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Shouta woke up alone.
That wasn’t unusual. Even now, after their marriage, he and Hizashi didn’t always share a bed. Their marriage had been about sharing their lives and building a family together, not about a romantic love between them. It wasn’t a typical marriage, but it suited them and the kids just fine.
He lay in bed for a moment, enjoying the quiet stillness of the morning. Hizashi had slept here last night, but his absence was easy enough to explain. Even from here, Shouta could hear the clatter of dishes and murmur of voices from the kitchen.
The boys had stayed in the dorms for the weekend, so it was just him, Hizashi, and Eri in their apartment today. And their cats, of course. Shouta shifted in bed and his foot bumped against something. He propped himself up on his elbows, peering down his body to find Pepper, his tortoiseshell, glaring up at him from the empty space below his right knee.
Shouta clicked his tongue and raised one hand. Pepper eyed him for a minute, then slowly stood with a big, theatrical stretch...and turned around to lie down with her back to him.
“Asshole,” he muttered. She twitched an ear at him, then went back to ignoring him.
He carefully sat up, extricating his left leg from the blankets without disturbing Pepper. She twitched her ears at him, and leaned into his touch when he reached over to scratch the top of her head. “You put on a tough act, but you’re really a sweetheart, huh?” Shouta grinned, watching her roll onto her back and reach for his hand when he pulled away. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get breakfast, Pep.”
He reached for his crutches, forgoing his prosthetic for the moment. Hatsume had promised him a new prototype this weekend, in her ongoing quest to craft the perfect prosthesis for a hero. He was more than willing to be her test subject, even if his days as an active hero were over thanks to his injuries during the war.
The noises from the kitchen grew more distinct as he made his way down the hall, Pepper winding around his leg and crutches at every step. She might actually have been trying to trip him. He wouldn’t put anything past her. Maybe she’d never forgiven him for allowing five new kittens into their home...but the kids had all been struggling, and Kouda needed to find new homes for them...and once they’d taken in four it just made sense to take all five.
“I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way?” Hizashi’s voice carried out from the kitchen, singing along to the radio.
Shouta made it to the doorway, and paused to take in the scene in front of him. Something was simmering on the stove, and Hizashi had Eri on his hip as he cooked. He swayed back and forth with her as he sang, spinning around as he reached the chorus.
“Talking ‘bout my girl!”
Eri giggled. Her laughter always made something deep inside Shouta relax. If they could carve out a little space where this girl could grow up safe and happy, maybe the world wasn’t beyond their reach after all.
“I’ve got sunshine—hey, Shouta!—on a cloudy day!”
“Breakfast and a show?” Shouta asked, deadpan, as he settled in at a seat at the table.
“You know it!” Hizashi placed a plate in front of him, kissing his cheek before whirling back to the stove with Eri.
Hizashi had always been physically affectionate, but that had tripled since their wedding. Shouta didn’t mind. It was just another facet of their unconventional marriage. Hizashi had never been particularly interested in sex, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate other forms of physical intimacy. He liked to hold Shouta—or be held—as he fell asleep, and often expressed his affection with kisses to Shouta’s cheek or forehead.
Their marriage had been liberating, in a way. Neither of them had had much luck with romantic relationships in the past, as they’d always reached a point where they couldn’t give what their partner wanted. But together, like this, things just felt complete.
They were just themselves. No pressure, no strings, and no expectations.
Just a family.
Hizashi missed a high note, probably on purpose, and Eri covered her ears with another giggle as Hizashi used just enough of his Quirk to make the glasses on the counter rattle.
“Breakfast is getting cold,” Shouta complained.
“Did you hear that, Eri?” Hizashi mused. “Mr. Sleepyhead over there says breakfast is getting cold.”
He whirled her around one more time before settling her into her chair. “Guess we should let Papa Shouta eat before he gets grumpier.”
“Good morning, Papa Shouta,” Eri said.
He raised a hand in greeting, leaning back as Hizashi set more plates on the table—and coffee. “ Did you sleep well, Eri?” he asked, reaching for the coffee.
She nodded. “Papa Zashi taught me how to make omelets!”
Shouta glanced down at his plate. Hizashi’s omelet rice looked a little better than his own attempts—but only a little. A messy oblong of egg, with rice spilling out of one end, decorated with splatters of ketchup. “ Maybe you can give him some pointers.”
“You wound me, Shouta!” Hizashi sat in his own chair, between Shouta and Eri. “I’ll have you know, these were made with love. That makes up for any mild cosmetic imperfections.”
Shouta rolled his eyes, already reaching for his coffee. Across from him, Eri was holding her spoon in one fist and very carefully digging out a bite of her omelet rice. Shouta waited for her to put the bite in her mouth, smiling when he saw her face relax in a happy smile. “Good?” he asked.
She nodded enthusiastically, swallowing her first bite and going for a second. Shouta turned, only to find Hizashi staring at him intently. “What now?”
“You haven’t tried yours, Shouta.”
He let out a heavy sigh and took a bite of his own omelet. It wasn’t bad, of course. Hizashi was no gourmet, but he could cook well enough for their family.
But there was no way Shouta was going to let him know that. Not without a fight.
“I give it a five,” he announced.
“Out of five?” Hizashi asked eagerly.
“Out of ten.”
“Boo!” Hizashi stood up abruptly, reaching over to grab Shouta’s plate. “If you’re going to be a brat like that….”
“Okay, enough,” Shouta swatted at his hand, until Hizashi retreated. “It’s...fine.”
“Shouta!”
“Okay, it’s good. Are you happy?”
Hizashi beamed at him, turning to Eri with a sickly sweet expression. “You hear that, Eri? Papa Shouta likes my cooking.”
“I didn’t say that,” Shouta grumbled, digging into his omelet. He hadn’t minded at first when Hizashi was trying to get Eri to call them Papa Shouta and Papa Zashi. He’d apparently been inspired by an old anime about two friends who adopted a little girl...though when he tried to explain it he kept talking about assassins and the mafia, so Shouta didn’t know what to think. It sounded sweet coming from Eri, but the boys had started to pick up on it.
Kaminari had sounded enthusiastic about it, but he always did. The kid could get hyped about anything, it was no wonder class morale was always so much higher when he was around.
Todoroki said it like he didn’t understand what the words meant, and Shouta had privately told him he could stop. He loved the kid, sure, but hearing “Papa Shouta” in an emotionless tone from a blank-faced Todoroki had nearly sent him over the edge.
Shinsou said it like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Shouta couldn’t even threaten to expel the kid, not after he’d done so much to help him move up to class A. Shinsou would never believe any threat Shouta made, which was probably a blessing as much as a curse.
“What’s on the agenda today, Sho?” Hizashi asked, finally turning to his own meal.
“Hatsume said she’d have another prototype today.” He slipped his hand under the table to rest it on his knee. His prosthetic was state-of-the-art, the best the school could buy, but he was still struggling to adjust to it. His doctors and therapist had told him it would take time and to be patient with himself. Which he was doing, of course...but it wouldn’t hurt to see what the support course’s brightest star could come up with.
“You’ve gotta stop her,” Hizashi said, shaking his head. “She’s gonna attach lasers or smoke bombs or a grappling hook, I just know it.”
“Not a bad idea,” Shouta mused. “I already asked her for a snack compartment.” He hid his smile behind his coffee cup while Hizashi spluttered in protest at that idea. If anyone could figure out how to incorporate a snack compartment in a prosthetic leg, it was Mei Hatsume.
He almost wished he’d really asked for that. If only for the look on Hizashi’s face.
“Fuyumi’s class is having a picnic, and she wanted to know if our little listener wanted to come along,” Hizashi said. He grinned at Eri and leaned over to wipe a smudge of ketchup off her cheek. “How about it, Eri? Want to see your big sis and meet her students?”
Shouta bit back his reply, taking another sip of coffee to keep himself from interrupting. He thought it was too soon for Eri to socialize with other kids like that, but they needed to let her make her own decisions. Let her try things, meet other kids. She’d have to go to school eventually, after all.
“Rei will be there,” Hizashi added. “It’s at the park close to their new place, so she and Eri can head inside for some quiet time when they need it.”
He nodded. Todoroki’s mother and sister had a new house close to the school, separate from Endeavor. Todoroki had chosen to stay with Shouta and Hizashi, even though his mother was stable enough to act as legal guardian. Todoroki wanted to focus on his schoolwork, and on developing himself into a hero that surpassed his father. Not through power or arrest record or connections, but by being a better man.
(In Shouta’s opinion, the kid was already there, but Todoroki took a little more convincing.)
“Papa Shouta?”
Shouta met Eri’s serious gaze and gave her a gentle smile. “If you think you’re ready, you should try,” he said. “I’m sure Papa Zashi will be close by in case it’s overwhelming.”
“Of course! I’d never let my favorite little listener down!”
Eri giggled, ducking away from Hizashi with a shriek of laughter when he tried to tickle her.
Lifting his coffee cup again, Shouta hid his smile behind for a few seconds before taking a long sip. He’d never expected to be a family man...to be sitting at the breakfast table with his husband and daughter...but here he was.
Truth be told, he wouldn’t have it any other way.