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“Momo? Is everything ok?”
“I was going to ask you that,” she says into the phone. “You didn't answer earlier. I wondered whether you were coming home tonight…”
On rare occasions, he stays the night at the building for the Endeavor Agency, which they've been running together since before getting married. She was hoping tonight was not one of those times.
“I’m sorry. Must’ve fallen asleep between dispatches.”
“Yeah,” she says quietly. She can hear the fatigue in his voice. And based on the news reports, he had a busy day.
“Shit,” he then says, “It’s later than I thought… I thought it was still afternoon.”
He heaves a sigh and then asks, “Everything is alright, though? How are things with the kids?”
Momo hesitates. Her gaze drops to the floor as she notices that he didn’t really answer her about coming home.
“Uh, Yuki’s sleeping over with Emi,” she then forces out. “Apparently Katsuki promised the girls he would make fancy little cakes on his night off so they could have a real tea party. And Camie plans to take the girls and Ren to the pool in the morning.”
“That’s nice of them. I’m sure they’re having fun.”
“Mhm. I told them we’d do something at our house next week.”
“And the boys?”
“With Fuyumi and Keigo for the night. They came by a little while ago and thought I could use the break.”
Momo pauses. “They were actually hoping to see you,” she adds after a beat.
“See me?” he says, and she can tell that he is still somewhere between sleeping and waking. “How come?”
Momo sighs softly. “You don’t know what day it is, do you?”
“January?”
“Eleventh,” she finishes, hoping that he isn’t so tired and distracted that the significance is lost on him.
It takes a moment, but then he utters, “Oh.”
"There's a cake in the fridge. And the kids have a few things for you, perhaps for tomorrow."
Momo bites her lip and wonders whether she ought to have sent him a reminder text message earlier or something. He was up and heading out so quickly this morning, it was only after they said their goodbyes and he was already gone that she thought about wishing him a happy birthday while in the midst of changing a diaper and trying to keep track of their toddler boys. She had thought that perhaps surprising him when he came home might be even better, but that idea seemed to have backfired on her. She should have realized Shoto would be the last one to think about his birthday.
“Sorry,” he adds after a moment. "Guess that explains why I've got several missed calls from others too."
“You don’t need to tell me sorry. It’s your birthday. I just thought -”
Momo stops herself.
I just thought you would want to spend it with your family.
She can’t say that. He works so hard for them, and he is far from absent from their home life. Their children adore him and have never been starved for his attention. And he has always been a devoted and caring husband.
She didn’t call him to make him feel bad. She called because she thought, perhaps with the kids out of the house for the night, they could have some quality one-on-one time.
She called because… despite how dependable a father and husband he is…
“Shoto, I miss you.”
The admission unleashes a flood of emotion that she’s been holding back.
“I know you’re home as often as you can be with the responsibilities you have. But even when you’re here, I still miss you,” she says as her eyes grow glassy from the beginnings of tears. “When you are home, our attention is always on the kids. And then we’re both exhausted.”
“I can’t remember the last time we kissed,” she whispers, saddened to say such a thing, and a little embarrassed that it has weighed on her so heavily. “Not just a peck as you’re leaving or coming home, but… a real kiss.”
“And -”
Momo stops herself and swallows. A hard lump forms in her throat as guilt settles in.
She feels horrible for unloading her feelings on him, and on his birthday of all days. She had not meant to do that. It isn’t Shoto’s fault. They are both doing the best they can. This is simply the reality of having several small children with the number two pro hero. These things take their time and their energy, and leave little for anything else. Including each other.
“I just miss you,” she concludes softly.
A brief moment of silence follows.
“I have to go,” Momo then says quickly, before Shoto can reply. “I need to get the baby,” she lies, despite their three-month-old baby being perfectly content currently latched onto her breast.
She ends the call and stares at the phone apologetically. She usually keeps these feelings to herself, because she knows she isn’t the only one feeling this way and it only makes Shoto feel guilty when he’s stretched pretty thin as it is. But she doesn’t know what else to do with them sometimes. It all simply came spilling out the second she let herself even think of it.
“I’m sorry,” she taps out quickly in a text. “I think I’m just tired. I love you.”
In all the time they’ve known each other, she’s never felt so far away from him.
When Shoto arrives at home, he finds it unusually quiet and dark inside. Although he appreciates the cheerful, though loud, greetings from their children, it is not a bad change to come back to something more peaceful once in a while. He silently moves through the house back to the nursery, where he knows he will find his wife and their baby.
As expected, he quietly slides the door open and first spots Momo’s slumped form in the rocking chair, asleep. He steps inside and kneels down next to baby Kei, sleeping peacefully.
Shoto watches her for a moment with a smile, before he stands and takes a step over to Momo. Now with his eyes a little more adjusted to the darkness of the room and with the help of the little light coming from the hall, he can see her in more detail - hairs sticking out of her askew ponytail, a burp cloth still settled over her shoulder, shirt rumpled from the baby’s last feed…
His lips slip into a sad smile. He hasn’t been completely ignorant to Momo’s frustrations. He has felt it too. He has longed for that time with her, but hasn’t given it much serious thought. Between a young daughter, two toddler boys, and a newborn that his wife struggles to part from when she doesn’t have to, it’s not an easy situation in which to find good opportunities for quality time together, and romance.
They tell each other that it will not always be like this, that someday they will have too much time for each other and will just be missing their children.
Shoto leans close and lifts a hand to gently cup her cheek. He slides his thumb over her lips, wondering when was the last time they really kissed…
Almost immediately, she startles awake.
“Sorry,” Shoto whispers, retracting his hand slightly, “It’s me.”
“Shoto…”
She is looking at him like she cannot believe he’s here. It’s the same look he often gets when he shows up to save someone. But it makes him feel uneasy to see on his wife.
“You’re here…” she breathes.
“I’ve missed you too,” he says as he ducks closer, palming at her cheek again. Guiding her face, he captures her lips in a slow, deep kiss.
Shoto then pulls back reluctantly and exhales a labored breath. Momo was right, as usual. It’s been far too long since they have kissed like that.
She’s out of breath too. Her chest heaves a little as she continues to stare up at him in sort of awed disbelief. When he shifts and the light from the hall hits her face, he spots tears collecting in the corners of her eyes.
“Come with me,” he whispers, before taking her hand and tugging gently.
She follows him out of the room. After he has quietly slid the door closed, they turn toward each other.
“Shoto, I -” she manages before Shoto surges forward to kiss her again. She half kisses him back before pulling back to say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean -”
“Don’t be sorry,” he says as he slips a hand to the back of her head, threading his fingers through her loose hair. “Just kiss me,” he tells her as he urges her back to his lips.
Her lips become softer against his as she relaxes into the kiss. Her hands press firmly against his chest, no longer hesitant.
Shoto breaks their kiss once more.
“Let’s go to the bedroom.”
Her fingers clutch at his shirt nervously.
“N - now?” she asks as Shoto dips his head to kiss at her jaw. He smiles against her skin as she continues, “But - but I’m not… I probably smell like milk, and I think maybe there’s still a little spit up on part of my pants…”
“Well, then let’s take them off,” he murmurs against the soft skin of her neck.
“I love you,” Shoto tells Momo, taking her hand and threading their fingers together as they lay together, breathing deeply.
In contrast to the desperate quickies they have grown accustomed to since becoming parents, this was slow and sweet. It reminded Momo of their wedding night, when they had made love for the first time, nervously taking their time to get to know each other and their needs.
She smiles at their hands as tears come on suddenly.
“I love you too,” she says in an only slightly shaky voice. Momo turns to get a little bit closer and pecks a kiss to his chest. "Happy Birthday, Shoto."
"Thank you, Momo," he says with the kind of warmth in his voice that always accompanies a smile, though she cannot see it in her current position. “Have you eaten?” he then asks. “We could order in a late dinner.”
He lifts their hands and kisses hers softly. “Maybe go for round two after?”
The suggestion elicits a tingle of excitement in her. She wipes at her tears with her other hand and shifts to look at him. “Twice in one night?”
“What?” Shoto says, a little indignantly. “It’s happened before.”
“I don’t recall since our honeymoon,” Momo jokes with a giggle.
“Now that remark’s gonna get you in some trouble,” he says as he leans in toward her neck, inciting more giggles.