A Todoroki's Tale: Expecting a Hero

Chapter 20: Together

"Katsuki-kun!" I yelped as I ran into his arms while he exited the agency, the streelights barely having turned on as night fell.

"Hey honey. Where's the firework?" He asked as he held me, covered in bandages.

"Sweetheart, she's with Kat and the others. Baby, you about gave me a heart attack!" I snapped through my tears as I touched the bandage on his cheek. "When I saw you on the news—I felt so—"

He silenced me with a gentle kiss as he squeezed my hands reassuringly. 

"As you once you told me, baby, that is a part of life. But don't worry now: I'm fine. I'm here. Shhh. Can't let the kids see you like this, baby." He reminded me as he wiped away my tears. 

"Hon—honey..." I struggled with words I couldn't utter, the fears that resurfaced as I watched him fight on T.V. alongside my brother and Deku.

Almost as if he read my mind, he picked up my chin and said what I needed to hear. 

"I know you feel like you're helpless right now, and that's anything but the truth. You sacrifice so much for us, baby. You decided to step away from hero work to be there entirely for our kids. Sure you help out, but you do it to make sure I come home. To come home early enough to be there for dinner, for bedtime stories, to have days off when I'm all yours and the kids. Baby...just because you aren't fighting beside me physically doesn't mean I don't feel you fighting for us, that you don't push me." He held me again, letting my tears fall onto his shirt. "Let it out. That's it. I'm here. I am here, sweetheart."

"They're probably asleep." I warned him as we tiptoed in.

"Daddy!" Three voices cried as they dog-piled him. 

"Spoke too soon." I said just as I heard the baby start crying down the hall. "Oh dear."

"Oof!" Katsuki yelped as he hit the dirt. "Hey, aren't you guys supposed to be in bed?"

"We couldn't sleep, Daddy!" Asahi cried as he sat on Katsuki's chest. 

"We got worried." Fuyuto said quietly as he sat behind Asahi and held his father's arm.

"Tch. Knew you were going to be all right." Kat said, but her worried expression said otherwise as she stood up. 

Katsuki shook his head with a smile as he picked up the boys, hugged them, gave them each a kiss, and promised them a bedtime story before they finally agreed to go back upstairs. 

A couple of minutes later and I came back down with the baby to see Katsuki sitting beside Katsuhita, deep in conversation. 

"Daddy...is being a hero worth it?" She asked as I sat in the corner, rocking and feeding the newest member of our family as she looked up at me with dark red eyes.

"Depends." Katsuki said with a sigh. "This isn't the first night I've worried your mother like this, and it reminds me of the risks I take. But when I can come home to you guys, knowing you're safe and happy, it's worth it in its own way. Sure, it ain't easy. Especially when I think of your poor mom." Katsuki added as I began to burp our baby girl. "She misses fighting alongside me. I miss it too, but we already decided when baby Yu's in school she's going to join me on smaller missions. Does that answer your question?"

"Kinda."

"It'll become clearer as you get older, princess. Needless to say, you've been blessed with a great quirk. And you can use that to protect people with lives, families like yours. But it's up to you." Katsuki added. "You can do whatever you want with your life. However, please keep it legal."

Kat nodded. "I think I get it. Night Daddy." She added as she kissed his cheek and came over to me. 

"Night Mom." She kissed my head and smiled at the sleeping baby. "Night, Yu." She whispered as she pushed back one of the baby's little blond curls. 

"Sleep well." I whispered as she went upstairs. 

Katsuki turned to me and patted the cushion next to him. As I sat down, he took the little girl as she grunted in her sleep.

"Hey Yu." He whispered as I rested on his shoulder. "Miss me?"

She yawned in response as she cuddled up closer to him. 

"Now she's your clone too. With the exception of the eyes." I sighed as I rested on his shoulder. "Our kids take after you so much."

"Hey, Fuyuto is your perfect little clone. Speaking of which, you want to know what Fuyuto just asked me?" 

"What?" I asked as Yu closed her eyes, still holding his finger.

"He told me he's been thinking about his hero name and wants to be called the Next Coming of the Frost Demon." He chuckled softly. "He also asked for this. I couldn't say no." He added as he held out his phone, where there was a delivery date for a poster of me in my hero costume.

"And the poster of Red Riot?"

"That's for Asahi." Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Says he wants one of each of our classmates. I told him to cool his jets. I swear, he's going to be a fanboy."

"Just like his daddy." I giggled as Katsuki rolled his eyes again with a massive smile as he kissed my forehead. "And he's doing so much better with his quirk. Fuyuto as well: they've been begging me for weeks to let them spar and my father agreed to let them use his courtyard. He's going to help supervise."

"So what you're telling me is to expect 75% of our children to be heroes?"

"Don't count out our little baby quite yet." I sighed as I gently touched her free hand, just to have her clutching both Katsuki's and my fingers.  

"Still hoping she has your quirk."

"You and Fuyuto. I swear, if Asahi and Fuyuto knew how to place wagers, they would be." I snorted as I remembered Asahi's proclamation of how she was going to help him make bigger explosions. 

"Yeah. They're so great. And so is their mother. Tell you what—" he said as he kissed my forehead and stood. "Let me get the firework to bed and then we can go to bed. I'm taking tomorrow off: Kat has no school tomorrow, right?"

"Yep." I nodded as I stood next to him. "Any ideas?"

"I know Asahi's been dying to go to the beach. What would you say to baby's first day on the beach?"

"I say let's not forget the camera."

"As you wish...my queen." He whispered as we kissed. 

"Get on and get that princess to bed, Explosion King."

"He's really become something...hasn't he." 

I felt a smile trace my face as I watched him rock the little baby girl in his arms as he put her into her crib next to the bed while I prepared to take a shower.

And just imagine...it all started with a horrible day. There's been a few since, but...they're worth it for the quiet nights like this.

Sure, we weren't perfect: we had our disagreements, we had made mistakes, but we had grown and learned from it. And now, our children were learning from us. 

"What are you all smiley about?" Katsuki asked softly as he sat next to me on the bed and I rested my head on his shoulder. 

"Did you ever think it'd come to this?"

"Only in my wildest dreams. You?"

"Same." I sighed. "I love you."

"I love you too, frostbite." He yawned as he kissed me and we both froze as we heard Yu move. 

We both sighed in relief and laughed a little as she immediately went back to sleep.

"We've gotten pretty good at this thing, haven't we?" Katsuki chuckled.

"Yeah. Don't jinx it, blasty."

"Sure thing, frostbite."