Chapter Text
Yui Kodai was never someone anybody would expect to see with any other expression than the stoic one she had worn throughout her schooling years. But the smile she wore as she gazed into where her daughter lay coloring with her father proved that she was a very different woman than she was back then.
One of the most obvious differences being that she now had a daughter, Aiko Kodai.
Visually, the girl bore an almost exact likeness to Yui herself, albeit with softer eyes, leaving any resemblance between her and her father to be nearly nonexistent. Though one thing you could say with certainty that the girl did inherit from her father was his smile. While Yui now expressed herself much more openly, trying to match either of them in how brightly the pair could smile was impossible.
"Hard to believe it's already been three years," came a voice at her side. She turned to see Itsuka Kendo, her best friend since high school, looking in with a similar look of fondness etched across her features.
Yui hummed, nodding in agreement. She could've sworn it was only a few weeks ago that she had first brought the girl home. The congratulations from friends and memories of sleepless nights were still as fresh in her mind as the day they happened but it was true, Aiko was three years old now.
She returned her gaze to her daughter to see her kicking her legs in the air behind her with her tongue poking out from her obviously intense coloring.
The young girl looked up from her drawing to her father. "Can you pass the bluey one?" she asked.
The man by her side, Izuku Midoriya, smiled down at her as he rifled through the scattered pile of crayons as the girl continued to scribble away, before picking out the 'bluey one.'
"Here you go, sweetie," Izuku said as he handed her the crayon.
"Thanks, daddy," she replied as she continued her coloring.
"No problem," he said with that same wobbly smile he'd wear anytime he was ever complimented, praised, or just whenever a girl had talked to him.
The seemingly permanent awkwardness everybody else knew him for had never bothered Aiko, the girl absolutely adored her father. It was actually around this time last year that Aiko had decided that Izuku had been the one to hang the moon itself. For her first two years, it had been herself and Aiko that were inseparable, but shortly after her second birthday, Aiko had apparently decided that she was bored with her and that her father was her new favorite.
She hadn't taken it personally though. Izuku, along with being an attention-stealing son of a bitch, had been a fantastic father figure. Caring, kind, and always encouraging Aiko to do her best. He was very protective of her, giving her the space to run around and hurt herself as all kids do, but still fussing over any and every bruise, scratch, or skinned knee at the most benign of times. But if ever at the slightest whisper of a villain during one of Aiko's mandatory disguised family outings, he made sure Aiko was within a few feet and never left his line of sight for even a second.
He was everything you could've asked for in a father. Unfortunately, that was where the crux of the issue lies.
"You should still probably call me Izuku though," he said, rubbing the back of his head.
He had no idea that Aiko was his.
The girl looked up from her drawing and pointed the crayon his way. "Only Mama and grown-ups call you that. I'm not allowed cause you're my daddy," she replied adorably, and with such sincerity, that he immediately caved and dropped the issue.
Poor Izuku... He always tried to get her to call him by name, but it never took. He'd been 'daddy' ever since she first learned to talk, and given how hard it was for him to refuse her anything, it didn't look like that was going to change. Cute though it may be, it still made Yui's expression sour just a little as she felt her insides knot up.
"Three whole years..." the redhead emphasized once more, making the feeling all the worse.
Any time this topic wormed itself up into the open she could feel the guilt gnaw at her conscious. Lying to someone who had done nothing but offer support and care for the both of them.
While Izuku never knew that he was Aiko's father, he had still been ever-present in the girl's life. When Yui's pregnancy had begun to show, and without any significant other in sight, he had stepped in to help out in any way he could, ending up filling the role of father figure to his own child. She suspected this had something to do with his own father being absent for the majority of his life and not wanting Aiko to experience the same.
Kendo's face seemed to take on a more serious demeanor as she turned toward her. "Are you any closer to telling him?" she asked quietly. The smile she wore earlier had faded and her eyes were now more stern. Not to the point of appearing judgmental, more so showing concern.
Yui found herself unable to hold her gaze, nor speak in her own defense. The silence was her answer.
The redhead sighed, crossing her arms in disappointment. "You have to tell him at some point, Yui."
"Mm..." she dejectedly hummed, slipping back into her old habit. "I mean- I know. But it's not exactly something that's easy to bring up."
Their talk was interrupted as Izuku poked his head in through the doorway, giving Kendo a cursory wave before shifting his attention over to Yui.
"Yui, you know I don't have a problem with her calling me that when it's just us around. But if she calls me that when she starts school, people might start talking," he said, voice laced with concern.
"You're one of the top heroes in the country. They're always talking about you." Yui dismissed as she nonchalantly stirred a sugar cube into her tea.
"I just don't want you and Aiko becoming the center of some scandal," he said worriedly. "It terrifies me that I might turn on the news one day and see the headline 'Deku's secret lovechild?!' and suddenly you two are being swarmed by photographers. Also, Shouto would never let me hear the end of it."
Yui managed to suppress a grimace at the mention of the press, shrugging it off to uphold her aloof image.
"Izuku, the only thing you're terrified of is compliments and making Aiko cry, and that's all telling her she can't call you her daddy is going to accomplish," she said bluntly, Izuku squirming at her words. "Also, disguises don't always work. You and I have been lucky together, but I've been recognized with her, both by myself and while Itsuka is with us," she stated, taking him by surprise.
"And before you ask," she cut him off as he began to open his mouth, "they swore to respect our privacy. And if ever they don't, we can just send Itsuka to beat them up."
The redhead turned to her. "You want to send me to assault the mouthy civilians? Why does my career have to be on the line?"
"Because you love Aiko like she's your own blood," Yui replied, not even looking her way as she took a sip.
Kendo could glare all she wanted, but they both knew it was true. She'd been reduced to tears when Yui had first asked her to be the girl's godmother.
"Daddy!" Aiko sang out from the other room. "I can't find the orange one!"
"Coming!" he called back. "I still think we need to talk about this," he said as he retreated back.
Now alone together once more, Kendo restarted their previous conversation.
"He already loves her like she's his," she said softly. "Why not just tell him the truth?"
"It's not that simple..." Yui murmured, rubbing at her eyes. "What can I say? 'Do you remember that one time we slept together? Funny story, that's actually the night that little girl you've been helping me raise was conceived and I've been putting off telling you because I'm too scared to deal with the consequences of my own actions."
Yui lowered her head, sighing heavily as she ran her hand through her fringe. "Every day I put it off is just gonna hurt him even worse..." she solemnly uttered.
"Then why not just tell him?" Kendo asked.
"How can I?" the ravenette questioned. "What's he gonna think of me? Of Aiko? If he hates me, fine, but Aiko... what could I say to her when she asks why her father doesn't visit anymore? She loves him so much, Kendo..." she said, struggling to keep her voice at a whisper.
The redhead pulled her in and squeezed her tightly. "And he loves her too. He already treats her like she's his, his mom even sends gifts at Christmas. His opinion of Aiko isn't gonna change. And yes, he's gonna be hurt that you didn't tell him. But you could count on one hand the number of people that man's ever hated and still have fingers left over, and you'd never be one of them." she assured.
Her words did little to slow the water building up.
"...I just don't want to lose him again." It was a selfish statement upon more selfishness. It was pathetic and she hated herself for it, but it was still how she felt.
Kendo released her hold and looked into her eyes.
In high school, the other girls had teased her about her little crush on the boy. Or more accurately that she, a calm and apparent beauty, had somehow managed to be more nervous and shy than Midoriya and find it too hard to approach him. She'd been bad with feelings back then. And then there had been... other girls. Not many, but a few. Girls who had come and gone, all the while her friends tried to push her to make her move only to 'pussy out' as Setsuna had always loved to put it.
"Yui, if you can't tell him yourself, I will," Itsuka stated. "I love you, you've been like a sister to me for the better part of a decade, but this isn't fair to Izuku. That's his daughter in there and he deserves to know. You said it yourself, that little girl loves him so much and he's always trying to keep himself at arm's length because he thinks he's intruding on your family."
The redhead handed her a handkerchief, leaving a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for upsetting you like that, but I know it's what you need to hear. I don't think I could deal with the thought of the three of you ending up miserable."
Yui dabbed at her eyes as she composed herself. The last thing she needed was to start crying with Izuku and their daughter so close by. Her timing couldn't have been better, as Aiko tore around the corner only a second later, Izuku appearing shortly after.
"Aunty Suka! Look at the picture I drew for you!" the young girl declared as she bobbed up and down on her toes, insisting her aunt take it from her.
It was a drawing of Itsuka in her 'bluey' hero uniform, quirk activated and fists raised over a group of unconscious crooks in black and white striped shirts and black masks.
Itsuka pressed both hands again to her cheeks and hammed up a gasp. "Thank you, sweetie. It's so good!"
"I made it for you to take home," she said proudly as she rubbed at her eye, giggling as her aunt ruffled her hair.
Yui wiped a lingering tear as she smiled at the display. Her eyes must still have been red because Izuku's gaze was fixed solely on her, a concerned look in his eyes. A somber smile was the best she could manage to try and temper his worries.
Aiko yawned deeply in the middle of her aunt's praises, getting a chuckle from her.
"Gettin' sleepy, hon?" she grinned.
"No." she shot back, playfully defiant. "I'm not even ti-" she stopped as another yawn escaped. "'m not tired..."
Yui hid her mouth behind her hand as she bit back a smile before crouching down to her daughter's level. "This is awfully late for you, sweetie. I think it's time we get you to bed."
"No... I wanna stay up with Aunty Suka..." the girl whined, the corners of her mouth beginning to sag.
"I have to start heading home soon anyway," Kendo spoke up, "but I'll make sure to put it up somewhere nice so you can see it next time you visit. That sound good, kiddo?"
The girl threw herself into Itsuka's legs, hugging them tightly as her lip began to quiver.
The redhead stroked the top of her raven hair as she began to sniffle, shooting an awkward grimace to her best friend. If Aiko started crying now she'd wake up grumpy, and given that she and her mother would be the only ones here in the morning, that would be a very concentrated grumpiness.
"Aiko," she called gently, her voice only making the girl dig her face into Kendo's leg. "Aiko, honey. Itsuka has to go home. She's got hero stuff to do in the morning, like beating up more bad guys. Don't you want her to have a whole new story to tell you about? You'd be able to draw it for her."
The girl let out a whimper in a combination of hesitancy and tiredness.
Yui frowned, she knew she was at the bottom of the podium when it came to the three adults in the room, but luckily for her, Itsuka was only in second place.
"Aiko," she called once more. "Izuku has to go home soon too. Don't you want him to put you to bed before he has to go?"
That got her attention, Yui grinned as the girl raised her head towards her father. His arms were crossed as he frowned the older ravenette's way, their locked gazes maintained for several seconds before Izuku gave in. You could almost hear the internal sigh of resignation as he crouched down and held out his arms to her.
The man let out a small 'oof' as the girl flung herself into his arms.
The two women snickered as he stood up, the girl's little arms wrapped firmly around his neck.
"I'll try and come by sometime next week, alright?" Kendo said as she sauntered up to the girl.
Aiko looked at her with sad eyes. "Promise?" she questioned.
"Promise," Kendo repeated affirmingly before kissing the top of her head. "Now go get some sleep, kiddo."
"Oookay... Let's go, dad..." the girl grumbled, tugging at the man's collar signaling him to move.
"I'm gonna show Kendo out," Yui said as Izuku walked past, shaking his head at the both of them but resigned to his fate.
"Goodnight, Aiko. Later, Izuku!" the redhead called, placing her hand on Izuku's shoulder as he walked by.
"Night!" the young girl called back, waving over his shoulder.
It was a bittersweet sight to the two women, leaving them feeling more somber than not.
The two shared a look, silently but simultaneously turning for the door. They said nothing towards the exit, their soft footsteps quietly echoing through the entrance hallway of Yui's apartment. Only as they stepped outside did Itsuka break the silence.
She grasped one of Yui's hands in her own. "Think on it. Just... Don't take too long. Okay?"
Yui looked at the sincere pleading look in her friend's eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She said nothing, unable to, lest she choke on the words. Instead, she put on a calm expression, nodded, and spoke just a single syllable. "Mm."
Kendo snorted, and let out a small laugh.
"Take care, Yui," she said before turning away, getting into her car, and driving away.
Yui reentered her home as thoughts of everything Kendo had said, raced through her head. About Izuku deserving to know, before she'd only felt guilty for not telling him that she hadn't even considered Izuku's feelings beyond the possibility that he'd be angry with her. Aiko was his child just as much as hers, meaning he'd missed three years of time with her.
He'd been present during her life, but he'd missed so many precious moments. More than just her first steps or first words, he'd missed so many simple days of being a parent. He'd held her when she was a baby, but it'd never been in the way a parent held their child, it was like he thought he was just a stranger in the girl's life.
He hadn't been able to hold her when she was scared or care for her when she was sick.
He'd never known it was okay to hold her, his own daughter, and tell her he loved her.
And it was all her fault...
Goddammit, now she was crying again.
"Yui?" Izuku called to her. She wiped the fresh tears now flowing to look at him clearly, those caring green eyes staring at her full of worry, this had been the second time tonight he'd caught her crying. "Are you alright?" he said, walking her way.
She threw her arms around him the second he was close enough and he froze. She squeezed him tighter, still trying to blink back more tears. "I'm sorry..." she near sobbed into his collar as he hesitantly put his own arms around her.
"It's fine," he told her, uncertain what she was apologizing for.
"Is Aiko asleep already?" she asked.
Izuku chuckled, "Yeah. She was very defiant when we got there. Fought it off pretty well when she was set down, but the covers definitely wore her down. The second her head hit the pillow, though, that's when it was all over. Out like a light."
'This was the first night he'd ever been able to tuck her in at night,' her brain supplied another depressing realization, nearly making her start bawling once more.
"Uh...Listen," he spoke up, slowly petting her back while still clearly confused. "I'll be busy tomorrow, but I should be able to stop by Sunday. Aiko mentioned that ice cream place she likes, maybe we could take her out for the day and stop by."
That may have been what broke her, what made her certain she couldn't keep this up anymore. Making plans to spend the day together, going to Aiko's favorite places completely oblivious to everything she's done...what she hasn't done.
She separated from his embrace to force herself to look the man she loved in the eye when she shattered his worldview of her.
"Izuku." her voice cracked. "I need to tell you something."