Chapter Text
“You invited All Might for dinner?” Izuku repeats, gaping up at the man who’s still got his knees bracketing Izuku’s thighs. “I – what – Kacchan.”
“It’ll be fine,” Katsuki says hastily. “It’s just All Might, don’t worry.”
Oh please. That’s not the part Izuku’s worried about.
“Are we even having dinner with my mom tomorrow??”
“…I mean.” Katsuki goes a bit shifty-eyed suddenly. “Now we are.”
“Kacchan, oh my god.” Izuku presses his hands against his cheeks. “Have you told her?”
“I was going to call her!”
“KACCHAN.”
“Izuku,” Katsuki sasses back. “You wanted to tell him, right? Now you can!”
“I–” Wait. Izuku blinks. “You didn’t tell him?”
“I wasn’t gonna do it without you.”
“But you did see him today?” Izuku asks, brows drawing down. Katsuki nods and Izuku pauses for a moment, trying to make that make sense. “You saw him, and he saw you, and he doesn’t know?”
Katsuki frowns. “I ain’t the size of a whale, ya damn nerd. I just…” He lifts up on his knees like he wants to make sure Izuku can see him properly, then pulls his shirt up and starts sucking his stomach in. “I didn’t talk to him long, had the excuse of the meeting with Nezu to get to, so I kinda just did this and spoke fast and then fuckin’ bailed. So I doubt he noticed.”
…It’s actually a little unnerving watching Kacchan’s belly flatten right before his eyes. When he holds himself like that, the bump almost entirely disappears.
“Okay, okay, stop,” Izuku says frantically, reaching out to palm Katsuki’s hips so he can tug him back into his lap. “Don’t, that’s freaking me out.”
Katsuki relaxes his muscles and it’s like watching someone blow air into a balloon, the way he easily rounds back out again. “She didn’t go anywhere,” he mutters, as he lets go of his shirt and resettles his weight against Izuku. “Calm down, crazy.”
“Dinner,” Izuku says, trying to focus. “Tomorrow. Why my mom’s? Can’t All Might just come here?”
“Where would we feed him, Izuku?” Katsuki throws a hand out toward the ground. “You want All Might to sit on the floor?”
“…He could have the couch,” Izuku tries, but Katsuki just scoffs and looks away.
“I’ll call her, okay? I’ll call her and let her know and I’ll even help her cook. It’s gonna be fine.”
“I hate putting her out, though,” Izuku says weakly.
“Yeah, well, this is why we bought a house. But we’re not in it yet, so I don’t know what to tell you.” Katsuki shifts off Deku, twisting to the side and flopping onto his back on the open length of the sofa. “We gotta tell Inko she’s getting a granddaughter anyway, so. Two birds, one stone.”
“…Oh. That’s true.”
Kacchan told him about how he accidentally blurted it out to his own parents, but it’s been a couple weeks since Izuku’s seen his mom so he hasn’t had a chance to share the news and he didn’t want to do it over the phone. Really, they were probably due for a get-together anyway.
And it’s not like she doesn’t know All Might. They’ve obviously met multiple times throughout the years, but it’s been a while. And Izuku knows that she sometimes still gets flustered around the former number one hero. The idea of him showing up at her house with barely any warning has Izuku cringing – he can empathize, after all. She had to spend Izuku’s entire childhood listening to him wax poetic about the man, so some of that starry-eyed awe was bound to rub off on her and she didn’t get to spend three years as his student to help temper the fanboy urges like Izuku did.
“Mom’s gonna lose her mind when she finds out we’re having a girl,” Izuku murmurs. He angles toward Katsuki, following the call of his impatient, unsubtle foot jabs, and drapes himself over the other man, settling between his spread legs. “I don’t know what All Might’s going to do.”
“We can stop talking about All Might now,” Katsuki grumbles. His arms lift to circle Izuku’s shoulders. “Killing the mood.”
Izuku chuckles. “Was there a mood?” he asks, and Kacchan just answers with a growl and a pointed upward roll of his hips that only makes Izuku grace him with his most obnoxiously sunny grin. “Ah, right, my bad. Talking with Nezu really got you going, huh?”
“Wha– DEKU.”
“Who knew that was the secret,” Izuku continues cheerily, as he ducks to nuzzle into Katsuki’s neck and starts dropping soft kisses along his collarbone.
“M’gonna fuckin’ kill you one of these days,” Katsuki mutters. Kind of hard for Izuku to do anything other than snicker at that, though, seeing as how Kacchan’s arching all too eagerly into his touch and starting to paw demandingly at his clothes.
“What else am I supposed to think when you come home all randy like this?”
“LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE.”
“Maybe it was Aizawa, then?”
“Oh my god, you little shit, I’m gonna–”
Luckily, Izuku’s quickly able to distract him from whatever he was gonna by deftly undoing the straining clasp on his trousers and slipping his hand inside. Kacchan’s head snaps back, a throaty groan rumbling out of him as Izuku gives him an appreciative once-over. “Hey,” he says in sudden realization. “Why aren’t you wearing the pants your mom made for you?”
“Hah?” Katsuki’s eyes lower, catching Izuku’s. “The fuck’s the problem, these still fit.”
“Um. Not really, Kacchan…”
“They zipped up and shit, they’re fine.”
“But she gave you all that stuff!”
“And I wear it most days!” Katsuki huffs, clearly trying to hold on to his irritated façade as Izuku steadily works him into a panting mess. “Just felt weird wearing it to U.A. – ah, fuck.”
Izuku hums a little. “Think it might be time to retire your other clothes for now.”
“Can you talk about this any other goddamn time?”
“Just saying. I didn’t realize how tight they were getting.”
…He gets a knee planted squarely in his side for that one. Oof.
But at least Kacchan does wear a pair of Mitsuki-made jeans with the built-in belly band the following day when they drive out to Inko’s apartment.
Izuku was right about his mom having a minor conniption when she found out they were having a surprise dinner at her place. The good news is that Izuku’s off work, so they’re able to head over early in the day so he can run the vacuum and such while Katsuki helps (translation: takes over) in the kitchen.
“I just can’t believe this,” Inko says for about the sixth time as she scurries from room to room, straightening knickknacks that don’t need straightening and making sure there’s not a single speck of dust on any surface. “A little more warning, that’s all I ask for!”
Izuku, dust rag in hand and watching his mom in exasperation, just sighs. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, okay? We just wanted to see you.”
“And I always want to see you, but – but All Might! HERE.”
“I told you, you don’t even have to do anything.” Izuku trails after her, trying not to roll his eyes as she adjusts the pillows on the couch. “Mom. I said I would do all this!”
“I haven’t seen that man since your graduation and now he’s coming here. Izuku, I can’t believe this!”
“Look, just… Why don’t you go help Kacchan?”
“He said he had it under control.” Inko props her hands on her hips, blowing upwards at her bangs as she takes another look around the room. “I should really redecorate in here.”
Well. Not today, hopefully. Izuku sighs again and moves closer to gently clasp her shoulder. “You can keep an eye on him, at least. Make sure he doesn’t add anything weird to the food.”
That seems to catch her attention finally, and she looks up at Izuku. “Oh dear,” she murmurs. “Have the cravings started?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Izuku says under his breath so Kacchan doesn’t somehow hear him.
Inko smiles fondly, her gaze going unfocused for a moment as though she’s looking at something in the distant past. “With you, it was unagi and watermelon – often mashed together. And apples soaked in lemon juice.”
“That’s weirdly specific.” Izuku grins and makes an attempt at subtly directing his mom toward the kitchen. “You don’t even like unagi now.”
“I ate enough for five lifetimes when I was pregnant,” Inko says dryly. She draws to a halt before Izuku can get her all the way to the other room and rests a hand on his arm. “How are you doing, sweetie?”
Izuku blinks. “Eh? I’m fine, why?”
“I can ask,” Inko says, with a soft harrumph. “You have a lot going on right now, a lot of big changes… Are you holding up okay?”
“Oh… Yeah, of course.” He shrugs a little, glancing up at the ceiling. “It’s been kind of rough for Kacchan, but–”
“I’m sure it has,” Inko interrupts. “How are you doing?”
Izuku’s gaze lowers again and, for a long moment, he just stares at her. Then he smiles. “I’m good, mom. Honest. I mean… I guess it feels a little scary sometimes. And overwhelming. But mostly I’m just excited?” He chuckles. “And worrying about Kacchan keeps me pretty preoccupied.”
“Well, that’s fine, but make sure you take some time for yourself, too. You’re both about to become parents.”
“I know. But my entire life hasn’t been upended.” There’s a pause, during which Inko just arches her eyebrows at him, before Izuku quickly adds: “Yet, obviously. Obviously! I know it’s coming. But right now, I’m just…going to work every day. Making sure Kacchan’s okay. Most of the stuff with the house is done now, at least until it’s ready for us to move in.”
“Katsuki says you’ve been doing a lot of research about pregnancy?” Inko asks, and Izuku’s grin turns sheepish.
“Yeah. Honestly, I had to. I really didn’t know anything.”
Inko lets out an amused little laugh and gives his arm a pat. “I’m proud of how supportive you’re being, Izuku. I’m proud of you.” She sways sideways, bumping into him, and then stays there so she can whisper in a conspiring sort of way, “Now, what sort of weird foods am I watching out for?”
She goes off to monitor the kitchen, leaving Izuku to set the table and make sure the rest of the apartment is presentable enough – which it definitely is. Heck, it was even before they got there, but you know. Moms.
It gives him some time to mull over her questions, at least, but he just comes up with all the same answers. He is okay. He feels weirdly calm about the whole thing, actually. Maybe it’s because he’s been hooked since day one by the idea of bringing a child into their lives. He’d always had it in his head that it was something he and Kacchan would do eventually anyway. Not…quite this soon, of course, but once he’d found out it was happening, there was really only room for excitement in his heart.
He's kind of still in the fantasy stage. Floating along on a cloud as he imagines their precious miracle Quirk baby and the joy she’s going to bring to their lives.
But at the same time, he’s not that naïve. He knows there’s going to be mountains of chaos to deal with when she finally does get here, along with the complete upheaval it’s going to cause to the schedule he’s grown accustomed to over the past couple years.
It’s a little hard to really wrap his head around just how much things might change, if he’s being truthful. Izuku’s rarely been around babies in his life, and he’s pretty sure he’s never even seen a newborn fresh out of the hospital. Growing up, whenever the aunties in his neighborhood had kids, they usually were at least several weeks or months old before Izuku started seeing them out in their strollers.
He’s had a few instances in his pro career where he’s had to deal with getting toddlers to safety, but those have luckily been far and few between.
Honestly…honestly, even with his immediate acceptance of the entire situation, even with the slowly growing collection of baby items Kacchan’s been buying, even with the ultrasounds and the photos and knowing they’re having a girl…
Actually getting to experience the baby moving for the first time is the most REAL this entire journey has felt. And that just happened last night!
So, no, he’s not exactly stressing over anything yet. Izuku knows it’ll probably come, but for now?
Kacchan’s got that handled.
And Izuku is more than happy to be the supportive partner doing his best to keep his boyfriend from completely spiraling.
Inko’s managed to stop flitting around nervously by the time All Might arrives a couple hours later – probably helped by the drink Kacchan foisted onto her.
“You said he doesn’t know, right?” she asks, as all three of them go to answer the door. “It’s so exciting to be part of the announcement!”
“He’s pretty much the last person we need to tell.” Izuku gives Katsuki a questioning glance. “Right?”
“In person, yeah. Maybe Best Jeanist, we’ll see.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, hanging back as Izuku reaches for the door handle. “Everyone else gets a mass email.”
“Or it trends on social media after all the kids at U.A. find out.”
That has Inko’s brow drawing down in confusion while Katsuki just scoffs, but there’s no time to elaborate because suddenly All Might is there in front of them – tall, still thin as a rail, his blonde hair sticking out in every direction and a wide, toothy grin stretched across his gaunt face.
“All Might!” Izuku cries immediately, a surge of excited fondness zipping through him. He practically rushes the other man, throwing his arms around him in a (potentially literally) bone-crushing hug. “It’s been too long, thank you for coming!”
“Good to see you, as well, Young Midoriya.” All Might turns his grin to Katsuki even as one of his arms wraps around Izuku’s shoulders. “And you, Young Bakugou. We didn’t get to speak for nearly long enough yesterday.” Izuku pulls back so that All Might can step forward to greet his mom next. “Midoriya-san,” he says warmly, falling into a bow. “Thank you greatly for inviting me into your home.”
“O-oh,” Inko titters, swiftly bending forward to mirror All Might’s pose. “Of course, we’re – we’re happy to have you!”
All Might straightens again and holds out a fancy looking bottle of sake, sky blue in color. “For you. I hope it’s appropriate.”
“Goodness,” Inko murmurs as she accepts it. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“Shit, you brought the good stuff,” Katsuki says. He looks a little grumpy about it, even though it’s not like he drinks all that much even when he isn’t pregnant.
Izuku ushers them inside, chattering away as he does and asking All Might about how teaching at U.A. is going and if any of the new students have any cool Quirks he can tell him about.
“There are always a few standouts,” the man replies, chuckling as he takes a seat at the table. “One young woman this year has a fascinating ability to manipulate matter and energy through telekinesis.”
“Mahoro was accepted,” Katsuki says. He sits down across from All Might. “You remember her? One of the brats from Nabu, she’s starting next week.”
“Fantastic!” All Might leans forward, looking eager. “Perhaps that means we’ll be seeing more of you and Young Midoriya around campus?”
Izuku smothers the sudden laugh that wants to burst out of him under a cough, his fist pressed to his mouth. Beside him, Kacchan just smirks. “Oh, who knows. Maybe.”
“I imagine I won’t be seeing much of her if she’s not in the Foundational Hero Studies class. Although…” He scratches at the back of his head in a show of unnecessary modesty. “She’s probably not very concerned about meeting this old man.”
“I have a very hard time imagining any child not being utterly starstruck by you,” Inko says frankly. “After all you’ve done!”
“You only have Izuku’s fanboying to compare to,” Katsuki drawls. Izuku scowls and knocks his foot into Kacchan’s ankle beneath the table, but Inko actually snorts and levels a look on the blonde that screams: you can’t be serious.
“And you,” she says. “I don’t think it was Izuku who tried to paint All Might’s face on my living room wall at age four, now was it?”
Katsuki flushes a bit and slouches in his seat. “I knew you ratted me out,” he mutters to Izuku, who splutters.
“It was twenty years ago!”
“Eighteen.”
“That’s very kind of you,” All Might says, all too used to Izuku and Katsuki’s shenanigans and blowing right past the way they’re half-heartedly grappling with each other to speak to Inko instead. “The public moves on quickly, though. I’ve been out of action for years at this point; everyone is pretty enamored with Hawks these days.” He looks amused at the idea, but the timber of his voice turns proud as he continues, “And this past year, I saw quite a bit of top twenty hero merch around the dorms.”
Izuku’s head snaps around and he pins All Might with a thrilled beam of a smile. “Yeah?? We’ve got fans at U.A.?”
“I believe you have fans everywhere, Young Midoriya,” All Might says warmly. He glances back and forth between Katsuki and Izuku for a moment. “Forgive me, I haven’t wanted to pry – I certainly know more than most any number of reasons why a hero might have to step back from active duty.” His gaze lands on Katsuki. “Is everything alright? I was surprised to see you at the school yesterday.”
“Yes, why were you at U.A.?” Inko cuts in. “You’ve been dancing around something all day, what is it?”
“That’s, like, third on the list of announcements,” Katsuki says dryly. “Maybe fourth. Way far down.” He meets All Might’s curious stare. “I’m off active duty because of a Quirk mishap. Got hit with the wrong thing a few months back.”
“More than a few,” Izuku says, while All Might frowns.
“Should I be concerned?” he asks. “You seem in good spirits.”
Izuku peeks at Kacchan out of the corner of his eye, finding the other man already peering back at him, eyebrows arched in question. Heck, if he’s ready, then so is Izuku. He shrugs back at him and waves his hand in a go-ahead gesture.
No reason to stall.
Inko makes an excited little sound, practically vibrating in her seat as Katsuki huffs out a breath and folds his arms across his stomach. “Well,” he starts awkwardly, because it’s never not a little difficult for him to get the words out the first time. “It’s nothing…permanently debilitating. I’ll be fine – I am fine, I’ll be back on the hero scene in a year or so. But…”
“A year?” The worry etched into the lines of All Might’s face deepens, so Katsuki quickly plows on.
“Yeah, but I’m okay! Seriously, it’s not fuckin’ – I’m not injured or anything. I’m out because I’m–” He cuts another glance to Izuku, who just smiles encouragingly and drops a reassuring hand onto Kacchan’s knee. Katsuki lets out a long breath. “Because I’m pregnant,” he finishes, and then needlessly adds, “It’s Izuku’s.”
All Might goes quiet, looking stunned. Inko, on the other hand, has the biggest smile on her face as she claps her hands a few rapid times in front of her. “A baby!” she squeals, even though she already knew. “They’re giving me a grandbaby, All Might! Can you believe it?”
“A child?” All Might repeats. “An even younger Bakugou and Midoriya?”
“Sort of,” Katsuki says, before giving Izuku a pointed look that he picks up on immediately.
“Except – it’s a girl.” He grins. “So, not exactly the same.”
Inko freezes, her eyes going wide. “A girl? Izuku, really?”
“Yeah, mom,” Izuku says with a laugh, and then watches as the tears build up and start to overflow down Inko’s cheeks. Geez, Kacchan’s right when he calls them crybabies. Izuku definitely gets that from his mama.
“Oh.” Inko blubbers out a sob and lurches out of her seat, stumbling around the table so that she can clutch at Izuku in a tight hug. “Oh, Izuku. That’s so exciting! Oh, I don’t know the first thing about raising girls, oh my goodness.” She pulls back to wipe at her face as Izuku rubs a hand up and down her back.
“I mean,” Katsuki says, voice a low rumble. “I think you know something.”
“More than us,” Izuku agrees, and Inko just sobs again and dives back in for another hug. Izuku peeks around her to see how All Might’s taking the news, but he just looks like he’s struggling to catch up with the conversation.
Katsuki leans sideways, closer to Izuku. “Think we broke him,” he mutters.
“Not – not at all!” All Might stutters out. “Ha – sorry – that’s. That did take me by surprise, I’ll admit.” His gaze drops, though Kacchan’s belly is mostly blocked by both his arms and the table. And luckily, Izuku thinks, he’s getting used to the flummoxed stares he gets when people first find out.
In fact, Katsuki just rolls his eyes and unfolds his arms, straightening up in his seat instead and tugging his shirt tight against the swell of his stomach. “Twenty-five weeks,” he says. “About six months, which is fucking insane.”
“Katsuki,” Inko scolds suddenly. Across from them, All Might appears to choke on nothing. “She can hear you, you know. Language!”
“Oh my god, mom,” Izuku groans, but Katsuki just shrugs and offers up an insincere apology, completely unbothered.
“Six months, you say? I – I wouldn’t have guessed you were that far along.” It’s obvious All Might is still reeling, though it looks like some of the shock might finally be wearing off. “You were still on duty earlier this year, weren’t you?”
“Until February,” Katsuki says. “I didn’t find out until then.” He lets out a somewhat disparaging laugh. “Not like I knew something like this was even possible.”
“No, I suppose not. That’s – that’s quite the Quirk. Holy shi–” A sharp look from Inko cuts All Might off, and he quickly summons up a hacking fit to cover his near slip. “Pardon me,” he says, clearing his throat a final time. “This is all very surprising.”
“We wanted to tell you in person,” Izuku says. “It’s hard to put the news out there for everyone, but you’re definitely someone we wanted to know.”
Something softens in All Might’s expression at that. “Young Midoriya…” His eyes crinkle up next, turning into little upside-down crescents. “Boys.” He stands so he can move toward them, and Inko releases Izuku from her grasp so that All Might can slide in to clamp a hand on each of their shoulders, forcing them to shift in their seats so that they’re angled to face him. “I’m so very pleased for you both.”
“…Thanks,” Katsuki says, gruff and slightly pink. “It’s, uh. We’re pretty happy.” He glances at Izuku, the corner of his mouth tugging upward. “Although one of us took his damn time getting there.”
“He was allowed to take his time,” Izuku says gently, before giving All Might a wide grin. “We also bought a house! So next time we can actually have you over there.”
“Wow.” All Might drops to a squat so that he’s not towering over them. “I feel like you just graduated yesterday, and yet… Actually, I feel like you were just squabbling in front of me on the couch in the teacher’s lounge yesterday. But the reality is that you’ve grown into fine young men right before my eyes.” His grip on them tightens. “I’m so proud of you two.”
“All Might…” Izuku murmurs, a warm feeling sizzling up from the tips of his toes to the very top of his head. “That means so much, I – thank you!”
Kacchan, on the other hand, is clearly about at his limit for open displays of affection from parental types. “We should eat,” he grits out, voice strained. “I’ll start bringing stuff out.”
He tries to make a run for it, standing and edging toward the kitchen, but All Might catches him before he gets too far – he’s still surprisingly fast for such a gangly former pro hero. Katsuki’s yanked to a halt as All Might straightens again and slings an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug that makes Katsuki go tense all over.
“You know I don’t have children of my own,” All Might says, and Izuku watches as Kacchan relaxes in increments against the taller man. “Students aside. And, as a teacher, I’m not supposed to play favorites.”
“All teachers play favorites,” Katsuki grumbles. “Anyone with eyes knew Izuku was your favorite, even before all the stuff with One For All came out.”
All Might chuckles. “Admittedly, I’m not very good at being a teacher. But it’s been the honor of a lifetime watching you two grow into the heroes you are now, and I may be overstepping, but…” He pulls back slightly, giving Katsuki some breathing room so he can glance between the two of them. “I hope you’ll continue to allow me to be a part of your lives. And of your daughter’s life.” His head tips to the side as he smiles. “Nothing would bring me more joy.”
“Of course!” Izuku jumps up, unable to contain himself. “We want her to know you, of course we do!”
“No limit on the number of grandparents she can have,” Katsuki says, and then smirks. “Or babysitters, we’ll take all the fucking help we can get.”
“Katsuki,” Inko groans somewhere off to the side. “I normally don’t mind, but honestly!”
“I would take the role of honorary grandparent very seriously,” All Might says, looking incredibly earnest.
“Yeah?” Katsuki’s eyebrows lift. “How about the role of coworker?” He leans to the side a bit to catch Inko’s eyes. “That’s the last announcement.”
All Might blinks. “Coworker?”
“Kacchan’s going to be working at U.A. while he’s pregnant!” Izuku says eagerly, and Inko gasps.
“That’s wonderful! Oh, honey, I’m so glad you found something!”
“I’m helping Frogger out,” Katsuki says. “Assisting with, uh… Whatever the hell it’s called.”
“Safety and Emergency Response,” Izuku supplies, and Katsuki points at him.
“Right, that.”
“Coworker!” All Might says again, throwing his arms out. “That’s why you were meeting with Principal Nezu yesterday!”
“Yep. Not full-time or anything.” Katsuki rubs at the back of his neck, grinning a little. “But it’s better than what I was doing. Kinda sucks it won’t be for too long, though.”
Inko snorts, reaching out to give Katsuki’s arm a squeeze as she scoots by on her way to the kitchen. “Believe me, Katsuki, you will be far too exhausted those first couple months to even think about working. But I’m very happy you’ve found something in the meantime, Mitsuki told me how much you were struggling at the agency.”
“Oi, don’t listen to that hag,” Katsuki grouses, but he lets Inko tug him along so they can start bringing the food out.
“This is so much to celebrate,” All Might says to Izuku when just the two of them are left. “A baby, a house, a new job! How thrilling. …Ah.” He winces suddenly. “I suppose the sake was inappropriate after all.”
“I can still drink,” Izuku says cheerfully. “I’m happy to toast how crazy our lives are about to become.”
All Might drops a firm hand onto Izuku’s shoulder again. “Thank you again, my boy. For the invite, and for giving me such a bright future to look forward to.”
“Thank you,” Izuku says. “For…everything.”
“You forged your own path.” All Might draws him in for a quick one-armed hug and a hearty slap on the back, then releases him so he can return to his seat. “I only gave you the tools to start you off.”
It’s hard for Izuku to imagine where he’d be right now if he hadn’t met All Might that day all those years ago. There’s obviously been a lot of things that have gone right in his life for him to end up exactly where he is, and of course it’s always possible he’d be perfectly happy in some other timeline where he didn’t have All Might’s Quirk…
(Again, hard to imagine…but possible.)
For all he knows, he might not have even survived that initial sludge villain attack if All Might hadn’t showed up – although that’s taking things to the extreme.
What he does know is that he probably wouldn’t have been accepted into the Hero Course at U.A.
He and Kacchan’s journey to repair their relationship might not have happened.
And it’s entirely likely – probable, in fact – that he wouldn’t be a pro hero.
Izuku knows he can’t attribute everything to All Might, but there’s a whole lot he might be without right now if he hadn’t gotten One For All. And that includes his partner and the child they’re having.
“You’ve given me a lot more than that,” he says softly.
All Might just smiles. “Well, I assure you,” he says, “and I mean this sincerely, Young Midoriya – you’ve deserved every bit of it.”
* * *
“That wasn’t too bad,” Deku says later, as they’re getting back into the car to head home.
Katsuki snorts. “Not too bad?” he repeats. “You’ve been fucking glowing the whole night. Sure you ain’t the one with a kid in his guts?”
“She’s not in your guts, Kacchan.”
“Nah, she’s just shoving ‘em all around to make room for herself.”
Deku makes a face at that, his nose scrunching up. “…Anyway. I’m glad All Might knows now.”
“Yeah. Not telling anyone else for awhile, though. I’m over it.”
“Until you meet your classes next week,” Deku says lightly, reminding him for the second time that night, and Katsuki curses.
“Fuck, stop bringing it up. Why’s this shit so exhausting every time?”
“Because you have to deal with a lot of emotional responses whenever someone finds out."
He says it as though that’s some kind of scientific fact, and hell, maybe it is. Katsuki’s not equipped for all that mess, he’s well aware of that fact.
That means it’ll probably be easier with the students, at least. Not like any of them are going to blubber all over him about it.
“Hey,” Katsuki says suddenly as they pull out of the apartment parking lot. “Wanna go check on the house? Since we’re over here.”
“Ohhh, yes!” Deku flips the blinker the other direction, away from their route back to the city. “We haven’t actually driven there from our parents’ yet, have we?”
Katsuki shakes his head and digs into his pocket to pull out his phone. “I’ll time it.” He glances at the clock, then notices he missed a call earlier while they were having dinner. The number’s vaguely familiar, and there’s also a voicemail for him to listen to.
“What’s up?” Deku asks, glancing over at him.
“Someone called,” Katsuki says. His brow furrows. “I think it’s the hospital.”
“Probably just confirming your next appointment.”
“Maybe.” He opens the voicemail and puts his phone on speaker before pressing play. It takes him a second to place the voice that starts speaking.
Good evening, Bakugou! This is Ueda Shizuka, I’m the Quirk specialist who’s been handling your pregnancy case. We met several weeks ago at the hospital when you were first diagnosed. I wanted to let you know I’m going to be joining Doctor Tajima for your appointment next week. There’s been some progress with finding the person and the Quirk that started all of this, and we want to keep you updated! Doctor Tajima said you’re on the calendar for Wednesday morning at ten, so I’ll see you then. Enjoy your night!
Katsuki blinks down at his phone when the message ends.
There’s a complicated feeling getting tangled up in his chest. It’s – he can’t really explain it, it’s not like this is a bad thing. Knowing about the Quirk isn’t gonna fucking change anything, so.
Why the hell is he nervous?
“Well,” Deku says faintly, and Katsuki slowly glances over at him. “Guess I’m going with you next week.”