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It was 11:30am when Himiko’s water broke, and it was just as dramatic as the movies always showed it to be. Izuku was perfect, as always, and dropped everything on that lazy Sunday morning to rush her to the hospital - and he’d only had a mild panicked run around the house first.
“It’s okay, Himiko,” he kept muttering under his breath, “I called ahead, and they’re all ready for you. I’ll be here with you the whole time, as well.”
Honestly, if she didn’t know any better, she’d think he had some kind of bird-of-prey Quirk, with how hard he gripped her hand that day. He didn’t let go for a single moment, not even when they’d put her in the totally uncute hospital gown.
And then the waiting began. It was funny, really; the media always showed the pain - and there was plenty of that - and all the pushing and the screaming and the crying, but it never showed the waiting. Apparently, it took around 24 hours after water breaking to go into labour, and though she and Izuku were far from the most normal people, in this one respect, they didn’t deviate at all. Honestly, most hospitals would be hesitant to give them a room so far in advance, but it was hard to argue with the recently-graduated saviour of the world, or his ex-villain wife. If Izuku’s status didn’t open the door for them, Himiko’s death glare certainly did the trick.
Of course, just because they had a - thankfully private - room, the comfiest in the hospital, that didn’t stop Izuku from… well, being his usual self.
“Izuuuu,” she whined, shuffling around on the bed to get a little more comfortable, “stop pacing! Everything’s fine !”
Her husband ran his hair through thick green curls, “Well, maybe, but… you know, I’ve been doing some reading, and there’s so many things that could go wrong! I mean, what if there’s a complication of some kind?”
“Then we’ll deal with it!” She groaned, “But there’s no point in worrying, cuz it’s gonna be fine ! Everyone we talked to said so!”
“But can we even afford a baby! I’m still only a sidekick, after all, and your parole stipend is barely enough for you to live off!”
“Well, ‘Zuku, I hate to break it to ya, but this baby’s coming, whether we’re ready or not!” She shrugged, “But we’ll be fine , you know that! You did the budget, remember?”
He paused his pacing, turning to her with a pout, “I could have made a mistake.”
“You, maybe.” She raised an eyebrow, “But Yaomomo also checked it out and got her accountants to check it out, and none of them spotted any mistakes. You’re fine, I’m fine, we’re fine!”
He sighed, but collapsed into the chair by her bed, taking her hand in his own, smooth skin against rough scars, and idly rubbed it, “You’re right, Himiko. You’re right. It’s just…”
She nodded, “Scared?” He hummed assentingly, “It’s okay, Izu. I am too. Terrified, even! I’m a villain!”
“An ex -villain.”
“I still was one, though!” She shot back, “I spent years of my life on the streets, attacking people, and even now I still get the urge to hurt someone, just to see them bleed. If anyone is gonna screw our baby up, it’ll be me.”
“No.” He firmly squeezed her hand, “No, you won’t . You’re so good , Himiko. You’ve made so much progress. I know you’re going to love them with your whole heart.”
She smiled, not the repressed smile the Togas had forced on her, but her true smile, baring her teeth like an animal, “I love you, Izuku.”
He smiled back, a soft counterpart to his mentor’s beaming grin, “I love you too, Himiko.”
The day continued with visits from friends and family - Izuku’s mom and dad all-but flooded the building with their tears - and there was a neverending stream of people stopping by to wish them well. Even, ugh, Blasty dropped in, though all he gave was his usual brand of tiny parcels of encouragement wrapped in overblown boasts and taunts.
She didn’t know how Izuku could stand him half the time, to be perfectly honest.
Still, eventually her contractions started to pick up, and it was clear their baby couldn’t wait any longer. Now, Himiko had been through a lot in her life. She’d been stabbed, burned, shot, poisoned, cut, hit, clobbered and just about half a dozen other things. And yet, none of them amounted to the pain of giving birth. It was as if she was being split in two, like the strongest cramps she had ever felt shooting wave after wave of white-hot pain throughout her lower body. It was as if someone was repeatedly bludgeoning her spine with a sledgehammer, a rhythmic pulse of agony.
And yet, at the end of it all, when she held that little bundle of pink in her arms, she’d have gone through it all again.
“Himiko…” Izuku whispered after the nurses had left them alone. He didn’t finish his sentence, watery green eyes blown wide and fixed on their swaddled daughter.
She sniffled, utterly exhausted and trying her hardest not to cry, “We have a daughter…”
“What,” his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, “what should we name her?”
She smiled down at their daughter as her eyes opened, revealing beautiful emeralds, so innocent and pure, and so much like her father’s, but with her mother’s slitted pupils.
Twin tears made tracks down her cheeks, “Mai… the kanji for ‘truth’, and the kanji for ‘love’.”
Izuku took a deep breath, and managed to stumble over to them both. He gently pulled Himiko in for a loose hug, and kissed the top of her head, before his eyes returned to Mai, “Then welcome to the world, Midoriya Mai.”
That broke them both and, like true Midoriyas, all three of them cried in unison.
“Izuuuu,” she groaned, watching her husband dash around the kitchen like he was on fire, “you really don’t need to do all this!”
“Maybe,” he stopped only to shoot her a brief side glance, “but this is Mai’s first birthday, and I want it to be absolutely perfect !”
She pouted, adjusting their daughter in her arms. She was a feisty little one, made worse by her already starting to walk. A soft layer of curly blonde dusted the top of her head; aside from her pupils and fangs, that was the only feature she’d inherited from Himiko. The rest of her, right down to the shape of her face, was all Izuku’s.
“She can’t even eat any of this food yet! And your parents and our friends will be fine with whatever! Besides,” she rubbed at her stomach; she wasn’t showing, not quite yet, but it would only be a few more weeks, “I’m carrying two babies here, y’know.”
He paused and blinked, “Oh, right!” Smiling, he shuffled over to her, planting a loving kiss on her lips before gently scooping Mai out of her arms. With his big, goofy, dad grin, he beamed at her, kissed her softly on the forehead, then gently placed her into her high chair, “There!”
Himiko smiled dramatically, but smiled anyway, pulling him into an embrace before he could dash off again, “I can’t believe we’re having another one already.”
He chuckled, pulling her in for a deeper kiss and wrapping his arms around her, “Is it weird that I’m even more terrified than I was with Mai?”
She shook her head, blonde hair tickling at his chin, “I understand, Izu. We’ll do great, though, y’know?”
He beamed at her, nodding, “Because we’re together.”
“Because we’re together.” She confirmed.
They stayed there for a moment, lost in their own world, until an alarm rang on Izuku’s phone, and he dashed off once more, putting the finishing touches to the veritable feast he was preparing.
She sighed fondly, and watched him work.
Himiko’s second labour was easier than her first, and she soon brought little Midoriya Aiko home. Aiko also took strongly after her father, inheriting his green hair - though straight instead of curly - and freckles, and Himiko’s sole contribution was her shining yellow eyes.
Truly, the Midoriya genes reigned supreme.
For her part, Mai was ecstatic to be a big sister, and she made sure everyone knew it. She learned vocabulary as easy as breathing, and before long she was telling just about everyone they knew about her little sister, and how small and cute she was.
“Imma big sis!” She proclaimed to Tsu-chan when she came to visit, “‘N imma protect Aiko!”
This would have been cute, had it not also been for the fact that her Quirk had developed. As Himiko had, somewhat, been dreading, it was a blood-based Quirk, one they’d called ‘Energy Vampire’, granting her a stockpile of power using blood as the fuel. A cruoric engine, as it were.
More than one stranger had been startled by the sight of Mai marching up to them, blood at the corners of her lips and a bright beaming smile on her face.
Oh, and that was the other thing. Apparently, people with blood-based Quirks could get packs of blood from the government. For free.
If it wouldn’t ruin her life, she’d break into prison to stab both of the Togas very thoroughly.
But, such was life, and soon Mai’s second birthday arrived, and it was the first she could actually enjoy. It was stripped back slightly, being just the four of them plus Izuku’s parents, but Mai had enough energy for all of them combined.
That afternoon, as Inko and Izuku played with Mai and her new toys, Himiko sat on the sofa watching them, Aiko in her arms. Next to her, Hisashi let out a fond sigh.
“They really do grow up so fast, don’t they?”
She glanced at him and smiled, “Mm! It only feels like a day since we brought Mai home.”
He chuckled, warm and throaty, “That’s true, but I was talking about Izuku. And you, of course.”
“Oh?” She turned to face him, but his ember-red eyes remained firmly fixed on his wife, son and granddaughter.
He hummed, “I feel like… one moment, Izuku’s still my little boy, all bright-eyed and hyper. Then I blinked, and suddenly he’s a teenager, fighting the greatest villain the world’s ever seen.” He blinked, and sent her an apologetic look, “Uh, no offense.”
She shrugged; she’d made her peace with the League a long time ago.
“Anyway, I blinked again, and he’s getting married, having kids.” He smiled ruefully, “And I missed so much of it.” He scratched his cheek, “You’ve got a good kid there. You’re gonna do great. A lot better than me, anyhow.”
She smiled at him; a part of her wanted to comfort him, but it likely wouldn’t be too appreciated. Just as she’d come to terms with her past, so too had he with his. The best either of them could do now, would be to do better going forwards.
And she could tell that both of them were committed to that.
A year passed, and Aiko’s first birthday arrived. Mai was overjoyed, and Himiko watched with a smile as Izuku carried her around on his shoulders, letting her hang balloons wherever she saw fit. Izuku’s genes may have been more dominant, but in terms of personality, Mai took after her all the way. She was loud, energetic, excitable, and for a moment, she had a glimpse into an alternate history, one where the Togas were decent parents.
She shook away those thoughts, rocking the birthday girl in her arms. Aiko, for her part, seemed rather unsure of what all the excitement was about, and curled in closer to her breast. She gently patted her downy green hair. Both her children were very much daddy’s girls, but that didn’t mean they didn’t love her as well.
Besides, she completely understood. Izuku was a brilliant man, a wonderful husband, and a perfect father to their two amazing children.
Her hand drifted down to her swollen stomach, and she smiled. Soon to be three, she supposed.
Listen, okay, she really didn’t mean to get pregnant this time, but it seemed fate had other plans. Or Izuku just had really strong swimmers.
Oh well. More children meant more people for her to love, she supposed.
Mai’s third birthday was a rowdy affair. She was just starting to figure out how to use her Quirk, and since they’d offered her a yes day, she’d insisted on spending all day competing against Izuku.
“Daddy!” She’d said, in that imperious little voice of hers, “Imma beat you, so race me!”
He’d chuckled, and humoured her, starting off without using his Quirk at all and deliberately going slower so that she’d win. However, instead of her celebrating her glorious, hard-won victory, she’d frowned and stomped over to him.
“You didn’t glow!” She accused, “You’re s’posed to glow!”
He held up his hands placatingly, “Okay, okay, how about we try again? Promise I’ll glow this time!”
Mai nodded, a serious expression on her face, and they lined up at the starting line they’d drawn in the dirt in their backyard. Izuku poured the tiniest fraction of One For All into his body, just enough for him to start flickering with lightning.
“Mommy! Count down!”
She smiled, shifting Aiko in her arms, “Okay! Three! Two! One! Go!”
And the racers were off, Izuku going as slow as he could without obviously handicapping himself, while a reddish glow surrounded Mai, her pace quickening. She sped past Izuku, snatching victory from his grasp as she skidded across the finish line. Izuku crossed soon after her, grinning as he picked her up.
“You beat me!”
She frowned at him, “Let me win?”
He shook his head very seriously, “Oh no . You definitely beat me.” He beamed, “You’re just that fast!”
She seemed to straighten up with pride a little at that, but still eyed him suspiciously, “Gonna beat you f’real, daddy, when m’big!”
He tossed her gently in the air, eliciting a squeal of delight, and his smile turned soft, and doting, “I can’t wait.”
Himiko couldn’t help but share in that smile as well.
A month later, Midoriya Hana was brought into the world and, eye colour and lack of fangs notwithstanding, she was a spitting image of Himiko. She had her straight blonde hair and slitted eyes, and shared her angular face and unblemished skin.
It was an easy birth; the Midoriyas were old hands at this, and Izuku only fretted the tiniest bit. Still, the nurses’ jokes about getting them “frequent customer” loyalty cards, since they seemed to be booking in every year or so, did embarrass them a great deal. Recovery Girl even phoned Izuku from her retirement home on the beach just to yell at him and remind them that contraception existed, before sweetly congratulating them on their third child.
Even their friends seemed, if not unenthused, then rather more casual about the whole affair than they did the first two times. Izuku’s parents were on childwatching duty, so they only ever saw one of them at a time.
Still, holding Hana in her arms, the upwelling of love in her chest was just as pure and profound as it was the first time around.
Shockingly, only she and Izuku cried, Hana sleeping like a perfect, pristine angel.
Their next year was a blur, if Himiko was honest. Aiko started walking and speaking, Mai became an even more energetic four-year-old, and Hana, thankfully, was a quiet baby. Aiko was quiet too, but in more of a slightly anxious, introverted way. She was Izuku’s shadow, and liked to cling to his legs around new people. She had an artistic flair, too, content to sit and draw with her or Izuku for hours.
Her quiet nature also lent itself to a fascination with books. Where Mai became restless and jittery whenever they tried to read to her, Aiko would sit still and listen, enraptured, before shyly requesting another.
Neither she nor Izuku could ever refuse her.
In fact, the only time they could get Mai to sit still, was when Izuku talked to her about Quirks. It was something they discovered during one of his usual mutter storms when watching the hero news; whenever he brought up Quirks in conversation, Mai would always listen, transfixed.
As if one Quirk nerd in the house wasn’t bad enough. Well, at least one of her birthday presents was sorted; a sort of ‘Kid’s First Guide to Quirk Science’, something Izuku may or may not have written himself.
They had three wonderful daughters, that they wouldn’t trade in for anything mankind could conceive of.
Surely they didn’t need another , right?
Right ?
“...Himiko?”
“...Yes, Izu?”
“...Is that what I think it is?”
“...Whaddya think it is?”
“...It, well, it, um, it looks like… a positive pregnancy test?”
“...Oh.”
“...Oh?”
“...Yes.”
“...What?”
“...That’s what it is. Yeah.”
“...We’re having another baby.”
Himiko gave him a weak smile, “Happy New Year?”
Izuku let out a long, deep sigh, chuckling and shaking his head, “I love you. And our children, born and… not.”
She pulled him in for a tight hug, “I love you too, Izu.”
They held that embrace for a moment, before he sighed into her ear, “We really do need to remember contraception, though.”
The children were ecstatic when they told them the news. Mai ran around, shouting about being an older sister again, and even Aiko’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Hana didn’t entirely understand yet, but she smiled beatifically at them nonetheless.
Both Mai and Aiko requested baby-related paraphernalia for their birthdays that year. Aiko received a book about being an older sister that Izuku must have read to her about ten different times on her birthday alone, while Mai received another of Izuku’s handwritten guides to Quirks, this time about Quirk inheritance, and the potential Quirks their unborn child could receive. Hana, in a similar vein, received a baby doll, which she took great care of.
Their girls really were prepared for their new little sibling.
Which was just as well, because when they arrived, they arrived fast . Himiko’s fourth labour was the easiest and fastest yet, such that they were almost scared they wouldn’t get to the hospital in time. Fortunately, that was just Izuku’s (and, somewhat, Himiko’s) anxiety flaring up, because they made it with plenty of time to spare.
5 hours later, the ordeal was over, and Himiko held in her hands a beautiful baby girl. She and Izuku shared a loving glance, before their attention was drawn by her fussing in her sleep.
Izuku chuckled softly as he gently rubbed the back of Himiko’s hand, “We always seem to get girls, huh?”
“As if you’d have it any other way.” She teased, her voice scratchy and raw.
“I’d love our children, regardless of gender.” He defended, though relented when she raised his eyebrow at him, “But… yes, I do love our girls.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, “They love you.”
He hummed, before gently nodding at the bundle in her arms, “What should we name her?”
As always, tears welled in her eyes, “I think… Sakura. The kanji for ‘bloom’, and the kanji for ‘love’.”
He leaned his head on hers, “Then welcome to the world, Sakura Midoriya.”