Asami, the new mother passed out without even knowing if her baby was okay. When she opened her eyes, her heart skipped a bit. There he was, holding his newborn babe to his bare chest cradling her head and humming her to sleep. A few tears were shed that’s for sure. When she told him she was pregnant, as ecstatic as he was he couldn’t help but express certain doubts. The man never truly had parental figures, and the only ones who came close were the Hero Public Safety Commission members. Not that they were particularly good at it, in fact they didn’t care much for his emotional development. He saved a family from a terrible accident, nothing more. They praised him, tore him down. Trained him, broke him. He bled out for them, and what did they do? They built their success off of his pain. That’s what politics do.
Knowing he was nothing like those shitheads, she reassured him over and over how he was a good man. Despite Keigo doing some rather questionable things in the past, it never stopped him from seeing the bigger picture. For the greater good, he corrupted himself for a better society. And he got this. A wife and child to come home to. It was more than he could’ve asked for, but he wasn’t complaining either. Turns out he was a natural at being a dad. Sure it took a lot of patience and lack of sleep to figure out how to properly take care of her but it was worth it. There were so many nights where (Y/n) would doze off from exhaustion with the baby in her arms, only to wake up and find her husband laying next to her with Asami positioned face down on his chest. She smiled nonetheless, he needed that little girl just as much as she did.
“You got to hold her first remember? If you hadn’t beaten me to the punch, she would definitely have loved me more.”
A loud crash echoed from the living room making the grown woman squeal and turn towards the source. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but it didn’t make her any less concerned.
“What was that?” the blonde questioned on the other end.
Her eyes widened when she saw her three year old standing on top of the coffee table, her tiny plum shaded wings spread in all their glory. Asami stood straight with her fists placed on her hips, chin lifted with her father’s arrogance evident in her eyes. Her wild blonde hair stuck out in all directions, evidence she had just woken from her nap. There on the ground was her kitten plushie in what she thinks was supposed to be a defeated pose. Although what came out of the child’s mouth made (Y/n)’s ears grow red from being angry and flustered.
“Yeah, that’s right! You can’t defeat me, you b-bastard! I’m the #2 hero, Hawks! I’m the fastest man alive!”
“Asami!”
The little girl grew stiff as her eyes widened and slowly turned around to see her mother on the phone, face beat red with big (e/c) eyes. Oops, busted.
***
“It wasn’t even that bad.”
“Making excuses won’t keep you grounded from the TV, young lady.”
“But mommy-”
“No buts Asami. Daddy and I have told you multiple times, the news is not appropriate for you to watch yet. And you said a very bad word. You know better.”
The little blonde pouted before hissing as the adult plucked a loose feather from her wing. Preening the girl was never easy as she couldn’t sit still, and she was still losing her baby feathers. Keigo showed her the ropes and within a couple tries, she was a natural. He told her everything there was to know on how to take care of Asami’s wings when he wasn’t around. The girl didn’t know how to fully fly just yet, the problem being she overthinks it. Instead of relying on her instincts and allowing herself breathing room to glide with the current, she constantly flapped her wings to the point of exhaustion. (Y/n) recalled one time her and her husband being woken up by a crash only to find their baby on the marble floor with her chin split open and nose broken. She was lucky she didn’t ruin her cute white teeth.
This girl has given her so many heart attacks, she was afraid she’d go mad. Keigo, being the man he was, tries to lighten the mood but also informs her that this is a part of having a quirk. It’s just like learning to walk. Take a few steps and they’ll fall. Another few steps and they’ll fall. They’re bound to have a couple cuts from trying to advance forward. Of course, she knew that but that didn’t stop her from worrying for her baby.
With a sigh, she finished cleaning up her wings and told her to help set the table. It was silent when they were in the kitchen together, not uttering a word. Sometimes it was always like this. The little chick didn’t know what to say to her mother most of the time because they were almost exactly alike when it came to her father. They loved him more than they loved themselves. But when it came to each other, she believed them to be completely opposite. It was far from the truth though. Her mother was just like her when she was that age; innocent, wild, and free. Not a care in the world. But life changes people. Sometimes for better. Sometimes for worse.
She wanted to be a hero just like her but she found out she was quirkless and it all came tumbling down. It was easier to believe that it wasn’t her destiny than to have it be by pure chance. However, with time, she soon realized it was better to have been quirkless. Being a hero was a lot of responsibility, not just for the lives of civilians but for your colleagues as well. She doesn’t know how Keigo does it but she’s there if he needs her. She can’t imagine what her daughter would feel if she ever became a hero like her father.
Gripping the towel, the (h/c) haired woman sniffed and tried to keep it together. If her daughter became a hero, she would be in more danger than she ever has been. And if something happened to her, she’d never forgive herself. Tears blurred her vision as she cut the poultry, trying her best to not think about it. It was supposed to be a nice night. Her husband was coming home. She couldn’t get all emotional just yet. A soft tug on her jeans made her jump and look down at her daughter, who was currently giving her a concerned expression.
“Mommy? Why are you crying?”
She sniffed and wiped her face with her arm, “It’s nothing, sweetie. Mommy’s just having a moment to herself.”
She scrunched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows, it was the same expression her husband gave her when he knew she was hiding something. God, why did she have to be born being so smart? With a drawn out sigh, she set the knife down, wiped her hands, and kneeled before her.
“You know how daddy is a hero?”
She nodded.
“Well, being a hero, a lot of people don’t like him because he stops them from doing bad things. And I’m scared. Not just for him, but for you too.”
Her wings perked up as she blinked with wide eyes, “Why me? I have wings.”
“Well..” she looked to the side, “Your wings can be taken away from you if you’re not careful, baby girl… You can’t just fly away from trouble, sometimes you have to confront what’s in front of you. And that’s what daddy does. And maybe.. Mommy is scared you want to be a hero too.”
Asami stared at her mother for a moment before wrapping her arms around her neck, “I don’t want to be a hero mommy.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t be a hero if I can’t protect you. So, I’ll keep trying to fly.. So me and daddy can take you somewhere that’s nice. Like a sunflower field!” She giggled.
Her eyes widened for a moment then smiled brightly and held her in her arms. Sometimes, she was irritated she was like her father, she saw right through her and she knew how to get on her nerves. Other times, she was glad. She also knew exactly what to say in order to make her feel better. It was nice, holding her so close like this. She barely ever got a hug other than before bedtime. Asami clung to her husband so much, she thought she would never let him leave the house. But now that she was holding her baby, the world felt so right. Even if Keigo wasn’t home often, she knew she could never lose him. Why? Because of this little angel in her lap, she was living proof that they loved each other unconditionally. And she was a part of him. But she was her. And that was enough.
The sound of the front door opening caught them off guard and made them look up. There he was. Standing at the front entrance with his regular clothes on and his blue visor covering his eyes. He grinned at the sight.
“Well, well, I leave for a couple days and you two aren’t at each other’s throats? Maybe I should leave more often.”
“No way!” the two shouted before tackling him in a big hug. He huffed to catch his breath before laughing and kissing their heads. “So, what did I miss?”