Work Text:
“Where the fu-” It was too early in the morning for him to have to shove money in the swear jar. “-the heck are your shoes?” Katsuki was pretty sure what little cash he had in his wallet was needed for something.
Hiro looked up at him with wide eyes from his seat at the table. “I dunno.”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t know,” his youngest son repeated with a helpless shrug.
Katsuki slapped a hand against his face as he took a deep breath. “Well,” he started, slapping a hand against the counter, “you need shoes for school, brat.”
“More like my shoes need me if they want to get to the school.
Smart ass.
Katsuki looked at Kyo, making a pointed choice not to answer Hiro.
“I know where my shoes are,” Kyo stated, grabbing a mandarin from the center of the table. He dug his fingers into the peel.
“Do you know where your brother’s shoes are?”
“No,” he answered plainly, eating a slice of fruit without so much as blinking.
Katsuki exhaled roughly through his nose. “The damn day hasn’t even started yet,” he muttered, shaking his head as he continued to pack lunches.
One thing at a time.
The boys needed to eat.
Lunches needed to be packed.
He’d have to go in his cleanest pair of sneakers if they couldn't find Hiro's school shoes. Katsuki would keep his phone on to deal with the inevitable call home addressing Hiro being out of uniform.
Again.
“You guys are still eating?” Ochako questioned, rushing into the kitchen.
“Tch, we got plenty of time,” Katsuki told her, wrapping an arm around her waist while the other hand closed a lunch box, “as long as we find the brat’s shoes.”
“Laundry room.”
How the hell did she know? “Laundry room?”
“Yeah,” she kissed his lips before going to the pantry. “Hiro’s shoes were dirty, so I told him to take them in there and wipe them off when you came home last week.”
Katsuki looked at his youngest son.
Hiro shrugged.
“I-” Katsuki wasn’t forgetful. He thought of himself as a rather organized person, but he was always amazed at how Ochako always seemed to know where everything was with what seemed like little effort. “Why don’t I remember that?”
“Because you were mopping up muddy footprints,” Ochako smirked, placing her work bag on the table. “Okay, I have a faculty meeting this morning.” She made her way back to her sons. Tenderly cupping Kyo’s face, she planted a kiss on his head. “I’ll meet you two at Baasan and Jiisan’s house.” She moved to Hiro who scowled at the display of affection grumbling like his father had in his youth. “Hirowa-”
“I know,” the boy droned.
She tilted his chin so that she could stare at him. “We do not blow up Baachan’s throw pillows.”
The scowl on his little face deepened. “They’re ugly.”
Katsuki had to stop himself from laughing at his son. “Brat’s not wrong.”
“You are allowed to think that,” Ochako nodded, kissing his forehead, “but you cannot blow them up, got it?” She pressed a kiss on each cheek.
“Yeah. I got it, Mama,” Hiro pouted as she patted his cheek.
“Good.” She made her way over to Katsuki. “I love you,” she murmured, kissing him tenderly. She smiled against his lips, hearing their children grumble at their display of affection.
“Love you too,” he whispered, pulling her against his chest and giving her another kiss before picking up her thermos and handing it to her.
“Thanks,” she smiled, pulling away to head to work.
“Oh, cheeks?” Katsuki called out, closing the other lunch box.
Ochako slung her bag over shoulder. “Yeah?”
“The test?”
“Oh,” she paused.
Katsuki felt something inside his chest clench.
“It’s negative,” she answered. Her face crumbled for a minute before she forced herself to look brightly at her family. “Everyone make good choices today! I love you!” she called out quickly, running out of the kitchen.
Katsuki stood frozen at the counter. He decided to give himself a moment to feel sad.
“What’s negative?” Kyo wondered, looking over to his father for an answer.
Time up. “Nothing, brat,” Katsuki told him. “Hurry up and eat so we can get you all to school on time.”
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“You okay, bro?”
“Yeah,” Katsuki answered instinctively as he walked next to Eijirou as they patrolled.
Eijirou’s rolled his lips together as he kept his eyes on his friend. The area they were working in carried the normal amount of noise for the early morning, but the tension between them was quite loud. Years of friendship taught Eijirou that rather than pestering Katsuki, all he had to do was wait.
“Fuck. No.”
He didn’t understand how or why that worked. Parenting taught him not to question things that just worked.
“Ochako and I want to have another baby-”
“Congrats bro!” Eijirou shouted, quickly grabbing his colleague in a crushing hug.
“-but we’re having trouble.”
The words caused Eijirou to freeze with ice-cold panic and sympathy. “Shit,” he cursed, pulling away from Katsuki and keeping him at arm's length, “fuck.”
Katsuki nodded, shaking his head as he avoided his friend's gaze.
Eijirou couldn’t count the number of times he’d seen his best friend with that look . “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed as he started walking. “Me fucking too.”
“Dude-” Eijirou wasn’t sure what to say. “I mean, that shit takes time-”
“We’ve been trying for almost a year. Well, a couple of months ago, she miscarried.”
“ Fuck .”
“Yeah.”
He wished he knew what to say. “Have you guys talked to a doctor?” Eijirou wasn’t sure there were any words he could really say in this situation.
Katsuki sighed.
Eijirou frowned as he watched the hero’s whole body seem to deflate.
“I’ve tried to bring it up, but Ochako just avoids it. We had another negative test this morning, so-” His hands clawed into his hair as he roughly scratched at his scalp. “-I don’t fucking know. We’ve never had actually to try before, she just got pregnant.”
Oh. “So now that you’re trying-”
“We’re fucking failing.” That had hurt to admit. “Or I’m failing-”
“Dude. It’s not a test.”
“It kind of fucking is-”
“No, like,” Eijirou started, suddenly wishing he paid more addition during biology and at Mina’s prenatal appointments, “making a human isn’t fucking easy. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
Katsuki didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes forward, mind lost in his own thoughts.
“You know, before I got snipped, Mina used these ovulation tests to track her cycle to make sure we didn’t end with a third or more.” Another set of twins would have certainly been a surprise. “Maybe those would help make your baby-making sessions more precise?”
“Just-” Katsuki scoffed. “We don’t need any more fucking tests.”
Eijirou couldn’t disagree.
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Where the hell was everyone?
“Tadaima?” Katsuki whispered as he stepped into the house. “Ochako?” His voice echoed off the walls as he frowned. “Brats?” He quickly removed his boots while waiting for a sound or sign that they were home.
Nothing.
“The fuck,” he whispered, pulling his phone from his back pocket as he scowled.
He was ninety-nine percent sure his wife and children should’ve been home hours ago, but his home was empty.
And unusually quiet.
Katsuki ran through his mental calendar as he pulled up the little app on his phone.
“Nope.” Today was a normal day.
Ochako was working a regular day. She said she was going to pick up the boys before getting a few things from the grocery store for dinner but-
“Oi!” he called out as the doorknob clicked. “Where ha-”
“But ma-” The door flung back, banging on the wall as Hiro stomped into the house.
Katsuki jumped back.
“I don’t want an excuse,” Ochako spoke firmly, clearly at the end of her rope.
Katsuki looked over at Kyo, who shrugged, eyes wide as he stayed by the shoe rack.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“Can we just get it over with?” Hiro groaned, clearly not sorry for what he’d done.
Ochako’s lips tightened for a moment, closing her eyes for a moment. “Go to your room, do your homework, and we’ll talk about the consequences of your actions after dinner.”
Kyo took off up the stairs, making a dash for his room.
Ochako hadn’t been talking to him, but he had gotten the message loud and clear.
Get out of dodge.
“But Mama,” Hiro whined, stomping his foot as he followed Ochako into the kitchen, “I didn-”
“Go to your room, Hiro,” Ochako instructed her son in an eerily calm voice as she focused on unpacking groceries.
Hiro growled, shaking his head, “Mama! I-”
“One,” Ochako counted.
“You’re not being fair!”
“Two!”
Hiro snarled, slamming his hand against one of the grocery bags before positioning his fingers for a snap.
“Hey! Your mother said to go to your room,” Katsuki interrupted, looking at his son with a hard glare. He folded his arms across his chest as he stood behind his wife. “We’ll talk about whatever happened after dinner.”
Hiro gritted his teeth as defiance sparked in his eyes. “I hate you!” he screamed with a snap of his finger. The bag exploded, splattering meat all over the kitchen.
“Hirowa!” Katsuki barked.
His red eyes watered hearing his father’s disapproval. “It’s not fair! I didn’t do anything wrong!” The child bit his lip, face wrinkling as he stomped out of the kitchen and upstairs. “This is bullshit!”
Ochako released a shaky exhale as the sound of a door slamming echoed downstairs.
“What the fuck?” Katsuki whispered.
“Your son,” she started, pressing a palm to her forehead as she took another deep breath, “got into a fight at school today.”
This was new.
“Yeah.” She nodded as she walked over to the pantry for cleaning supplies. “According to Hiro’s teacher, the kids were outside playing, and Hiro saw a kid from another class being picked on and told him to pick on someone his own size.” She pulled the cleaning spray out. “The kid told him to mind his business, words were exchanged-”
That meant Hiro cursed the kid out.
“But Hiro shouted “you fucking bastard” before knocking the kid out with a right hook.” She placed the bottle on the counter with a loud huff, looking at Katsuki for an explanation.
Shit. “He knocked the kid out in one punch?”
“Seriously?”
Oh.
“ That’s what you got from that story?” Ochako snapped at him, shaking her head as she started to wipe up. “That Hiro inherited your ‘legendary’ right hook?”
Right. “Sorry.” Violence is bad, but that had to be an impressive hit. “It could have been worse.”
“We’re lucky he wasn’t suspended!”
That. “And he wasn’t being a bully.” Katsuki grabbed a handful of paper towels as he cleaned with her.
“How was that not bullying?” Ochako yelled, throwing the dirty paper towels on the counter. “Our child may have given another child a concussion!”
“I’m not saying he was right, but-”
“We can’t justify this!”
“He was protecting another kid,” Katsuki defended, shaking his head as he cleaned the counter. “I'm not saying I’m happy about the brat punching another kid, but-”
“Katsuki there is no but!” Ochako cut him off, shaking her head fiercely. “Hiro should have gotten an adult. End of story.”
That was true, but- “What was the other kid doing?”
“It doesn’t matter!”
“It does.”
“No, no, no ,” Ochako defended, holding a finger to signal for him to pause, “you can’t say that when you made such a big deal about the boys taking martial arts for discipline not-”
“I never said they shouldn’t know how to fucking defend themselves.”
“When they need to! It wasn’t necessary!”
“So Hiro was supposed to let the kid hurt somebody?”
“He was supposed to get an adult!” Ochako countered, slamming a hand against the counter. “We told them that violence and their quirks were not options unless it was serious.” They explained over and over what that meant over and over.
Life or death.
Immediate danger.
There was absolutely no other option.
“I’m not saying the brat is right, but-”
“There is no but.”
“Ochako.”
“No,” she shrugged, her hands against the counter as she looked at the mess still covering the kitchen, “you’re fine with our son knocking out another kid on the playground during recess-”
“It wasn’t like he attacked the kid, and I didn’t say that I-”
“-but you nearly have an aneurysm when he mentions that he wants to do a tournament at the dojo.”
“Fuck it.” Katsuki didn’t have the energy to defend his side of this disagreement anymore. “Okay,” he whispered, swallowing whatever argument was rising inside of him, “why don’t I cook dinner-”
“Hiro blew up the meat.”
Fuck this day. “I’ll get some takeout.” He didn’t feel like cooking anyway. “We can all sit down and talk about this shit after we get some food, shower, and calm the fuck down.” Maybe things would make sense later.
Ochako dragged her fingers through her hair before raking them down her face. “Alright.”
Good.
“I’m ovulating,” she added with a twist of her lips he couldn’t decipher.
Of course.
“I’m still mad at you.”
Fair. “You don’t have to look at me then.”
“Good.”
Katsuki sneered, rolling his eyes at her. “So, are you gonna bend over the counter or shove your face in a pillow later?”
Ochako showed him a choice finger.
“That’s what the fuck I’m trying to do.”
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“I’ll say no.”
Ochako huffed, shaking her head as she kept her eyes on the book in her lap. “You can’t say no.”
“Ummm,” Katsuki started, stepping out of their bathroom with his toothbrush pointed at her, “the fuck I can’t.”
“You can’t,” she countered.
He snorted as he aggressively scrubbed at his teeth.
“It’s a high-profile mission.”
“It’s over two months in the fucking field.”
Somehow they’d managed to avoid long missions away from home after Kyo had arrived. They’d each had to leave for a week or two, but it was never longer than that.
“On the other side of the fucking world,” Katsuki reminded her, foam overflowing from the corner of his mouth.
“And?”
Katsuki stared at her, eyes wide and shocked, before he poked his head back into the bathroom. “Fucking and?”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Katsuki-”
“I’m not leaving you and the boys for months,” he shook his head, fingers slamming on the light switch button. “Fuck no.” He dropped next to her in the bed. “I don’t even know why the hell Jeanist even suggested that I-”
“Because you are one of the highest-ranked heroes at his agency.”
“Tch.”
“You’re talking about taking the agency over from Tsunagu.”
He frowned, dropping down to his side of the bed. “It’s so weird you call him that.” It wasn’t the point, but Katsuki had difficulty comprehending that his wife and boss were on a first name basis.
“He’s watched our kids before.”
He’d done more than that.
Katsuki knew that his high school self would have quite literally shit bricks if someone told him that he’d grow up to have an awesome wife and children. The idea seemed more tangible in his last year at UA but-
“I fucking know.”
“Kyo and Hiro ask about popping in to see him anytime we’ve stopped at the agency to bring you food or some clothes,” Ochako snorted, almost laughing at his look of disbelief. “His name is Tsunagu. Why can’t I call him that?”
He would have never been able to predict Best Jeanist becoming someone like family to him. “It’s fucking weird.” It didn’t sit well with him. “You’re talking about him like he’s a person or something.”
Ochako laughed at the tortured look on his face. “My point is you can’t turn down this kind of stuff if you’re gonna be taking over the agency.”
“I might be,” Katsuki sighed, leaning his head back against his pillows. “And if I’m going to be the damn boss, that means I should be able to say no.”
“You can’t say no when you’re a top guy.”
“The fuck you say.”
“Katsuki!”
Wasn’t that the whole point of being in charge? “We’re trying to have another kid.” It was a reminder that she didn’t need at the moment. “You’re telling me I’m supposed to go to the other side of the world for a couple months? Right now ?”
She shrugged. “My empty uterus will be here when you get back,” Ochako huffed defeated.
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s fucking not.”
“Tell that to the negative pregnancy test I’m going to take in the morning.”
Katsuki had stopped counting the negative pregnancy tests she’d taken after the fifteenth one. Each negative seemed to hurt more than the last, but the score made things sting a lot more. “Don’t say that.” He reached for her hand, kissing her knuckles before stroking the top of her hand.
“It’s a possibility.”
The one they didn’t want to acknowledge.
“What if I can’t get pregnant again?”
“Let’s just take it one step at a time.”
“We’ve been trying for over a yaer.”
Katsuki shook his head, taking a deep breath in. “So, we’ll go talk to some doctors.” Whatever it took. “Or we’ll adopt. I mean-” If he was being honest with himself, this wasn’t the option he considered. “They just let half and half and the damn nerd take another kid.”
Ochako shook her head. “We’re talking about another baby. The child they just adopted is Kyo’s age.”
“Whatever.” It didn’t matter. “My point is that just because we don’t have another brat right now doesn’t mean we won’t have another.”
She scooted closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.
Katsuki kissed the top of her head before threading his hand in her hair. “I’m not going on that mission.”
Ochako sighed, “Yeah, you are.”
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“When are you coming back?”
Ochako could see the guilt flooding Katsuki’s face at Hiro’s question.
Katsuki took a deep breath, putting his game face on as he smirked confidently. “I’m gonna be gone for at least two months, brat. You remember?” he asked gently, placing a hand on Hiro’s shoulder.
Hiro frowned, “What does that mean?”
“It means that Papa is gonna do everything he can to make sure everyone is safe as quickly as he can and come home,” Ochako explained as she stepped behind Hiro. She looked over at Kyo, standing solemnly next to his brother. “So Papa might be back home after two months or two months and a couple of days or a week or-”
“Three months?” Kyo added, looking at his parents with worry in his eyes.
Katsuki looked at Ochako.
She tilted her head to the side.
Katsuki looked at Hiro and then at Kyo. “Yeah.” He and Ochako did the best they could to be honest with their children about the realities of the job. “It might be three months,” Katsuki acknowledged, “but I’m gonna work as hard as I can to get to you guys sooner.”
“You’re gonna miss my belt ceremony,” Hiro reminded him.
“And I’m sorry.” Sometimes he hated his job. “But I already talked to Best Jeanist about having some time off when I return, so we’re gonna hang out until you’re sick of me.”
Kyo perked up. “Really?!”
Katsuki smiled and nodded. “You bet, brat.”
“Are you also gonna bring us back some candy?” Hiro questioned curiously. “Mama said that one time you went away and brought her back a whole suitcase full of candy. Does that mean we’re gonna get treats too?”
Ochako laughed, seeing Katsuki’s stunned glare. They’d spent weeks talking to the kids about what was happening. She thought it would help them if she told them about the time Katsuki had traveled for the summer when they were in high school.
“Seriously?” Katsuki questioned, looking at his sons with fake annoyance.
Ochako shrugged.
Kyo nodded, “I think you should bring us something back.”
“Definitely,” Hiro grinned.
“It’s a family rule,” Ochako added with a smug look of her own.
Katsuki stood up, shaking his head, “Like this house needs another piece of candy.” The first thing he’d packed in his suitcase had been an extra empty bag for the snacks he’d buy his family while he was gone.
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“Hey.”
Ochako watched as Shouta stepped in front of her.
“I’ve got your class.”
“Um,” she started, looking at the first-year support students standing behind her former homeroom teacher, “you hate teaching the beginners.” If Ochako recalled correctly, one of the conditions of her being hired was that she would take over all of the introduction classes. “You know these aren’t hero course students, right?” she smirked.
Shouta stared at her, face set in a particularly serious expression. “I’ve got your class,” he repeated, taking a small step toward her. “Go to Hounddog’s office.”
Ochako stared at him. “Sensei?” she whispered softly as it felt like the ground was slipping from beneath her feet. “My kids, Kyo and Hi-” She couldn’t breathe.
“Your kids are fine.” He placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “They’re fine.”
She nodded slowly as she tried to let the words sink in.
“But-”
Katsuki.
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“How do you do this?”
Shouto lifted his head, looking over at Ochako, laughing on the couch opposite him. “What?” he questioned, reaching for the open beer bottle on the coffee table.
Ochako moved the hand covering her face as she waved it toward the ceiling. “This.”
“This?”
She looked at him as if that four-letter word was an elaborate question. “How,” she started, shaking her head as she looked at the ceiling, “how do you handle Izuku leaving for missions and-”
“Potentially not coming back?” Shouto finished without beating around the bush.
It wasn’t like she and Katsuki hadn’t considered the possibility of that happening. They’d prepared for it, talked about it, and made plans just in case. There was paperwork in a fireproof safe in their bedroom closet.
They were plans that they weren’t supposed to need.
And suddenly, she was forced to think about it. “How do you-” Ochako felt like she couldn’t breathe for a moment.
Tsunagu had come to deliver the news personally.
They’d lost communication with Katsuki and his team more than forty-eight hours ago.
Even though Ochako was still licensed as a hero, they couldn’t provide her with any mission details. Tsunagu had assured her that the last time they’d touched base that the team had been fine, and any injuries that had been reported were minor.
He told her it was likely it was an equipment failure.
There was also the unspoken possibility that they were injured.
Dead.
That she was alone now with their sons.
“I remind myself that Izuku would do everything he could to come back to us,” Shouto tells her with a soft smile as he sits up from his spot. “I remind myself that he isn’t as reckless as he was in high school-”
Tears stream down her face as she laughs a little. A flash of Katsuki at sixteen years old crosses her mind. He’s loud and boisterous, and completely unstoppable.
“I remind myself that he realizes now that there is more to his life than being a hero,” Shouto continued as he reached for her hand. “That we’ve got two kids now, and they need him.”
Ochako couldn’t imagine Hiro and Kyo growing up without their father. “Can I stay here tonight?” she whispered, sniffling as she wiped her face. “Kyo and Hiro are with Katsuki’s parents tonight. I didn’t tell them th-”
Shouto nodded, “I understand.” He squeezed her hand. “I try not to worry Hotaru until there is something for us to worry about.” Umi was too little to understand what was going on. At most, she just noticed one of her parents wasn’t there for a while. “It’ll be okay.”
“Yeah.” It felt like everything was falling apart.
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“What are you doing here?”
Ochako took a deep breath, exhaling through her mouth as she sat her bag on her desk. “I work here,” she answered. She knew exactly what Shouta was asking her.
Her former homeroom teacher glared at her.
“How weird is that I work here now?” She dropped down into her chair as she booted up her computer. “Honestly?”
“Ochako-”
“I know.”
“You should be at home.”
“No.”
“We’ve got your class covered and-”
“No.” It felt weird talking to him with such authority in his voice. “It’s not necessary.” She mindlessly logged into her computer and opened up her email, feeling her heart thud in her chest.
“Your husband-”
“Aizawa.” She felt the pressure of her emotions choking at her throat. “ Please.” Her hands shook as her eyes watered and her vision blurred. “It’s okay.”
Shouta stared at her for a moment. “We just want you to know that you have our support.”
“Thank you.” Everyone had been so helpful. “But my husband isn’t dead.” She wouldn’t dare say the word ‘yet’. Ochako had decided there was no need for it. “So I’m not going to sit at home crying or worry our kids because there isn’t anything to worry about.” Yet.
“You haven’t told the boys.”
She flinched. “No.” Ochako could feel his silent question. “Telling them won’t do any good. They’ll just worry and-” She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say.
Your father might be dead.
Well, the communication equipment they have might have failed or broken.
No one really knows, honestly.
I don’t have any answers either because I’m scared I can’t think straight.
I also don’t know when we’ll get any answers.
“There isn’t anything I can tell them right now.”
And there’s a chance we won’t get answers or a body to bring us closure.
“Nothing that will help,” Ochako finished, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly as she willed away tears. “Katsuki and the team still have weeks left in the assignment, so we’re not going to worry until we have to.”
“Alright.”
She knew Shouta disagreed with her. “Okay.”
She nodded. “Okay.” Ochako took another deep breath and focused on going through her emails before she went to set up in the gym.
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“Mama.”
Ochako forced herself to smile as she sat up in her bed. “Hey love,” she opened her arms for Kyo to enter her bedroom, “what are you doing up?”
“Can’t sleep,” Kyo mumbled as he climbed into his parents’ bed. He crawled next to Ochako, resting his cheek against her shoulder. “I miss Papa.”
Her heart squeezed. “Yeah.” She tangled her hands in his hair.
It always amazed her how much Kyo took after his father physically.
“I miss him too,” she offered gently with a sigh as she leaned back against her pillow.
“He’s coming back soon, right?”
Ochako’s hand stilled involuntarily. Her mouth went dry as her tongue felt too big for her mouth.
Kyo tipped his head up and searched his mother’s eyes. “What’s going on?” He’d inherited his parents’ talent for seeing through people.
Ochako had seen through Katsuki’s rough exterior during their first year, just like Katsuki hadn’t bought Yo’s friendly act during their exam.
Kyo could clearly see there was something his mother wasn’t saying to him. “I don’t want you to worry.” She hated lying to her children.
“Is he-”
“No,” Ochako stopped him, shaking her head and kissing his forehead. “No.”
Katsuki wasn’t dead.
She pulled away, gently cradling his face so he could look into her eyes. “There was a problem, and your father might not be back when he said.”
Kyo’s eyes flooded with tears. “Okay,” he nodded.
“Okay,” she whispered, smiling even though her eyes watered.
A sob left Kyo’s lips as he buried his face in his mother’s chest. “I’m scared.”
Me too.
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“Isn’t Papa supposed to be back by now?”
The bowl slipped from Ochako’s grip and clattered into the sink. She kept her eyes forward, afraid to face her youngest son. They’d kept a calendar in the kitchen to count down the days until Katsuki would be done.
Over the last week, Ochako hadn’t avoided it, but she also hadn’t encouraged the boys to cross off dates. Kyo had moved it off the fridge the morning after the conversation and placed it on the counter with the mail.
“Papa said around two months,” Kyo answered as Ochako struggled to speak. “It’s only been two months.”
Two months and eight days.
“Soon.”
They hoped.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Ochako took a few deep breaths, feeling like she would throw up. “Kyo’s right,” she forced herself to say. “Soon.” She slowly put the dish sponge down and calmly made her way to the bathroom to empty her stomach and cry without her children seeing.
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Two months and two weeks, Ochako finally broke down.
A perimeter breach at work caused a four-hour lockdown that prevented her from contacting her in-laws to let them know she needed someone to get the boys from school and take them to karate.
She’d rushed to the school when UA had allowed personnel to leave. Ochako hadn’t bothered to listen to her full voicemail box because she was too busy rehearsing her apology to the boys’ teachers and school officials for her tardiness.
Maybe Mistsuki and Masaru had already gotten to them.
The number of missed calls from the school on her phone had her anxiety at a tipping point, and she would be able to handle the messages better with a bottle of wine after she had begged for forgiveness and explained what happened.
She’d found Kyo sad, quiet, and curled up in a chair in the administrative office as she rambled out apologies to the receptionist and the principal. Her fingers carded through Kyo’s hair as her breathing slowed.
There was a moment of quiet before her head whipped around, looking for her other son.
“Where is Hiro?”
The principal’s brows creased with worry, and Ochako hadn’t heard much past the words accident and hospital before running out of the school building with Kyo dragging behind as she frantically dialed her in-laws.
Masaru had confirmed he was there, and Hiro was fine.
Fine, meaning they’d had to take him into surgery to set the break and place the cast.
Ochako breathed and controlled her reaction for Kyo watching.
Masaru told her to go home.
He and Mitsuki were there.
“He’s fine,” Masaru assured. “Everything went well. They tend to use anesthesia on kids for breaks because it’s easier and less painful for them. The doctor said he’s gonna be out of it for the night. We’ll stay with Hiro. You and Kyo need to go home.”
Ochako wanted to argue. Kyo looked exhausted and stressed. She wanted to go to the hospital and sit with Hiro, but that wouldn’t be fair to Kyo. It also wasn’t fair that Hiro was in the hospital without his mother.
She couldn’t win.
Either choice would make her a terrible mother.
“Okay,” she whispered shakingly, nodding. “Call me if he wakes up or wants me or-”
“We’ve got him.”
She knew Masaru and Mitsuki would take care of him.
“Take care of yourself and Kyo.”
That had been the plan.
Ochako had hung up the phone and channeled her hero persona to assure Kyo that everything was fine. Hiro needed to stay at the hospital, but Masaru and Mistsuki were with him, so he wasn’t alone. She told Kyo that they would go home, order some food, get some sleep, and see Hiro in the morning.
Everything was going to be fine.
She was starting to feel like she could breathe.
For a moment.
Until they had gotten home to discover the pipe that had burst in the second-floor bathroom and had rained down in their living room all day. The sight of water raining down in the living room drowned Ochako's hope for things being okay.
The damn broke.
Ochako sobbed, screaming loudly.
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“I’m so sorry.”
Mitsuki snorted, “You don’t have to apologize.”
Ochako rubbed at her face as her hands fell on the table. Her fingers curled around the mug of tea. “I think I traumatized Kyo,” she whispered before rubbing her face with a tired hand.
“No.”
She’d screamed, cried, and cursed as she ran through the house frantically, trying to assess the damage before collapsing on the floor and sobbing loudly.
Kyo had called his grandparents.
Mitsuki had shown up, taking them to their house for the night.
“He’s worried, but I don’t think you traumatized him,” Mitsuki offered gently. She grabbed her hand. “You’re allowed to break.”
Ochako squeezed her hand back.
“You’re carrying a lot alone.”
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“How long are we staying with Baachan and Jiichan?”
“I don’t know.”
“I miss Papa.”
“I know.”
“When is Papa coming home?”
Every time she tried to answer, she couldn’t find the words. “Go finish your homework.” That was the best she could do right now.
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“Can I go play on Jiichan’s machines?”
Ochako looked over at Masaru before looking over at Kyo.
“Please?” Kyo added, seeing the word no on his mother’s face before she could say it. “I finished my homework.”
“I’m fine with it,” Masaru spoke with a smile.
Kyo’s eyes lit up. He gave a little fist pump, and an excited little yes escaped his lips as he ran toward the sewing studio.
“Hey! I get to play too!” Hiro yelled, running after his brother.
“Careful!” Ochako shouted, eyes fixed on the orange cast on her son’s arm. “Those machines aren’t toys!” She could hear the familiar pound of a sewing machine flying through stitches. “They’re going to break something.”
Masaru chuckled, shrugging as he slowly stood up from his chair. “It can always be replaced.”
“Still.” The thought of her children treating the very expensive sewing machines like toys made her sick.
“I’m just happy the boys are taking an interest in the trade.”
“Kyo definitely is,” Ochako nodded warmly as the sound of stitches being sewn echoed again. “I’m pretty sure Hiro is just looking for something to scratch inside his cast.” More likely, he is looking for something, trying to take the thing off. “I think there’s a colored pencil trapped in there.”
“That sounds familiar.”
Katsuki. “I bet,” she nodded tightly as the doorbell chimed, pulling her from her thoughts. “I’ll get that.”
Masaru returned her nod. “I’ll go back and supervise the boys.”
Ochako walked to the door, pulling it open.
“What the fuck happened to the house?” Katsuki barked, leaning against the door frame.
Her breath stuttered in her throat before she gulped down a few breaths of air. Ochako swallowed a whimper at the back of her throat before throwing herself in his arms. “You’re back,” she whispered, awe-laced her voice.
His arms went around her waist as he pulled her tight against him.
“Papa!”
“You’re home?! Finally!”
Ochako laughed, tears falling from her eyes as she felt Kyo and Hiro join in on the moment.
“Hey brats,” Katsuki greeted roughly, reaching his hands down to touch the tops of their heads.
She soaked his shirt with tears as their children babbled rapidly.
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“No.”
“Why the fuck not?”
Ochako rolled over, tugging the covers over her chest. “Because a house isn’t a pair of pants,” she snorted, dropping her hand on the pillow above her head. “You don’t just get a new one because there is a hole in it.” Ochako also applied that logic to pants, but that wasn’t the point.
“We’re sure as shit not staying here forever,” Katsuki muttered, kissing the ball of her shoulder. He stroked her face, tracing down her jaw and the line of her clavicle.
“No-” Her neck stretched as her thighs pressed together, already aching for him again. “-but I don’t think Kyo and Hiro would mind.” It wouldn’t be the worse thing. “In-house childcare.”
“Tch.”
“On the other hand, I’d rather not worry about your parents knowing we have sex.” Even though they were in that downstairs room behind the kitchen that was far from the other bedrooms, Ochako had no doubt Masaru and Mitsuki had heard them.
“We have kids.”
“That’s different.”
“The hag knew we were getting in each other’s pants in high school.”
That was something she didn’t want to think about.
“Shit,” Katsuki snorted, “before I left for that internship, she asked if you were gonna call her crying that you were pregnant.”
Ochako flew up, hugging the covers against her chest.
“Right before I got on the plane.”
“No.”
“Yep.”
She covered her face with her hands. “Oh no .”
Katsuki laughed, dragging her back onto the mattress. “Wouldn’t it be funny if we conceived the next brat in here?” he whispered, kissing behind her ear.
“You-” Her body was definitely up for that. “You aren’t serious.”
“I am.” Katsuki rolled her beneath him as he kissed down her body.
Ochako tangled her fingers in his hair as his mouth worked over her body.
She knew they had things to figure out.
She wasn’t ready to hear about details of what went wrong during the mission. The time he’d been away had been filled with worry and stress that if something had gone wrong, Ochako didn’t want to hear about it.
Katsuki was fine.
He’d handled it.
Shouto had been right about having to trust him.
There was also the house.
Ochako had turned off the water and had cleaned up some. She had called a plumber but hadn’t bothered to follow up. Her father said he’d help once the plumbing had been handled.
Katsuki’s solution for the flooded house was just to get a new one.
They didn’t need a new house.
They were trying to have another baby.
Sex would certainly help with that specific goal, but the stress of the last three months had disrupted her cycle.
She’d swallowed the urge to tell him she probably wasn’t ovulating and closed her eyes. Ochako quieted her mind and focused on the feeling of body and the breathy sounds of his moans.
They’d figure it out.
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“Where are the brats?” Katsuki frowned, walking into the kitchen. “I thought I was taking them to school this morning.” He looked at his mother and wife, shoulders shrugged and hands toward the ceiling.
“They wanted your dad to take them,” Ochako answered, taking another bite from an apple.
Katsuki chuckled, shaking his head. “Of fucking course.”
“What?” she frowned. She looked over at Mitsuki curiously.
Mitsuki shrugged.
“He’s taking them for doughnuts before school,” Katsuki laughed as he grabbed a cup of coffee and joined them at the table. “He used to take me just about every single time he walked me to school.”
“What?”
Katsuki nodded, “Yeah.”
“No wonder they were so insistent,” Ochako mused. “I want a doughnut too.”
“Yeah, we can go after we look at some houses-”
“Katsuki-”
“We need a-”
“No-”
“-there’s a damn hole in the ceiling-”
“That can be fixed.”
“We need more room since we’re gonna have another brat,” Katsuki reminded her casually.
Ochako flushed, slapping her hands against her face. She bashfully looked from her mother-in-law to her husband as she prayed this conversation would end.
“That explains all the noise this week,” Mitsuki commented casually.
Ochako felt her face burn brighter. “There isn’t a baby yet .” The best action was to pretend that this conversation wasn’t happening.
“Yet,” Katsuki reminded her, tipping his coffee mug toward her. “ Yet .”
Maybe she needed to talk to a doctor.
“So, we’re gonna need more space.”
Ochako narrowed her eyes at her husband.
“It couldn’t hurt to look at a few houses,” Mitsuki shrugged as she picked up her tea cup. “The people across the street are selling.”
“Fuck no,” Katsuki answered immediately.
Ochako took another bite of her apple. She was almost tempted to tell him that they should look at it.
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“Date of your last period?”
Ochako frowned, looking at the nurse sheepishly.
The nurse tipped the clipboard down as she waited for an answer.
“Months ago?” she shrugged as her paper gown crinkled. “
This seemed like the easiest problem she could solve.
“My husband and I are trying to conceive, and I’m cycle tracking, but I haven’t gotten a period, so I came here.” Ochako wasn’t sure what they could do for her.
The nurse took some notes as she wrote. “And you’re not pregnant?”
“Nope,” Ochako answered quickly. “I took a test before my husband left for work, and it was negative. We haven’t had sex until a few nights ago.”
“Alright.” The nurse finished writing some notes before looking at Ochako. “Chiba-sensei will be in to examine you shortly.” The nurse left, leaving Ochako alone to think about the possibilities.
Ochako groaned, dropping back on the table as she stared at the ceiling panels.
She assumed that she was too young for it to be menopause.
Probably a hormonal problem.
Irregular periods weren’t surprising, but things hadn’t been this irregular since she had first started training.
More than likely, it was stress.
She’d spent the last few months eating junk, not sleeping, not really exercising, and worrying. Of course, her period was late.
“I’m sorry,” Ochako cleared her throat, shaking her head as she realized the doctor was standing in beside the table. “I zoned out for a minute.”
Chiba smiled warmly. “It’s no problem.” She set the chart down on the stool by the little desk. “I was saying congratulations.”
Ochako frowned as she watched her pick up the fetal heart rate monitor. She exhaled through her mouth roughly as the doctor opened the front of the robe, placing some jelly below her abdomen. The familiar sound of crackling static filled the room, followed by a beautiful staccato rhythm.
“You’re pregnant.”