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The trials and hardships of parenting are ever a present fear when one finds out they are expecting. So many things can go wrong and a finite amount of complications can occur but often experienced parents say it's all worth it, though, is that true?
As all these thoughts cross Todoroki Momo’s mind as she stares down at the small white stick in her hands, she has a hard time thinking of all the positives. Don’t get her wrong, it's not that she wasn’t happy about the family she had and the prospect of having another child with Shoto; adding to her little family. It's just that… the unknown is a frightening thing, and going through all the emotions a second time around like she had experienced in her first pregnancy with Hana, it seemed overwhelming.
Momo was worried. It was not a feeling she was used to so often anymore, being an accomplished hero alongside the man she knew she could trust to watch her back through anything; As well as a successful mother to a wonderful and intelligent three year old girl. Though the hero wasn’t so sure she was ready to have another child yet. But knowing she needed to tell him in the very least, Momo gathered all her courage with a deep breath and left the bathroom to go find her husband and tell him the news.
But was she sure they were ready for another baby?
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One
Momo’s first pregnancy was when it started, when she first was made aware of how scary it is to be having a baby and all the difficulties that come with it. At first, it wasn’t the ever present pain or the constant contractions, but the idea that in a short while, Momo would be bringing another life into this world. What if she wasn’t a good mother? What if she wasn’t able to make her baby happy, or if she was unable to protect her from the dangerous world behind these walls?
This had been plaguing her mind since the beginning of her pregnancy. But just like those short nine months ago, Shoto was right by her side ready to reassure her whenever needed. He helped distract her from those thoughts while she focused on the other challenge in front of her: Childbirth.
It happened all of the sudden, while she was standing in her kitchen making herself a cup of tea. Momo had been taken off of hero work for the past few weeks, as she was close to her due date. So she had just been trying to keep herself busy at home, preparing for the baby soon to come and trying not to get overly worried or stressed about the soon to be new addition to their family.
Things had been going well until she keeled over, her hands going to grip the counter in a death grip as she felt a shock of pain shoot through her abdomen. In the process she dropped her cup and it fell to the floor, shattering on impact. Momo couldn’t even focus on the events happening around her so when Shoto came rushing into the kitchen at the loud noise, his eyes widening at the scene in front of him; his wife hunched over the counter and ceramics splayed all over the now wet floor, it didn’t take him long to panic and rush over.
“Momo are you-” He was cut off as she put a hand up for him to wait, the hand quickly going to her stomach as she sucked in a breath of air, her eyes scrunched closed in pain. She knew it didn’t look good from the sounds of it, but it was hard to talk around the waves of pain coursing through her body.
Shoto put a hand to her back as he tried not to overreact. He couldn’t tell if the liquid on the floor was from her or from the contents of her cup. He watched her taking deep breaths, rubbing a calming pattern on her lower back where he was sure it hurt most and waited for her to speak. Even though it was taking the older male everything in his power to not rush them both out the door and to the hospital immediately.
“Sorry Shoto, I..” Momo was forced to take another breath. “I’m a-alright, just an early contraction. I think it might be time soon, but not yet..” She sighs in relief as the pain ebbs away slowly. Looking at the floor, she grimaces. “Sorry about the mess, I can clean it.”
He stops her before she can make another move. “Don’t worry about that, it's not important. How are you feeling? You don’t think it's time yet, are you sure?”
She nods. “Mhm, I think it was just early contractions, the doctor said those can happen close to the due date. But my water hasn’t broken yet, so I know it's not time.”
“Maybe we should go to the hospital, just in case. You never know if you're already feeling that pain…” Shoto’s eyes search her form, checking for any signs that seemed off.
“No not yet, I…” Momo trailed off, her eyes going anywhere but to her husband's gaze. She had told him her fears before, but it being so close to the time she was going to give birth, she was afraid he’d think ill of her for having these kinds of thoughts when there was no way for them to change their decision now.
“Momo, whatever it is, you know you can tell me..” He could see the hesitance in her demeanor and moved his hand to her chin to guide her gaze up to his.
“It's just… Well the things we talked about before. I’m just so afraid Shoto… What if I can’t do it? If I’m not a good mother or she doesn’t like me? What if…”
Shoto brings his lips to hers for a soft and reassuring kiss. “Momo, it's okay to be afraid. I am too. But I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll be the best mother. You're already an incredible wife. It's all new to both of us but I’m here one hundred percent of the time. Just like out in the field. I won’t let you be alone in this and I will make sure to protect you and our daughter. I know she's gonna love you, honestly I think it’ll be hard to tear you two apart once she’s here.” He gives a light chuckle. “But I don’t want you to worry, I promise everything will work out and I’ll be by your side through it all.”
Momo pulled the man close and hugged him, the best she could at least with her belly, and hid her face in his chest. “Thank you Shoto, I know I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for listening to my silly fears all the time.”
“Your fears aren’t silly. They are as real as what we feel when we’re out being heroes. I’ll always reassure you, no matter how many times you need to hear it. I want you to know what an amazing mother you’ll be. I’m so grateful for you and I count myself lucky everyday I get to call you my wife, and soon we’ll have a daughter to share that love with us.” Shoto gave her a gentle smile.
Momo gives a small laugh. “You always know the right things to say.”
He returned the laugh. “Only because of you. You've helped me come a long way. I-” Shoto is stopped mid sentence by the sound of water splashing onto the floor. “Momo is that..”
“Well, now we can go to the hospital. Seems like she couldn’t wait any longer. Can you-?” She begins but her husband is already out of the room, ready to grab her things to head to the hospital with.
“Already on it!” With a chuckle, Momo follows him out of the room and onto the next adventure in their lives.
—-------------------------------------------------------
“I should be used to this, it can’t be much different from my hero work..” Momo said in a winded whisper, sounding as if to reassure herself. A small smile could be seen on her lips though, showing her husband that she wasn’t feeling her worst, yet.
Shoto gave a small chuckle as he changed out the cold compress on her neck to help cool his wife down, her skin flushed pink and gleaming with sweat from the strain it was taking on her body. “I wish it could be that easy for you. Though I think childbirth might be a little different from your quirk.” He replied playfully, going to discard the used compress.
“Well, a girl can hope. I think-” She's cut off, gritting her teeth against another intense contraction, her hand going to grip the hospital bed as her husband had stepped away. Though, ever the wonderful man he is, Shoto was right back beside her, taking her hand in his with only a minor wince of pain. He knew it was a fraction of what Momo was feeling right now and wished he could do more.
As she tried to remember the breathing exercises the doctor had shown her, Momo was grateful for the man by her side with his endless patience and comfort. Taking the last deep breath, her pain ebbed away and she laid back on her pillows with a sigh of relief.
“It's getting worse. I think it's almost time.” Momo looked into Shotos' concerned mismatched gaze and thought to herself how she would love it if her child had eyes like her fathers. She smiled at the thought but the man standing next to her was too anxious to notice.
“It’s almost… Should I go get the doctor then?” At that moment, it almost seemed as if the usually stoic hero was more worried than his wife.
“Please..” Was her only reply as another wave of intense pain coursed through her body.
Shoto’s eyes widened but he nodded and hurried out of the room with a quick, ‘I’ll be right back.’ being said in a rush as he left.
Without the pain, Momo knew she would have chuckled at her husband's response, knowing that up until this point, he had been calm and collected. She figured with the actual birth quickly approaching them now, it was natural for everyone involved to be nervous.
Once he came back with the doctor though, everything seemed to unfold rather quickly and Momo had a hard time keeping up; Physically and mentally. Due to her quirk, it caused some complications to occur. The prospect of it was a possibility, the doctor had warned months prior, but they wouldn’t know for sure until the day arrived.
It turned out the doctor was correct though, which caused a long and painful birthing process for Momo. Fortunately, they allowed Shoto to stay by her side the whole time until she had to be whisked away for an emergency operation, which caused both of them extreme worry for the baby; and for Shoto, his wife.
No matter how much expecting parents prepare for an impending child and for the process leading up to it, it is difficult to be truly prepared for anything and everything.
As the hours dragged on, Shoto could be seen pacing the waiting room with his friends and family, nervous beyond belief of what was happening to his girls.
But as soon as the doctor reappeared with a smile on her face, Shoto was quick to follow her back to the hospital room his wife had originally been in. Family had to stay behind till the staff deemed it okay for visitors, but the man had no complaints as he wanted some time alone with his wife; to make sure she was okay.
Once back in the room, his eyes landed quickly on her form, sitting up with her eyes closed and her skin still glistening with sweat, but a satisfied look on her face. Shoto rushed over and took his spot he had been in only a few hours prior and took her hand in his.
Once she felt a presence next to her, Momo turned her head with a smile, glad to have her husband by her side again. “Hi.. how are you?” She asked, a little dazed and in a soft whispered voice.
A small smile turned up his lips. “I should be asking you that..” Shoto replied.
She gave a worn out chuckle, but nodded all the same. “I’m alright, tired. Everything went well though…” She managed to give his hand a light squeeze, which he returned.
Shoto can’t help but give a sigh in relief. He knew everything went well from the doctor's words on the way to the room, but hearing and seeing it for himself made it more reassuring. Now they just needed to wait for…
As the thought crossed his mind, a nurse came into the room, holding a bundle with brightly colored blankets in her arms. “Todoroki san, I’d like to introduce you to your new daughter.” She said with a warm smile on her face.
Walking over to the women in the bed, she hands Momo their baby, gently placing the bundle in her arms before stepping away and giving them a small bow before offering the couple some privacy, with the promise she was only a call away.
Shoto looks back at his wife and swears it took his breath away. The sight of Momo holding their child was unlike anything he could have imagined and it was in that moment that he knew he’s never loved anything more in his life than his two girls.
Momo smiled down at her daughter, being as gentle as can be as she brought a hand up to gently run her finger over the baby's very pink cheek.
“Todoroki Hana, we’re so happy to finally meet you.” She looks up briefly to smile at Shoto and see he’s as stunned as she is. Suddenly all her worries and fears beforehand didn’t matter, all of it insignificant as she held this sweet little girl in her arms.
Shoto leaned in closer, giving both girls a kiss on the forehead. It was then their baby made a little humming noise and a smile flickered across her lips. Momo in turn gave a watery chuckle and knew nothing else in the world mattered in that moment other than her little family.
And for that, she was grateful.
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Two
For these two, parenting came surprisingly easily. Well… they thought at first. The first month or so things came naturally to them. They had both read up and studied different methods of parenting and found a routine that worked for them. And while they were given time off to take care of a newborn, it had all seemed to fall into place.
That was until, Hana started garnering more of her personality and it turns out, she was a loud baby. It seemed like at first, it was something the couple could handle. Both of them traded off responsibilities, neither one taking on more than the other. But when it was time to go back to their normal hero duties, and Hana became more open about her needs, it seemed like parenting wasn’t as easy as they had initially thought.
Which made sense, because when they told family and friends who had their own children about how well they were handling things, it was always met in disbelief or humor on how it would be short lived and they should enjoy it while it lasted.
The Todoroki’s understood that now more than ever.
Hana was only a couple months old at this point, often in a fit of tears about one thing or another. Don’t get them wrong, it wasn’t like they were doing a bad job at being parents or neglecting their child's needs. They were told time and time again this was just how babies could be in the beginning.
So by the time they heard a piercing cry shoot through the silence of their slumber for the fifth time, it took everything in their power to get up and respond to it once more. This had been going on for the last month and the couple could say they were a little more than exhausted.
Momo sighed and shook her husband's shoulder. At first he just hummed in reply until she shook his shoulder a little harder the next time.
Shoto’s mumbled reply could be heard muffled from the pillow. “My turn?”
“Your turn.” She replied, just as mumbled as she turned around to cover herself once again in the blankets and hope she could sleep for another thirty minutes if she was lucky, before they would once again be woken up by their baby.
Shoto slowly got himself up without complaint, used to this new routine by now. He knew they were both worn out and used to these sleepless nights, so he didn’t argue or get upset at the prospect of getting up once more. But he hoped this whole crying faze Hana was going through would end soon.
He made his way to her nursery, situated right by their bedroom for moments like these and got to work in helping settle his baby down for what seemed like the 10th time but he lost count after the first few.
—-------------------------------------------
Momo found herself at her favorite cafe, sitting across from Jiro as she promised the girl that they could get breakfast and catch up. She knew she had been busy and had been neglecting her friends for the past few months but honestly it wasn’t unusual given their hero status. Still, they made the promise to meet up every now and then; to chit chat and hear what's been going on apart from what they heard from mainstream media coverage.
Having just had a baby, and Jiro having gotten married only a few months back herself, the girls had a lot to talk about.
They ordered their usual, talking about the ins and outs of the last few weeks. As Jiro was telling the other girl all about a new frustrating habit her husband had recently picked up, Momo could be seen with her chin set in the palm of her hand, elbow on the table and her gaze directed seemingly at the other from behind a pair of sunglasses.
Jiro got a little concerned when Momo wasn’t replying in her usual manner except for occasional ‘mhmm’s’ and she noticed the girl hadn’t touched her food in a while. The short haired girl leaned forward to gently touch the others shoulder, just for Momo to jolt up and start profusely apologizing.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. What's up though, usually you're so attuned when I’m talking about our friends. You okay?” Jiro asked.
For a moment, the Todoroki was silent, before looking away and a tear could be seen sliding down her cheek from behind her sunglasses. She tried to quickly wipe it away but you couldn’t get anything past Jiro.
Her friend's eyes widened as she leaned forward and in a loud whisper, to avoid others from noticing what was going on, said “Woah! Momo I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”
“No no! Of course not, it's not you. I’m so sorry. I just feel bad, I dozed off a little and I should have been listening. I’m really sorry, I’ve just been so exhausted lately with Hana and everything and I..”
“Ohhh, now I understand. It's really okay Momo, honestly if I were you I would have fallen asleep walking here, let alone stayed alert long enough to hold most of the conversation. I bet you're tired. Anything I can do to help?” Jiro replied.
“It's okay, really. I appreciate it though. Shoto’s watching her now and it's her nap time so he's probably getting some rest. I’ll be okay..” Momo says, pushing her sunglasses up to wipe at her eyes.
“No, I can’t watch a friend so upset. Come on, let's go back to your house. How about I watch the little one for a while so you and Shoto can get some rest?”
Momo wanted to protest, really she did, but the offer was too enticing and she really was tired. So she agreed begrudgingly but still offered her friend a form of payment of some sort for her kindness.
“Hell no. Don’t worry about it, really, I want to help. Let's pay and we’ll head back, okay? After some rest I’ll tell you all about how Kaminari has been driving me crazy.” The shorter girl says with a chuckle, to which Momo gratefully agrees and has to hold herself back from crying again from how grateful she felt for her friends in that moment.
—----------------------------------------------
Shoto on the other hand was not as subtle at hiding his exhaustion and had been caught in a similar situation not even two days later.
He had been running around his agency all morning, taking care of an early bank robbery that took place a few hours into his work day. So he was already feeling a little drained. Paired with the little sleep he was getting at home, it was a recipe for disaster.
So there he sat at his desk, trying to get some paperwork done to file about the incident, barely able to keep his eyes open. Really, he was trying, with his third coffee sitting forgotten next to the papers on his desk. But nothing could help the overly fatigued hero.
The last thing the male Todoroki remembered was signing a document before he was out like a light. It wasn’t until someone had come by his office that he was even noticed either, having lucked out on a little unexpected rest.
Tenya Iida was coming by the Todoroki agency to hand off some files his friend had asked for when Shoto was found out. Wanting to check in with his friend rather than hand off the papers to a secretary, he made his way upstairs to hand deliver them himself.
It seemed the general consensus of the office was that they hadn’t seen the Todoroki in a while, thinking maybe he had gone out but no one remembered him saying he would be leaving. So Iida did a little searching before making his way to the other hero’s office, assuming he had just been cooped up there since the earlier robbery. Knowing himself how consuming the paperwork could get.
What he didn’t expect was to see his friend passed out on a stack of reports, snoring lightly without even the possibility of him waking up anytime soon. He knew he should wake the hero, maybe even offer him help to get his work done. But after a closer look, seeing the bags under Shoto’s eyes and the slump in his demeanor, he knew the best he could do for his friend was to let him rest.
Knowing that he probably had his hands full with a new baby and being back in the field, Iida gave a quiet chuckle before placing the files he brought lightly on the corner of the desk and exiting the office as quickly as he had come. Not before telling Todoroki’s staff to give their boss some privacy for a while, knowing the man could use the rest.
If Iida learned anything from his visit to the Todoroki agency, it was that children (especially newborns) were exhausting.
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Three
It took Momo a little while to realize just how quickly children grow and develop. By two years old, Hana was already walking and talking, expressing herself with her own words and learning so much for herself.
But with that came new fears and difficulties for the Todoroki’s of having a child who was exploring the world in a new light. Both parents encouraged Hana’s learning and expressed that she could always come to them for help. Something they thought would help her grow rather than be used against them until said day had arrived before them.
Hana was back to being restless in the night, so just like when she was younger, both Shoto and Momo were busy caring for her late through the evenings. Which left little time for themselves and each other. They found time when they could though, but that never meant it would be entirely uninterrupted.
As they put Hana to bed for the night, hoping that it would be a more restful slumber for their little girl, they slipped off to their own bedroom where things got heated pretty quickly. For them and their already busy schedules, it was hard to fit in time to spend alone together like this. So they took advantage when they could.
Pushing Shoto back to sit on the bed, Momo stood over him with a teasing grin on her lips. Shoto matched her expression with one of interest and had his own brow raised as his hands moved to her hips.
“I’ve missed you, why don’t we spend some time for ourselves tonight?” Was her answer to his intrigued look. Without saying anything and a smile on his own face, Shoto pulled her closer and down onto his lap, meeting her lips with his.
Momo met him with enthused energy, wrapping her arms around his neck to hold him closer and pull him in for a deeper kiss. She settled in on his lap as they fell into a comfortable norm with each other. Her hand creeping up to run through his dual colored hair and his own hands wandering from her hips to slide underneath her shirt, Momo sighing against his lips at the feeling of his hands on her bare skin.
She pushed him to lay back on the bed, her legs straddling his hips as she followed his movements to lean down with him. Shoto wanted to groan as her body pressed against his, missing the feeling of being in such close contact with his wife. Momo began to pepper his face with gentle kisses, knowing it would drive him insane as she teased him. Which produced the desired effect as he quickly flipped their positions, reversing the roles so he was hovering above her now.
Momo gave a playful chuckle that quickly turned into a gasp as his mouth met the sensitive skin of her neck and his hand resumed its path along her skin, letting it wander further up to more intimate parts of her body.
Her eyes closed as her back arched into his palm, feeling all the pent up energy swell and pool near the bottom of her stomach. “Shoto..” His name was whispered on her lips, but it egged the man on as he kicked his actions up a notch. Shoto’s hand was at the edge of her shirt, about to pull it up and off of her when he heard tiny footsteps and a knock at the door.
They both stopped in their tracks, freezing in their actions and straining to hear anything outside their bedroom door. Hoping upon hope they just misheard it, until they heard sniffling and another knock, then a small voice calling out for ‘mommy’.
Both Todoroki’s just looked at each other for a moment, contemplating what to do next. But they knew it couldn’t be avoided.
With a sigh, Shoto got up and walked over to the door, running a hand over his hair to fix any wild strands and straightening his clothes. All the while Momo did the same, before climbing under the covers of the bed and facing the door to greet their child.
Shoto opened the door once they deemed they were both in the clear, and was met with a silently crying child who ran straight into her dad's legs, throwing her little arms around him the best she could with the stuffed puppy in her hand.
With a gentle smile on his lips, he picks her up and takes her over to their bed where he imagined other activities would be taking place that night. Unfortunately duty calls as a parent, so he sets her down on the mattress and she crawls over to Momo instead.
“Mommy, I had bad dream. Monsters came again.” Hana says in a wet voice, going to hug herself close to her mothers chest. Momo tries to calm her by placing a kiss on her head and running a hand along her hair.
“It's okay little flower. Mommy and daddy won’t let any monsters hurt you. Remember we’re heroes, we’ll always protect you. Right daddy?” Momo turns her gaze to Shoto as he makes his way back from dimming the lights and comes to join them in bed.
“Of course, no monsters will ever come for you while we’re here. So don’t cry Hana, I promise they’re all just bad dreams.” Shoto replies as he gets under the blankets next to his wife.
Hana takes a moment to process his words before nodding, her crying having calmed down a bit. “Can I sleep with mommy and daddy?” She then asks.
Shoto feels a little part of him wither at the prospect, but knew it was coming as soon as he heard the knock on the door. “Sure Hana. Get settled in next to mom.” He places a kiss on her forehead before meeting Momo’s amused gaze as she settles in, wrapping her arms around their daughter and tucking her in.
“She's lucky she's so cute.” Shoto whispers at Momo as they watch their daughter start to drift off once she's comfortable.
“I know.” Placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, she knows that their night alone together was a bust, and it reminds her once more how difficult parenting can be. But she was grateful for their daughter nonetheless.
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Four
Thinking back on it now, Shoto himself was a bit of a picky eater when he was young. Granted, it was only while his mom was around, as after that his habits became more neutral as he became more resigned as a boy. But he knew that when he was growing up, he still would kick up a fuss if someone tried to feed him something he didn’t like.
So it made sense that his daughter would be the same. All the research they did on parenting had warned them that many kids tend to be picky eaters and you just had to navigate their likes and dislikes as they came up. Only it wasn’t as simple as her not wanting to eat any veggies or preferring cold over warm dishes. It was something entirely more heart breaking and difficult for Shoto to wrap his head around.
He had found out when they were all having lunch together one sunny afternoon. Being that the weather was good and it seemed like a relatively peaceful day to start, Momo surprised him by making them all Shoto’s favorite dish for lunch. He was excited for the prospect of once again having his wifes own creation of cold soba noodles, but also at seeing his daughter try it for the first time.
Now being almost three years old, she was able to eat more food that wasn’t just small or mashed up alternatives of their meals. And being that she could eat mostly by herself now, he was happy he could be here to see her try the dish.
As Momo finished up and Shoto set her in her usual seat, he helped bring the food to the table with his wife, setting a small bowl of cold soba in front of his daughter and sat next to her with a smile on his face.
“Okay Hana, we’re going to try something new today. This is your daddies favorite food. Will you try it for him?” Momo asked her, sitting on the other side of their daughter to make sure to supervise in case she needed any help.
Even being a more reserved child like she was, Hana shyly nodded at the attention of both her parents so zeroed in on her but could sense their excitement which made her happy and excited as well. She enthusiastically nodded and grabbed her fork to pick up some of the noodles. Still being a little clumsy at her age, it took her a bit to get the food on her utensil and into her mouth to try.
Her father stood by with bated breath, having not even touched his own food as he was invested in his daughter's reaction. It took her a moment as she slowly chewed the food before she made a face, and much to Shoto’s horror, it was the face she makes when she dislikes something.
Hana shook her head as she put her fork back down and pushed her bowl away from her slightly. “I don’t like it mommy. Can I please have something else?” She asked.
Shoto sat in silence as he felt a crushed emotion consuming him. Sure, it was just food and it was bound to happen that Hana wouldn’t like everything she tried. But for one of the foods she disliked to be his favorite dish, a dish he liked to eat as often as he could, his own comfort food? It broke his heart.
“Sure sweetie. I'll make you something else. How about you eat your peaches for now?” Momo had asked, as she picked up her spoon and fed their daughter some of the peaches from the bowl she brought out for her; peaches being her favorite fruit.
Shoto watches on dejectedly, as he watches his daughter happily eat the peaches. It almost felt like a double betrayal, as his wife's name meant ‘peach’ and it was like their child was picking her over him. He knew that wasn’t true, and he was being rather dramatic. But it still didn’t make her rejection hurt any less.
He quietly picked up his chopsticks and went about eating his own noodles, hoping maybe one day, Hana may change her mind. Though his silent treatment for the rest of the day wasn’t that unusual for him, Momo couldn’t help but be amused at his dramatic childlike behavior and later reassured him that she would still make him soba plenty whether their daughter liked it or not.
Shoto learned that day how difficult it is to raise a picky eater for a daughter.
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Five
Shoto finds himself alone with Hana on a day Momo was particularly busy at her agency. Which wasn’t a problem as the male hero had been in this situation before. But today happened to be a day he had quite a few errands to run.
Momo was going to be the one to stay home with their daughter so that Shoto could get a few things done outside of the house for the little family. Things like grabbing a few groceries and household items they needed, as well as dropping off information at Bakugo’s office and going by the police chief’s building for a quick chat regarding a new possible group popping up outside town. But duty calls and Momo was called away to help out her sidekicks early in the morning.
As parents, you always need to expect the unexpected and roll with the punches. So Shoto can be seen doing said errands with a little Hana by his side in this case. Now at the age of three, she was well behaved and fairly good at listening to her dad and staying in eyesight at all times. Most of the time she was too shy anyways to wander and chose instead to hold Shoto’s hand, sticking beside him.
The man in question was currently ticking off one of the tasks on his list, grocery shopping, with his daughter next to him as he looked over the fruits to make sure he picked the ones that were ripe.
It just so happened that as the male Todoroki’s attention was focused on his task, he didn’t notice the tiny presence beside him walking away. It wasn’t until a few moments later he looked over to ask Hana a question that he noticed her absence.
His eyes widened and he whipped his head around in all directions to see if he could find a tiny head of white hair with dark eyes, but she was nowhere in sight. Shoto could have sworn his attention was only averted for a few moments but she was always surprising him with how fast she could rush off!
He dropped his fruit in the basket he carried on his arm and rushed off to find where she could have possibly wandered off to. He checked by all the different stands, cursing how tiny she was and easily unnoticeable she could be. The store was rather big and she could be anywhere, is what Shoto began to think as he started to panic. What if..?
No, he was a hero, he’s done more dangerous and questionable jobs than finding a toddler, no matter what happens he’d find her. Especially because if he lost her, he knew his wife would kill him.
Running in the opposite direction now, he almost runs right into her, breathing a sigh of relief as she has meandered her way over to an unusual display of stuffed dogs. Her eyes wide with a sparkle that could be seen in the corner of them, Hana turns her gaze to her father with a big smile on her face.
“Look daddy! I found another puppy, just like mine!!” She says with utter excitement, unaware that she almost caused Shoto to have a heart attack and close down the entire city to find her.
Breathing out a heavy sigh, he gives her a weary smile. “That's nice Hana, I’m glad you found him. But please let me know if you want to leave and go look at something, I got worried when you left my side.”
Hana gave her father a serious nod and took his hand. “Okay daddy. I just wanted to take a look. But-” She cut herself off as something else caught her eye and just as quickly as she grabbed Shoto’s hand, she let it go again. “Look at the bunny!” The little girl noted before racing off again.
Shoto learned from his first mistake and raced off after her, picking her up to prevent any more spontaneous wandering.
Not only did Shoto have to worry about others around them, he had to worry about Hana running off on her own at any point now. If that didn’t make the new dad nervous, he wasn't sure what could. “Come on Hana, let's check out. Dad has a few other places we need to go…”
—--------------------------------------------------
Another day alone with Hana meant another day that could possibly throw Shoto in a spiral of panic. But luckily on his visit to Bakugo yesterday, he was able to garner some helpful tips from the man on parenting after telling him about the incident. Especially now that the fiery hero had his own twin daughters, he knew his advice could be useful.
So when he stopped by Momo’s agency with Hana late that morning, he took his friend's advice on how to corral an explorative child. Hana could be seen with a little stuffed monkey backpack on her back, attached to it was a leash that Shoto kept tightly gripped in his hand in case his daughter decided to wander. In his other hand was his wife's lunch and as he walked through the building and up to Momo’s office, he was stopped for a few questions along the way.
The male Todoroki left out any incriminating details, just in case it got back to his wife, but he explained this new parenting method in hopes that other parents could find it helpful too. Unbeknownst to him the general reaction of shock and confusion is caused by the workers.
Shoto then walked into his wife's office with his daughter trailing close behind, unbothered by the new method of accompanying her dad.
Momo turned her attention to her family upon hearing them enter, a happy smile appearing on her face at the surprise visit. “Shoto- What are you doing?!” She stops in her pursuit to stand up and greet them, staring in shock at what could only appear as her daughter attached to a leash held by her husband.
“Oh this?” He asks, as if it was any normal thing. “Bakugo told me about it. A leashed backpack, says it works like a charm for his girls. He told me its the only way-”
But Momo didn’t let him finish the sentence. “NO. Absolutely not. Later, let's talk about how we shouldn’t listen to Bakugo for parenting advice. For now, let's get the leash off our child…” She replies exasperated, making her way over to the pair.
Shoto was confused by her reaction, seeing as the trick had worked for him so far. But, he just shrugged it off and told Momo about how the rest of their day was going, sans backpack.
Shoto may have learned that day how difficult it was to keep track of a wandering child, but was grateful for his wifes guiding tips she imparted on him later on.
_______________________________________________
+1
No matter how much you read or ask for advice for, study up on the subject or watch videos on the in’s and out’s of parenting, none of it ever prepares you for the emotions you feel when your child gets sick.
It happened quicker than they would have thought, from a slight cough to a bad fever in over a night. Hana had never really gotten sick before and for that, they were grateful. But now as Shoto held his daughter's hand as she laid in her small bed, she felt more fragile than ever.
Momo was on the phone with the doctor as Shoto was asked to stay by her side. Not that he was complaining though, like he would willingly leave his sick child alone. Though it wasn’t until his wife came back that he realized he had been staring off into space, thinking about what could come of Hana and hoping it was just a bad case of the flu.
She had come in with news that they should head to the hospital right away, as their child's condition was unusual. Having gotten a fever overnight, Hana kept fluctuating between an incredibly high temperature and then out of nowhere a stable condition before jumping back up again. So they wanted her to be seen by the medical professionals to rule out any strange virus and find out the cause for it all.
The Todoroki’s didn’t need to be told twice and rushed off to the hospital. It didn’t take long at all for Hana to be admitted luckily, and now Momo could be seen sitting next to Hana’s hospital bed with Shoto by her side, waiting for the results of the doctor.
He had done an examination and wanted to compile his notes and look into family history quickly before coming to a conclusion. So Momo sat by her child's side, silent with worry as her thoughts spiraled every which way. Again, Shoto could be seen reassuring her to the best of his abilities, but it was difficult when this time, he was worried too.
As they waited for the news, the female Todoroki was thinking about how things like this were so far out of her control and it scared her. From the first day of finding out she was pregnant with Hana to now, it had been a roller coaster of emotions. And plenty of times the emotions she felt were that of fear. But now it was an all new kind of fear.
A fear for her sick child, a fear that Hana may never wake up as she was currently fighting this harsh fever. A fear that, no matter if she was the world's strongest hero or not, she couldn’t protect her daughter from everything. A fear she was sure every parent had and one that she could tell encompassed Shoto too as she met his gaze with her own.
The doctor came in shortly after and thankfully, it was with good news. He had explained that due to their family history and what they could tell from the examination, this is possibly an early sign of a quirk. Since Hana was still only three years old, it was unlikely for her to develop a quirk for a couple more years, but in the same fashion it wasn’t uncommon to garner symptoms of an oncoming one.
It was likely Hana got a fever from her body starting to develop signs of a quirk, in turn making her immune system weaken in that state. The doctor explained it was a common thing for kids who got their quirks early, but it was something to keep an eye on. Since the Todoroki family’s quirks were dealt in both fire and ice, it was mostly likely a sign of an ice quirk, given that her body would fluctuate in temperature but as if it was trying to regulate her back to a normal degree. Like it was cooling her down.
Unfortunately given her age, it was too soon to tell exact details, but it was a look in the right direction to her symptoms. That also meant that Hana would be okay and with some proper medication, they could get her back in good shape and send her on her way.
Soon after delivering the news, the doctor leaves the family alone to figure out a correct dosage of medication. Momo puts a hand to her stomach as she looks at the bed with her sleeping child, before bringing her eyes back up to Shoto’s.
“I think I’m ready…” Momo says quietly.
“For what?”
“For another addition to our family. This whole experience made me realize again how fragile our lives are, but how rewarding it can be too. I don’t want to lose a child Shoto, that includes this little budding baby too. I’ve decided I want this.” She says, a warm smile on her lips as she holds Hana’s hand with one of hers and the other is left resting on her currently still flat stomach.
Shoto is quiet for a moment, looking between his two girls, before meeting Momo’s gaze once more. “Then let's do it, let's have another baby. But how are you so sure she’ll be a girl?” He meets her smile with one of his own.
“I just know.”
—-------------------------------------------------
It had gotten late but Shoto still had a few files that needed to be submitted that night. So as he clacked away at the laptop in his lap, he didn’t mind the company that his daughter Hana provided so the room was kept lively while he worked.
Hana was playing with her stuffed animals on the floor, lining them up and putting them all in their pj’s as it was late in the night and she knew her animals needed to go to bed soon. The little girl was always attentive with her toys, as she liked to play alone and enjoyed the companionship they provided for her. That was until she was able to play with her baby sister of course.
As the male Todoroki finished up the last of the work, he closed his laptop and turned his attention back to his oldest daughter and called her over to him. She climbed onto his lap with a big smile on her face.
“I’m all done with work now Hana. How about I help you get ready for bed?” Shoto asked her, wrapping his arms around his little girl.
“But daddyyyy..” She whined, knowing that it was a usual occurrence for Hana to get fussy if she wasn’t done with her nightly toy routine.
Momo walks in then, holding Kagami, their second daughter and youngest child at three months old. Feeding her her nightly bottle, the little one looks up at her mother with the same dark eyes and calm expression; content.
“Daddy’s right, it's time for bed, little flower. We let you stay up a little later since you don’t have school tomorrow. But you need to listen to daddy, it's bedtime now.”
“Okay. But can I please hold my baby sister?”
“Sure sweetie. Sit back on the couch please, just like I showed you.” Momo replies.
Hana does as she's told, always listening to her mother quicker than anyone else and puts her arms out to hold the baby. As Momo places Kagami in her arms, her dark hair peeking through the blanket wrapped around her, Hana holds her expertly and watches her sister curiously as she looks around at her surroundings.
It’s quiet for a few moments as both parents watch their two girls in admiration and love while they interact with each other in the most curious fashion. It's not till Hana looks up to regard her mother that the spell of the silence dissipates.
“Mommy?”
“Yes sweetie?” Momo answers, her gaze going to her oldest childs.
“Thank you for creating my sister.” Hana says, a smile on her face as she looks back down at the baby, Kagami herself dozing off in her sister's arms.
Momo realized then, it was moments like these she held so dear to her that made everything worth it. All the pain and fear, those sleepless nights as well as the interrupted ones. The times they could break your heart and the times they could make you worry so much, nothing else matters but them. It's little moments like these that make all those times worth it; it makes them realize all the hardships can be endured.
As Momo shared a look with her husband, the man she was so in love with and got to share her life with, she knows he's thinking the same thing. That no matter how difficult parenting can get, it can be just as rewarding too.