Archive of Our Own ^beta

Izuku opens his front door and the sweet scent of roses hits him directly in the face. The large bouquet sits innocently on his doormat, wrapped up in a large orange bow. He huffs through his nose as he lifts the flowers into his arms to bring them inside the apartment. Of course he made sure Izuku knows exactly who they’re from. 

The romantic gestures have been persisting for about a couple of days now. First it was a cup of coffee waiting for him after every meeting at work, prepared exactly how he liked it. Then it was a meticulously cooked bento wrapped for him at lunch. Yesterday it had morphed into something a little bit more deliberate, with tiny chocolates in a heart shaped box and a handwritten note waiting on his doorstep after work. And now there's 30 flowers in his favorite color, delivered on the first sick day he’s taken in his entire career. 

Izuku doesn’t get sick often, and when he does he typically pushes through with a mixture of meds and fierce stubbornness. Unfortunately Yui came down with something at school that also managed to catch Izuku and beat his sinus system into oblivion. That combined with his mom working and unable to watch his son, Izuku was forced to lose his perfect work attendance streak since debuting as a hero one year ago. 

With the flowers now trimmed and in a vase on his countertop, Izuku returns to his task of watching his five-year old doze on the couch. Yui is tucked up under his favorite Ground Zero themed blanket, blond curls sitting messily over his eyes as he watches cartoons. Izuku smiles as he goes over and sweeps the hair out of his face. Yui’s green eyes blink up at him sleepily in acknowledgement before he returns his gaze back to the television. 

For the rest of the day Izuku tries to focus on taking care of his son, (and himself, ugh), and yet he can’t keep his mind from wandering back to the beautiful bouquet in his kitchen. The site of the flowers fill his stomach with that giddy, syrupy feeling he used to get at 18. Except back then Kacchan’s rookie hero salary limited his wooing to surprise takeout and back rubs after a long day at university. That combination would actually rock right now, Izuku thinks.  

They’re still cuddling on the couch when the doorbell rings again, and Izuku has half a mind to just ignore it. If Kacchan wants to give him more gifts he can at least bring them inside himself–

“Yo, nerds, are you guys alive in here?” 

“Daddy!” Yui’s tiny voice croaks out. Despite being lethargic all day, Yui works up the energy to run to the front door, blanket trailing behind him. Izuku smiles as Kacchan sweeps their baby up into a big hug, pressing a kiss into the crown of his head. 

“Hey, champ,” Kacchan says quietly, in that soft gruff voice only reserved for their son. Izuku wants to cry. He hates being sick. “Brought you guys dinner.” Izuku perks up at that. The measly pot of soup he was going to heat up wasn’t appealing anyway.

“You didn’t have to do that, Katsuki.” Izuku finally rises from the couch, coming up to rub Yui’s back and give Kacchan a chaste peck on the cheek. 

“Like hell I don’t. What were you gonna eat, some shitty instant bullcrap?” Izuku doesn’t answer him, choosing to turn around and swiftly put away the instant miso soup packets he’d left out on the counter instead. 

Kacchan keeps Yui on his hip as he sets a large shopping bag on the kitchen counter. He gives Izuku a smirk as his eyes flit between him and the roses. Izuku takes to removing the food from the bag and plating it, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Katsuki sweeps behind him to take out a couple of glasses. “Like ‘em?” He mutters in passing, breath fanning against the shell of his ear for a split second. Izuku jumps, and the port cutlet he was holding flies out of his chopsticks and hits the ceiling. 

Yui and Katuski both start laughing, and when the cutlet smacks back down on the floor Izuku joins them too. 

“The roses are lovely, thank you.” Izuku says politely, smiling. He goes to grab a towel to clean up the cutlet, but Katsuki is already there, picking up the pork and wiping away the residue before Izuku can blink. Yui is still giggling lightly as he hangs off of Katuski’s hip when he bends down. Izuku can’t help but press a big kiss to his son’s cheek when he’s set back on the ground. He touches the back of his hand to his forehead and frowns when it's still very warm. 

With their food plated up, they eat all together as a family, something they hadn’t done since Yui’s birthday in November. Yui manages two bites before shaking his head, a little frown set on his face that kicks Izuku’s instincts into overdrive. He knows he’s going to throw up before he even makes a sound. He quickly picks Yui up and rushes them to the bathroom where Yui manages to bring back up his dinner and his lunch. Izuku’s nose curls as he alternates between stroking Yui’s hair out his face and rubbing his back. The swirling in his gut makes Izuku nervous that he’s not too far behind Yui himself. Katsuki is there with a glass of water, eyes serious as he gently coaches Yui into taking two big sips. He tells Izuku to go rest, and Izuku is too tired to argue. 

Within the span of an hour, Yui is bathed, in fresh pajamas, and given a good tablespoon of a Red Riot themed fever reducer. Katsuki rouses Izuku from the couch, and spurs him into taking some as well. 

“Aw come on, this stuff is for kids.”

“Oh fuck that, don’t you trust him?” Katsuki points to the emblem of Eijirou cheesily giving a thumbs up on the bottle of medicine, and it makes Izuku laugh so hard that he ends up taking a spoonful anyway. He’s gently coaxed into taking a shower while Katsuki cleans up the kitchen. Izuku feels a bit like a fluffy sheep in a pen, mindlessly yielding to wherever Kacchan decides to herd him to. Soon enough he’s tucked into bed himself. The exhaustion catches up to him then, and he finds himself teetering between the edges of sleep and hazy consciousness as Kacchan comes into the bedroom they once shared.

“Thank you,” Izuku says to Kacchaan from under his thick duvet. 

“You don’t gotta thank me, nerd.” Kacchan settles a heated palm between Izuku’s shoulder blades, and he sighs in relief.

“Stop it,” Izuku grunts. Kacchan starts to pull back his hand but Izuku shakes his head. “Not that.”

“Stop what?” 

“Stop being so...” Izuku mutters. “I don’t know..” His voice trails off, and the blackness behind his eyes curtains his vision.

“Don’t know what, Izuku?” His hand is so warm. 

I don’t know what the hell you’re doing to me. 

The curtains draw tight. Sleep comes quickly. 

When they’re both 18, Kacchan asks Izuku to marry him. They’re propped up in his tiny twin bed, and Izuku's arms are still super sore from his afternoon PT session. He’s finally worked up the ability to hold a pencil without dropping it. He stares dully at the tiny gold ring in between Katsuki’s fingers.

“What?” Izuku asks for the second time, and then pinches the inside of his arm, because he must be knocked out if Kacchan just asked him to–

“Marry me, Izuku.” 

“Kacchan–” Izuku jolts back into reality. “Is this real?” Kacchan flicks his forehead with his pointer finger. 

“Yeah.” He says quietly. “I want us to get married.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” Izuku can already feel the impending eye roll from Kacchan as he begins to ramble all the answers he can think of. There’s an anxiety shaped dolphin doing backflips in his stomach right now. 

“Kacchan, we have no savings, we just graduated from school, we’ve only been–” Izuku’s mouth twisted into a frown and waved a hand between them “whatever this is for two months and–”

“Okay, okay, shut the fuck up and just listen to me, Izuku.” Kacchan grabs both of his hands in his own, the ring cold where it’s stuck between their palms. “I don’t give a crap about shitty labels or whatever. All I know is that I wanna be beside you for the rest of our lives, and this–” He slips the ring onto Izuku’s fourth finger. “Will let me be beside you, forever.” His red eyes pour into Izuku with an intensity he had never seen before. 

“Um,” Izuku says eloquently, “N-no.” Kacchan’s face twists into a more familiar scowl, he leans towards Izuku with a snarl, and Izuku has to gently push his face away with his hand. The dolphin of anxiety in Izuku’s stomach starts to calm down a little bit. This is what he’s used to, not that look in his eyes that Izuku can almost make out as–

“What did you just say to me?”

“I said no, Kacchan. Let me- let me think about it a little, at least!” Kacchan looks deeply betrayed. 

“Fine, have it your way.” Kacchan scoffs. He grabs Izuku’s hand and tugs the ring off of his finger before stuffing it back in his pocket. Then he’s pulling himself away from Izuku’s side and sliding off of the bed. And oooh the dolphin does not like that at all. 

“Kacchan, w-wait.” Izuku reaches out his aching hand to him, weakly gripping the back of his shirt. Kacchan stills, his shoulders tense and hiked up to his ears. He’s blushing, Izuku realizes. “Just let me think about it.” Kacchan’s shoulders drop an inch. He mumbles something that sounds like ‘what the hell is there to even think about’ but Izuku pretends not to hear it. 

“Okay.” He says gruffly, “But you better not avoid me, I’m gonna be real pissed if you do.” Izuku lets go of his shirt.

“Okay, Kacchan.” Izuku smiles, even though Katsuki doesn’t turn around when he leaves the room to see it. 

When the door gently shuts, Izuku immediately hobbles over to his desk and begins something that never fails to give him an adrenaline rush. He pulls out a brand new notebook, and excitedly runs his hand over the cover. He takes out a black pen and shakily writes the title over the front. He sits at his desk for hours, mulling over every detail his mind can comprehend. It takes him longer than usual with his aching hands, but he pushes through. He has 30 pages of bullet points, flow diagrams, and lengthy paragraphs, before he finally sighs and shuts the book. At one o’clock in the morning, his newest journal on “Reasons to Marry Kacchan” inconspicuously joins the other hero journals sitting on the shelf above his desk. 

When they’re both 19, they have a small ceremony in their hometown. Just their closest friends and families attend. Afterwards, they eat around one large table with all of their guests. Laughter comes from all ends of the table, and it fills Izuku with a rampant joy he hasn’t felt in a long time. The food is homemade, their suits are off the rack, and Kacchan's ring turns his finger green within a couple hours. They’re both grinning from ear to ear. Izuku can’t stop looking at his left hand. Kacchan had insisted on him having the nicer ring. It’s real gold, with a very tiny diamond in the center of the band, and Izuku loves it. He thinks it clashes a little awkwardly against the scars on his fingers, but he doesn't care too much.

They don’t have a honeymoon. Instead, the week after their wedding is spent lugging their clothes and other belongings into the studio apartment they’d found near Best Jeansist’s agency, and not too far from the university Izuku has been accepted to for an accelerated teaching program. It’s a simple space, but they find ways to make it work. Shouto stole a small wooden table from his father's house for them, and it now sits proudly in the center of their apartment.

They have to push back their couch to roll out the futons each night. Sometimes Kacchan comes home from work with no energy left to move it back. With some remaining strength from his embers, Izuku will slowly lift him down into the warm futon. 

They hang out with their friends, visit their parents once a month, meal prep their lunches and dinners, go on runs early in the morning, and fall asleep together each night. Izuku studies for his exams, and Kacchan puts in more hours than necessary as a sidekick.

It works. For a year or so. Until Izuku has a doctor’s appointment. He’d been sick for the past month, unable to keep anything down and falling asleep at any hour of the day. Kacchan’s foot is nervously tapping against the plastic hospital chair, and it's such a familiar sight that Izuku feels sick all over again. The room is dead silent when they get the news. Izuku’s two months and three weeks along. The fear feels unbearable, magnitudes deeper than when he found out he’d be quirkless again. How had he not known? He cries thinking about the beer he’d had last week when Denki came over. 

Kacchan is deathly silent, red eyes boring holes into the wall across from him. He doesn’t look at Izuku, just shakes the doctor’s hand, takes the pamphlets, and walks them to the metro. When they arrive home, Kacchan paces around the room. Izuku has a terrible, terrible vision of a wild animal locked in a cage, pacing and pacing and wanting to be free. Later that night, they’re both sitting at their small table and fiddling on their computers. Izuku tells Kacchan about the train ticket he’s booked to go back home in the morning. 

“I want to be with my mom,” He tells Kacchan. Kacchan nods his head sharply, and doesn’t look up from his computer screen. “Kacchan…” Izuku says softly, voice nearly pleading. “Talk to me.” Kacchan slowly raises his eyes up to meet Izuku’s, there’s a wet sheen over them. "Kacchan," Izuku says again.

"I thought—" Katsuki wipes a rough palm over his eyes, then huffs a small laugh. "Fuck, it's not funny." He takes a moment to gather himself, head hung over his knees and palms pressed over his eyes. "I was so fucking worried you had cancer or some shit." He raises his head back up to face Izuku's, and then says the seven words Izuku didn't know he'd been waiting to hear. "I'm so happy you're pregnant."

Kacchan's face morphes into shock when Izuku promptly bursts into tears— crocodile sized ones that slide down his face rapidly. He's scrambling over the side of the table to tackle Izuku into a hug, slipping a warm palm behind his neck to press their cheeks together.

"Kacchan," Izuku shifts his head and cries into his neck, "Kacchan, I was so nervous you were mad."

"Why would I be mad?" Kacchan says, all the gruffness absent from his voice. "Shit fucking happens." Izuku raises a hand to cup Kacchan's cheek, feeling overwhelmed with joy and fear and everything in between. Kacchan covers Izuku's hand with his own. "We'll get through this, Deku."

Izuku's never felt safer in his life.

Another train ticket is booked with Izuku's, and they make the trek back home to Musutafu the next morning. Inko is overjoyed to see them, despite the concern she'd voiced over the phone. Izuku is buzzing with nerves. He isn't exactly pumped to tell his mother that he's only dodged teen pregnancy by one year.

When they finally manage to sit down across from Inko with three cups of tea steaming in front of them, Izuku's knee is bouncing and his fingers are thrumming on the table.

"M-mom, Kacchan and I h-have—" Izuku winces, "we h-have something to…" His hands clench into fists. Kacchan sighs loudly, and covers Izuku's hand with his own over the table.

"Auntie, Izuku is pregnant. This— this isn't how we planned for things to go." His eyes glance to meet Izuku's. "But we, especially Izuku, really need your support now, he's a little under three months along."

Realistically, Izuku knows that this is his mother, the woman who would move mountains for him. The woman who put bandaids on his knees, and wiped away his tears, and always stayed at his bedside past visiting hours in the hospital. He tells himself that her disappointment is only out of concern for himself. And holy shit he only found out he was pregnant yesterday. It's not even been a full 24-hours for Kacchan and him to process it. And a large part of himself knows that he needed to see his mom because he didn't want to process this information without her.

So when Inko's smile drops from her face, and her hands curl in towards herself, Izuku braces for the worst.

"Have you been to a doctor yet?" Izuku opens his eyes. He hadn't even realized they were so tightly closed.

"W-we did, just yesterday. That's when we found out."

"Oh, honey, there's no need to cry." Izuku meets his mother's gaze and feels four years old again. "I'm here now, Izuku, don't you worry." Izuku stands up quickly from the table, rushing into a hug from his mother that makes him cry even harder. Another chair scrapes against the floor boards, and suddenly Kacchan is standing up, head and shoulders bowed over low with his fists at his side.

"Auntie, I want you to know that I take full responsibility for this, and promise to take care of Izuku and— and our baby with my life." Our baby. It was the first time Izuku heard Kacchan say the words out loud.

"Katsuki-kun, please stand up straight." She set a palm gently on his shoulder. "I- I had Izuku when I was young." It was something she had never really talked about with Izuku. "I never thought Izuku would go down that path as well, especially after…" After I had the chance to become a hero. "Even so, I know you two will give this your all." Inko claps Katsuki's shoulder hard. "You're going to go after this with that same fire in your hearts that pushes you to be the best." Katuski is wiping away tears from his eyes as Inko pulls him into a hug. God, they need some tissues.

Three cups of tea in the sink later, they're sitting around the living room as Inko diligently rattles off about major baby stuff. Izuku is perched on the couch, hand flying a mile a minute as he writes in his notebook, like he's in class. Prenatals, rest and light exercise, something called kiegels? Katsuki has never heard about half of the words she's saying in his entire life, which kinda makes him feel like he's gonna shit himself and then explode. At least Izuku's taking notes. God, Katsuki can't even imagine being in his shoes, having to actually carry the baby.

They'd talked about this, once, a little after they got married. Izuku had a shy look on his face as he talked about preferring to have just one child instead of multiple. One day, they'd said, smiling softly like fucking idiots. Well, an expired pack of condoms later and today was number fucking one. The door rings and Katsuki rises to answer it. His parents storm in almost immediately, barely taking off their shoes before his mom starts hounding on him.

"Who the hell sends a text like that? You had us scared shitless." Maybe his choice of words was a little harsh, just a simple "Come to Inko's, it's urgent." but he didn't have it in him to care right now. "Somebody better be fucking dying."

"Calm down, ma, and lower your fucking voice." He scuffed his socked toe against the ground. It felt weird being in a position like this with his parents as an adult. "I got something to tell you both, and you might wanna sit down."

"Katsuki, is everything okay?" His father's gentle eyes were tinged with concern as they made their way towards the living room.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's okay, no one's hurt," Katsuki says as they reach the doorway to the living room, Izuku and Inko standing up to greet his parents with timid smiles on their faces.

"God, don't tell us Izuku is knocked up or something." Izuku and his mother both clam up. Izuku looks fucking constipated as he glances back and forth between Katsuki and Mitsuki.

"Yeah, he's knocked up." Katsuki answers bluntly, and Izuku facepalms himself roughly. Mitsuki starts laughing, a hand over her stomach as she pats Katsuki's shoulder.

"That's a good one, brat. Now really, what…" She slowly stills as she realizes no one else is laughing. Her face quickly morphs from confusion to anger. "Are you fucking kidding me, he's pregnant?" She lightly smacks the back of her hand over the top of his head. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Auntie! Auntie, it's okay, please don't blame him. We- we're happy." Katsuki meets Izuku's gaze from across the room, and can't help but grin when he sees Izuku's teary smile.

"You're really— you're happy for this?" His mother asks sincerely. Katsuki nods, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we are." He lets out an oof as his mother wraps him into a massive hug. Katsuki hugs her back, and feels like he just got off the Kingda Ka of emotions. Rest in peace, Kingda Ka.

The truth is, they are happy. Last night, before falling asleep. Katsuki had heard a pathetic sniffle from the other side of the bed. He'd pulled Izuku to his chest, and asked him the same question.

"Izuku, will you be happy if we have this baby?" Izuku shifted in his arms, turning around to face Katsuki.

"What about your career? How will we have the time?"

"That's not what I asked."

"Kacchan, I…"

"Baby, just tell me. Whatever you choose, I'm your husband. Through better or fucking worse, right?" Izuku had laughed wetly, and fisted his hands in Katsuki's sleep shirt. Warmth flooded through his heart at the words. Kacchan is really his husband. A year later and it still took his breath away. It took him another two minutes to properly answer him.

"Yes, I'll be happy if we have this baby."

"We're gonna be the best fucking parents ever." Izuku had laughed into his neck and Katsuki wrapped his arms around him to pull him closer. The fear dissipated for a short moment then, and Izuku stoutly made his choice. Katsuki knew then that this decision would inexplicably change their lives forever, but part of him selfishly wanted to enter this new phase with Izuku. To nurture a life made from their love and watch them grow

They stay at Inko's for the whole weekend, discussing plans and different arrangements with their parents. There was a whole shit ton to think about and consider. Katsuki feels like he should give a lot more credit to his parents.

With some reluctant financial help from their parents, they get a new apartment with real bedrooms, in-unit laundry, and a view of the city. Katsuki almost teared up after their first load of whites. At a small house-warming party, they tell their friends.

Katsuki is thumped on the back one too many times while Izuku is shrouded in a million hugs by the other Omegas.

"Shit man, you guys are really doing this?" Kirishima asks, shark teeth fully on display in a grin.

"Yeah, we are." Katsuki says, glancing over to Izuku where he's trapped between Denki and Uraraka.

"I'm really proud of you guys, being a dad is so manly!" Kirishima claps him on the shoulder and Katsuki uses that as an opportunity to pivot them so his back is to the rest of the room. Kirishima's face morphs into shock as he sees Katsuki's expression.

"I'm actually scared shitless." He whispers harshly as he grips Kirishima's shoulders. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this shit, but I don't wanna make him upset." The him is currently catching popcorn in his mouth being thrown from Denki across the room, hand resting on his barely visible bump and completely oblivious to Katsuki's current state of panic. God bless him.

"Dude— dude, chill out!" Katsuki's stares at him deadpan. "You're right, it's scary as hell. But you guys have been through so much together, a baby is like nothing compared to that! Right?" Katsuki continues to stare at him, and sighs loudly through his nose. Giving up, he slings a beer back and wraps and arm around Kirishima's shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah." He decides to put off his fears until the kid is actually here. Which in hindsight actually sounds like a terrible fucking idea. But Izuku's got enough anxiety to last them a lifetime, so Katsuki figures if he just remains calm and rolls with the fucking heart-stopping punches of adult life, then it'll kinda be fine.

Their son is born on a cold November morning. It was eerily silent in the car ride to the hospital at 4am, and Izuku was eerily silent. He didn't utter a single word besides common greetings and yes/no's at the check in desk. No muttering when they got him into a room, no questions when the doctor came in and they prepared him for the C-section. Katsuki ended up being the one muttering his head off as he fluffed pillows, got cups of ice chips, and religiously suited himself up in PPE. He could tell Izuku was nervous, but there was a strange hint to it, similar to how he looked when facing off with Shigaraki. It's a battle of another kind. Mitsuki had said to him once, when Izuku went through a really bad spell of heat flashes and inflammation. Now, Katsuki truly understood the meaning of those words. Izuku was preparing himself for the battle of becoming a father.

Katsuki held his hand the whole time with Inko peering over his shoulder.

When their son emerged, a crying, tiny thing with small tufts of blond hair, Izuku spoke. The energy of the whole room shifted when that first cry was heard. Katsuki had never heard a better sound in his entire life.

"Hi there," Izuku said gently, as the nurse brought their son around the curtain barrier and up to Izuku's face. He gently touched their son's cheek with a weak hand. "Kacchan, he looks just like you!" Katsuki laughed, squeezing Izuku's other hand as he got a good glance at their baby.

"He's perfect," He whispered to Izuku, "Our little champ." Tears silently fell down Katsuki's face. Holy shit, he's so fucking happy right now. The nurses passes their son over to Katsuki. He's swaddled in a tiny blanket, little arms waving about as he screams his head off. "Heh, I get that way when I'm away from Deky too." He takes in all the little features of his baby. The soft slope of his nose, the faint eyelashes that Katsuki thinks could be as long as Deku's one day, the squint in his forehead.

And oh man the tears do not stop coming. November 13th becomes the best day of Katsuki and Izuku's lives. Izuku's shivering as he comes down from the epidural, and seems to finally let all the tension out of his body as he takes a fat nap. During that time his parents and Toshinori come in to see their kid. Katsuki goes through two bottles of hand sanitizer before each of them get their turn holding him.

"Have you decided a name?" Inko asks, smiling gently at the baby in her arms.

"Yui," Izuku croaks gently from the bed, slowly emerging from sleepiness. "His name is Bakugou Yui."

"Such a nice name," Inko says softly. Katsuki thinks Izuku could've said they were naming him Potato Johnson and she'd still say the same thing with that smile on her face.

Bakugou Yui. Their little bundle of harmony.

Izuku wakes up, and it's wayyy too light outside. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he blearily checks his phone to see the time. Blinking, he checks it again. Then he's flying out of bed and stumbling into the hallway. He immediately goes to his son's room and sees that it's empty. Perplexed by the lack of noise in the house, fear immediately sinks in his gut.

He peels into the living room, and his stomach swoops in relief at the sight of Kacchan sitting at the table with Yui, eating breakfast.

Katsuki raises a brow at him, and Izuku bends over to let out a deep sigh.

"I forgot you stayed over." Katsuki pats the seat next to him, pushing forward a covered plate that reveals scrambled eggs, rice, and some tomatoes.

"Thank you for the meal." Izuku says as he digs in. With Yui still sporting a light fever, its uncharacteristically quiet that morning. Izuku sips on some coffee that presented in front of him, and scrolls through the news. He and Katsuki start talking about a new medical device that's popped up in the headlines, and Yui picks at some cut up fruit. This is nice. Izuku thinks, and tries to vanish the thought. This is what you could've had, all this time. That evil voice in his head says. Izuku hates that voice. Because it reminds him of everything before.

The fighting isn't bad at first. Izuku and Katsuki have been fighting their whole lives, physically and verbally. But around the time Yui was three and a half, it gets really bad.

Izuku's never chalked up Katsuki pulling extra hours to anything nefarious. He's climbing his way to Number One, so a couple 24-hour call shifts a week don't seem like something out of the ordinary. But then Izuku sees it on his phone, a groupchat with a lot of their friends on it, with a name he definitely hasn't heard of before. He's never once in the entirety of their relationship felt the need to look through Katsuki's phone. But it was the name of the groupchat that makes him pick it up immediately.

No.1 Hero Deku's Fan Chat sits in bolded font at the top of Katsuki's notifications. Izuku breathes deeply and types in the password. 13-11-2XXX. His hands clam up a little from fear and from guilt. He doesn't hide anything from Katsuki, and it's only going to be a couple minutes until he comes out of the shower. He opens the groupchat, and is immediately perplexed at what he's reading. A funding balance, blueprints, and a bunch of other words he can't make out through the sheen of his tears.

All of the conversations he'd had with Katsuki over the years feel in vain. So much comfort and soft-spoken words about how having a quirk didn't define him, that he could be a hero in more ways than working for an agency. At the heart of it all, there's always that underlying inkling in Izuku's gut that tells him it will never be enough. But he'd been through it at four years old, and is strong enough to get through it in his twenties. Or so he thinks. Because knowing that Kacchan, who's the main reassurance of all his fears and anguish, thinks he needs to be a hero again, has been spending hundreds of thousands of yen on this belief without telling him, makes Izuku nauseous. Katsuki comes out of the shower, towel around his neck and some joke playing on his tongue until he catches the sight of Izuku's face, and his sleek black phone in Izuku's hands.

"A suit?" Izuku asks, dejected. Katsuki's face falls, and he's rushing over to meet Izuku, prying the phone out of his hands to see what he's looking at. Katsuki looks nervous, an emotion Izuku isn't used to seeing, and it freaks him out even more. "What is this, Kacchan?" His voice is pathetically croaky.

"I— I can explain." Katsuki's hands are raised in a placating manner. "It was gonna be a surprise." He tells him about the plans, about working with Hatsume to perfectly replicate One for All and the quirks of the successors. He tells him that all his friends knew, that they did this to make him happy. Izuku's fists are clenched as he exhales sharply through his nose.

"Is that— did you do this because you can't—" Izuku's gasping pathetically as tears roll down his face. Articulate, Izuku, fucking articulate. He tells himself. "Because you think I'm only worthy by your side with a quirk?" Katsuki's eyes warp into anger.

"Are you kidding me? You think I did all this shit because I think you're worthless? News flash, it's actually the fucking opposite."

"You told me I was a great teacher! That this didn't define me!" Izuku pleads, he feels like he's going insane. Like he's been married to someone living a double life.

"And it doesn't! But cut the crap, Izuku, we all know you still want to be a hero. You watch the news every day with that sad fucking look on your face. I thought you'd be grateful."

"Grateful?" Izuku shakes his head as he backs away from Katsuki. "You've been lying to me for years." Katsuki looks a little guilty at that. "I've made my decision in life, I decided that this was right for me. Meanwhile you've been lying and working overtime and spending time away from Yui for something I had absolutely no part in!"

"Oh don't pull that shit with me. Time away from Yui? Are you fucking kidding me?" Katsuki's voice rises, and Izuku glances quickly to the hallway that holds the room where their son is sleeping. "Sorry, Deku, but I've been a fucking amazing father."

"I didn't say you weren't." Izuku wishes he could argue without crying. "I just wish you told me first!"

"You never would've accepted this, that's why I wanted to surprise you!"

"Well that really backfired, didn't it, Kacchan. Have you ever considered why I wouldn't have accepted it?"

"Because you've given up!" Katsuki yells. He seems to immediately regret the words as they leave his mouth. But the words have already sunk deep into Izuku, biting at him with that itchy feeling that thinks Kacchan doesn't mean what he says when he's comforting him.

"I have?"

"No— Izuku—"

"If I've given up, then what use is it?" Izuku sees the quiver in Kacchan's mouth, knows that he probably didn't mean it. But that doesn't stop him. "A quirkless husband wasn't good enough for you, right? Especially one that gave up."

"Why the fuck would you even say—"

"You can't help but want the old Izuku back, right? Because this one isn't as exciting, because he can't fight next to you. So you have to fucking fix it, right?" Izuku's hyperventilating a little bit. He doesn't believe half the things coming out of his mouth. God, he doesn't even want to believe them, he's just so angry.

"That's not it at all! Stop putting words in my goddamn mouth."

"Then tell me you'd be happy if I was a teacher for the rest of our lives. Tell me that, Kacchan." Kacchan's head bows over, mouth set into an awfully thin line. He's quiet, and Izuku's heart is breaking.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Izuku." He says gently. Izuku scoffs. "I mean— yes, I was lying to you— about the suit, but I'm not going to lie about this." He steps forward, and Izuku steps back. "I know your potential, Izuku, I know you wouldn't be happy being a teacher forever." Izuku shakes his head. And says four words that he'll end up regretting for the rest of his life.

"I want a divorce." Katsuki's mouth drops open, and he's scrambling forward again, Izuku backs away further, moving into the living room as Katsuki reaches out for his shoulders.

"No— what the fuck?" Katsuki grips him desparetely. "A divorce? How can you say that?" Katsuki's crying.

"If you're not happy with the life we've built, then I don't want us to be together anymore," Izuku says stubbornly. "You've been lying for years," Izuku says again, tears sticky on his face. "I feel like I don't even know who you are, Kacchan."

"We'll— we'll work through this, Izuku, but don't tell me you want a divorce, please." His voice cracks at the end, and Izuku wants nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and tell him he was lying, that he wants to honor their vows and stay married for the rest of their lives like they promised. But the heartbreak and betrayal is so painful in his chest.

"Okay, l-let's think about it." Katsuki doesn't look any less upset by that answer, but seems to accept it as he hugs Izuku. He cries into Izuku's neck and whispers apologies that Izuku doesn't think he means. Izuku sleeps on the couch that night. Though the word sleep is a bit of an exaggeration. He lies awake running through every strange interaction with Kacchan and their friends that he'd brushed off over the years. He thinks about his life as a teacher, on the sidelines to a world he'd been able to reach for a sweet, short moment. He thinks about Yui.

The next month is tense. Izuku and Katsuki operate more as awkward roomates than as husbands. They only really talk about Yui. They focus on taking care of him and keeping him oblivious to their problems. Their three-year old is assertive though, and will smack his hands on Izuku's cheeks like he wants him to wake up from the nightmare they've entered. Izuku talks to Ochaco and Shouto for hours at a time. He's made at them too, but in a different way. They didn't put the ring on his finger and promise forever.

On the day Izuku accepts the suit, a couple months later, they sign the divorce papers. They're both crying. Katsuki holds his hand as they pen their names over the tiny black line. Katsuki moves into a new apartment down the street. And Yui, their poor Yui, is so confused why saying hello to Papa mean's saying goodbye to Daddy. Their son cries a lot. Izuku feels evil, despicable and awful. But he's done a lot of research, he knows that the silence is better than the yelling, and that this will be better for him long term.

Their friends are very confused. It's the first time Izuku has ever seen Kirishima get angry at him. But when he tells them everything. That it's the principle of it, of the lying and fighting and decisions made without his input, they somewhat come around. He still hangs out with Katsuki. They run together once a week. He helps Izuku adjust to the suit and learn all of its features. They swing Yui between their hands as they drop him off at their parents' house. Katsuki drops everything when Izuku's washing machine floods their apartment to come over and help. Izuku is the first hero at the scene when Kacchan gets KO'd in a fight. There are so many fundamental aspects of their relationship that remain the same. But so many things change too.

Izuku's not used to falling asleep alone every night. He texts Kacchan five times a day at minimum, but not with the same cadence he used to. He feels like he's going through the biggest loss in his life, and he can't talk about it with the one person who he used to share everything with. And the guilt. God, Izuku knows he made the right decision, or he kinda thinks he did. But he can't stop the guilt from ebbing through everytime Yui asks in that little voice where Daddy is, when Mitsuki can't look him in the eyes, and when he overhears Sero telling Shouto that Izuku's being a little selfish. He misses Katsuki like a limb, which is insane because they still spend about 40% of their time together. It's grueling, and painful. Especially when Izuku's flying in his suit, doing search and rescue and apprehending villains. And it feels amazing and right. But it's also the reason his engagement ring sits in his nightstand instead of on his finger. And sometimes it feels like it's killing him.

However, like Kacchan promised, they make it work. They alternate having Yui based on their hero schedules, which ends up meaning they swap every two or three days. They're cordial to one another. They have polite small talk on their morning runs, are able to have civil conversations about work and hero news, and Izuku cordially kisses Kacchan's cheek when he sees him.

It's burning him alive.

About five months into this bullshit of a divorce, Katsuki decides he's gonna win Izuku back. It killed him seeing Izuku heartbroken like that, like Katsuki had torn apart any inkling of trust or self confidence Izuku had in him. He can barely meet Inko's eyes when he picks up Yui from her house alone.

Katsuki had promised her he'd take care of him, and now he's gone and fucked everything up. It had taken a lot of patience, time, and energy to work through the internal battle of admitting he'd gone about things in the wrong way. Izuku didn't believe that he was worthy without a quirk, and Katsuki had to change that.

He starts by toning it down a bit with hero work, not enough to come close to dropping a rank, but enough that it doesn't consume 95% of the space in his head. He learns how to fucking knit. He hangs out more with his friends, teaches Yui how to ride a tricycle, and starts baking. He starts going to therapy regularly again with anger management classes twice a week. He'd stopped when Yui was born, mostly because of time and a little bit because it was easier emotionally to focus on their baby than it was to think about all the shit he still had inside. He focuses on anger management, calling onto all the ways to manage his emotions instead of stuffing it all down until it explodes.

He starts giving Izuku loaves of banana bread he made, and claims he just made too much. By the third loaf, Izuku's inviting him in for tea so he can listen to Yui's recount of his day at school. Katsuki takes it as a win. On one of their weekly runs, he opens up to Izuku about his anger management classes. Izuku looks pleasantly surprised.

"It's not just because of the shit with us," Katsuki says, sweat dripping down his temple.

"I know, Kacchan." Izuku says, and he gives him a soft smile that Katsuki hasn't seen in a couple months.

Phase 2 starts with Katsuki being a little overtly honest with Izuku. He almost over-communicates his feelings to Izuku. I'm pissed cause I got tripped by a Villain and then Yui spilled a bunch of yogurt in his backpack. I hate that so many people still can't move past the war. I started volunteering at a community center for the quirkless. That one stops Izuku in his tracks, hands hovering over the laundry he was folding. Katsuki offhandedly mentions it as he's dropping Yui off for the night. A tear drips onto a sock. And Katsuki is sliding on his knees to meet Izuku on their laundry room floor.

"H-hey, did I say something fucked up? Tell me, Izuku."

"N-no." Izuku wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie, "That's amazing Kacchan, I'm so proud of you." Katsuki preens.

"They do shit like intramural volleyball games and other crap, you should come sometime." Izuku is nodding, thumbing over the tiny Dynamight themed sock in his hands.

"Okay, Kacchan." His smile is so bright.

It takes a couple days for Yui to get better, and they reluctantly have to leave him with their parents while they return to hero work. Something shifted that night that Izuku can't place his finger on. He doesn't know how much longer he can go on ignoring the signs that Katsuki is kinda flirting with him. Roses aren't platonic, right?

They walk into the agency together, and Izuku ignores the googly eyes from Shouto when Katsuki places a hand on his back as they get in the elevator. Shouto is loudly slurping on a smoothie as the elevator rides up to their floor. And Katsuki looks like he's about to bark at him, but doesn't, to Izuku's surprise.

When Izuku gets to his desk, he's shocked by another bouquet. Twenty more orange roses sit in a vase. He turns to Katsuki accusingly.

"What is this, Kacchan?" He asks. He wants to feel angry for some reason, but can't help the smile on his face as he gives them a sniff.

"Happy valentines day, nerd." Katsuki says, grinning. Izuku hadn't even known it was today. It was the first one they were spending not as a couple. But it was also somehow the first valentines that Katsuki bought him roses.

"Thanks, Kacchan," He says softly, "I uh— didn't get you anything."

"Don't worry about that," Katsuki says gruffly, and then quieter he says, "You gave me Yui, that's a gift to last a lifetime." Izuku blushes, taken aback by the frank display of Katsuki's emotions. He abruptly wraps Katsuki into a hug, and feels the tall Alpha slowly melt into his embrace. They're hugging like they haven't in a year, and it feels so warm.

"Ahem," Their secretary says from across the room, and they bounce apart. Izuku flips on his pager and gives Katsuki a small smile.

They work through their shift, and silently part ways at the end of the night. Izuku can almost feel a physical tether that pulls him to Katsuki. Izuku doesn't have Yui tonight, and lets himself watch an old All Might documentary to cheer himself up. He thinks and thinks and thinks about all the changes he's seen in the past six months with Katsuki and himself. He thinks maybe he was too quick to judge Kacchan's intentions with the suit, and sees the love and affection Katsuki has afforded him despite Izuku being the one to initiate their split.

"You're so blind." Shouto says over facetime. His cat, Miyu, is curled around his shoulders and his voice is a little droopy from the edible he took. "He wants to be with you, Izuku."

"It's too late for that," Izuku says solemnly. "It's only been a year since we got divorced, I don't wanna get in over my head on his intentions."

"Izuku, c'monnn." Shouto drawls. "He bites anyone else's head off for even looking at you too long."

"That's just Kacchan being territorial—"

"He doesn't look at anyone the way he looks at you, Izuku." Shouto pets Miyu's head gently. "And besides, I'm getting tired of this whole rat race you guys have. I miss playing 3v3 Minecraft bedwars with you guys." Izuku huffs a laugh through his nose.

"Yeah, me too." He says, glancing at a picture of him and Katsuki with Yui when he was about seven months old. "Wanna play 2v2's right now?"

"Sure." They lose spectacularly. "Bakugou was always the best at PVP."

"Shoutoooo," Izuku whines. He's right though.

He's reading Yui a bedtime story the next day, when his son asks him the question.

"When is Daddy gonna live here again?" He's voiced this a couple of times through the divorce, and Izuku always has a hard time finding a steady answer.

"I told you, sweetheart, Daddy and Papa don't live together anymore."

"But why?" Yui pleads, in the tone that means he'll probably ask why at least five more times no matter what Izuku says.

"Because we had to make a very important adult decision."

"But whyy?" Yui asks again, tugging on his arm. "Why, papa?" Izuku frowns deeply, and pulls his son closer to his side.

"I'm sorry, Yui, it's just the way things are gonna be for now."

"I miss Daddy!"

"I know, sweetheart, I miss him too."

"Then why can't we go see him?" Izuku hummed quietly as he tried to calm Yui down.

"We can't right now, I'm sorry. What if we call him?" That perks Yui up, and Izuku is hitting the call button in a second. Katsuki's photo flashes over the screen, and the call picks up before he can blink. He tries to not think about the butterflies in his stomach at that.

"Daddy!" Yui chirps, "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, champ. What's going on?" Katsuki's voice echoes through the phone, a little concerned. "Is your papa there?"

"I'm here, Kacchan. Yui misses you a little bit."

"Daddy, when can you come here?" Yui whines, grabbing the phone out of Izuku's hands and tugging it towards his face. Izuku can hear the cogs turning in Katsuki's head as he navigates an answer.

"I'm gonna hang out with you tomorrow, remember? With Grandpa too." Izuku already had it penciled in on his calendar that Masaru and Katsuki were taking Yui to go snowboarding tomorrow.

"But Papa won't be there…" Yui grumbled.

"You're gonna have a lot of fun with Daddy, tomorrow, Yui. You loved snowboarding the last time, remember?"

"I don't wanna!"

"C'mon, champ, I got your cool board and everything, it's gonna be awesome."

"No! No, no, no!" Yui whines, and Izuku sighs as he realizes his son is going into full tantrum mode.

"Yui, you know better than to talk to your father like that," He gently chides, stroking the back of Yui's head. Yui pulls away from him harshly, huffing angrily.

"I don't wanna go! Why can't Papa come?"

"I told you honey, tomorrow is your day with Daddy. Papa is gonna go to work tomorrow." Yui mumbled something under his breath gruffly. "Use your big words, Yui," Izuku says. Yui crosses his arms and turns away from Izuku.

"I said I hate you!" He yells. Izuku's heart breaks a little in his chest.

"YUI!" Katsuki's voice barks through the phone. Izuku's heart breaks even more when his son flinches. Katsuki never yells at him. "Don't you ever say that to your father again, do you understand me?" Yui doesn't listen however, as big tears fall down his face. He swipes them away angrily and is scrambling out of the bed before Izuku can say anything. He runs to the bathroom in the hallway and Izuku hears the door weakly slam shut before tiny sobs start to echo through the door.

"Kacchan…" Izuku says weakly. "He didn't mean it."

"I know."

"I think he's confused— about us."

"I know, Izuku." The air is silent between them for a few moments. Izuku lets Yui calm down in the bathroom for a few minutes. "I'm on my way now." He startles at that, looking down at the phone incredulously.

"Are you sure, Kacchan? You guys have a big day tomorrow."

"I'll stay over at your place tonight, I just wanna talk to him."

"Okay, Kacchan." Izuku brings over Yui's favorite blanket to the bathroom, silently opening the door to see his son curled on the floor, face ruddy with tears tracking down his cheeks. Izuku wraps him in the soft blanket and pulls him onto his lap, rocking him gently back and forth.

"I love you, Yui, it's alright." Yui sniffs as he presses his nose into Izuku's shirt.

"Why can't Papa and Daddy be around all the time?" He asks quitely, voice croaky. Izuku doesn't say anything, he just keeps rocking him until he hears the front door click open. Katsuki finds them like that in the bathroom. And he's gently taking Yui from Izuku's arms and bringing him back to his bed.

Izuku stays outside the bedroom within earshot as he listens to Katsuki tuck Yui back into bed.

"I never told you why Papa and Daddy don't live together anymore, did I?"

"Adult stuff." Yui says, and Izuku already knows he's sticking out his tongue saying it.

"Yeah, adult stuff. But I guess I can tell you a little bit, huh?" Izuku hears Yui sit upright in the bed and the springs dip as Katsuki settles next to him. "When you love someone, Yui, you want them to be happy, right?" Izuku presses his hand to his chin as Katsuki continues. "Well, Papa and Daddy thought that all of us would be happier, if Papa and Daddy weren't married anymore."

"I don't get it," Yui says. "That makes no freaking sense!"

"Hey, language." Katsuki chides, but there's no bite to it. "I know it's confusing. But Daddy hurt Papa's feelings." Izuku's stomach drops a little bit hearing that. "And if Daddy stayed here with Papa, it would hurt him even more."

"Why didn't you just say sorry?" Yui asks.

"I'm working on it," Katsuki says, "Your Papa doesn't know it yet, but Daddy's gonna give him a nice apology."

"When?"

"When he's ready for it."

"You're making no sense again, Daddy."

"I know, champ."

"If you say sorry, will you come back here to live with us?"

"I guess that's up to your Papa." Izuku gasps, and accidentally stubs his toe on the wall as he trips forward.

"Papa's listening!" Yui whines urgently, "He's right there!"

"I know," Katsuki says warmly, and Izuku awkwardly creaks open the door to face his little family.

"Papa, sit over here!" Yui says excitedly, "Daddy's gonna say sorry!" Katsuki face palms gently, but Izuku's already walking over to the bed to slide next to Yui's other side. Hugging his son from the side, he smiles at Kacchan knowing his son put him in between a rock and a hard place.

"You have something to tell me, Kacchan?" Izuku lilts.

"Yeah, I do." He flits his eyes to Yui's excited face. "But not right now." Yui sags into Izuku's side, grumbling again.

"Adults are so weird."

"I know, I know," Katsuki says. He strokes a hand over Yui's back as he makes eye contact with Izuku. "We're just a couple of weirdos, right?"

"Totally," Izuku says, laughing under his breath.

"What's so funny?" Yui asks, peaking up through his blond curls at Izuku. Izuku gently pokes his fingers in Yui's side to tickle him. Yui giggles as he tries to bat away Izuku's hands. Katsuki joins in too, grinning. "Its not fair!" Yui says through his giggles. He pokes Izuku in his side as revenge and Izuku yelps, laughing.

Ten minutes later, Izuku tells Yui it's time for bed, and Katsuki and Izuku say goodnight together. They're both getting ready for bed themselves when Izuku grabs the sleeve of Kacchan's pajama shirt.

"Kacchan, will you stay in my room tonight?" He asks slowly, anxiety thrumming in his veins a little bit. He doesn't know what spurred him to ask this so suddenly, but he doesn't wanna sleep a wall apart from Kacchan after hearing all of the things he said to Yui.

"Yeah." Kacchan agrees. He looks a little surprised at the request, but doesn't question it.

They brush their teeth next to eachother silently, and close up the apartment. They climb into Izuku's bed together. Izuku rolls over to face Kacchan, and finds his husband already flipped towards Izuku's side of the bed.

"I'm sorry, Izuku," Katsuki whispers. "I'm sorry for everything."

"I'm sorry too, Kacchan," Izuku whispers back. "When you told Yui you'd say it later, I didn't think you meant now."

"Me neither," Katsuki admits, "But I'm trying to be better about this shit— about being honest to you."

"I know you have," Izuku replies. He slowly reaches out his hand between them, warmth flooding his heart when Kacchan grasps it immediately and pulls their clasped hands to his chest.

"I have a lot more I wanna tell you, but I got a lot of shit to finish first."

"Like getting me more flowers?" Izuku teases. "You really didn't have to do so much, same with all the other presents."

"Shut up, yes I did." Katsuski rubs his thumb over Izuku's knuckles. "I had to make you understand."

"Understand?"

"I had to show you that I'm gonna win you back."

"Kacchan…"

"I know— I know. But we made vows that day, Izuku," Kacchan whispers, squeezing his hand. "You don't have to say yes, but just let me show you."

"You've shown me so much, Kacchan. The- the quirkless center, and that scarf you knit my mom, and the gifts! It's been a little overwhelming, honestly."

"Good, cause I'm trying to sweep you off your feet."

"So cheesy, Kacchan." They're silent for a moment, besides Izuku's alarm clock ticking on the bedside table. Izuku slowly sits up, and reaches for the drawer under the nightstand. He pulls out the tiny engagement ring, and turns back to face Kacchan. Katsuki's eyes widen at the little ring. Izuku hands it to him slowly and then stretches out his left hand. "I know why you did all that stuff," Izuku says, "I just wish we could've gotten here without me having to make that mistake." Tears well in his eyes and Katsuki sits up to level with him.

"Izuku—"

"It was the biggest mistake of my life," Izuku cries silently, "I wish— I wish I had just given it time, and maybe— maybe we could've progressed anyway." Katsuki hugs him gently, the ring smushed between his palm and Izuku's back.

"I'm sorry, I let it happen too, I should've fought harder—"

"No, no— I would've been more upset if you did, it's…" Izuku sniffs, arms trapped between his chest and Katsuki's. "It was my decision at the end of the day."

"You were making a decision with Yui in mind."

"I thought he'd be okay," Izuku says weakly, "I thought we could make it our new normal." He presses his nose into Katsuki's shoulder. "I thoguht he'd be happier this way."

"Izuku, are you happier this way?" Katsuki asks. Izuku doesn't say anything, and shakes his head against Kacchan's shoulder. He's shivering all over. "Oh, baby, don't gimme that, c'mon." Katsuki's rubbing his back now with his warm hands. "You're not happy?" Izuku shrugs, thinking about all the nights he spent alone this year. How he felt happiest when there were three souls in this apartment instead of one.

"I don't know.. I don't know, Kacchan," He admits honestly. "Are you?"

"I'm happy when you and Yui are happy." Izuku sighs deeply, and leans back to face him. Katsuki slowly takes his left hand, and slides the ring on his finger. "Izuku," he says seriously. "I want to be your husband again." Katsuki's fingers curl around his own. "I want to fall asleep in this bed and wake up with you every morning." Izuku's crying harder now. His tear ducts deserve a week of PTO at this point. "I wanna hear about your day, everyday, even if we spent it all together."

"Kacchan, that doesn't even make sense." Izuku laughs wetly as he wipes his eyes.

"You're sounding like Yui, now," Katsuki mirths. "Don't answer me now, just think about it."

"Okay, Kacchan, I will." Izuku feels lighter with the ring back on his finger. As he and Kacchan fall asleep, a heavy arm draped over his waist, Izuku knows he's already made his choice. Kacchan's already showed him so much, Izuku thinks it's time he showed him too.

The next day, before Yui and Kacchan are awake, Izuku goes to his closet. He pulls out a slightly worn book from a box in the bottom. He hides it discretely in his bag, and once in their office strategically places it on Kacchan's desk with a single rose. It's from the bouquet Kacchan got him- but reduce-reuse-recycle. 

When Kacchan turns into his office, out of breath and wondering Izuku decided to take off running halfway on their route to work, Izuku's surprise is complete. He lets Kacchan read the Reasons to Marry Kacchan journal, watches him attentively flip through the pages and sees the understanding flit across his face. He reaches the last few pages, which are newer entries, and a triumphant grin splays on his face. When Katsuki presses his hands to Izuku's cheeks, and kisses him gently on the mouth, Izuku hopes he's showed him enough. 

Yui is 18, and he can barely remember that weird year as a kid, when he didn't see his parents in the same room very often. He just graduated from the support course at UA, and is about to start university at one of the biggest poly-technical institutes in Tokyo on a grant-funded scholarship. His parents take him to the beach to celebrate with all of his friends and couple of their own. His parents' friends have a couple of their own brats now, who all annoyingly act like Yui is their oldest sibling.

"Pa, enough with the goddamn pictures," He snaps as his father takes the fifteenth shot of him holding Auntie Mina's youngest kid. Naoko smacks his arm with a chubby fist, a sunhat that's basically twice the size of her hitting the side of his face.

"Oi, be nice." His dad barks, busy putting sunscreen on Uncle Shouto's back. Half and half doesn't know skincare if it smacked him on the ass. He'd said before. His parents are so goddamn weird. Yui thinks. At least his friends were semi-exposed to their weirdness when his parents came to guest lecture at UA, so they didn't really comment on it much.

They spend the day swimming and playing volleyball, and grill some meat on a portable stove. After swimming for a while, Yui joins his parents where they're sitting on a large towel, his dad's arm slung over his Pa's shoulder. Yui plops next to his Pa, accepting the bowl of cut up fruit and bottle of water that's passed to him.

"Hey, you guys got married around this time— when you were my age, yeah?" He asks around a piece of watermelon. His Pa looks over at him, a little bemused at the question.

"Why, do you have something to tell us?" Izuku jests. Yui was single, and he liked to keep it that way, so he scoffed at the question.

"You better not have something to tell us, you're way too fucking young," His dad gruffs.

"Nah, nah. I was just thinking about it, you guys were really young, you know?" He pokes around the fruit in the bowl, and glances at his parents. "It's just surprising— I can't imagine getting married right now, and having it last so long." His Pa gives him a gentle smile. "Not to be cynical or whatever."

"We got divorced when you were five." Yui drops the fruit bowl in his lap.

"Kacchan!"

"What?"

"Kacchan, you can't just blurt it out like that." Yui's mind is reeling. His entire life he'd only seen his parents as having a loving, supportive relationship. They were almost disgustingly glued at the hip. He couldn't imagine them choosing to get a divorce. "Yui, do you remember when you were five, and Dad lived in that other apartment?" The memories were a little fuzzy to him, but he could kinda remember that other apartment, with a slightly smaller living room and lower ceilings. He nods slowly.

"You guys broke up? For like a year?"

"Yeah, we did."

"Why? Why did you…"

"It's a long story," His dad answers. "We'll tell you another time. Today is about you, champ." Yui's not taking that answer for shit.

"But how did you guys get back together?" His parents give eachother a look.

"We had to grow up," His Pa replies, "And I had to let your dad show me something."

"God, please don't let that be an innuendo." His dad reaches over to smack him on the upside of his head.

"Just take our word for it, kid. Shit worked out, didn't it? So don't dwell on it." Yui rubs the back of his head and turns back to the ocean. He would've never guessed his parents went through all of that.

But whatever it was his Dad showed his Pa, it must've been something really meaningful.