The Man Behind the Screen

Realized... No, Accepted

MIDORIYA'S POV

I watched Daiki's chest rise and fall with every breath he took. It took an hour and a half and four different bedtime stories, but he was finally asleep. Reaching for the small table beside his bed, I switched the lamp off before turning on his Red Riot night light. I quietly walked across his room, taking one last glance to ensure he was still asleep before stepping into the hallway and shutting his door. I'll open it a crack when Itsuka and I go to bed, but that won't be for a few more hours.

"Is he asleep?" Itsuka chuckled as I walked into the living room, where she was currently sitting. She had a movie paused on the T.V. and a bowl of popcorn sitting on the table.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Finally." When I plopped down on the couch, she turned to me with a soft smile.

"How tired are you?" Her voice was low and soft with a hint of flirty in it. I locked my eyes on her teal eyes that I used to love more than anything.

I shifted away from her, trying to hide my discomfort. "Too tired for whatever you're thinking."

She sighed in frustration and pushed the blanket off her body. "Izuku, how are we supposed to make another baby if you won't even touch me?" Making another baby is what I'm trying to avoid. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't.

I looked at my wife. The woman I spent six years of my life with. My girlfriend for two years, my fiancée for one year, and my wife for the past three. The woman I vowed to spend the rest of my life with, and I have no idea how to tell her I don't love her anymore. Not in the way I should, and certainly not in the way she needs me to.

It's nothing she did. She's been nothing but a perfect wife, mother, and one of the best friends I have ever had. It's me and me alone. There isn't anything wrong with me. We just aren't compatible anymore. We haven't been for a long time, and it's getting harder to hide. There isn't an easy way to tell her how I feel, and there certainly will never be a good time to tell her either. The longer I hide it from her, the worse it will feel when I break her heart.

"Itsuka, we need to talk," I sighed.

"Clearly," she scoffed. "Before we got married, we agreed we wanted a big family. If things have changed, you need to tell me." That hasn't changed. I want a big family one day, but I no longer want to grow my family with her.

"Itsuka, we need to talk." I reached out to grab her hands, but she pulled away from me.

"Who is she?" She asked loudly. I stared at her dumbfounded, wondering what she was trying to say. "If you're about to tell me you fell in love with someone else or cheated on me, I want to know who she is!" She demanded.

"Please lower your voice. You're going to wake Daiki." I pleaded. It took me over an hour to get him to fall asleep. I don't want to have to do it again. "I didn't fall in love with someone else or cheat on you."

She glared at me with a fire I hadn't seen in years. "So what, you don't love me anymore?" She scoffed. Tears threatened to fall down her face as her eyes locked on mine. I really wish she would stop putting words in my mouth and just let me speak.

"After some recent self-discovery, I realized I couldn't have another baby with you. Not because I don't love you, because I do." I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Here goes nothing. "I still love you. You're the mother of my child, and I will always love you for bringing the most precious person to me into this world. But I'm not in love with you anymore. I haven't been for a while."

She let out a choked sob as her hand flew to her mouth. "W-What did I do w-wrong?" She sobbed behind her hand.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I just realized I'm gay," I mumbled.