Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"She tried to choke me with a pair of shoelaces. She was screaming something about how I forgot her birthday. I chased her for a few blocks, but then she jumped into a van with some guy. Good luck, dude. Her birthday's May 12th. I'd buy a card now."
-- Lucy's Victim, "Raising Hope, Pilot"

When Tomura Shigaraki woke up at ten A.M. for his stupid job, he had no idea his life was about to change forever.

Dramatic as that sounded, his life had fallen into a routine so monotonous that the days blended together. He woke up late. He either went to work or his court-mandated therapy sessions. He ate shitty fast food for lunch and made shitty attempts at cooking for dinner. He checked in with his parole officer once a week. He spent what was probably an absurd amount of time playing video games, switching between online and RPG depending on his mood. (Well, that part wasn’t very different from before.) He stayed up too late, spent too much money on energy drinks, and repeated the process over and over again.

It wasn’t much of a life, but it was a normal one. Perfectly bland, painfully average, and outrageously legal. He didn’t even torrent video games anymore. He was a decent citizen who, although not contributing much to society, wasn’t trying to kill the Symbol of Peace or burn down hero society out of “misplaced anger” and “trauma” anymore, or whatever his therapist said.

Staring at his reflection in the grimy mirror, Shigaraki ran his fingers through his light blue hair. It was starting to hang in his face again. He would have to get a haircut soon. A part of him wanted to keep it shaggy, but then he thought of how it was supposed to be important that he not fall back into old habits. Hiding his face was a habit he hadn’t even realized he had until after the League. No more creepy disembodied hand to cover his face, no more hair hanging in his eyes, no more hunching over and hiding in the shadow of his hood.

Nope, he had to face the world and the world had to see him.

He didn’t like it much.

Even if he was a plain old citizen, it didn’t take away simple facts. His decay quirk still tended to dry out his skin, which meant he was either forced to take extra care of his face or look like a crusty asshole for everyone to see. Dabi-- No, Touya thought it was amusing, but now that he couldn’t hide, Shigaraki was forced to face the fact that he was not the easiest person to look at when he let himself go. He was put in the position to have what Touya called “a beauty regimen” (it was not) in order to make sure he looked relatively decent for his everyday job.

It was annoying. Simple, civilian life was made up of tiny annoying things that he didn’t like. A boring job, bills, taxes, and a bunch of other things that made life difficult for no damn reason. Who could’ve realized how easy living off the grid had made his life before? He didn’t have that option now. No, he had to have an actual place of residence and an address. He needed a job for that too and a job came with other factors. He had to deal with people and people were, by and large, annoying as hell.

Progress. It was all about progress.

With his legal name tacked on all his paperwork, no defining hands hanging onto him, and moderate care over his appearance, no one recognized him. It had been like that before when he had been younger - before he had started to take his role as Sensei-- No, All for One’s protege more seriously in the League of Villains. No one had known him then. After the attack on the USJ, people had started to notice him more. It had been slow work in the beginning, but people had come to know him. They had even learned to fear him. Respect him. Hate him. He’d been known.

Now he was just...Tenko Shimura, even if he didn’t think of himself that way. He hadn’t wanted to use his legal name, not having any connection to it, but then his parole officer had tentatively pointed out that it would be easier for him to obtain a job if he didn’t go by a name everyone associated with a very bad and dangerous villain. He wasn’t one, not anymore thanks to the legal system and years of rehab he was unfortunately still in, but he would never be able to erase the fact that he had been one. It was a stain on his life forever.

A fucking stain. How ironic.

After taking a shower and using lotion for his skin, Shigaraki changed into clothes, grabbed his leftovers from the takeout he ordered last night, and left for work. When his parole officer had begun to help him look for an actual job, the first one he’d ever had, he had been at a loss. It was only when the young woman asked what he was good at and liked to do (you know, besides villainy) did he admit he played a lot of video games. Somehow, with her help (and a letter of recommendation from a certain hero), he got a job at a video game store. It wasn’t much of a job and it paid minimum wage, but it was something that he didn’t hate and he knew a lot about them.

Still, dealing with nerds online was a lot different than dealing with them in person. It did, however, have the effect of making him somewhat care about his appearance more. Some of those guys were unpleasant to look at. No wonder most of them were idiot trolls that couldn’t land a girl. Dealing with them had the ability to grate on his nerves, but he didn’t scratch at his neck anymore unless he was under a lot of stress. He had to grudgingly admit therapy had helped him with his temper. He needed that help too since working retail was sometimes akin to torture.

Seriously, they should’ve just forced every captured villain to work in retail. Put some quirk inhibitor braces and a tracking device on them and call it a day. Now there was some community service. Sure, he had been a villain, but he wasn’t a total asshole for absolutely no damn reason to complete strangers. It could be worse. He could work at some large corporate store. Then he might’ve gone back to prison.

It was a twenty-minute walk to the store, something of which he used to clear his head. He liked for it to be near empty by the time he reached work. Those twenty minutes gave him the ability to shake whatever nightmares or sour dreams he might’ve had the night before. No amount of therapy could get rid of those and he didn’t want to take any medication, no matter what the psychiatrist suggested. Now that he was out of prison, he wanted a clear head and he wanted it on his own.

The weather outside was nice, the sun shining down on him like a bright reminder that the day was great and he was free. For some reason, that frustrated him. Maybe one or two people gave him a weird look as he tugged on a pair of black gloves, but he ignored them. His coworkers had learned not to ask him about it. The odd customer did, mostly because they were entitled idiots who didn’t have filters, but he either explained it away by saying he didn’t like germs or it had to do with his quirk.

It was just easier to deal with it that way. He naturally grabbed things with four fingers or less out of years of habit, but it was part of his therapy to avoid doing that, which meant he had to wear gloves. Everything was about recovery and a lot of the issues he’d developed over the years centered on his quirk. He’d never thought he hated it, but now that he actively thought about it more, he supposed he did have conflicting feelings over it.

“Oh, awesome, you’re here,” the guy behind the register sighed the second he walked in. “You mind if I dip out early? It’s been super slow.”

Shigaraki waved a dismissive hand. “Whatever.”

“Sweet, thanks, you rock, Shimura,” the guy said, practically bolting to the back room.

He didn’t offer to let him leave early so he could be helpful; he did it so he could be alone. After being out of prison for months, he had gotten used to people calling him by his legal name. At first, he’d struggled to answer it, but now it was kind of like a nickname. It was better than the ones Touya had come up for him over the years. He still liked to use them no matter how irritating they were.

His coworker had been right about one thing: it was super slow. Only a few customers came in during the afternoon. When school let out, some kids strolled in and hung out, but no one needed any help, leaving him to sit behind the register and play games on his phone. He actually had a monthly plan for this thing. It was the first phone he’d owned that wasn’t a burner.

For the most part, he only used his phone for games and the internet, seeing as how he didn’t have much of a social life. It wasn’t like he had a ton of friends or was dating someone. He had kind of half-assed it for a while there - trying to be more social or whatever - but it wasn’t for him. Both his parole officer and therapist thought it was fine if he didn’t push himself right away. Getting back into society when he had never really been in it to begin with wasn’t going to be easy. Stuff like friends, dating, and shit were still foreign concepts to him.

Plus, his last attempt, while some might consider a success, had ended with the girl ghosting him before he could ghost her. Shigaraki hadn’t known whether to be offended or not. He had been a little grateful that he didn’t have to do anything to avoid her - he could even pretend that he was the good one in that case - but Touya had thought it a little too funny that he had been essentially dumped. They hadn’t even been dating. She had just been some woman he had accidentally helped at a bar when some asshole had been bothering her. And then she was gone.

Honestly, best non-relationship ever. His therapist had been proud of him for attempting something. Shigaraki had definitely not told him that he hadn’t really attempted anything. It had just sort of happened and was then over. The lack of effort he’d had to put in had been pleasant.

The familiar stress-inducing sound from Metal Gear Solid echoed from his phone. Since there was no one in the store right now, Shigaraki pulled it from his pocket and checked the text.

Fuyumi says you should come over for dinner because you eat like shit.

Fucking Touya. Fucking Todorokis. Shigaraki didn’t know how he’d ended up stuck with that asshole, but his sister did cook good home meals. It wasn’t like he had the opportunity to eat like that often. He cooked okay, as long as the microwave worked, but he didn’t enjoy it. Kurogiri had attempted to teach him, but it had ended with a lot of spoons and knives turned to ash, which didn’t flavor food all that well.

Another text popped up before he could respond: I told her you’re a troll that doesn’t leave its cave.

Shigaraki sneered and hurriedly sent back a text: I’ll be there just to piss you off.

Be here at 8 unless an old enemy picks you off first.

You wish. Eat shit.

Just to piss him off, Touya sent one last text, a fucking smiley emoji. Shigaraki huffed and shoved his phone back in his pocket just as the front door jingled, letting him know that someone was walking into the store. After accidentally making awkward eye contact with some guy that was even paler than him, he went back to pretending he was organizing something under the register. There was no way that guy needed any help. He probably only left the house to buy a new game.

Another employee came in not long after that and Shigaraki was able to clock out thirty minutes later. It was a ten-minute walk to the nearest subway entrance and then between ten and fifteen minutes to Fuyumi Todoroki’s apartment, where Touya was staying. The asshole had been lucky enough to be able to move in with his twin when he got out on parole. Unlike Shigaraki, he’d gone back to going by his legal name, although he shot murderous glares at anyone who used his surname.

However, before he made it ten steps away from the video game store, he felt a hand wrap around his arm. As dumb as it was, the first thing to pop into his mind was Touya’s stupid comment about an enemy picking him off. He jumped into the fight response, jerking around and reaching out to touch the person who had grabbed him, although he realized belatedly he was wearing gloves so his quirk was useless. When he came face-to-face with his attacker though, he came to a shocked halt and gawked at them.

“I remember you saying you worked here!” the woman exclaimed cheerfully. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be here though.”

Shigaraki blinked in confusion. “Himura…” He wasn’t sure what to say except, “I thought you ghosted me.”

Himura laughed and let go of him. “Some stuff came up and I had to leave town abruptly, but I’m back now. It’s been a while, I know.”

A while? Shigaraki shook his head. It had been over a year. Sure, it wasn’t like he’d become a monk or anything like that, but he hadn’t really attempted much of anything since then either. One of the last things he wanted right now was anything as locked in as a relationship, even if everyone seemed to be harping on him about making more social and emotional connections.

“You busy right now?” Himura asked. He was, but before he could even answer, she continued, “There’s someone you need to meet.”

“Uh…” That sounded ominous. He didn’t like it one bit. Despite the fact that they had been, ah, fairly intimate for a night, they were strangers. He had been quite content never seeing her again and did not want to meet anyone in her life or vice versa. “I’ve actually got-”

She swooped a duffle bag from her side to rest in front of her and then dug around in it to pull something out. “Tada!” He had expected her to pull out some tiny dog or something (people were weird about their pets), but instead, she pulled out a fucking baby in a blue onesie that was far too big for it. “Meet your daughter!”

His what ?

Shigaraki frowned and stared at the wiggly little thing. “What the fuck?”

“This is your little girl, silly,” Himura replied teasingly, still holding the child out to him like he might want to hold it. He most certainly did not. He’d never held a baby in his life and he wasn’t about to start now. “Her name is Princess.”

She had named a baby Princess? Like Princess Peach? It was a terrible name. She should’ve gone for something a little more subtle. Why name the baby Princess and not the actual name of one? Shigaraki shook his head. Now was not the time to argue over names, especially when he couldn’t possibly be involved in this mess. No way was this his child. She had to be mistaken. She had to be wrong. She...

“How…?” His mind was struggling to keep up, like it was lagging on a server that was too busy.

When Himura grinned, it was strangely sharp, which didn’t fit the situation at all. “Well, you see, when two consenting adults find themselves locked in an amorous embrace…”

“Shut up! I know how babies are made! I just-” Shigaraki snapped his mouth shut so hard that his teeth rattled.

Himura shrugged and said, “Life happens sometimes,” before all but shoving the child into his arms. If he hadn’t grabbed the squirming thing at the last second, it would’ve fallen on the sidewalk.

All Shigaraki could do was stare down at the baby, which looked up at him with equally confused eyes. Red eyes. Just like his. It didn’t have a lot of hair, but from what it did have, it looked brown. Like hers.

No, no, this was not happening. This was insane. There was no way this tiny blob could belong to him. He couldn’t have a baby. He didn’t know anything about babies. What did they eat? How much sleep did they need? Did he have to take her on walks? Could she walk? She looked tiny and fragile. Far too fragile for someone like him.

“I can’t-”

“Oh please, you’ll be fine,” Himura insisted. She pulled the strap of the duffle bag from her shoulder and hooked it onto Shigaraki’s shoulder as he found himself locked in a staring competition with the baby. “Listen, I’ve got some things I have to take care of. If you could watch her for a few weeks, that would be great. You still living at the same place? Or, if you wanna keep her, that’s cool too. This mothering thing is...  Well, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not my thing.”

At the end of her rambling, Shigaraki’s brain managed to catch up to her words and he tore his gaze away from the baby to stare furiously at Himura. “Wait - what the fuck? Hold on. You can’t just-” In his arms, the baby started to wiggle more, making it difficult for him to hold onto it. She was tiny and weak compared to him, but it was still hard. “What the hell are you going on about? We need to- I can’t-” He held the baby back out to her. “You can’t just pop up, hand me a baby, and walk off. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Himura winked at him. “I know who you are, Tomura Shigaraki.”

He flushed, his heart going cold. Admittedly, Himura was one of the few times he’d gone by Tenko Shimura. He should have known it was a terrible idea, but the beer and sudden buoyancy of confidence had tricked him somehow. He shouldn’t have gotten involved with anyone in any way. Apparently, it hadn’t mattered because she had known who he was - and she hadn’t cared. And if she didn’t care about who he was, then that meant…

Slowly, Shigaraki pulled the child toward his chest. “What do you have to take care of?”

“More like who,” Himura giggled. She tapped him on the nose, lightning fast, and then put her hands on her hips. “I’ve got this detective on my back and he’s been chasing me everywhere. Let me tell you: going on the run with a baby is almost impossible. It was becoming such a hassle.” She rolled her eyes. “I figured I’d just take him and his family out, maybe make it look like a murder-suicide, and then all will be good.”

“You…what?”

Shigaraki was pretty sure his mind was going to explode. Was this how people had felt like when they talked to him back in his villain days? He couldn’t imagine he had been this warped and delusional - this flippant about murder - but he knew he had been bad. He’d spent years dreaming about getting revenge on all the heroes he’d believed had failed him. He had been crazy about it, fervent, determined. It had been all he wanted. There hadn’t been room for anything else.

But the idea of abandoning a child… An innocent baby...

It made him think of all the people that had walked past him the day his world came to an end. It pissed him off.

“You understand, right?” Himura continued. “Oh, yeah, I know - you’re good now” - she giggled - “but you’ll never be able to escape what you truly are.” She waved a hand at him. “Video game store employee? You were the leader of the League of Villains. You were the boss in all those games! Keep on trying to lie to yourself. Eventually, you’ll fall back into it.” She reached out and gently ran a hand over the baby’s soft head. “Maybe we can even teach her our ways. I’m not into notoriety or anything, but I could learn.”

Something terrible burned in Shigaraki, growing hotter with each word that came out of Himura’s mouth. It was the familiar feeling of hate, an emotion which made him sick to his stomach these days. It had been a long time since he had hated someone this much. It mixed with disgust and rage, filling him like an overflowing pot of boiling water, until all of it finally melted away into fear.

That was what he was afraid of, wasn’t he? That all of this was for naught. That everything he’d done to change his life - to become someone different - would be utterly worthless. That he was worthless and would only ever amount to anything as a villain. After all, he wasn’t a productive member of society by any means. He was nothing. He didn’t mean shit anymore. He didn’t mean shit to anyone. He didn’t have anyone.

His eyes flickered down to the baby, who now had a weak fistful of his shirt. She didn’t either, did she? Not if Himura was ready to abandon her, which she certainly sounded like she was. Maybe she’d come back. Maybe she’d want the baby again. Princess. But for how long? How long until she tired of motherhood? How long until her flippancy about murder turned against someone who couldn’t defend herself? Who trusted her? Needed her? Or would she raise her to think the way she did? Never give her a chance to become her own person?

The fear left, replaced with something cold and decisive. “Okay.”

Himura tilted her head. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll keep her,” Shigaraki replied coldly.

“Thanks!” Either she didn’t notice his tone or she didn’t care because she smiled and gave him an awkward hug, ignoring the way she squished the baby between them. The baby didn’t like that, letting out an uncomfortable cry that pierced his ears. It was a weird sound. “Same number, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shigaraki replied. He moved the child to one arm, struggling to hold it as it began to fight more. She didn’t want him to hold her. She wanted her mom. He winced. Sorry, kid. “I just have to make a quick call. Let my friend know I’m not going to make it over.”

“Of course,” Himura said, hopping on her feet excitedly. “Maybe when I finish my business, we can get dinner. Aw, we can go out like a family.” She eyed the baby in a strange way as Shigaraki fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed quickly. “Still not sure about that motherhood thing, but I figured if I ever got caught, they wouldn’t go for the death penalty at least. A baby would make me look soft, you know?”

Shigaraki’s lips twitched into an uncomfortable smile. “Oh yeah, definitely.”

Keeping one eye on her, he turned away when his call was answered, leaving her to keep talking to herself. He tuned her out. Hopefully, the police would get here before she vanished into thin air again. Apparently, he knew her even less than he’d realized, but one thing he did know about her, besides her flexibility, was that she was great at becoming a ghost. Maybe turning her in would get him some bonus points with the authorities.

Of course this would happen. He attempted to have a simple fling, like a normal idiot in their twenties, and happened to knock up what sounded like a serial killer villain. Fuck, Touya was going to lose his shit over this.

After giving the address of the store and explaining (more or less) what was going on, Shigaraki ended the call and slowly began to back away. He knew next to nothing about babies, but he knew that they were very fragile. So much could hurt them. With one hand holding it up and the other protectively cradling its head, he put as much distance between them and Himura as he could before she got suspicious. He was right at his job’s door when she finally turned around and noticed he’d moved away from her.

Himura froze, staring at him like she couldn’t quite recognize him. “You’re leaving without saying goodbye?”

“Yeah, we’re both pretty good at that, aren’t we?” Shigaraki responded, going for cool but coming off as stiff. Unlike Touya, he couldn’t just rid himself or his voice of emotions. He fell into a bored droll half the time, but that was only because life got so boring that managing more didn’t seem worth the effort. Right now, he was so tense he felt like he might snap.

“Of course.” Himura’s eyes narrowed. “Let me kiss my girl goodbye at least.”

“I thought you weren’t into the whole mom thing,” Shigaraki replied edgily.

“Shigaraki.”

“Himura,” he shot back mockingly.

“What did you do?” she demanded.

He didn’t back down or look away as he flatly stated, “What I had to.” He wasn’t going back to jail and he wasn’t going to let her run around either, not when he realized the danger she presented.

Himura’s demeanor changed almost immediately, going from absurd rambling to cold in a second. It was all too familiar. He had seen that same thing in himself prior to his arrest and incarceration. He could feel it in him now, but it was also different. He felt...protective. Which was ridiculous since he’d only just found out about this baby. He didn’t have it in him to be a dad, least of all with no warning, but he knew a bad influence when he saw one. He knew a path of darkness when put in front of him.

The day he became the lesser of two evils had to mean the world was ending.

When a pair of pro heroes walked up behind her, Shigaraki didn’t make a face or move a muscle. He maintained eye contact with her, keeping her locked on him. If he’d been forced to take a glove off and use his quirk, he would have, but he also knew it would’ve put him in a bad position, even if he tried to claim self-defense. He wasn’t sure what her quirk was, but the second she took a step towards them, the heroes jumped into action. All in all, because she had been caught off guard, her capture was shockingly quick.

“You called the cops?” Himura exclaimed as she struggled against them. They’d put quirk inhibitor handcuffs on her quickly, managing to throw her to the ground, but she flailed and kicked, her voice getting more hysterical by the second. “I can’t believe you called heroes on me! You bastard! What kind of villain are you?”

Not a very good one, Shigaraki thought as the heroes’ eyes flickered to him.

Shigaraki leveled her with an unimpressed gaze. “One on parole trying to get better.”

“Liar!” Himura began to scream. “You’re a liar!” By now, the police had shown up, stepping in to secure the area to make sure no one was hurt. “You’re a villain and you’ll always be one!”

“Maybe,” Shigaraki admitted quietly to himself, “but I’m free.”

Somewhat mystified by the whole ordeal, he watched as Himura was loaded into a vehicle and the door was shut in her face, muffling her screams. It went about a hundred times smoother than his arrest, which had resulted in a lot of destruction. Red and blue lights flashed around him, along with a crowd of gawkers. None of it felt real, not even the heavy weight in his arms. He glanced down, surprised that the thing hadn’t started crying with all the commotion. Surely it didn’t feel safe or content with him. He was a complete stranger.

“Sir?” a pro hero prompted.

Shigaraki huffed and rolled his eyes. “You know who I am. No need to play coy, hero.”

For his part, the pro hero had the decency to look a little embarrassed. Naturally, every hero in the city knew who he was on sight. He might be able to hide his identity from the general public since they knew him by his legal name, but the heroes and police knew him better. They wouldn’t be very good at their jobs if they didn’t know the former leader of the League of Villains lived in the area. They had to make sure he didn’t slip up and fall back into villainy.

“We can take the child now,” the hero said, holding out his hands.

Out of an instinct that he didn’t know he had, Shigaraki twisted away and hugged the baby closer to his chest, blurting out an almost panicked, “No.”

The hero looked about as surprised as Shigaraki felt, raising his eyebrows and dropping his jaw a little. He didn’t know where that had come from. Minutes ago, he could’ve sworn that he would have handed this child off to the first person that asked for it, but all of a sudden, fear spiked through him and he didn’t want to let her go. He thought about giving her away and never seeing her again. It would be better that way, wouldn’t it? Someone else could raise her better. He didn’t know how to raise her. He didn’t think he could.

“She’s mine,” Shigaraki continued, trying to calm himself down. He sounded confused. He felt confused. He probably looked it too.

The hero didn’t look like he believed him entirely. “She’s yours?”

“Yeah, she…” Shigaraki looked down at the baby girl, who stared up at him with sleepy red eyes and still had a hold of his shirt with one tiny fist. “Look, I’ll come down to the station. I’ll take a test. Whatever.” He didn’t know why he was being so adamant about this. He should’ve given her up. He should’ve let her go. “I called you guys, remember? You can’t take her from me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Not this time, at least.

What the hell was he doing? This hero would know what to do. It would be better for all of them if he handed her over. He tried to think of his father and what he looked like - what kind of man and parent he had been - but he could no longer remember the man’s face. All Shigaraki could remember was ash. Once upon a time, he would’ve moved on to thinking about All for One, but when he popped into his head, his stomach turned.

He didn’t know anything about kids. He didn’t know anything about being a father. This was stupid. He was acting like an idiot.

A familiar face walked up behind the hero, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You can go on and take the suspect into custody. If she is who I think she is, it’s going to be a long night.” The hero cast one last furtive look at Shigaraki and then walked away.

Shigaraki’s face settled into a stony expression. “Detective Naomasa.”

“When I heard you made the call…” Naomasa gave him an appraising look. “You’ve done well. Thank you.”

“It doesn’t feel good,” Shigaraki muttered. Calling heroes on a villain… It didn’t get more average citizen than that. He could’ve taken care of her - he knew that - but it wasn’t his place. It made him feel pathetic and weak. Was this how everyone else felt like when a villain attacked?

Naomasa turned to look watch the car with Himura in it drive off. “She’s wanted for a lot of murders. You might have given a lot of people some peace by calling this in.” He held out his hand. It was a simple gesture, but one that drew Shigaraki’s attention. Shaking hands was still unfamiliar to him. It was so innocent, but something that made him wary as well. Nonetheless, he pulled his hand away from the baby’s head and shook the detective’s hand. “That’s really your daughter?”

“Yes.” There was something final about the way Shigaraki said it. It felt like a piece of a puzzle falling into place. The picture wasn’t complete, so he couldn’t tell what it was, but it was starting to make more sense. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he knew what he had to do. “She’s mine.”

He couldn’t just abandon her like everyone had abandoned him.

“Well then.” Naomasa took his hand back and pocketed it. “I suppose congratulations are in order.” Shigaraki snorted. That was probably the nicest reaction he was going to get concerning this mess. “It’s late. I’ll take your statement here and you can leave.” His gaze turned back to the child. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“I’ll figure something out,” Shigaraki responded.

Naomasa actually laughed. “That’s what everyone thinks but doesn’t say when they become a parent.”

Chapter Text

"A baby? Good lord. Well, you can safe-drop it at the fire station. Only make sure you hand it to someone - you can't just throw it in the bin out front. That's for canned goods and puppies."
-- Virginia Chance (Raising Hope, Pilot)

By the time Shigaraki finished with Naomasa, his phone had gone off at least five times. It was nearing nine, which meant that he was more than a little late for dinner. Not that Touya cared if he changed his mind about showing up or not, but the lack of a response would put him on edge. As much as they joked about it, both of them knew it was a very real possibility that one of them could get attacked. They’d made a lot of enemies as villains and more than a few people had been displeased about them getting released early.

Plus, there was the other thing neither one of them talked about: they had to keep each other in check, hold the other accountable, watch for one of them sliding back down that slippery slope. It irritated the hell out of him, but he knew it was true. They didn’t want to admit that lack of trust in each other, but it would be there. They knew what the other was like. Villainy had been easy. Being a good person was much harder.

The baby had shockingly fallen asleep in his arms. To be honest, Shigaraki hadn’t had much of a reason before, but this felt like a very strong motivation, even if he didn’t know exactly what it meant.

He didn’t check his phone until he got on the subway, sitting down in a corner away from other people. A few women gave him curious looks and even a smile or two, which confused him as he’d never gotten them before from complete strangers, but no one bothered him. Sitting made it easier for him to hold the kid in one hand and fish his phone out of his pocket. Sure enough, there were two missed calls and five text messages.

You’re late asshole.

Coming or what?

I’m gonna eat all the food and leave you nothing.

Where the fuck are you seriously?

Answer me you dickhead. You better not be dead in a ditch or doing something stupid.

Shigaraki ran a gloved hand over the baby’s soft head and sunk further in the seat, tilting his head back. Oh yeah, he was doing something very stupid. The last thing he needed in his life was a fucking baby and yet here he was. He sent a simple text ( omw ) without any explanation and turned his phone on silent. It would piss Touya off, but it would give him peace of mind that Shigaraki was both alive and hadn’t committed any crimes. He would know better than to show his face around Fuyumi’s place if he had.

By the grace of whatever good was left in the world, the kid stayed asleep the whole train ride. When he got off and started walking for the apartment, it started to wake up, crying and squirming in his arms. He didn’t know what to do. He was certain people on the street would start staring at him and accusing him of hurting it, but no one batted an eye at him. A crying baby wasn’t anything of note. Babies cried all the time. It was what they did. He somehow managed to get it to stop once he reached the building, but desperation had started to build up inside of him.

He’d made a stupid, foolish mistake. He should’ve given the baby away. He should’ve handed her off. What was he doing? What did he think he could do? Why the hell was he here? Honestly, maybe it was because he had no idea where else to go. He had no one else to go to and talk to about this. It wasn’t like he could call up Kurogiri and ask for parenting tips - see what he did whenever Shigaraki threw a fit as a kid. Thank everything the baby didn’t seem to have a quirk yet. He could only imagine how much of a terror he had been with his destructive decay quirk. He had probably disintegrated stuff whenever he was mad.

After awkwardly shifting the baby in his arm, which was starting to fall asleep, Shigaraki banged on the door. There was shuffling on the other side and a man’s grouchy voice, “There isn’t anything left,” before it was ripped open and he was met with an irritated Touya Todoroki. “Dude, where the--?”

“I think this thing is hungry, but I don’t know what it eats,” Shigaraki interrupted, blurting out the first words that came to mind and holding the baby out underneath its arms.

Touya’s bright blue eyes almost bugged out of his head. “What the fuck? Why do you have a baby?” He actually paled and took a step back as he gawked in absolute shock; as if he’d never seen a kid before. “Did you steal a fucking baby?”

“What?” Shigaraki pulled her back to his chest and gave him an indignant glare. “No, I didn’t steal a baby, you idiot!”

“Then where did you get one?” Touya demanded. “It’s not like you can just pick one up off the street.” He leaned to the side to peer at it closer and then caught sight of the duffle bag. “Did you?”

“She’s mine,” Shigaraki pointed out, pushing Touya aside and shoving his way inside. He was so stunned he didn’t even fight back, allowing himself to get knocked into the wall and turning to stare at him. Shigaraki paused and then walked back to the door so he could take his shoes off before Fuyumi could get onto him.

Touya narrowed his eyes. “Since when do you have a kid? Last time I checked, you didn’t have one and it’s not like you’re with anyone.”

“Remember that woman from the bar?” Shigaraki prompted. Touya gave him a vacant look, which meant he did not, in fact, remember her. It wasn’t surprising. It had been before he’d gotten out of prison, so he’d been told about it a month after it happened. He didn’t even know why he told him, except to maybe prove that he didn’t just hole himself up in his apartment playing video games. “Himura?”

“Oh, shit, yeah.” Touya looked in the hallway, as if checking to see if she had come with him, shutting the door once he confirmed that Shigaraki was alone. “Wow, that’s…” He snorted. “You got a one night stand pregnant. That is some shit luck.”

“I got a villain pregnant,” Shigaraki grumbled in correction.

Touya stared at him. “What?”

Shigaraki pinched the bridge of his nose. “Turns out she might be a serial killer. She popped up after I got off work, handed me the baby, and asked if I could watch her while she took out the cop chasing after her and his family.”

“What the…?” Touya continued to stare until he abruptly burst into laughter.

It was wholly inappropriate and it made Shigaraki scowl furiously, especially since it was loud enough to startle the baby into crying again. Touya was not a laugher. Maybe he chuckled or snorted, smirked and grinned, but he didn’t laugh. It wasn’t in his nature. His mood usually ranged from bored indifference to volatile anger or vaguely amused disdain. Shigaraki wasn’t one either, but definitely not right now. It wasn’t funny.

It wasn’t fucking funny at all.

“Holy shit, that’s even worse. You manage to get laid - and you impregnate a villain. I’m fucking… I can’t believe this. I can’t.” Touya turned away, still laughing and pressing a hand against his head. “I can’t deal with this right now. Fuyumi, come meet Shigaraki’s daughter!”

There was a loud crash from the kitchen, sounding as if someone had knocked a bunch of pots and glasses in the sink. When Fuyumi poked out her head, there was a confused look on her face. “His wha-?” She hadn’t even finished when her eyes landed on the baby in question and she slammed a hand to her mouth to keep from shrieking. Once she contained herself, she pulled her hand away. “What are you doing with a baby?”

“I don’t know,” Shigaraki replied, tired of the questions already.

“Why did you come here?” Touya asked, having managed to regain control of himself. He kept a few paces back, almost like he was afraid that getting too close to the baby would make the world spontaneously produce a child for him as well.

“ I don’t know ,” Shigaraki snapped, a hint of desperation in his voice. The truth was he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Well, he could’ve just gone straight home to his shitty apartment, but the idea of being alone right now with this thing terrified him. He’d made a huge mistake. He didn’t know anything about babies. How did he expect to take care of it? Himura had to have known he didn’t know how to keep a baby alive, much less take care of one and raise it.

Maybe that was the point. It wasn’t like she’d cared all that much. Honestly, now that he thought about it, he was kind of surprised she’d kept it up for this long. He peered at the baby in his hands as it started to cry. Judging from when they had hooked up and the very limited knowledge he had about pregnancy, the baby had to be around three months old.

It was still new.

“I think it’s hungry and I don’t know what to do,” Shigaraki said as its cries grew louder.

“It.” Fuyumi walked fully into the room. Seeing how uncomfortable he was, she held out her hands and Shigaraki graciously handed the baby over to her and let out a sigh. It couldn’t have weighed more than thirteen pounds, but the weight of responsibility that parenthood tacked onto him was heavier than leading the League. “This is a baby girl, not an ‘it’. What’s her name?”

Shigaraki thought back to what Himura had told him, although his brain was still firing rapidly to process everything that had happened. “Apparently it’s Princess.”

Touya burst into laughter again as he practically wheezed, “ Princess ? Princess Shigaraki. Are you trying to kill me?”

Fuyumi attempted to be much kinder, mumbling, “Oh, that’s a...nice...name…” but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t as good of a liar as her twin brother, but he wasn’t even trying right now.

“Don’t bother lying,” Shigaraki told her. “It’s a stupid name. I’m gonna change it.”

“To what ?” Touya asked between laughing and trying to breathe.

Shigaraki shot him a disdainful glower. “I don’t know, but I’m certainly not going to ask for your help, Dabi .”

The asshole didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed or embarrassed by his edgelord nature, but Fuyumi did it for him, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath through her nose. Apparently, it had been something that she had suffered with throughout their childhood, prior to him running off to fake his death and become a petty criminal.

Shigaraki turned to look back at his daughter, Touya snorting behind him. “What do babies eat?”

“Well, she looks too young to eat baby food,” Fuyumi said, carrying the baby into the kitchen. Shigaraki followed her without question. “She needs formula.”

Maybe he had come here because, out of everyone he knew - and to be fair, he didn’t know or trust many people at all - he figured they would know something about babies. After all, they had two younger siblings and he knew Endeavor hadn’t exactly been father of the year material. Even if Touya had avoided responsibilities, Fuyumi not only worked with kids but had helped raise her little brothers. Too young for baby food? What did she eat then?

An idea popped into his head. “Maybe-” He grabbed the duffel bag and felt something in it. He’d thought Himura was just using it to carry the baby. It was certainly inventive but even he knew it wasn’t exactly safe so he hadn’t been about to put it back in there. He dumped everything in the bag on the counter. It wasn’t much: two diapers, a small bag of wipes, a few more clothing items (none of which looked like they were the right size even to him), a bottle filled with some white liquid, and an early empty can containing what looked like cocaine. He picked up the bottle. “You think this is good?”

“We should probably heat it up,” Fuyumi said, taking the bottle from him. How she was able to hold the baby and the bottle like it was simple was a little beyond him. She put it in the microwave for about fifteen seconds, tested the temperature, and then tilted it for the baby. Its cries immediately stopped as it latched onto the bottle and she even reached up as if to hold it. “There, that’s better. You were just hungry, weren’t you, little one?”

“You sure feeding it that is a good idea?” Touya asked from the living room.

Fuyumi frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Come check it out for yourself,” Touya replied cryptically. Fuyumi and Shigaraki glanced at each other and then walked out of the kitchen. They found Touya standing in front of the television, his eyes on the screen until he turned to look up at him. He arched an eyebrow. “You made the news again.”

Shigaraki twisted his lips and moved to stand next to Touya so he could look at the television as well. It was much nicer than the one he owned. He had little time to think about that when he spotted cell phone camera footage showing the two pro heroes easily capturing a thrashing Himura. In the background was Shigaraki, who looked parts awkward, irritated, and confused while he very obviously held the baby incorrectly.

“According to the news, she’s wanted for at least thirty counts of murder,” Touya informed them. He looked back at the baby in Fuyumi’s arms. “Multiple MO’s, which is why it took a while to connect them, but a few of them were poison.” He shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just saying: I’m not sure I’d trust what a serial killer packed for a baby.”

Cringing, Fuyumi took the bottle away. Shigaraki was certain it would start crying again, but apparently what little it did drink was enough to make it content. He didn’t think the drink or cocaine-looking baby formula was laced with anything, but Touya had a point.

Taking the bottle from Fuyumi, he walked into the kitchen, unscrewed the cap, and dumped it all down the sink. For good measure, he stepped on the lever to open up the trash can and took one of his gloves off. It only took a matter of seconds to destroy the bottle before he turned the can of formula to ash as well. He pulled his foot off the lever and the lid fell back down. He stared down at it. Now he really didn’t have anything, not even something to feed the baby with. Maybe it was melodramatic, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“What now?” Shigaraki asked, half to himself.

“Well you can’t keep it,” Touya said from the doorway.

Shigaraki turned around to face him. “So I give her away?”

“Yeah, safe-drop her off at the fire station or something,” Touya told him, shrugging his shoulders. “Pretty sure my dad wanted to do that with me, but you can’t safe-drop a five-year-old.”

“I’m not just abandoning her,” Shigaraki snarled furiously.

Touya didn’t even blink in the face of his anger. “So what? You’re gonna raise her?” He scoffed and folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the threshold. “You’re gonna be a dad? What the fuck do you know about that?”

“I’ll figure it out!” Shigaraki protested, even if Touya had a valid point. What did he know about being a father? It was even less than he knew about babies.

“Face it, Shigaraki,” Touya said, shaking his head. “You’re in over your head. You can barely take care of yourself. It’d be better if you gave that kid away. Save it the pain, the struggle, the embarrassment of having a former villain for a dad. Give her a chance.”

Was that what Touya would do in his place? If he had been handed a helpless baby and told it was his, would he just give them up? Save himself the trouble? Was he that selfish - or was he that scared and aware of his flaws? All of Shigaraki’s thoughts about fatherhood, unfortunately, revolved around All for One. There had been plenty of moments when he had been kind and supportive, but all of those “good” memories were tainted by the fact that he’d been lied to and used the entire time. Every warm gesture had held a dark ulterior motive.

Did he just want to keep her to prove he was different? That he was good and better? Was that using her too?

“No.” Shigaraki pulled his glove back on. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Your loss,” Touya said. He peered at the clock on the stove. “Luckily you don’t do shit, so you at least have money saved up, but babies aren’t cheap.”

Shigaraki knew that, but he didn’t at the same time. What all did he need? Where could he get it? Could he just do a google search: what do babies need to survive? There was a large chain store that was open all night. He could go there, get whatever he needed to make it through the week before he came up with more permanent solutions. He would figure it out. That was what he’d done before whenever faced with a problem. It might’ve taken him some time whenever he hit a dead end or was on the losing end, but he always found a way to survive.

Touya sighed and Shigaraki could immediately tell the change in his demeanor. He wasn’t mocking or cavalier; he was serious, even if he didn’t want to be right now. “Listen, some people aren’t going to like this one bit. I know you’re not who you used to be - and I know you wouldn’t have done anything bad to her even when you were a villain - but a lot of people are going to think you’ll hurt her.”

That cut Shigaraki a lot deeper than he expected, knocking the wind out of his chest. “I wouldn’t. I’m not... “ He wasn’t a monster anymore. Had he gone after kids before as a villain? U.A. kids were still different in his mind, but they had still been only fifteen and sixteen when he’d attacked the USJ and later on the Training Camp and so many other times. This was a baby though. She wasn’t even a half a year old.

“I know you won’t,” Touya said, “but I also know there are about a thousand ways a kid can get hurt or die.” He still didn’t talk about what happened during his childhood, but Shigaraki knew it had been dragged out and examined during his trial in excruciating detail. He had only been there for his testimony and was sent back to prison, but he’d heard a little about it. There was a good possibility that what his father had put him through could’ve killed him. “You won’t hurt her on purpose - I know that - but on accident?”

It was a risk he would have to take. It was one every parent had to take, even the good ones and the ones that had planned on having a kid.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Touya finished. “You know you’re being stupid, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Shigaraki didn’t need to be told that. He definitely knew he was being stupid. It wasn’t that he was attached to her already or even the idea of being a father. It was just...this indescribable thing weighing on him that he couldn’t shake. “Thanks for the shitty pep talk.”

“There was a reason you were the leader and not me,” Touya pointed out.

The fact that Shigaraki had been the leader because he’d been picked and molded into one did not need to be said. Both of them had been groomed. The difference was that Touya had escaped, at least for the most part. Some things couldn’t be outrun. Like parenthood. He knew he could drop her off as Touya had suggested, but the fact would always be there, planted in the back of his mind like a bomb waiting to be detonated.

After shoving everything else back into the duffel bag, Shigaraki slung the strap over his shoulder and then paused. “I still need something for her to eat in case she gets all hungry and moody while I’m out.” At the time, it had seemed like the safest choice, but maybe he’d overreacted when he disintegrated the few baby things on him.

When Touya grinned and said, “I’ve got an idea,” Shigaraki frowned. He did not like the sound of that at all. Stepping further into the kitchen, Touya rummaged around under the sink, which he thought about pointing out was the last place they should search for baby food unless they were a serial killer. He found whatever he was looking for and then went to the fridge to pull out some milk.

The second Shigaraki figured out what he was doing, he almost choked. “You can’t be serious.”

“You don’t have a bottle,” Touya said, holding up a plastic glove filled with milk. “You gotta make one.” Shigaraki rubbed his face with a gloved hand, briefly giving himself the old comfort of the severed hand he’d once worn on his face. “Fuyumi used to do this whenever she found a baby animal when we were kids. You just poke a tiny hole in one of the fingers.” This was a baby human, not an animal. “If you don’t want it-”

“No, I’ll take it,” Shigaraki cut in, snatching the glove out of Touya’s hand. He put it in the duffel bag too. He had a feeling that Fuyumi would only get worried if she saw how desperate he was. With that taken care of, he walked out into the living room where Fuyumi was pacing with the baby. When he held out his hands, she gave him the baby without any hesitation. The little ball of pudge was his, after all. “I’ve got to go. I need to get some things before I go back home.” He huffed. “Good thing I’m off work tomorrow. I need to call and find out what I can do. It’s not like I can bring a baby to work.”

“Call to see if they have anything like paternity leave,” Fuyumi suggested. She bit her lip. “Did you want to leave her here while you…?”

Shigaraki shook his head. “No, I’ve intruded enough. I just want to get the stuff and go home.”

“I can’t believe you’re already offering to babysit,” Touya complained. “If she gets baby fever, I’m blaming you.”

“Touya!” Fuyumi exclaimed and smacked him on the arm, blush tinging her cheeks.

“You’re just worried because if she settles down and starts a family you’ll have to mooch off someone else,” Shigaraki shot back.

Neither one of them wasted time on goodbyes. He’d never cared about them before and, seeing as how he’d left his family without saying a word, Touya wasn’t big on them either. He left without saying anything else, trying to hold the baby the way Fuyumi had, his mind already focused on what he needed, which was a lot. Maybe he could get the essentials tonight and the other stuff tomorrow. He’d figure it out as he went.

*

“Well, that’s a hot fucking mess,” Touya declared as he collapsed on the couch the second the door slammed shut. He sunk in the couch, his arms on the back and tilting his face towards the ceiling. “And that is why you always wrap it before you tap it.”

Fuyumi stood in front of him, hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. “Touya.”

He determinedly did not look at her and kept his gaze on the television, which was still talking more about the arrest. Shigaraki wasn’t mentioned by name, only labeled as a “concerned citizen who called in the tip,” which made Touya snort. Fuyumi stared him down. He refused to look at her for thirty more seconds until finally he caved and let his impassive gaze flicker up to her. “What?”

“You know what,” Fuyumi retorted.

“No way.” Touya shook his head. “I’m not getting involved any more than I already am.”

“Seriously?” Fuyumi said. “You’re just going to let him do this on his own?”

“I’m not here to babysit him,” Touya replied. “He’s a grown, free man. He can make his own stupid ass decisions. I told him what he should do. He didn’t want to listen. My conscience is clear.”

That didn’t deter Fuyumi, who proclaimed, “You’re lying,” which made him scowl. Most people didn’t realize how difficult she could be. However, out of all of them, she had stayed home to help take care of Shouto. She had learned to deal with their father the best. She might not have always liked him or even gotten along with him, but her desire for a family was how Touya found himself living with her today.

“Okay, fine,” Touya huffed, dragging himself back to his feet. “I’ll follow him and make sure he doesn’t accidentally drop the baby or something.” He pointed a finger at her. “But I am not helping. I’m just there as back up.”

Fuyumi smiled. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, fucking whatever,” Touya grumbled as he pulled on a jacket and slunk out of the apartment. Shigaraki would go to the nearest chain store most likely. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he’d try to do.

This was stupid. They were all stupid. Touya should just stay as far away from this as possible, but he had known, the second he’d seen that stubborn glint in Shigaraki’s eyes and anger he’d displayed over safe dropping the baby, he was stuck in this too. Fuyumi loved kids. It was part of the reason why she worked with them. She’d want to help, which meant he would be stupid helping whether he wanted to or not and he most decidedly did not want to. He was doing the bare minimum as it was. Tacking on a kid sounded like a terrible idea. Shigaraki had to know that.

So then why the hell was he doing this?

Chapter Text

"Sir, who's baby is that?"

-- Sabrina (Pilot)

Night patrols weren’t Uraraka’s favorite things, but she’d switched over to second shift on request of Ruyuku. Luckily her shift was almost over and she could go home and relax in a nice hot bubble bath. She couldn’t wait to soak in there and rest her feet. She really needed to figure out how to make her boots more comfortable. They were meant to help her with landings, jumps, and directing her when she was floating in the air.

Things had been quiet recently, which meant a lot of walking around. All she’d done tonight was stop a purse snatcher. That hadn’t been very exciting. That was a good thing, of course. Less crime meant that pro heroes were doing their job of deterring criminals. She had almost been a part of the team that had been called in after a tip about a wanted serial killer came over the radio, but she’d been too busy stuck berating the purse snatcher. Now that would’ve been crazy.

Uraraka sighed. She really shouldn’t wish for things like that. Being a hero wasn’t about doing exciting things. It was about protecting people. She knew that. She loved her job. She loved helping people and stopping villains. It’d be nice if she could do more than walk old ladies across the street or save kids’ cats from trees. That was a part of being a hero though. There was a reason she was one of the more beloved pro heroes. Heroes like Deku, Ground Zero, and Shouto might’ve been more popular, but she got asked for her autograph more than the latter two.

Being a hero meant being approachable, after all. They’d gotten better, but there would always be that wall between them and the public that she and Deku kept transparent.

Surveying the crowd, Uraraka tried to keep an eye on anything suspicious. The man awkwardly carrying a baby wasn’t all that interesting. Poor guy had probably been left alone with the baby for the first time while the mom was out doing something or at work. And then her brain caught up with her eyes and she snapped back in that direction. At first, she thought for sure her eyes were playing tricks on her - there was no way she was seeing this right - but then no, there was no denying it was him.

His hair was shorter, he was wearing what looked like a uniform for some retail store, and there weren’t any severed hands protectively holding onto him - but that was Tomura Shigaraki, former leader of the League of Villains, pushing his way through the crowd and carrying a baby as awkwardly as possible. He looked stressed enough that he might snap at any second or maybe stop walking and give up entirely.

Uraraka’s mind exploded with possibilities. It had been years since she’d seen him in person. There was the program on television that documented the rise and fall of the League, the attempted documentaries on his life that petered out after he got out of prison and faded into non-existence, but that was it. The last time she’d seen him had been at his trial and he’d just looked...done with everything. It had been sad, seeing someone fall so hard, even if he was a villain. She hadn’t even realized he lived in this area. She’d moved back only a few months ago after working up north. Maybe she should’ve checked to see if any of the former villains that had tried to kill her were out on parole in her area, but she hadn’t thought of him in so long.

Seeing him now, especially with a baby, was a bit like falling into a dream. It didn’t feel real.

“Uravity?” her partner prompted. He was young, a second-year U.A. student on one of his many internships. She’d worked with him since he started, but for a few seconds, she couldn’t think of his name. All she could focus on was the fact that a face from her past was back, someone who had once been a nightmare but now looked like a regular citizen and frazzled father.

Uraraka blinked out of her shocked state. Father? Was the baby his? Whose else would it be? Why would he be carrying around a baby if it wasn’t his? Had he kidnapped it?

“You go on ahead of me back to the office,” Uraraka told the intern.

“Uh, are you-?”

“Everything’s fine.” Uraraka smiled at the kid. “I just saw someone I used to know.”

Luckily, the kid didn’t argue with her. She knew how bored he was. If she was thinking about how slow things had been, then she knew he felt like things were dragging. He didn’t know how lucky he was. She couldn’t even spend time at U.A. without worrying about getting attacked by villains. Shigaraki had never personally gone after her, but she had crossed paths with him once when she was eighteen. It was during one of the last explosive fights between the League and the pros before they were officially taken down.

Uraraka crossed the street and hopped onto the sidewalk a few meters behind Shigaraki. He seemed to be muttering to himself or maybe the baby, which was squirming in his hands. For some reason, she couldn’t help but notice the gloves that he was wearing. At first, she was confused since it wasn’t cold enough for gloves, but then she realized it had to do with his quirk. After all, she still wore mittens whenever she slept to ensure she didn’t activate her quirk on herself or anything she touched.

Popping up on him might not have been a good idea, but she had to check, just to be sure. Uraraka wanted to believe that he wasn’t a villain anymore. He’d been out for nearly two years now, if her memory served her right. Deku kept much more up to date on their former adversaries and had called to talk to her about it. She hadn’t heard anything about him since. He’d kept his head down and his hands out of anything dirty apparently. No news was better than any news sometimes.

Seeing him now just made her feel confused. Uraraka wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about him. It was one thing to say that she believed in villain reformation, but it was quite another to see someone who had nearly killed her friends walking around doing something so average and bland.

He wasn’t the only one of course, so she at least had a little experience in this. There was Dabi-- No, he went by Touya now. In any case, Todoroki’s oldest brother was out on parole as well and back in his life. Uraraka had met him a few times, all of them unusual, but he didn’t seem like anything other than a moody and slacker older brother. It was weird.

This was weird now, but Uraraka wouldn’t be able to let this go until she confronted him. Talked with him. Made sure things were okay. He really did look like he was struggling. What kind of hero would she be if she didn’t reach out if he needed help? Wasn’t that what had turned him away from heroes in the first place? Society had seen him in trouble and it had turned its back on him.

Uraraka couldn’t do that. She’d extend a hand, even if it was to a former enemy. She would be better.

*

For what felt like the hundredth time, Shigaraki adjusted the baby in his arms. One thing was for sure: he was going to have to find a different way to transport her. She wasn’t heavy by any means, but continuously carrying ten pounds was troublesome and starting to move beyond hurting. The longer he held her, the more the duffel bag began to look like an appealing option. He was starting to see why Himura had resorted to carrying her in it. Still, there had to be a better way. Weren't there like baby backpack things? What about strollers? He supposed those things held a person back when they were on the run from the law.

A few minutes later, he paused again, moving the baby awkwardly against his chest and into his arm that wasn’t completely numb, when an oddly familiar voice called from behind, “Um, Shigaraki?”

He spun around, the fingers of his free hand held in a defensive stance despite the fact that the gloves he wore made his quirk useless, only to freeze on the spot when he saw who was standing before him. It was like getting smacked in the face by his past. It wasn’t pleasant, even if the young hero was wearing a deceptively warm but obviously concerned expression on her face.

Uravity. Standing in front of Shigaraki, in all the glory of her costume, was the pro hero Uravity, also known as Ochako Uraraka. She might not have been at the top of his list of priorities back in the day, but her closeness with Midoriya and Toga’s obsession with both of them had made her a noticeable figure. It was weird as hell seeing her now. A part of him immediately thought back to the days when she was a U.A. student, but now she was a pro hero and a grown woman at that. She still had a girlish look about her that many people would consider cute, if only because of the pink spots on her cheeks, but he’d faced her once before.

She had not been cute then.

Her eyes flickered to the baby in his arms and he immediately blurted, “It’s not what it looks like.” She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing in response, which made him realize that he didn’t even know what she thought this looked like. The first thing to pop into his head had been Touya’s warning about people thinking he might harm the baby and he’d panicked. “She’s mine - my daughter.”

Uraraka peered closer at the baby, probably taking note of her red eyes. “She’s adorable.” She looked back up at him, chewing on her bottom lip and obviously feeling awkward. He fought back a sigh. Even if she was trying to figure out what to say, he could tell what she was thinking. She didn’t trust him with a baby. Once a villain, always a villain, right? She’d never be able to look at him any different way - and for good reason. He honestly didn’t blame her, but it was still frustrating. “I couldn’t help but notice how...uncomfortable you look.”

“Uncomfortable?” Shigaraki deadpanned. That obviously wasn’t the word she’d been thinking.

“Clueless?” Uraraka offered. He snorted. That was much better. “You, uh...don’t look like you…”

“Like I don't know what I’m doing?”

For some reason, that made Uraraka flush a little. “I wasn’t going to say that.” She twisted her lips in thought. “But, I guess, if I’m being honest - you don’t. You look really stressed out.” Why was she here? Why was she talking to him? He didn’t have time for this. “Are you okay?”

“Does it really matter to you?” Shigaraki asked. She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could get a word out, he cut in, “Look; get to the point, will you? I’ve somehow got to figure out all the stuff I need to buy for a baby tonight using Google on my shitty cell. I just found out I was a dad like two hours ago so I’m a bit busy. Ask if the baby is safe with me and then move on.”

Uraraka gawked at him, likely caught off guard by his snappish response. Most people probably assumed he tried to be less aggressive so that no one would see him as a threat. While he didn’t get into fights and kept his nose out of people’s business, nothing in this world could ever make him soft. He was too rough around the edges, too sharp from all the times he’d broken, and not even prison and therapy could fix that. He’d have to try around the kid, but with other people, even heroes he knew he should watch himself around, he didn’t bother. Might as well be honest.

The surprised look on Uravity's face transformed into a much different expression: consternation, like she was about to rip him a new one. She was still concerned, but she wasn’t going to be delicate about it. This wasn’t someone who he could push over or shove aside with a few brusque statements. If there was one thing he had learned in his time as a villain, it was that all good heroes were stubborn as hell. They had to be in order to do their jobs. When he’d been a villain, that had pissed him off; as an average citizen, it was irritating.

“Alright then, if you want to act like an ass, be my guest,” Uraraka shot back at him. Now it was his turn to gawk. Okay, the time to be nice was over. “The last time I saw you was when you were being sentenced for trying to kill All Might, along with an assortment of other terrible crimes, so of course I’m going to be concerned when you show up holding a baby like you’ve never held one before.”

“I haven’t held one before!” Shigaraki burst out in frustration.

“Then why are you?” Uraraka demanded.

“Because apparently I have utter shit taste in women since the first person I hooked up with showed up at my job tonight to announce that I was a father and she was a serial killer in need of a babysitter so she could keep up the murder spree, and I wasn’t going to let a kid with my blood get dragged into that hell!”

She definitely hadn’t expected him to be that honest, but more importantly, judging from the flabbergasted look on her face - eyes wide, eyebrows raised, mouth open - she hadn’t expected to hear that either. He had known it was utterly ridiculous, but now that he’d said it out loud, he kind of understood why he was doing this. He was a father and part of being a father meant protecting his child. Himura was a dangerous threat, but worse than that, there was a high possibility she would make his daughter fall victim to the same manipulation he had.

He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let the cycle continue. He had to prove that his blood wasn’t poison.

“You’re a dad,” Uraraka said, half to herself. “That’s really your kid.”

“You think I just decided to pick up a baby for fun when I have no idea what I’m doing?” Shigaraki questioned, feeling worn out. It was another few hours before he usually went to bed, but this night had been a rollercoaster and he had a bad feeling that he wasn’t going to get to sleep any time soon. Babies followed worse sleep schedules than he did.

“What are you going to do?” Uraraka asked.

Shigaraki moved the baby to his other arm. “To hell if I know.” That was about as good of an answer as she was going to get, if only because he didn’t know what else to say. “Look, I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t kidnap a baby so I can hold them for ransom and I’m not going to hurt it. I just need to go to the store and figure out what I need to survive the night.”

“You don’t have anyone to help you?”

That made Shigaraki snort. “Let’s just say my few acquaintances don’t have much in the way of parenting instincts.”

Uraraka frowned, her eyes focused on the baby. “Do you even have anything for her to eat while you shop?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve got that covered for now.” Shigaraki dug around in the duffel bag and produced the glove filled with milk. So far, he hadn’t needed use of it, which he was grateful for. He’d probably just make a mess. “I kind of had to destroy the bottle and formula in cases it was poisoned or something. Trusting a serial killer seemed like a bad idea.”

“You…” Uraraka snatched the milk-filled glove out of his hand. “You can’t give a baby this milk. They need formula. It has all the nutrients they need. This could make her sick.”

Shigaraki stared at her. “But babies drink milk.” She tossed the milk glove into a trashcan in an alley a few feet away. “Hey!”

“You have absolutely no clue what you’re doing, do you.” Uraraka wasn’t asking him. She knew he didn’t and so did he. If babies couldn’t drink milk, then what did they drink? It must have been some combination of that powder and water. All he had to do was find the same can and he’d be set. It was just powder. It couldn’t be that difficult. Could it? He knew Touya’s idea was terrible from the start. While he thought, Uraraka pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. Okay, okay. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

He didn’t have time for this. Who knew how long he had before this baby turned into a wailing monster? All he could do was pray it didn’t have some sort of voice quirk like the pro hero Present Mic. Then he’d really be screwed. He should probably find out what kind of quirk Himura had, just in case. It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. If his parents had been, then maybe..

Shigaraki took a deep breath, pulling himself out of the thought train he’d been about to board. “Listen, it’s been great catching up and I’m sure you can’t wait to tell your old classmates about this, but-”

“My patrol ends in like ten minutes.”

“Huh?”

Uraraka pulled her hand away from her face and looked up at him. “My agency is right around the corner. Could you just wait there while I change? I’ll let the people up front know so they don’t think you’re some creep loitering outside the premises.”

“What are you talking about? Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m gonna help you, duh,” Uraraka told him.

Shigaraki blinked. She was going to what? Had he fallen into an alternate dimension? Died and gone to some weird purgatory? None of this made sense. When he got up for work today, nothing had prepared him for what his night would become. He’d woken up a single slacker and ended the day a single dad. And now this? Uravity, a hero he might have tried to kill when she was a teenager, was offering to help him?

“I don’t need your help,” Shigaraki finally said, unable to help himself.

“Yeah, you really do,” Uraraka replied. “If it bothers you that much to accept any help, just think of it as me helping your daughter. Do you know anything about babies? What kind of formula she needs, bottles, diapers, wipes, clothes? How they sleep? How many times you need to feed her and how much? How to give her a bath? How to change her diaper?”

“Okay, I get it!” Shigaraki exclaimed, his mind spinning with every question she tacked on. No, he didn’t know any of that. He’d just figured it couldn’t be insanely difficult and a combination of Google and YouTube would get him through it. His therapist was going to have a field day with this. Knowing his luck, the man would suggest giving her up as well. They wanted him to improve his life, but this might be too much for him to handle.

(It was. This was way too much. He’d taken on responsibilities before though. This was just a different kind.)

“I mean, I don’t have a baby and only one of my friends does, but I babysat a lot when I was younger,” Uraraka said thoughtfully. “It’s a good gig for a kid.”

That was more experience than he had. “You’re seriously going to help me.”

When Uraraka smiled, it didn’t look fake, which made him more suspicious. “Yeah, I love babies!” It kind of looked like she was laughing, but she managed to stop herself. “Plus, you look super lost, but if you’re really serious about taking care of your kid that you just found out about tonight, then I want to help.”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You’re just doing this because ‘it’s what a hero would do’ , aren’t you?”

“Can’t I help people because I want to help them?” Uraraka asked.

“In my experience, no one ever does that,” Shigaraki pointed out flatly. People didn’t help others because they were selfish human beings who didn’t want that kind of responsibility. They always assumed others would take care of it. If they did help someone, they had ulterior motives. No one was this kind. No one. “Besides, shouldn’t you hate me and think I’m just biding my time to turn back into a villain? That’s what everyone else figures whenever they find out who I am.”

“Maybe,” Uraraka admitted, “but right now, you’re a single father in need.” She played with the baby’s hand, letting her wrap her tiny fingers around one of her own. “It is hard to believe you’re not bad. I mean, how many times did you and the League attack us?” A lot. There had been a lot of times before they’d begun to dissolve into something else that he couldn’t explain himself. “I have to believe you were able to reform. Otherwise there isn’t hope for anyone - not even an innocent baby.”

Would people think her so innocent if they knew who her parents were? Shigaraki had had good parents though. He couldn’t remember them really, their faces reduced to ash in his memories, but they hadn’t been bad people. He’d still turned out to have sour blood.

“That’s some optimistic bullshit,” Shigaraki decided.

Uraraka shrugged. “It’s either I believe that or I believe you’re going to raise the kid into a villain.”

This time, it was his turn to be taken aback by her bluntness. He wasn’t going to do that. He couldn’t say that he was going to raise her to be the best person, but he had to believe that he could, if not raise her right, at least try. If he really struggled, if it became more about him than her, then he would give her to a family that could give her more. First, he had to at least try. She was his daughter.

What the hell was wrong with him?

What was wrong with her for offering to help him?

“You don’t have to do this,” Shigaraki sighed.

“I know,” Uraraka replied, “but I want to. Maybe it is because it’s what a hero would do, but-- Well, if you’re trying to become better and do right by your kid, I should do the same for you.”

Shigaraki shook his head. “Ugh, all you heroes are so damn cheesy.”

“It’s in the job description,” Uraraka joked. Even her jokes were lame, but they couldn’t be any worse than Touya’s. His sense of humor was so terrible that it sometimes made Shigaraki want to roll his eyes right out of his head. “So just wait for me right outside, okay? I might not know everything, but I know enough to help out. It won’t take me long to change.”

“You sure?” Shigaraki asked blandly. “I don’t think that suit could be any tighter.”

Uraraka blushed again and gave him a look that suggested she wanted to slap him upside the head. It wasn’t like he was looking, but all hero costumes were like that, even most men’s. How could they breathe in outfits like that? It didn’t seem reasonable. Who looked at a tight ass costume like that and thought it was suited to take down dangerous villains?

“Just…” Uraraka shook her head. He could hear exactly what she was thinking: that she was crazy for doing this, this situation was ridiculous, it could be a trap, or any assortment of things suggesting that it was anything but what it was. After all, what was crazier than helping a former enemy buy baby things? Shigaraki wanted to melt on the spot. This sort of mortification might be more painful than prison, which was saying something, since he’d been shanked. “I’ll be right back.”

Shigaraki couldn’t respond. If he opened his mouth, he was pretty sure an insult would come out and then she really would slap him hard enough to send him flying into space.

Uraraka was a few steps away when she stopped and turned back around. “Oh, I forgot. What’s her name?”

He thought back to Touya’s reaction and answered, “To be determined.”

“That’s a funny name,” Uraraka said. He knew it was another joke, but it still made him want to bang his head against the wall. He was going to have to think of something sooner or later. He couldn’t keep thinking of the baby as “it” or “wiggly thing”. Under no circumstances was he going to call her “Princess”. He didn’t have high standards (apparently, since the first and only time he attempted a sort-of relationship ended up being with a serial killer), but he wasn’t going to stoop that low. Maybe he’d refer to her as Zelda until he came up with a better solution.

She pointed at him, reminding him to wait for her, and then bolted in the direction of her agency. As he watched her go, he felt adrift and too lost to do anything. A part of him wanted to leave - totally ditch her and do this himself, like everything else he’d done - but he knew he needed the help. The baby started crying again. Was she hungry? She was probably uncomfortable. Grumbling under his breath, he put a palm over the back of her head and dragged himself in the direction of the hero agency Uravity worked at, which turned out to be the Dragon Hero’s.

This was the weirdest night of his life - and that was saying something.

Chapter Text

"Okay. Well, um, the book I have says I should feed her vegetables and I want to do that, but the only vegetable jars I found have pictures of either black babies or Asian babies on them, and I don't know if the pictures are random, you know, or if there's a reason Asian babies instead of white ones should eat these particular string beans?"

-- Jimmy Chance (Pilot)

Uraraka felt like she’d tripped into an alternate universe and her only consolation was the fact that Shigaraki probably felt even worse. After all, he was the one who’d had fatherhood plopped in his lap a few hours ago. The moment he had exploded with the truth of what was going on, she’d connected the dots. The serial killer that had been captured earlier tonight and made the news - he was the one who called the police and heroes on her. He’d essentially helped take down a villain.

Was this a really weird dream? Sure, the subconscious could think up some pretty convoluted things, but this was really out there. She knew this had to be real because there was no way, not in a million years, that her subconscious would come up with the idea of baby shopping with Tomura Shigaraki.

As Uraraka struggled to hastily change out of her costume (okay, so he might’ve had a point when he brought up how tight her suit was), there was a knock on the door and the U.A. student intern from earlier piped up, “Um, Uravity? There’s a guy loitering outside with a baby that says he’s waiting for you?”

“Yeah, he’s with me!” Uraraka called out.

“Okay,” the intern replied, still sounding incredibly unsure. “I was just checking. He looks kind of...sketchy.”

Uraraka almost burst into laughter and barely managed to change it into a snort. Sketchy. This kid didn’t know the half of it. She didn’t blame him for not recognizing Shigaraki. She almost hadn’t. It turned out that a haircut, ugly video game store uniform, and a baby was a really good disguise. Sketchy might not even begin to cover it, but judging by her brief conversation with him, he definitely wasn’t the same. Still grouchy as hell and very touchy (for lack of a better word), but she didn’t think anything would change that.

For a brief moment, she hesitated with her phone in her hand. Her finger hovered over Deku’s name as she tried to think of what to do. Should she text him? Call him? Should she let him know? Out of everyone, he and Shigaraki had crossed paths and clashed the most. Shigaraki had nearly killed him multiple times and put his name on a kill list when they were only first years. He’d sworn to take Deku down and had almost succeeded a few times.

Deku had also been one of Shigaraki’s supporters in deciding what kind of sentence he would receive. While some people had believed he deserved a life sentence - and many still did - Deku hadn’t. She could still remember the openly stunned look on Shigaraki’s face when Deku had spoken during the sentencing hearing. Their relationship, whatever it was, if there was one, was complicated to say the least.

Later, Uraraka decided, sliding her cell in her back pocket. She’d text Deku later.

Once she had changed into jeans and a blouse, Uraraka stuffed her hero costume into her work locker, grabbed her bag, and rushed out of the locker room. She was somewhat worried that Shigaraki would leave if she took too long. She’d already worried he might not even wait, but the intern had confirmed he dod, so there was that. The intern was sitting down at a desk, eyeing her curiously, when she waved at him as she left the office. No time to explain. Not that she wanted to. It would further complicate things when it was already complicated enough.

When she walked out of the building, she immediately spotted Shigaraki trying to bounce and comfort the crying baby in his arms. For some reason, the sight made her smile. Not only was it utterly domestic, but it was made even more entertaining by the fact that he looked so lost. His brow was furrowed and his red eyes alarmed as he muttered to the baby under his breath. Whatever he was saying was not working.

Doing her best to get rid of the smile, Uraraka made her way over to him. “Hey, sorry that took so long.”

“Oh, good, you’re here,” Shigaraki huffed out when he spotted her. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s been crying for ten minutes straight. People are gonna think I’m hurting her. I don’t know what to do.”

Uraraka put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing or smiling again. “Babies cry all the time. No one is going to think that.”

Shigaraki gave her a flat look. “You know who I am and some of these people might as well. You thought it, didn’t you?” She bit her lip. Okay, maybe she had worried about it for a second, but she didn’t believe he would now . To be honest, she felt kind of ashamed for thinking it in the first place. He very clearly wanted to do good and didn’t have any clue how to go about it whatsoever. He sighed. “That’s what I thought. This was stupid. I’m going-”

“No, wait!” Uraraka jumped forward when he started to walk away but didn’t reach out to touch him. She wouldn’t activate her quirk on him, but she had a feeling he would react poorly to anyone grabbing him. She knew that she always jerked back when people did the same with her. People who went through what they had, especially with hand-related quirks like theirs, didn’t like being grabbed. He stopped and glanced at her, which she took as a win. “You’re right - I did - but it was a mistake. Old habits die hard, you know? I really do want to help you.”

Shigaraki stared down at her, the baby still crying in his arms, and rolled his eyes. “So earnest.”

“Are you going to mock me being a hero when I’m helping you pick out formula?” Uraraka asked.

That made him simmer down immediately. “No,” he grumbled.

“Good. I appreciate it.” Uraraka held out her hands. “May I?”

At first, Shigaraki hesitated, but then he handed the baby over and said, “Be careful,” which made her laugh.

“I’m not going to float your baby.” Uraraka took the baby from him (she was really going to have to find out what her name was), making sure to only use four fingers on each of her hands, keeping her pinky finger up. Shigaraki eyed her hands, an unreadable expression on his face. She had grown so used to being careful with her quirk that it was second nature to her. She didn’t even have to think about it anymore. It was probably the same for him.

The baby wailed as Uraraka held her against her chest. She hummed a song from the radio that she had stuck in her head and swayed back in forth until she slowly stopped crying. “There, there, little one. It’s okay. This has been a very confusing day for you, but don’t worry.  We’re going to get everything you need and then you can sleep.”

“How did you do that?” Shigaraki demanded. “Fuyumi needed the bottle to get her to stop.”

Uraraka shrugged and smoothed down a tuft of soft, brown hair. “Who knows? Babies cry for all sorts of things. It might be just because she’s with strangers and misses her mom.”

“I don’t see why,” Shigaraki replied. “Her mom was psychotic and I would know.”

“You didn’t know when you slept with her,” Uraraka pointed out unthinkingly. Seeing Shigaraki blush was one of the strangest things and it almost made her laugh all over again, but she didn’t want to startle the baby in her arms. “She might not have been a good person by any means, but her mom was the only person she really knew and she just met you tonight. It’ll take some time for her to warm up to you.”

The disgruntled look on Shigaraki’s face was close to a pout. “She likes you well enough and I’ve been holding her for like three hours.”

“Babies love me,” Uraraka said smugly.

Shigaraki did not  seem to like that at all, but he didn’t snark at her either. It was one battle he’d decided he couldn’t win. With his child content, he shook his head and started in the direction of the store. She knew it as well since it was the place she went to do her grocery shopping now that she was working night shifts. Since it was open all night, she never had to worry about getting there too late.

Plus, it had everything, so they wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting something. Since it wouldn’t be busy this late, one of them had to worry about bumping into someone that might make a scene. She didn’t think they would, seeing as how she was out of her hero costume and Shigaraki was able to look bland enough to not be recognized. Not that it was a bad thing, but… Well, she knew he didn’t want people to see him out with her. He was probably embarrassed to be seen with a pro hero.

“How far do you live from here?” Uraraka asked curiously.

“It’s about a fifteen-minute walk,” Shigaraki answered without looking over to her. “This is where I get everything. It’s better at night. Less people to deal with and no one bothers me.”

Uraraka blew a raspberry. “Not in this neighborhood.”

It wasn’t the worst place, but it admittedly wasn’t the best either. It had been a lot worse before Ruyuku had opened up a new agency in hopes of bettering it. When she had asked Uraraka to come back, she had been hesitant about it, but she hadn’t really been happy where she was. Coming back close to home felt good.

Shigaraki grunted. “It’s not that bad. No one’s bothered me.” Uraraka gave him a look. She didn’t live here, but she did work here and she’d been catcalled and harassed plenty of times - in and out of her hero costume. He had to know why petty criminals and small-time villains in the area didn’t bother him. When he finally glanced over at her to catch the look on her face, he shoved his hands in his pockets and quickly looked away. “Yeah, okay, I get it. Anyone committing a crime probably recognizes me. Still doesn’t make sense why no one has attacked me as a challenge.”

“You give off a very impressive ‘mess with me at your own risk’ vibe,” Uraraka told him.

“Didn’t seem to stop you,” Shigaraki muttered.

Uraraka smirked. “You don’t scare me.”

“I should probably work on that,” Shigaraki replied in an almost thoughtful tone as he scratched his neck.

She rolled her eyes. He really didn’t scare her. Not anymore, at least. Once upon a time, before she had gotten used to what it truly meant to be a hero, he had. After all, it was hard not to be scared when he’d worked so hard to tear down hero society. His actions as a villain still had ramifications to this day. The League changed the way people looked at heroes and villains.

The large store was filled with blinding lights, but that didn’t stop the baby from falling asleep. Without anything to set her in - and Uraraka was not using that duffel bag - she had to improvise. “Get a cart.” Shigaraki did as he was told, retrieving a cart and following her to the baby section. She picked out a fluffy pink blanket and set it in the cart before gently laying the baby down on it. “Woo, there, now both our hands are free.”

“That doesn’t look tacky at all,” Shigaraki mumbled to himself.

“You’re using a worn out duffel bag as a diaper bag,” Uraraka told him. He should probably toss that thing too. It looked like it had seen much better days.

“And a baby carrier.”

Uraraka paled a little. “You are not.”

“Well, I didn’t, but Himura did.” Shigaraki had the gall to sound offended that she had believed him capable of doing such a thing. Could he blame her? He had been about to feed her milk out of a glove. She was still shaken up over that. She had been so taken back that she couldn’t laugh.

Okay, baby shopping with the former leader of the League of Villains. Deku was going to lose his mind when she told him about this. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too mad at her. It wasn’t like Shigaraki was a huge threat anymore.

“We’ll get the essentials first and work from there,” Uraraka said decisively, putting her hands on her hips. “I hope you have some money.”

“I don’t really have opportunities to blow money,” Shigaraki said.

Uraraka started down the first aisle. “Well, you do now.”

The last time she’d been in this section had been for a friend’s baby shower, but there was no sense in denying that her eyes drifted to it every now and then. She couldn’t help it. Being a hero had always been her dream, but she did love kids. She hoped to have one herself one day - she wanted to be a mom too - but she knew her career came first for now. Plus, you needed to be with someone to have a baby, or at least have someone to sleep with. Shigaraki had found that out the hard way.

“Why are there so many different kinds of...everything?” Shigaraki complained as he stood in front of the formula.

“Capitalism,” Uraraka simply told him.

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at the cans as if they had personally offended him. “I should’ve fought to take that down instead of hero society.”

It was an off the wall comment and one that she knew was inappropriate, but it...kind of made her snicker. She had never really thought about things like senses of humor when it came to the villains that attacked her as a student, but it made sense for him to have a dark one. Everyone had their own ways of coping. Him joking about his time as a villain was one way of doing that. It likely helped alleviate any guilt he might feel over the whole thing. He might not admit to feeling it, but no one decided to randomly raise a baby for no reason.

Uraraka wasn’t going to say it, but she got the sense he was partly doing this to make up for what he’d done. If he was a good father, then maybe it could show he wasn’t entirely a bad person.

She could understand that.

“Your safest bet is getting the gentle formula since it’s easier on their little tummies, especially after you start introducing solids at six months,” Uraraka told him as she picked out a few cans. “I’d get a few at a time so you don’t have to go to the store as much. They drink a lot more than you think and it gets expensive. You should apply for a child-rearing allowance. The city has the program implemented.”

Shigaraki gawked at her. “How do you know all this?”

“I told you,” Uraraka said. “Babysitting and a handful of little cousins.” She peered down at the sleeping baby in the cart. “She’s still pretty small, so I’d say get her size one diapers for now. The store brand works for now, but once she starts sleeping through the night, get this brand so she doesn’t soak through. They’re still cheap, but they work. Some people will tell you to shell out for the nice wipes, but the cheapest brands are fine as long as you get unscented. It’s the same with shampoo and stuff like that.”

The look on his face would’ve been amused if he wasn’t so obviously overwhelmed. “I thought hero work paid well.”

Uraraka refused to blush, but she still looked away and mumbled, “Like I said earlier, old habits die hard.” She began to pick out a few more small essentials he would need like diaper rash ointment, a grooming kit, and the right size bottles. There were so many little things that came with raising a baby, but honestly, there wasn’t as many as people thought. It just looked like there was, but in truth, with a few core things, he would be fine.

“I only have three outfits,” Shigaraki said while digging through the duffel bag.

“Oh, I wouldn’t get anything here,” Uraraka said. “Baby clothes are expensive and they grow out of them so fast. There are a few thrift shops in the area. Buy some clothes there. They might be a little worn, but you’ll be able to get five times the stuff for the same price.”

Shigaraki tilted his head in thought. “Speaking from experience?”

“Well,” Uraraka said as picked out some baby medicine, “I didn’t have a lot of money growing up. We cut costs where we could. Sometimes we found some name brand clothes.” She did her best to feign nonchalance. “I still shop there. I like them.”

“Have you been to the one near your agency?”

Uraraka lit up. “Oh, that one is the best! I’ve found some really cool stuff there.”

“It’s where I get all my things.” There was something about the way he spoke that caught Uraraka’s attention. She couldn’t say what it was. Thinking about what his life had been like before his arrest was strange. On one hand, it was easy to remember what he had been like, but on the other, there had to be moments when he was just living. How did he get his clothes? How did he eat? It was hard to picture him grocery or clothing shopping in between trying to kill All Might or orchestrating attacks on heroes and other villain groups.

As curious as she was, it wasn’t like she could just ask him how he got his toothpaste when he was a villain. Well, she could, but it would be incredibly rude and she was trying to do better than that.

“Where…?” Shigaraki moved to scratch his neck and then stopped himself midway. “Where do they sleep?”

“You have to be really careful with them and they’re pretty picky,” Uraraka told him. “You can’t give them blankets and they have to sleep on their back until they can roll on their own.”

“She’s sleeping in a shopping cart.”

A smile worked its way on Uraraka’s face. “Babies will sleep everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” She picked out a travel bassinet. “This will do for now. You can put it in your bed if need be so she’s closer. Some people transfer babies to cribs at six months, but others co-sleep. Everyone says they’re going to stick to a plan, but all babies are different. I was a really cuddly baby so I would only sleep whenever I was in my parents’ bed.”

“That sounds horrendous,” Shigaraki replied so bluntly that Uraraka snorted. It reminded her of Iida, albeit a little harsher. Maybe it was more like Todoroki then.

Thinking of Todoroki reminded her of his difficult history with his parents, which in turn made her wonder about Shigaraki. She tried not to look at him sideways, but it was hard not to think about what he had been like as a kid. Judging from what she remembered from his trial, his childhood after the tragic death of his parents had not been filled with love and warmth. All for One had both starved him of affection and given him just enough to make him desperate for approval and more.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know anything about kids. He didn’t know anything about being a father.

But he was trying and that was more than some people.

Shigaraki put a hand to his tired face, reminding her of when he wore a severed hand over his face. It must have been more of a source of comfort for him than a costume. All those severed hands had given her shivers when she was younger, but now it made her think of hugs and comforting touches from friends. Those types of things always helped her feel grounded and know she wasn’t alone. Maybe it had been the same for him. They were gone now and she didn’t think he realized what he was doing.

“You don’t have a car, do you?” Uraraka asked.

“Does it look like I own a car?” Shigaraki responded. “I don’t even have a driver’s license.”

Uraraka raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, I failed my driver’s test in between attacking you all and fighting with other villains,” Shigaraki deadpanned.

It really shouldn’t have made her laugh, but Uraraka sputtered a little even as she tried to stop herself. The image of him failing his test in his villain outfit was too vivid. It wasn’t funny, yet it kind of was. This whole situation was funny if she thought about it for longer than five seconds. While going through the baby stuff, she could pretend she was shopping with a friend until she turned around and saw it was Shigaraki with his forearms resting on the cart. Then the whole absurdity of the situation struck her all over again.

“You won’t need a car seat for now then, so a cheap stroller will do.” An idea popped into Uraraka’s head right as she picked one out to put underneath the cart. “Oh, I know what you can use!” She rushed into a different aisle and picked out a cheap baby carrier. “She seems like she really likes to be held. You can wear this and put her in it so you can still use two hands and do stuff around the house.”

“That looks ridiculous,” Shigaraki said, “and like a complicated backpack.”

“It’s better than a duffel bag,” Uraraka pointed out.

Shigaraki took the baby carrier from her. “Are you putting the whole store in this thing?”

She rolled her eyes. “Half of it is taken up by your daughter. You just need the essentials. Stop whining.”

“I’m not whining,” Shigaraki shot back, sounding exactly like he was. “Any other grand wisdom you wanna bestow on me, Uravity?”

“It’s Uraraka.”

“What?” Shigaraki frowned, looking decidedly suspicious.

Uraraka gave him a smile. “I’m not here on hero business right now. It’s Uraraka.”

He didn’t seem to know what to do with that information, so he looked down at his baby instead. She did as well, reaching into the cart so she could brush her soft hair. She had more than most babies she’d seen. When she got home, she was definitely going to look up the incident. The baby had Shigaraki’s eyes, but Uraraka couldn’t deny being curious about what her mom looked like. What was Shigaraki’s type?

Wow, that was not a thought she’d planned on ever having.

“I hope you've got some funds in the bank,” Uraraka murmured to herself.

“I’m fine,” Shigaraki replied, discomfort evident in his voice. She didn’t know why he sounded like that, but she knew he wasn’t likely to answer her if she asked.

While he wandered up to the front to pay, Uraraka hung back in the baby aisle. With him gone, the surreality of the situation crashed down on her. What was she doing here? She knew a few of her friends would call her crazy for doing this (and a part of her agreed with them), but there had been something about the way he held onto his daughter and looked at her that had tugged at Uraraka’s heart. He didn’t know what he was doing and he wasn’t the type of person to be a father, but he was doing it anyway, even if it scared him.

And he had to be scared if he willingly accepted help from her. They didn’t know each other except for the times they had been on opposite ends of society actively fighting as enemies. He could have killed her, yet here she was, looking at baby stuff with him like they were friends.

Life was strange.

Before she walked over to the front to check on his progress, Uraraka picked out a few toys and a white noise machine. That would be a life saver for him. She would have to remind him about a swing as well. All the people she knew with kids said they were the only thing that kept them sane.

“Did you forget something?” Shigaraki asked, reaching out for the stuff in her arms.

“Oh, no, I got this,” Uraraka said. He gave her a weird, disbelieving look. “Consider it a baby shower gift.”

“That’s so stupid,” Shigaraki grumbled, but he didn’t argue with her either. He looked somewhat pressed when his total came up, but didn’t hesitate to swipe his card either. He held the card with two fingers like he barely wanted to touch it and wore a look of distaste as he put it back. She had no clue what that was about, but it looked like he didn’t like using it. Maybe it was just the idea of dropping so much money at once.

As soon as they started to walk out, Shigaraki halted. “Wait. We didn’t think this through.” Uraraka raised an eyebrow at him. “How the hell are we supposed to get all this shit back to my place? Not that I’m doubting your strength or anything, but you only have two arms.”

“Dummy.” Uraraka grabbed as many bags as she could in one hand and then touched all of them. He watched with wide eyes as they all began to float weightlessly in her hand. When she gave him a smirk, he wiped the surprised look off his face and replaced it with an unimpressed one. He’d forgotten what her quirk was, if only for a moment. It didn’t offend her. She hadn’t exactly been on his radar back in the day. He picked up the baby and she did the same thing with the other bags. “See, now you don’t have to worry about being chivalrous.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Shigaraki said. Of that, she had no doubt. He didn’t seem like the “open the door, pull out a seat for a girl” type. How the hell had he gotten laid? Well, she had been a villain, so maybe she’d recognized him and was into that.

Nope, she was not going to think of that any further. It was a weird train of thought that went in an even weirder direction. Some things you just didn’t think about.

The conversation dried up and Shigaraki looked like he wasn’t in the mood to start another one. They started in the direction of what she assumed was his apartment. She was endlessly curious about what his place looked like. She tried to picture it, but got nowhere. He didn’t seem like he would decorate. He probably considered it a waste of time and money. Was it clean? It kind of looked like he did the bare minimum to look decent when it came to his appearance, but then she also had days where she didn’t care all that much.

Shigaraki abruptly hesitated. “My apartment…” He grimaced. “It’s not exactly...nice.”

“Don’t worry,” Uraraka said, “my first apartment was in a pretty sketchy area and it was tiny.”

That didn’t seem to soothe his anxiety as he avoided looking at her. “I, uh, haven’t had anyone over in a while - Touya doesn’t count - so it’s not… I haven’t picked up.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Uraraka said. The look Shigaraki gave her suggested otherwise. Maybe it was that bad. He would just have to clean a little tonight. “So you’re, uh, still friends with Todoroki’s brother?”

“We’re not friends,” Shigaraki insisted. He sounded almost horrified by the idea.

Uraraka bit her lip to stop a smile from appearing. “Okay.”

“He’s an ass,” Shigaraki grumbled under his breath. “I knew that milk glove was a bad idea.”

It was really hard not to laugh or smile at that. So he wasn’t entirely alone in this, although judging by what he’d said, she wasn’t sure if she could consider it help either. She would have to text Todoroki after this. If his brother was involved, then he would find out sooner or later and maybe get involved as well. He would know why Uraraka was doing this. After all, he had a former villain for an older brother and a pro hero for a father along with being one himself. He’d be able to understand.

One thing was for sure: Shigaraki wasn’t joking about it not being nice. Not that it was horrible, but it definitely wasn’t in a good area. She immediately recognized it for what it was: cheap. The rent was low, the space was small, the utilities not always trustworthy, and the neighbors sketchy, but not villainous. It was a place to eat and sleep and hole up in, but not much else. She could tell by the way he held himself that he was incredibly uncomfortable with her in his space, but short of having him carry the baby and all the bags, even without taking her quirk into consideration, there was nothing to do.

She told herself not to judge him once they actually got to his apartment. After all, she hadn’t done her dishes or laundry in almost a week. It wasn’t pretty in her place right now either.

He had to jimmy his key in the door a few times, but he managed to unlock it and shoved it open. At least it wasn’t easy to get into. The first thing she noticed was that it was dark. He needed more lighting. That was for sure. When he found the light switch, she was met with a sight that she’d kind of expected. There were no decorations and the furniture was minimal. It was small with an open floor concept (if she was feeling generous) so the kitchen and living room were one room and the bedroom and bathroom were off to the side.

“It’s not much,” Shigaraki began.

“It’s bigger than my first place.” Uraraka crouched down so the bags were closer to the ground, pressing her fingertips together and saying, “Release.” They dropped the few remaining inches and she let go of them. Aside from an alarming amount of energy drink cans, some take-out containers on the counter, and a few clothes lying around, the place wasn’t that bad. It didn’t smell at least. Well, not until she stood up and got a whiff of something else. “Uh oh.”

Shigaraki was holding the baby away from his chest. “Please don’t tell me.”

“You were gonna have to do this eventually,” Uraraka said.

She thought he muttered something like, “This smells worse than burnt flesh,” but she did not want to think about the implications of a statement like that, so she pretended he said something else. Something that wasn’t so horrific.

“It looks difficult, but it’s not that bad after a while,” Uraraka told him. She took the baby from him. This time, she didn’t even have to ask. He seemed quite relieved to pass her off. Sitting down on the ground, she gently laid the crying baby on her back and then grabbed some wipes and got a diaper from the new box. The ones in the duffel bag were newborn size and too small.

His eyes wide and a hand covering his nose and mouth, Shigaraki watched in absolute horror as she quickly changed the diaper. It was smelly and gross, but she’d also dealt with some serious wounds before, so it wasn’t that bad. After dealing with open, gushing wounds, this was a piece of cake. Plus, she’d changed dirty diapers before. On the other hand, with his face almost entirely devoid of blood, Shigaraki looked like he was about to pass out at any second.

She looked up to him and held out a hand near his leg, ready to stop him if he did faint. “You okay?”

“How?” Shigaraki asked in a hoarse voice. “How is it shitting that much?”

Uraraka burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, but this is nothing.”

“What the fuck.” She had never heard someone so horrified and confused in their life -  and she had been through a lot of crazy things since deciding to become a hero. “This is going to kill me.”

It would very likely stress him out more than he could ever realize. He’d thought being the leader of a group of misfit villains was stressful. Try being a single father.

More content now that she was clean, the baby stopped crying when Uraraka picked her up and got back to her feet. “Are you sure there isn’t anyone you can call to help you out, at least for tonight?” Shigaraki looked at her like she was stupid and she gave him a look that said she didn’t care, which made him stop. He took the baby from her, looking utterly resigned and lost but...determined. “Here.” She walked over to his desk - where there was a shockingly nice computer (one of the few things he must’ve splurged on) - and found a pen and a torn up envelope. “This is my number.”

“Why would I want that?” Shigaraki demanded heatedly.

“If you need help or whatever,” Uraraka said, setting the pen down.

Shigaraki scoffed. “What? I ring you up and you come running to help out?”

“Be a difficult ass; I don’t care,” Uraraka retorted, which made him snap his mouth shut. Honestly. Were all men this stubborn? He was worse than Bakugou, and that was saying something. She hadn’t thought anyone could be more obstinate than him, but here Shigaraki was, proving her wrong. “If you really need help - if you need someone to watch her so you can sleep - if you feel like you’re drowning… Call me. I’ll come if and when I can.”

Shigaraki eyed her. “This is weird. You’re weird.”

“Trust me, I know.” It had been months since she’d given her number out to a guy and now she was giving it to Tomura Shigaraki. Granted, it was under very different circumstances, but still, it was a little disheartening. This was what her life had come to? Oh, well, it wasn’t like she had much of a social life these days anyway. She didn’t want to say that she’d given up on dating, but after finding out her ex had moved on, even if they were on good terms, she’d kind of thrown herself into her work. “Just keep it, okay? This is going to be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done and you didn’t have time to prepare yourself for it. Use me as a last resort. I don’t mind.”

“Why are you being this nice?” Shigaraki asked suspiciously.

“Because I’m a nice person,” Uraraka said in a tone that was too mocking to be taken seriously.

“I tried to kill you,” Shigaraki stated.

Uraraka held out hands out in a c’est la vie gesture. “It’s a good thing you didn’t succeed or you would’ve been on your own tonight.” He huffed as if irritated with her. She didn’t care. When she walked over to him, she saw him hesitate and sort of pull back. She ignored that as well as she ran a finger down the baby’s soft cheek. “You be good for your daddy, okay? He’s new at this and it’s not going to be easy for either of you.” She looked up at him, her expression still soft. “I’m serious. If you really want to give her a better life than the one you had, you can’t do this on your own. Don’t be afraid to reach out.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Shigaraki told her.

“I know.” Uraraka sighed. There was nothing more she could do here. She had to take a step back and let him do this on his own. He was in for a very rough night. She couldn’t imagine how he felt right now. His entire world had been turned on its end once again. Perhaps it was lucky he had experience in extreme life changes. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not in this case. “Good luck.”

Shigaraki didn’t respond, keeping his gaze on his child, and she kind of didn’t expect him to. He didn’t seem like someone that was big on goodbyes and it was an awkward situation as it was. Taking one last look at the beautiful baby girl, whose name she still didn’t know, she left the apartment. Walking down the stairs silently was strange and uncomfortable. She had done far more than was expected of her - she had gone plus ultra, as it were - but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she could’ve done more. She was leaving him to do something she knew full well that he wasn’t capable of doing - but she had to trust that he would figure it out.

It was not a good feeling, not a good one at all, but there was nothing else she could do. If he called, she would step up and help. It was the right thing to do. If he didn’t, well, she had to hope for the best. It was possible she might never see him again, but seeing as how he lived close to her agency, she didn’t think so.

Whatever the case, her mind was reeling and her gut twisting, not from the long use of her quirk either. She kept her phone in her pocket. For some reason, it didn’t feel right to call Deku and tell him everything like a gossip. She’d wait and see how she felt in the morning. That was that. She hoped Shigaraki was able to get some sleep tonight, but she doubted that too.

Chapter Text

Virginia: I'm freaking out a little bit here, Burt. I'm not doing well with this. Think of something. How are we gonna fix this? Think.
Burt: You know I can't think on demand like that.
(Raising Hope, "Dream Hoarders")

.

U.A. had become something remarkably different after the League of Villains had been disbanded. There wasn’t a constant threat to the students and teachers anymore. Of course, the public viewed them differently as well and their popularity in the country had changed. It was certainly quieter, which was what he appreciated the most. It had been emotional and sadder than he’d anticipated when Izuku had finally graduated, but now he was off working as his own hero and had secured the number one hero position a few months back.

Toshinori could be proud of what he’d done to help him, but that didn’t mean he could slack now that his successor was the hero he’d wanted to be his entire life. There would always be other students to teach, heroes to guide, and civilians to protect - both good and bad. The past few years had taught him quite a few things. Despite being an adult, he’d had to learn a few hard lessons as well. One was never too old to learn, apparently. They were a struggle, but he would work through them.

One of the hardest things to learn was that even those with seemingly no hope for redemption needed a hand extended to them. If no one was there to help pull them out of the dark hole they were trapped in, then how could anyone expect them to come back into the light? Some people didn’t want to come out. Some didn’t know anything else and couldn’t find the door. It was sometimes hard to figure out which one was which, but Toshinori now knew not to expect anything.

While he was grading papers (at least teaching had gotten easier and more instinctive), his cell began to ring in an obnoxiously loud tone. Toshinori glanced over to it, wondering if he should just let it go to voicemail and return the call after he finished his work, when the name on the caller ID caught his attention.

“Naomasa?” Toshinori murmured to himself. “Why is he calling me at this hour?” He furrowed his brow. “Unless…” His heart shot into his throat. He snatched the phone and quickly answered it. “Naomasa? What’s going on? Is it-?”

“Relax, Toshinori,” his friend interrupted on the other end. “It does involve Shigaraki, but, ah, not in the way you might be worried about.”

Well, that was still concerning. What could he possibly mean by that? Toshinori could not deny that many of his views about the world and hero society had been changed by one Tomura Shigaraki. In a way, it meant that one of his goals as the leader of the League of Villains had been met. Finding out that All for One was grooming and manipulating his mentor’s grandson had shaken him to his core. It had broken his heart in a way he hadn’t felt since Nana’s death. It had been like losing a part of her all over again.

Witnessing Shigaraki’s rise to infamy as a villain had devastated and hardened him. It had been impossible not to get involved when his goal was to kill the Symbol of Peace, even after his retirement. Watching his fall had been almost as heartbreaking. Learning that someone had to fall to their lowest depths in order to crawl out into that light again had been painful. It was all he could do to sit back and watch. Knowing someone was capable of greatness but seeing them utilize it in all the wrong ways and being unable to do anything to help them was rough indeed.

He had done what he could after Shigaraki’s arrest and subsequent incarceration. He most certainly hadn’t liked it and their brief conversations were halted at best, but Toshinori knew that he had to extend the hand that no other heroes had, even if Shigaraki claimed he didn’t want it. He didn’t have to take it right away. Toshinori would continue to patiently hold out that hand, even when the strain began to hurt, until the time came that he needed it.

“You haven’t had the chance to see the news tonight, have you?” Naomasa asked.

Toshinori set his pen down. “No, I’ve been grading papers for the last hour.”

“Well, Shigaraki sort of made the news - in a good way.” Naomasa wasn’t normally this vague, so it must have been news that he didn’t know how Toshinori would take or something he didn’t quite know how to feel about. He sounded a little confused on top of that. “You know where he’s working and living these days, right?”

“Yes.” Toshinori was the first person alerted when Shigaraki came up for parole. After all, he had been the main target of the League. It had also been thanks to his testimony that Shigaraki was able to apply for parole so soon. He hadn’t the first time it had come up, which had confused and hurt him, but the second time his chance for parole came up, he quietly put in an application. Ever since speaking at his parole hearing, Toshinori wouldn’t say he kept a close eye on Shigaraki, as he wanted to give him the space to flourish and live his own life, but he had kept a few tabs on him.

The most contact they’d had after Shigaraki had gotten out of prison had been when Toshinori had set up an account with special funds for him. It hadn’t been a lot, as not to anger or fluster him, but he understood that Shigaraki had never lived a normal life. He’d never had to work a job and pay bills and taxes. Being a villain had never been about money for him like it was for many villains. Toshinori had thought it important to make sure he had something to fall back on in case he truly struggled. Shigaraki had sworn to never touch it.

“I don’t need your pity,” Shigaraki had all but seethed. It hadn’t been the same type of anger as before. No, he had been much more subdued after prison. It hadn’t been anger so much as determination. It wasn’t that he didn’t need help; it was that he wouldn’t fail.

“A villain accosted him outside of his workplace tonight,” Naomasa told him.

Toshinori swore his heart skipped a beat and he nearly jumped out of his chair. “Is he alright?”

“He’s completely uninjured,” Naomasa quickly reassured him. “He actually called the police on her. She was safely apprehended by two pro heroes without incident.”

“That’s…” Toshinori breathed out a sigh of relief and sank back down. It was more than he could ask for. He had been worried about this ever since Shigaraki had gained his freedom. He’d been attacked a few times while in prison and had always defended himself well, except for the time he’d been stabbed. Villains would target him because of his past history as the leader of the League of Villains for various reasons. It was a fact he would have to consider for a very long time. “That’s good.”

Honestly, he was proud of Shigaraki, although he was certain the reformed villain would loathe hearing such a thing. He was still very prickly. Considering his past, he’d come a long way on his own in the past two years.

“Is that it?” Toshinori asked. He could get the details later. For now, he was pleased to know Shigaraki had found himself confronted with a villain and, instead of resorting to violence, had done the right thing.

“Ah, well, there is something else,” Naomasa continued a little awkwardly. “It appears as if Shigaraki and the villain knew each other.” He coughed. “Intimately.”

For a brief moment, Toshinori didn’t understand what Naomasa was trying to tell him. Had the villain and Shigaraki crossed paths during his League of Villain days? Had they known each other before he’d become their leader? Was it someone he had met in prison who had developed a grudge towards him? Someone he had met after he had left prison?

Intimately.

“Oh!” Toshinori slapped a hand to his cheek. “You mean to tell me he had an altercation with an ex?”

“Of sorts,” Naomasa said carefully. “It appears as if Shigaraki is, well, the father of her three-month-old daughter.”

Everything rushed out of Toshinori’s mind at once, leaving him unable to think of anything. He held the phone against his ear, staring at nothing, completely stunned into a silence so strong it even eclipsed his thoughts.

“Toshinori? Are you still there? Toshi?”

Sound rushed back over him like an ocean tidal wave and Toshinori startled in his seat. “Yes, I’m still here.”

“Did you hear me?”

“Yes, I-” Toshinori leaned back in his seat. “The question is: did I hear you right?”

“You did.”

He took a deep breath and let it out. This was… He didn’t know what to think about this. Tomura Shigaraki was a father. His first thought was that Shigaraki was wholly unprepared for this. His second thought was of Nana. Her blood was strong. That showed in her grandson. It would likely show in her great-granddaughter as well. The mere thought made him feel strangely old. Great-granddaughter. Shigaraki had a daughter.

“Apparently the villain did not tell him of his daughter until she came back into town and needed him to watch her while she continued her crime spree,” Naomasa explained. Toshinori wanted to say something now, but he would keep his mouth shut until the very end. Each new detail made him more incredulous. “When Shigaraki realized she was a danger to the child, he alerted the authorities. After the heroes took her down, they went to retrieve the child and he wouldn’t give her up. He said it was hers.” He paused to give Toshinori time to process this information. It was a lot. The fact that Shigaraki didn’t hand over the child right away spoke volumes in his mind. “I confirmed it with my quirk. He wasn’t lying. We would need a DNA test to prove it, but I saw her. I would swear she was his too.”

Toshinori rubbed his mouth thoughtfully. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“I know you’ve been keeping an eye out for him,” Naomasa said. “He seemed… Well, if he’s planning on doing what I think he is, he’s going to struggle. Someone with his background doesn’t exactly have a lot of knowledge in this matter, but you should’ve seen the way he reacted when they tried to take her away from him.”

It was an instinct that some people didn’t realize they had until the opportunity was right in front of them. Toshinori could understand that better than most would realize. Of course, saving people with a smile had always been his number one priority, but besides a handful of people, he’d never formed truly close relationships. Melissa was really the only child he’d been around during his pro hero days.

It wasn’t until Izuku that he formed a close bond with a child and felt that deep protective instinct kick in, which later extended to Bakugou and many other Class A students. He had thought it was just about One for All, but after Bakugou’s kidnapping, Toshinori had come to realize that it was more than that. Of course, things were a little more official now that he and Inko…

Well, that was a story for another day. This day was not his. No, this day was very much Shigaraki’s. He was a father now. It was a massive step in his life, one that he had not been aware of, much less prepared to handle. Things could go either way. Desperation and helplessness could make people do crazy and stupid things and Toshinori knew that his support system was not strong, if only because he kept people at an arm’s length. He would need all the help he could get, whether he wanted to admit that or not.

“I’ll look into it,” Toshinori said.

Naomasa let out a soft chuckle. “Good luck with that. His stubbornness has not changed.”

“Trust me, I know.” Toshinori bid Naomasa goodnight and ended the call. He set his phone down on the desk, one hand still resting against his mouth. There was one thing he could do…

He glanced at the clock, noting how late it was, and then turned on the television. Upon finding the news channel, he immediately saw they were playing the story about the captured villain. It wasn’t often that villains were caught with such ease, but she had been blindsided by the heroes behind her. Someone had captured cell phone footage of the brief altercation from inside a store. Toshinori’s focus wasn’t on the villain and heroes though; it was on Shigaraki in the background cradling a tiny baby, albeit awkwardly, in a fiercely protective hold.

The look on his face was incredibly easy to read for someone who had hidden behind a villain’s mask for years: he would not let anything bad happen to that child, no matter what. Toshinori wondered if Shigaraki was even aware of the look he was making or the way he held the baby. His baby girl. She was so small in his gloved hands, so innocent and unaware of the world, so helpless and fragile as all new life was.

The incident had apparently ended hours ago. Naomasa must have just finished fully processing her when he had gone to the side to call him. Since then, Shigaraki had been saddled with an infant and the shocking prospect of fatherhood. What had he been doing? Where had he gone? The urge to leave right now and find him was terribly strong, but also a terrible idea. He would wait until the morning at least to decide what to do - if he should do anything at all. Shigaraki could react very poorly to him showing up unannounced.

Right on cue, Toshinori’s cell phone pinged, alerting him to an email. It happened often enough with junk mail and other things, but there was something about it that caught his attention and made him pick up his cell. Sure enough, when he checked his email, it was a notification letting him know the current balance of the special account he had set up for Shigaraki after his release. He’d told himself that he wouldn’t check it as to give him privacy - and so far, he hadn’t - but he couldn’t ignore it tonight.

Funds had apparently been withdrawn, a very solid amount used at a large chain store. Toshinori didn’t want to make any assumptions since he couldn’t see what had been bought there, but he had a feeling it wasn’t a gaming system or a new computer. Shigaraki had found himself with a near newborn and then dropped a lot of money.

Toshinori gripped the phone tightly. Shigaraki was really doing this. It wasn’t something he could just give up on if it got too hard. It was also something he could not do alone, no matter what he thought. Plenty of people did and he commended their strength for it, but if Shigaraki truly wanted to do right by his daughter, he would need other people to give their support, if not for him then for her.

Tomorrow. He would check on Shigaraki tomorrow. For now, he would try to get some sleep, although it was highly doubtful considering how much was now resting on his mind. It was likely that Shigaraki would suffer the same sleepless fate, although for a much different reason. Three-month-olds weren’t known for their normal sleeping schedules, especially not one who had been raised by a villain on the run from the authorities so far.

To be honest, Toshinori knew very little about babies (he liked to deal with kids ages fourteen and up), but he would do whatever was in his power - and whatever Shigaraki would let him do - to help. It was important to him and, if he truly wanted to raise her, Shigaraki would at least begrudgingly accept that.

*

The sun was rising by the time Shigaraki passed out on the couch, unable to make it to his bedroom. The baby (Princess? Zelda?) had started wailing almost as soon as Uraraka had left, almost like it missed her. He hadn’t thought he would miss the pro hero, but after five hours of pacing around his apartment, waiting for the baby to fall asleep, only for her to wake up even more pissed ten minutes later, he was beginning to reconsider it. Why wouldn’t this child sleep longer on her own? If he continued to hold her, she’d sleep forever, but it was like the moment he set her down, she’d pop up wide awake and madder than he’d ever been as a villain.

Finally, around nine and very randomly, the baby conked out mid-millionth time around the apartment and didn’t wake up when he laid her down in the sleeper thing on the floor next to him. He had a very bad feeling this was going to become a reoccurring habit. That wouldn’t work at all. He would have to figure something out. Maybe she would sleep if he put the little sleep nest thing in his bed so she was closer to him. Uraraka had said some parents co-slept, but she was so tiny. He didn’t move much in his sleep (unless he had nightmares) and she didn’t either until she woke up, but the idea of placing a wiggly baby in his bed with him was absolutely terrifying.

Shigaraki didn’t consider himself the type of person to be afraid of things, but sleeping next to something so fragile scared him. What if it rolled off the bed? What if he rolled onto it? Nope, no way. He wasn’t gonna do it. That baby was gonna learn to like that sleep thing or so help him.

(Or not - because he didn’t need any help.)

He had been asleep for maybe an hour when loud knocking on his door startled him out of a dreamless, exhausted sleep, nearly making him roll off the couch and onto the baby. He caught himself at the last second, gripping the cushions to keep himself from tipping over. Somehow, despite the fact that silence seemed to wake it up, the baby remained blessedly asleep. Unfortunately, Shigaraki did not have such luck. As much as he wanted to ignore the pounding on the door, he knew it would only continue and then it really would wake the baby.

Sitting up and awkwardly crawling over the back of the couch, Shigaraki shuffled over to the front door and grouchily demanded, “Who is it? Actually, I don’t care. Piss off. It’s too early.”

“It’s me!” the voice on the other end called.

Shigaraki didn’t need to hear an actual name to know who it was. If he could melt into a puddle and slip through the cracks of his floor to avoid this confrontation, he would do so in a heartbeat. There would be no turning him away, not today. On any other day, he might’ve been able to get him to leave or back off, but he must have somehow found out about the whole baby thing. Maybe he’d seen the news. Maybe he’d noticed the withdrawal of funds from the account. Maybe that cop had told him.

Whatever the case was, All Might was standing outside his apartment and Shigaraki thought he might die.

Was this really what his life had come to? If someone had told him eight years ago that this would be it, he would have disintegrated them on the spot.

After sighing far too dramatically, Shigaraki unlocked the door and opened it to reveal the former Symbol of Peace. It was still weird seeing him. He’d spent so many years obsessing over All Might that it was hard to reconcile the fact that he was skinnier than both Shigaraki and Touya these days - and Touya was a beanpole with a hint of muscles. He was still tall. At least he’d stopped wearing that garish yellow suit that didn’t fit him. Things that bright didn’t belong in his apartment; a bit like Uraraka last night. Some people just didn’t fit in his space.

“May I come in?” All Might asked politely.

Shigaraki waved a hand. “Might as well shoe your way into my shit since you’re already here.” He walked away from the door to the kitchenette so he could swipe an energy drink from the fridge. There was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep now.

With the door opened to him completely, All Might stepped inside, suddenly tentative. This would mark the second time he had been here. The first time had been two years ago when he’d brought up the bank account. Shigaraki had sworn not to touch it, but then again, last night’s adventure hadn’t been for himself. He watched with a guarded gaze as All Might shut the door and looked around. Shigaraki pointed to the couch, knowing full well what he was looking for, and stayed silent as the hero made his way over there.

The moment he saw the baby sleeping in its little bed on the floor next to the couch, All Might brought a hand to his mouth and gasped. “She’s beautiful.”

“You wouldn’t say that if she was awake screaming her head off,” Shigaraki told him, “or when she shits enough to knock a grown man out cold.”

Nightmares. He was going to have nightmares about explosive shitty diapers on top of the ones about All for One and when his quirk manifested. Maybe her quirk was shitting. Now that was villainous.

All Might turned around to face him, a very serious expression on his face. It made Shigaraki want to scream or turn the can in his hand to ashes. He did neither thing, although he could have if he simply lowered his pointer finger onto the can. He’d taken his gloves off after laying her down last night, desperately needing to give his hands a breather from the confines of the material. It was why he’d panicked so much after nearly falling on top of her.

“This is…” For once, All Might was at a loss of words.

“What? Where’s the lecture on why I shouldn’t be doing this? How I can’t handle it? Why I’m being foolish? How she would be better off if I gave her up?” Shigaraki tore into All Might coldly, not caring if it upset the old man or not. That wasn’t his problem. He had never asked for All Might’s compassion or help. He’d never asked him to plead the case for a lighter sentencing or speak on his behalf when he came up for parole. He hadn’t asked for money or time. He hadn’t asked for any of this.

For his part, All Might didn’t flinch away as most would, but he did look sad. “I’m certain you are already well aware of the seriousness and gravity of this situation. This won’t be easy.”

Shigaraki snorted. Life wasn’t easy. Simply living, day in and day out, doing nothing and going nowhere, wasn’t a breeze. His life was certainly easier than it had been before, but there was something soul-crushing about his life now. It was like the world owned him and he couldn’t do anything without people looking at him sideways. He’d never had that problem as a villain. The world had been his own to take and shape.

“You’re going to need help,” All Might continued.

That’s what Uravity said, Shigaraki thought, although he wasn’t about to open that can of worms in front of All Might.

“I’ll manage,” he said instead.

All Might shook his head. “With everything else, yes, but a baby? This is something far different. You won’t be able to do this on your own. The fact that you dipped into the account tells me as much.”

A scowl crossed Shigaraki’s face and he took a large gulp of his energy drink to hide his exhaustion. He’d known using those funds would bite him in the ass. It was partly why he’d never touched them prior to this. He knew they were being monitored. It was simply the easiest way to get her what she needed.

“I’m not alone,” Shigaraki told him.

“Who?”

Shigaraki opened his mouth and hesitated. Touya didn’t count. Fuyumi? Uraraka? He couldn’t say anything without making himself look worse. “People, okay? I’ve got people.”

“No friends?” All Might asked in a hopeful tone that Shigaraki didn’t like. He wasn’t even going to answer that question. He didn’t like it. What he and Uraraka had done last night had been an awful lot like what friends did, but that was impossible for a lot of reasons, most of them revolving around the fact that he’d nearly killed her and her friends quite a few times. “I’m glad you finally used the money in the account. I know it was a mark against your pride, but the fact that you used it despite your reluctance shows how much you’ve grown to care about others.”

“Shit was expensive,” Shigaraki muttered. He still had to go to the thrift store to get clothes. Uraraka had been right about the clothes at the store being way over-priced.

All Might went over to his desk and grabbed the same pen as Uraraka. His eyes must have caught sight of her number written down on the piece of paper he’d gone for, but his brow was furrowed and his eyes too confused for him to have recognized it. He probably had Midoriya’s number memorized by heart. “If you need any help at all - and I’m afraid you will, so please do not be stubborn - do not hesitate to call me.” All Might wrote his number down underneath the first one. “I’ll be here as soon as I can.”

“I’m not gonna call you,” Shigaraki flatly stated as he dropped the empty can in his trash bin.

“You say that now,” All Might replied, a small smile on his face. “Life certainly has a way of making us do surprising things, doesn’t it?”

Shigaraki’s entire life had been made up of terrible and ridiculous twists and turns. He’d thought that was all behind him and he’d moved on - but apparently, fate had very different plans for him. He couldn’t even really blame fate when he made the decision to keep her on his own. It shouldn’t be legal for anyone to make such commitments when this amount of weird shit happened to them.

Could he legally keep her? He hadn’t taken any official tests to prove she was his, but Naomasa had let him go. It honestly wouldn’t have surprised him if there were no actual records of this child. Now that he knew her a little better, Himura didn’t seem like the type to have gone through legal channels when having a baby. A paper trail like that could lead the police to her. She’d left town because of the heat on her.

“Are you done here?” Shigaraki asked blandly. “I just got to sleep when you woke me up.”

An embarrassed look crossed All Might’s face. “I’m so sorry! I just wanted-” He was interrupted by the tiny cries of a baby who had been woken up by loud noises. He looked even more genuinely apologetic when Shigaraki growled in frustration and rushed over to the couch. “I can get her-”

“No,” Shigaraki cut in sharply. He snatched his gloves off the back of the couch, tugging them on. It was swift, but that was still too long for the baby, whose cries were starting to reach a crescendo. He crouched down so he could scoop her out of the bassinet and brought her to his chest as he stood back up. “I’ve got her, okay?”

All Might held his hands up as if surrendering. That wasn’t true though. He never surrendered. Shigaraki’s life would have been a hell of a lot different if he did. “I wasn’t insinuating that you didn’t. Children can be overwhelming even for parents that have had nine months to prepare for it. You weren’t given any time to prepare and you’re alone.”

As if he needed a reminder. Last night had been only a taste of the hell he was in for. He did not want to admit that, if only for a moment, Touya’s suggestion had sounded like a good idea. Touya didn’t have good ideas. The moment he had considered safe dropping the baby - that second when the thought that he wasn’t cut out for this and he didn’t need or want a baby in his life crossed his mind - shame had flared in his gut so hotly that he’d felt sick. How could he so easily deny his blood? He couldn’t.

He couldn’t do the same thing people had done to him - turn her away because she was an inconvenience to his life. If he was being honest, it wasn’t even much of a life.

There was a curious gleam in All Might’s sunken eyes as he surveyed the room. “I am surprised you were able to get all of this stuff last night on your own. You were able to get everything you need for now.”

Shigaraki stiffened for a moment and then continued to walk in circles and bounce the baby in his arms until she calmed down. She took a fistful of his shirt as she buried her little face in the crook of his neck. He’d learned last night, after much trial and error, that she didn’t like to be cradled and preferred to be held upright. “I’m not a complete idiot. I did some research.”

He didn’t know why he didn’t mention the help Uraraka had given him. All Might probably would’ve been proud to know that one of his former students was going above and beyond to be a hero. (It could’ve been worse: Midoriya could have seen him instead.) Maybe he was kind of embarrassed. She’d seen him on the street and realized he was so clueless that she’d gone out of her way to help him and he’d been forced to accept it.

Plus, there was that weird part about him spending years attacking her class. Seeing her help him buy baby stuff had been uncomfortable, especially when she’d bought stuff with her own money. He eyed the stuffed animals on the table. So far, the baby seemed most fond of the little dinosaur, but it was hard to tell what she liked. Uraraka hadn’t had to do that. Hell, she hadn’t had to any of it. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d assumed he was a danger to the child.

Back in his arms, the baby was asleep again, obviously tired from being up most of the night. It had certainly been a wild one. He was pretty sure she was crying because she was tired, but then she kept fighting sleep. It was kind of like him when he got super crabby after being up for a day, but didn’t want to quit playing a game because he was close to finishing it or reaching an important part.

“She’s a beautiful baby girl,” All Might told him in a frustratingly gentle voice. “I’m proud of you for doing this. It’s not an easy decision to take on a lifelong responsibility like this.” No, it wasn’t - and yet, at the same time, it was. Sure, he was terrified, tired, and frustrated to hell and back, but he couldn’t imagine giving her away. The moment she had been placed in his arms, he’d felt a change in him he had never thought himself capable of. He was too selfish to be a father. “There will be times when it feels like you can’t do this, but if there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you don’t give up.”

I gave up on trying to kill you, didn’t I? The thought crossed his mind, entirely unbidden. There was no bitterness or anger in it though, only exhaustion and mild disdain. For himself or for All Might, he wasn’t sure.

“Any more words of wisdom you’d like to give me before I try to get her to lay down for the twentieth time?” Shigaraki asked, fixing a dead-eyed gaze upon him.

All Might sighed and shook his head. “No, I will leave you to it.” He walked to the door and opened it, pausing one more time before he walked out. “Please do not put your pride over your child’s welfare. I don’t think you will, but it will be painful for you to admit you need help, much more so to ask for it. Every parent struggles with that, from what I heard.”

Shigaraki was reminded of how All Might had never had kids himself, unlike the former holder of One for All. When he had been the number one hero, there hadn’t been the time for anything like marriage or children. Shigaraki wondered if he regretted it. Probably not. He’d had to do what he had to do in order to fulfill his goals, even if it meant sacrificing a part of his life.

“Yeah, I’m sure plenty of people have been in this exact situation, so you know how I feel,” Shigaraki said caustically, throwing him an unamused smile. All Might sighed. He should’ve been used to his behavior by now. “Can you go?”

“Of course. I’m sorry for waking you.” All Might took one last look at the baby girl in his arms and then walked out and closed the door.

The moment he was gone, Shigaraki stopped and sank back against the counter of his tiny kitchen. There were a ton of reasons why being around All Might made him uncomfortable, but he could never pinpoint which was the worst one. He’d thought he would mostly be over it by now, but with his child in his arms, he was even more stressed out than usual. It wasn’t that need to impress that he had felt with All for One; it was more like a need to show he was doing just fine without anyone.

He didn’t need people. He didn’t need help. All he needed was himself.

Shigaraki looked at the baby. She hadn’t gone to sleep as he’d originally thought, but lying still and peaceful with her cheek resting against his shoulder. Her red eyes were big and searching as she clung to him. “It’s just you and me, kid.” He frowned. “I really need to come up with a name for you. ‘Princess’ is a no-go.”

The baby made a gurgling noise that he took as a sign of agreement. He almost smiled. Now, if only she would go the fuck to sleep. Then they would be on the same page.

*

Shigaraki had known things were going to be extraordinarily difficult, but he would handle it.

Holy shit, he had been way off base. This wasn’t difficult. This was a madhouse and he was trapped in it.

To be honest, a lot of the things about raising a baby were pretty straightforward. There were instructions on the formula cans and the internet told him how much she needed to drink. It helped that he could read a lot of articles on his phone while she slept in his arms, which was apparently her favorite place to sleep and the only place she would sleep for longer than fifteen minutes. That left him leaning back on his couch, dozing off for a few minutes at a time with her against his chest, only for him to bolt awake in a panic when he thought she was slipping.

However, there were little things that got to him: the sheer amount of diapers she went through, constantly cleaning her bottles, losing her binkies at the worst time ever. The worst part, which he hadn’t anticipated, was not having any time to himself. If he so much as left her sight for a second, she started to wail. He had to listen to her crying in panic whenever he had to take a piss. He’d never pissed so fast in his life.

Also, he couldn’t eat without her getting upset. It was like she could tell when he was about to take a bite of food. If she couldn’t eat it, then apparently he couldn’t either. God forbid he wanted to play a video game. It was impossible to do with only one hand. No matter what, she wanted to be attached to him in some way. In the end, he had to rely on delivery food and the television in order to keep himself entertained. He spent half the time lying on the floor with her while she did what the internet called “tummy time,” sipping on energy drinks as if his life depended on it. At this rate, he was going to go through his stash by the end of the week.

He’d called work and explained his situation to his boss. They were surprisingly understanding. The idiot who had come in to work after him had captured half of the incident on video. He’d faced down a villain and not only helped the authorities take her down, but had saved a baby in the process. His boss was accommodating, even telling him about the paternity leave he could apply for. He knew he would have to go through the proper channels and deal with paperwork if he was going to get anything more official to help though.

By day three, Shigaraki was starting to wonder what the outside world looked like. The only people he’d seen and spoken to had been delivery people. He wasn’t sure if the baby counted, even though he talked to her like she could understand him. She’d stare at him with those wide, red eyes that made him feel like he was looking into a mirror; as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. It made him feel even guiltier.

He thought he could handle it. He thought he could take it. After all, he’d locked himself inside without any sunlight for days at a time before. It was different with a baby. Not that he felt trapped, but he couldn’t do anything. He hadn’t even been able to shower for longer than two minutes without her getting upset. He was half tempted to drop the bag of dirty diapers out the fire escape and hope it landed in the dumpster.

Things came to a head when he startled awake and found that she’d managed to scratch her face with one of her tiny nails. It was enough to draw blood. He gawked at the scratch, his neck itching in response, but he forced his hand down to cradle her cheek and wipe the blood off with his thumb. How had she done that? She wasn’t even crying over it, but the scratch looked bad. It had to hurt. He’d put little mittens on her hands, but she must’ve pulled them off somehow and scratched herself in her sleep.

“Why would you do that?” Shigaraki grumbled as he grabbed a wipe to clean her face. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, so the scratch wasn’t as deep as the ones he used to make on his neck at times. He sighed and dug around one of the plastic bags for the grooming kit Uraraka had picked out. When he had noticed how long her nails were, he knew he was going to have to cut them, but he’d hoped he could avoid it for a little longer. Her fingers were so small and her nails even smaller. Plus, she wiggled her fingers and kept her hands closed a lot. He held up the nail clippers. “How am I supposed to do this?”

After five minutes of struggling with her, Shigaraki managed to clip one of her nails and breathed out a sigh of relief. She kept wriggling and crying, but as long as he kept her finger still, it wasn’t so bad. It would’ve been easier had he not been wearing his gloves, but he didn’t want to risk it. Okay, one down, nine more to go. This wasn’t so bad. He had this.

The next fingernail he clipped, he somehow managed to get her actual finger and blood spurted out.

I do not fucking have this, fucking goddamn! Oh fuck, what do I do?

The cries that came from the baby’s mouth were so blood-curdling that Shigaraki froze on the spot. He stared in horror at the finger, the clippers in his hand, as blood stained the blanket she was laying on. Her crying sounded distant even though she was right in front of him. His eyes flickered to the blood, the clippers, and then her red face. The sound rushed back to him like a tidal wave and he dropped the clippers on the ground.

“What the shit!” Shigaraki swore. He picked her up and rushed her over to the sink so he could wash the blood from her hand. He had to hold her more awkwardly than normal, which made her cry even more. Her finger was still bleeding when he pulled her hand out of the water, so he grabbed a paper towel and wrapped it over her hand in an attempt to staunch the blood flow.

He honestly thought he would be able to keep his cool, but then the red began to stain the white paper towel and he effectively lost his shit.

“I can’t do this. What the fuck was I thinking? I don’t know shit about babies. I don’t even bother trying to keep them alive or do shit for them in the Sims. I took away the doors in rooms and ladders in pools, for fuck’s sake! I’m gonna fuck up and I’m gonna fuck up this baby and I-I can’t be a father. This is so fucking stupid. I can’t do this alone. I can’t do this at all-”

Shigaraki clamped his jaw shut and struggled to breathe through his nose. It had been a while since he’d spiraled like that. He supposed the court-mandated therapy he’d been in since his incarceration really had helped some. It was embarrassing now, even though only a crying baby was there to witness it and she was too busy bleeding from a clipped finger to notice his panic attack. Normally, he felt like disintegrating things when he spiraled into a mood like that, but with her in his arms, it hadn’t even occurred to him.

He couldn’t do it. He had to cut her nails so she wouldn’t hurt herself, but he had hurt her in the process and the thought of picking up those nail clippers again made his stomach roll. It was weak and pathetic, but he couldn’t. Except he was alone. There was no one that could do this for him. He was alone with a hysterically crying (and bleeding) baby. He wasn’t the crying type by any means, but what the fuck, this was awful. He’d cut the tip of her finger and she was bleeding and he didn’t have any tiny band-aids that would fit her and he didn’t know what to do. How was he supposed to get her to stop crying? She’d never trust him again. Hell, he didn’t trust himself right now.

As he bounced her in his arms and walked around in an attempt to get her to stop crying (how could she when he potentially cut off her fingertip, my god), Shigaraki’s eyes passed over his computer desk and he stopped walking. He couldn’t see it from where he was, but he knew that the paper with Uraraka’s and All Might’s numbers was still lying on it. He had meant to throw it away, partly out of spite, but hadn’t gotten around to it. Now it was there, beckoning him like some sort of demon. He couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t. There was no way he was going to call anyone for help. He wasn’t even going to text Touya because then he’d know he had been right.

However, the more she wailed, the more desperate Shigaraki began to feel. What if he spiraled again and this time he couldn’t control himself? (He could. He would.) He was just… If he couldn’t handle this now - if he couldn’t handle this for more than a few days - then how was he supposed to raise her into adulthood? How was he going to take care of her for years when he was already drowning at day three? This was a mistake. He couldn’t do this alone. She would be better off in someone else’s care.

Don’t put your pride over your child’s welfare.

Having All Might’s words come back to him was the final straw. If he was thinking about that, then Shigaraki had truly fallen off the deep end, but… (He was right.)

Storming over to the desk, Shigaraki dug around until he found the paper under a can of formula. He stared at the two numbers, trying to figure out what to do. Should he call one of them? No, no, he didn’t want to. The idea of calling either hero for help made his insides writhe and his skin crawl. He hated it with every fiber of his being. It wasn’t that he was filled with hatred for heroes anymore. It wasn’t even humiliation or shame. The idea of asking for help was just so foreign to him. His last years in the League had taught him that people, even those considered evil, would help him and could be a family, but he didn’t have that anymore. He’d thought he didn’t want it again.

But this baby was his family - his only blood left - and he had to help her.

In the end, Shigaraki swiped his phone and punched in a number. With his heart in his throat, he pressed the phone to his ear and closed his eyes. He was going to hate every second of this and already regretted it, but he couldn’t do this right now. He was going to crack and he needed to stop if he was going to do right by this little shit.

When he just a second away from reaching the voicemail, the call was picked up and a confused voice answered on the other end, “Hello?” For a moment, Shigaraki considered hanging up and pretending this never happened, but then the baby started hiccuping from crying so hard and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. It was now or never.

Chapter Text

"You think this kind of stuff happens in other people's houses in the middle of the night and they're just too embarrassed to talk about it?"
- Burt Chance (Raising Hope, "What Up, Cuz?")

.

It had been a long ass time since Uraraka last had a day off. Things hadn’t been exactly thrilling, which meant that people were taking time off. With nothing really going on in her life, she had picked up the extra shifts. It never hurt to save up more money. When Ryukyu’s new agency had been set up in that area, it had been booming. The crime rate had been sky high for the radius, making her move ambitious. Things had quieted down since then, although they knew that generally meant something was about to happen in response. A rise in villains always corresponded with a rise in heroes. It was what it was.

Tonight, she had allowed herself to spend some time with her girls. It had been a while since she had been able to hang out with them. With all of them having insanely busy schedules, it was difficult enough to get one or two of them to hang out with, much less a group of them. Mina, Momo, and Tsu all worked in different areas of the country, Momo even working outside of Japan. Tsu spent most of her time out on the ocean while Mina worked at an agency about forty minutes away. They’d had to meticulously plan in order to get their schedules to line up for a night together. Poor Tooru had been called in at the last minute and Kyoko was still in the States.

Uraraka loved spending time with her girls, but sometimes she wished they weren’t so blunt. It wasn’t like they were in super happy committed relationships either.

“All I’m saying is that you need to get out there again!” Mina told her. She leaned back in her chair and sipped her sake. Tucked in a corner booth near the back of a nice restaurant, Uraraka didn’t have to worry about people listening in on them to dish gossip to hero magazines, but she still didn’t like talking about her personal life in great detail while out in public.

“I’m fine, really,” Uraraka insisted. “I’m too busy to date anyways. I’ve been really focused on work.”

Mina eyed her suspiciously. “Mmhm, and when’s the last time you got laid?”

Uraraka turned bright red. “Mina! I don’t think that’s important.”

“Oh my god.” Mina set her drink down and rocketed forward in her seat. “It hasn’t been since him, has it?” When Uraraka didn’t answer right away, Mina came to a quick, horrified, accurate assumption. “It has! Girl, you really need to get out there! Have some fun! Life can’t all be about work. Even he-”

“I know, I know!” Uraraka interrupted quickly, waving her hands in the air. Did they have to bring him up? They were finally on good terms again and she was happy for him. Yes, it hurt seeing him move on, but even though things hadn’t worked out between them, she valued their friendship and he still very much respected her.

Momo set down her glass of wine. “If you’re not ready, then you’re not ready. There’s no pressure on you to date. We’re all still quite young.”

“Yeah, that’s why she needs to go out there and live a little!” Mina pointed out, sounding sincerely concerned.

Tsu put a finger to her chin and thoughtfully added, “You did hide for a while and cut yourself off from everyone after you two broke up. That’s not healthy.”

Uraraka turned to face her best friend, a look of betrayal on her face. She had (mistakenly) thought Tsu would have her back, but instead, she called her out. Well, she should’ve expected that. Tsu was honest if nothing else. She had been her biggest support during the end of the relationship and after, even though it hadn’t been a horrifically painful breakup, all things considered. It was just that, well, she wasn’t really interested in anyone. She didn’t know if it stemmed from the sting of being the last to move on or just because she wasn’t in the mood.

“I’m not saying you need to sleep with the first guy who calls you back,” Mina continued in a tone far too serious for the topic, “but there’s not being in the mood to date and then there’s actively avoiding getting in the scene.” She pointed a finger at her. “And you, my darling, are doing the latter.”

“I’m not, I swear,” Uraraka replied.

“How long has it been since you flirted with someone?” Mina asked.

Uraraka shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.” She honestly didn’t. She couldn’t recall the last instance.

“How long since someone has hit on you?”

“You know I never realize that until someone points it out to me!”

“Have you even gone on a date or hung out with a guy or anything since the break-up?”

It was frustrating to admit, but… “I haven’t… I just haven’t been interested in it, okay? It’s not that big of a deal. Lots of pro heroes don’t date. They don’t have time for it. Not everyone has to be engaged or in a committed relationship by the time they’re twenty-five. Maybe I want to focus on my career. Guys do it all the time.”

“And half of them are in serious relationships,” Tsu pointed out.

Her ex included. Uraraka huffed in frustration. This wasn’t fair. She knew her friends weren’t trying to gang up on her, but sometimes it was hard not to feel that way. They were concerned for her and it went beyond them trying to hook her up with somebody, although Mina did enjoy setting people up. They just wanted to make sure she wasn’t keeping to herself because she was unhappy. Since they all lived away from each other, it was harder to see one another and that meant Uraraka spent a lot of time alone. After living with someone, it had been harder than she wanted to admit.

“You can have both,” Tsu said.

“But we completely understand if you’re not interested in such relations,” Momo gently added before giving Mina a look telling her to keep quiet. “It’s difficult to balance our personal and professional lives at times, especially when they’re both so out in the open. I know it was a… rough and awkward time for you both after the break-up.”

“The tabloids had a field day,” Uraraka mumbled.

“It’s understandable that you would be hesitant to get involved with someone again after that,” Momo said. She was right. It had been mortifying. All she wanted to do was be a hero, help people, save lives, take down villains, to be an inspiration - not a source of gossip and late night entertainment. She’d thought it was over, but then he started dating someone else and the tabloids had made a mess of it all over again. He’d tried to apologize in his own way and she knew he'd done his best to keep it private, he preferred things that way, but it still hurt in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

Mina reached over and squeezed her hand on top of the table. “It could be worse. You could have gossip mags talking about how many pro heroes you’ve slept with. I’m finding out more people I’ve hooked up with every day. I’m glad they’re more up to date on my sex life than I am.”

It wasn’t that funny, but Uraraka still burst into laughter and pressed a hand over her mouth to stop herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh.”

“No, go right ahead!” Mina giggled. “I think it’s hilarious. Who knew I was this popular with everyone? I get around.”

Momo had the decency to blush. “Some of the stuff they’ve written about you is shameful.”

“Most of it’s not true,” Mina replied with a wink, “so it doesn’t really bother me. I kind of get a kick out of it.”

Momo and Tsu laughed as Mina delved into the most recent tabloid story about her, which somehow involved her attempting to break up Mount Lady and Kumai Wood’s recent engagement. She worked at Mount Lady’s agency. It was fortunate for her that her boss knew the story was absolute crap. Apparently, they laughed about it a lot at work, although it was upsetting Kumai, so the agency was doing their best to discredit the rumor.

Uraraka was sitting back and listening, feeling better thanks to her friend’s story, when her phone rang and distracted her. She pulled it out of her jacket pocket, half expecting it to be work, and saw it was a number she didn’t recognize. Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out who it might be. Tsu gave her a curious look. Uraraka smiled and held up a finger as she got out of her seat and said, “I’ll be right back,” before walking to a quieter area of the restaurant.

After swiping to answer the call, she pressed the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Uravity?”

That didn’t help her at all. Had some fan gotten ahold of her number? But the person on the other end sounded incredibly stressed and not happy to be speaking to her, so that thought didn’t make sense. Loud crying could be heard in the background as well. “Yes,” she replied warily. “Who-?”

“It’s Shigaraki.”

“Oh!” The crying made sense. It was his baby crying. Uraraka froze. Shigaraki was calling her. He was actually calling her. Sure, she’d given him her number in case he really needed help, but she hadn’t pictured him actually calling her. He seemed so insistent that he didn’t need anyone. However, if the call and the crying and the pained voice told her anything, it was that he’d finally caved to the realization that he did. “I told you. It’s Uraraka.”

“Didn’t know if you were working or not,” Shigaraki muttered, barely audible over the crying.

Uraraka glanced at her friends, still chatting and laughing, and then turned her back  to them. “Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” She bit her lip. “She sounds upset.”

“I-” Shigaraki took a sharp intake of breath as he seemingly prepared himself to tell the truth. “I hurt her.” Uraraka’s heart jumped into her throat, nearly choking her. “Not that way! Shit, I worded that so fucking stupidly. She scratched her face, so I tried to cut her nails and I did the first one right, but then the second one, I-I fucked up. And she won’t stop crying and I haven’t slept for more than an hour in the past three days or showered and I have to clean but she gets so pissed if I set her down for longer than five minutes and she’s bleeding and I don’t have bandaids small enough for fit her tiny fingers and who the fuck was I kidding when I thought-”

“It’s okay!” Uraraka jumped in, sensing the spiral he was falling into. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m pretty sure everyone does that at least once with their kids. My parents did that multiple times with me and they cried about it for hours. You didn’t mean to hurt her. You’re just exhausted and overwhelmed. It’s a natural part of parenthood.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Shigaraki said. “She’s inconsolable. She doesn’t even want me to hold her. She hates me. She’ll never trust me again, just like everybody else.”

Uraraka winced. “That’s not true.” She looked back at her friends again. They looked like they were having such a great time. Part of her wanted to soothe Shigaraki over the phone and get back with them, but then she knew she would keep stewing over this. Besides, they’d been here for a few hours already. In another hour or two, she’d be on her way back home. “Do you...want me to come over? I can bring over a first aid kit and give you a little break.”

Shigaraki took a shaky breath. “You don’t… Fuck, this is stupid. I shouldn’t have called. Forget it.”

“I will do no such thing,” Uraraka shot back. “You wouldn’t have called unless you truly needed help - even if it’s just a second pair of hands.” He grumbled something under his breath that she couldn’t make out over the cries, but chose to ignore it. She was right and he knew it. “I can be over there in, um, twenty minutes. I’m across town.”

“You’re not working?”

“No, you got lucky. It’s my day off.”

“And you aren’t doing anything?”

Uraraka stopped chewing her bottom lip when she met Tsu’s eyes. “I was actually on my way home.”

“Damnit,” Shigaraki swore, “this is so fucking ridiculous.” He couldn’t be more right. Was she really leaving a girls’ night early to help a former villain? “But it was either you, him, or Touya and I’m not about to call either one of them.” It struck her as curious that there was someone else besides Touya who he could’ve called and yet she was his first choice, but she knew better than to ask. “She just…”

“It’s fine,” Uraraka told him soothingly. “Remember: think of it as me helping her, not you, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, got it.” And then he abruptly ended the call. She should’ve expected that.

Tsu looked up at her as she walked back into the room. “Is everything okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah, everything’s all good. Ryukyu called asking if I could come in.” Uraraka wasn’t quite sure why she didn’t just tell them the truth (maybe because she knew they would disapprove), but she hadn’t told Deku or Todoroki about it either even though it somewhat involved them, or doubtlessly would at some point. It wouldn’t be long before Todoroki found out via his siblings and Deku always seemed to find out about things eventually.

She just... She didn’t want them to know about her involvement yet. They’d worry about her and she hated it when people did that. She knew they believed she could take care of herself, but that didn’t stop them.

“Aw, you’re leaving?” Mina pouted.

Uraraka smiled apologetically and said, “Duty calls,” as she laid out an appropriate amount of cash to pay her bill and gathered her stuff.

She didn’t want to say that she’d gotten better at lying, but well, growing up did that to a person. She’d tell them about it eventually. Right now, it just didn’t feel right, like it wasn’t her secret to tell. It was Shigaraki’s and she knew that he didn’t want people to know. She’d ask him if he was okay with her telling people tonight so she didn’t feel like she was lying or stepping on his toes.

After hugging the three girls and promising to text them if she finished early, Uraraka slipped out of the restaurant and headed in the direction of the nearest train stop. It was night, so the early fall weather was cool but soothing, but she knew it would get cold soon. Then those gloves of Shigaraki’s would be more appropriate.

She remembered the stop she got on after leaving his place and more or less remembered how to get back there. Traveling the area at night didn’t bother her. If a villain or petty criminal decided to attack her for some chump change, they’d get a sore lesson on why they shouldn’t hurt people. Uraraka was confident in her abilities, even if she was wearing a skirt, tights, and nice light sweater. It wouldn’t hinder her from kicking someone’s ass. She’d just look good while doing it.

I bet that would get me a date, Uraraka thought with an internal snort.

At the stop, she swung by the nearest convenience store to get some band-aids and Neosporin. Going to Shigaraki’s apartment building wasn’t nerve-wracking, but it certainly left her with that weird feeling again. She knew she was crazy for doing this, but she couldn’t say no when asked for help, especially when she also knew how desperate he must’ve been to actually call her. If she turned her back on this, then she really wasn’t a hero, was she? It was more than that though. She wouldn’t be a good person if she didn’t lend a hand and help someone in need. He had to be feeling low in order to resort to this.

When she reached his apartment, Uraraka knocked on the door and waited. She could hear the baby crying on the other side. Her heart picked up its pace. The poor thing sounded so upset. There was a bang and swearing before the door was unlocked and ripped open to reveal an incredibly frazzled Shigaraki. His light blue hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes. The tension was obvious in his face as he tightly held the very angry and hurt baby against his chest.

Uraraka hadn’t even fully stepped inside before she reached out and took the baby from him. He willingly gave her over to her without so much as a "hello" and stepped aside to let her sweep into the place. There wasn’t really a need for greetings when there was a crying baby involved. Sitting down on the couch, she laid the baby down next to her and set to work cleaning the wound while Shigaraki stood back and watched, running a hand through his hair and turning it into even more of a disaster site. The cut wasn’t that bad, but blood coming from a baby always looked horrific because of how tiny they were. In less than a minute, the baby’s finger was cleaned and bandaged and Uraraka had pulled her into her arms.

“How bad was it?” Shigaraki asked. “It looked like I clipped her fingertip off.”

“She’ll be fine,” Uraraka told him. She stood up and began to walk around the room and bounce, cooing soft words under her breath, until, slowly but surely, the little one calmed down. Her eyes and cheeks were red and wet from the effort and she sounded out of breath. All that crying had exhausted her. Uraraka looked over at Shigaraki. “Why don’t you go take a shower or bath? I’ve got her.”

“Do I look that bad?”

Uraraka smiled. “Worse than the wound.” Shigaraki scowled but didn’t fight her on that. He probably knew he looked rough. Without another word, he turned on his heels and walked into his bedroom. A moment later, with a handful of fresh clothes and a towel, he walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, casting a suspicious glance at her. She rolled her eyes. “I’m not gonna run off with your baby while you’re in the shower.”

Shigaraki furrowed his brow and then shut the door. She listened as the water began to run and the old pipes seemingly ached from use. When she moved to lay the baby down, she immediately started squirming and whining, so Uraraka ended that before it even began. Looking around, she saw the bag with the baby carrier still in the box and fought the urge to roll her eyes again. No wonder he hadn’t been able to get anything done. The place was littered with empty energy drinks and takeout boxes. He must have not have left the apartment since they went shopping.

The baby was not happy to be set down, but Uraraka worked quickly at taking the baby carrier out of the box. It was a little clunky and confusing at first, but she figured it out and was able to put it on soon enough. The baby was pretty wiggly and hard to manage, but she slid her into the carrier so she was pressed against her chest without resorting to using her quirk. She didn’t know how that would affect a baby’s equilibrium and wasn’t about to test it to find out. After a few adjustments, both of them were comfortable and Uraraka waved her hands around to test how much freedom she had.

It was perfect. A few minutes later, the baby was out cold. Uraraka smiled to herself. Success .

With the baby taken care of, Uraraka set about picking up the place. It wasn’t like she was going to deep clean the apartment, but even a little help would do it some wonders. First, she found a bag and put all the trash in it. Using her quirk, she made the bag float behind her so it was easier with the baby. Before long, everything was gathered up and set aside by the front door. She’d take the trash out, but she was pretty sure Shigaraki would flip his shit if he walked out of the bathroom and she wasn’t in sight.

Thanks to moving things aside and putting stuff up, it wasn’t long before the place actually didn’t look too bad. It could still do with some more light. Maybe he just needed a new lightbulb or another lamp. She found a broom in a closet and was sweeping the floor when Shigaraki stepped out of the bathroom in fresh clothes, toweling his hair dry.

He froze the second he spotted her and blurted out, “What are you doing?”

Uraraka stilled, broom in hand. “Um, helping.”

“You’re cleaning ,” Shigaraki stressed. Well, duh, what else would she be doing with a broom? It wasn’t like she was a witch. “And you look ridiculous with that thing on.”

“I think I look great,” Uraraka proclaimed, putting a hand on her hip and showing off the carrier. “And look!” She propped up the broom against the fridge and lifted her hands, wiggling her fingers. “Two hands! I told you this thing would come in handy, but you didn’t even attempt it.”

Shigaraki gave her a look of consternation and muttered, “Still looks ridiculous.” He walked over to his bedroom, opening the door and tossing the towel inside. She’d cleaned the living room and kitchen, but she hadn’t been about to venture in there. It probably wasn’t anything different from the rest of the apartment, but one didn’t just walk into people’s bedrooms without permission. It was weird and this was weird enough as it was.

“I can take out the trash?” Uraraka offered.

“No, I got it,” Shigaraki grumbled. “Wish I could just toss it into the dumpster off the fire escape.”

Uraraka looked over to the only window in the room. “Is it right below it?”

He nodded. Feeling like he needed something to lighten his exhausted mood, an idea popped into her head. She grabbed the trash bags, activated her quirk on them, and pulled them over to the window. It opened far easier than it should have (he really needed to get that fixed) and she awkwardly peered through it to see where the dumpster was. Indeed, it was right next to it, and open as well. That was dangerous but convenient for now. She gently pushed the bags out the window so they were floating above the dumpster.

Shigaraki snorted. “Seriously?”

“When you can float things, you get really good at aiming, too,” Uraraka pointed out. “You don’t want to land in the wrong spot.” She pressed her fingers together. “Quarter release.”

Instead of returning their entire gravity to them so they dropped quickly, Uraraka managed about a fourth of its gravity so that the bags slowly floated down to the dumpster. When they were close to where she wanted, she fully released her quirk and they plopped safely into the bin. She spun around and smiled proudly. Shigaraki gave her a flat, unimpressed look in return. It didn’t bother her in the slightest. It wasn’t like it was that clever, even though it had taken her until her third year to manage her quirk like that.

Once he tugged his gloves back on, Shigaraki held out his hands and Uraraka knew without him even saying anything that he wanted his daughter back. It was kind of sweet - the way he automatically wanted her even after holding her almost non-stop for three days. Either that or he didn’t like a stranger and pro hero holding her. He seemed quite protective of her. Carefully extracting the baby from the carrier, Uraraka walked over to him and handed her over. He gently laid her down on a blanket that Uraraka had laid out earlier.

“She hasn’t done tummy time yet today,” Shigaraki explained.

Uraraka almost beamed. “You’ve been doing your research.”

“There’s not much else to do but read on my phone while she sleeps on me,” Shigaraki dryly replied before lowering himself to the ground. The babies she had seen growing up had never liked being on their stomach, but his baby girl didn’t seem to mind. She laid there, kind of relaxed as he poked her side and then rubbed her back, somewhat thoughtful expressions on both their faces. It was easy to tell they were related with those mirroring looks, especially with the telltale mole on the edges of their chins.

After a moment of hesitation, Uraraka followed suit and sat down on the other side, folding her legs underneath her so her skirt flared out. Neither one of them spoke, just watched the baby gurgle and push herself a little with her feet. She was too young to crawl, but she could sort of scoot.

“You look nice,” Shigaraki abruptly said, still focused on the baby.

Uraraka startled and jerked her eyes up to him. “Eh?”

“I mean, you’re dressed nice,” Shigaraki amended, his eyes flickering up to her briefly before going back to his kid. “You said you were on your way home, but you were in the middle of something, weren’t you?” She didn’t know why it embarrassed her, but she nodded her head reluctantly. A stony look fell over his face. “You didn’t have to come. I don’t need your pity. You shouldn’t have left your date to come here and clean my place. I should be able to take care of this on my own.”

“It wasn’t a date!” Uraraka jumped in to explain. “I was just hanging out with my friends. It was nearing the end of the night. They always start getting onto me about dating by then, so I was planning on leaving soon anyway.”

“Sounds annoying,” Shigaraki said.

“It can be,” Uraraka admitted, “but it’s only because they care.”

“At least I don’t have to worry about that,” Shigaraki said, half to himself. He was so focused on the baby, but she could tell that he was tired as well. Honestly, he looked like he could lay down on the floor and fall asleep. Maybe she should offer to watch his girl while he took a nap. She had work in the morning, but she could stay for a few hours. He deserved some rest. “Pretty sure a baby is going to deter anyone from wanting to date me - you know, other than the fact that I’m me. I seem to only attract villains and that kind of breaks the terms of my parole.”

Uraraka placed her hands on her knees, arms straight, and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. A lot of women find men with kids very attractive. It’s that maternal instinct, I think.” Shigaraki dragged his eyes up to look at her again and she had to fight the urge to blush as he examined her carefully. He obviously didn’t believe her for one second. She cleared her throat and returned her attention to the baby. “You know, you never did tell me her name. I don’t believe it’s To Be Determined.”

Shigaraki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in irritation. “Her serial killer mom named her ‘Princess’.”

“What?” Laughter began to sputter out of Uraraka and she had to slam her hands over her mouth to stop herself.

“It’s so fucking stupid,” Shigaraki griped, “but it’s not like she was full of bright ideas to begin with. She knew who I was and still slept with me and then thought dropping the baby off with me while she kept killing people was smart.”

It struck her that he didn’t exactly have a high opinion of himself, but this wasn’t the time to bring it up. She was here to help him with his baby, not his self-esteem. Besides, despite knowing her worth, that was something she still struggled with at times and it frustrated her to no end.

“What have you been calling her then?” Uraraka asked, steering the conversation back into safer waters. “It can’t just be ‘baby’ or ‘it’.”

For the first time today, Shigaraki looked a little embarrassed and even avoided her gaze. “I’ve kinda been referring to her as ‘Zelda’ in my head since, you know, the whole Princess thing.”

“Oh my god!” Uraraka exclaimed, laughing all over again. “You’re such a nerd!”

“It’s a cool name!” Shigaraki shot back defensively.

“You can’t name her that,” Uraraka told him, shaking her head. “She’ll be teased her entire life. That’s almost as bad as ‘Princess’.”

Shigaraki glowered at her, clearly annoyed that she didn’t like his idea. It was funny, even if he didn’t think it was. “You got any suggestions? Don’t most girls think up baby names when they’re younger?”

“I can’t name her. She’s your daughter.” Uraraka looked down at the baby. She did want kids - she’d known that since she was little, just as he had suggested - but she’d never really thought about it in detail. Having children was always this vague sort of future concept that she couldn’t quite fathom. “To be honest, I never really thought of baby names. They’re just something I know I want one day, but who knows when that will be. Kids were a topic that never really came up.”

Until they were and then she found herself at odds with the person she was with. It wasn’t his fault and she knew that, but it still made her feel awkward thinking about it. Nope, she was here to focus on Shigaraki and his baby. Wow, the world really was strange. She could not make this stuff up.

“So come on, you’ve got to have some ideas,” Uraraka prompted, “other than Zelda, I mean.”

Shigaraki tapped a finger on his knee. She couldn’t help but notice the gloves. Did he wear them all the time now or was it because of the baby? It couldn’t be comfortable to wear them constantly. When her quirk had first manifested, she had been forced to wear gloves so she wouldn’t float everything. It had taken her a while to get used to holding things with four fingers or less, but she got there eventually. It had to have been similar for him with his quirk, but he seemed okay using five fingers nowadays, although she caught him slipping up here and there. She wasn’t sure if he was conscious of it. She knew it was an unconscious habit for her these days.

“Yuna?” Shigaraki suggested.

Uraraka frowned. “Isn’t that a character from Final Fantasy?” Shigaraki stopped tapping his finger and sat up straight, shocked that she’d called him out. She grinned at him. “I do play video games. The old school Final Fantasy games are super pretty.”

“Alright, what about Kasumi?” Shigaraki asked.

“That one’s easy!” Uraraka declared, lifting up a knowing finger. “Dead or Alive. I like playing games with female main characters.”

Shigaraki’s lips twitched, like he couldn’t decide between a frown or a smile. “Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Pokemon.”

“Stop it!” Uraraka laughed.

Humming thoughtfully, Shigaraki offered, “Azura?”

“Hm.” Uraraka tapped a finger to her lips. “I don’t know that one.” She gave him a disappointed look. “Are you really going to name her after a video game character?” He shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t be serious.”

“Unlike you, I never once pictured having kids, so I didn’t think I’d be in this boat,” Shigaraki retorted, although there wasn’t any heat in his voice. No, she couldn’t picture him talking or even thinking about wanting kids back in his League of Villains days. There wasn’t really room for that and it wasn’t like he had been given a warm image of what a family should be like growing up. “The most I did was come up with names for my characters in an RPG and Noumu. As you can imagine, naming a kid is a little different than naming a creature made up of various quirks.”

His dry, dark comments about his time in the League caught her off guard. She wasn’t sure if it was an attempt to keep her at an arm’s length distance, a legitimate defense mechanism, or his actual sense of humor. Todoroki sometimes said things that threw her off as well, although she’d come to expect that humor from him. She just hadn’t expected Shigaraki to, well, talk about those days.

“Alright, if my ideas are such shit, then you come up with something,” Shigaraki told her, waving a hand. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll come up with something I like and you can say you helped name a former villain’s kid.”

Uraraka brought her fingers together and tapped them in a sequence. “I can’t really think of anything…”

“C’mon,” Shigaraki drawled. “You sure you never looked up names and thought, ‘Oh that would be nice for the baby girl I have when I’m happily married’ ?”

The urge to reach over and shove him came up, but she ignored it. Again, she didn’t think he was the type of person that liked it when people were physical with him. Well, that wasn’t completely right. Apparently, under certain and specific circumstances, he didn’t mind it at all, if the baby lying in between them was any indication. They weren’t that familiar with each other though. A few years ago, she’d done everything in her power to keep away from him so he couldn’t touch her. Getting disintegrated didn’t sound fun.

“Stop being such an ass,” Uraraka told him, although she wasn’t actually irritated. Okay, so maybe she had grown up thinking about what it would be like to be in love and married. How could she not, with parents who were so in love with each other even during the rough times? It was impossible not to see them and want something like that.

Shigaraki mock-scoffed before stating, “I’m not-” but he was unfortunately interrupted by the front door opening.

The change was so quick that Uraraka almost got whiplash. He went from almost impassive and calm to tense and ready to fight in a second flat, whipping around in the direction of the door and already in the process of tearing off one of his gloves. It forced Uraraka to react by clenching her hands into fists. However, a second later, when his eyes landed on the person frozen in the doorway, all of the tension bled out of him, replaced with a deep scowl and dismissive aura.

“What the hell do you want?” Shigaraki demanded as he turned back to look down at his baby.

“I think the better question is what the hell are you doing with a pro hero in your apartment?” Touya Todoroki retorted, an eyebrow arched in a detached but curious manner. His eyes roved over her in a way that definitely reminded her of Todoroki. It was hard to tell what he was thinking too beyond possible derision. Even if he wasn’t a villain anymore, it seemingly hadn’t improved his feelings towards heroes much, aside from his little brother.

It briefly occurred to Uraraka that this very situation was one her friends would be worried about had she told them she was leaving to help Shigaraki. Here she was, a hero sitting in an apartment with two former villains who had tried to kill her. This was beyond absurd. They weren’t going to hurt her. They were done with that. Todoroki didn’t have an issue being around his oldest brother or him living with their sister. This was fine. She highly doubted they would break the conditions of their parole by messing with her. They weren’t villains anymore, just everyday citizens.

Then again, while it was easier to believe that when looking at Shigaraki, especially when he was with his daughter, it was a bit harder when faced with Touya, who still bore the severe scars that marked him as the villain formerly known as Dabi. He’d been forced to have them healed to a certain degree to stave off the constant threat of infection, but no amount of a healing quirk could completely fix him nor did he seem interested in it. Or in changing his demeanor.

Touya held up his hands. “Whatever. It’s your business. I don’t give a shit.”

“Then why are you here?” Shigaraki asked again. “Come to check up on me and make sure no one’s died?”

“Nope, I’m definitely here to steal one of your controllers,” Touya responded. “Mine broke.”

Shigaraki snorted. “You mean you melted it again after rage quitting.”

“Same difference.” Touya walked over to the small entertainment system (which was really just a table with television and gaming system on top) and snagged one of the extra controllers. Did he really just... break into Shigaraki’s apartment like it was no big deal? This was getting weirder by the second. “So what are you all up to? You look positively domestic. It’s kind of gross.”

“He’s trying to come up with a name for the baby,” Uraraka said, finally finding her voice. It wasn’t that she was afraid to talk. Their dynamic was just so...interesting. They were very obviously friends, but she doubted either one of them would cop to such a thing. The push and pull between them flowed and they knew each other quite well. They had been through a lot together - some of the roughest times of their life - from what some might consider the highest villainy to at least some form of redemption. It was a journey that had to have created a bond between them, no matter how much they denied it.

How sweet. Idiots, the both of them.

Touya stepped over them to peer down at the baby. “I kind of like Princess Shigaraki.”

“That’s because you’re a bastard with no taste,” Shigaraki shot back.

A grin worked its way onto Touya’s face. “Better taste in hookups than you, apparently.” Shigaraki moved to shove him, but Touya stepped back before he could get hit. They weren’t afraid of each other in the slightest. In fact, teasing Shigaraki brought some brightness to Touya’s typically bored and judgemental personality. “Any luck so far? He’s not known for picking out good names. You should’ve heard some of the stuff he came up with for the Nomus before we vetoed them.”

“They weren’t that bad,” Shigaraki complained.

Touya looked at the baby as if it was legally required to stay at least ten feet away from him. Did he not know what to do with babies, like Shigaraki, or did he just not like them? He was the oldest brother of four kids, but that didn’t mean he was good with them or wanted anything to do with them. It wasn’t like the Todoroki household had given way to a normal childhood anyway.

“What about Sasuke?” Touya suggested.

“Now you’re trying to piss me off on purpose!” Shigaraki griped as Uraraka had to stop herself from sputtering again. Out of all the things she’d been prepared to hear Touya say, suggesting not only an anime character, but one who had been reduced to a meme, as a namesake for Shigaraki’s daughter was not one of them. He was not amused at all, especially not with that shit-eating grin back on Touya’s face. “Goddamn, you’re the worst.”

“I’m only trying to help,” Touya replied in a tone that was so overtly innocent it made him sound guilty.

“You’re trying to test my patience is what you’re doing,” Shigaraki snapped. He waved a hand at him. “If you’re not going to be any help, then get out - and don’t melt that controller or you’re buying me a new one again.”

“I still think that’s bullshit since you’re the one that gets a discount,” Touya said, shaking his head.

Shigaraki gave him an incredulous look. “I’m not replacing something of mine that you broke simply because you’re shit at games and can’t stand losing.”

“You’ve disintegrated four controllers,” Touya stated. “You don’t have any room to talk.”

Uraraka felt so weird, like an outsider sitting in the audience watching a play on stage. In her mind, she had known there was more to the League than simply a group of villains, but it was something else altogether to watch Shigaraki and Touya interact with one another as normal people. No, they weren’t villains anymore, but both of them knew their past would be tied to them in some way. It was unavoidable. They’d shaken so much up. The way heroes were ranked had been changed thanks to them and quite a few heroes had fallen to the wayside or even retired.

Touya held up the controller. “Well, I got what I came here for and the wiggle worm is still alive and looks content, so Fuyumi will be relieved.” He turned his attention back to Uraraka, who was reminded of just how piercing his gaze could be. It must’ve been a Todoroki thing, although, if she remembered correctly, Todoroki had mentioned that he did not like anyone referring to him by that name. He’d rather be called Dabi than by his surname. “I guess I’ll leave him in your hands, Uravity.” She didn’t bother correcting him. He seemed like the type that would continue to use her hero name to keep his distance. “Don’t let him name her after one of his video game waifus.”

Shigaraki clenched his hands into fists, looking like he was considering grabbing the nearest thing (aside from the baby) and chucking it at Touya. He didn’t do anything. Instead, he relaxed his hands and turned away from him. “Tell Fuyumi not to worry so much.”

“Are you kidding me?” Touya scoffed as he walked to the door. “That’s all she does. She’s one big ball of worry.”

“That’s because she’s gotta care for two people since you don’t give a shit about anything,” Shigaraki said. It actually kind of sounded like he was relatively close with Todoroki’s sister as well. This was certainly an eye-opening visit. So he did have people to help him. He probably hadn’t wanted the few people he was close to knowing that he had been struggling so much. As an outsider, Uraraka was a safe bet. Seeing as how no one else had bothered him as far as she knew, he had probably come to the conclusion that she hadn’t told anyone his little secret.

Touya hesitated at the door and sighed. “Fuyumi said we’re having dinner Friday night. You should come. I think it’s just an excuse for her to see the baby. I swear, if she gets baby fever, I’m gonna murder you.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Shigaraki replied vaguely. That was in two days. It would likely be the first time he would venture outside with the baby since that first night. He had to do it eventually.

After giving him one last look and briefly glancing at her with that same consideration, Touya shook his head and stepped out of the apartment, shutting the door behind him. An admittedly awkward silence fell over Shigaraki and Uraraka as they remained silent in the wake of Touya’s very unexpected visit. Uraraka tried not to think about what that look had meant. It had been something more than suspicious, although she was certain that Touya didn’t trust her with Shigaraki or the baby. It was ironic, all things considered.

“You should go,” Uraraka abruptly said. The look in Shigaraki’s eyes was both questioning and judgemental. He was really bad about letting people in - not that she didn’t blame him - but it was worse than Bakugou and that had taken her a while to break through. “To the dinner, I mean. It’ll be good for you and her to get out of the apartment. If you stay in here, you’ll start to lose it and get resentful. Plus, socialization is good for babies.”

“And for former villains?” Shigaraki added.

Uraraka pressed her lips together and huffed. “Yeah, and for former villains.” She shook her head. “You don’t need to keep reminding me. Trust me, I remember - it’s not something I can just forget - but you should stop tying that to yourself. You’re someone else now, aren’t you?”

Shigaraki took a deep breath. He must’ve decided it wasn’t worth arguing with her. It made her kind of sad. Did he not think he was worth it? How many other people felt this way? Society did put a lot of pressure on people concerning their quirks - their strengths, their weaknesses - and many people felt as if they were only valued as much as their quirk was worth. Becoming a hero had been idealistic and she’d managed to fulfill that dream, but a lot of people weren’t even given the opportunity to do anything.

“What about Yukiko?” Shigaraki asked.

Uraraka blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in subject. “Oh, um.” She twisted her lips in thought. Yukiko. It had to be from a video game, but she couldn’t place it. Besides, compared to Zelda and Azura, it was a fairly normal name. It had a nice ring to it. “I like it! It’s cute.”

“Cute,” Shigaraki repeated slowly. “Yeah?”

“What’s her last name gonna be?” Uraraka asked.

Shigaraki frowned. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you don’t have to make a decision right away,” Uraraka told him.

It sounded like there was more to the story than he wanted to let on. She knew thanks to the trial that his last name was not actually Shigaraki, but if she was being honest, it was hard to think of him as anything else. Tenko Shimura. It sounded odd after thinking of him this way for so long, just like referring to Dabi as Touya. Would he use that last name for her? He didn’t even go by it. Would she have her mother’s?

The baby - Yukiko - began to fuss, no longer entertained with being on the ground and tired of lying on her stomach. Out of instinct, Uraraka reached down to pick her up, but bumped hands with Shigaraki, who had done the same. She mumbled an apology that he either didn’t hear or ignored and pulled her hands back, letting him pick up his daughter. It was like he was still in the stage of parenthood where he felt compelled to always be the one to hold his child and was hesitant to let other people do it.

Once she was in his arms, Yukiko quieted down, although she was still acting fussy. “Is she sleepy?”

“She has to be,” Shigaraki muttered. “She won’t sleep for longer than twenty minutes unless she’s being held.”

“Which means you’re holding her a lot, aren’t you?” Uraraka quipped. Shigaraki gave her a flat look but didn’t deny it either. Poor guy wasn’t getting a break at all. She smoothed out her skirt even though it was already straight. “Would you want to take a nap? I could watch her for a few hours while you-”

“No.”

Uraraka sank back on her legs. “It wouldn’t be a problem-”

“No,” Shigaraki repeated, a little firmer this time. “You should go back to whatever you were doing - hanging out with your friends, having fun, whatever.”

“They’re probably already done by now.”

Holding Yukiko tighter against him, Shigaraki awkwardly got back to his feet and stood up straight. There was no way to do that gracefully. Uraraka peered up at him, not moving. “I don’t need any more help.” He twisted his lips into a grimace, as if admitting he’d needed it in the first place was painful and disgusted him. “I...appreciate you coming over so last minute, but you don’t need to do anything else.”

“You’re so fucking difficult,” Uraraka huffed.

Shigaraki gave her an alarmed look. He clearly hadn’t anticipated her to swear. She knew what she looked like. As she got older, she got a little lither and more muscular, but it would never erase that “cuteness” that people always remarked on when her appearance came up. She’d been referred to as “cute” often enough in the news for it not phase her anymore. It always made villains underestimate her, which put her at an advantage. She wondered if Shigaraki had ever thought that about her or if she’d not been on his radar enough to consider.

“You need to sleep. You need to eat. You need to shower. You need to clean.” Uraraka got to her feet, straightening out her clothes. “What are you gonna do when you have to go back to work? When you need to go to the store?”

A defiant gleam shined in Shigaraki’s red eyes. “I’ll-”

“Figure it out, I know,” Uraraka cut in, putting her hands on her hips. “You keep doing that and then in a few days you’ll probably find yourself desperate again.” He opened up his mouth, but she continued on relentlessly, “And it’s not a bad thing! You’re not doing anything wrong! Two people have trouble enough with one baby, but you’re doing this on your own and you’re refusing help until the last second. Stop being such a stubborn idiot.”

Shigaraki pressed his chapped lips together. “Is this how you talk to everyone who once tried to kill you?”

“Pretty sure you tried to kill me more than once,” Uraraka shot back and then she poked him in the chest. She knew he didn’t like it when people touched him - she could see it in the way he held himself at a distance, even when he’d worn his villain costume with all those creepy hands - but it was like he needed a few facts smacked into him. “And would you stop with that? It’s obnoxious. I get it. You’re Tomura Shigaraki, former leader of the League of Villains, the guy who used to haunt all our dreams, but turns out is a huge nerd, retail worker, and a desperate single father.”

Honestly, she didn’t know what had come over her, but she was tired of it. She could feel him shoving her away and, not that she wanted to get closer to him, it was frustrating to feel him do that when she also could see how much help he did need. He’d been trying to do things on his own for so long. The only person he’d had any guidance from had turned out to be a megalomaniac using him for his own means. It was no wonder he shied away from any offer of help; he probably spent hours analyzing whether there was an ulterior motive before deciding to accept it or not.

“Goddamn…” Shigaraki shook his head in defeat. “Alright, fine, you win.” He walked to the small kitchenette to fetch a pre-made bottle out of the fridge. “Does anyone win arguments with you or do you always barrel your way through?”

He could ask Bakugou, but then she didn’t think that conversation would go over very well. It was partly thanks to him that she’d become so adamant and stubborn in her own right. It wasn’t a bad thing, she didn’t think, but she was much less likely to put up with bullshit now. She wouldn’t put up with him whenever he threw a fit and she wasn’t about to put up with Shigaraki’s shit either. He had a lot on his plate, but she wasn’t going to let him walk all over her either. If Touya was any indication, he needed someone that could push him back in return.

Uraraka softened when she noticed how tense he was. “I’m just saying: if you need a babysitter or something, like I said before, you can call me. I don’t really do much outside of work since a lot of my friends live away. A lot of Netflix and obsessive cleaning or going to the gym. It’s thrilling.”

“And how would your friends feel about you helping me out?” Shigaraki countered.

“I don’t know.” Uraraka shrugged her shoulders. “Who says they have to know? I’m not gonna tell everyone about your stuff if you don’t want people to know.”

Shigaraki considered her for a moment, thinking it over. She wouldn’t tell anyone if he didn’t want people to know, although they both knew it wouldn’t be long before more people found out. “Could you...watch her on Saturday morning?” It looked like it physically pained him to ask, but at least he did. “Just so I can get some shit done. There’s a boatload of paperwork involved in a baby, especially when it turns out there’s no official record of her existence.”

“Sure,” Uraraka replied, a soft smile on her face. “I’m working a night shift that day, so it won’t be a problem.”

“Seriously?”

Uraraka shrugged. “This is a ten-fifteen minute jog to the agency. I can just go straight to work after.”

For a moment, Shigaraki looked at a loss of words as he fed Yukiko, his mind on too many things at once. Not that she could blame him since she wasn’t sure why she was so adamant about helping. This was an extraordinarily unusual circumstance.

To be honest, this was normally Deku’s area. She could definitely see him doing something like this. He helped people even before they realized they needed help, sometimes before he knew they needed it too. Maybe that was partly why she was. Even after all these years, he was such an inspiration, even more so now that he had taken the number one hero rank. Her view of him had evolved quite a bit over time, but her admiration of him had never ended.

“I’m not good at this,” Shigaraki finally said.

“I don’t think anyone is the perfect parent immediately,” Uraraka pointed out.

“No, I’m not good at…” Shigaraki waved a hand at her, which took her back. She wasn’t sure exactly what he meant or how she was supposed to take that, except she didn’t think he was insulting her. Maybe not. “You know, asking for help. Making, ah, connections.”

Uraraka raised an eyebrow. “Friends?”

Shigaraki snorted. Okay, not friends then. Connections. That didn’t sound weird. Then again, that was what this whole situation was. She couldn’t say that she was becoming friends with him anyway, not when he held her at an arm’s length and she was honestly hesitant to try to break down those walls. Sometimes they were up for a good reason. If he was doing this to protect himself and his daughter, she could understand that. If he was doing it simply because he didn’t like her, well, that was fine too. He didn’t have to like her.

She could be acquaintances with him though. His daughter’s babysitter? Is that what he would call her if Touya asked? Yukiko was such a cute and sweet baby. From what she had heard and seen so far, it looked like she might have inherited Shigaraki’s penchant for temper tantrums and being dramatic, but then again, a lot of babies were like that so they got their point across.

Oh, shit, she hadn’t even thought about the consequences of Touya seeing her here. What if he told Fuyumi or Shouto before she got the chance to tell him? The shit storm that hit her would be massive if her friends had to find out via a reformed villain.

It still didn’t inspire her to pull out her phone and send a quick explanation. The fact that he hadn’t said he didn’t mind if people knew told her enough. He didn’t want people to know, not yet. Eventually, he would have to relinquish that bit of privacy, especially once things became official and he got more out and about with her. People would see him with a baby girl and questions would be asked. That wasn’t even counting all the reporters that would probably hound him, even more so if word of who the mother was got out.

Speaking of which, Uraraka needed to look that up. It was highly tempting to use her authority as a hero to gain a little more access to the information surrounding her and the arrest, but no, she wouldn’t do it. She’d go about the same channels as everyone. Would she ask around? Maybe. What? She was insanely curious.

There was a lot going on right now, all due to this baby.

“I’ve got this covered,” Shigaraki told her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

For a second, Uraraka didn’t know what to say and then she realized he was effectively kicking her out. She would say he was too polite to do so, but she had a feeling he was about to if she didn’t catch the first hint. “Oh, um, right.” When she took a step towards him, he started to take a step back and she stopped. “Relax. I’m not gonna try to hug you or anything.”

“I knew that,” Shigaraki mumbled.

“Sure you did,” Uraraka replied. She continued forward until she was right in front of him and then smoothed a hand down Yukiko’s head. She was still intent on draining the bottle of formula. “You better sleep for your papa, Yukiko. It’s not nice to keep him up. I’ll see you on Saturday. We’ll have a girls’ morning.” She took a step back, giving him the space she knew he preferred. “You should try to give her a warm bath after she eats. It might help her sleep.”

Shigaraki took a deep breath. “I’ll try anything at this point.” Uraraka gave him an encouraging smile. He groaned out a simple but very emphatic, “Ugh,” at her in return.

“See ya Saturday,” Uraraka said as she waved and walked to the front door Touya had vanished through earlier. True to his nature, Shigaraki didn’t say goodbye, but nodded his head, his hands a little full at the moment. This time, when she started down the stairs, she didn’t feel as bad, even though she’d come over here due to a panicked call. He was struggling, but he actually wasn’t doing as bad as she’d dreaded. He was fairing like every other parent. It wasn’t bad.

Maybe Shigaraki really had this. It would be a constant struggle, but that was life. It would get easier on some days and on others it would get worse. A lot of parenthood had to do with common sense, from what she’d seen so far, and she knew that he wasn’t stupid by any means. He was more intelligent than most people, even if he had chosen the villain route or it had chosen him.

The same could be said of fatherhood.

Chapter Text

Working overseas was one of the strangest parts about being a hero. To be honest, Midoriya hadn’t thought about it much, although he knew All Might had spent time in the States as a transfer student and later on as pro hero. It simply hadn’t occurred to him that being a hero would mean spending so much time away from home. There was also the added pressure of being the number one hero. If there was no rest for the wicked, then there certainly wasn’t any rest for the top heroes.

Deku was in his mid-twenties and had reached the same point as All Might, but that didn’t mean he could slack off. He was an oddity, seeing as how he didn’t have an established hero agency of his own yet. Unlike Todoroki and Bakugou, he wasn’t in a rush regarding that. He had been after graduation, but after he took a job overseas, he came to the conclusion that he could do more work if he wasn’t tied down to any one place. An agency meant being stagnant - it meant a certain type of responsibility - and he didn’t want that. It wasn’t his path.

He did miss home though. Calls, texts, facetime, snapchat, and emails could only do so much to keep the homesickness at bay. He did his best to stay in the know about things happening in and around his hometown, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to catch everything. Some news was bound to spring up on him and surprise him in the worst way. That was just the way it was and had been since high school. It was like he was the main protagonist in an anime. News just seemed to follow him.

Now that he was back home, Deku couldn’t wait to take a break. It wouldn’t be a long one - potentially less than two or three days - but he needed it after dealing with a crisis in China. What he wanted more than anything was some homemade katsudon from his mother, a reassuring pat on the shoulder from All Might (who, in his slightly healthier thin form, was still somehow taller than him), and hugs from his closest friends. It had been too long since he’d seen them and he missed them greatly - Uraraka’s bright smile, Iida’s encouraging words, Todoroki’s impassive but sly looks, and even Bakugou’s explosive behavior. He missed them all.

His mother and All Might didn’t know he was due home today, so Deku had thought to surprise them. It was the little things that counted. His mom would probably cry upon seeing him, but he’d learned at an early age that some tears were good and it was important not to hold them in. He wasn’t upset with his mother for teaching him to be free with his crying. Being in touch with his emotions had helped him with villains more times than he could count. Other heroes could stand to do with such compassion.

After carefully unlocking the front door to the house, Deku set his travel bag down and tiptoed through the house. He wasn’t as small as he used to be, but he knew how to keep quiet thanks to training under Aizawa during high school. A hero couldn’t always burst into places in order to do what needed to be done. Eraserhead's style relied much more on stealth, which came in handy with his shooter style moves. He knew All Might was there because of his car in the driveway, but the muffled voices from the kitchen told him that he and his mother were having some sort of discussion over tea.

“...don’t know how he’ll handle it,” All Might was saying, frustration evident in his voice.

“He’s proven to be strong before,” his mother replied.

“I don’t know,” All Might sighed. “This is something different entirely. And he won’t accept help. It’s a terrible mixture of stubbornness and pride. I don’t know what to do with him.”

His mother laughed lightly. “Sounds like someone I know.”

“It would be funny if there wasn’t a life involved,” All Might grumbled. His voice was barely loud enough for Deku to make out even though he was standing right outside the door.

The whole conversation was odd. Deku furrowed his brow in thought. What were they talking about? More importantly, who were they talking about? There were only a few people in the world that made All Might sound like that and he was one of them. Kacchan was another, although he refused to admit it. The other person - the one none of them liked to talk about - was Tomura Shigaraki.

“Who knows?” his mother replied soothingly. “He might surprise you.”

“I hope so,” All Might said. “I don’t expect him to be perfect by any means. Not everyone is a superhero like you-”

“Oh hush!” his mother giggled.

“-but on the list of things Shigaraki is ready for right now, single fatherhood is not one of them,” All Might finished.

Midoriya nearly fell on his face. Single what now? Shigaraki was...a father?

Unable to hide any longer, bursting with enough energy to make him feel like he was back to figuring out One for All again, Midoriya stumbled into the living room and exclaimed in an embarrassingly hysterical voice, “Shigaraki’s a dad?”

All Might nearly spilled his tea on his lap as he practically yelped, “Izuku!” Only his mother’s quirk saved the hot cup from tipping over, floating it into her outstretched hand. He spun around to look at Midoriya with shock and embarrassment in his sunken blue eyes. Oh, he wasn’t meant to hear that, at least not yet. It wasn’t his business. He would’ve been told when All Might knew more about the situation. But how good he was at keeping secrets depended on what it was and who was involved.

Midoriya knew exactly what was going to happen: there was no way he was going to be able to keep this to himself.

His brain kept doing mental leaps as he tried to figure out what was going on. Shigaraki was a father. Which meant that he’d, at least casually, been seeing someone. Dating someone? Hooked up with someone? Oh, god, why was his brain doing this to him? There were things he wanted to think about and other things he didn’t want to think about so much that they never even crossed his mind. This was definitely the latter, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Not that Shigaraki was terrible-looking since being freed from prison. Midoriya had seen him once shortly after his release, if only because he wanted to check up on him out of curiosity and wariness. It couldn’t be helped. This was the man had spent three years actively trying to kill him, especially once it became clear that he was the protege of his and All for One’s enemy - and it was partly thanks to Midoriya’s testimony that he was able to apply for parole so soon.

It had been surprising to see Shigaraki in the role of an average citizen. He’d looked so...normal. His hair was shorter and he was a little thinner, but the most remarkable change had been his face. He must have started to actually take of himself. Midoriya knew that Shigaraki’s quirk dried out his skin, especially around his lips and eyes, but with the right care, he didn’t look bad. He certainly didn’t look villainous or obsessed with vengeance.

If he still looked like that, Midoriya could see how a woman might… find him… attractive enough to sleep and produce a child with.

It still made Midoriya’s head spin and his stomach do an impressive flop. He’d known that his old high school friends would eventually start getting married and having families of their own. It was sometimes odd to consider, but he knew it. His old enemies though? Yeah, that wasn’t something he’d thought about.

“I…” All Might swallowed and then sighed again. “Well, you were bound to find out soon enough somehow.”

He was probably resigned to the fact that Midoriya managed to get himself in the middle of things whether they involved him or not, typically while actively trying not to be involved these days. It didn’t matter. One way or another, Midoriya found himself in a mess. It came from his desire to help everyone he could, but also because he was some sort of magnet for these things. Even when he tried to stay out of stuff, it found him.

This was probably one of those times.

Midoriya meandered over to a chair next to the couch and plopped down in it. “How?” All Might and his mother looked at each other and he flushed. “I mean, I know how! I just...don’t know…how…” It didn’t make sense. Okay, maybe he was just overthinking things. Shigaraki was out of jail, just trying to live his life. That meant establishing relationships of various kinds. “I never pictured him the ‘having kids’ or family type, if I’m being honest.”

“Neither did I,” All Might admitted, “but I don’t think he believed he was either. It wasn’t exactly planned.”

“Oh.” Midoriya blinked. “Oh! It was an accident.” He scratched his head. “I suppose that makes more sense. He didn’t intentionally have a child.”

It wasn’t that Shigaraki was selfish or anything like that. From what Midoriya had managed to gather about him post-prison, he was just trying to live his life. He worked at a video game store and went home. Thanks to Todoroki, he knew that Shigaraki was still friends and in contact with Dabi, now known as Touya. He’d stopped by his sister and brother’s place only, to almost walk into Shigaraki, who was leaving. That had almost caused a fight out of reflex until his sister had intervened, explaining that he was just there to drop a drunk Touya off. (Apparently, his brother was a severe lightweight.) Todoroki had been so caught off guard he forgot to call Midoriya to tell him until the next day.

Aside from that, Midoriya didn’t really know what was going on in Shigaraki’s life. He kept up to date for various reasons, ranging from being careful to just wanting to know what the hell was going on in his former arch enemy's life and if it was going well. He hoped it was. Midoriya wanted Shigaraki to succeed. He’d been dealt a raw hand in life and he wanted him to be able to actually live and do what he wanted instead of being a villain’s puppet.

Well, he was certainly living life - off having relationships and being a dad. Wow.

“So when’s the baby due or do you know that?” Midoriya asked curiously. “I wonder who the mom is. I wonder if she knew who he was when they got together. She probably did. He still goes by Shigaraki except for work, right? Wow, he’s gonna be a dad.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, he completed a life milestone before me! That’s something, isn’t it?”

“Ah, the baby has already been born,” All Might awkwardly explained. “She’s about three-months-old.” He smiled so faintly he probably wasn’t even aware he was doing it. “Absolutely beautiful. She has his eyes.”

“You’ve seen her?” Midoriya leaned forward. “Which means you’ve seen him.” All Might nodded. “How is he?”

“ Tired ,” All Might stressed. “He’s under a lot of pressure. This situation was thrust upon him quite suddenly, leaving him no time to prepare.”

Midoriya tilted his head. “Uh, he had like nine months? Midnight taught us Sex Ed.” He shuddered at the memory. It had been an informative, if not somewhat traumatic, experience. Walking back to the dorms with a bunch of hormonal teenagers after listening to that talk and watching her put a condom on a banana had made him wish Uraraka would use her quirk on him and float him into outer space.

“If only.” All Might took his cup of tea back. “The mother of the child did not make him aware of his child until a week ago when she asked him to babysit” - here he grimaced - “so she could continue a murder spree.”

Midoriya’s eyebrows shot up. “She what?” He fell against the back of the chair. “He had a child with ano- With a villain?” Just when he thought this couldn’t get more shocking and absurd. That did bring up some unfortunate and nasty implications, all of which made him chew on his bottom lip. “Is he…?”

“No.” All Might shook his head, his mouth set in a determined line. “While he hasn’t been doing much with his life, Shigaraki remains on the straight and narrow. He was actually the one to call her in so she could be apprehended without incident. He appears to have been previously unaware of her villainous activities while she knew of his history.”

Ah, so she had known who Shigaraki was. It had probably been why she had slept with him in the first place. He should’ve taken Midnight’s Sex Ed class.

“This is, uh…a turn of interesting events,” Midoriya murmured. There was no way he could sit on this information and not do anything about it. It was too big for him to keep quiet about. Not telling people (outside of Kacchan) about One for All had been one thing, but Shigaraki having a kid with a villain and randomly finding out a year after the fact was too much. He had to tell somebody. But who?

Shigaraki was still in close contact with Touya, which meant that he probably knew already, and if he knew, then there was a chance Todoroki either knew or would find out soon. Telling him wouldn’t be that bad. He was going to find out eventually anyway, so it wasn’t really telling him. It wasn’t like he was going to blab to Iida or Uraraka (at least not right away). But he had to talk to someone about this or he was going to explode.

“It’s a lot to take in,” All Might said.

“And he apparently refuses to accept any help too,” his mother added, a frown on her face. “It’s...admittedly hard for me to truly feel for him, considering what he did to you both, but I can speak from experience that being a single parent, while rewarding, is very difficult.”

“You were an incredible mom,” Midoriya told her earnestly, “and you still are.”

His mother blushed but smiled. “I did my best under the circumstances.”

“I think he turned out pretty good,” All Might said with a chuckle. The humor died in his eyes as his mind drifted back to the other single parent. “I worry about him though. He clearly wants to do right by his daughter, but he doesn’t have any positive influence to look back on.” He frowned. “I offered to help, but…”

Midoriya nodded. He knew what All Might was saying. Shigaraki would disintegrate himself before he accepted All Might’s help outright. It was too demeaning for him after everything the former number one hero had done for him despite his previous attempts to kill him. Accepting All Might’s help with his child would be the final nail in the coffin for Shigaraki’s already fragile ego. It was kind of like getting Kacchan to accept help. There was a lot of fighting involved, sometimes making a person question whether it was worth it.

It was. It was always worth it to help people. Midoriya was certain of it.

Right now, however, he couldn’t think about it. He needed to speak freely and he couldn’t do it around them. He adored All Might with everything in him, even after all this time, but he kind of had tunnel vision when it came to Shigaraki. He needed someone who could understand his mental struggle better.

“Well, this has been enlightening,” Midoriya declared, standing up, “but I’ve gotta...make a call.”

His mother aimed a serious look at him. “Izuku.”

“I promised Shouto I would call him when I got back into town!” Midoriya insisted. It wasn’t a lie. He had promised to call Todoroki, just not for the reasons he was going to now. He hugged both his mom and All Might before telling them goodbye and he’d be back for dinner, all but rushing out the door. He hadn’t even shut the front door fully by the time he had his phone out and was dialing his friend’s friend.

Todoroki picked up after the third ring. “Izuku?”

“Are you busy because holy shit I’ve got some news to tell you,” Midoriya greeted in an excited rush as he bounced down the stairs.

“So do I.”

*

Todoroki had not been very close to any of his siblings until he moved out. With their father forcibly keeping them apart, and his kind of sad attempts at piecing their family back together later on, he had figured out he could make his own choices. Maybe he could have all along and just hadn’t known anything other than his father’s rules. Not using the fire half of his quirk had been enough rebellion. After deciding to repair his relationship with his mother, he had also come to the conclusion that he wanted to know his siblings.

There had always been one missing though. A big brother that lingered in the back of his mind but he could never quite call forward. After a while, Touya became more of a vague memory than a brother. He existed, but he also didn’t. If talk of their mother was kept to a minimum, not a word was breathed about him. He became more like a myth than anything else, a life lesson, as it were.

Don’t be like Touya. Don’t fail like Touya. Don’t crack like Touya.

After a while, as shameful as it was, it was easy to forget about him. At least, it was for Todoroki, who had been kept away from the others. His memories of Touya included a lot of yelling, fighting, ruffles of his hair, fake smiles, and a vicious protective streak. Most of what he remembered though was the sideways looks Touya would give him. After all, out of everyone in the family, even their mother, his oldest brother alone knew exactly what he went through during training.

Had it been pity in his brother’s eyes? Shame? Jealousy? Rage? Disgust? Fear? It was hard to tell after so many years had passed.

It was hard to tell now and Touya was actually back in their lives.

Todoroki looked up from his seat in the living area as Touya practically kicked open the front door and strode into the apartment he had shared with Fuyumi since being released from prison.

Oh, yeah, fun fact: his brother was - used to be - Dabi. That had been fun to learn during his second year of high school.

“I’m back!” Touya called out.

“Where were you? It shouldn’t have taken you that long.” Fuyumi poked her head out of the bathroom, where she was doing her makeup. Todoroki didn’t want to say she had a date, but she usually only put makeup on for work. He knew bringing it up would only serve to alarm Touya. Her twin brother wasn’t opposed to her dating so much as opposed to anyone dating her. There was that vicious protective streak that he remembered.

Touya walked through the living room and, despite actually being a few centimeters shorter than him now (not that Todoroki would bring that up either), ruffled Todoroki’s hair. “You know, I have a life of my own too. You’re the one that sent me out on my day off.”

Not one to take her twin’s bullshit, Fuyumi narrowed her eyes - or maybe she was just doing that because she wasn’t wearing her glasses. “Don’t use me as an excuse. You were getting antsy too.”

“Whatever.” Touya scoffed before plopping down on the couch and stretching out like a cat. He really did whatever he could in order to look taller. Back when they had first clashed at the Training Camp in his first year, Todoroki’s memories of Dabi had always made him seem so tall and imposing, when in truth he hadn’t been that much taller. It wasn’t until after things had fallen into place that he realized why Dabi had unsettled him so much. He had the same look in his eyes as Touya, only more dead.

It was a bit like living with a ghost when Touya was dragged back into their lives, but years later, he was more like, eh, a ghoul. Who was a big brother and did big brother things but also kept a wall between them for their own protection. Todoroki wondered if Fuyumi ever called him out for it. Probably. After the truth came out about Dabi, she had become a lot harder, although she acted like she didn’t.

“Well?” Fuyumi prompted as she stepped fully out of the bathroom and put her glasses on.

Touya waved a dismissive hand in the air. “The wiggle worm is alive.”

Todoroki blinked. Wiggle worm? And it was alive? What?

“I figured that, since you didn’t come bursting in here in a panic,” Fuyumi replied.

“Nah, I bet you thought we were doing something shady like hiding evidence,” Touya shot back dryly.

“Touya, that’s awful!” Fuyumi exclaimed, sounding genuinely distraught. “I know you wouldn’t do that now.” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “Besides, I know you care no matter how much you try to deny it.”

“The last thing I’m gonna do about this whole situation is care,” Touya said before throwing an arm over his face like he was planning on falling asleep on the couch. It wouldn’t be the first time. It wasn’t until he’d seen Touya sleeping on the couch, in a chair, and even on the floor that Todoroki had remembered Touya’s ability to sleep anywhere. He could understand that exhaustion. Their father’s training, on top of the physical exertion of his own quirk, had made him permanently tired, leading him to pass out the second he got comfortable or laid down.

It was kind of hard to think about that when all Todoroki’s brain kept coming back to was the cryptic “wiggle worm is alive” comment though. Whatever it was, it was something that Touya was determined not to give a shit about it (which he said about a lot of things) but also something that Fuyumi was determined to make him care about. She was right, of course, even if he didn’t know the context completely. Touya liked to act like he didn’t care about things - bored and lackadaisical with the whole world beneath him - but they all knew it was bullshit, even if he didn’t.

Touya cared about a lot of things, just not in the way everyone else did. He hated caring to the point where he had a habit of coming across as aggressively not caring.

Whatever was happening was one of those times and Todoroki intended to get to the bottom of it. He wanted to believe that he trusted Touya, but in truth, it was hard to do that all the time with so much history between them. He didn’t think Touya would do anything illegal, but more importantly, he knew his big brother wouldn’t drag his twin sister into anything bad with him.

That still didn’t give him any clues about what the hell was going on.

“What are you two talking about?” Todoroki blurted.

His question immediately sliced through the mood, ending their petty sibling bickering. The two of them glanced at each other, Touya with his arm raised slightly above his eyes. For a moment, they just stared at each other, silently communicating with their eyes. Todoroki was hit with the reminder that despite the fact that Touya had disappeared from their lives, acted out as a villain in the League, and then spent a few years in prison, Touya and Fuyumi were twins. He might’ve been kept away from Fuyumi and Natsuo during his training under their father until Todoroki’s quirk manifested, but there was a bond between them he couldn’t quite fathom.

Under normal circumstances, it would make him feel relieved. After everything their family had gone through - after all the things Fuyumi and Touya had gone through personally - they still had that close bond these days. Right now though, it just irritated and left him feeling like he was on the outside looking in. It made him feel like the little brother despite being a grown ass man and the number two hero.

“What?” Todoroki demanded. “What does that look mean?” He tore his gaze from Touya to Fuyumi, who he knew would break easier. He’d thought he was good at keeping secrets, but Touya had a vault that even the world’s greatest criminal couldn’t break into. “What’s the wiggle worm?”

Fuyumi chewed on her bottom lip. “Should we tell him?”

Touya shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t care.” Fuyumi shot him a glare and he sighed. “He’s gonna find out sooner or later. You did tell me to invite him to dinner on Friday. If the bastard does show up…”

“Is this about Dad?” Todoroki asked.

“Wrong father.” Touya cackled at his own joke, which wasn’t even that good since it made absolutely no sense. “You think I’m gonna have dinner with him? I haven’t quite reached that point in my therapy.” Fuyumi wrung her hands in front of her, struggling to figure out what to say. Noticing her nerves, Touya huffed and sat upright on the couch. “You heard about the capture of that villain accused of killing like - shit, how many was it? - twenty people?”

Todoroki nodded his head. “Yeah, it’s all anyone can talk about on the hero circuit right now. It took everyone by surprise because they didn’t think the culprit could be a woman.”

“Shit, that just made me realize she killed three of those people while swollen up like a beach ball,” Touya said thoughtfully, mostly to himself. He shook his head. “Well, whatever her fucked up reasoning - you probably know more than us - it turns out Shigaraki got her pregnant during a one night, called her in for the heroes to arrest her when he found out he was her baby daddy, and now he’s got a three-month-old daughter. Keeping that thing has got to be one of his Top Five Worst Decisions and he came up with the plan to kidnap Bakugou.”

“Which you carried out,” Todoroki added flatly, his brain too shot to actually process what he’d just been told.

Touya flopped back on the couch. “I didn’t say it was one of my smartest decisions either.”

Todoroki swallowed and ran his fingers through his hair. Shigaraki was a father? Not only that but he was the father to a child who had been born by one of Japan’s most notorious serial killers? And he’d helped her get arrested? This was certainly an interesting and alarming development.

He had kept up with the updates on the League members after their arrests and subsequent trials. Even if he hadn’t been so thoroughly embroiled in them because of Touya, he would have simply for the fact that he and his friends had clashed with them for three years. Ever since they’d attacked the USJ, they’d been tied together. He had been unsure of how he felt towards his brother, who had attacked him, right up until the day he was supposed to be called to the stand.

It never happened. Todoroki never took the stand. The trial came to an abrupt end when Touya took a plea deal.

A day later, their father stepped down from the number one hero position. He didn’t stop being a hero, but he decided to take himself out of the rankings entirely. It was unheard of. The news didn’t know what to think. No one did, not even Todoroki, and their father never did explain why he made the abrupt decision to take himself out of the ranking. 

To this day, Todoroki still didn't understand why Touya had changed his mind about going through with the trial. Todoroki’s testimony would have blown the whole thing wide open, exposing truths no one outside of their family and a few choice people had ever heard.

That had been what Dabi had wanted, right? To ruin their father? To kill him? Then why had he stopped right when he had a metaphorical knife against Endeavor’s throat?

Something similar had happened in Shigaraki’s trial, but that had gone all the way through to sentencing. Finding out exactly what All for One had done to groom Shigaraki into the perfect successor had been chilling and made Todoroki sick to this day. His trial had run concurrently with Touya’s, keeping everyone involved busy. Todoroki had been there for almost every single part of it. No, they weren’t anything alike - but, as much he’d hated Shigaraki, he saw bits and pieces of himself in there too.

It was...unfortunate.

If only the trial had been the last time that Todoroki saw Shigaraki, he wouldn’t be reminded of a few ugly truths. It wasn’t meant to be. Not only had Fuyumi, in her desperation, used him as a means to get through to Touya, who had spent his first few months in prison refusing to take any visitors, but once Touya got out, the two of them buddied up again. Not that either one of them would call it that. Todoroki wasn’t sure he could call it that. They got along like a cat and dog raised in the same household.

Coming over to his sister’s for dinner only to see Shigaraki there was startling in itself. It was even weirder when he realized the former villain was wearing the shirt for a local video game shop and cleaned up with some sort of lotion on his face to boot to combat his quirk’s effects. He’d almost attacked Shigaraki the first time they’d crossed paths here. They only had crossed paths a handful of times, all of them on accident, but needless to say, Todoroki hadn’t expected to be the one person in his old U.A. group to see Shigaraki the most after prison.

He had been pretty sure that would be Midoriya. Looked like he was wrong. Speaking of Midoriya…

“You’re taking this...well enough,” Fuyumi noted nervously upon Todoroki’s silence.

“How else is he supposed to take it?” Touya questioned. “It’s weird no matter what way you spin it.”

“Shigaraki is a father,” Todoroki said. Fuyumi nodded. “And he’s decided to keep her and raise her alone?”

Touya sighed. “I told him to safe-drop her, but does he ever listen to me? No.”

“That’s because you have terrible ideas,” Todoroki said without thinking. Touya harrumphed but didn’t argue. “I have to make a call.”

Fuyumi gave him an uncomfortable look. “I don’t think he wants a lot of people knowing yet.”

“You know he’s going to call Midoriya regardless of what you say,” Touya said, back to throwing an arm over his eyes. He did look really tired.

Todoroki shot his brother a glare as he stood up, but… he wasn’t wrong. Before he could fish his phone out of his pocket, it began to ring. He pulled it out and raised his eyebrows when he read the caller ID. Midoriya Izuku. Well, that saved him the trouble of making the call and would also make Fuyumi feel less guilty about telling him.

Answering the call with a simple, “Izuku?” Todoroki stepped out of the room to obtain some privacy.

Midoriya’s response came lightning fast: “Are you busy because holy shit I’ve got some news to tell you.”

Judging from his greeting, it sounded like Midoriya already knew, but it could also be about the news concerning Bakugou, so he had to be sure. “So do I.” Shutting the door to the bedroom behind him, he continued, “You go first.”

“Okay!” Midoriya took a deep breath. “Shigaraki got a villain pregnant and now he’s a single dad!”

Ah, so it was the news about Shigaraki. That made things a lot easier. “Yeah, I just found that out as well. I was going to call you.”

Instead of sounding disappointed that Todoroki already knew what was going on, Midoriya sighed in relief. “How did you find out?”

“Touya and Fuyumi,” Todoroki answered. “You?”

“I walked in on All Might talking about it with my mom.”

Awkward. It probably had not been All Might’s intention for Midoriya to find out that way. “Yeah, Fuyumi sent Touya to check on him. You know they’re still close.” Todoroki thought back on the conversation between his two older siblings before he’d interrupted them. “I guess they invited him to dinner this Friday?”

“Really?” Midoriya sounded shocked but also kind of intrigued. “Don’t you do family dinners every other Friday?”

Todoroki held his chin thoughtfully in his hand. “You’re right.”

As much as he didn’t want to spend his day off hanging out with someone who tried to kill him multiple times… Well, he couldn’t say that. Touya had tried to do the same thing, although he had haltingly explained that he had never been actively trying to kill him. He had always held back or aimed slightly off. In fact, there had been a few times when his attacks had actually intervened with others’ and saved him in the process. The whole thing was complicated and that included Shigaraki, especially now that he was a father.

It made Todoroki wary. Shigaraki didn’t have a good example of what it was to be a father. Then again, neither did he or his siblings, even if their father had spent years working to be better. Still, he couldn’t help but worry about the baby. It was completely innocent in this situation, even if it had been to a serial killer and a former villain mastermind.

Besides, this dinner could present a unique opportunity. If he was really worried about the child, the best way to go about this would be to watch how Shigaraki interacted with his daughter. He knew what Fuyumi was like. She took her job as a preschool very seriously. Looking for signs of abuse in her students was a bleak way of looking at things, but none of them knew the consequences of adults ignoring those signs more than she did. She was very protective of her students. Maybe this dinner was a way of getting a better look at what was going on.

Todoroki could use this.

“Well, your family dinner is certainly going to be...interesting,” Midoriya concluded.

“Insightful, to be sure,” Todoroki added.

As much as he wanted to believe in redemption - as much as he had seen it firsthand - Todoroki was still wary. He knew it made him sound bad. He was genuinely happy Touya was back in their lives and was finally getting the help he needed and had been denied his entire life. It was important to him. Still, he worried sometimes, if only because he had learned to recognize when his temper started to get the best of him. What could have happened if he hadn’t? Touya had been filled with enough hate and pain that it had driven him to make the decision to become a villain.

Shigaraki had been molded to be a villain as a child. He was going to need a lot of therapy to get over that. There was a reason Midoriya and Uraraka were the hopeful ones their friend group. Todoroki was coldly realistic. He would believe it when he saw it. That was what he’d learned with his father. It was what he’d do with Shigaraki.

After telling Midoriya that he would keep him up to date on what happened, Todoroki hung up the phone. So focused on his conversation with Midoriya, he hadn’t been paying attention to his siblings in the living room. It was only when he hung up the phone that he heard them still talking.

“--just really upsets me that he insists on doing so much alone,” his sister was saying. “We know how hard that is.”

“Oh, he’s not entirely alone,” Touya replied, the grin evident in his voice.

“Of course not,” Fuyumi said. “He’s got us, even if he doesn’t realize it yet.”

Touya snorted. “That’s not what I meant.”

Todoroki was curious about what that meant. Maybe it was another reformed member of the League? Were they still in contact with each other? Todoroki wasn’t certain outside of Touya and Shigaraki. It didn’t seem like Touya had a lot of friends or cared about making any. He’d been like that when he was younger too, before he ran away and vanished. He hadn’t found them necessary, even though Todoroki knew now that they were very much so.

When Todoroki walked out into the living room, Touya was in the process of saying, “He’s got-” but then cut himself off the second he spotted him. A weird look flickered across his face before it went blank again, which confused Todoroki, before he continued, “He’s got his therapist, you know. She’s on his ass all the time about his recovery and living his life.”

Fuyumi gave him a confused look as well, but then slowly nodded her head. “That’s a good point. It still doesn’t make up for the fact that he has to do this physically alone for the most part.”

“Eh, don’t push him.” Touya shrugged his shoulders. “You want to help him? You gotta wait for him to come to you. That’s how it works. He needs to realize he needs you on his own.”

It felt strange to listen to Touya talk about someone like that. There wasn’t any mocking or insulting tone to his words, simply understanding. He knew Shigaraki - knew how he worked, his habits, his behavior. Todoroki didn’t doubt it was vice versa. He thought he understood Touya better these days, but it was hard to be sure. It hadn’t been until they were adults that all of them had realized he had shown different facades to each one of them while they had been growing up.

The villainous one hadn’t come until later, but the rage and pain that fueled it had been simmering underneath all along. The hard truth was that, even though Todoroki was the closest to understanding what Touya went through with their father, it was Shigaraki who probably understood that very large aspect of him the most. That… almost sounded like the friendship he had with Midoriya, which was a crazy thought, almost as crazy as the fact that Shigaraki was coming over for the family dinner and bringing his daughter.

This was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry but when you turned thirteen you barely hugged me any more and then that damn high five came along. I had to do whatever I could to feel your chest against mine."
- Burt Chance (Raising Hope, "Happy Halloween")

.

Somehow, Shigaraki managed to survive the next two days without any serious incidents. He gave Yukiko a warm bath after she finished her bottle, just as Uraraka had suggested, and, after struggling to get her in the sleeper, found himself amazed once she was knocked out. For the first time in days, he slept for longer than ten minutes. He couldn’t say that he was well-rested with three hours of sleep, but on top of the shower he managed to get and Uraraka’s help with cleaning, he actually felt pretty good.

He couldn’t say that he was in a full routine yet, but something resembling one was starting to form. There were plenty of hiccups along the way. He was not going to tell anyone he had thrown up on his own baby while trying to change the most explosively messy diaper he had seen in his life. They should’ve used those to attack heroes, because there was no way in hell he would survive a repeated assault. He was pretty sure Yukiko was actively trying to kill him for not being around for the first three months of her life.

It wasn’t his fault.

By Friday morning, Shigaraki finally caved and put on the baby carrier. It had taken him a shamefully long time to figure it out. He needed an extra set of hands to put it on. The second the thought crossed his mind, he stood still, silently berating himself. If Touya knew he’d had that thought, he would never let it go. Once he got it on and put Yukiko in it, he found out something even more spectacular: held snug against his chest in a tight way that couldn’t possibly be comfortable, she fell asleep within minutes even though he wasn’t actually holding her.

With both his hands free, there were a number of things he should have done. He did approximately none of them, plopping down in front of his computer and playing an RPG for a full two hours before he became concerned that she was sleeping too hard. Waking her up out of anxiety was probably a mistake, but she needed to eat anyway. Playing a video game actually made him feel better than sleeping, although feeding her also made him realize that he’d forgotten to eat lunch, forcing him to scarf down cheap noodles in record time.

He spent the rest of the day debating whether or not he wanted to Touya’s for dinner. On one hand, the offer had sounded an awful lot like pity. On the other hand, an actual meal sounded amazing. As long as he showed them that he was taking care of things and handling fatherhood just fine, they wouldn’t ask questions, right? Of course, he was running on a total of eight hours of sleep over about six days, but he was fine. This was nothing. He’d show Touya. He might not be anywhere near the best father, but he could be a decent one.

It would be nice if he didn’t have to eat, sleep, shower, and piss at the speed of light.

With Yukiko wiggling around on a blanket with some toys in the bathroom, Shigaraki took the world’s fastest shower. Maybe he didn’t take as much care of himself as he had before, but he didn’t look terrible. A little dry, but nowhere near what he had been during his League days. Fuyumi was going to say something about that, but there was nothing he could do but slap some extra lotion on and hope for the best.

He still had a few hours before he had to be at Touya’s, if he was going to go, so he swung by the thrift shop Uraraka had mentioned days ago. Embarrassingly enough, he hadn’t gotten more clothes for Yukiko, so he’d been half-ass cleaning and cycling the same three outfits. They didn’t even fit her properly. Using the baby carrier, it was much easier to leave his apartment and walk to the shop.

At first, he hadn’t known what clothes to get her, only to find out they came sized by how old babies were. Well, that was the first convenient thing to happen to him. They were much cheaper than the clothes at the large store. He was able to buy enough to fill up the backpack he’d brought to carry all her shit. The clerk at the shop gave him weird, wary looks all the time, which made Shigaraki think that the kid recognized him, but didn’t say anything. The way he anxiously dropped his change into his hand and then bolted to the back room cemented the fact.

What must that kid have thought, witnessing the villain who had once terrorized half of Japan awkwardly perusing baby clothes in a thrift shop with a baby strapped to his chest?

Yukiko made something that sounded almost like a giggle. Shigaraki sighed in aggravation. She was mocking him.

For the train ride, he took her out of the carrier. Even if she seemed content in it, he couldn’t help but think it looked extremely uncomfortable. She was all squashed in there and it wasn’t like his chest was the most comfortable thing to lay against, even if she did seem to like it. He couldn’t fathom why. All he knew was that she wanted to be on him or him to hold her at all times.

Considering he’d gone through life with approximately no one wanting to get near or touch him, it threw him for a loop. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to take it.

Upon reaching the right stop, Shigaraki shoved his way off the train, glaring at anyone that got too close. He’d never liked the train before. Kurogiri could get them anywhere they wanted to go before the League got infamous and it wasn’t like he could up and take one after he became more recognizable. Now it just reminded him of how many people there were in the world and how little they understood the concept of personal space.

Even worse, he’d seen a number of pickpockets since starting to take it, although none of them tried him. It made him anxious though. Trains were not great places. Where there were a lot of people, there tended to be a higher chance of bad people. He’d been one of them, so he would know. It was easier to hide in a crowd. Anyone that looked at him for too long could be an enemy and anyone that looked at Yukiko for too long was suspicious. Mostly he got old ladies and women smiling at her, but still, he didn’t like people paying too much attention to them.

Old people and nice-looking middle-aged women could be villains too.

Before he got to Touya’s (okay, it was more like Fuyumi’s) apartment, Shigaraki ducked into a fast food restaurant. It frustrated him that there weren’t any baby changing stations in the men’s restroom, but there was nothing to be done about that besides leaving a scathing online review. Or ten under different names. It was awkward and more than a few guys gave him strange looks in passing, all of whom he glared at in return, but he managed to use the sink in order to change her into a different outfit. He wanted to at least give the appearance that he wasn’t struggling.

(If they knew he was changing her clothes in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant, they might be wary to think that, so he was going to let that tidbit slide.)

She actually didn’t look bad. The new onesie fit her and showed off her little legs. He wasn’t sure how big she was supposed to be, but they did look a little thin from what he remembered seeing of babies. They were always so chunky. He supposed being on the run from the law hadn’t given her time to get adapted to a proper feeding schedule. It irritated him even further and made him glad he had called the authorities on Himura. He knew what it was to grow up wanting.

By the time he reached the apartment, Yukiko was not happy about the baby carrier. She’d been in it for too long today. He couldn’t blame her. Next week he would have to look into getting a stroller. They hadn’t bought one at the store, but it hadn’t seemed as necessary at the time. Once again, the thought of using the account All Might had set up for him made his stomach roll, but it was the simplest choice. He did have enough of his own money, but baby shit was expensive. Literally, considering how much diapers cost.

Right before he knocked on the door, Shigaraki hesitated. He shifted Yukiko in his arms, considering his options. He could just leave. He could turn around, go back to the fast food restaurant, grab something to eat there, and go home. They would never know the difference. He’d tell them Yukiko was napping and he hadn’t wanted to wake her.

Of course, she chose this time to start crying about absolutely nothing, giving him away. He could hear movement on the other side, Fuyumi telling Touya to answer it, and Touya shouting, “We’re not home!” in response. Less than a minute later, the door was jerked open, revealing a slightly better dressed Touya. He didn’t go for edgy clothes all the time these days. Shigaraki knew what that outfit and face meant.

Their mother, Rei, was coming over for dinner.

“You actually came,” Touya greeted.

“You think I’d pass up on free food?” Shigaraki questioned.

“I didn’t know if you’d be able to get out of the apartment toting a munchkin around,” Touya responded honestly. He stepped aside and let him come in.

After slipping off his shoes, Shigaraki started down the hallway, only to be nearly assaulted by Fuyumi, who burst out of the kitchen with barely restrained excitement. “Oh, look at her!” she gushed. “That onesie is so cute!” She held out her hands, her grey eyes wide and lit up, and he let her take Yukiko despite the fact that she was fussing. “You got her this?”

“Who else would get it?” Shigaraki asked.

Fuyumi held Yukiko close and swayed side-to-side until Yukiko calmed down. “She looks really good.” The smile on her face was soft and knowing. “She looks happy to me.”

“Yeah, and you look like shit,” Touya added as he strolled into the room.

“He does not!” Fuyumi shot her twin brother a glare that told him to behave. Touya gave her a lazy smile in response, which did not appease her one bit. She gave Shigaraki an apologetic look. “You just look tired, is all - but that’s to be expected. You’re showered and dressed. That’s pretty much all you can do at this stage.”

“I’m honestly shocked,” Touya said. “How did you find the time to shower when that thing clearly wants to be held all the time?”

Shigaraki would’ve loved to smack that shit-eating grin off Touya’s face, but all he did was narrow his eyes slightly. He had seen Uraraka at his place and had probably made all sorts of assumptions. It would soothe Fuyumi’s concerns over him and the baby, but he did not want people knowing that he’d been helped by a pro hero. He was still fairly positive she was offering to help because that was what a hero did. The fact that he was now some hero’s pity case made his skin crawl, but he’d been the one to crack and call her. She had come over, as expected of a hero when they were called.

That complex about saving people had gotten more than a few people killed. He would know.

“I got lucky,” Shigaraki finally said, staring Touya down. “She’s a good baby sometimes.”

Touya got the hint. While Fuyumi had her back turned to them as she lifted Yukiko up in the air and cooed at her, he pressed his lips together and mimed the gesture of locking his lips shut and then dropping the invisible key in his pocket. The implication was clear: he was not going to forget what he saw and would bring it up later, so it was best to tread lightly if he wanted that later to be in private. Bastard.

Meandering into the kitchen, Touya asked, “Oh, you ever come up with a name for the worm?”

“Yukiko.” It wasn’t nearly as epic of a reveal as being handed a baby by a serial killer, but it was something.

Touya stopped in the doorway and, after a moment of thinking, looked back at him. “I can’t think of what game you might have gotten it front.” He tilted his head curiously. “Did you actually come up with a normal name for once?”

“I like it!” Fuyumi exclaimed. She rubbed noses with the baby. “Yukiko. It’s sweet. What about her last name?”

Here, Shigaraki hesitated. Uraraka had asked him the same thing two days ago and he still didn’t have an answer. He’d spent a good deal of time stressing over it. He didn’t want to give her the name Himura because then she would always have an attachment to her mother, which was the last thing she needed when she got into school. He went by Shigaraki except for at work, but having that name would be a curse as well.

The only other option was to give her his legal surname, the one he’d been born with but couldn’t remember. Granted, he didn’t have any attachment to the name, but maybe that would be a good thing for her. It would be a fresh start and chance at life: taking on the name of a hero after being born to a current and former villain.

“I’m not sure,” Shigaraki admitted, “but...probably Shimura.” He looked at his child in Fuyumi’s hands, watching as her eyes landed on him and her face turned into a big cheerful smile. Yukiko Shimura. Yeah, it could work. “She doesn’t have one right now since she technically doesn’t exist.”

“How the fuck do you go about fixing that?” Touya asked, sounding genuinely bemused.

“I’ll let you know.” Shigaraki wasn’t sure what all he had to do, but he knew it wasn’t going to be fun. That was another part of civilian society he hated: the bureaucratic process. It had been much easier to deal with things when he didn’t exist. There had been old, dusty files on his birth and first four years of his life that allowed him to transition back into the world, but it would be a lot harder for Yukiko.

The front door opened again, pulling all of their attention away from the baby for a moment. Shigaraki could not deny tensing up when he watched the pro hero Shouto walk through the door. A near perfect split between his parents, it was honestly impossible to tell whether he looked like his father, Endeavor, or his mother, who stepped inside behind him. It made him think of Yukiko. Besides her eyes and hair, it was impossible to tell who she would take after at the moment. She just looked like a baby with no defining features to him.

The second Todoroki’s mismatched eyes landed on Shigaraki, he halted. It would’ve been intimidating if the gaze did not immediately remind him of Touya’s. They had the same look in their eyes whether they realized it or not. It kind of made him wonder why it took him so damn long to figure out who Dabi really was. He’d simply never considered the idea that someone like Dabi could be Endeavor’s son. Maybe that was the whole problem. He wasn’t sure. That was for Touya’s own court-appointed therapist to find out.

“Shigaraki,” Todoroki greeted in his typical clipped, impassive tone.

All Shigaraki could do was nod his head in return. He didn’t feel much like talking. Luckily, a bit like Touya, Todoroki wasn’t much of a talker either. Instead, he turned away to take his mother’s jacket, polite as ever. Shigaraki tried not to snort when Touya let his mother hug him, but he must have made some noise because when Rei moved on, he shot a glare in his direction. Two could play this game of keeping secrets. One of the last things Touya would want people to know was that he was a mama’s boy deep down.

“I heard congratulations are in order,” Todoroki abruptly said, forcing Shigaraki to look over at him. The young pro hero waved a hand in the direction of his sister and mother, both of whom were gushing over Yukiko. “How have you found fatherhood so far?”

“Trying to decide whether or not you need to rescue a baby from me?” Shigaraki couldn’t help but ask.

Unfortunately, he forgot who he was dealing with for a moment. Shouto wasn’t just a pro hero; he was a goddamn Todoroki and there was a large stick up his ass. Todoroki didn’t even blink when he responded, “If it looks like there are any signs of neglect or abuse, then yes, I will.” Absolutely unforgiving and brutal, that one. Touya was the only one to overhear him and even he raised his eyebrows. “I’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt. She looks healthy and happy so far.”

“Gee, thanks,” Shigaraki responded dryly, giving him a smile that he knew wasn’t pleasant. He really needed to work on that (it was partly why he wasn’t getting a raise), but now wasn’t the appropriate time. Maybe when Yukiko was four or going to school? “Anything else you wanna give me the third degree about? My entry level job? My choice in formula and diapers? I’m ready to gab.”

Todoroki shook his head. “Besides that, I’m just here to eat. You can talk about those things with someone else.”

“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Rei interrupted as she walked over to him with Yukiko in her arms. Fuyumi had passed his daughter over to her mother, who somehow held the baby better than everyone else despite there not being much of a difference. “I love the name too.” She smiled at him. “I’m glad you could come over. We really ought to celebrate this new life.”

“Is it still new after three months?” Shigaraki asked before he could stop himself.

Touya grinned. “Now she’s just leftovers.”

Fuyumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Please do not refer to the baby as ‘leftovers’, Touya.”

Not looking one bit apologetic, Touya shrugged his shoulders in response. “Sure, whatever.” He turned to Shigaraki and asked, “You want a drink?”

It sounded more like, Do you need a drink? which, honestly, yes he did. Truth be told, despite literally growing up in a bar and being partially raised by a villain who might’ve been a bartender in a past life, he wasn’t much of a drinker, but he needed one after this past week, just to take an edge off his nerves.

Nodding, the two of them walked into the kitchen, leaving the women with the baby. For a moment, Shigaraki was hesitant to leave Yukiko, even feeling a hint of something that felt like guilt, but then Touya gave him a knowing look and he ignored the feeling. Touya took a beer out of the fridge and handed it to Shigaraki while he got a bottle of water for himself and leaned against the counter.

“You have fun the other day?” Touya asked as he twisted the cap off and took a swig.

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “It’s not what it looked it.”

“Oh?” Touya raised an eyebrow. “And what did it look like?”

“C’mon, just come out with it, asshole,” Shigaraki snapped half-heartedly. He took the bottle opener Touya held out for him and popped the beer open. “I can tell you’ve been holding it in. You look like a cat with a bird in its mouth.”

Touya set the water bottle down. “I’m just really curious about how that happened.” The shit-eating grin was back on his face. “You must be better at picking up girls than I thought.”

“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious,” Shigaraki replied flatly. “You should do comedy night at the bar you work at.”

“C’mon, you’ve gotta give me credit here,” Touya continued. While not quite as teasing anymore, he was obviously having too much fun with this, so it didn’t fully leave his tone. “I come over-”

“To steal my controller,” Shigaraki interjected.

“-and you’re looking as fresh and clean as I’ve ever seen you, with pro hero Uravity dressed up all cute and shit” - this was where Shigaraki started choking on his beer - “sitting on the ground chatting over your baby.” Touya folded his arms across his chest. “It’s innocent as far as compromising goes, but still weird as hell.”

Shigaraki was still coughing over his beer and set it down on the kitchen island. “That’s not-” He coughed once more and then took a deep breath. Was Touya trying to kill him? “She helped me out that first night after I left here. She saw me with Yukiko and became concerned, so she went with me to get all the baby stuff you saw.”

“Aw, hero pity,” Touya drawled. “How sweet.”

It wasn’t necessarily a dig at him, Shigaraki knew. Touya was trying to gauge how Shigaraki viewed the situation. He agreed with him, but he didn’t like it. The last few years of his life felt like they were full of heroes pitying him, even if, objectively, he knew that wasn’t the case. All Might felt guilt for a lot of reasons, even if he didn’t believe he should. Midoriya was just… Well, he was All Might’s successor for a reason. Uraraka didn’t have a reason to help him out of guilt. She didn’t have a reason to help him at all.

Was it possible she was just that nice?

No, it had to be pity or, at least concern that he couldn’t take care of a baby. He wouldn’t be surprised or even angry over the latter.

“All Might found out too,” Shigaraki added with a grimace. “Probably from Naomasa.”

“That’s rough,” Touya said, almost like he genuinely felt bad. Sometimes, Shigaraki got the sense that he was a lot more invested in things than he appeared, but then as soon as Touya got close to something or someone, he pushed them away. It was a very push and pull process, annoying but routine. “I bet he was all about wanting to help. Did you dip into your trust fund?” Shigaraki hated it when he called it that, but he couldn’t deny it either. Touya got the picture when he didn’t respond. “You know he’s not gonna leave it be. That hero complex is strong.”

“You’d know, wouldn’t you?” Shigaraki bit back, annoyed at him for being right.

Touya picked up his water again. “Yeah, my little brother’s got it out the ass. Gotta make up for our old man, you know?”

He finished the last half of his water in one go. He must have been having issues with his quirk today. It hadn’t taken Shigaraki long to figure out that Touya drank enough water to fill up a small pond. He always got worse about it after prolonged use of his quirk or going for too without using it at all. It burned right through him. Considering that they were not only on parole but known for their dangerous quirks and supposed to be regular civilians now, they weren’t allowed to use them nearly as often. It must’ve been troublesome, especially for someone whose quirk hurt him. All Shigaraki had to deal with was incredibly dry skin.

“You were right,” Shigaraki admitted begrudgingly. “I got in over my head and I was overwhelmed. She gave me her number and told me to call her if I needed help. I wasn’t about to call you, so it was either her or All Might and you know damn well I wasn’t about to do that.”

There were things he could lower himself to do (like change the world’s most horrific diaper) and things he could not (admit to the man he once devoted his life to killing that he needed his help). Touya understood that very well. After all, Endeavor had tried to pay for the treatment to fix his scars. He had adamantly refused. None of his siblings knew about it either. Shigaraki only knew because he’d snarled about it while drunk once.

“Nice of her to come over,” Touya mused. “I’ve run into her a few times through Shouto.” Aside from the times when the League and the U.A. students had clashed with each other. In fact, hadn’t he actually almost killed her? Or was she the one that put him out of commission for a few weeks in the middle of their Third Year? It was hard to remember these details when he’d been so distracted himself. “She’s...bubbly.”

Shigaraki snorted. “I don’t know about bubbly. She ripped me a new one.”

“Can you blame her?” Touya asked, waving a hand at them both.

“Hell no.” Shigaraki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Hair cut. He’d forgotten about getting one after finding out about Yukiko. Maybe he could do that tomorrow too. “She came over though and helped without complaint. It wasn’t as awful as I expected. I just needed help for a minute to get above water again and I didn’t want to bother Fuyumi.”

“Trust me,” Touya grumbled, “she’d be delighted if you called asking for help.”

“I’d rather not add my bullshit to her plate,” Shigaraki said. “She does a lot as it is.”

Touya didn’t argue with that, a distant but accepting look in his eyes. They both knew just how much Fuyumi did, not only in her own life but for theirs as well. In his attempts to not deal with his shit, Touya had refused visits from absolutely everyone after his imprisonment. The stubborn ass had refused to face his family or explain what was going on, especially since his acceptance of the plea deal came about so abruptly, right before Todoroki was set to testify. In the end, he got a much better deal than the one originally offered to him, but in return, he’d tried to cut ties once more.

Fuyumi hadn’t let him run away again - and in a way, she hadn’t let Shigaraki do it either. He’d not been so particular about his visitors, although facing All Might or Midoriya had never been a pleasure. Very few other people wanted to see him, considering that any family he’d had was dead, so it had caught him by surprise when he had been told he had a visitor, only to find Touya’s twin sister on the other side. In a last ditch effort, she had figured that the only way to get through to her brother was to go through him.

Surprisingly, it worked. Shigaraki wasn’t exactly sure what had inspired him to pass her message along to Touya. It might’ve been irritation. Here Touya had a sister and family that wanted him back in their lives and he was pushing them away because of what? Shame? Embarrassment? Sadness? Shigaraki had known he didn’t hate them. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if Touya even hated Endeavor, although he’d certainly acted like it.

Meanwhile, as much as he hated to admit it, Shigaraki wished more than anything that he had family out there - or really, anyone who might want him to come home. Except he didn’t have a home. And when he got out he had to make one himself. Civilian life was admittedly lonelier than he’d anticipated. Sure, he was used to being alone, but being lonely was another beast entirely. He couldn’t conquer it.

Was that why he and Touya had wound up back in each other’s lives? Was that why he’d made that dumb ass decision to hook up with the first woman that showed interest in him?

Next time he thought to do something like that, Shigaraki would have to slap himself or call Touya to do it for him. He’d get a kick out of that.

In the silence that had fallen between them, Shigaraki heard the door open again and Touya’s other (much louder) younger brother announce himself. He must have seen Yukiko right off the bat, because he heard Natsuo shout, “Who had a baby?” and then, after a muffled answer, “Shigaraki’s the father? Holy shit! Touya’s practically an uncle now.”

Touya closed his eyes and shook his head. No way was he taking that much responsibility. Shigaraki didn’t trust him anyway. Not that he would ever do anything to hurt Yukiko, but he looked at her like she was an alien. He’d definitely seen and been around babies before, since he had two younger siblings, but he didn’t look like the type that would be good with them. Shigaraki was pretty sure the only reason Yukiko might not be afraid of him was that she would grow up already knowing him. He wasn’t exactly the most kid-friendly-looking person, even with his scars somewhat healed, or at least treated better.

The door opened and Fuyumi walked into the kitchen. “Dinner should be about ready. Do you need to feed Yukiko before or are you going to wait until after?”

“Before,” Shigaraki said, “or I won’t get to eat.”

Fuyumi waved a hand at him. “Don’t worry about that. Relax! Mom’s enamored. You’re gonna have to pry Yukiko away from her by the end of the night. Take a break.”

After being alone with Yukiko for almost a week, Shigaraki wasn’t sure what that was. Besides taking that shower when Uraraka was over, he hadn’t parted from her. He would eventually, once he found a daycare for her and went back to work. That was another hurdle he wasn’t looking forward to. Plus, he had to take her to the doctor. No doubt Himura hadn’t thought to keep Yukiko up to date on her shots while on the run. All for One hadn’t when he took in Shigaraki. Getting immunizations as an adult and while in prison had not been pleasant.

Touya gave him a look that said he was about to do something very unpleasant before shuffling out of the kitchen. It turned out that unpleasant thing was greeting his boisterous brother. It clearly wasn’t that bad, but he had appearances to maintain. Shigaraki could hear them talking as he set about fixing a bottle for Yukiko. The first few times he’d had to reread the instructions, if only because he kept forgetting what to do out of nervousness, but now he moved proficiently, throwing the formula milk bottle into the microwave for fifteen seconds. That boiling water business was too slow.

“Oh, Touya told me about, well-” Fuyumi gave him an awkward smile, her cheeks a little pink. Shigaraki tried not to roll his eyes out of fear that they would roll right out of his head. Touya and his big fucking mouth. He probably hadn’t been able to help himself, not where Fuyumi was concerned. It only irritated him a little. Touya wouldn’t tell anyone else, but he’d kind of expected him to tell her. “I’m just glad you have someone to help you.”

Shigaraki sighed. He hated to burst her bubble, but the last thing he needed was anyone getting the wrong idea about him and a pro hero. He had enough issues there as it was. “Like I told him, it’s not what it looked like.” Fuyumi glanced at him before pulling food out of the oven. “I ran into her. She insisted on helping. I realized I wasn’t in the position to turn it down. Besides, she was very persistent.”

Fuyumi frowned. “So it was just a one-time thing?”

He thought about the fact that Uraraka was coming over tomorrow morning to watch Yukiko while he ran errands and said, “Yeah, it was. I don’t need another pro hero poking around in my business.”

“What about a friend?” Fuyumi asked.

“Isn’t that what Touya is for?” Shigaraki replied blandly.

“Careful,” Fuyumi teased, “or people might think you two actually like each other.”

Shigaraki grunted in derision and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Fuyumi to finish whatever she needed to do. Touya was currently getting harassed by his taller younger brothers. Because of his prickly pride, no one mentioned his height to him. Shigaraki was saving that for when he really needed a sharp comeback to knock him off his high horse. One didn’t just use the perfect insult for no good reason.

Avoiding the brothers, Shigaraki turned his attention to Rei, who was sitting on the couch with Yukiko. After walking over to her, he held out his hands to take Yukiko back, but she shook her head. Biting back another sigh and remembering Fuyumi’s words, he handed her the bottle instead. Yukiko eagerly took it, sucking down its contents as if her life depended on it.

“Forgive me,” Rei said as she gazed fondly down at Yukiko. “I haven’t held a baby since Shouto.”

Shigaraki glanced at Todoroki, who was wearing a vaguely amused expression while Natsuo teased Touya about his hair, which he was still dyeing like the edgy bastard he was. It was hard to imagine the number two hero as a baby. He could still remember the kid from USJ. Even at fifteen, he’d been alarmingly strong, taking out villains in the blink of an eye. He’d only gotten worse (or better) since then.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Rei continued with a quiet laugh, “but he was actually a very sweet baby.” There was a sad look in her eyes that Shigaraki immediately recognized and knew better than to comment on. Touya hadn’t faked his death, changed his identity, and become a villain because he had a happy childhood. A smile appeared on her lips nonetheless. “Touya was even worse. He was very clingy, always wanting to be held or sleep in my bed.”

“Was he now?” Shigaraki murmured. He managed to meet Touya’s eyes, who narrowed them suspiciously as Shigaraki gave him a tamed down version of his old grin, just enough to let him know that he should be worried. Who had the embarrassing secret now? “You wouldn’t know from how standoffish he is.”

With Yukiko already done with the six ounces of formula, Rei set the bottle aside and lifted her up, patting her back harder than Shigaraki did in order to burp her. He was so wary of hurting her, but it appeared, judging by the way she burped with gusto, that a little force did her no harm. That out of the way, Rei sat Yukiko down on her legs to bounce her. There was that sad air about her again. Shigaraki had the bad feeling that he had been the one to bring it about. Hopefully, none of her sons would notice, or they’d get irritated with him, Touya included.

“Ah, I’m-”

“No.” Rei shook her head, although her eyes remained focused on Yukiko and she kept a smile on her face. “It’s not your fault. I just-” She took a deep breath. “You’re right: you wouldn’t think it of him now. He’s all hard, jagged edges and sky-high walls, even with me.” Yukiko seemed to half-smile as she was bounced. Shigaraki couldn’t help but watch her as Rei spoke of her oldest son, thinking about all the ways she could change between now and then. “He was a sweet boy - kind, gentle, needy. It was hard since his sister was there too, but I loved him for it. He made me feel wanted. And when his quirk manifested…”

Endeavor took ahold of him and never quite let go. Even after Touya had been tossed aside in favor of his youngest brother, he could never shake whatever grip his father had on him. Shigaraki stayed silent on the matter. He’d thought Touya immature and ridiculous when his true heritage came to light. Oh, he’d joined the League so he could get revenge on his dad? He was lucky that Endeavor had become the number one hero and Shigaraki had been all too eager to bring a man like that down.

It had been years and a lot had changed since then. Shigaraki’s thoughts on Endeavor? He could fucking suck it. Even if he had done what he could to mend the bridge between himself and his family, it was with the equivalent of duct tape as far as Touya was concerned. Maybe he was trying harder, but Shigaraki could understand where Touya was coming from. It wasn’t like he was gearing up for or wanting an apology from All for One.

Years of debilitating training, excruciating grooming, and the ghosts of affection and approval had messed both of them up in their own ways. They’d both come out with scars. Touya just had more visible ones. They had worn their pain on the outside, but Touya had acknowledged his in a way that Shigaraki never could.

“It’s not your fault,” Shigaraki blurted, unable to think of anything else that might erase the sadness radiating from Rei before Touya or someone else came over.

Rei gave him a reassuring look. “Not entirely, no, but it is.” That wasn’t reassuring at all, but when her gaze moved over to her boys, something happened. She warmed up and the sadness was gone. Yukiko reached out for her face, grazing Rei’s cheek with her chubby fingers. “As soon as his quirk manifested, I started to push him away. My own son, my boy. He wanted to be with me all the time and then I didn’t want anything to do with him at times. How that must have hurt him…”

Shigaraki’s mouth was dry. “I won’t…” He started at Yukiko, bouncing and playing. He thought of his own quirk - how All for One had reveled in it. Such a strong quirk… No one understands it… “I won’t do that with her.”

“I know.” Rei leaned forward to nuzzle noses with Yukiko. “We’ve all learned from our mistakes.”

Before Shigaraki could say anything, Natsuo appeared and plopped onto the couch next to Rei, bouncing Yukiko an inordinate amount, which made Shigaraki jerk forward for a second. Rei had a good grip on her though, barely even phased by the movement. “What are you two chatting about, hm?” her middle son asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

If Shouto didn’t like Shigaraki, then Natsuo outright loathed him. Tried to kill one brother and corrupted the other - that was the how Natsuo saw him. The first one, he understood. The second one? Shigaraki had told Touya to leave, but he hadn’t listened. It wasn’t his fault his brother was a dumbass.

Rei glanced at Shigaraki. She must have seen the strained look on his face because she turned to her son and said, “Oh, just about how cute Yukiko is. Would you look at her?” She stroked Yukiko’s cheek. Even Natsuo, for all that he didn’t like Shigaraki, couldn’t stop the smiling from appearing on his face as he watched the baby. “When are any of you going to give me grandchildren?”

“And I’m out!” Natsuo exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He grabbed Todoroki by the shoulder and all but threw him onto the couch in his place. “You’re up.”

“What?” Todoroki managed, looking like an animal thrown into a cage. Shigaraki almost laughed. “Touya-”

“Oh no.” Touya shook his head and kept his distance. “Leave me out of this.”

It occurred to Shigaraki that all of the Todoroki children must’ve had complexes or issues when it came to the concept of having children. It was unavoidable. Shigaraki knew because he had them. He’d never considered himself the type to have a family, but here he was, attempting to raise a daughter he didn’t even know he had until after the fact. Even if he hadn’t planned on being a father, he had to learn to be one for her.

“Dinner’s ready!” Fuyumi exclaimed behind them.

Shigaraki heard Todoroki mumble, “Oh thank you,” before he stood up. Both he and Shigaraki moved to help Rei up. They glared at each other for having the same idea before she waved them off and stood up effortlessly despite the baby in her arms. Granted, she’d had four kids, so she obviously had more practice than him. Getting up off the couch with Yukiko in his arms was one of Shigaraki’s greatest life struggles at the moment.

“I can take her,” Shigaraki said immediately.

“Can I hold her for a little longer?” Rei asked. It was so hard to say no to her - damn near impossible. Shigaraki did not consider himself the sentimental type, but the way she looked at Yukiko pulled at something in his soul. “You should eat. I felt like I had to hide in a closet in order to eat when the twins were this age.”

Without thinking, he nodded his head and Rei moved on to sit down on a cushion at the table. He had no idea he could resonate so well with someone, but Shigaraki understood her completely. Yukiko could be dead ass asleep, but the second he went to take a bite of food, she would wake up screaming. It was like she knew he was eating without her and she didn’t like it. At least this time there would be someone to hold her while he ate. A part of him was grateful, a part of him didn’t give a shit, and the rest was antsy to hold her again.

Was this parenthood? It was awful.

*

Fuyumi was staring down at the passed out figure of Shigaraki with more anxiety than necessary, biting her nails as she glanced around furtively. It wasn’t that she thought anything bad would happen if he continued to sleep; he just wouldn’t be happy once he woke up.

Still true to his character, Shigaraki was not the type of person who liked to hand off control. He liked to be in charge of everything. He’d been forced to learn how to delegate once he was the official leader of the League of Villains, but it had been a hard-learned lesson, just as figuring out how to follow without actively fighting against the person leading had been for Touya. Neither of them could be the main character. They had to share the controls. It hadn’t been easy.

With a baby, Shigaraki had reverted right back to where he’d once been. Overly suspicious, aloof, and struggling to allow anyone else to take charge. She was his and relinquishing her in the slightest meant that something could go wrong and he would be unable to stop it.

The idiot needed a break.

“Just let him sleep,” Touya suggested idly.

After dinner, it had become apparent how exhausted Shigaraki was. Not even Touya could ignore it. He’d taken a lot on his shoulders and it was starting to become obvious. He had been quiet all dinner, which was expected of the one outsider in the Todoroki gathering, but afterward, he had crawled onto the couch and passed out with Yukiko on his chest. The only reason Fuyumi was so anxious was that she’d carefully taken the baby off of him once she started to wake up. She wasn’t afraid of Shigaraki jerking awake and hurting her out of panic as many people would assume of him.

It was those old nerves again - the ones that came from having Endeavor as a father - like she was being forced to walk on eggshells and the wrong move or sound would send him into a screaming rage. Fuyumi had suffered under their father differently. Once their mother had been institutionalized, certain things had been expected of her and, if she failed to meet them, while he never once struck her like he had their mom, Touya, or Shouto, she was punished for not fulfilling her duty all the same.

Even to this day, she didn’t like it when people yelled at her. She’d grown a lot braver - a lot tougher - but yelling still sometimes made her tense up or jump. Shigaraki doing just that would send her into a spiral and, while Touya also knew he would regret it almost instantly, waking up from an impromptu nap without his daughter in his arms would definitely be something that could set him off before he could think straight.

Idiot. He was already so attached and didn’t even realize it.

“Are you sure?” Fuyumi asked while she bounced a gurgling Yukiko in her arms. “Won’t he get mad?”

“Yup,” Touya replied.

“And that doesn’t worry you?”

“Nope.” If Touya had ever gotten too worried about Shigaraki getting angry with him, he wouldn’t have stayed in the League or maintained contact with him after. Besides, he was pretty sure Shigaraki was always mad on some level, especially with him. “He’ll get over it.”

Fuyumi took one last glance at Shigaraki, who was now snoring with his mouth open and one hand flopped onto the ground, and mumbled, “If you say so,” before carrying Yukiko into the dining room with Touya following her.

While Shigaraki had taken a fussy Yukiko into the living room, the rest of them had stayed in the dining area to chat after dinner. Perhaps he thought he was being slick, but Touya had noticed Shouto spending a good chunk of dinner texting underneath the table. He’d almost called him out, but thought better of it. That was something he could ask later. He had a feeling he knew what the texts were about anyway, even if Shouto didn’t seem to pay much attention to the two extra people at the table.

As soon as everything was cleaned up, Natsuo left, proclaiming an early morning at work, and took their mom with him to drop her off at her apartment. It turned out that getting divorced from the former number one hero and not having a job to provide for herself was advantageous when it came to alimony. Touya still refused to admit that their father was capable of being anything less than a shit stain on humanity, but he had been the one to offer the maximum amount for her. There had been no fighting in court. It had been a quiet, simple affair.

It had been downright pleasant compared to their marriage. That was what it should’ve been.

Maybe Shigaraki was lucky that Yukiko’s mother was in jail and already out of the picture. He wouldn’t have to deal with the technicalities and issues that came with co-parenting or suffer an attempt at navigating an actual relationship. It was clear that, despite his relations with Himura, Shigaraki had been in no state or desire for one. He hadn’t even blinked when she’d up and vanished. In retrospect, he probably should’ve paid more attention, seeing as how he’d gotten her pregnant.

“I have to admit,” Fuyumi said as she sat down. “He’s doing a lot better than I expected.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Touya replied. Okay, Shigaraki was doing better than he’d expected too, but he was more focused on the baby at the moment. She was making a face at him that he wasn’t entirely fond of, but it was the hand grabbing motions that made him leery.

Rolling her eyes, Fuyumi held the baby out. “Stop being an ass.” After glancing back to the living room to make sure Shigaraki was still snoring, he took Yukiko from his sister. The baby immediately snuggled up against him. It might’ve warmed his heart if not for how thoroughly he did not want to like this kid. “See, she’s not so bad, now is she?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s shitting,” Touya said blandly.

A grin quirked across Fuyumi’s face as she stood up. “Why do you think I gave her to you?”

“For fuck’s sake, take her back then!” Touya snapped, lifting her as far away from him as possible.

“I have to get her stuff,” Fuyumi explained with a laugh as she went in search of the backpack Shigaraki had brought with him. That left Touya with the baby, who was both giggling and getting smellier by the second.

After turning her around so they were facing each other, Touya glowered at Yukiko, who apparently wasn’t scared at all. “You and me are gonna have to have a talk about this. I’ll hold you when your dad isn’t around, but I am not dealing with your shit - literally.”

The baby pawed the air in an attempt to grab his face. Maybe, if she didn’t smell so much, he would’ve brought her closer, but for now, he kept her at a distance. She was…kind of cute, even with her dad’s deep red eyes, but she was also currently a very gross little wiggle worm. They’d work out a deal eventually. Shigaraki didn’t have to know that Touya was actually pretty good with kids. Being the oldest child with a father who was neglectful at best and an abused and mentally unstable mother had given him a lot of practice.

Chapter Text

"Babies are cool... until you've done everything there's to do with them, then you get bored. That's why TV shows about babies never last more than a year."
-- Burt Chance (Raising Hope)

.

The first thing Shigaraki noticed was that he was warm and, despite being in a small space, cozy. That was right; he fell asleep on the couch at Touya’s place. A part of him was irritated at having put himself in such a vulnerable state, which Touya had no doubt joked about at his expense while he couldn’t defend himself, but another part didn’t care. It had been a while since he’d felt this well-rested.

Feeling warm and cozy wasn’t something he was used to. His apartment got kind of drafty, which wouldn’t be bad if he didn’t kick off all the blankets in his sleep and found himself exposed by the morning. His erratic movements in his sleep were why he was so wary about co-sleeping with Yukiko. He was worried that he might hurt her or knock her off the bed or something if he passed out in the bed with her. At least on the couch, they were in a confined space where he didn’t have room to move, allowing her to sleep solidly on his chest.

Eyes still closed, Shigaraki shifted on the couch and moved his hands to get a better grip on her.

Only to find nothing on his chest. Just the blanket Fuyumi had laid on him.

Shigaraki shot upright so fast that a dizzy spell waved over him. Placing a hand on his head to steady himself, he cried into an empty room, “Where is she?” His voice was raspy from sleeping with his mouth open. Shit. Had he been snoring? He did that occasionally when he was well and truly exhausted. Touya would not let him live it down. Not everyone slept like the dead like him. Nothing short of a tsunami could wake him up. Sometimes even that was iffy, depending on how much he’d used his quirk recently. Shigaraki was that storm as he dragged himself down the hallway and banged on Touya’s door. “Hey, bastard, where’s my kid?”

“Calm your shit!” Touya snapped grouchily from inside. There was shuffling and then Touya opened the door, rubbing at his eyes like he hadn’t slept all night. It was difficult to tell how tired he was considering he had permanent dark purple skin under his eyes. “She’s with Yumi. Goddamn, did you think we kidnapped her or something?”

Opening his mouth, Shigaraki thought to shoot something back, only to find that he didn’t have anything to say. No, he hadn’t thought they would kidnap or do anything to her. It wasn’t like Fuyumi would let Touya safe drop her like he’d suggested that first night. It was just that, well… Waking up without her in arm’s reach, even after a week, had scared the shit out of him. His entire life had revolved around her for almost seven days. It was a sudden and extreme change that was simultaneously hard to deal with and surprisingly easy to accept.

A moment later, the door to Fuyumi’s bedroom opened and she peeked her head out, a bright smile on her face. Unlike Touya (and Shigaraki), she was clearly a morning person. She was already dressed and showered while Touya looked like he’d slept in his clothes from last night. “Look who it is!” she cheerily greeted before holding up a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Yukiko. As soon as she saw him, she wobbled forward in Fuyumi’s arms, like she was trying to reach for him.

It gave him a funny feeling in his chest that he tried to ignore.

As soon as Yukiko was back in his arms, a sense of relief washed over Shigaraki. He couldn’t have said why - surely she was in better hands with Fuyumi - but the panic that he’d felt upon waking up without her was gone. She didn’t have the coordination or strength to hug him exactly, but she did lay her head against his shoulder and put her hands near his neck. It had a strange effect. Not long ago, he would’ve flinched at the idea of someone hugging him, but he didn’t mind this. Even when she clung to him, it wasn’t tightly, just enough for him to know she didn’t want him to let go.

That kind of trust was hard-fought to earn. He wasn’t sure if he deserved it or not, even after all his progress to become a “better person” or whatever.

“Thanks,” Shigaraki grumbled, unable to muster much more.

“No problem,” Fuyumi replied with a chipper smile. “You needed the sleep. Besides, we had a fun time last night, didn’t we, Touya?”

Unlike his sister, Touya rolled his eyes. “It was a blast. I love being shit on.”

A sense of pride burst inside Shigaraki’s chest as he looked down at his daughter, who did not look ashamed of what she’d done for a single second. “That’s my girl.” He even managed a little smirk, which Touya did not like at all. More than likely Fuyumi had done most of the work taking care of her. “She wasn’t a problem?”

“Nah, she was easier than I remember Shouto being,” Fuyumi said. Touya snorted and nodded his head. Apparently, he hadn’t been the only clingy baby in the family. Shigaraki didn’t say anything. He would save that bit of information for later. He’d probably need it eventually. “She even slept some after taking a nap on you. She was a good baby.”

“Yeah,” Shigaraki said distractedly as he pulled out his phone to check the time, “she-”

Uraraka
Hey! So we sorta forgot to specify a time I was supposed to come over to watch Yukiko.
No biggie! Figured I’d head over in like ten. You’re probably awake. =P

“Shit!”

It wasn’t that Shigaraki had forgotten that Uraraka was coming over to babysit while he did a bunch of very tedious and bureaucratic errands. To be honest, he couldn’t not think about it for the past two days. What was he doing: letting a pro hero babysit his child while he was out and about? What was he thinking asking for help like that? It was beyond stupid. He did not need this woman in his life any more than she already had been - and that included the times he’d indirectly tried to kill her.

Fuyumi jumped a little. “Um, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just-” Shigaraki rushed around (well, as fast as he could with a three-month-old in his arms) and gathered their things. He swiped a bottle on the kitchen table and shoved it in the backpack and then hurried to slip his shoes on. “I’ve just got some, uh, time-sensitive things I need to do today for her and I was not planning on being asleep for so long.”

“We can watch her if that makes things easier for you,” Fuyumi offered.

“Oh no, not after last night,” Touya said while shaking his head. As if he’d done anything to help watch over Yukiko. “I think you got your baby fix for the week.”

“It’s not necessary,” Shigaraki said as he shoved his foot into his shoe. Why was it being so difficult? He didn’t notice the surprised look on Fuyumi’s face or the suspicious one on Touya’s. He was too distracted to catch the pointed look the twins shared with each other. “Thanks for dinner and sleep.”

Touya was already waving and heading back to his bedroom while Fuyumi slowly said, “Okay, if you’re sure…” and then Shigaraki was out the door. Was it rude of him to leave so abruptly and without a proper explanation? Uh, most definitely. Did it bother him? Not really. They’d understood. Uraraka had sent that text ten minutes ago, which meant she was likely on her way to his place. His phone buzzing in his pocket must’ve been what had woken him up.

To be honest, Yukiko seemed to enjoy the way he practically booked it to the train station. He’d left the baby carrier there without thinking, but he could always get it after he was done with his errands. Maybe it was the bouncing in his arms. By the time he slipped onto a train car before it departed, she was close to laughing. She certainly had a big smile on her face. Meanwhile he was out of breath and resisted the urge to double over and wheeze. The train ride was painfully long, but at least it wasn’t cramped this early in the morning on a Saturday. Fewer work commuters.

However, after jumping off on his exit, he received another text from Uraraka: Um anyone home? I knocked a few times. You alive in there?

Shit shit shit. Uraraka had managed to beat him to his own place. He probably looked like an ass. Not that he cared about what he looked like, especially to her, but it was irritating. The longer she was there, the higher chance one of his neighbors figured out a pro hero was standing outside his apartment waiting for him. He did not need that kind of scrutiny in the neighborhood he lived in.

Somehow, Shigaraki managed to hold Yukiko in one hand and awkwardly text with the other ( eta five minutes ) while rushing down the sidewalk. If he had to knock over some asshole to get out of his way so he could get faster, then so be it. He was not in the mood for this at all. Yes, he was well-rested and he felt more energized than usual without the help of energy drinks, but he was also completely out of sorts, which meant he’d probably say or do something that would piss someone off.

Preferably not his...babysitter.

When he finally reached the floor of his apartment, Shigaraki spotted Uraraka leaning back against his apartment door with a foot propped up on it while she scrolling through something on her cell. To be honest, he was kind of huffing and puffing from the running, which must have been what alerted her to his presence. Her face actually lit up upon seeing him - or, well, Yukiko, who was laughing from all the bouncing he’d unintentionally put her through. At least one of them was having fun.

“Did you decide to take her out for a run?” Uraraka asked, clearly amused by his winded state.

Shigaraki dug around in his pockets for his keys. “I ended up crashing at Touya’s.”

“Must have been some dinner,” Uraraka mused as he unlocked his door and pushed it open with his foot.

“It wasn’t planned,” Shigaraki stated, even if it was obvious judging by his lack of being ready. He turned around to face her, lifting Yukiko. “Could you-?”

But Uraraka was already taking Yukiko from him without question. She even looked excited. Despite normally being hesitant at first upon being passed off, Yukiko looked mostly content (or uncaring) in the pro hero’s arms. “We’re going to have fun today, aren’t we?” It was like Shigaraki didn’t even exist. She was solely focused on the baby, smiling brightly and nuzzling noses with her. And then her eyes flickered up to his. Oh, she hadn’t forgotten him. “Go on. Take a shower. Get whatever you need. I’ve got this.”

“You’re sure?” Shigaraki asked once more.

He was expecting some placating words to soothe him. What he got was Uraraka snorting and actively shoving him in the direction of the bathroom. “Go!” He was so shocked that he didn’t even have time to resist. Within seconds, he found himself inside and the door shut in his face.

Well, she was certainly comforting. It got the point across though. He might not trust her, but she was here and that was what mattered. He stopped wasting time and set to getting ready.

It didn’t take him long, considering that there was a lot he had to do today. Naomasa had said he wouldn’t need Yukiko today, but eventually, he would have to bring her in order to take a DNA test. As for now, they had to figure out how to get her in the system so she existed. He had a bad feeling that Naomasa wouldn’t be the only one there today, but he would deal with that when the time came. On top of that, he had to check in with his probation officer, who would undoubtedly be shocked by the news of his fatherhood. Fun times.

Since he’d been kind of slacking on the routine and needed to look his best in front of a bunch of fucking bureaucratic and legal fucks who would undoubtedly judge him, Shigaraki was forced to take extra care with moisturizing with a special quirk-enhanced lotion. He wasn’t the only one out there whose quirk managed to dry their skin. It definitely took off a certain foreboding edge to him. It didn’t give him perfectly clear skin by any means, but he was normal. Add some sunglasses and no one could tell a thing.

Unfortunately, by the time he took care of that and mostly dried his hair with a towel, he realized that all he had in the bathroom were his dirty clothes and a towel. He did not want to put those on again. Besides, this was his home. He refused to be uncomfortable in it. There was just a quick jaunt to his bedroom. It’d be fine. Uraraka could get over herself. It wasn’t like she’d never seen a man’s torso before. Half the heroes out there wore as little clothing as possible, usually the men to show off their muscles.

After securing the towel around himself (he would not be uncomfortable, he would not be insecure, he didn’t give a shit about stuff like this, for fuck’s sake, he wasn’t Touya with his wardrobe malfunction shirts), Shigaraki opened the bathroom door and called out, “You better look away because I’m coming out!”

He heard Uraraka laugh. “What? Do you just walk around your place naked or-?”

She was either looking away like he had told her or she wasn’t - it mattered not to him as he strode out ( too quick, damnit ) - but she cut herself off into a sputtering mess that would’ve made him either sneer or laugh at her if he hadn’t thrown himself into the bedroom. It couldn’t have been longer than three seconds, but by the time he had the door shut and was locked in his dark room, his face was on fire and he almost disintegrated the towel.

He didn’t have time for this.

Quickly dressing, Shigaraki decidedly did not think about what had just happened, as it didn’t matter and wasn’t that embarrassing. He had more important things to worry about: such as getting Yukiko’s identification papers (it was hard since he didn’t know where and when she’d been born exactly), checking in with his probation officer, and most likely dealing with a former pro hero that he did not want to deal with. He only wanted to work with one former enemy and so far Uraraka was the easiest choice by far out of most of those options.

By the time he stepped out of the bedroom, feeling more like a human than he had in a week, he found Uraraka lying on her back on a large blanket on the floor with Yukiko, a few toys floating above them much to Yukiko’s amusement. In shorts and a t-shirt, she looked comfortable. Odd considering she was in the apartment of an enemy. Former enemy. It shouldn’t have been possible. It shouldn’t be happening at all. A week ago he would’ve thrown a person out for suggesting anything remotely close to this.

But there she was, smiling and giggling with Yukiko as she poked and prodded floating toys down for the baby to paw at playfully. She was sort of grabbing things now, but it was still hard for her to maintain a grip on things outside of fingers, clothes, and hair. Man, she loved to grab hair. He should get a haircut too while he was out if he had time.

Shigaraki cleared his throat to announce he was back. It probably wasn’t necessary and he wasn’t sure why he did it, but Uraraka looked up at him from her spot on the ground. Her cheeks were already pink, but they seemed pinker than normal. Maybe he was just looking into things. “How long can you watch her?”

Rolling up into the sitting position, her legs folded underneath her, Uraraka replied, “As long as I’ve got thirty minutes to get to work, I should be fine. It’ll probably take more time to get into my hero costume than to get there.”

“Yeah,” Shigaraki muttered to himself as he replaced Yukiko’s baby stuff in the backpack with all the necessary paperwork on his desk, “that thing is tight as fuck.”

Uraraka coughed. “You have everything?”

He looked into his backpack as if he could discern it with just a glance and then sighed as he zipped it up. “Only one way to find out.” No doubt there would be something else. This was a weird situation. He had to sort it out as soon as possible though so he could get her to see a doctor. Who knew how long it had been? If ever? Slinging a strap over his shoulder, Shigaraki took one last long look at Yukiko. She seemed happy. No, she was happy. It was clear that she very much liked Uraraka. He didn’t know if that meant anything, but it did put him a little at ease.

You’re leaving your child with a pro hero. You should not rest easy at all.

“Relax,” Uraraka piped up, as if reading his mind. “She’s not going anywhere. She’ll be here when you get back.”

Shigaraki fought the urge to curl his lip. “Forgive me if I don’t-”

“Trust me?” Uraraka cut in, her head tilted to the side. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, which he had been told not to do since it made his scar stand out more. She gave him an almost gentle smile in return, seemingly not perturbed, and then turned her gaze down to Yukiko. “Yeah, I suppose I wouldn’t either in your shoes.”

“I don’t trust a lot of people,” Shigaraki pointed out, like that meant anything.

“Really? I couldn’t tell.” Uraraka looked back up at him and waved a hand. “Go on. You’ve got stuff to do. I’ll send you pictures and updates to help you deal with missing her.”

Shigaraki was the one to snort this time. “Miss her? That little monster?”

He could tell Uraraka was fighting to urge to broaden her smile. “Okay, to reassure you that I’m not kidnapping your child and she’s perfectly safe.”

“Just don’t float her,” Shigaraki told her.

Uraraka gasped in what sounded like mock offense or maybe it was real. “I would never!” He didn’t think she would, but he thought to bring it up anyway. One could never be too careful. Heroes did tend to use their quirks carelessly. He’d seen her use her quirk at least three times outside of her job now. The last time he’d used his had been when he destroyed the bottle and formula Himura had given him. “Now stop stalling or I’m gonna accuse you of being clingy.”

He gave her a light scowl, but walked to the door without a word. He wasn’t clingy. Shigaraki didn’t do goodbyes, but for the first time, as he glanced at his daughter and Uraraka before walking out of the apartment, he thought he should do something. He didn’t. She would be fine. It wasn’t like she knew what the word “goodbye” meant, after all.

*

Uraraka waited at least thirty seconds after Shigaraki shut the door before she let out a breath and flopped back on the ground next to Yukiko. Well, that was...interesting and embarrassing. It shouldn’t have been, but apparently, the gods liked to have their fun with her or something. That could be the only explanation for why she was babysitting for a man who had tried to kill her closest friends.

That had to be why she had been in the position to see said former enemy nearly naked. Basically naked.

It had only been a flash and she really hadn’t seen much before she’d averted her gaze and he’d ducked into his bedroom, but it was much more than she’d ever anticipated on seeing in her life. Times like these called for a frantic text to Mina, who was the only one of her friends who could possibly understand the absurdity of the situation, but when she pulled her phone out of her pocket, she hesitated.

What was she supposed to text Mina? Omg, I just saw Shigaraki in only a towel?

That lacked an extremely important amount of context that she couldn’t explain, not without betraying what very little trust he had in her. It was even odder how that had become an important thing, but she wouldn’t break it. He was letting her watch his daughter. She could tell how much he was struggling with that decision, but he had done it. He had allowed her to help him. That had to be in the right step. From what she remembered about her discussions with Deku in the past on him, Shigaraki had refused help from both All Might and Deku on multiple occasions.

Uraraka could not say why she had seen him in such a state without explaining what the hell was going on. Not unless she wanted to look like she was in a really compromising situation. Those magazines that ragged on Mina and falsely accused her of so many things and had humiliated Uraraka after her last relationship came to an end would have a field day with this.

No, it was best for everyone involved to keep this as quiet as possible. No one needed to know of her involvement. They’d jump to their own conclusions and they would be wrong. She couldn’t say why she had been so insistent on helping except that it was the best thing to do. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing, but it was good and she felt good for doing it. Was that selfish? Probably - but it helped them both out in the end. No one got hurt. Everyone got something out of it.

This was a mutually beneficial relationship. Partnership? Business? Acquaintanceship? Was that a word?

Still, a towel - she’d seen him in just a towel. Uraraka’s face flooded red as she thought about it and she almost floated herself to the ceiling out of pure habit. It was awkward and weird. He couldn’t have been as completely unaffected as he’d come across when he had stepped out of the bedroom, but then again, maybe he truly didn’t care. She was just some pro hero to him that he could use for now.

No, not use. Someone he needed for now. That sounded more like it. He hadn’t treated her like a tool at least.

Uraraka sat upright and pressed her hands down on her knees, shaking her head at herself. “Get it together, Ochako. You’re being super weird about this. Keep thinking like this and you’re gonna have weird dreams.” She had a very vivid imagination and that often turned against her at night if she thought about something for too long during the day - and she did not need to think about that. “You’re here for the baby.” She put a bright smile on her face and reached down to pick up Yukiko. “And we’re going to have fun! What do you want to do first? You seem relaxed. Want to watch a cartoon or listen to music?” She looked around. “I wonder if he has any books…”

It turned out that Shigaraki owned a plethora of movies and even more video games, probably because of where he worked. He didn’t own a stereo (at least not from where she could see in the space that wasn’t the bedroom), so she figured he listened to most music on his computer or maybe some device. That made sense. It was what she did. He didn’t own any cartoon movies except for anime, which...now that she thought about, made even more sense.

Shigaraki was kind of - no, he was a huge nerd.

Uraraka smiled to herself as she picked out what she knew was a sweet anime. Well, sweet in the sense that its violence was even cute. She wondered if Assassination Classroom bothered him in some way, considering that he had been raised and taught to kill as a child as well, but then the teacher in this anime was kind in comparison and genuinely cared about his students. Was it baby appropriate? Debatable, but she liked the characters, life lessons, and the storyline. Plus, the government agent guy reminded her of Aizawa.

It helped that one of the main characters - with his big goofy yellow head - very much appealed to Yukiko the second he appeared on the screen. Uraraka sat back on the couch, which was about as worn through as hers, and cuddled up with Yukiko under a blanket. She might as well enjoy this quiet moment while it lasted before she undoubtedly became fussy as all babies did.

*

How’s it going? Have you tried to bang your head against a wall yet?

I’m going to eat my own shoe if I have to wait any longer for these assholes to get their shit together.

Oh no! Don’t do that. You should only eat your shoe as a last resort.

Like when? I’m getting pretty desperate here. I’ve dealt with like ten different idiots.

You know, like when you’re in the belly of a monster that represents a twisted version of Truth.

Shigaraki almost dropped his phone. Naomasa gave him a strange look, but he waved it off and the detective looked away and went back to arguing with whoever was in charge of things like birth certificates and important documents like that. This was a mess. He needed a break and Uraraka’s text had come at the right time. Still, he hadn’t been prepared for a message like that.

Are you really referencing FMA?

Yes. I need to know you have good anime taste for Yukiko’s sake. I saw your collection.

Going through my shit? That’s rude isn’t it?

I wanted to find something fun for us to watch. Turns out anime got her hyped up. She keeps trying to bounce on me.

You’re bouncy. As soon as Shigaraki sent that text, he regretted it. Bouncy? What the fuck did that even mean? Before Uraraka had the chance to question him, he decided to change the conversation. Naomasa found out when and where Yukiko was born, but that’s just the start.

Is it just you two?

Good. She moved on without commenting on his dumbass text. Bad - because her question hit a sore spot. Without thinking, Shigaraki’s eyes roved over to the other person with them. It was true that All Might still bore a decent amount of clout even if he was stuck in that emaciated form and hadn’t been the number one hero for a while. What he did have a lot of was money. Apparently, that was the only way to get things done around here. No one was going to say it, but it was true.

I wish.

Sorry you’re having such a shitty time. :( Here’s a pic to cheer you up!

The next text to come through from Uraraka was a picture of Yukiko. She was sitting propped up against the arm of the couch, her eyes closed and mouth wide open in what looked like a laugh. An actual laugh. It...did make him feel a little better, seeing that she was okay. More than okay. He wasn’t about to thank Uraraka for a picture of his own daughter, but maybe his eyes did linger on it for a little longer than necessary.

“Oh, she looks very happy,” All Might announced, using his lanky form to peer over Shigaraki’s shoulder to look down at the phone screen.

Shigaraki immediately turned his screen off and scowled. “Hey, did you suddenly forget the term ‘privacy’?”

All Might actually blushed and sank back in his seat. “I didn’t mean-”

“Whatever,” Shigaraki grumbled, shoving his phone back in his pocket. If All Might had to be here for this process to go quicker, then so be it, but that didn’t mean he was going to share pictures of Yukiko with him to gush over.

“Who’s watching her while you’re here?” All Might asked curiously.

“Someone.”

Refusing to say another word on the matter, Shigaraki bit his tongue. When he snuck a glance at the former hero, he could tell the answer wasn’t good enough. Well tough shit. He didn’t owe All Might any answers. Did he think Shigaraki had hit up one of his old villain contacts to watch her? His business was his own. His relationships were his own. For all All Might knew, one of his coworkers was watching her. (Not that he would ever trust one of those idiots with a baby.) It wasn’t his place.

Sighing, All Might turned his attention to the woman typing away at the computer in front of them. “Well, she appears to be in good hands, so I won’t worry.”

“Good,” Shigaraki ground out, “because you don’t need to worry about her.”

All Might muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “I’m more worried about you,” but Shigaraki didn’t have time to decipher it when the bureaucratic demon woman turned her attention back to them. He just wanted to get this shit over with.

*

How’s she doing?

She got a fussy about thirty minutes ago and had a good crying spell, but she ate and is back to chilling.

How much did she eat?

6 oz. She gulped it down!

Yeah she’s gonna eat me out of house and home.

No kidding. You better check into that thing I was telling you about once you get all the paperwork sorted.

She’s ok now though?

Uraraka smiled at the text. Although Shigaraki tried to pass himself off as nonchalant and uncaring, she could tell that he was concerned about his daughter. Either that or dealing with government stuff was so horrible that he would rather be up for two days straight with a crying baby. For good measure, she took a picture of Yukiko, who looked close to passing out while propped up against a few pillows, and sent it to him. That would help him cool his jets. She had to be tired. A full belly and no nap? She was ready to be down for the count.

She looks tired.

She is. Been fighting it. I think she misses her papa.

Doubtful. She’s only known me a week. She probably misses her mom.

Uraraka bit her lip. She was hesitant to admit that she had looked up Yukiko’s mother, but she had been too curious and she didn’t think Shigaraki was the sharing type. Would telling him make him feel like she’d gone behind his back? Then again, maybe if she copped to it now, it wouldn’t be so bad if he found out later.

Dunno about that. I looked up her charges. I don’t think anyone would miss her.

I sure as shit don’t.

Crisis averted. Uraraka breathed out a sigh of relief. It didn’t look like Shigaraki cared whether or not Uraraka had used her hero credentials to snoop around for details. He seemed more concerned with her snooping around his apartment, which she honestly hadn’t been doing. It wasn’t like she’d tried to get on his computer or go through any of the looseleaf papers lying around on his desk and kitchen table, which looked like it was meant more for stacking things on it than eating meals.

How are things on your end?

Better. Faster now. Still shitty.

A snort escaped Uraraka as he pulled her legs onto the couch and leaned back next to Yukiko. Shigaraki was a real positive peach. She sent a simple text back ( Sounds like fun ) and started up the next episode of Assassination Classroom. Maybe, if Yukiko fell asleep, she could pick out a video game to play. He had a startling amount, but a very wide variety.

When her phone buzzed from a text, she was surprised to see it was a picture. When she opened it, instead of it being one of Shigaraki, it was of a bunch of papers. Uraraka giggled a little. Yeah, that looked right with all the stuff he had to do. Fun indeed.

Another text came quickly after that: You mind if I get a haircut while I’m out?

Uraraka glanced knowingly at Yukiko and sent back: You probably should. She likes to pull on hair.

Found that out the hard way didn’t you?

I’m a little more tender-headed than I realized.

Shigaraki probably found that entertaining - his daughter pulling on a pro hero’s hair and hurting her. Uraraka had not anticipated Yukiko having such a strong grip and pull at three months, but damn if it didn’t sting when she got a hold of her bangs and yanked. Setting her phone down on the table, she picked up a fussy Yukiko and held her against her chest. The baby stilled almost instantly and was asleep in seconds. Okay, maybe Uraraka could just lay here and watch tv. That was fine too.

Chapter Text

"That's not fair. You used my daughter without my permission. Would you make your own baby?"
-- Jimmy Chance (Raising Hope, "Baby Monitor")

.

To be honest, Shigaraki wasn’t sure how much he had accomplished today, but he had a folder filled to bursting with paperwork that gave existence to his daughter. It was official now: Yukiko Shimura. He wasn’t sure how he managed it, considering how there had been so many questions, loops to jump through, and walls to run into, but he had finally made a person… into a legally existing person. It was far more complicated than it should have been.

(Would he have been able to do everything without All Might’s and Naomasa’s help? Not without going back to jail. Was he going to outright admit that to them? He’d rather go back to jail. They could take his grumbled half-assed thanks or nothing at all.)

After splitting ways with them, Shigaraki went to check in with his parole officer. The entire way there he weighed the decision on whether to tell her he had essentially taken full custody of the daughter he didn’t know he had until a week ago. There wasn’t anything she could do really and it wasn’t like she would take Yukiko away, but he was wary of what she would think about that.

It was even worse when he thought about his next court-mandated appointment with his therapist. To be honest, he would have preferred to keep the one he had while in prison, but she had only worked with incarcerated felons. The one he had now was fine, but he didn’t seem to know what approach to take with him. Undoubtedly he would have a lot to say about Shigaraki’s decision to keep Yukiko and not all of them would be good. Could being saddled with the responsibility of a three-month-old human baby hinder his progress? Maybe. Could it help him? Possibly.

Everything was up in the air when it came to a child and his therapist had been getting onto him about structure. Well, babies needed to be on schedule according to many websites and, once she started eating real food, she would have to be on a balanced diet. His therapist could surely get behind that.

In the end, Shigaraki came clean to his parole officer. He even showed her the paperwork that he’d taken care of that morning and the picture Uraraka had sent him. While she had been definitely caught off guard and uncertain about if it was a good thing, she hadn’t outright said it was a terrible idea. They would have to make a note of it in his file. A few other things might need to be done. She did gently point out that he didn’t live in the best of areas, as if he didn’t know that already. There wasn’t much he could do about that right now.

He left the parole officer somewhat mystified, putting him in a strange mood. When he got his haircut at a place nearby, he couldn’t remember speaking more than ten words. The girl cutting his hair chatted away, seemingly oblivious to his lack of desire to converse, but it didn’t matter. He tuned her out, his mind going back to the concerned look on his probation officer’s face and All Might’s words.

They were worried about him. He didn’t like it. Sure, he knew people weren’t going to trust him, but this felt personally insulting for some reason. Touya had warned him about this.

By the time Shigaraki dragged himself back to his apartment, he was sorely looking forward to sitting down and vegging out completely. He could do that with Yukiko sometimes, although he knew it probably wasn’t a good thing. He couldn’t be on twenty-four/seven though. No one could be, even if they were the world’s greatest parent. He’d done a lot of mind-numbing things too. All he wanted to do right now as not think.

When he reached the door to his place, he paused. Music could be heard from inside. It wasn’t loud enough to bother his neighbors, but he could still hear it as he stood there. It was some pop song he only knew because it played on the store’s radio during work. He wouldn’t have willingly listened to it if it were up to him. Of course Uraraka liked this kind of music. She probably listened to k-pop too. She seemed like the… bouncy pop type.

Fuck. There was that word again. Bouncy. He needed to stop.

Unlocking the door to his apartment, Shigaraki pushed it open and found exactly what he’d been expecting: Uraraka singing and dancing around the place with a smiling Yukiko in her arms while pop music played in the background. She certainly wasn’t the most elegant or talented dancer out there (then again, who was with a baby as a partner?), but she was graceful and light on her feet. It probably had something to do with her quirk. Her singing voice was okay in that it wouldn’t win any competitions but it was pleasant enough to not be grating on the ears.

Mostly though, Shigaraki noted how...happy Yukiko was. No, they were both happy. Uraraka appeared to be having a grand old time. It should’ve been weird (it was weird), but he found it relieving too. What would he have done had Yukiko really liked her but then Uraraka wanted nothing to do with her? Babies needed social connections. Kids needed interaction in order to help them develop. He had told Fuyumi it was a one-time thing - and he swore it was - but watching Uraraka interact with Yukiko did make him hesitate.

Having such a fun time, Uraraka didn’t even notice Shigaraki leaning against the threshold of his door until she spun around and spotted him. She stopped mid-singing, a strangled squeak of surprise escaping her, and froze on the spot as she stared at him like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Her cheeks turned bright red and then she gave him a large, goofy smile. “Oh, um, didn’t see you there.”

“You know,” Shigaraki drawled out, not judging at all, “a villain could’ve walked in here to attack and you would’ve been caught totally unaware.”

Her face still red, Uraraka managed in a mostly even tone, “You have villains walk in here often?”

“Just me and Touya,” Shigaraki shot back.

Uraraka blew a raspberry. “I’ve seen Touya fight and it’s not impressive.”

Shigaraki nodded in concession. Touya had not been a physical fighter as Dabi and he certainly wasn’t one now. Back in their League days, Touya’s quirk had been powerful enough to be overwhelming so he didn’t often have to physically fight. There was a good reason for that. He was atrocious. Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing.

“And?” Shigaraki continued. “There’s still me.”

“I basically saw you naked this morning and I’ve got more muscle definition than you,” Uraraka blurted. He narrowed his eyes at her. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sheepish grin, but he could tell she wasn’t sorry at all. Maybe about bringing up the whole towel thing again, but not by her statement that she could take him on. “I mean, yeah, you used to fight and stuff, but… you work retail now. That’s more of a mental fighting game. And I trained with Katsuki for years. Sorry, but I can take you.”

“You sure about that?”

“Pretty sure,” Uraraka replied confidently. She wore a straight face for all of five seconds before she burst into giggles and turned away from him, ducking and hiding in on herself. “I’m sorry. I just-” She cleared her throat and shook her head as she straightened up, gathering herself together. However, when she turned back around to face him, she still had to bite her lip to keep from grinning too much. “It’s a lot harder to see you as… threatening, now.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes and strode further into the apartment so he could take Yukiko from her. The baby hesitated for a second before deciding she was okay with him taking her. Spoiled brat. Uraraka was probably much comfier than him, but she could’ve at least acted like she missed him. “You two were okay?”

“Yeah, she was great!” Uraraka declared excitedly. The last person he’d been around with this much energy was Toga, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t like that comparison too much. “I do think she’s starting to feel a little cooped up - it’s hard to tell with a baby - so I was thinking next time I could take her to the park.”

Her words caught him off guard. “Next time?”

Uraraka blinked, confused for a moment before she seemed to realize what she’d said as well. “Well, um, I mean-” She floundered for a few seconds as she tried to recover. He gave her the time. She had clearly been talking without even thinking of the implications. “I thought I could watch her every now and then. Only if you want? You’re going to need to find childcare soon so you can go back to work, but until then, if you need someone...”

“You’ll be my babysitter?” Shigaraki finished blandly. “Don’t people pay for those services?”

“It’s not-” Uraraka’s cheeks puffed in indignation. “It’s not a service. I’m being helpful.”

“Mmhm.” Walking around her, Shigaraki plopped on the couch, letting Yukiko rest on his chest. He held her so she was sitting up, his hands on her back keeping her upright, so she could smack his chest and pull on his shirt. At this rate, he was going to have to buy a new couch because of how much he sat and slept on here. He was not looking forward to that (the account set up by All Might called hazily in the back of his mind) - not at all. “And what do you get out of this arrangement?”

Somehow, Uraraka seemed genuinely thrown by the question. “What?”

“I’m saying: what do you get out of watching Yukiko for me if I’m not paying you?” Shigaraki demanded calmly, his eyes focused on Yukiko as she played. He didn’t look at Uraraka. He didn’t need to see her in order to know her reaction: indignation, incredulity, insult. All of it could be seen on her face now most likely, maybe even some embarrassment too. No one liked to admit selfishness or ulterior motives. “In my experience, people don’t just do things out of the kindness in their hearts. There’s always a reason. Information perhaps?”

“Maybe it’s because I like spending time with her?” Uraraka countered.

Shigaraki snorted. “You’re still young. I highly doubt hanging out with a baby is high on your priority list. Unless you’re having baby fever.” Wasn’t that what Touya was afraid Fuyumi might get if she spent too much time with Yukiko? He didn’t want to be an ass and think that all women were that way, but it sort of made sense. Uraraka did seem like the type that wanted to have a family. She’d be a great mother - she deserved it if she wanted one - but he knew that many pro heroes never moved on to have families. It was their curse, so to speak.

Irritated with him, Uraraka stomped around the couch so that she was in his field of vision and folded her arms across her chest, glaring at him deeply. He could already tell he’d made a mistake, but there was no going back on it now, not when it would feel like a lie. He meant what he said and he asked what he had for a reason. While he had grown up under ulterior motives, he would not have Yukiko suffer the same fate.

“I’m not using her to spy on you,” Uraraka told him. The hard look on her face softened and he watched in surprise as it molded into one of embarrassment. She glanced down at her shoes, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. “It’s just that - well, okay, you do need help and it does make me feel good to help, which is selfish, I know, but… I don’t really do much with my free time. Either my friends are busy with their job or relationships or they don’t live close.” She bit her lip, a habit he’d seen her do multiple times. “But today I had a lot of fun with Yukiko - I really did. It got stressful sometimes, sure, but...I wasn’t alone.” She slapped a hand against her face. “Shit, I bet that sounds so lame!”

As much as Shigaraki wanted to just stare at her, he forced the words out and said, “No, I understand.” He looked back to Yukiko the second Uraraka looked at him. “I mean, outside of...Touya and Fuyumi, I didn’t really have anyone. It’s not like I hang out with my coworkers or anything except when I feel forced. It’s just been me here and I was fine with that, but then Yukiko showed up and…”

“And she just fit in it,” Uraraka finished for him.

Shigaraki was not a blusher and it took everything in him to suppress that urge now. “She drives me crazy and my life would be so much easier without her.”

“That’s some positive thinking,” Uraraka quipped.

“Yeah, it makes sense for me, but” - Shigaraki took one hand from Yukiko’s back and waved it at Uraraka - “you’re you - friendly as hell, sweet, kind, bubbly, cute, pro hero.” At least he hadn’t said bouncy. What the fuck was he on anyway? “What are you doing being alone and asking to babysit a former villain’s kid?”

“I just said I feel alone,” Uraraka said edgily. “What more do you want?”

Now she was being defensive, which made Shigaraki curious. All this time, he’d felt like he was on the defensive, but with her acting this way, it made him realize he had the upper hand. Holding onto Yukiko carefully, he sat upright, never once taking his eyes away from Uraraka’s. She met him head on, refusing to give up now that it was a battle of wills. This was much more interesting than dealing with shitty ass paperwork and bureaucrats.

“I want to know why you want to spend time with my daughter,” Shigaraki challenged.

Uraraka chewed on her lip to a worrying point - she was going to draw blood - until finally, she burst, “I like spending time with her, okay, and I had a lot of fun, but you’re right. I want kids. I did. I do. And the person I thought I would have a family with didn’t want one - and now there’s talk of him doing that with someone else and I just- I don’t know. Being around Yukiko makes me happy.” She covered her face her with hands, no doubt because it was bright red, but also because she sounded legitimately embarrassed and ashamed. When she spoke again, her voice was muffled by her hands. “That makes me sound so petty and dumb, doesn’t it?”

Shigaraki gawked at her. To be honest, he had still been thinking it was along the lines of her trying to spy on him or find out if he was a bad father and she needed to save Yukiko. He’d not expected...this. It was kind of petty and dumb, in his opinion, but then it was obvious how much it bothered her. If he sat back and looked at it from her perspective, then yeah, he could see why she was upset and embarrassed. He could see why she wanted to spend more time with Yukiko. It wasn’t baby fever; it was something else.

“So you’re using my kid as consolation,” Shigaraki surmised.

“No!” When Uraraka dropped her hands, her face was as red as he’d suspected. “Look, you didn’t think you were ever going to be a father and yet here you are. And I thought…” She dropped her shoulders. “I thought a lot of things, I guess, but I wasn’t… It wasn’t meant to be, you know? Yukiko is a sweet baby. You could stand to have some help here and there and it gives me hope.”

Rolling his eyes, Shigaraki declared, “You’re too fucking nice.”

“Are you really going to insult me right now after I admitted something super personal and embarrassing?” Uraraka demanded incredulously.

“I’m not the nice one here,” Shigaraki pointed out.

“I can tell.” Uraraka shook her head and moved to gather her things. She hadn’t brought much, just some sort of bag purse, so all she had to do was put all her things in it. As she slung it over her head and shoulder, he heard her mutter, “You’re almost as bad as Katsuki.”

Shigaraki scoffed. “I’m almost positive Ground Zero is worse.”

The kid had been a nightmare to deal with back then and he had grown into an even worse one as an adult. Oh, sure, he was a great hero and it wasn’t like he pulled an Endeavor where he was secretly an even worse piece of shit than people realized - he was very upfront with who he was - but there were a few people Shigaraki would not want to deal with in his daily life and he was one of them. Plus, he was one hundred percent positive that, unlike Uraraka, he would not be willing to help him out with Yukiko. More like blast him in the face and probably take Yukiko away from him. Now there was a person who shouldn’t be around kids.

Uraraka gave him a tight-lipped smile. “You might be right.”

Looking back to Yukiko, who was resting contently against his chest, Shigaraki said, “I guess...if you wanted to, you could stop by once a week or whatever. It’d give me time to take care of things. I’d rather not take her to my therapy sessions.” He turned to Uraraka. “But I don’t want you just coming over here, getting your feel good jollies, and then, once you’re happy enough, abandoning her like she’s nothing. I don’t give a shit about you not helping me, but that wouldn’t be fair to her.”

Yukiko had already had one person abandon her. Shigaraki was determined to never put her in the position for that to happen again. She wasn’t just going to be a prop for someone to pick up when they felt like it.

There was a strange look on Uraraka’s face. It was a mixture of sadness and understanding, but there was also a tiny smile on her face. He wasn’t sure if he liked it, but he kept his mouth shut as she agreed, “You’re right. It wouldn’t be fair. She’s not a thing I can use to make myself feel better.” Tentatively, she walked to stand behind the back of the couch and, when he didn’t tell her off, she stroked Yukiko’s head. “She does help me feel that way, but I genuinely want to lend a hand and be there for her too. It can be both. Not that you’re doing a bad job - you really aren’t, just look at her - but every parent could do with a break.”

She wasn’t wrong. It had only been a week, but he’d already crashed once on Touya’s couch and asked for her help twice. It was kind of humiliating. While he had known he wasn’t going to be the perfect father, he had thought it would take him longer to crack. He’d gone for longer periods without sleeping before. Why was this so different? Was it because it was more emotionally taxing? More terrifying? More up in the air? Nothing went the way he expected.

“Have you looked into childcare?” Uraraka asked.

“Not yet,” Shigaraki admitted. It had been painful enough allowing Uraraka and even the Todorokis on some level to watch her. The idea of a stranger doing it put him on edge. Who knew what they were capable of? What they were like with the kids when the parents were gone? How could they possibly know the right way to bounce her to make her smile or to rub her head a certain way to get her to fall asleep?

Plus, what if they figured who he was and began to treat her differently? What if they didn’t take as good of care of her in retribution for what he’d done in the past? For who he’d been? What if they saw her crying like a normal baby or throwing a tantrum and thought she wasn’t good like other kids because of who her parents were?

Uraraka glanced at her phone, probably to check the time, and then adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “Well, just text me, okay? We’ll figure something out.” She beamed at Yukiko. “I had fun with you today, but I’ve gotta go to work.”

“A hero’s job is never over, huh?” Shigaraki said blandly.

“You’re so weird,” Uraraka replied in a tone that was both amused and bemused. It was a weird reaction that he wasn’t sure how to take. Every time he said or did something he thought would turn her away or piss her off, she shot back with something he hadn’t anticipated. It wasn’t like she was actively trying to get to know him or, like Fuyumi, break down the walls his therapist said he built up around himself. She naturally rebuffed everything without a thought. It was kind of frustrating, but it left him at a loss too. “See you around. Don’t get into any trouble!”

“I won’t,” Shigaraki said.

“I was talking to Yukiko.” Uraraka stuck her tongue out at him, which made him furrow his brow. She was definitely teasing him, but it wasn’t the same way as Touya, who could be as mean-spirited as him when it came to casually mocking. “Oh, by the way, I forgot to say something earlier.” Her face brightened. “Your hair looks nice. I think it suits you.”

His hand betrayed him, immediately lifting to touch his hair. “Yeah?” It looked nice? Wait, no, who cared what she thought? He’d got it cut to be practical. Before he could say or do anything though, Uraraka waved and then all but flounced out of the apartment like some sort of whirlwind of positive energy. Shigaraki couldn’t tell if it was more draining or confusing, but the day’s events had left him tired anyway.

As soon as he heard her walking down the hall, he jerked his hand away from his hair and scowled. He didn’t know why it felt like it mattered, but he did not like that at all. Caring about his appearance was not something he was familiar with. Maybe it was an important part of his recovery, but it was still uncomfortable. Yukiko reached to try to grab his hair and hold onto it, but it wasn’t long enough for her. At least one goal had been achieved today.

*

Four days later, while Yukiko slept on the couch next to him, Shigaraki’s gameplay was interrupted by his phone buzzing, alerting him to a text from Uraraka: Hey! How’s my favorite little princess?

Very funny.

There’s more where that came from. :D

She’s sick but to be expected. Had to take her to the doctor’s. She got a shit ton of shots.

D: That sucks! Poor baby girl. Is she still eating and sleeping?

Yeah, she’s sleeping a lot too, but she’s fussy as fuck when she’s awake. I think she’s at the tail end.

How are you managing it?

Well Fuyumi had to talk me out of taking her to the ER at 3 am so I guess I’m managing it brilliantly.

Awwww you were worried about her! Only natural.

Probably would’ve looked like a dumbass.

You aren’t one?

Again. Funny. You’re testing your luck, Uravity.

Ouch. Those formalities hurt me. I’ve changed your baby’s diaper.

Not to mention she’d seen him nearly naked, but neither one of them were going to bring that up again until they were on their deathbeds. The last person to see him that unclothed had been the mother of his child. Needless to say, it had been a long time and he’d planned on it being much longer than this.

So I asked around my agency about any daycares nearby and I think I found a good one.

Shigaraki immediately tensed up at that. Uraraka had been talking to people about him and his situation? She’d said that she wouldn’t tell anyone. Oh yeah? he sent back carefully.

They thought I was asking for me! lol But I told them my cousin is pregnant. She’s gonna curse me if that happens. But anyway it’s close to your job and affordable. Plus it got good reviews.

Oh. She hadn’t told anyone. She’d kept it a secret, just like she’d said she would. Shigaraki sank back in the couch, his body relaxing. Touya might’ve said he was paranoid, but then he didn’t trust anyone either and still lied to his poor family about certain things and how he felt. It was a coping mechanism and way to protect himself - or so Shigaraki’s therapist said when he did the same damn thing. It was easier to not trust anyone and believe everyone would either betray or leave him in the end. That way he was never disappointed.

Uraraka would do it eventually. Touya would too. They both had accepted that of each other long ago. With Yukiko involved now, however, the stakes were much higher than before. He didn’t want her to experience that because of some failure on his behalf or someone else’s. He didn’t want her to think that way either. It would be nice if she didn’t grow up to automatically assume someone was trying to use her or would hurt her in some way.

Interested?

No, not really, but he needed to figure out something soon. Eventually, he would have to go back to work and, short of asking a certain retired hero to watch her when Uraraka and Fuyumi were working, he didn’t have anyone else. He grumbled under his breath in defeat and texted back: Sure.

After Uraraka sent him the details, he looked up the daycare online. Not that he didn’t trust her or anything (he didn’t), but he wanted to get a feel for the place on his own. It wasn’t like he could skulk outside of it without looking like a creep, even if he did have Yukiko with him. He was positive loser creeps could be parents too. Someone had to father them to keep the trend up. Just as she said, the place had good reviews and the employees didn’t look sketchy. It was a little further past his work but nearby, which was very convenient.

Still, it made him uneasy thinking about handing her off to complete strangers.

So people at your agency use this place for their kids? Shigaraki asked.

A few do. They like it. There’s even a little playground.

Was it part of your suggestion so Yukiko would grow up around heroes’ kids?

Yes it’s my grand scheme to surround Yukiko with the children of heroes so she’ll be influenced to be good instead of evil like you were. Paranoid ass.

Shigaraki scoffed. Uraraka had such a smartass mouth even when she was texting. Then again, he might’ve been asking for it that time. He had spent nearly his entire life being manipulated and didn’t find out until he was basically an adult with no memories of childhood. Of course he would expect it from other people. Sure, it had turned out that the heroes were (ugh) the good guys in the story after all, but that didn’t make him trust them. Uraraka seemed perfectly nice, good, and innocent, but she could secretly be plotting to manipulate him or Yukiko.

Shit. He rubbed his temple. He really did sound paranoid now.

Did you still want me to come over this week or next to watch her?

I’ve got a therapy appointment at like 3 on Friday. Can you watch her then?

Yeah! I don’t work until 8.

Night shift must be a blast.

It’s been kinda quiet lately.

Oh no crime is down. How awful.

I didn’t say it was a bad thing! Ass.
Anyway you should go grocery shopping too. You’re gonna need more formula soon. And something besides cup of noodles for you.

She had a point, but Shigaraki didn’t want to give it to her. He really did need food for himself and he was getting sick of take-out, but the idea of cooking with a baby around sounded impossible when he could barely take a piss without her getting pissed. This was the first break he’d had in two days and he’d taken advantage of it. Uraraka had been right when she’d said he needed time to himself. With Yukiko sleeping on the couch next to him, he’d turned the volume down and went back to his old games with a vengeance. It almost felt like his brain was coming back to life.

You really are something.

I’m magical. Now kiss Yukiko on the forehead for me.

You won’t know if I don’t.

Yes I will. I’ll ask her. Gods, Uraraka was an intense and weird one. Shigaraki didn’t even know what to say to that. It was a joke, but even through text, she sounded dead serious. It...kind of was like Touya’s texting. He wasn’t sure how to take that mental comparison. See you Friday!

Shaking his head, Shigaraki set his phone aside and picked up the controller again, restarting the game - and then a second later, Yukiko began to squirm on the pillow. “No, no, no, go back to sleep,” he hissed as he tried to gently keep her mitten-covered hands from rubbing her eyes. Once she let out a weak cry, it was no use. He dropped the controller and rolled his neck until it popped. There went his free time. She probably wanted to eat.

*

As soon as the conversation was over, Uraraka tucked her phone into her back pocket. She’d been sitting on the information about the daycare for two days but wanted to give Shigaraki some space before she brought it up. Still unsure how much he was willing to actually converse with her, she figured keeping contact to a minimum was the best approach.

So… treat him like a skittish stray. Wow, that made her sound great and not judgemental at all.

“Wow, you were really into that conversation,” Deku pointed out.

Uraraka nearly jumped out of her seat. “What?”

She hadn’t even noticed Deku had come back from the bathroom. It had been a while since they’d gone out for lunch. What with him working out of the country half the time, she rarely got the chance to see him. He’d sent her a text a few hours after he’d come back, spending the first part of it with his mother and All Might. Being the number one hero was a busy job. He rarely got time off and, when he did, he had to take advantage of it.

Deku sat down across from her. “I couldn’t help but notice. You’re all curled up in the chair like you get when you’re really into something and you were actually smirking.”

“I was not smirking,” Uraraka retorted, blush tinging her cheeks. She had curled one leg under her on the chair and propped her other foot on it. She tried to unfold her legs and sit normally without bringing any attention to the action, but it was impossible. It only made Deku give her a knowing look. Damn him for knowing her so well. “It was nothing.”

“I won’t pry if you don’t want to talk about it,” Deku told her, lifting his hands up in surrender. Uraraka tried not to act relieved or anything. She didn’t want him to get the idea that it was something she didn’t want to or couldn’t talk about. He was curious by nature, but he was polite too. He smiled at her. “I’m just glad to see you looking like that. Not that you didn’t look happy or anything - I know you’re doing okay and it’s been a while - but I haven’t seen you, well… I don’t know. I haven’t seen you look so bright in a while.”

Uraraka’s cheeks burned even worse. What the hell was that supposed to mean? How was she supposed to explain herself? Wait, she wasn’t. He told her that she didn’t have to talk about it so she wouldn’t. It wasn’t like she could tell him the reason she looked so happy was that she was hanging out with a baby. That made her sound sad and even pathetic considering the circumstances surrounding why she hadn’t looked happy to begin with. Tack on the fact that it was Shigaraki’s baby and she was just asking him to question her sanity.

“Thanks,” Uraraka settled on saying. “I guess.” She ran a finger around the rim of her water glass. “It’s stupid, isn’t it? I’m over it and I have been for some time - I swear I am - but then something comes up out of the blue and I just…”

“It’s only natural,” Deku reassured her. “He was - is - a big part of your life.”

Uraraka rolled her eyes. “Not as big as yours.”

Deku shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t date him.” He brightened up and sat forward, an excited look on his face. “I know what will cheer you up.” She gave him a curious look. “I found out the craziest thing the other day!”

“Oh?” Uraraka picked up her water and sipped on it. Yes, this was exactly what she needed. Deku was so good at knowing that. It was part of why she’d had such a huge crush on him during school. He was considerate, empathetic, and intuitive. It sure would’ve been easier if she’d continued to nurse a massive crush on him instead of falling for someone else. She really needed to fix her taste in men.

“Shigaraki has a daughter!” Deku exclaimed.

Uraraka almost fucking choked . “What?”

“I know, right?” Deku continued, completely oblivious as she went through a series of flashbacks involving all the times she had spent with Shigaraki and his daughter. “The guy that led the group that attacked us throughout our time at U.A. - that planned Kacchan’s kidnapping - is a dad.” He took a deep breath and shook his head while Uraraka cleared her throat and calmed down. “It’s crazy. So much can happen and change throughout the years. We’re in so many different places in our lives than we were when we graduated.”

“Yeah, it’s… wild,” Uraraka managed weakly. “How did you find out about that?”

“I heard my mom and All Might talking about it,” Deku explained. “Apparently the mother is, well… a villain. He didn’t know, which is the crazy part. He actually called her in!”

“Really,” Uraraka murmured.

Deku sat back in his seat, a little more thoughtful now. “I was actually kind of concerned, you know? Not that I thought he would hurt her or anything, but, well, it’s Shigaraki.” Yeah, she knew that feeling quite well. “I called Shouto to tell him about it-”

“Wait,” Uraraka interrupted. “You called him and not me?”

The poor guy’s face turned pink. “Well, I, um-”

Uraraka waved a hand at him, putting him out of his misery. “Never mind. Continue.”

“It turns out Shigaraki had dinner with Shouto’s family on Friday, which is apparently a regular thing with just Touya and Fuyumi,” Deku said. Seeing as how she had been there when Touya had invited him to the dinner, she knew that too. She could’ve said something, seeing as how Deku knew about the baby already, but she still felt like it was betraying Shigaraki’s trust. Deku might know about Yukiko, but he didn’t know about Shigaraki asking a pro hero for help. It was different. “Since Shouto was there, he kept me updated about what happened.”

At this, Uraraka leaned forward and said, “That sounds very interesting.”

While she knew Shigaraki had gone to the dinner and that he’d even stayed the night after falling asleep on the couch, she didn’t know what exactly had gone on. Needless to say, she was a bit curious. If Shouto was there and texted Deku throughout the night, it would provide ample information for her to store or use against Shigaraki in the future in case he was extra stubborn. He seemed like the kind of person you had to stockpile any info on in order to figure out how he worked. That was what the police had done with him when he was a villain.

Surely it could still work now that he was a civilian.

“Yeah, he even got some pictures,” Deku continued as he fished out his phone, completely oblivious to Uraraka’s strange behavior. That was good. She didn’t need him to ask questions about why she wasn’t acting as surprised as she should’ve been. He normally noticed things like that, but the situation was distracting him. “You know, he’s actually pretty stealthy. He should do more covert work, although he’d have to change his appearance first…”

Oh, pictures? This was going to be good.

“So, according to Shouto, Shigaraki didn’t talk a lot during dinner, probably because he was so tired. Shouto’s mom held the baby while they ate, but he said Shigaraki ate fast and then took her back. Look.” Deku clicked on something and then slid his phone across the table for her to see. The picture was taken at an awkward angle, like Shouto had taken it while pretending to text. “They asked him how he’s been doing. Apparently, his work gave him some time off to get settled and figure things out with her, which was nice of them. He’ll have to find daycare soon, of course.”

While Deku talked, Uraraka struggled not to smile as she gazed at the picture. Shigaraki was holding onto Yukiko, looking down at her while she was looking up at him, Touya and Fuyumi sitting on either side of him, bickering. It looked like they were in their own little world. He did look tired, as Deku said, but not any more than he had two days before. His expression was soft though, if not a little strained, and she could imagine him calling her “a little shit” in an almost fond tone.

“Natsuo doesn’t like him at all, but it’s kind of hard to insult someone with a baby in their arms,” Deku added with a laugh. “He apparently asked Shigaraki how he got Touya to join the League - only to find out that Touya was the one to seek them out and Shigaraki actually told him to leave and didn’t want him in it. He even insulted Shigaraki and they got into it.”

Uraraka snorted. “That sounds like them.”

They had acted in a very similar way when Touya had shown up unannounced to steal one of his gaming controllers. The two of them poked and prodded each other in between sometimes getting along. It kind of reminded her of Bakugou and Todoroki - violence included. She better never say that out loud. Neither one of them would like that comparison at all.

Deku tilted his head. “Yeah?”

“Oh, well, I mean, he was Shigaraki’s assumed number two, but they never seemed to mesh perfectly, you know?” She wasn’t supposed to be in the know about them as much as she was. Deku might’ve kept tabs on the former members of the League to be careful and out of curiosity and concern, but he wasn’t around as much. Shouto had the most contact with them through his brother. She’d accidentally crossed paths with Touya a handful of times while hanging out with Shouto.

She was pretty sure Touya had been very drunk during one of those times. She had been awkwardly standing near the door while he stared at her and swayed from his spot on the couch before finally saying, “You’re definitely one of Shouto’s more attractive friends, so I’m glad I didn’t kill you, Nice Floaty Girl.” According to Shouto, Touya was both a lightweight because of his quirk and a bartender, so it was a bad combo when he was in a sour mood.

It could’ve been worse, she supposed. He fell asleep a few minutes later right before she and Shouto left and nothing else had ever quite topped that moment for weirdness - until she came across Shigaraki holding a baby.

“Shouto said Shigaraki was surprisingly attentive - clumsy and awkward, but he seems to actually be trying to be a good father or at least as good as he can be. He’s doing what he can.” Deku reached over the table to swipe his screen and show her the next picture, one of Fuyumi and Rei gushing over Yukiko while Shigaraki watched in the background. Again, there was that anxious look about him, like he was just waiting to take her back. Even with people he was more comfortable with, he was struggling to relinquish control.

“That’s good… Unexpected, for sure, but it’s good.” Uraraka glanced up at him. “Right?”

“You’re not worried?” Deku asked, sounding torn between curious and suspicious.

“Of course I’m worried!” Uraraka jumped in. “But if he’s doing okay...” She flipped to the next picture, a blurry one of Shigaraki putting a clean diaper on Yukiko while Natsuo chased Touya with the dirty diaper. The latter looked both pissed and terrified while the former laughed. “It’s super weird, it even looks like he adores-” She caught herself at the last second, almost saying the baby’s name. “What’s her name?”

“Yukiko,” Deku said. “It’s kinda cute, isn’t it? Shigaraki apparently picked it out himself.”

Uraraka remembered the hard-fought and amusing…discussion that she’d had with him over the name. She once again had to keep herself from smiling when she said, “Now that’s surprising. It is cute.”

However, she couldn’t stop a burst of laughter from slipping out of her when she swiped to the next picture and saw it was one of Shigaraki wearing an exasperated look while changing her diaper again. Oh, that wasn’t going to be the first time something like that happened and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Babies had their own timing.

“He’s taking it better than expected,” Deku sighed, “but Shouto says he’s pretty much doing this on his own. I mean, Fuyumi is able to help some, but Touya is keeping his distance. All Might says he rejected his help too, which is sad but understandable. They’ve got a… complicated relationship.”

“Hm, yeah, just a bit,” Uraraka agreed. That was the understatement of the year. Deku had a thoughtful look on his face, one that made her very suspicious. “What are you thinking, Deku?”

“What?” Deku blinked innocently.

Oh no. She knew that face. “You’re thinking about getting involved, aren’t you?”

“Well, if he won’t accept All Might’s help, maybe he’ll accept mine. He needs something…” Deku gave her a helpless shrug, which she would’ve considered ironic if she hadn’t already been secretly helping Shigaraki. This was a mess. She should say something - but she knew Shigaraki didn’t want people, especially Midoriya, to know about her involvement. And it wasn’t like no one knowing of her help was hurting anyone. It was her business.

“He might not want your help either,” Uraraka pointed out carefully.

“I know, but he needs it whether he wants it or not,” Deku said earnestly. He genuinely wanted to help. It was sweet. “I was a good kid, but I was also very energetic and got into a lot of stuff with Kacchan. It was hard on my mom. Sure, she wasn’t technically a single mother since she and my dad didn’t legally separate until I was out of high school, but she raised me on her. It was very rough. She did things on her own too and it took a lot out of her - and I was planned. I can’t imagine how difficult this is for him.”

Pretty damn difficult - but he was managing. She would be able to see how he was doing on Friday so he could go see his therapist. Now that was going to be a fun session.

“You don’t have to be everyone’s hero, you know,” Uraraka told him, a gentle smile on her face.

Deku smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck. Still the same old Deku she’d once had a crush on. “I can try. That’s a part of being the Symbol of Peace is about, right?”

“He might not agree with that,” Uraraka laughed.

“He probably won’t,” Deku said. “It won’t hurt to offer. I know there were some nights I made my mom desperate for help and she didn’t have any.”

“Aw, your mom is a saint too,” Uraraka teased. “What an obnoxious child.”

Deku hid his face in his hands. “I was. She spent so much money on All Might merch. I was ridiculous.”

Uraraka sat back and shook her head. Oh, she knew. She could still remember Deku’s absurd dorm back at Heights Alliance. It had been head to toe with All Might merch until he accidentally destroyed half of it in their first year after some sort of nightmare made him activate his quirk. She wondered what Yukiko would be into when she was older. Probably not heroes, considering her father, but it was a possibility if she was around other kids a lot. That would be ironic. Only time would tell.

“Could you send me that last picture, by the way?” Uraraka asked. Deku gave her a weird look. “I wanna show Mina. She’ll get a kick out of it.”

Yeah, that was reasonable. It was a believable answer.

*

Uraraka arrived at his place an hour and a half before his therapy appointment. It gave him plenty of time to shower and put some effort into his skincare. He always did a little more before going to therapy. It gave his therapist the impression that he was doing better and placing his self-care higher on his priority list. Was it true? Not really, but it got the man off his back. He was so caring and relentless at the same time. At least he wasn’t as bad as Touya’s therapist. He would feel sorry for the woman having to deal with him if she wasn’t, from what he had heard, freakishly intense.

When he walked out of the bathroom (with clothes on), Uraraka was changing Yukiko’s diaper. Shigaraki couldn’t help but feel grateful at having missed that mess. It was like Yukiko took every opportunity she had to literally shit on him, especially right after he changed her diaper, so it was nice when it happened to other people. At least it wasn’t just him. Sometimes he wondered if maybe she hated him and that was why she did it so much.

After digging around his desk for his keys (how the hell did he manage to lose them every day?), Shigaraki felt eyes on him and turned around to find Uraraka looking at him oddly. “What?”

“You just…” Uraraka tilted her head. “You look different when you actually put effort into your appearance.”

Shigaraki snorted. “So I looked ugly before?”

“Well, you certainly weren’t handsome,” Uraraka replied, rolling her eyes. “You look much better now.”

She wasn’t wrong. After he’d started to take care of himself, back when he didn’t see a point in it at all, his therapist had shown him a picture of him during his trial. The difference had been startling. He hadn’t done much - just used some quirk-enhanced lotion - but it had definitely forced him to realize that he hadn’t been taking care of himself at all. With room for only his obsession to rid the world of his enemies, he’d stopped caring about so much that even basic human needs had gone to the wayside. No wonder people had turned away from him. He’d looked like crusty shit on his best days.

It still took effort now. It took effort to make the effort to work on his appearance daily. With Yukiko around and his main concern, he’d started to slip again. It had been much easier to fall out of the routine than to stay in it. He could not give that impression to his therapist. He wasn’t sure if the man was capable of taking Yukiko away from him if he thought it was for his own good, but he didn’t want to give him the thought.

He probably shouldn’t be trying to cheat the system, but he felt like he had to be more careful than ever right now with so much riding on his shoulders. Shigaraki had to look like he was close to the top of his game. He couldn’t come across as doing perfectly since he never had before and it would only make the man suspicious, but he had to look good and like he was managing. He could handle his shit and he could take care of Yukiko.

“Do you mind if I take Yukiko to the park?” Uraraka asked. It was nice of her to ask, he reminded himself, and it was nice of her to come over and do this. Maybe he’d tell his therapist about her. He’d be very proud that Shigaraki had not only let someone help him but had asked first. That was a step in the right direction, right?

Shigaraki waved a hand. “Yeah, sure, just-”

“Be careful with her, I know,” Uraraka finished. She sat up straight, like something popped into her head right as she lifted Yukiko off the floor. “Oh - well, never mind, I’ll tell you later.”

“You might as well tell me now since you brought it up,” Shigaraki sighed.

“Um, you probably figured it would happen,” Uraraka said nervously as she bounced Yukiko in her lap, “but Deku found out. He told me the other day.”

Shigaraki threw his head back and let out a deep groan. “Just what I fucking needed.” He dropped his shoulders and sighed. He could handle this. It wasn’t the end of the world. Knowledge of him being a dad was bound to get out sooner or later. He’d just kind of hoped the new number one hero wouldn’t be around to find out for a little while longer.

Uraraka gave him a nervous smile. “He wants to help.”

“I don’t want his help,” Shigaraki stressed in his most petulant tone.

“I pointed out that you probably wouldn’t, but you know Deku,” Uraraka said. “He likes to help people and you made a huge impact on how he views heroes.”

“Glad I could be of service,” Shigaraki shot back, “but I’m not interested.” She shrugged her shoulders. He would deal with Midoriya when he came about, which would probably be in a day or two knowing him. He wouldn’t be able to sit on this information for long before sticking his nose into things. Heroes were also nosy as hell.  “How did he find out?”

“All Might.”

“Of course.” Apparently, the universe thought it would be funny if two separate number one heroes were involved in his shit. Letting Uraraka and Fuyumi help him was a struggle as it was. He did not need two other people he once tried to kill trying to help him too.

“He would’ve found out about it anyway from Shouto,” Uraraka added. “He told him all about the dinner.”

Shigaraki tensed up at that. He should’ve expected it since Todoroki and Midoriya had been practically tied to the hip since high school, but he’d been too distracted and tired to notice. That little shit had probably been liveblogging the dinner all night. “Let me guess: Midoriya told you about it too.”

“And he showed me pictures,” Uraraka said, waving her phone about.

“What? He took fucking pictures ?” Shigaraki jumped forward to snatch her phone to see for himself, but she pulled him away from him and gave him a look that said she might knock him silly if he tried to take it from her. He refrained himself, but it was hard when potentially humiliating photographic evidence was right there in front of him. It wasn’t like he could tackle her or fight her for it when she was holding his child. He’d have to try to get it later somehow.

“They were cute,” Uraraka said with a laugh. “I especially liked the one of you two sleeping on the couch.”

Shigaraki’s face burned. Now she was just trying to push his buttons. “You can put it as your lock screen then.”

She laughed some more and even Yukiko made that sighing laughter sound that she’d started to do a few days ago. They were both mocking him. Maybe she was spending too much time around the pro hero. (But it was good to hear her laugh and see her smile. She hadn’t done it at all the first week.)

After containing herself, Uraraka pulled herself to her feet, bouncing Yukiko in her arms as she threw the diaper away. There was still a smile on her face, but at least she wasn’t giggling anymore. “Go on. You don’t want to be late and give your therapist the wrong idea.”

His stomach twisted at the thought and Shigaraki turned away from her. Being this open with someone that wasn’t Touya and went through the same thing was more embarrassing than he’d anticipated. That was a benefit to being a villain: he didn’t get embarrassed over such petty, dumb stuff. “You must think I’m pretty weak these days. It’s been years and I’m still stuck seeing someone over this shit.”

It was court-mandated and was a very strong reason he’d been up for an early release. If he wanted to get out of prison, he had to keep up with his therapy. The same had been said for Touya. He didn’t like it, but he’d been ready to get out - and maybe, just maybe, it helped him a little. It still made him feel pathetic.

“Not at all,” Uraraka said gently. He paused, his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t look back. “I’d be more concerned if you weren’t going and taking your recovery seriously. You’ve been through a lot - you’ve done a lot - and it might suck, but it’s necessary if you want to be a part of society.” There was something off and almost sad about her voice when she added, “Even heroes go to therapy, not just reformed villains.” He didn’t look back at her. If she looked the way she sounded, he didn’t want to deal with it. “Now get a move on - and go grocery shopping after.”

“You’re so bossy,” Shigaraki grumbled as he opened the door.

“So I’ve been told,” Uraraka quipped. “See ya!”

He lifted a hand in dismissal, but didn’t say goodbye. He caught one last quick glance at Yukiko as he shut the door, his stomach twisting again at leaving her, but then he closed it and walked away. For some reason, he felt the urge to be quick about it, like his body was afraid he’d change his mind and stay home. That was ridiculous. He wanted to get out of his apartment and he wanted to get this appointment over with. Why would he want to stay?

Chapter Text

“This is a lifelong responsibility. Being a parent is something you can never stop being. Are you sure you're ready for a huge step like this? I hate to be the bearer of bad news because I want you to succeed and I want you to step up more in your life. This could set you back. It could easily cause you to spiral. You need to consider this more. Think long-term.”

Shigaraki shoved his hands into his jacket pockets as he stalked down the sidewalk and brushed past everyone. In his irritation after his court-mandated therapy appointment, he had jerked his gloves off and stuffed them into the back pocket of his jeans. He usually left therapy feeling weird, unsure if he was supposed to be relieved or frustrated. He ended up in an odd middle ground where he felt like he was both progressing and irritated that he felt like that at all. It wasn't that he didn't want to get better; he just didn't like that it was on someone else's scale.

He had considered all those things. He had thought long-term. He knew that he couldn't keep doing what he was doing now if he wanted to do this right. Logically speaking, there was no way he could raise her alone on a minimum wage job. He needed to find a better place. Eventually, she would need her own room. Not to mention the area he lived in was kind of shit. Even Uraraka knew that. He wanted Yukiko to be able to play outside and feel safe. He wanted her to go to a good school, something he had never experienced.

He knew there was a lot of things he hadn’t considered. Chances were there would be more than one late night when he would regret this decision. He might even think that he didn’t want her anymore and wish she didn’t exist to put a wrench in his life. It was bound to happen. He had eventually thought the same of All for One when the man had once been the most important person in the world to him.

Yukiko wasn’t a power-crazed egomaniac. She was a baby. He couldn’t get that mad at her for crying late into the night because she only wanted to sleep when he held her. She actually needed him.

And she really was supposed to be the most important person in his life.

After swinging by the store to buy some more stupidly expensive baby formula and a stack of frozen meals for himself (at least it wasn't cup of noodles) and dropping them off at his apartment, Shigaraki headed in the direction of the park Uraraka had mentioned. She had waited until his appointment was over and he was at the store to text him their location so he wouldn't freak out when he got home and they weren't there. Alongside it came a picture of a snug-looking Yukiko in the baby carrier.

He pulled out his phone to look at the picture once more. She was wearing a pair of baby sunglasses. Uraraka must have bought them. It made him feel a little weird that she had spent her own money again, but he did like them. They made Yukiko look both silly and pissed off, like she could not give less of a fuck about what was going on. It was kind of funny.

Once he reached the outskirts of the park, Shigaraki stopped to look around. He hadn’t come here before. It wasn’t like All for One or Kurogiri had ever taken him to play on the swings or taught him how to climb on the jungle gym. He’d gone to a park a few times when he wanted to get out of the base and just think about things. It was a good place to work through problems. Contrary to what Touya believed, he did like being out in the open. Sometimes he needed the fresh air and he didn’t mind the kids. They might have been assholes every now and then, but they weren’t bad.

“Over here!” a voice called out.

Shigaraki recognized it immediately and turned to his right. Sitting on the swings was Uraraka with Yukiko in her lap. They swung back and forth, her feet dragging on the ground, as she waved at him. There was a bright smile on her face and even Yukiko looked content with the swinging motion. Hadn’t he read something about baby swings? Maybe he should look into getting one.

“You’re going to need a proper support system. You can’t do this alone. That means opening up to people whether you like it or not now.”

A support system, huh? Shigaraki had told him a little about Uraraka. He hadn’t told him she was a pro hero who he’d attacked a few times. He might’ve stretched the truth a little, but the point was that he had reached out to someone for help and she had come when he’d called. His therapist had been genuinely impressed and pleased with the progress. He wasn’t sure if the man was okay with the fact that he was still in close contact with Touya, but if it meant him not being alone, then it was better than no one.

He could’ve mentioned All Might. He decidedly did not. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about him beyond irritation and disgruntlement. Besides, did he really want his daughter around the former Symbol of Peace? What did he know about babies anyway?

“Having fun?” Shigaraki asked when he stopped in front of them.

“Her favorite so far is definitely the swings,” Uraraka said decisively, continuing to sway gently back and forth. “I took her down a few slides. I don’t think she knew what to think. She’ll probably like them when she’s older.”

“Adventurous little thing, isn’t she?” Shigaraki replied thoughtfully.

Uraraka kept on smiling. “I didn’t have a park like this when I was growing up. The swings were broken and the slide turned into a huge puddle every time it rained.” She lifted her feet in the air to swing a little more, almost hitting him when she swung forward. Out of some strange instinct, he reached forward and shoved the flat of her shoes, pushing her back and making her swing more. She laughed. “This is nice.”

“No big, fancy playground for you?”

“Not unless you count the various construction sites my parents worked at,” Uraraka replied. She held onto Yukiko a little tighter when he pushed her feet again. “I must have driven my parents crazy. With a quirk that could make me float, I got into the worst places, especially since I couldn’t handle coming back down without puking.”

Shigaraki groaned. “A toddler with a quirk sounds like a nightmare. It’d almost be easier if she was quirkless.”

He really did need to look into Himura’s quirk. Children tended to inherit quirks either similar to one of their parents or mutations of them combined. If she had anything like his quirk, it could be disastrous. At least he was prepared. He often wondered what his parents' quirks had been. Had they had any clue what he would develop? What he could do with a single touch? With any luck, Yukiko wouldn’t get anything like his quirk.

Dropping her feet to the ground, Uraraka slowed herself to a stop. She stood up and held out Yukiko, who once again lifted her arms to him - or at least it looked like it. He could pretend that she gave a shit about him. It was a nice thought. Shigaraki took her and bounced her in his arms, giving her a careful look over. He didn’t know why he did that. It wasn’t like Uraraka would do anything to her.

“Aw!” an older woman gushed behind them. Shigaraki turned to look at her, somewhat alarmed. “You’re such a cute family! What a beautiful daughter you two have.”

Uraraka’s face turned bright red and she began to sputter incoherently, not prepared at all for the proclamation. She didn’t seem capable of forming an actual response and practically shrank behind him in embarrassment.

“We’re not a family,” Shigaraki stated irritably. His face was warm as well, but he didn’t know how to stop it.

“She’s not mine,” Uraraka finally managed.

“Oh!” the woman exclaimed, putting her hands to her cheeks dramatically. “You two looked so comfortable together and with her and she has his eyes and your hair. I just assumed…”

“No, we’re just-” Uraraka and Shigaraki looked at each other at the same time and stared for a moment as they both tried to telepathically come up with the same description. It was hard because he didn’t know what the fuck she was to him. Still a pro hero. An unpaid babysitter. An old enemy. A nice acquaintance? What the fuck was she?

Uraraka turned back to face the same and said, “Friends,” at the same time as he said, “Neighbors,” neither of which were accurate at all. She worked in his neighborhood, but that didn’t make them neighbors. They both immediately whipped their heads to look at each other again, him with a look of consternation on his face and her eyebrows raised and her lips pressed into a thin line as she tried not to laugh at his response.

What? He hadn’t known what to say. It wasn’t like he could tell the truth. Well, he could, but then that old lady would most definitely not think they were so cute and might call the cops. People still looked like they might when they figured out who he was.

The old woman looked confused, so Uraraka continued, “We’ve known each other for quite a few years.” She grinned up at him. “We went through a lot together when we were younger.”

Shigaraki tilted his head and glared at her incredulously. What the fuck? Was she really joking about their history? He did that. He hadn’t expected her to do the same thing.

“It’s so nice that you’re still in each other’s lives after everything,” the woman said, having come up with her own conclusions about what Uraraka meant. They were absolutely incorrect, but judging by the bright look on Uraraka’s face, she didn’t plan on correcting her any time soon.

“Yeah, he put me through a lot and gave me such a hard time.” She lightly punched him in the arm. “Yet here we are.”

Shigaraki grunted. “Yeah, here we are. Fantastic.”

“So sweet and cute,” the woman sighed happily. “And who knows! It could blossom into something more.”

Before Shigaraki could correct her, the woman tottered away, having decided that she’d tortured them enough. As soon as she was out of earshot, Uraraka burst into laughter, startling Yukiko, but luckily she didn’t cry. Uraraka put a hand over her mouth, her eyes glowing sheepishly. He could only lift his eyes to the sky and groan. Could his life get more ridiculous?

“You’re going to have to form real relationships - for yourself and her.”

Not fucking likely. At least not like this and not with bright as fuck people like Uraraka. He had enough to deal with. He didn’t need someone so bubbly in his life. Yukiko, on the other hand… It wouldn’t hurt. She needed that. Judging from her lack of smiling and laughter, plus how she didn’t fight being handed to different people, he highly doubted that Himura had been warm and loving towards her. He’d agreed with his therapist on that one.

“It’s not funny,” Shigaraki said, starting in the direction of his apartment. He wanted to get out of here now before anyone else thought they were a family. He couldn’t handle that right now. His head was already filled with enough fog from everything he’d talked about with his therapist. The man always brought up uncomfortable things. Family had been one of his triggers in the beginning. He’d kind of thought he was over it.

Uraraka picked up the baby carrier next to the swing and jogged to catch up with him. “It’s kind of funny.” She playfully flicked her hair with one of her hands and gave him an amused look, one hand on her hip. She was definitely teasing him. “Because I’m so your type.”

“People would probably accuse you of having like Stockholm Syndrome or something,” Shigaraki mumbled.

“Like some sort of damsel?” Uraraka countered airily

Shigaraki scoffed. “You're hardly a damsel.”

He had spent the past week pinpointing old memories of her from his past encounters with heroes, other villains, and those damn U.A. kids. He had faced her once, if only briefly, when she had interrupted a fight with Midoriya. He had been captured not long after that and so much had happened in those months that he'd kind of forgotten. She had been fierce and intense back then and she hadn't even been a full-fledged hero yet. She'd nearly brought an entire building down on him. It was only thanks to his quirk that he'd managed to keep from getting crushed, but it had been precarious until Kurogiri had found him. He remembered thinking the sky was literally falling and just standing there watching it happen, knowing he couldn't escape.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Uraraka replied dryly.

“It’s not a compliment,” Shigaraki said as they entered his apartment building. “It’s the truth.”

He hadn’t become a notorious villain by underestimating his adversaries. He had to look at them honestly and assess all of their weaknesses and strengths if he was going to beat them. There was confidence and then there was cockiness. Shigaraki could admit to some arrogance in his villain days (in his civilian days too even if he was just a video game store employee?), but he didn’t let that get the best of him when it came to enemies. He had to know when they were stronger than him in some areas.

And Uraraka had been and still was very strong.

Her cheeks were always pink thanks to those little spots on her face, but they definitely looked pinker than normal now. He didn’t know what the big deal was. He was just being honest. Didn’t people like that? Heroes were supposed to be these good, earnest people. Maybe she thought all villains, former or current, were natural born liars, but he’d had to be honest too. Plus, it didn’t help that his entire life had been built on lies. Maybe he avoided talking about how he felt or admitting when he was struggling, but he wasn’t overly fond of lying, especially to get something.

By the time they reached his floor, Yukiko was getting fussy in his arms. That usually meant one of three things (hungry, tired, or in need of a change), but before he could ask Uraraka when Yukiko had last done anything related to those three options, he spotted something that made him freeze in the hallway. Well, it was more like he’d spotted two somethings, specifically sitting in front of his door with bright bows on them.

“Did Christmas come early?” Uraraka as she strode forward while he was still frozen on the spot. Before she could pick up the card on top of the larger box, he rushed forward and snatched it while her fingers were inches away from the paper. She jerked her hand back, eyes wide and innocent, but didn’t snap at him for his rude behavior.

Shigaraki didn’t need to read the card to know who it was from, but his gaze locked onto the note anyway and he felt his stomach turn on its end.

When I visited you, I noticed you didn’t have a swing. I’ve heard that a swing is an indispensable tool when it comes to raising a baby. I saw what formula you were using and I know it can get expensive, along with diapers. This should last you for a while. I really do hope you’re doing well and are asking for help when you need it. Please, do not hesitate to call me. I know it’s weird, but I want you to know that you’re not alone in this, even if you feel like you are.

Basically, what he was saying was, I am here, and it made Shigaraki instantly burn with aggravation.

(He hadn’t been there before. What was the point of him being here now? He didn’t need him.)

“I don’t fucking need his fucking charity,” Shigaraki snarled. Seeing as how he’d taken his gloves off earlier, he didn’t have to bother tugging one off in order to throw what was probably a tantrum. He didn’t care. He destroyed the card in a matter of seconds and then reached out to touch the box containing the swing, fully intent on disintegrating it and turning it into a useless pile of ash. However, before he could do so, Uraraka snatched him by the wrist in a lightning-fast move. He glared at her furiously. “Let go.”

“No,” Uraraka simply told him.

He couldn’t fucking believe it. Okay, he could, but at the same time, it pissed him off even further. Who did she think she was? She didn’t know him. She didn’t have any right to tell him what to do or stop him from doing this. It wasn’t any of her business. Once again, it was yet another hero bossing him around, telling him how to live his life. He didn’t want this. He didn’t need this.

“Let go of me, Uraraka,” he growled.

“I will when you stop behaving like a toddler,” Uraraka countered, glaring right back at him. His red gaze zeroed in on her hand holding his wrist. It was a firm grip, but not a painful one. He could continue to reach out to the box and touch it with minimal struggling. She wasn’t pulling him back and she wasn’t holding him in a vise. What he noticed the most though was her pointer finger hanging in the air so that she was only gripping onto him with four fingers. Most people would use the pinky, but that lessened the strength of the grip. He knew better and as did she. When his eyes flickered back to hers, she softened her expression marginally. “Are you going to stop?”

“Yes, fine,” Shigaraki snapped.

Uraraka loosened her grip on him and then pulled her hand away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to-” She looked back to the boxes. “I just didn’t want you to do something you might regret later. He only wants to help.”

Shigaraki’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. “How do you know who it is?”

“I figured All Might is the one person who might make you react so…” Uraraka bit her lip and he could tell she didn’t want to continue with the statement, worried it would only offend him further. He gave her an expectant look, telling her to finish. “Like a wounded child.”

He actually flinched. She was right to have not wanted to finish that thought. Was he that obvious to read? He supposed All Might had always been one of his triggers and still sort of was even after years of therapy. He’d calmed down a lot. It was still pathetic that she had been able to catch on so quickly. She barely knew him.

“Look at it this way,” Uraraka continued, trying to push past the awkwardness. “You do need these things and now you don’t have to worry about them. Trust me; that swing will be a lifesaver. It’ll help her nap, which will, in turn, give you time to yourself or to sleep.” That did sound nice. He would really like to be able to eat without having to shovel everything down his throat as fast as possible. He couldn’t even taste food that way, not that he’d been eating the most delicious food recently. “Plus, he didn’t stick around so you don’t have to see him. He dropped the items off and left. He’s not here. You can forget about him.”

It was so damn ironic. He wasn’t here and yet he was. All Might was like an itch he couldn’t get rid of. It had been years since he was the number one hero and the Symbol of Peace. Somehow, despite Shigaraki’s and the League’s many attempts, he was still alive - and he was trying to make up for what he hadn’t even been around to do in the first place.

Realistically, looking back on it now (and again, thanks to therapy), he knew it was pointless for him to hate All Might and blame him for not helping him when he was a child. To be honest, Shigaraki wasn’t even sure All Might had been in Japan at the time. It wasn’t his fault that other people had used his power as an excuse not to do anything. It wasn’t his fault that Shigaraki’s quirk had turned out to be so dangerous and no one had known until it was too late. No, it wasn’t his fault that his nemesis had found him first - had been waiting to take him away as revenge against All Might - and turned him into his obedient puppet.

It was still easier to dislike him. Less complicated.

Uraraka’s words did make sense though. Just forget about All Might. Yes, Shigaraki could do that. There were a lot of things that he straight up ignored and pretended didn’t exist. That was easy too. Was it the best solution? Probably not considering it wasn’t very long term, but he didn’t much care about that at the time.

“Okay,” Shigaraki decided, dropping his hand completely to his side.

Uraraka eyed him carefully before giving him a single nod. “Good.”

When he unlocked the front door, she tapped the large box and gift basket, making them float, and pushed them inside. Once she had them in the corner, she released her quirk. It certainly was convenient. That would’ve made moving the few stuff he owned into this place a lot easier. Boxes, furniture, random shit - she could be a one-woman moving team.

After pulling her phone out of her back pocket to check the time, Uraraka said, “I should probably get going. You need anything else?”

“No, I’m-”  he pointedly ignored the boxes when he looked at her. “ I’m all set.”

“No help in setting this thing?” Uraraka asked, waving a hand at the swing. No, he was ignoring it. He’d deal with it later when it didn’t put him in a sour mood. She would be mad at him if he threw a fit and destroyed it. She was right: he was acting like a child. Who cared where it came from? “It’s a little different than building something in Minecraft.”

“I don’t play Minecraft,” Shigaraki told her, almost feeling insulted by the assumption.

Uraraka winked. “Whatever you say, nerd.”

Shigaraki didn’t even know what to say. Was this how far he’d fallen? A pro hero calling him a nerd? Even worse, he didn’t have a comeback. He could say that he wasn’t one, but, to be fair, all she had to do was look around his mess of a place and point out a few things that would contradict him. He wasn’t a nerd. He just happened to like a few nerdy things. There wasn’t anything wrong with that. At least she hadn’t figured out where the name “Yukiko” had come from.

Speaking of which…

“When-?”

“She’s probably due for a bottle and a change,” Uraraka said as she picked up her bag and slid the strap over her shoulder. It was like she’d read his mind. How had she known that was what he was about to ask? It was probably a predictable question, seeing as how his life revolved around Yukiko. There wasn’t much else he would ask. “Shoot me a text if you need anything.” She saluted jokingly. “I’ll be around. Hopefully, it’s another quiet night.”

“Not wanting to fight any villains?” Shigaraki asked.

Uraraka paused with her hand on the doorknob. “Being a hero isn’t about flashy fights and being in the spotlight. It can be the little things too.” She pulled the bag strap further up her shoulder. “I think a lot of heroes - myself included - forget that sometimes. We need to appreciate the good days. That’s when we know we’re doing our jobs.”

It did seem like being a pro hero meant huge battles, clashing with villains, and daring rescues. He knew she was fully capable of all those things. He was sure she’d saved a lot of lives since she started her career as a hero. She had a quirk built for saving people, although he had seen her in action too. That wasn’t what being a hero was about; she was right. Heroes that were focused on big, flashy fights tended to look over the smaller issues. Like a scared, little boy slumped against a wall and shocked into silence - or a man struggling with a baby.

Uravity might just be a good hero. It was unfortunate society tended to look over those people as well.

*

Life fell into a strange routine, one she could have never planned on. It wasn’t like Uraraka had anticipated becoming a part of Shigaraki’s life, but she was definitely on the outskirts of it, at least as far as Yukiko was concerned. After two weeks of dealing with bureaucrats and taking tests, he was able to get all the necessary paperwork to make Yukiko a citizen. She really hadn’t existed. It made Uraraka wonder how Himura had given birth in the first place. She hadn’t gone to a hospital. Yukiko had been a ghost up until she was dropped into Shigaraki’s arms.

Just as they had decided on, for those weeks, Uraraka came over once to watch Yukiko. They kept in steady contact throughout the weeks, which was unusual in the fact that it was so normal. Shigaraki always seemed certain that she would change her mind at the last minute, but she never did. Once she committed to something, short of a terrorist attack, she wasn’t going to blow either of them off. He needed that time to himself. A part of her thought he let her come around so Touya and Fuyumi wouldn’t think he was struggling. If he didn’t ask them for help and looked fine, then he must be doing good.

He was doing good. She genuinely thought he was doing better than he realized. Sure, he hadn’t figured out a proper sleep schedule and his hygiene had taken a slight dip, but he was taking care of Yukiko. She was his priority. To be honest, Uraraka thought his food consumption hadn’t changed much. He didn’t seem like the type that did a lot of home-cooked meals. He could get away with that now while Yukiko ate formula and baby food later on, but he would have to figure out something once she started eating actual food.

Uraraka was at the tail end of having lunch with Deku and his mom when she got a surprise text from Shigaraki. She was pretty much finished and excused herself to the restroom so she could check it out. Not that she was trying to be sneaky or Deku would be nosy, but she needed to wash her hands anyway. Once she closed the door, she pulled her phone out and checked the message.

Hey are you busy?

Just had lunch with Deku. What’s up? The last time she’d lied about doing something, he’d gotten disgruntled over it. He didn’t like coming off as an inconvenience. He wasn’t one, but it would be a while before he accepted that. If it was a big deal, he would ask her anyway instead of going to someone else.

I know this is really fucking random and I did not want to do this, but I need a favor.

Oh, he didn’t need to tell her that he didn’t want to do this. It had probably taken him a better part of an hour before he copped and texted her. She was kind of proud of him, but it did worry her too. Had something serious happened? It wasn’t like him to text her for help outside of their schedule.

Is everything okay?

Yeah, she’s fine. I just need to go into work for a few hours, but I won’t have her daycare paperwork shit finished until tomorrow. They need so much. It’s not bring your kid to work day.

Uraraka sighed in relief. One of the things he had decided on was returning to work. It had been a month. He had to go back or face the possibility of losing his job. Plus, he did not want to resort to asking for help regarding bills. She thought of that credit card he’d used in order to buy all the baby stuff that first night. He had money, but he didn’t seem to like to use it. Maybe he was just a penny pincher. That really nice computer and gaming system said otherwise, but everyone had their guilty pleasures. She spent way too much money on food.

Want me to ask Deku if he wants to help?

I know you’re joking but that’s not funny.

I am not. He’s great with kids. Uraraka snickered to herself. She could just imagine Shigaraki grumbling to himself over the mere idea of Deku getting involved with taking care of Yukiko. He was really good with kids. He’d admitted to not knowing if he would ever have any - being the number one hero did not leave much room for relationships or starting a family - but he was always excited around them. What time do you have to go in?

Not for a few hours. I’m switching to morning shift next week.

I can’t wait to be on morning shift again. Just a few more weeks!

Luckily Yukiko is a morning baby so I’m used to it. She’s also a night baby. Best of both worlds.

Yukiko did sleep a lot - as long as someone was holding her. She sort of liked the swing, but would still wake up whenever Shigaraki left the room. It was like she knew he was trying to do something without her and she didn’t like it at all. She was very attached to him. Over the past month, Yukiko had changed a lot. She was slowly starting to show more of the personality, that she’d apparently been hiding it before. She cried more, wanted more attention, smiled and laughed, and clung to certain toys. She was being more vocal and open. It was slow progress, but it was something.

Just thinking of how Yukiko had been in the beginning made Uraraka’s stomach turn. She hadn’t realized how wrong it was until she noticed how much Yukiko had changed in an admittedly short period of time.

Okay I’m gonna hang out here for a bit longer and then I’ll head over. Deku’s leaving again soon.

Fantastic

He’s still concerned about you.

That’s his problem.

Uraraka rolled her eyes and shoved her phone back in her pocket. She could sense the final tone in his text, meaning that the conversation was over. After washing her hands, she walked back into the dining room where Deku was gathering all the plates. “Sorry about that.”

“Everything okay?” Deku asked curiously. “Do you need to go now?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine. Work just called asking if I could come in for a bit tonight.”

“Didn’t you just say Ryukyu told you that you deserve a break?” Deku pointed out.

Oh, yeah, she had said that. Her boss was incredibly impressed with how Uraraka been handling things the past year. Even if she wasn’t guaranteed to rise in the pro ranks, there was talk about her receiving a promotion. It was really awesome and she was excited about it. Ryukyu had also pointed out that she was running the risk of burning the candle at both ends and that she wanted her to pull back just a little once she was fully on day shift again.

“Uh, yeah, but then two people called in sick today apparently, so she needed someone to stay at the office.” Uraraka picked up her plate to help him and gave him a grin, hoping the explanation would appease him. “Now, I’m pretty sure I was promised dessert.”

“You think I would forget how much you love dessert?” Deku said. There was still a glimmer of doubt in his eyes, but he let it go, thankfully. She tried not to obviously sigh in relief. This lying thing was hard. She didn’t like it and she wasn’t good at it either. Still, she kept on smiling as he added, “Mom has been trying out baking.”

“Toshi says I’m trying to fatten him up,” Inko said from the kitchen.

“I’ll gladly volunteer to try out your bakes if he doesn’t want to,” Uraraka replied.

Deku chuckled and shook his head. It must have been a little weird when his mother and childhood hero had begun dating. No one was quite sure when it had started. His parents' divorce had been a quiet and small affair after he had graduated. It had thrown Deku off a little, but he’d admitted he mostly felt weird because it didn’t bother him. He hadn’t seen his father for years and they only talked on the phone here and there. The man simply wasn’t a part of his life.

He seemed more upset that his mother had waited for so long. There hadn’t been any bitterness between them. She hadn’t been devastated or lost in grief. Thinking about what Inko had gone through helped Uraraka during some of her darkest days following the break-up. She loved her parents, but they were so stupid in love and had been dating since high school. Being so close to Deku meant knowing his mother and she’d called the older woman a few times asking for advice. She really was a kind-hearted and sweet woman, which was why it was absolutely adorable and so wonderful that she’d found happiness with someone else.

Even if it was weird that All Might was that someone else. Deku’s idol was dating his mom. They had all reacted upon finding that out. Deku had laughed until he realized they were serious and then he’d blushed as much as his mom, tears leaking from his eyes. He loved his mom so much. All he wanted was for her to be happy. He had said the same thing to Uraraka when he’d helped her move.

It might not seem like it now, but you’ll be happy again. It’s okay to admit that you’re not. I still wish my mom hadn’t hidden it all those years. She wasn’t exactly sad, but… She could have been better.

Uraraka could be happier. She knew that now. It hadn’t seemed like it back then - it had felt like her whole world was crashing down around her - but honestly, here now, she was. There were still bumps in the road, but she was back on track again. She was really making a name for herself and standing out and she had started hanging out with her friends more too. She felt like she was doing things again. It was weird to think about, but it was almost like stumbling across Shigaraki and becoming a part of Yukiko’s life had jumpstarted things for her. She wasn’t complaining.

*

Uraraka left cheerful and waving despite having to go to work on her day off. That wasn't completely odd. She loved being a hero. They all had their off days, even him, but he knew she had been struggling a little. Having gone to night shift had been a good distraction at first since it required stranger hours and often left her too tired to get mopey during the day, but it also hindered one's social life quite a bit, so what had started out as a blessing eventually turned into a curse when she was feeling better and ready to jump back into things.

She didn't like to complain though and was genuinely pleased to be back at Ryuku's agency. Switching to her new agency couldn't have come at a better time for her. It was a good move. The Dragon Hero knew Uraraka's worth and had put her in a high position right at the start. It was high time other people saw that in her. Even she was down, she never let anything knock her out.

Logically, Midoriya knew that he should be pleased that Uraraka was happier. There was something brighter about her recent behavior - more playful, light-hearted, bubbly. She had been that way before, but not nearly as much and not nearly as genuine. She wasn't that great of a liar and she had never done a good job at hiding how she felt. He was just oblivious when it came to himself. By the time he had figured out she had a crush on him, she was already over it and had begun to focus on herself. Apparently, everyone else had known. Kacchan had been very smug about letting him know how stupid he was about it.

So the fact that Uraraka was this happy had to mean something. It couldn't be only because she was going back to the morning shift. Plus, there had been all that secret texting recently. It wasn't all the time, but every now and then she would step into a different room to take a call. He caught her grinning without realizing it when texting, but only sometimes, and she never explained who it was. If it was someone he knew, she would tell him they said hello or something along those lines, but with this specific person, she would silently slip her phone back into her pocket and act like she hadn't been smiling to herself seconds ago while texting.

Maybe he had been a hero for too long with a propensity to get involved in things, but it was suspicious.

“Uraraka seems like she's doing well,” his mother said from the kitchen where she was washing dishes.

Midoriya propped his elbow on the table and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, she does. I'm really happy. Plus, with talk about giving her more responsibility at the agency, she can really start moving up the ranks. Maybe she can start branching out of the country. Her quirk would be suited for natural disasters.”

“Listen to you,” his mother chuckled, “always analyzing and considering people's abilities.” That was one habit he would never be able to get rid of despite having One for All now. It was ingrained in him. “I meant besides her job. I know hero work is the only thing you think of-”

“ Mom ,” Midoriya huffed, rolling his eyes.

“-but she's had a rough year, personally speaking,” his mother continued, undeterred by his interruption. “It seems silly that something like a break up could affect a person for so long, but…”

Midoriya peered at her through the door. Her back was to him and she was still washing the dishes, but he thought her shoulders were slumped. It was hard for him to gauge how she felt about his father. They'd never really talked about him much before when they were married and he lived across the ocean. Now they were divorced, he still lived in another country and he wasn't spoken about much. Nothing had changed. She refused to talk bad about him in front of Midoriya and insisted there was nothing bad to talk about, but he thought it had made her lonelier than before. He had never considered how lonely her life had been until she had set him down a month after graduation and explained what she and her father had decided to do.

She deserved more. Uraraka deserved more.

“She looks and sounds happy,” his mother continued, “and not in just a way to appease her loved ones.”

His mother would know, but to be honest, he couldn’t agree with her more. “She does. I was kinda worried about her. She really threw herself into work and never wanted to talk about it.” She still didn’t seem to walk to talk about it, per se, but it didn’t feel like it was a burden on her anymore either. It was curious. Had something happened or had she simply moved on? He stood up decisively. “I’ve gotta run a few errands. Do you need anything while I’m out?”

“No, I think I’m good,” his mother replied.

Slipping his shoes back on, Midoriya grabbed a baseball cap and threw it on before rushing out of the apartment. Now that he was the number one hero, his face was everywhere and it didn’t matter how plain he looked. People still recognized him on the street. The hat didn’t do much, but it worked just enough to make people second guess when they saw him. It had only been a few minutes since Uraraka had left, but she could’ve gone anywhere. But she said she was going to work, so maybe if he went in that direction…

Yes, there she was! Walking to the train station. She must have paused to get on her phone, which she was slipping in her back pocket again.

Midoriya pulled his phone out and made a call as he started to follow her. Did he feel a little guilty about doing this? Maybe, but he was concerned. “Hey, are you busy?”

“Literally walking out of the agency now,” Todoroki responded on the other end. “You sound anxious.”

Did he? Well, he kind of felt like it, which was ridiculous. Uraraka was happy, but he wasn’t used to her hiding things. She was normally such an open book. It hadn’t been until this past year that she had started to hide how she felt and it still sat wrong in his head. They told each other everything, even the super embarrassing stuff now. She had a lot of dirt on him.

“Have you noticed Ochako acting strange lately?” Midoriya asked. “I was gone for a few months.”

“Strange, how?” Todoroki asked.

“Evasive,” Midoriya replied. “I think she’s hiding something, but I don’t know what.”

“You think she’s seeing someone?”

“She would tell us though, wouldn’t she?” Midoriya asked as stood in the crowd for the train. He kept his distance from her while making sure she was still in his line of sight. He moved his phone to his other ear so it would partially block his face. “Why wouldn’t she tell us? Maybe it’s someone we know. She wouldn’t hide it if it was someone we didn’t know because then there wouldn’t be a point. But then why wouldn’t the other person tell us? I mean, it can’t be any worse than when she told us she was dating…”

Todoroki hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe they’re talking again. It doesn’t have to be a relationship. She might not want you to know that they’re renewing their friendship.”

“Why not?” Midoriya whined, almost offended by the idea.

“Because you might not think it’s a good idea,” Todoroki pointed out.

Midoriya pressed his lips together. He had a point. “Okay, well, I’m pinging you my location. I’m gonna be on the move since I’m boarding the train, but I think we’re going in the direction of her agency so head that way.”

“Izuku…are you following her?”

“I’m concerned!” Midoriya blurted.

“No, you’re just nosy.” Todoroki sighed. “I’ll head in that direction. Let me know if you get off at a different stop.”

Technically, he didn’t Todoroki to help him with this fake errand, but it would make him feel better to not be alone. Midoriya boarded the train and sat down in the car behind the one she stepped in. There must not have been any open seats in her car because she was standing up, which made it easier for him to keep an eye on what stop she got off on. He knew the one for her agency and apartment. They weren’t too far apart. If she went to work or even home, then he’d know he was being ridiculous. If she went somewhere else…

Okay, yeah, maybe he was just being nosy. He had felt bad about not being around much this past year. They’d re-bonded over the phone with late-night calls and her talking to his mom, but it still sucked. Iida and Todoroki had kept him up to date on how she was doing when he knew she wasn’t telling him the whole truth, but it hadn’t been the same as hearing it from her.

Pulling up Ashido’s contact, Midoriya sent her a quick text: Hey I know this is random, but you’re around more than me.

Oh? This is a very typical cryptic Deku text. Haven’t got one of these in a while.

I know, I know. I’m very bad at staying in contact. I’ve been busy?

I’ll let you off the hook this time. :P What’s up?

Has Ochako been acting weird lately?

There was a pause in the fast-paced conversation. Midoriya watched as three dots appeared and then disappeared multiple times, as if she was considering her words wisely. Either that or she had a lot to say. Ashido might be one of the fastest texters in Japan.

You know now that I think about it yeah. We had a girls’ night out a month ago that she up and left randomly after getting a call. She said it was work, but she’s done that a few times. She really needs to come up with a better excuse. I know she was working crazy hours, but this is insane.

Yup, she’d had a lot to say. Her response did make him feel like some of his suspicions were confirmed, even if he didn’t know what they meant. He glanced at Uraraka through the window. She had her earbuds in and was listening to some music on her phone, bouncing her head along to the beat, expression content. She didn’t look like someone sneaking around in a secret relationship. She would tell him if they were on speaking terms again.

Kacchan certainly wouldn’t say anything to him, but there was no way Midoriya wouldn’t find out.

His phone buzzed in his hand, alerting him to another text from Ashido: What if she’s seeing someone and not telling us? :O A secret relationship!

You think she’d hide it from us?

Well, the tabloids did a number on her during the breakup and with all those other rumors popping up. Maybe that’s why she’s keeping it on the DL.

Midoriya hesitated. Those other rumors. He could still remember Uraraka calling him crying on the phone when they surfaced. It had been three months ago? She’d been doing good and then that splashed all over the hero news and she went into a spiral. Drinking an entire bottle of sake alone had pushed her into a hysterical state and she’d been too embarrassed to call any of the girls. She didn’t want them to come over and see her like that - feel sorry for her or unintentionally make her feel even more pitiful - so she had called him since he was an ocean away. She’d made him swore not to tell anyone about her “hiccup” and he hadn’t, but it still made him want to bite his nails thinking about it.

So far, nothing had come of those rumors and misunderstandings like that happened all the time, but still… He almost asked Ashido about it, but then thought better of it. He was already sticking his nose in one person’s business. Adding someone else would just be madness and he didn’t have time for that. In between working back in the country, he was due to leave within the week. He liked being home, but he couldn’t be the number one hero in just Japan. He had to branch out and go elsewhere. Snooping on one friend was timely as it was.

I’m gonna call and ask her.

Midoriya fumbled with his phone upon seeing that text and nearly dropped it on the train floor. It would’ve been gone for good had he done that. He managed to send a simple NO before she could do anything and got a ??? back in response. He sighed in relief.

I’m kinda following her.

OMG! BOY! Now that’s what I’m talking about. You nosy little gossip! Now I don’t have to do it.

Ugh we’re terrible friends aren’t we? She’s been really happy. I don’t know why I’m so worried about her being happy.

Because she’s like your best friend and you love her but she’s being hella suspicious. I texted Tsuyu and she said that Ochako has been acting super weird. Like she makes lame excuses about why she can’t do things on random days. Secret relationship. I’m calling it.

Midoriya shook his head. They were being so terrible. He should’ve just asked her, but then he remembered catching her texting that first time, seeing the grin on her face, and he didn’t want to push the topic. He could sense her throwing up a wall immediately and he didn’t like it. The last time she’d done that she’d exploded like she was a balloon filled with every emotion possible. It hadn’t been fun for anyone, least of all her, and she had seemed really happy back then too.

Keep me in the loop, Secret Agent Man.

Honestly, he was one of the least sneaky people he knew. He had to keep his head mostly down in order to hide his face. If anyone recognized him, they’d make a commotion and Uraraka would see him. He should’ve asked her. Why hadn’t he done that? It would’ve been so much easier than this and less invasive. Maybe. Possibly. Yup, he was going on the Bad Friend List.

The stop Uraraka took was not the one for either her agency or her apartment, but it was still close. She could have conceivably wanted to walk the rest of the way since the train was crowded. Midoriya texted Todoroki and jumped off before the doors shut. He got a quick response back from Todoroki saying he was close by. Buzzing with nervous and guilty energy, Midoriya didn’t know what to do. He was being stupid. He was being weird. He was being nosy. Maybe he and Todoroki should just hang out once they met up like normal friends instead of tailing their other friend.

He was about to round a corner when Todoroki appeared, wearing a hood over his head, and said, “Hey, you look like a stalker,” which only dismayed Midoriya further. Todoroki was still very obvious if someone looked at his face, but he did have a quiet way of blending in with the crowd. Sometimes, Midoriya missed his days of anonymity and being average as all get out, but he’d had to let go of that once he started to seriously climb the ranks.

Todoroki looked around as they walked. “This is...not a good area.”

“I know!” Midoriya exclaimed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Well, to them, it wasn’t so bad. As the current top two pro heroes, if there was a villain living here that wanted to attack them, if they didn’t win, then they really didn’t deserve their titles or ranks. Uraraka could handle herself as well. He had seen her take down multiple villains all on her own and she packed one hell of a punch. Still, it was weird. Why was she coming here at all? No one just took a stroll through this neighborhood for fun or to relax and it looked like she had a destination.

“Oh, look, she’s going into that apartment building,” Midoriya said.

“What do we do now? We can’t follow her inside without looking obvious.” Todoroki waved a dismissive hand at a pair of dying bushes. “Do we hide in there?”

“Let’s just…look casual.” Midoriya leaned against the wall, trying to appear as if he was wasting the day away and had nothing better to do.

Todoroki took one look at him and shook his head. “Now we look like drug dealers.”

He didn’t argue though and got into a position, looking much more genuinely casual than Midoriya did. He didn’t even look at the apartment building often. However, Midoriya was having difficulty looking away from it. Something itched at him in the back of his mind. He took his phone out and pulled up the GPS so he could check the building’s address. The moment he read it off out loud, a shock ran through him and he jerked upright. Even Todoroki was taken aback, staring at him with an alarmed look in his eyes.

“That’s…” Midoriya furrowed his brow and read the address again.

“Shigaraki’s apartment building,” Todoroki finished when Midoriya couldn’t seem to get the words out.

Midoriya looked up at him. “How did you know that?”

“I asked Fuyumi,” Todoroki responded, looking more troubled and confused by the second. “I told her I wanted to send him a congratulatory gift for the baby. She believed it for all of three seconds.”

“What did you want to know it for?” Midoriya asked curiously.

Todoroki did not look ashamed one bit when he answered, “In case something went wrong with the baby. It’s hard to trust him and believe he’s changed for good, even after what I saw.”

Well, that was one way to be prepared. Midoriya’s stomach flip-flopped. He really wanted to believe that Shigaraki was doing good and trying his best to be a father. He knew how much Shigaraki’s improvement meant to All Might too. If anything were to happen to cause him to slip back into his old ways… Stress could make people feel cornered into doing a lot of stupid things.

“How did you know?” Todoroki asked.

Midoriya smiled sheepishly. “I looked in All Might’s address book. He still keeps one.”

“And you said you’re not good at being sneaky,” Todoroki mocked.

“I’m not,” Midoriya insisted. “It’s just that All Might is even worse.” He returned his attention back to the building. She hadn’t come back out yet. He knew what floor Shigaraki’s apartment was on, but he couldn’t be sure which window was his. If he had an apartment facing the alley, they wouldn’t be able to see it from here. “Why would she come here? She was so surprised when I talked to her about the dinner. Did she seek him out after?”

“Are you positive she didn’t already know?” Todoroki brought up. “This is in the area she patrols, isn’t it? She was on duty the night of the incident where Shigaraki called the villain in. What if she saw him then?”

“Why wouldn’t she tell me though?” Midoriya asked, feeling kind of hurt even though he had been the one following her and sticking his nose in her business. He took a deep breath. “I’m making this too personal. She doesn’t have to tell me everything, but she didn’t tell anyone about this - and it’s about Shigaraki. Unless she’s meeting someone else here and this is just a huge coincidence.”

In that moment, the front door to the apartment building opened. It wasn’t Uraraka that walked out onto the sidewalk but Shigaraki. Midoriya’s heart did a weird stutter in his chest. His hair was shorter, he was taking much better care of his skin to the point where any dryness was almost nonexistent, he might’ve been a little skinnier, and he was wearing khakis and a black polo video game store uniform shirt. But it was him. Midoriya would’ve recognized those sharp red eyes anywhere. They were different from Kacchan’s fiery ones, but they burned bright all the same, even when he looked tired and somewhat frazzled.

No Uraraka though. She was still inside. She went in. Shigaraki came out.

He was wearing a polo and khakis, for heaven’s sake. Did villains wear polos and khakis? They were hardly the type of clothes one wore when they were committing crimes, aside from fashion ones. Besides, Shigaraki wasn’t a villain anymore. He wasn’t a criminal. He was a parolee. He’d served his time, the shorter sentence that Midoriya had fought for, and he was trying to live his life. He was a single parent. Midoriya thought of all the time his mother raised him by herself. How hard had that been on her? How hard was it on Shigaraki? He couldn’t think the worst of him.

But where was Uraraka? This couldn’t be a coincidence.

Todoroki abruptly walking toward the building startled Midoriya out of his confused thoughts, making him jump and ask, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going inside,” Todoroki responded without looking back or stopping.

Horror (or maybe embarrassment) washed over Midoriya. “Why?”

“To make sure she’s okay.”

Midoriya sputtered and repeated, “ Why ? You can’t possibly think Shigaraki did something to her.” He rushed to catch up with Todoroki, who merely shrugged his shoulders in response. He couldn’t discount it. Uraraka went in. Shigaraki came out. What in the world was going on? He had thought this would answer his questions, not give him more, but this was just plain weird. Shigaraki being a dad was weird enough as it was. “What? Do you think he lured her to his apartment and has her tied up there or something?”

“He’s already involved with my brother and sister - and not likely to leave apparently,” Todoroki stated as he opened the door and walked inside. “I’d like to know what business he has with one of my closest friends. She doesn’t need to be dragged into his shit too.”

Midoriya raised his eyebrows, but said nothing to counter him. Sometimes he forgot about how protective Todoroki was of his friends. Uraraka was like family to him. One of the few times he and Kacchan had talked in the past year had been an out of the blue text from Kacchan telling him to get Todoroki off his back. Todoroki’s response had been simple: I’ll get off his back when he stops being an inconsiderate asshole. He hadn’t really been an asshole (well, okay, he hadn’t been trying to be inconsiderate), but Todoroki held grudges more than he liked to admit.

His feelings toward Shigaraki were conflicted at best. On one hand, he thought it was important for them to be able to move on so that former villains like Shigaraki (and Touya) could rebuild their lives. Punishment without the possibility of reformation was pointless and cruel. However, as much as he was all for Shigaraki fixing his life and becoming a better person, Todoroki would have greatly preferred it if he had done that away from his siblings.

Knowing there was no point in arguing with him, especially when it was a touchy subject with his brother having been the villain that kidnapped Kacchan and helped start the spiral of their three years at UA, Midoriya kept his mouth shut and surveyed the building as they climbed the stairs. There were a few poorly repaired cracks in the walls. This wasn’t the worst place he had stepped foot in, but it was definitely in need of some upkeep. The landlord or owner had tried to fix it, but either gave up or thought it was good enough. They cared enough to try, just not hard enough.

Midoriya was the number one hero, yet he shuffled behind Todoroki as he strode down the hallway to the correct apartment. Unexpectedly, he could hear music playing behind the door, the sort of upbeat and poppy tune that he associated with Uraraka. Actually, when he listened properly, he could hear singing as well. This was Shigaraki’s apartment. He’d memorized the address. What was going on?

Before he could ask any questions, Todoroki knocked on the door and, as clear as day, Uraraka’s voice sounded on the other end. “Did you forget your keys? I swear, I told you to grab them, but no, you had to be a snarky asshole about it and-”

The apartment door opened, revealing Uraraka with a baby in her arms and her mouth open. Todoroki still had his hand up like he was still knocking. Midoriya gawked. His eyes flickered from Uraraka’s shocked face to the baby in her arms. She was a little thing with thin legs and arms, currently snuggled up against Uraraka’s chest and clinging to her like her life depended on it. What he noticed the most though was the baby’s somehow sharp red eyes and the mole on her cheek. It was in the same spot as Shigaraki’s and Nana’s.

“Uh,” Uraraka stammered, “hey guys?”

“What are you doing here?” Midoriya blurted out.

“What are you doing here?” Uraraka questioned. She held the baby closer to her, almost like she was protecting her from them, and he watched as her expression went from confused to suspicious. “Did you…? Did you follow me?’

“That’s ridiculous!” Midoriya laughed nervously.

“Oh my god, you did!” Uraraka exclaimed. “Why would you do that?”

Midoriya glanced at Todoroki, who was still too shocked to respond, and then back to Uraraka, who just looked really disappointed now. He should’ve given her credit, but she’d been hiding her feelings for a year. Everyone had pointed it out, even Kacchan, and he didn’t know what he could do to help her. That wasn’t the real question though. He had to focus. Him being worried about her was reasonable. Her holding Shigaraki’s baby like it was no big deal? That was freaking weird.

“You’re hanging out in Tomura Shigaraki’s apartment with his baby like it’s normal,” Midoriya pointed out, incredulity lacing his voice. “What the hell?”

Uraraka grimaced awkwardly. Oh no. This was worse than he’d thought. Granted, he hadn’t known what to think, but if she was hiding this from him and felt that uncomfortable, then it was bad. “It might be normal now?”

“What do you mean?” Midoriya asked. The look Uraraka gave him was almost pleading, begging him not to make her answer him. This was strange enough as it was, but he had a feeling that the truth was even stranger.

Unfortunately for her, Todoroki was not that accepting. “How long have you known about this?”

“Um,” Uraraka mumbled, “since the night he found out he was a father.”

Midoriya brought a hand up to his mouth. “Oh my god.”

“Ochako,” Todoroki managed, somehow sounding shocked, confused, and betrayed all at once. “How? Why?”

“I just-” Uraraka bounced the squirming baby in her arms. Midoriya didn’t know whether to keep looking at the baby or her. The baby (Yukiko was her name, right?) looked quite attached to her. Trusting. “I saw him at the end of my patrol and he was struggling so bad. He didn’t know anything about babies. He was feeding her milk from a glove!”

Todoroki let out a breath. “Touya did tell me about that. He thought it was funny. Fuyumi was horrified.”

“We’re heroes - we’re supposed to help people in need - but I just wanted to be a good person, so I helped him buy the essentials and left him my number in case he was desperate. I had to do it. She needed help too.” Uraraka looked down at the baby in her arms, making a silly face that made the baby squeal in delight. It honestly kind of made Midoriya’s heart skip a beat. It was so cute. “You should’ve seen her back then. I didn’t think anything of it before - I just thought she was quiet - but it’s obvious she wasn’t…”

A strange look came over Todoroki’s face. It was gone in a flash, but Midoriya caught it while Uraraka was playing with Yukiko. It was one of understanding. Neither he nor Uraraka would’ve caught the signs of neglect and abuse as quickly as Todoroki. He was staring at Yukiko now, his expression much softer.

“That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell us,” Todoroki pointed out.

Uraraka chewed on her lip, which Yukiko apparently thought was funny too. “He was humiliated. He didn’t want other people to know that he’d asked for help - especially a pro hero’s help. It would’ve been rude of me to tell others when it’s not my life.” Her expression hardened a little. “I know what it’s like to be gossiped about and have my private business talked about. I wasn’t about to do the same thing to him when he’s trying really hard to do good.”

Oh. That...made perfect sense. Uraraka had been horrified when the breakup and everything that came about after was splashed about in the tabloids. She was a hero and she was very professional about it, but for a minute, it was like her being a hero came second to all the gossip and rumors. It had been embarrassing. Midoriya was lucky in the sense that he was usually too busy to do anything aside from hero work, so nothing really came out about him and, if it did, he knew it was fake and he got over it fast.

It hadn’t been like that with Uraraka. The tabloids had had a field day with it and ran. All of their friends hashed it out at least once with the press over it, even Kacchan, who had admittedly only made things worse when he did. If any of those people found out about her helping Shigaraki with his baby, they would go wild. Neither one of them would get any peace for a while. The baby didn’t need that, not after living with a serial killer for the first few months of her life. It was no wonder why they hadn’t told anyone about this.

That didn’t make it any less weird.

“So you helped him that first night and then what?” Midoriya asked.

“He called me freaking out a few days later because he accidentally hurt her while cutting her fingernails,” Uraraka explained. “He was tired and stressed, so I offered to watch her here and there. I don’t think he slept properly until the dinner with Todoroki’s family.”

Midoriya glanced over at Todoroki, who nodded in acknowledgment. “He did pass out on the couch right after we ate. Fuyumi said he didn’t wake up until in the morning.”

“Plus,” Uraraka added brightly, determined to make a positive spin on this, “she’s so sweet! Look how cute she is. How could you say no to this face?” She rubbed noses with Yukiko. Uraraka’s pink cheeks bunched up as she smiled and the two of them giggled together. It was really endearing. Something about it put Midoriya at ease, even though he knew he shouldn’t. “He said she didn’t smile or laugh at all the first week. Can you imagine? She wasn’t quiet. She was sad. It was like...like she didn’t think anyone would care about her. I couldn’t…”

Midoriya laid a hand on her arm. “No, I get it. I mean, it’s weird - because, well, it’s Shigaraki - but I know why you’re here.”

Tenko Shimura had been left behind and abandoned. Yukiko would not suffer the same fate.

“And I didn’t want to tell you all because I knew you’d be against it and immediately judge him,” Uraraka added.

While Todoroki did not even flinch at the accusation, Midoriya winced a little. He wanted to believe that Shigaraki was on the straight and narrow, he was doing good, and he wasn’t, well, a villain anymore. He had argued in court to give him the chance to prove himself eventually outside of prison. How could he truly rebuild his life while locked up? It was one thing to push for it though and another to actively be involved in that rebuilding. Had he not told Uraraka that he wanted to help somehow?

He couldn’t berate her for doing the same thing. Even her not telling them had been her way of helping him, making Shigaraki more comfortable with the idea of a pro hero watching his child. Just as Todoroki was protective of his friends, Midoriya had not forgotten how protective Shigaraki had been of those under his charge in the League. They had been more like family to him in the end.

“Can you blame us?” Todoroki questioned.

“No, not really,” Uraraka admitted, “but he’s doing really good, I swear! He’s a good dad. He’s learning, but he’s very attentive with her. And he’s actually kind of...funny?” She smiled. “He might be more of a nerd than you, Deku.”

Todoroki snorted. “Impossible.”

“Oi, Uraraka!” a familiar voice called down from the hallway. All three of them froze inside the apartment, although Todoroki was the only one to not look all too bothered about being caught. Midoriya’s first instinct was to either dive in the bedroom, dragging Todoroki with him, or freaking jump out the window, but it was too late. “Don’t you dare say I told you so, but I left- Why the hell is my front door open?”

When Shigaraki appeared in the doorway, one of his gloves tugged off in preparation, he came to a sudden halt when his eyes landed on the two new occupants in his apartment. Midoriya knew Shigaraki’s quirk was very dangerous, but it was difficult to take him as a serious threat when he was wearing khakis and a polo. He still had his red shoes, which made things all the more absurd since Midoriya was wearing his as well.

Midoriya raised a hand and smiled nervously. “Hi, uh, congratulations?”

Shigaraki narrowed his red eyes into a furious glare. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“Uraraka didn’t tell us!” Midoriya rushed to explain. He didn’t want Shigaraki to get the wrong idea that she had betrayed his trust or their agreement in any way. It had clearly been very important to her that she keep his business and her help private and his nosiness had completely ruined it. He didn’t want to mess up...whatever this was too. He felt bad enough.

However, Shigaraki didn’t even blink. “I know that.”

Oh. Well then. Even Uraraka relaxed upon hearing that statement. He had faith in her. Maybe even trust. Now that was...interesting.

Upon Shigaraki’s appearance, Yukiko began to wiggle more in Uraraka’s arms. Uraraka brushed past them to step up to him. He sighed in aggravation but took his daughter anyway, muttering, “Spoiled brat,” without any heat behind it. To some, it might’ve sounded like he was insulting his own child, but there was a fondness in his tone that Midoriya just barely caught. That softness vanished without a trace when he glared back at them. “Now, what the fuck are you doing here in my apartment?”

With Todoroki completely unbothered, Midoriya opened his mouth to explain himself, but Uraraka cut in, “They were worried about me.” Shigaraki looked down at her and - lo and behold - he didn’t argue with her. He didn’t say anything at all, just looked at her and waited for her to continue. Well, she had been helping him out since that first night, which had been a month ago, plus all that texting. They were familiar with each other. It still made Midoriya’s head spin. “I guess they noticed me being more secretive and got curious.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “You truly are awful at sneaking around and keeping secrets. Would’ve made a terrible villain.”

“I don’t like to lie!” Uraraka insisted. “I’m bad at it. I told you I wouldn’t say anything; I didn’t say I’d be good at it.”

“So what?” Shigaraki returned his accusing gaze back to them. “You followed her here like a creep?”

Midoriya held his red face in his hands. “I’m sorry. This was honestly the last thing I expected to find.” How was he to know she was secretly helping out one of their old enemies? He might’ve been the number one hero, but she was a better person than him right now. “You’ve just been acting weird. Even Shouto and Ashido agreed.”

“You talked to Mina about it too?” Uraraka demanded, sounding incredulous.

Even though he didn’t want to face her, Midoriya slowly pulled his face out of his hands. “Uh, she might ask you if you’re hiding a secret boyfriend or something…”

“What?” Uraraka stormed over to pick up her phone (and Shigaraki’s keys) off the table. Her eyes quickly scanned the screen, presumably reading a text from Ashido. Her face flushed and he thought she might accidentally activate her quirk on herself in embarrassment. “Oh my god!”

As Uraraka furiously sent a text back (one that presumably denied being in a secret relationship without telling her about Shigaraki, which...would probably be found out sooner than later, but he wasn’t going to tell her that), Deku looked back to the man in question. He was looking at Uraraka, but he must’ve felt Deku’s eyes on him because he swung his gaze back in his direction and glared heatedly.

For a minute, it made Deku think of the old days, back when the line between heroes and villains was much more distinct - back when he had known that Shigaraki was an enemy and needed to be put away. Things had been a lot easier back then. Everything was clear cut. He didn’t know when things had started to get so messy. One day the lines were blurred and he wasn’t sure what was going on. To be honest, he didn’t think Shigaraki had known either.

It kind of felt like that now. Things were weird and lines were fudged and nothing made sense - but it wouldn’t be all that difficult to cross over. That was what Uraraka had done? She had seen Shigaraki struggling and, despite knowing what he had done to them, she had not hesitated to walk over him and go out of her way to help.

Midoriya wanted to believe that was what All Might would have done. Now that he was retired and only teaching, yes, but… It wasn’t, not really, not back in his prime where Midoriya was now. He didn’t have the time for little things like that. He was too busy working as the number one hero to help out small cases like this. The Symbol of Peace took care of the big things, but that meant so many other people in need were unfortunately pushed to the side for someone else to help. Sometimes they did. Sometimes they didn’t.

It was the little things that made a person a hero. It wasn’t just punching a villain, stopping a building from collapsing, or saving people from a natural disaster. It wasn’t always so dramatic. Saving the day could be as simple as helping out a friend during a hard break-up or watching a person’s baby while they got some much-needed rest or ran errands. Anyone could be a hero in their own way. But a true hero? They would extend a hand to anyone, even a former enemy.

“Stop that,” Shigaraki snapped at him.

Midoriya blinked in surprise. “Stop what?”

“That face,” Shigaraki shot back. “I can tell exactly what you’re thinking.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “I don’t want your help. All Might hasn’t learned to back off either. I don’t need his fake son in my shit too.”

“Be nice,” Uraraka said without looking up from her phone.

Shigaraki scoffed. “This is my apartment. I can be as rude as I want. They’re intruders.” Uraraka finally looked up at him, settling a look on him that made even Todoroki shake his head and Midoriya cringe a little. It made Shigaraki press his lips together and almost scowl at her, but then he looked back to them. “Whatever. I don’t care. I just don’t want you trying to barge your way into my life to help me because ‘that’s what a hero does’ or some other bullshit.”

Uraraka put her phone back in her pocket. “I told you: Deku is really good with kids.” She held out his keys. He took them from her and handed her Yukiko, who fought for only a few seconds and made a single noise of protest before settling again. “He’s one of the highest rated heroes with kids. I bet Yukiko would love him.”

“Isn’t this weird enough as it is?” Shigaraki complained.

“A bit, yeah,” Midoriya said.

“Can you just…?” Shigaraki lifted a hand, his ungloved one, but stopped before he could scratch his neck and moved to rub his temple instead. “Can you two idiots leave? I don’t want you here in my apartment around my daughter while I’m gone.”

Midoriya didn’t know what to say. Shigaraki was acting like they were a pair of delinquents who might teach her bad habits or do something bad. It was absurd. He almost felt a little insulted, but then he’d been the one to get so worked up and worried that he’d followed Uraraka here, so maybe he deserved that distrust. He knew Shigaraki was never going to like him - just like he knew that he and Kacchan would never be best friends - but he didn’t need someone to like him in order to help them.

“Where are you going?” Todoroki asked.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Shigaraki snapped back, “but what does it fucking look like?”

Midoriya gave him a quick look over again. He was wearing a shirt with a logo for a local video game store on it, the one his records said he was working nowadays. Work. Uraraka had come over to watch Yukiko while he went to work. He must have texted her when they were at his mom’s apartment asking if she could. It was weird, but so normal too.

“How about this?” Midoriya asked, holding out his hands. “I can just do what Uraraka did: give you my number and let you decide what to do.” Shigaraki rolled his eyes, but instead of being deterred, Midoriya stood his ground. “I might not know what it’s like to be a single parent, but I do know what it’s like to be raised by one.”

It kind of looked like he hesitated after that proclamation, but Midoriya didn’t get his hopes up. However, when Shigaraki sighed and shoved his keys in his pockets, he knew he’d won some sort of battle. He might never take him up on his offer for help and Midoriya would have to live with that. Not everyone wanted help. He was holding out his hand, but sometimes the other person had to take it first.

“Fine, I’ll get your number from Uraraka,” Shigaraki grumbled, “if it gets you off my damn case.”

When he glanced at Todoroki, who had remained quiet, the pro hero flatly said, “What? I’m not giving you my number.”

Midoriya cleared his throat to take back Shigaraki’s attention when he sneered at Todoroki. “If you need anything or you have a question, you can shoot me a text. I’ll admit that I’m not always around and I can’t always be here. I just…” He dropped his hands to his side. “My mom was - is - my hero, but she shouldn’t have had to take care of me alone. Being a parent is a tough job and it doesn’t get nearly enough credit.”

“Is it a job requirement for pro heroes to be cheesy?” Shigaraki asked Uraraka.

She nodded. “Yes, it is and we take it very seriously.”

Shigaraki looked very much like he wanted to rub his temple and complain again, but instead, he threw his hands up, done with everything. Uraraka didn’t look bothered in the slightest. She grinned a little, winking at Deku, who could only smile back in bemusement. Was this really happening? She’d had a similar effect on Kacchan - this natural ability to make him simmer down without doing anything - but it was also different with Shigaraki. Unlike Kacchan, who had noticed it and didn’t like it, Shigaraki seemed unaware.

“Okay? Are you happy now? Are we done here?” Shigaraki huffed. “I’m gonna be late for work.”

“Yeah! We can leave.” Midoriya glanced at Uraraka, who nodded her head. She would be fine. She was fine. He trusted her to know if something was off. He was the one that was worrying too much. He had known that he would be leaving and he didn’t know when he would be back. He didn’t want to leave wondering if she was okay. Even though this was a totally unusual (read: insane) situation, he actually felt better and relieved. She was happy. She was doing her job and more.

And Shigaraki was actually doing well and it turned out he was pretty decent at being a single father too, which honestly gave Midoriya some relief as well. He knew that Shigaraki probably didn’t understand why he had argued for the case of a shorter sentence, but he was glad he had done it. Even if Shigaraki thought he wasn’t doing anything, Midoriya saw the differences in him. They might have been subtle, but they were there and, in time, he thought they might get stronger.

It helped that Uraraka was around. Midoriya tried not to smile, lest he give Shigaraki more ideas about what he was thinking. She just had that way with people, always bringing out their good sides. At UA, he teased her about that being her second quirk.

“Well?” Shigaraki prompted. Midoriya frowned. Was he missing something? “Leave! I’m not walking away until I know you’re gone.”

Todoroki rolled his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic.” He turned to Uraraka. “Call you later?”

“Yeah, of course,” Uraraka responded. With his mind resting as easy as it could with her, Todoroki nodded and walked out of the apartment, careful not to touch Shigaraki when he passed him.

Midoriya wanted to hug Uraraka goodbye, but he thought Shigaraki might get frustrated or antsy if he stepped close to Yukiko, so he merely smiled and waved at her. Uraraka held up the baby’s right hand and waved back at him. It was absolutely adorable. He turned to Shigaraki and said, “You’ve got a really cute kid there,” and walked out of the apartment before he could say anything in response.

A small part of him screamed at leaving Uraraka alone in that apartment with Shigaraki. It went against everything he had ever known back in high school. The mere thought of them being in a room together would have sent him into a full-blown panic attack back them. He wasn’t completely comfortable now, if he was being honest, and neither was Todoroki, who had gone very silent and expressionless. It was hypocritical. He had been all gung-ho about helping out Shigaraki, but now that he knew Uraraka already was and had been, it made him nervous.

No, this was her choice, her life. He couldn’t tell her what to do. Besides, he did want to help. If that meant taking a step back and giving Shigaraki space, he would do that. He wouldn’t even ask Uraraka about it. If she told him about it, he would listen with bated breath, even over the simplest of things, but he had to accept that, as of right now, this wasn’t his business and it didn’t involve him. He had to trust that Shigaraki would remain good. It was easier said than done, but he would do it. Too much was at stake for Shigaraki not to stay on the straight and narrow.

Chapter Text

Before, the idea of waking up this early, especially for work, would have made Shigaraki throw his blanket over his head and absolutely refuse to get out of bed. What was the point? No one should be awake at this ungodly hour. It was the ass crack of dawn. There was nothing to do at this time.

However, a baby changed all of that. Yukiko was over four months now and, according to the internet, her sleep habits for the rest of her life would start settling. He hoped the fuck not. She still slept at odd hours for odd intervals and he didn’t think he could adapt to it while also working full-time. He needed to get her on a schedule, but he didn’t know how. The internet gave him tips, but every damn tip was geared toward a couple raising a baby. What about all of the single parents out there? Screw them apparently. Single parents could sleep when they were dead.

To be honest, he was starting to consider actual co-sleeping. She just wanted to be close and he was getting a little desperate. The only reason he hadn’t caved beyond falling asleep on the couch with her was fear. It had been a long time since fear had been a motivation for him, but it was there, blinking like a warning sign in the back of his mind.

What if she got in the habit of sleeping next to him and would only sleep that way for years? What if he rolled on her while he was asleep? What if she rolled off of the bed? What if one of his gloves somehow came off? (He didn’t like sleeping with the gloves on, but he needed to be extra careful with her.) What if she smothered on the blanket or a pillow? If she got cold? Too hot? What if-?

Sleeping should not be this stressful, but here he was, rubbing at the bags under his eyes as he pushed Yukiko down the sidewalk in a cheap stroller.

For her part, she seemed just fine, sitting still and watching the world pass her by. Shigaraki thought he would feel less like a dumbass pushing her in this than he did carrying her in the baby carrier, but he didn’t. He knew people weren’t staring at him (everyone minded their own business this early at least), but he felt too self-aware about this not being a good neighborhood. How could he defend himself with a baby? Would he have to run? It would take too long to unbuckle her and run with her in his arms. Did he really need to buckle her in? She wasn’t moving. Maybe he should just go back to the apartment. Did he really need to go to work?

Stop it, you idiot, Shigaraki scolded himself harshly. You wanna pay your bills? You gotta go to work.

Besides, it wasn’t his neighborhood or the early hour or even work that was getting him worked up. It was the idea of dropping Yukiko off at daycare for the first time, which pissed him off even more. Out of all the shitty things that had happened in his life, it shouldn’t be this that was stressing him out so much.

Why was it such a big deal? It was daycare. He’d had this baby for over a month. He shouldn’t be this...whatever. He didn’t want to say attached, but he certainly didn’t feel comfortable leaving her with strangers. It had been one thing for him to let Uraraka watch her. Even if he didn’t exactly like her - even if they weren’t and would never be close - he at least knew her somewhat. He knew she was a hero. He knew she was an annoyingly good person. He didn’t know her well, but she wasn’t some mystery person. Plus, she had watched Yukiko in his apartment.

Besides those times and the one time that Fuyumi had watched her while he slept, Shigaraki had never left Yukiko in someone else’s care. It was freaking him out. Anything could happen and he wouldn’t be there to do anything.

A million scenarios ran through Shigaraki’s mind while he walked silently down the sidewalk.  Judging by his blank expression and hard gaze, no one would’ve known that he was currently picturing every awful thing that could happen to her while he was away at work. He’d learned to perfect the art of thinking about murder without letting people know what was on his mind while he was in prison. Without the hand on his face to hide his expressions, he had figured out other ways to ease his stress via dreaming up shit.

Except this wasn’t relieving his stress. This was making things much worse.

What if the daycare workers turned their back to deal with another kid and Yukiko got ahold of a small toy, stuck it in her mouth, and choked on it? What if she rolled onto her stomach during naptime and suffocated? What if she didn’t nap at all because they wouldn’t hold her? They would pick her up if she cried, right? What if she wouldn’t drink her milk? What if they didn’t feed her when she was hungry? What if they didn’t hold her the exact way she liked to be held? What if another kid hurt her? What if one of daycare workers got frustrated and hurt her somehow if she didn’t stop crying?

(What if Yukiko thought he was abandoning her? Like her mother had? Like everyone had him? He wasn’t going to panic - he was stronger than this - but the thought made his fingers twitch. What if she thought he didn’t care about her? What if she thought he believed she was expendable or was gone for good?)

What if a villain attacked the area? There was no damn way any of those daycare people were capable of actually protecting the kids from a fucking villain. He wouldn’t be there to protect her. He wouldn’t be there to save her. He would be stuck relying on a pro hero to do their job and, even then, as he knew so well, heroes couldn’t save everyone. They couldn’t be everywhere. Sometimes they had to choose who to save.

He would know. He had purposely put heroes in that situation.

His stomach rolled. He looked down and watched Yukiko move her hands on top of the blanket he’d snuggled her in. He couldn’t be for sure, but there was a very high possibility that he had made a parent think the same thing. Hell, he knew he had. He’d orchestrated multiple attacks on UA students, after all, along with the public. His grip on the stroller tightened. His therapist had taught him tricks so he wouldn’t spiral into dark thoughts like that, but he had been right when he said that Yukiko might bring them up again.

“One thing having a child does that many people don’t expect is give you the opportunity to empathize with others in different ways,” his therapist had told him. “There will be things you never would’ve thought about before that suddenly become important. You will look at other things from different angles than before. It won’t always be pleasant.”

It wasn’t pleasant at all. These were things he definitely did not want to think about.

And to think, it had all started because he was taking Yukiko to daycare for the first time. This better not happen every time. Uraraka had told him he would get used to it in time. Her parents had struggled with it as well. She said her mom cried the first few times. He wasn’t going to cry or some other stupid shit - he was more worried that he might say something rude or smart - but it didn’t make him feel better to know others had been in his shoes. He didn’t want to be in these shoes. They sucked.

Once at the daycare, which bore a cheerful but ugly sign outside that made him want to sneer, Shigaraki took a deep breath and looked down at Yukiko again. She seemed okay. So far, she had been good with other people holding her, but it was clear she had preferences now. In the beginning, she hadn’t seemed to care at all who was holding her, like it didn’t matter. Now that it was clear she had options and people were paying attention to her, she let it be known when she did and didn’t want to be held.

To be fair, there weren’t very many times when she didn’t want to be held.

After awkwardly opening the door and pushing the stroller inside (they really should make it an automatic door for parents with strollers, but what did he know, right?), he was once again assaulted by the sight of far too many bright colors. There were pictures hung on the wall drawn by the kids, most of them unidentifiable scribbles. One of them might have been a dog, but the amount of red was distracting. There shouldn’t be that much red around a dog.

He couldn’t remember ever drawing like that as a kid, but surely he had before his quirk manifested. Had Kurogiri or All for One let him draw when they were teaching him how to write and read? Actually, which one had taught him that? It was somewhat concerning that he couldn’t remember that detail, but it had turned out that there were a lot of things he didn’t know or remember. Therapy had brought some of it back to the surface - not always all at once, as it sometimes took time - but there were a few memories he’d blocked out on purpose most likely.

Who the hell had watched him when he was these kids’ age? Had it been Kurogiri? All for One hadn’t been around all the time. He had sometimes played the role of a father, but it was always a distant one except for the moments when it wasn’t. Those moments were necessary in order for Shigaraki to form a deep and loyal attachment to him.

He didn’t want to drop Yukiko off. He didn’t want to let her go. She had to know that he didn’t just keep her so she would have to become attached and dependant on him. No, it was necessary for her to go to daycare in order to learn proper social skills. He certainly hadn’t. Maybe she was too young though. She wasn’t even half a year old. She didn’t have the concept for object permanence yet. She was too little. This was a mistake. It was too soon. He couldn’t-

“Hi!” a woman with orange hair greeted, a huge smile on her face. “Tenko Shimura, right?”

Shigaraki snapped out of his spiral abruptly and stared at her. “Uh, yeah.”

The woman - he had met her when getting the paperwork but he couldn’t remember her name - crouched down in front of the stroller. “And this must be Yukiko. Aw, she has your eyes and that cute little mole. How adorable!” He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he didn’t say anything. Was he supposed to thank her? It was a weird thing to thank someone for when he hadn’t done anything but have sex with a stranger in order to produce a baby. The woman stood back up and eyed him warmly. “Is this your first time?”

“My first time what?”

She was trying to be nice, but the understanding look on her face still put him off. “Dropping her off at daycare. You looked a little…” She waved at his hands, the four fingers of each one gripping the stroller nearly white. “Tense.”

Shigaraki forced his hands to relax. “No, I’m fine.”

“Of course,” the woman replied, still understanding, “all parents are.” He hastily handed her the backpack, as if he was trying to reassure her that he was totally okay. She gazed down at Yukiko. “Do you want to get her out or me-?”

“I’ve got it,” Shigaraki cut in, moving around the front of the stroller to pull the blanket off and unbuckle her. He already didn’t like this woman, even though he knew she was being kind and just doing her job. He hadn’t struggled this hard with Uraraka or the Todoroki family, but then he couldn’t even remember this woman’s name. He was probably acting like an immature idiot. He was probably being dumb. No doubt she would tell the other employees about him - how silly he was, how attached, it was so sweet, blah blah blah. Ugh, it was so annoying.

Once he had Yukiko unbuckled, he awkwardly pulled her into his arms, her foot getting caught on the stroller. It took a few painful seconds of jerking and figuring out what was going on, but then she was against his chest and he was standing up.

And he really, really didn’t want to let her go.

“I promise she’ll be fine,” the woman reassured him. “If you like, we can send you hourly picture updates. We do that for parents...adjusting to the change.”

“I…” Shigaraki swallowed. Why was he acting so weak? It was pathetic. This was nothing. A little over a month ago he hadn’t even wanted to hold her. What the hell was wrong with him? Uraraka did that too and it did relieve some of the confusing stress he felt when he was gone. “Sure, whatever.” The woman held out her hands. They lacked the distinctive pink pads like Uraraka’s that Yukiko liked poking. “She ate like thirty minutes ago, so she’ll probably hungry in a few hours. I changed her after, but she shits like a demon, so good luck with that. She likes to be held upright. She likes the swing, but only in the afternoon-”

“Yukiko will be okay,” the woman interrupted carefully. “I know you don’t think so now, but some time apart will actually be good for both of you.”

Shigaraki tried not to cringe as he slowly handed Yukiko over. He thought things were actually fine, seeing as how she didn’t fight him, but the moment they connected eyes, her lip started to do that dangerous wobble and his heart shot into his throat. Oh no. That wasn’t good. “But she-”

“She will cry,” the woman said as Yukiko started up. “That’s normal. It’s an adjustment. She’s not mad or upset with you. This is something new. She’ll get better in time.”

But would he? Fuck, this was much harder than he’d anticipated. A part of him had kind of thought he’d be relieved to hand her off and get some time to himself, even if it was at work. Now he felt like a shitty father. What kind of monster just dropped their kid off and didn’t care? It was impossible to spend every second with her, but he suddenly felt like he should’ve been capable of that. He shouldn’t feel relieved to not be around her. What had been wrong with him?

“You better go so you don’t run late for work,” the woman told him, bouncing a weakly crying Yukiko in her arms. She hadn’t cried with Uraraka, Fuyumi, or Rei. Maybe there was something wrong with this lady. No, he was being paranoid, trying to see villains in everyone. “We’ve got your number on file.”

“Right.”

Shigaraki knew it was expected of him to say goodbye to Yukiko - probably step forward and kiss her on the forehead or something - but he didn’t (couldn’t) do that. Instead, he took one last look at her and then stiffly walked out the door. A myriad of emotions filtered through him the moment the door shut behind him and the sound of her cries were abruptly cut off: guilt, relief, fear, reluctance, disgruntlement, happiness, and then shame all over again. He just kept walking in the direction of his work and tried not to think about her. That was all he could do to not drive himself mad.

Pulling out his phone, Shigaraki hesitated, but then quickly typed out a text and sent it before he could think about it any longer: This fucking sucks.

As soon as it was sent, he regretted it, wishing he could snatch the text back and scolding himself for allowing himself to be so weak that he would text about it. Uraraka’s reply came back right before he was unlocking the door for the store. She had probably been asleep since she worked the night shift, which made him wince, but she didn’t seem angry. It was hard to tell over text.

I bet, but you’ve got this! She’ll be excited to see you when you get off work. Try not to think about it all day.

I’m gonna think about it all day.

I know. You’ll survive and so will she.

Ugh. This giving a shit thing is not fun.

Aw I think it’s cute how much you care about her. :)

Never use that word in reference to me again.

She sent back a gif of someone putting on sunglasses with the words “Deal with it” stamped across the bottom. It could have been worse. Touya would’ve roasted his ass completely for this moment of weakness, hence why he hadn’t even considered texting him. To be honest, Shigaraki wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to text her when he had been talking about the daycare situation with Fuyumi too. Maybe because Uraraka would be understanding but blunt. It was easier to deal with that than soft and gentle understanding bullshit.

Did it make him feel any better? Honestly, he wasn’t sure. He just wanted to open the store and get this work day over with. Because he had to do it all over again and he wasn’t excited. That was for sure. Yeah, he would survive, but at what cost?

*

A few days later, while Uraraka was on patrol, she felt her phone buzz, alerting her to a text. Since she was on the clock, she didn’t pick it up, but she would take a brief break to eat soon and could check it then. One of the newer sidekicks was with her and she didn’t want to set a bad example. It had taken her years to make the jump to pro and she didn’t want to mess that up by answering a text message. It wasn’t long after that before the call about a hold up at a convenience store crackled over the radio and the two of them were off.

Some nights were slow. Others weren’t.

Tonight was one of the latter. Nothing catastrophic happened, but so far she’d already had to deal with a mugging, an assault, and a domestic abuse case that had, awkwardly, turned out to be roleplaying. Sometimes things got really weird. One of the things she hadn’t anticipated upon becoming a hero would be people actively breaking the law so that heroes would show up and stop them. It was some twisted fantasy thing that heroes, many of them women, got caught up in. It was embarrassing and awkward as hell. Honestly, she might’ve preferred actual criminals.

Luckily, the hold up at the store didn’t take long to end. It turned out the criminal had been using a water gun in order to rob the place. The sidekick did most of the work while she observed. It was a good experience for them. Ryukyu trusted her to guide the younger recruits. She said that she had a very supportive personality that was not often seen in top pro heroes. After the hold-up, was another mugging and then a belligerently drunk woman attacking her ex’s apartment with her quirk and then…

Was it a full moon or something? She couldn’t wait to be back on morning shift soon.

Uraraka wasn’t able to even eat before returning back to the agency. Only when she sat down at her desk to begin typing up reports did she finally pull out her phone to check on the text. She wasn’t as surprised by who it was so much as what the text said.

Shigaraki
You can tell your friend.

Well, that was straight and to the point. No lead up, no pleasantries at the beginning, no explanation for why he was telling her this now in the first place.

Uraraka leaned back in her seat and responded: Sorry tonight has been one thing after another. I hope you’re asleep, although I’m curious about the change of heart.

It turned out that Shigaraki was, in fact, not asleep: Yukiko doesn’t understand that I need sleep in order to work. She smiled a little, even though she felt bad. Before she could say anything, he sent another text. Your friend that keeps texting you about shit - you can tell her. Or whoever asks. It’s been over a month. It’s stupid to think I can keep a lid on this. It was an unreasonable demand.

Oh, well that was considerate of him.

A sense of relief came over Uraraka as she sank in her seat. She hated lying, even if it was for someone else’s sake. She had known it wasn’t bad like usual lying, but it still hadn’t felt good, even more so when she realized how worried she had made her friends. Yes, Deku had gone to extremes and Todoroki had only vaguely apologized when she had talked to him later that night, but it had been out of concern. She had pulled the same stuff when she wasn’t fine after the break-up. Back then, Deku hadn’t been around to help as much, so understood why they had done it.

Thanks and don’t worry. I won’t go blabbing about it to everyone.

Better not. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?

I’m still at work. Like I said, crazy night. Hopefully your day at work won’t be as wild.

If a bunch of gamers try to start a riot, I’m pretty sure I can stop them in my sleep. They’re not exactly scary.

Uraraka grinned and texted back: Idk apparently you were a very scary, dangerous gamer.

Not these nerds.

One of these days, Shigaraki was going to have to come to terms with the fact that he was and had been one of those nerds. It wasn’t this day, but eventually, he’d get there.

Tell Yukiko I said hi and I can’t wait to see her again.

Object permanence remember? But fine.

She thought about telling him to take a video so she would know if he did it or not, but then she was supposed to be writing up reports right now. Besides, he might not indulge her or think she was even weirder than before. She let it go, clicking out of the conversation. By now, she was used to him not actually saying goodbye and could kind of tell when the conversation was over. She needed to get to work; she was so ready to get this morning over with so she could get home and go to bed.

But first, though, she pulled up a contact and hit the call button.

Within seconds, Mina answered the phone, bubbly as ever despite starting her shift in thirty minutes: “Hey, girl! This is unexpected. What’s up?”

“Hey, when’s your next day off?” Uraraka asked.

“Tomorrow actually.”

“Wanna do brunch?”

“Oh, are you finally ready to tell me all the juicy details of what you’ve been up to?” Mina asked curiously. She could hear the grin in her friend’s voice.

Uraraka sighed. “It’s not that juicy, trust me.” It would certainly be unexpected. Mina was still expecting her to say that she was in a secret relationship, but only the first half of that was right. “Same place, same time as usual?”

“Sounds good,” Uraraka replied. “See you then! Have a safe day.”

“You know it. Bye, love!”

This time, when Uraraka ended the conversation, she set her phone aside. Some people actually said goodbye. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to telling Mina, seeing as how she didn’t know how she would react. She would probably have to also tell Tsu when she came back ashore. It would feel good not to lie to them anymore. Plus, she would actually have someone to talk to this about. It wasn’t as weird as it was in the beginning to her, but she knew her friends would make it weird all over again.

How fun.

*

One thing Uraraka hadn’t anticipated was the situation with Shigaraki not just being weird, but also hilarious, which Mina apparently thought it was. Upon realizing that Uraraka was not lying about helping the former League of Villains with his baby and wasn’t hiding a secret, steamy affair, Mina had burst into laughter. She was trying to keep it to a minimum, holding a hand over her mouth, but people were still looking at them curiously.

“I didn’t think it was that funny,” Uraraka muttered as she poked at her food.

“You’re Tomura Shigaraki’s secret babysitter,” Mina pointed out after managing to contain herself. “I mean, yeah, I’m a little concerned and I’ve got like thirty questions, but I trust you. If you’re doing this, then it’s for a good reason.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath, sitting back in her seat. “If I’d found out about this earlier, I would have been way more worried, but this been going on for over a month and you’re fine. Hell, you’re happier than I’ve seen you in months. Maybe this was the distraction you needed.”

“That makes me sound so stupid,” Uraraka complained.

“No!” Mina exclaimed. “That’s not what I meant.” She slapped her face with a hand and shook her head. “You just… I don’t know. Midoriya was right.”

Uraraka sighed. Maybe this was a mistake. She would have been teased less if she had told Mina she was having some wild affair. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Uh, yeah, it is,” Mina replied. “You’ve been secretly helping a man raise a baby - a man that tried to kill us multiple times, in case you forgot.”

“I didn’t forget,” Uraraka muttered, “and he didn’t either. He brings it up a lot like he’s trying to scare me off.”

Mina leaned forward, her golden eyes glittering with excitement, and propped her chin in her hand. “What’s he like?”

Uraraka sat upright. “Oh, well, he’s actually really attentive with Yukiko-”

“No, no, not as a dad - we’ll get to that later.” There was an intense look on Mina’s face that Uraraka knew she would regret. Mina was different from Tsu. Uraraka could’ve told Tsu what was going on and there wouldn’t have been that many questions. She would have taken whatever Uraraka said at face value and left it at that. Mina was different. She liked to gossip and wanted as much information as possible. “What’s he like as himself? C’mon, he only plotted out some of the most well-known villain attacks in history. And now you’re just babysitting his kid like it’s nothing? You have to have a few stories.”

It made Uraraka uncomfortable enough to squirm in her seat. “Well, um…” She thought about him - what he was like and how he acted around her. They’d had a month of this going on and she did have a lot of thoughts about how he behaved. It was nothing like what she’d expected. “He’s actually a huge nerd.”

“What?” Mina laughed. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, like a ton of video games, multiple consoles, a really diverse anime selection,” Uraraka listed off. Actually, Deku owned a lot of the same stuff now that she thought about it. She bet Shigaraki would hate learning that. “Plus, the first few names he came up with for his daughter were all from video games. That reminds me: I need to look up ‘Yukiko’. It’s the name we chose, but I’m almost certain it’s from a game.”

Mina put a shocked hand over her mouth. “Oh my god.”

“And he’s got a dark sense of humor,” Uraraka continued. How many times had he made a comment that caught her off guard? In the beginning, he might’ve been trying to throw her off so she would either leave him alone or wouldn’t be in his life anymore, but by now she knew it was simply him. She could roll with the punches. “He’ll say stuff as a joke just to keep you at an arm’s length, so you have to know when to push back. It’s like he never expects that, although surely Touya must’ve argued with him before. That’s all they do with each other now.”

“Does it turn you away?” Mina asked curiously.

Uraraka shrugged. “He’ll make jokes or references about him being a villain in his past - he’s very self-deprecating - but, if you throw it right back at him, he backs down or acts like it’s a game.” She kind of preferred when it was the latter. At least then he had some spunk in him. Maybe it was spite. “He’s very blunt, like Katsuki. I wouldn’t say he’s nice. It’s more like…” She lifted a hand to her chin and rubbed her bottom lip thoughtfully with her thumb. “He’s capable of being nice, but I feel like he thinks it’s a waste of time. He’ll be nice if he thinks you deserve it or if you’re truly good, but faking nice isn’t worth his time.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mina asked, “Are you saying he’s not a liar?”

“He really isn’t,” Uraraka insisted, shaking her head. “He says whatever’s on his mind - and he doesn’t care if it insults people or not. He’s being honest.”

“That does sound like Bakugou,” Mina put in.

“He’s really not that bad?” Uraraka said thoughtfully. “Considering everything he’s done, especially to us, he’s actually pretty normal. I mean, he works at a video game store, for god’s sake. Does he get annoying? Sure, so do I, but I wasn’t going to let him deal with this on his own and it just sorta...spiraled from there.”

Mina shook her head. “You’re too nice.”

Uraraka rubbed the side of her face. She was so tired of people telling her that. She wasn’t too nice. She was just the right amount of nice. If she had seen other people ignore Shigaraki clearly in need, she wanted to believe that she would have stepped up to help him, but she knew that she probably wouldn’t have, which made her feel bad. She wanted to be good, but being around Shigaraki and Yukiko and watching her for him no longer felt like it had anything to do with that. It was just a part of her life.

“He’s not a bad person,” Uraraka muttered, “and he’s a good dad even if he isn’t completely attached.”

“You really do care, don’t you?” Mina asked. Before Uraraka could protest, Mina added, “I’m not arguing with you over this, but… Do you remember in our third year at UA? You and Shigaraki got into this massive fight while he was in the League. It was originally with Midoriya, but then you jumped in and-”

“Of course I remember,” Uraraka cut in. She didn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it. The whole memory just made things weird. Yes, she had been in a one on one fight with Shigaraki before, but she wasn’t sure if he actually remembered it and she didn’t want to bring it up. The whole point of him doing civilian stuff now was that his villain past didn’t hinder him. If she brought it up, then she would only hurt his progress.

“He almost killed you,” Mina said, “but now that I look back on it…” She tilted her head. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you so happy even then. He took you seriously. He considered you a threat. He went all out. Other people thought you were just this cute girl, but he took you seriously.”

Uraraka rolled her eyes. “If that’s the only criteria for me to be kind to people…”

“C’mon, you can’t say I’m wrong,” Mina told her. “Yeah, you were terrified and you were shaking and bleeding, but you won and you were elated. You literally brought a building down on him. I remember the look in your eyes.” Bakugou had said she was glowing - that it was one of the first moments he knew he liked her, maybe even started falling in love with her. That triumph, that strength, that excitement. Shigaraki probably didn’t think fondly of the fight if he did remember. “Midoriya freaked out so hard when Shigaraki disintegrated the floor right under you.”

“Good thing I can float,” Uraraka countered dryly.

Mina snickered. “You could say he swept you off your feet.”

“Stop that!” Uraraka scolded. The last thing she needed was for anyone to assume that there was anything actually going on between her and Shigaraki. It was absurd and it would probably make him uncomfortable if he found out.

“I just want to make sure you’re good,” Mina finished, sounding serious again after teasing her. “You’re one of my best friends and I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“He’s not going to hurt me,” Uraraka assured her. It was an odd thing to say, considering who she was talking about, but she really didn’t think he would. At least not physically. He wasn’t the only one trying to keep people at an arm’s length. She had to learn how to care about people without letting them in too much. One of these days, he wouldn’t need her around anymore to help with Yukiko and he probably wouldn’t want her around so much. It was simply an inevitability. Shouto had thought something similar about Touya, even if his big brother was back in his family’s lives.

“Good,” Mina said decisively, nodding her head once, “because if he does, I’ll have to kick his ass, even if he is a single dad.”

Uraraka laughed a little and smiled. “Thanks, Mina, for everything.”

“Hey, it’s my job as a best friend to be supportive of all your insane, weird adventures and relationships,” Mina proclaimed cheerily. Then, she winked. “Besides, I’m used to your questionable taste in men by now.”

“Mina, it’s not like that!”

“You just can’t help yourself when it comes to bad boys with secret soft sides,” Mina teased.

“Oh my god, I don’t know why I told you.”

Mina playfully stuck out her tongue. It felt really good to tell someone about this and not be judged for it. She knew not everyone would react the same way as her. Bakugou, for one, could never find out. Luckily she hadn’t talked with him since their last joint mission during villain attack almost three months ago, so she didn’t think he would. Iida would probably be concerned. Tsu might not like it either. Still, for just an hour or two, she had someone on her side and it was nice and a relief.

A thought popped into her head. “Oh shit, I just remembered something. I wanted to tell you before, but Shigaraki didn’t want people to know I was helping him, so I kept it to myself.”

“Oh?” Mina leaned forward. “I’m super curious now.”

Uraraka’s cheeks turned pinker than normal as she admitted, “I kinda accidentally saw him nearly naked?”

Mina howled with laughter, completely unrestrained and uncaring that people were looking over at them. “The strangest things happen to you! How much did you blush? How much did he blush? Why was he naked? You need to tell me everything.”

“He was wearing a towel and he practically ran into his bedroom, but it was still unexpected and I almost died, I swear.” A wave of relief washed over Uraraka even as she hid her face in her hands. She’d been sitting on that embarrassing moment for a month without telling someone. She needed someone to commiserate with though and Mina was the perfect friend to do that with. She’d make it funny. That was what she needed right now.

Her phone buzzing distracted her and she pulled it out of her pocket to look at it. Mina calmed down enough to peer at it and ask, “Oh, is it him?”

“No, he’s at work right now,” Uraraka replied offhandedly as she unlocked her phone. She caught the raised eyebrow and suspicious look on Mina’s face. “I mean, I assume he is. He switched to morning shift so it would work with the daycare’s hours.” She definitely didn’t like the way Mina was looking at her right now, but she at least didn’t say anything about it. “It’s actually Deku.”

Mina sat back. “That’s not nearly as fun.” She waved a hand. “Go on. I’m gonna use the restroom real quick.”

When Mina got up and walked to the back of the restaurant, Uraraka read Deku’s text: Hey, I’m leaving in an hour or so, but I just wanted to apologize again. I don’t want to leave with something in between us. I should’ve trusted you and never violated your privacy.

Uraraka sighed and smiled faintly. It was just like Deku to do this. He had apologized to her already, but they hadn’t had the chance to see each other since he followed her to Shigaraki’s apartment. It was a wonder he had been able to stay in Japan for this long. Due to his quirk, he was able to work throughout the country and come back to stay in town most of the time. Not tied to an agency, he went where he was needed, but so often that led him to work out of the country where Uraraka missed him.

She didn’t want him to leave with a sour feeling between them either.

You should have, but I know you were worried about me and you felt guilty for not being here before. I love you, Deku. I can’t stay mad at you for long.

Thank you so much! I’ve been kinda freaking out tbh.

But don’t do something like that again. I thought Shigaraki was going to have a conniption.

How mad was he after we left?

He was worked up worse than Katsuki in our first year.

Geez I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Nothing you can’t handle though. You’re a hero!

Uraraka giggled and texted back, You big dork. He actually gave me the go ahead to tell people about it if I’m asked. I think he even kinda apologized?

Whaaat? You got him to apologize? Lol

Well he said it was an “unreasonable demand” to not tell anyone. That’s big for him.

Uraraka knew that was about as good as she was going to get from Shigaraki, but she didn’t mind. She could tell it was a lot for him and he really was making progress. They texted often enough throughout the week and she saw him enough to see him slowly becoming more comfortable with parenthood, asking for help, and maybe even her. She paused, considering her next text. It probably didn’t need to be said, but she thought it was a good idea anyway.

You know he might not message you, right?

Deku took a minute to reply back. Maybe he was busy doing something since he was at the airport, but she had a feeling that he was thinking about her words. I know, he finally responded. I’ll accept it if he doesn’t. I shouldn’t try to barge my way into his life. Someone has to want help in order to receive it sometimes.

He could’ve been frustrated since Shigaraki had asked her for help but seemed even more resistant to the idea of him, but Deku wasn’t. He had learned that, no matter how much he wanted to help a person, sometimes they didn’t want him to help them. It was a hard lesson for a hero to learn and even more difficult to accept. Letting a person drown when there was so much they could do to bring them back to shore felt like a failure and went against everything they knew as heroes.

Uraraka had pushed her friends away when they wanted to help her. Bakugou had pushed Deku away when he had tried to help him so many years ago. Todoroki had pushed back until Deku broke through. They all did it in one shape or form at some point in their life. It turned out that, despite his villainous history, Shigaraki wasn’t completely different.

But he reached out to you and that’s a start. I’m glad he did. For both of you. I think in a weird way this helped you too.

Uraraka’s stomach did an uncomfortable flip. She could never help it when the conversation started to veer in this direction. If you’re going to bring up Katsuki, don’t.

I’m not. I’m just happy to see you doing better. And you’re really shining at your agency!

Aw now you’re starting to sound like Tenya.

Speaking of him, have you told him about Shigaraki?

Uraraka cringed a little. No I haven’t.

Are you?

If it comes up. I don’t think he’ll approve. Shouto doesn’t. I think he’s upset with me for keeping it a secret for so long.

He understands why you did it. He’s just protective.
Tenya probably won’t like it either, but I think he’ll understand too. You know how passionate he is about recovery. You’re just being a little more active in the process.

I expect a lecture either way.

“Hey, sorry that took so long,” Mina said, sliding back into her seat. “Someone recognized me and actually wanted to talk about hero work instead of gossip.”

Uraraka looked up from her phone. “Oh, that’s good. I’m almost done, by the way.”

Mina waved her off. “Nah, don’t worry about me. Tell Secret Agent Man that I said hi and he better get me something from his trip abroad this time. I want to look worldly.” She waved over their waiter to order another drink, not bothered at all by Uraraka’s continued texting.

You should. ;) I’ll text you when I land! It’s going to be a long flight. Hopefully I get some sleep.

I’ll miss you <3
Mina says hi btw and to get her a gift

Miss you too. And Mina! I’ll get you both a souvenir this time. Maybe I can get something for Yukiko! You think that would be ok?

Sure. Have a safe flight!

With the conversation done, Uraraka clicked out of it and then slid her phone back into her jacket pocket. She felt better after having spoken with Deku. Even though they didn’t talk about what had happened, she didn’t think they needed to anymore. It had happened and it was over. They knew the truth about what she’d been getting up to, and honestly, she was happy. She didn’t like lying and she wasn’t good at it. Shigaraki knew that now. After a few days to cool down, she didn’t think he was mad about it anymore. It was what it was. A weird world where he had to raise his child to the best of his ability, even if it meant a little embarrassment.

She could handle that and so could he. Life wasn’t so bad at all. Things felt good.

Chapter Text

I had to leave work early to pick up Yukiko from daycare. She got sick. Puked straight out of horror movie.

Oh no! Did you take her to the doctor?

Yeah she has an ear infection. How can that make a baby throw up so much?

I don’t know. Poor baby! :( Did they give you medicine for her?

Yeah but she doesn’t like it. Good thing she can’t run or I’d be chasing her. She won’t sleep or eat though.

How long has it been?

She ate maybe once and she’s tired but won’t stop crying and pulling at her ear.

Want me to come over?

Shigaraki swore under his breath when Uraraka’s text came through. He had been talking to Fuyumi about it earlier, but didn’t want to keep her up late since she worked early in the morning. His intention wasn’t to get Uraraka to come over. Dealing with Yukiko for the past ten hours had been rough. His therapist had said that talking with people about his struggles would give him a sense of relief, even if nothing could be done. Uraraka was...easy to talk to, especially about things like this.

Now she was asking him if he wanted her to come over and he didn’t want her to think that he was asking for more help. He had thought that she might be at work and venting would give him a brief moment of respite, so her quick response caught him off guard. Did he want her to come over? No, he didn’t think he did. Yukiko’s redder than normal eyes and tear-stained cheeks, along with her weak cries, suggested otherwise. She had a fever as well. Every time he touched her forehead, he felt his nerves get the best of him.

I’m actually getting off work now. I can stop by to give you a small break.

You’re too nice. People might take advantage of you.

I never do anything I don’t want to do.

To be honest, Shigaraki wasn’t sure how to take that. She had done a lot for him. Despite the fact that Yukiko was now in daycare so he had time apart from her, Uraraka still came over on the weekend to spend time with her. He usually took that time to run errands, visit his probation officer, or see his therapist. He had moved his schedule around to make things easier. Sometimes though, he got stuff done around the house while she was there. That meant they basically sort of spent time together. She didn’t seem to mind either way.

If you want, he finally managed to text back, feeling edgy. Yukiko would be happy to see Uraraka. Maybe she would stop crying, if only for a little while. This was for her, not him.

Do YOU want me to come over? Uraraka reiterated.

Shigaraki hesitated before replying, Yukiko probably wants you to.

There, Uraraka would like that. All those times she teased about Yukiko telling on him or how she was able to talk with her - it was along those lines. He bet she was smiling at her phone right now. She was so cheesy. The stray thought that she was easy to manipulate came to mind, but he shoved it on a shelf and pretended it didn’t exist. He didn’t need to think like that.

:) Anything for her. Give me 30 minutes. You need anything?

No

Ok. See you soon!

Shigaraki sighed as he sank back in the couch and set his phone aside, rubbing his face with his hand. Yukiko was crying in the swing in the corner. As much as he hadn’t wanted to touch it, he knew he was being childish, just as Uraraka had said. His therapist had pointed out that people gave gifts to new parents all the time. Yes, his came from an unconventional person, but All Might didn’t mean him any harm - and Shigaraki had used the money that the former Symbol of Peace had set up for him.

Normally Yukiko liked the swing at night. She preferred it for her afternoon nap, but he’d gotten desperate when she wouldn’t even take the usual nap. And she wasn’t a fan of the swing now. He had needed a break from holding her, having to take a piss, and she had not been happy about it. Guilt had eaten away at him as he’d texted Uraraka and let Yukiko cry, but he needed that time to himself, even if it was only for a few minutes. Now that he was done and he knew there was someone on the way to relieve him, he dragged himself over to the swing and picked her up.

When he picked her up, she practically screamed, piercing his ears, but then quieted down again when he awkwardly pulled her squirming body against his chest. The blanket was wrapped around her legs and he had to maneuver it around to fix it. After some fighting, she was comfortable, but still making a weird whimpering sound. All he could do was hope she didn’t puke on him again. He’d gone through two shirts already. She probably wouldn’t be able to puke even if she wanted since she was refusing to drink anything.

The thirty minutes flew by faster than he anticipated. Before Shigaraki knew it, as he carried Yukiko around the apartment for the millionth time, there was a knock on his door and he heard Uraraka’s cheery voice call out, “It’s your pro babysitter!”

This might be my worst nightmare, Shigaraki thought as he walked to the door. He peered through the peephole and saw Uraraka. She was in shorts, t-shirt, and jacket with what looked like some sort of pro hero merch hat. Oh, was that an Ingenium hat? Yeah, it was a nightmare, especially when he realized she was wearing a Deku jacket.

The moment he opened the door, it was like Yukiko could sense who was standing in front of them. She made a pitiful whining sound that probably tugged at Uraraka’s heart. Uraraka’s mouth had been opened to say hi, but then Yukiko made that noise and her face just dropped in an instant. For a moment he thought she might cry, but he supposed she was stronger than that.

“Oh, baby girl,” Uraraka cooed sweetly. She stepped inside and held out her hands, glancing at him for permission. Every time she took Yukiko from him, she gave him that look. He wasn’t sure why she did it, but it always gave him a sense of relief and made it easier for him to hand Yukiko over. He did so now and Uraraka left out a soft gasp as he reached over her shoulder to shut the door. “Oh, you’re so hot.”

“Last time I checked her temp, it was a hundred and two,” Shigaraki told her.

Uraraka felt Yukiko’s forehead with her palm. “She might be a little over that. I can’t really tell.” She walked further into the apartment, softly swaying side-to-side like she was slow-dancing. “Have you given her a bath? That might help her feel a little more comfortable at least.”

Shigaraki frowned. “No, I didn’t think that.” He should have. He should have done that hours ago. It made sense. How had he not thought to do that? “Here, I can-”

“No, I’ve got it,” Uraraka cut in. He furrowed his brow. So presumptuous. “When’s the last time you ate?”

After thinking back on it for a moment, Shigaraki said, “Noon,” and his stomach chose that exact moment to answer as well, making an uncomfortable growling sound that made Uraraka giggle-snort. He felt betrayed by his own body. Forgetting to eat had been a common habit of his as far as he could remember. There were days when Kurogiri would bring him food and he’d promise to eat it, only for it to go untouched because he got too absorbed in a game and he had to beat it, he had to win, he had to get a perfect score or run or-

It wasn’t like that anymore - he was much better about taking care of himself - but having a child tended to make him focus on her and forget everything else. Unless his stomach reminded him that he was hungry, he could very well easily forget because he was only thinking about her. He might remember that he needed to eat when he was feeding her, but then he’d forget and she always woke up from a nap whenever he tried to eat. It was a vicious cycle. It was like she wanted his food and was mad that she didn’t yet have the teeth to eat it.

“Get yourself something to eat,” Uraraka told him. “Are her things for the bath in there?”

“Not all of it,” Shigaraki replied. She nodded and took Yukiko into the bathroom while he went to the bedroom. He grabbed a towel and a different sleeper. He’d been forced to change her a few times since she got sick, but he might as well get her a new one. The shampoo was in the bathroom already.

By the time he walked out of his room, he could hear the water running in the bathroom and light humming. Uraraka’s gentle voice echoed in the small room, making her singing sound better than it did. He wasn’t sure if she wasn’t self-conscious or if she just didn’t care, but Yukiko seemed to like her singing for some reason. That was one thing he wasn’t going to do no matter what. He did not sing - ever.

“There, that probably feels good, doesn’t it?” Uraraka was saying as he stepped into the bathroom. It was tiny, just barely big enough for the tub, toilet, and sink. It definitely wasn’t meant for multiple people to be in. Uraraka was kneeling in front of the tub, her elbows on the edge, with Yukiko lying propped up in the baby tub. It was hard to tell because she was a baby and crying and smiling seemed to be her only two modes of communication, but she seemed...content. She was lying still, one of her hands opening and closing in the water, and no longer crying.

Shigaraki set the towel and sleeper aside. “If you need anything-”

“It’s a bath,” Uraraka interrupted, peering up at him. “I’ve got it. Go eat. We’ll be out in a minute.”

By now, he was somewhat used to her not backing down - or maybe it was meeting his own stubbornness with hers. She could blow right over him and not even blink. It wasn’t meant to insult him or make him feel like he was being walked on. He knew she wasn’t. It was just...easier to deal with him that way. Plus, now that he had thought about it, he was really fucking hungry, so he didn’t feel like arguing with her about it. She was right - it was a bath - and there was little more he could do for Yukiko than watch Uraraka gently wash her down with a hand towel.

Not feeling up to cooking, Shigaraki heated up some leftovers and quickly scarfed them down. Sometimes he wasn’t in a particular mood for eating despite his hunger, so he didn’t feel the urge to eat slowly and savor the flavor. All he needed was sustenance. Even with Uraraka there to give him a hand, he still felt like he was on a time clock when it came to eating and he needed to be done before she got out of the bath.

He was throwing away the empty carton when Uraraka walked out of the bathroom with Yukiko in the clean sleeper and announced, “She’s so tired. Hopefully, the bath helped lower her temperature a little at least.” Swaddled up in her arms, Yukiko still looked groggy and out of it, but she also somehow looked relieved. Not for the first time, he wished she could tell him what was wrong, but he knew that once she was capable of communication, he might miss the days when all she did was babble here and there. “You wanna get some rest? It’s probably been a long day.”

“No,” Shigaraki said flatly. She gave him an unamused look. “I mean, yes, it has been a long day, but I don’t feel like sleeping. I just…” He waved his hands around. “I just need some time to myself.” His gaze fell on Yukiko. Why did saying that out loud make him feel so guilty? He honestly hadn’t minded large groups of people too much while growing up, but he always needed time alone after. He shouldn’t need time alone from his own kid. Was there something wrong with him? “That sounds selfish, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all,” Uraraka replied, sounding genuine. She always sounded like that though, which sometimes made him suspicious. Then again, she wasn’t a good liar. He knew that now. She had done what she could on her end to keep this...arrangement a secret, but she sucked at it. Maybe one day he would think it was entertaining, but right now, he wasn’t a fan. When he had told Touya about his little brother and Midoriya showing up at his apartment, he had laughed almost as hard as he had when Shigaraki had first shown up with Yukiko in his arms.

While Uraraka meandered over to the couch, he went back into his room to change into sweatpants and a t-shirt. He didn’t care what it made him look like to her. It was after midnight and it was his apartment. He’d changed shirts due to Yukiko’s projectile vomit (maybe that was her quirk, how horrifying), but he was still in his khakis from work and he hated these damn things. He just kept forgetting to change out of them.

When he came back into the main room, he didn’t see them at first, but then Uraraka’s hand popped up from the couch. He stopped and stared until he walked around the couch and saw what had happened. Instead of sitting up, Uraraka had laid down long-ways on the couch, her head resting against a flat pillow. Yukiko was lying on her chest, fast asleep, with a tight grip on Uraraka’s shirt. It was the most peaceful he had seen her all day.

“Uh, well, this wasn’t exactly what I planned, but…” Uraraka awkwardly shrugged her shoulders as much as she could while laying down on the couch. “Almost as soon as I got in this position, she fell asleep. Sorry?”

“It’s fine,” he said, and he meant it. He was just relieved she was finally asleep. There was no way in hell he was going to disturb her now. However, that meant Uraraka would have to either lie on his couch for either however long Yukiko slept or when she had to go home, or if they wanted to be brave, move her and risk waking her up. She looked so comfortable at this moment, nestled up on top of Uraraka. “Unless you want me to move her.”

“No, no, she’s fine,” Uraraka replied quickly. “I’m fine.” The main issue was that he had wanted to play video games and her feet were currently where he normally sat. He could grab a pillow and sit on the floor… His eyes must have stayed on the video game console for too long because she followed his gaze and got the hint. “Oh, I can just-” She scrunched up her legs so that her knees were bent, putting her in the position of a sit up and opening space for him to sit on the couch. “If you’re okay with that? I swear my feet don’t smell.”

Shigaraki eyed the spot on the couch. Half of his mind told him it was a dumb idea, but could not supply an exact reason why except it was too...personal. The other half of his mind, the part that had been with Yukiko all day and felt like he was at his wit’s end, didn’t give a shit. Contrary to what people might think, the second half almost always won out, especially these days. He didn’t have the time, energy, or desire to care as much about things that made him uncomfortable. He just got over them.

After picking out a game, he switched the discs in the console, turned on the television, and grabbed a controller. “You mind if I turn off the lights?” Shigaraki wasn’t sure why he asked, seeing as how he planned on doing it no matter what she said, but Uraraka simply shook her head. He turned them off and then wandered back over to sit down on the couch. Her toes bumped against his thigh and she muttered an apology as she did her best to bend her legs further so that she wasn’t touching him. It was probably uncomfortable.

“Oh,” Uraraka said as the game started up, “this is an old game.”

“You’ve played it?” Shigaraki asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes.

She shook her head. “No, but one of my friends has and I watched him. It’s kind of relaxing - watching other people play video games.”

“That sounds boring,” Shigaraki pointed out as he quickly set it up. He’d played it before, but that didn’t make it any less entertaining. The one good thing about working in a video game store was that he got to try a lot of new games right when they came out, but sometimes an old classic was better, especially after a long ass day. He didn’t want to particularly think or struggle, just do something that he liked in order to wind down.

“No, it’s like watching a movie,” Uraraka said. “I like movies.”

Shigaraki snorted. “I bet you like those cheesy, dumb romcoms.”

“Sometimes,” Uraraka admitted, “but I like action and scary movies the best. They’re way more fun.”

“Scary movies, huh?” Shigaraki gave her a weird look. “That’s surprising. I didn’t peg you for the type.”

Uraraka smirked. “I’m full of surprises.”

“Hm, I’ve always hated surprises,” Shigaraki said blandly before turning back to the screen. He caught a glimpse of her face - some soft look that he didn’t like - and went to ignoring her. Besides being surprised by the fact that he had a daughter, the last major surprise he’d had was when he had found out the truth about All for One and his past. It hadn’t been fun to learn that he had been manipulated and used for nearly his entire life.

Before starting the game, Shigaraki set the controller down and tugged off his gloves. He could’ve done it earlier when she had first arrived, but he’d still been frazzled over Yukiko not sleeping or eating. He tossed them onto the dinged up coffee table and flexed his fingers. He didn’t need them most of the time, not even with Yukiko. The habit of using four fingers would always be something that lingered in him. He did it while wearing gloves too. Using all five simply made it a lot easier to carry her, but he hated wearing them for so long. He needed a break from them too.

“You’re not used to wearing gloves, are you?” Uraraka asked in a guarded tone. She must have noticed him wearing them often and become curious. To be honest, he was more surprised that it had taken her this long to ask him about them than he was about her asking.

Shigaraki picked up the controller and started the game in earnest. “No, I didn’t get them until after my release. They had me wear quirk inhibitor braces while I was in prison.”

“The whole time?” She sounded kind of...upset about it.

“Yup, couldn’t have me disintegrating the bars and orchestrating an escape,” Shigaraki replied without missing a beat. It didn’t bother him as much as one might’ve thought. The reasoning behind it was logical. Touya had been forced to wear them too, but he also had to be given time to use his quirk here and there so it wouldn’t eat away at him. “I couldn’t use my quirk for years.”

Uraraka chewed on her bottom lip. He could feel her tensed up next to him. “That’s…”

“Normal for prison,” Shigaraki finished for her as he played the game. “Sure, it would’ve been nice to be able to defend myself a little more, but it was what it was.” He had his pinky fingers held out as he held the controller in order to play. She had to hold things like that as well in order to keep from taking away their gravity. “The gloves were made mostly upon the request of my therapist when I got out on parole. He thinks they’re a good idea or some bullshit.”

“Are they?” Uraraka asked.

“I’m more along the lines of ‘some bullshit’,” Shigaraki answered, “but they keep my parole officer happy. Everyone seems to think that I’m somehow less dangerous or likely to cause trouble if I get in the habit of wearing them.”

“So they don’t do you any good?”

Shigaraki sighed. He was mostly focused on the game, but the conversation took care of the rest of his mind that was fighting against the idea of drifting off. It wasn’t a bad one or even a boring one. No one had ever really asked about the gloves. Touya had taken one look at them and shook his head. Even without saying anything, Shigaraki had known what he was thinking: the gloves were just another form of shackles, like the quirk inhibitor braces. Maybe they were. Some days he thought Touya was right; others he thought it felt good to use all five fingers.

“They would’ve been more helpful when I was younger, maybe even when you knew me before,” Shigaraki explained in a distant voice. Concentrate on the game. It wasn’t a bad conversation, but it could get there if he wasn’t careful. He believed she’d stop asking questions the moment she sensed that he wasn’t comfortable, but they weren’t there yet, just toeing the line. “Not that I couldn’t control my quirk, but I…” Ah, she knew. What was the point of hiding it? To save face? He had very little, especially with her. “I lost control of myself - temper, insecurity, you name it - and, before I knew it, I destroyed so much dumb shit. I hurt people too. I’m over it.”

He’d done a lot more than that during some of his temper tantrums. A lot more.

Uraraka hesitated and started to ask, “Could you…?” but then she didn’t finish the question. He had a feeling he knew what she had planned on asking and he was relieved she didn’t. He wouldn’t have answered. A lot had been revealed during his trial, but there were some hazy days for him. He couldn’t remember the trial clearly. A part of that had to do with being a little drugged up to keep him mostly calm and sedated. The other part was trauma - or so his therapist said.

She didn’t speak up again for a while, laying there silently and watching him play the video game. He didn’t speak up either, becoming totally absorbed in the game. The only time he was pulled out of it was whenever she would shift on the couch. At first, it was only a little, but as the game progressed, she began to squirm even more. The position she was in wasn’t comfortable. It’d be a lot better if she could stretch out or move, but he was sitting on the end and Yukiko was passed the fuck out on her. It was the deepest sleep she’d been in for days.

“I don’t see why she’s sleeping on you,” Shigaraki grumbled, glowering at her with no real heat in his eyes. “I tried doing that with her.”

“Ah, well-” Was Uraraka blushing? “I’ve got more… cushion.”

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. “What?”

She didn’t answer, pressing her lips together into a thin line. He dropped his gaze down from her face to Yukiko again. She was lying on her stomach, her head resting on… He coughed and jerked his head back to look at the screen. Yeah, okay, that was stupid. In his defense, it was late and he had been up for a long time. Luckily he didn’t have work tomorrow. He didn’t say anything else and played the game. Hopefully, she’d forget that he had opened his dumb mouth and said anything.

Only when she shifted her legs again did he sigh and say, “Stretch them out.”

“Eh?” Uraraka practically squeaked. “But-”

“Just do it,” Shigaraki snapped lightly. “Your moving around keeps distracting me.”

“Geez, sorry, I’m only acting as a bed for your baby,” Uraraka mumbled. Slowly she lifted her feet and then, after a moment of hesitation, she stretched her legs out. He lifted his arms slightly so her feet and calves could rest in his lap and then dropped them down so that his forearms were on her shins. She tensed for a moment before relaxing. It was a much more comfortable position for her, even if it was weird as hell. He didn’t care. He just wanted her to stop moving around. What if she woke up Yukiko? “That’s a lot better. Thanks.”

“Whatever,” Shigaraki mumbled, not taking his eyes away from the television.

About fifteen minutes later, a spot in the game came up where the cut scenes took more time than usual. He set the controller aside and leaned back on the couch, taking a deep breath. He felt a lot fucking better and Yukiko was still out like a light. Uraraka had stopped squirming around, but as they watched the cut scenes, he got the sense that she still had something on her mind. That might’ve partially been why she kept moving. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost feel her thinking about something, but this time, he didn’t prompt her. If she had something she wanted to say or ask him, she could do it herself.

“You ever wonder what Yukiko’s quirk will be?” Uraraka finally blurted out.

“Pretty sure it’s either shitting or puking,” Shigaraki responded. Uraraka rolled her eyes. “I guess, sometimes, yeah. I still don’t know what Himura’s quirk was and mine…” This time, he was the one to shift uncomfortably in his seat on the couch. “I don’t remember much, but I was told about them by my attorney and prison therapist. Most people inherit quirks similar to their parents’. I didn’t.”

So no one knew what to prepare for when his quirk did manifest. No one knew the horrific damage he would cause, all because his parents wouldn’t let him eat a candy. He was just a kid. He hadn’t known any better. He hadn’t realized the extent of his quirk. They found out that day just what he was capable of.

“I got one somewhat similar to my mom’s,” Uraraka said, “but admittedly a lot stronger - and she doesn’t have to do the same ritual as me to deactivate it.” She held her pinky finger up as she rested her hand on Yukiko’s back. “It took a lot of trial and error to figure that out. It...honestly wasn’t good.” He peered at her sideways. Her other hand was stroking Yukiko’s soft, brown hair. “I was five and one of the last kids in my class to get my quirk. I remember being afraid that I didn’t have one, but I knew the pads on my fingers had to be good for something. The moment it manifested, I wanted to use it all the time.”

“Running around floating everything you could get your hands on?” Shigaraki prompted.

“ Everything ,” Uraraka stressed, “until I wanted to make my turtle fly.” He raised an eyebrow. Oh no, he knew where this was going. What went up must come down...unless you didn’t know what made things come down. “My parents were already having issues with me floating things in the house and not returning their gravity to them. I didn’t know how to bring it back. It’s a wonder I didn’t touch them, but they turned it into a game where people were off limits until we figured it out. People did not include animals.”

Shigaraki paused the game and set the controller aside. He needed a small break from it anyway to stretch out his fingers so they wouldn’t cramp up. “You killed a turtle.”

“My parents told me he went to stay with someone else,” Uraraka replied, biting her lip. “I believed them - or at least I wanted to believe them - for about a day. I knew he was dead, but… I didn’t really think about it that much until later as I learned more about my quirk. It must’ve been...painful. I still try not to think about it. The concept was difficult for me to understand. Quirks were supposed to make people happy. They saved the day, not…”

Kill things. Quirks weren’t supposed to kill things. Shigaraki wondered: how much of his trial had she seen? While it had been public, many of the darker details were left for the courtroom, like the pictures from his childhood home. The only people to see those had been the people there. Any documentaries about him and the League were still in the dark about that, although there was plenty of speculation. They knew about as much as he had about that time as he did growing up.

Was she trying to relate to him? Was she worrying about Yukiko because she knew what had happened when his quirk had manifested? It irritated him - there was no way their situations were similar - but he didn’t say anything, only watched her in the dark room, tv lights cascading over her face. She wasn’t looking at him though, focused on Yukiko. He struggled to make out her expression even with that light.

“Can you imagine? Objects floating around the house constantly? They put gloves on me, but I kept taking them off because I didn’t like them.” Uraraka let out a sigh. “And then I figured out I could use my quirk on myself and I wanted to fly too. It was stupid. Even after the turtle, I did it, but things went from fun and whimsical to bad. It made me so sick. I puked almost instantly, but I couldn’t deactivate it. The only reason my parents hadn’t taken me to a quirk specialist yet was because they were so expensive and it was one of the worst years for their business.”

What would Yukiko’s quirk be like? Would she take after him or Himura? Would it be as dangerous as his? Would she require special gloves as well to keep her and others safe? He supposed he should worry about her accidentally killing him or someone else, as he had done his parents, but he didn’t. It was odd. His parents had probably done the same thing and look where that got them.

“Quirks with ‘release’ deactivations are still somewhat uncommon, but my parents had never heard of such a thing twenty years ago,” Uraraka continued. Twenty years? Had it been that long since she’d got her quirk? She was still quite young, a handful of years younger than him, and she looked younger than that, but twenty years was a lifetime for some people. His parents had been about her age now when his quirk manifested. “I got sick repeatedly, but my quirk wouldn’t deactivate until I passed out at the hospital. I was dehydrated, weak, and scared. I never wanted to use my quirk again. I wore gloves for months. Even worse, I felt guilty because I knew going to the hospital was expensive and it put my parents even more in the hole. I was devastated. I kept thinking about the turtle. That could’ve been me. I was afraid of my quirk.”

“How long did it take for you to use it again?” Shigaraki asked.

Uraraka stilled completely. “About half a year, maybe a little longer. Wearing gloves in the summer got so miserable and I wanted to use my quirk like everyone else. All the other kids were having fun learning their quirks and there I was hiding mine constantly. My parents were so worried and I didn’t want to stress them out.” She didn’t wear gloves nearly as much he did. She did the four finger touch, even when she was handling Yukiko. He had thought to ask her if she needed any, but she didn’t seem to mind the hindrance. It was a part of her life and it always would be, just like his. “I told my dad I wanted to use my quirk again, so he sat me down, had me touch a toy, and repeat every word he looked up that might do the trick.”

“No quirk specialist?”

A small smile quirked onto her lips for only a second and then it was gone. “No quirk specialist. We figured out things on our own, even if it meant hours of hard work. I might’ve got sick from using my quirk for so long, but we came up with the answer in the end. The day was saved. I could use my quirk again.” Her gaze landed on the gloves he’d set aside. She still hadn’t looked at him. “I had to keep using gloves for a while until I got in the habit of using only four of my fingers. It was a difficult lesson to learn at that age. I had to constantly think about it.”

“I’m sure I just disintegrated everything in my path,” Shigaraki said without thinking. “I probably didn’t care.”

Her eyes finally went back to him and they locked in on each other’s gazes. He hadn’t exactly meant to say that out loud, but the moment the thought came to him, they spilled out of his mouth. She considered him, but he didn’t think what he saw in her eyes was pity. There wasn’t any understanding or that sadness people looked at him with during his trial that had driven him up a wall. She looked kind of tired, maybe even accepting. It was what it was. It had happened. It was done with. He couldn’t go back and fix it. She must have been tired of not being able to fix things or save people. It wasn’t her problem. She’d probably just been born.

And everything that came after… Ah, well, he was working through it, as his therapist would say.

“Did you wear the gloves often before or when you got Yukiko?” Uraraka asked curiously.

“I wore them to work usually, but that was it,” Shigaraki said. “I didn’t like it, but it was...nice being able to grab and hold things normally. I’d never done that, not even with the inhibitor braces on.” He reached over to touch Yukiko, but left his hand to hover over her before pulling it back. “I think a part of me was frightened that I would accidentally hurt her. I’d get too tired or frustrated or angry - and I would slip up and she would be- She would be gone and it would be my fault. I wouldn’t hurt her on purpose, but what if I-?”

“You wouldn’t hurt her,” Uraraka reassured him. “You’re too self-aware of your quirk.”

“I destroyed a lot of things on accident when I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Shigaraki told her honestly. “People too.”

Uraraka didn’t look away from him when she softly replied, “I know,” and he knew at that moment that she was at least somewhat aware of his parents. Maybe she didn’t know the exact details, but she knew enough. It pissed him off and yet, at the same time, it gave him the ability to breathe. At least that was one less thing he had to hide to make himself look like less of a freak or monster or disaster.

Shigaraki took a breath and leaned back against the couch, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. “That’s gotta be at least part of the reason why he had Kurogiri watch over me. He was made of mist, which made it a lot more difficult for me to accidentally kill him too.”

“Not entirely of mist,” Uraraka pointed out.

“Ah, that’s right.” Shigaraki huffed out a tiny laugh. “You grabbed his neck brace and took away his gravity. I’d never seen him so affronted in his life. He’s made of mist and you made him helpless. I caught him grumbling about that days later.”

Uraraka chuckled faintly and admitted, “It’s weird…thinking about those days or just high school in general. It feels like an entirely different life. Things were so different than they are now. I never expected to be here.”

“In your enemy’s apartment on his couch with his kid?” Shigaraki prompted.

“No, I didn’t,” Uraraka concurred, “but everything else too. I don’t know what I expected or where I thought I would be at this age, but it admittedly wasn’t with you.”

Shigaraki snorted. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“It’s not that ,” Uraraka said dismissively, digging the heel of one of her feet into his thighs for extra emphasis.

“You sure about that? I thought you wanted to be married with kids.”

“Ass,” Uraraka declared, although she didn’t sound angry. She did kick him with her foot once more, a little harder this time. He grunted, caught off guard, and grabbed her by the ankle to stop her from doing it again - that four finger touch of theirs. She gave him a tiny smirk, not a kind one but not cruel by any means. “Yeah, I guess I thought I might be there, but I’m not and, honestly, I think I’m okay with that now.” He gave her a disbelieving look. “I mean, I wasn’t before - I’ll admit that - but I’ve been doing pretty damn good for myself these past few months. I might even have enough money to move into a better apartment when my lease is up. Maybe I’ll get a car! Or a motorcycle.”

The image of Uraraka driving a motorcycle almost made him choke. “You’re not serious about that.”

“What?” Uraraka responded innocently. “I learned to drive one a few years back. They’re fun and really give off this sense of freedom - and they’re cheaper and use less gas.”

“They’re also death traps,” Shigaraki pointed out.

“So what?” Uraraka’s smirk broadened. “You became a dad and turned into a wet blanket? Where’s your excitement? Where’s your thrill? Your sense of adventure?”

Was she hanging out with Touya on the side or something? That sounded an awful lot like something he would say. She better not be hanging out with him. He would be a bad influence on someone like her. She was a good person, but her taste was clearly questionable if she was fine hanging out in his apartment at two in the morning.

“I left it all behind when I became an average citizen,” Shigaraki shot back.

“Average citizens own motorcycles, you know,” Uraraka said.

“Not intelligent ones,” Shigaraki replied.

Uraraka hummed a thoughtful, “Maybe so,” and turned her attention back to the screen where his game was still paused. To be honest, he’d forgotten all about it. He had been entirely focused on the conversation. Even though it hadn’t been a pleasant one, he didn’t feel bad. He was used to unpleasant conversations making him uncomfortable, like the ones at his therapy sessions or with his parole officer.

This felt different. Somehow, he knew that Uraraka’s story about her quirk’s manifestation was one she didn’t tell often. It wasn’t something he expected of her. He had kind of pictured her having one of those storybook tales where her quirk manifested, she showed her parents, they were proud and excited for her, and then she showed it off to all her friends at school where her teachers complimented her and she thought about becoming a hero. Now all he could picture was her pale and shaking from getting repeatedly sick, probably strapped down to a bed so she wouldn’t float to the ceiling and thinking about that stupid turtle.

Why had she told him? It wasn’t like he was good at comforting people. She knew that. It wasn’t like she wanted to be comforted anyway. He didn’t get that feeling from her now. She’d just...opened up to him - without expected him to do the same. Maybe it was her way of holding out a hand to him, but she was already doing that by helping with Yukiko. She was already doing so much.

Should he tell her? About when his quirk manifested? He could barely remember it himself, but he had seen pictures and heard police reports. He remembered the dust and the ash and the blood. He remembered...the darkness and the cold. She wouldn’t want to hear that. It was gruesome and terrible and she deserved more than some awful, sad tale after telling her own. Besides, he’d never talked to anyone about it except for his therapist. He couldn’t remember telling Kurogiri and All for One had seen the aftermath and used it to his advantage.

Should he talk about father and the only way he’d been able to find comfort and relief for years? Unable to touch and both wanting and hating to be touched? Her legs were resting over his lap. He still had a hold on her ankle, but she hadn’t pulled her leg away from him. Was she really not scared? He wasn’t wearing his gloves. All he had to do was drop his forefinger and his quirk would eat away at her bare skin.

“I’m gonna keep playing,” Shigaraki blurted in the silence. He let go of her ankle, pulling his hand away as if her skin had scalded him, and grabbed his controller to start the game up again.

“Okay,” Uraraka replied, seemingly unaffected by his abruptness.

He couldn’t help but be very conscious of the fact that she felt - or at least acted like - she was comfortable around him. She was right: eight to ten years ago, this was not how he had pictured his life going. He had never thought about having kids for one, working retail, or not being anything but a villain. Maybe he hadn’t considered himself an actual villain. Very few did. After all, villains were heroes in their own stories. And then things started to get more complicated, goals began to shift, and then he got caught and-

Here he was, sitting on a shitty couch, in a shitty apartment, at two in the morning, playing an old video game while a pro hero and his daughter lounged next to and practically on top of him. Life was fucking weird.

He focused on the game, putting all of his mental capacity into it. He didn’t want to think of anything else. For a brief while, he wanted it to just be this game before he had to come back to the real world. He didn’t talk anymore and neither did Uraraka. Yukiko remained blessedly asleep, knocked out and comfortable on Uraraka’s chest. He kept playing for another hour, never once looking away from the screen, to the point where he almost forgot that her legs were lying over his.

It was only when his controller began to flash, signaling that its battery was low, that he snapped out of the video game trance. Shigaraki huffed in irritation. The only way to keep it from dying would be to get up and plug it in, but the cord wasn’t long enough to stretch to the couch. He saved his game progress and set the controller down, sitting back up and rubbing his face.

As he turned to look at Uraraka, Shigaraki started to say, “I’m done so you can-” but cut himself off when he found that she was asleep too. There was a terribly soft expression on her face, her mouth parted slightly as she breathed shallowly in her sleep. Her hands were folded together on Yukiko’s back so that a few of her fingers weren't touching her. Quirks didn’t always activate in a person’s sleep, but it was still very much a possibility and she wasn’t wearing gloves.

Should he wake her? Should he leave her be? It was hard to tell what the protocol for this was when he’d never been in a situation like this in his life - and he didn’t know what exactly this was beyond some weird arrangement. She looked comfortable, but he didn’t know how she would feel if she woke up alone in his apartment. Probably awkward as hell. It wasn’t like he was going to stay on the couch with her. He wanted to sleep too.

After grumbling to himself, Shigaraki lifted her legs off of him and stood up from the couch. He thought that might wake her up, but it didn’t. The hero work must’ve really kicked her ass tonight. He stretched his back, popping it a few times, and then looked down at her again. How could she be asleep? Was she that trusting? It was stupid. She should not have let her guard down that much around him. No, he wouldn’t do anything and he hadn’t even thought about legitimately hurting people in a while, but still… She shouldn’t do shit like this.

The first thing he did was very carefully pick up Yukiko. He had to move Uraraka’s hands, but then he spent at least a minute debating over what to do next. What if Uraraka woke up while he was grabbing Yukiko and thought he was trying to feel her up? His face heated up just thinking about it. This was stupid. He should just wake Uraraka up and have her hand Yukiko over. She needed to wake up and go home anyway. It was late though. Three AM was not a good time to be walking around in this neighborhood. Would it be better for her to stay?

She’s a pro hero, for fuck’s sake, Shigaraki scolded himself. She’s literally worked at this hour in this neighborhood.

Finally, Shigaraki just went and picked up Yukiko, scooping one hand under her belly and lifting while he held up her head with the other. It might’ve been awkward, but he got her and without waking her up too. Sighing with relief, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her down in her little sleep nest thing he had set up on his bed. He knew he wasn’t supposed to leave a blanket on her, according to the internet, but he didn’t see the harm in it since he could hang it over the bassinet-type thing and she barely moved in her sleep. Plus, it got drafty in his room and he didn’t want her to get cold.

When he returned to the living room, he found Uraraka curled up on her side on the couch, her arms hugging herself where Yukiko no longer was. The responsible thing would be to wake her up. If she was too tired to leave… Fuck it, she could sleep on his couch. It was weird, but he was tired too and her walking around the neighborhood sleepy as hell at this hour made him uncomfortable, as much as he didn’t like it. That sounded suspiciously like giving a shit. Fuyumi would give him hell about it if she ever found out he kicked Uraraka out at this hour. However, if she wanted to leave, he wouldn’t stop her either. It was her choice. She just had to be awake to make it.

Touching her shoulder, Shigaraki shook her lightly and hissed, “Hey,” but she didn’t respond. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was going to wake up to a former villain shaking her. No way that was going to go well. Still, he nudged her again, harder, and repeated in a louder voice, “Hey, wake up.”

“Wha-?” Uraraka mumbled groggily. He pulled his hand away from her as she started to roll over and took a step back out of her reach. At least that way he might not come off looking like a threat and she wouldn't float his ass to the ceiling out of instinct. When her eyes landed on him, surprise shined in them, but only for a moment. She put a hand on her face as she pushed herself up into the sitting position, looking completely out of it. He couldn’t send her out like this. “Where’s Yukiko?”

“In bed,” Shigaraki simply told her.

“Oh, right.” Her hand fell from her face to her lap and she blinked a few times as she gathered her wits. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. I guess work caught up with me and Yukiko was so soothing.”

“Being a hero must be...exhausting,” Shigaraki said, making Uraraka smile a little, “all that caring, being a do-gooder, and chasing bad guys through the streets.”

Despite his slight mockery, Uraraka didn’t stop smiling. “Yeah, those are very tiring things to do.” He pulled her phone out of her shorts pocket to check the time and then let out a sigh. “Oof, it is late. My bad. I hope you didn’t stay up for me or anything.”

Shigaraki shook his head. “No, I was playing the game.” He hadn’t even realized what time it was until he quit playing and looked at the clock. He was definitely going to regret this tomorrow when Yukiko didn’t want to sleep again. It was worth it. Maybe.

“Well…” Uraraka stood up and lifted her arms in the air to stretch, her jacket and t-shirt underneath pulling up at the action. She yawned and dropped her arms to her side, all of the tension out of her body. “I guess I should get going. I don’t want to keep you up any longer. You need to sleep too.”

“You don’t have to,” Shigaraki blurted. When she raised her eyebrows at him, he bit his tongue and mentally cursed for a few seconds. He had meant to bring it up earlier when she woke up, but then she’d asked about Yukiko and he got distracted and, well… Okay, maybe he had avoided bringing it up. “I mean, like you said, it’s late.” He waved a hand in a vague gesture. “It might be…”

“Dangerous?” Uraraka finished for him in a voice that was far too teasing for his taste.

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. “You’re tired. This isn’t a safe neighborhood. Someone could get the jump on you because your head is clouded.” He folded his arms across his chest. “You look like the perfect person to mug.”

“And what’s the perfect person to mug look like?” Uraraka asked jokingly.

He knew it was a joke and he knew she was teasing him because she was a hero and every day was dangerous for her. Nonetheless, he retorted, “Like a pretty, sweet-natured, young woman who would probably walk into a dark alley if she heard a kitten crying.”

Again, it was kind of an insult (and kind of not), but Uraraka burst into muffled laughter, putting a hand over her mouth to soften the sound. She didn’t want to be too loud and wake up Yukiko, not after what she’d done to get her to fall back asleep. Once she contained herself, she pulled her hand away and admitted, “I probably would walk into a dark alley if I heard a kitten crying. How can you possibly resist that?”

“Very easily,” Shigaraki replied. “It could be a trap - some villain using your compassion to lure you into their clutches.”

“Did you ever use kittens in your evil schemes?” Uraraka questioned.

“No, but I probably should have if heroes are that easy to trick,” Shigaraki responded. They were both mocking each other now, but, looking back on it, using a kitten would have gotten the best of at least one or two heroes. Everyone had a soft spot. For a lot of people, that soft spot was animals. For Uraraka, it was apparently babies. For Shigaraki…

He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he’d even had a soft spot until Yukiko and now he was just wary.

“I promise not to wander into any dark alleys or go to a kitten’s rescue on my way home,” Uraraka swore, even holding up a hand like she was making it official. She winked at him, which made him a lot more flustered than he wanted to admit. What an asshole move.  “You don’t need to worry so much about me, but I appreciate it.”

Shigaraki scowled and muttered, “I wasn’t worried about you.” She was a hero, for fuck’s sake. A fight would wake her right up. They got off on villain confrontations, didn’t they?

Uraraka lifted a hand, like she was moving to put it on his arm, but then seemed to think better of it, pulling her hand away and stuffing both of them into her jacket pockets. Stupid hero merch. She was one of those annoying supportive friends. He knew that from firsthand experience now and they weren’t even friends.

Clearing her throat, Uraraka said, “Thank you - for the offer - but I don’t want to put you out any more than I already have. Me falling asleep on you was most likely awkward enough for you as it was.” Yes - and no. He hadn’t really minded it, which was weird, seeing as how he very much liked his space. Once he got really into the game and she stopped squirming around because she was more comfortable, he had kind of forgotten about her legs being in his lap altogether. “I’ll be fine. If a villain tries to attack me on my way home, I’ll be more pissed than anything else. I’m not on the clock and tomorrow is my day off.”

“I thought a hero’s job was never over,” Shigaraki said.

“It isn’t,” Uraraka replied, “but that doesn’t mean I want to get into a fight right now. I want my bed.”

Shigaraki huffed. “If you think you’re fine…”

“I am.”

“I’m not stopping you from leaving,” Shigaraki said. “I trust you to know what you’re capable of.”

There was a rather warm look on Uraraka’s face or at least that was what it looked like. It was hard to tell because of the light from the television. It still washed out the color of her face except for those pink spots on her cheeks. “I’ll see you later. Thanks for letting me crash a little and not getting offended over it. Normally, I like watching people play video games, but I guess I was more tired than I thought. I feel better now.”

“Yeah, okay,” Shigaraki mumbled.

“Let me know how Yukiko is feeling tomorrow,” Uraraka said as she walked to the door, “and try to get some sleep.”

“We’ll see,” Shigaraki replied vaguely. That was as accurate as he could be about that. There was no telling how much sleep he was able to get these days. Every night it was a gamble, one that he felt like he was losing. The system felt rigged. No matter what he did, Yukiko always came out the winner, even if that meant passing out on the couch with her in his arms. Maybe he should just let her sleep in the bed with him. He wanted to so bad, but he’d found so many terrifying articles on co-sleeping that he hadn’t been able to bring himself to try it.

Uraraka hesitated at the door. “Hey, um, thanks for letting me...talk...about my quirk. I haven’t really told many people about it, but it was… I don’t know. It was a thing that happened. There are worse stories than mine.” Like his. She knew that. He knew that. A person’s quirk manifestation couldn’t possibly get worse than his, short of even more people dying. “Whatever Yukiko’s quirk ends up being, I know you’ll be right there with her to help her figure it out.”

As long as he didn’t get killed in the process. He should be fine. He knew what to look out for at least. He had to keep an eye on her hands. It was Himura’s quirk that might throw him for a loop.

“See you around, hero,” Shigaraki told her. Uraraka rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face as she waved at him and then left without a word. She’d already said her goodbyes.

The moment she was gone, he turned off the game and television and checked to make sure the door was locked. He wouldn’t be able to see her leave since his apartment window faced the alley, but he didn’t need to. She was a hero. She could kick some serious ass. She was fine. Pushing her to the back of his mind, he crept into his bedroom and crawled into bed. Yukiko squirmed a little, making him freeze, but then she went still again.

Shigaraki let out a near-silent sigh and slipped under his thin blanket. That was a close call. He didn’t know what he would do if she woke up right now. After all, he didn’t have Uraraka’s… cushion.

Fuck me, Shigaraki thought, fighting the urge to smother himself with his pillow. He was intelligent as hell and he knew it, but sometimes even he did the dumbest things. Touya could never know about that mishap. Ever. That was starting to be a reoccurring theme with Uraraka for some reason.

Chapter Text

Mina weaved her way through the crowded bar, trying to spot a familiar tuff of blonde or spiky red hair. For someone who proclaimed to not like crowds or the people that occupied them, Bakugou sure had picked a hopping place for them to meet up. She grinned to herself. Maybe he wasn’t such a grandpa, after all. It was past his usual bedtime. Of course, Kirishima had always been good at convincing Bakugou to go out. It was hard to say no to him and, whether he admitted it or not, Bakugou had struggled to do that since high school.

“Over here, Mina!” a voice called over the noise.

Casting a look around the bar to find the source of the call, Mina spotted a waving hand and pushed her way over to the small table. As soon as she stepped out of the crowd, she was assaulted by Kaminari throwing his arms around her and exclaiming, “It’s been so long! I was starting to forget what you looked like!”

“We snapchat each other every day,” Mina laughed. She fiercely returned his hug, lifting him off his feet.

“It’s not the same,” Kaminari insisted when she set him down. “We use filters every single time.”

He had a point. The two of them might have a minor addiction to snapchat filters. They were just so much fun! The two of them, along with Uraraka and Sero, had an ongoing competition to see who could create the ugliest and funniest selfie. Kaminari might have been winning.

The next person she hugged was Kirishima, who was as enthusiastic if not as emotional as Kaminari. Had he gotten even more muscular since she last saw him? It shouldn’t be possible at this point. “It’s so good to see you again,” he told her. “I’ve definitely missed you.”

“You too. It’s been a while since the ‘squad’ could all get together for anything.” Mina beamed as the two boys nodded in agreement. “Where are the others?”

“Sero’s stuck in traffic,” Kaminari explained, propping his forearms on the tall table they were standing around. “He would have been here sooner, but apparently his daughter decided to eat crayons.”

“Katsuki’s at the bar getting the first round,” Kirishima added, pulling out his phone. “I’ll tell him you’re here. What do you want? He might as well get it while he’s up there.”

“Oh, he’s buying us all drinks right off the bat?” Mina waggled her eyebrows playfully, making Kaminari snort. “He goes up a rank and he gets so generous. Either that or it’s gone straight to his ego. Mr. Big Shot’s gotta show off.”

Kirishima laughed. “He’s trying to be nice.”

Mina waved a finger at him. “Or he’s just in a really good mood.” He shook his head in an attempt to insist things were normal, but there was an embarrassed smile on his face that he couldn’t shake. He was so easy to read sometimes that it almost wasn’t funny. “Now I wonder what could’ve happened to him to make him this nice. Did you do a little preemptive damage control before you two got here?”

“Stop it!” Kirishima covered his blushing face with his hands. It was so sweet. He was a grown man, but it was still the easiest thing in the world to tease him over these things. She’d known about his crush on Bakugou back in school, but it hadn’t been fun to joke around about it once Bakugou and Uraraka started dating after graduation. Kirishima had been put out but refused to let it get the best of him since he’d never said anything either.

It was still sometimes weird for her to joke about them now, considering what had happened, but she knew that the last thing Kirishima and even Bakugou wanted was to hurt Uraraka. Bakugou might still be an ass sometimes, but Kirishima had never been a cruel person. Even in middle school, he had been kind and just wanted to help people. Some things just happened. It had never been intentional.

“The heart wants what the heart wants, right?” she could still hear Uraraka mumbling.

It was an awkward situation, but after a year, she thought things were...okay. They were good - or as good as anyone could get when Uraraka and Bakugou’s relationship ending was a PR disaster and his subsequent relationship with Kirishima was the talk of the town.

The dust had finally settled and everyone had moved on and were in healthier, happier places. Bakugou and Kirishima were doing great, looking better than ever. Although he would rather eat a sock than admit it, his crumbling relationship with Uraraka had affected his job. He’d been stressed out over not being able to fix things. Ending things had wounded both of them, even if it looked like Bakugou was just fine a few months later. He was good now and Kirishima no longer seemed to waffle with guilt. They were happy.

And Uraraka…

Well, despite the very weird circumstances she had fallen into with a reformed villain, she seemed really good. Better than good, if Mina was being honest. Yeah, it was weird as hell and sometimes she burst into random laughter whenever she thought about the fact that Uraraka was basically Tomura Shigaraki’s babysitter, but no one was getting hurt. Maybe she had just needed something to get her out of the last bit of that funk. She’d been doing pretty decent, but there was something undeniably brighter and bubblier about her now.

All it took was running into an old enemy and becoming friends with them. Who knew? After all, even if she had never spoken or seen him personally in years, they were friends. Shigaraki could deny it all he wanted, but all the stories she had heard from Uraraka so far made it pretty clear to Mina. She would never proclaim to be the smartest person on the planet, but she’d always been great at the friendship thing. She liked making friends and she was good at it. She knew what it took.

Apparently, she wasn’t as talented at it as Uraraka. She had made friends with the former leader of the League of Villains. To the point where he trusted her with his baby girl, no less.

Bakugou could never, ever know about that.

As Kaminari recounted his latest disastrous blind date, Mina pulled out her phone, noticing a snapchat notification from Uraraka. Oh, was she trying to beat Kaminari at their game? However, his phone wasn’t blinking, which meant that he hadn’t received the snap from her too. She opened up the snap, revealing a silly picture of Uraraka with Yukiko. It was positively adorable. Using a filter that put round glasses on them, they were both smiling brightly. It was both hard and easy to tell that Yukiko was Shigaraki’s kid. She only recognized it because she knew Yukiko was his, but if she just went by the brown hair and red eyes...

“Whose baby is that?”

“Ah!”

Mina’s phone clattered to the table. She had been so surprised by Bakugou’s voice behind her that it had slipped right out of her hands. Looking around, she saw that he was standing behind her, holding their drinks in a way that looked both dangerous and skillful, but he wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were on the phone, which had the snap up for two more seconds. Oh shit.

She scrambled to snatch her phone and clicked it off. “Oh, uh, it’s...no one’s.” Bakugou narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Shit. That was the wrong answer. She needed to come up with something fast. “Well, I mean, obviously not no one. It’s one of her cousin’s kids.”

“I didn’t know any of them were having a kid,” Bakugou muttered half to himself. Of course he knew her family. They had only been dating for a while and even lived together. Talked about having a family of their own - or, well, talked about not having one.

Mina gave him an apologetic look. “It has been a year…”

“Right. Of course.” Bakugou glanced at her phone again, but there was nothing to see. It didn’t matter. The damage had already been done. Luckily, he seemed thrown by the fact that he and Uraraka had been broken up long enough for someone in her family to have a kid without him knowing anything about it. Seeing her with a baby had probably shaken him up too. Again, he wouldn’t admit it. In true Bakugou fashion, he’d pretend like it had never happened and would just dwell on it for the rest of his life.

And she joked about Midoriya being bad at keeping secrets. She’d almost exposed Uraraka.

Good thing for her, Kirishima was excellent in Bakugou and knew how to avert any crisis with him. “Thanks for the drinks! You didn’t have to do that.”

“What? Are you kidding me?” Kaminari took his drink as soon as Bakugou set them down on the table, sliding the glass towards him. “He makes almost double than me. You let him spoil you! I need me a man like that.”

Mina snorted. “Don’t we all?”

“That’s what I need to look for,” Kaminari declared. “A sugar mama. Someone to take care of my broke ass.”

“You know, you’d make more money if you actually applied yourself since you have such a strong quirk,” Bakugou pointed out. Kaminari bobbed his head noncommittally, although there was a sheepish grin on his face. He knew that Bakugou was right. He’d get there eventually, but not everyone was gearing for the very top like him. “Unless you want some old woman to baby you.”

“If they’re hot, then hell yeah,” Kaminari replied, giving Bakugou the finger guns. “Up top!”

He and Mina high-fived and stared down Bakugou sassily. He scoffed, shaking his head at them, but didn’t push the topic or berate Kaminari any further. Oh no, crisis not averted. He had been in a good mood, but that meant a lot of grinning and intelligent comebacks and fun bullying. He wanted them to be their best. It was important to him. If he wasn’t doing that, it meant he was thinking about something. She connected eyes with Kirishima, who subtly shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey,” Kirishima piped up, “you actually never finished the story about that blind date.”

Kaminari brightened up like his quirk had zapped the life back into him. “Oh, man, it gets so much worse! I didn’t want her to find out that I was allergic to her favorite food, so I took a few bites, thinking I’d be fine if I ate only a tiny bit. Boy, was I wrong! But I didn’t want her to know that either.”

“So what?” Mina prompted, getting really into the story. “You just sat there while you had an allergic reaction?”

“Maybe?” Kaminari replied, cringing a little.

Mina burst into laughter. “Oh my god. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard since Uraraka told me-” She caught herself at the last second, noticing the blank look on Bakugou’s face, and awkwardly continued, “Since Uraraka told me she saw…” Something ridiculous, weird, and random as hell that did not involve her hanging out with Shigaraki and his baby. “Todoroki’s oldest brother walking a cat.”

Too ridiculous, weird, and random! Why had she said that? It didn’t even make sense!

However, Bakugou snorted and gulped down half of his drink. “Good to know Dabi is still a dumbass.”

“He goes by Touya now,” Mina put in. She hadn’t actually known that until Uraraka told her a few months ago. Even though she and Uraraka were best friends, she wasn’t close to Todoroki like Uraraka was, which meant that she wasn’t as up-to-date on former villains. However, Uraraka was even more familiar with him now. Apparently hanging out with Shigaraki meant extended contact with Touya Todoroki as well since they were best friends. Man, her life was super weird right now, but it sounded interesting at least.

“I don’t care what he goes by,” Bakugou stated harshly. “As long as those so-called ‘reformed villains’ stay far away and keep on pretending like they’re bland ass civilians, we won’t have any problems.”

Mina nearly finished her drink in one gulp in an attempt to distract herself or say anything else stupid. Yeah, far away. Civilians. No problems. His ex-girlfriend was currently with one of those reformed villains at this very moment - or at least his baby.

“Hey, guys!” Sero greeted. “Aw, you all started without me.”

“You said to!” Kirishima said.

“I still can’t believe Setsuna let you come out,” Kaminari added. “You got the cool wife!”

“Mika just started walking,” Sero explained as he started to take off his jacket. “I needed it.”

Mina grabbed Sero by the arm before he could finish and said, “C’mon, I’ll go with you to get a drink,” as she forced him to turn right back around. He didn’t even argue with her as she began to pull him through the crowd to the bar. “I need another one.”

She had to take off the edge of her nerves somehow. One more drink and she would be back to normal so she could have an awesome nice with her old gang of friends. She’d forget all about Uraraka and Shigaraki and a baby. She had sworn not to tell Bakugou and, as much as she loved that curmudgeonly hero, she had an obligation to her best girl too. Being in the middle sucked sometimes, but she had never complained before and she wouldn’t do it now.

*

Having a few more drinks had distracted Mina just as she’d wanted. The bar they were at was new and hip, which made seeing Bakugou in it all the more hilarious. Even now, he didn’t do hip, but he was trying to for them - or at least for Kirishima, who had wanted to check it out. Luckily, because it was so crowded and the lights had dimmed, people didn’t recognize them. He handled fans better than some pro heroes of the past, but he was still a little rough around the edges and he did not like getting his picture taken at all.

He hadn’t minded it before, but after the whole breakup and new relationship ordeal, he was done with them. If he so much as saw a hint of paparazzi, Bakugou would blow up. To be honest, Mina knew that it wasn’t the fact that they had taken pictures of him and Kirishima that pissed him off so much. They hadn’t been keeping their relationship on the down low because of the public. The whole thing had ended up hurting Uraraka and that, more than anything else, had transformed him into the paparazzi’s number one enemy.

For a while, he hadn’t cared what he looked like. He got into arguments and fights with anyone that tried to put a camera or mic in his face. It was only until they’d sat him down and explained that him constantly blowing up on people just trying to do their jobs (as despicable as they could be at times) was messing with his rank.

And it wasn’t helping Uraraka at all. In fact, she didn’t want his help. She wanted to deal with it on her own. Mina sometimes thought that hurt him more than anything else, but he rarely talked about such things and for once she didn’t pry. He should consider himself so lucky. There was a lot she’d like to know, but even Uraraka had remained tight-lipped about a few details. Oh well. It was their business. They had their own lives to live and they could do whatever they wanted with it. Like fall in love with their best friend.

Or become friends with a reformed villain and help them raise their kid.

Oh, nope, she was back to thinking about it again, on the dance floor of all places. Hopping around to loud music while multi-colored lights flickered over the crowd was a really weird spot to think about it, but she couldn’t help it. She liked this place. It was cool and upbeat. Sometimes a night out dancing and not caring about things was what she needed. Everyone needed to blow off steam once in a while, even pro heroes - maybe especially heroes. She should take Uraraka here some time. That girl needed a break like this. She needed fun!

Maybe, if she’d allowed herself to have fun and get herself out there a little more, she wouldn’t have so easily jumped into a free babysitting gig.

Not that it was a bad thing! Uraraka was free to do whatever she wanted or whatever made her happy. And if she wanted to help Shigaraki out with his daughter and she was happy with the decision, that was fine. It was great. Yes, it was a good thing. Uraraka was being a better hero - no, a better person than most people would be. Mina didn’t know if she would’ve gone out of her way even that first night had she been in Uraraka’s position. It embarrassed her, but she might’ve kept on walking and just called Midoriya to let him know what she saw.

Not Uraraka. She had gone above and beyond in helping a...civilian. She was good like that.

“Hey, you good in there?” Kaminari asked loudly over the music.

“Huh?” Mina was still jumping around to the music and had only just noticed that Kaminari was on the dance floor with her doing the same thing. Oh shit. She’d really got lost in her own thoughts. The song was even different than the one she remembered dancing to a moment ago. “Oh, yeah, I was just thinking!”

Kaminari gave her a funny look. “Thinking? While we’re dancing? About what?”

“Uh...about...how I have to pee! I’ll be right back!” Without waiting for Kaminari’s response, Mina stopped dancing and scurried off the dance floor. Well, it was more like she pushed her way off of it, considering how crowded it was. Now that she was thinking about it, she did need to use the restroom, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.

She got in line for the bathroom, pulled out her phone, and began the dreaded wait. There was another snap from Uraraka. Mina did a precursory check to make sure Bakugou wasn’t going to pop up on her again and then opened it. She immediately threw a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing obnoxiously loud.

Instead of another cute picture of Uraraka and Yukiko, it was a snapchat of Shigaraki. He was wearing a black t-shirt and dark jeans, looking positively normal. What was hilarious about the whole thing was the way he was holding his daughter in the air, like he had been playing with her, but he was giving the camera a very unamused look. He must have caught Uraraka in the act of taking the picture and wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t look angry either, just resigned to the fact that this was his life now.

The picture had a caption that stated: he’s threatening to disintegrate my phone :( but it’s not my fault he was acting all cute with her lol

Mina continued to giggle even as she lifted her phone to snap a quick selfie and caption it with, he looks so done lmao but what a good dad.

She sent it and then put her phone back in her pocket since it was her turn to use the restroom. She did her business quick, if only because the girl behind her in line had looked like she was getting antsy, and then wandered out into the open space. Back to dancing, the table, or the bar? Maybe she’d take a little breather at the table before getting back out on the floor. She didn’t want to leave Kaminari out there by himself for too long. Who knew what he would do out there? Probably get another date.

Only Sero and Bakugou were at the table when she returned. They were chatting about video games, a conversation she didn’t have much input on, so she pulled out her phone again. Even though Bakugou was at the table, he was pretty distracted by Sero, so she merely angled her screen away from him so she could text Uraraka. Snaps would be too dangerous at this point.

You done babysitting for the night?

Gonna watch a movie and then head out I think.

What movie? Mina grinned to herself as she typed up another quick response. Why did Uraraka have to make it so easy to tease her sometimes? It was too much of an opportunity to pass up on. Honestly, she should’ve expected this by now. U really gonna netflix and chill with him?

We’re not netflix and chilling!!! Yukiko is on the couch with us!

So what you’re saying is that if she wasn’t there you would be.

NO! Shigaraki isn’t interested in that or me. I’m helping him out. That’s it. He’s just being nice.

Mina snickered and shot back, I thought you said he wasn’t interested in being nice either.

Idk he has his moments. He’s in a good mood. He even brought food.

Omg he’s wining and dining you.

With fast food? Do you really think I’m that easy?

Girl all he’s gotta do is pick one of your favorite movies and you’ll be in a weird romcom.

I’m never talking to you again.

So into the conversation, Mina didn’t even notice Sero leave the table to get another drink, which meant that only she and Bakugou remained. He was here, but not even Kirishima would be able to convince him to get on the dance floor for extended periods of time. It was only when she looked up her phone briefly did she connect eyes with Bakugou and realize he had been looking at her. She wiped the smile from her face quickly, but the damage had already been done. Damnit, she’d been wearing such a goofy look too. She really did love teasing her best friend.

“How is she?” Bakugou asked flatly.

“How’s who?” Mina responded dumbly, even though she knew damn well who he meant. He knew that she knew too, so he didn’t even bother to reiterate. “She’s good - really good. I had brunch with her a few days ago. She’s looking great, even looking like she’s gonna be Ryukyu’s right-hand woman at the agency.”

Bakugou nodded, half-muttering to himself, “That’s good.”

Mina felt for him. She really did. Just because he and Uraraka been broken up for a while and he was in a loving relationship did not mean that he didn’t still care about her. That was where so many people went wrong with Bakugou. They thought he only gave a shit about himself or, if they were feeling generous, about the people that supported him. Things were over between them and they would never be the same, but he still respected her as a hero and cared about her as a person. He was just a big butt sometimes and didn’t like to show that side of himself.

Snapping out of whatever thoughts he’d fallen into, Bakugou said, “You’ve been texting her all night.”

“Not about you, I swear!” Mina hastily said.

“I didn’t think that,” Bakugou told her. She sighed in relief. If there was one thing Mina knew, it was that neither one of them liked to bring up the other, but, if she was being honest, Bakugou was almost always the one to ask about her first. He could be considerate. Uraraka wouldn’t have dated him if he hadn’t been - Kirishima neither. “If you wanted to hang out with her, you should’ve said something. I didn’t have to come.”

“No!” Mina exclaimed. “I wanted to see you too!” Bakugou didn’t look entirely convinced, but then he’d known that the whole thing had put her in an awkward position. She loved them both dearly and it had hurt her to see the two of them so messed up over each other in a bad way. Things were good now. “Really, I did. You’re my bro too.” He rolled his eyes, but at least he didn’t look doubtful anymore. “Besides, she’s busy tonight with Shi-”

Oh. Fuck. Bakugou’s gaze went sharp. Mina’s heart jammed in her chest. Shit, shit, shit. This was the second time she had messed up, but this was much worse. She’d already started to say the name. Even worse, she had stopped herself in the middle of it and hadn’t continued, which meant that he wasn’t supposed to know because he knew the person. Oh, no. Think, think, think. How could she save this?

“With Shi...nsou,” Mina finished lamely.

“She’s hanging out with Shinsou?” Bakugou questioned. “As in friends or more?”

Mina cleared her throat. “Not to be rude, but I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“I didn’t even realize he was back in town,” Bakugou said. “Wasn’t he operating in the US with Jirou?”

“He...came back,” Mina continued, digging her hole deeper. Might as well go all the way. “And he and Ochako ran into each other and started talking and, welp, now they’re hanging out. Good times.”

Bakugou stared her down, eyes narrowed into a glare and once more looking unconvinced. Mina stared back, a cringing smile plastered onto her face. She wasn’t sure if Bakugou had Shinsou’s number, but Kaminari did and the two of them were still good friends as far as Mina remembered. The one thing about being friends with Kaminari was that he couldn’t keep a secret. It was highly likely that if Shinsou was not only back in Japan but also hanging out with Uraraka, Kaminari would’ve blurted it by now.

Shit. She should’ve said Shindo. Why hadn’t she said that name instead? Bakugou hated the guy (not as much as he hated Shigaraki), so it would’ve made sense for Mina not to say anything about it.

“You’re lying,” Bakugou stated.

“No, I’m not!” Mina exclaimed in a voice that was too high-pitched to be normal.

“You said she was hanging out with her cousin earlier and now Shinsou,” Bakugou said. Oh, yeah, that had been the lie she had come up with about the baby picture. She really needed to keep her stories straight. She was as bad at lying as Uraraka and Deku. “So yeah, you’re lying. Why?”

“Maybe she hung out with him after visiting her family, huh?” Mina folded her arms across her chest, feeling both defensive and protective. “Or maybe because it really isn’t your business. Ochako is allowed to do whatever she wants. She’s allowed to hang out with whoever she wants, even if you don’t like them. You don’t need to be up-to-date on her life now that you’re out of it.”

Bakugou frowned deeply, but he didn’t argue either. Instead, he looked away from her and muttered, “I know that.”

Mina sighed and softened. “Look, I know you’re concerned about her, but… I don’t know. She doesn’t want your concern. She just needs her space to live her life and move on. You barging in, even if it’s with good intentions, only brings her right back.” She really didn’t want to talk about this right now, not when they were supposed to be having fun, but sometimes he needed that drilled into his head. He couldn’t help someone that specifically didn’t want his help. The last time he had tried had made things only more awkward.

“Yeah, okay,” Bakugou said, which she knew was the closest he would come to say that she was right.

“Besides,” Mina added, perking up, “it’s not like he’s dangerous anymore, so you don’t need to worry.”

“What do you meant he’s not ‘dangerous anymore’?” Bakugou questioned, the tension jumping all over again. Mina couldn’t resist the urge to slap herself in the face. The problem with drinking to calm her nerves down and have fun was that it also loosened her tongue and she said things without thinking them through. “What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing is going on!” Mina insisted.

“Bullshit,” Bakugou snapped. “Just tell me. I promise I won’t fly off the handle or do something crazy or whatever. Like you said, it’s her life.” He looked around, probably to check if the others were around, but it was just them, no matter how much Mina wished Kirishima would show up. “I just want to know she’s okay. That’s it. I fucked up with her and I know that, but she still…” He held up his hands in a placating manner. He really had grown. “I won’t freak out.”

He had not grown nearly enough to handle the truth.

“I told Ochako I wouldn’t tell,” Mina whined.

“Anyone or just me?” Bakugou asked. Mina didn’t answer, which told him anyway. He huffed and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. “So what? She’s seeing someone I don’t like?”

Mina ran a finger through a wet spot on the table from one of their drinks. “She’s not seeing him. They’re just friends.” Even if Shigaraki didn’t believe they were. He had brought back food and they were watching a movie at his place. They were freaking friends and it was weird as hell, but no one had died.

Not yet, at least. That might change when Bakugou found out.

“Todoroki?” Bakugou guessed. Now that would’ve made things easier. She had kind of thought they would become a thing, considering how protective Todoroki was of her and how much things had deteriorated between him and Bakugou after the breakup, but nothing ever came of it. However, before Mina could respond, he shook his head. “No, it’s not him. I’d know. Is it that Shindou asshole?”

“Yeah!” Mina said quickly. “It’s him.”

“No.” Bakugou stared her down. “Too eager to agree.”

Mina groaned and threw her head back. “C’mon, Bakugou, can you just let it be?”

He didn't even respond, choosing the stare down approach that he knew she didn’t like. It made her squirm every time. Honestly, she was even worse about keeping secrets than Uraraka and she knew that. Uraraka at least tried to lie. Mina told on herself half the time. It was why all those tabloids about her sneaking around with other guys were so ludicrous. Everyone would know in less than a week if any of that was true.

Glancing around desperately, Mina hoped to spot Kirishima or anyone that might save her from this mess, but it remained just the two of them. None of their friends were in sight. She was half-tempted to call out his hero name and run away when he inevitably got flooded with fans. As the number four hero, he was a pretty big deal. The only reason people weren’t flocking around him now was because of the dim lights, loud music, and crowded scene. No wonder he had picked this place. He could hide.

“You’re gonna flip out!” Mina complained.

“I won’t,” Bakugou insisted.

“You will too!”

Bakugou scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. “What? Is she hanging out with Dabi or something? She’s got better taste than that.” Mina winced before she could stop herself. That was too close of a guess for comfort. Her reaction was enough to make him suspicious and he narrowed his eyes when she didn’t respond right away. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Is she?”

“Uh, not...exactly…” Mina mumbled, fiddling with her fingers.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bakugou demanded.

Mina chewed on her bottom lip. She couldn’t do this. Maybe she should just bolt now. He’d forgive her eventually. Leaving him hanging would piss him off, but it was better than betraying Uraraka. She hadn’t told anyone about what Uraraka had said, not even the girls, but it was hard. For once, the tabloids had missed something incredibly wild and true and it was driving her bonkers.

“Just tell me,” Bakugou said again, except this time, instead of anger, there was a tiny hint of desperation in his voice. It was something he would’ve never let bleed through back when they were younger. The past few years had helped him open up - or maybe it had to do with Uraraka. He’d really grown while he was with her.

And it was that tone - that tiny admission that screamed he still cared about her - that made Mina break. Damn him to hell, honestly.

“It’s Shigaraki!” Mina burst. She slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. She’d said the dreaded words and was already planning on calling Uraraka to apologize. What had she done? She was so stupid. She was such a shitty friend. During the breakup and after, she had kept her mouth shut, letting them handle things on their own and only offering her support and advice when asked. It had been difficult, but she’d done it. Why was it so hard now?

(Was it because she was kind of anxious about the whole ordeal? Yeah, Shigaraki was supposed to be reformed and Uraraka seemed to believe he was doing good. They were even hanging out tonight after she’d watched Yukiko. She insisted things were fine. Still, it was hard not to worry. Shigaraki was...well, he was Shigaraki. She’d had nightmares about him in high school. He had orchestrated Bakugou’s kidnapping, the attack on USJ, and countless other things throughout the years. How could she not be anxious about Uraraka being around him? Even with a baby involved?)

Completely silenced, Bakugou gawked at her, but Mina knew it wouldn’t last long. He was going to blow up and it wasn’t going to be pretty. Maybe he wouldn’t since they were in public and it could possibly damage his reputation, but it wasn’t like that had stopped him before. The public knew his explosive personality very well. It was a part of his image at this point. The rebel hero who didn’t give a damn about being fake and was who he was even if it made him look like an asshole. People ate it up and it wasn’t even an act.

“What?” Bakugou blinked. “Are you fucking with me?”

“Yes?” Mina replied weakly.

“What the fuck is she…?” Bakugou’s eyes darted from side-to-side as he tried to process this new information. His ex-girlfriend was hanging out with the former villain who had terrorized them throughout their high school days. Yeah, it was a lot to take in. She had laughed about it, but after leaving brunch, she’d realized how shocked she was. It was the weirdest thing. “How in the hell did she get involved with him? Why is he even around her?”

Mina sighed and fought the urge to hide her face in her hands. “It’s kind of a long story. Can we just forget about it tonight? We’re supposed to be having fun…”

“I don’t give a shit about that,” Bakugou snapped. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and her heart leaped into her throat, threatening to choke her.

“Don’t!” Mina snatched his phone out of his hands without a second thought.

“What the fuck!” Bakugou shouted. “Give me my damn phone!”

Mina shook her head and said, “No way. You’re not getting this back until you promise not to bother her.”

“I swear to god, Ashido,” Bakugou snarled. “Give me my phone or so help you.”

“You can threaten me all you want; I don’t give a shit,” Mina retorted, holding it away from him. She was not below wrestling him over this if he launched himself over the table like he looked like he wanted to do. “But you’re not going to text her. The last thing she needs is you blowing up her phone. She’s in a really good place without you in her life. I love you, but you need to stop behaving like an entitled brat.”

Bakugou practically growled at her, but he leaned back and stopped glaring at her like he was ready to attack at any given moment. She sighed in relief and carefully handed the phone back to him. He hesitated, but then put it back in his pocket. The disgruntled look on his face said it all, but she knew he wouldn’t text Uraraka. Her words had been harsh and she was frustrated that she had to resort to guilting him, but it had to be done.

She might have spilled the beans to Bakugou, but she wasn’t about to let him or her ruin Uraraka’s night. From what she’d seen in the texts, she was having a really good, chill night. Yes, it was with a former villain. Yes, it was strange. Yes, it did worry her. That was probably why Uraraka was texting her more frequently: to reassure her that she was indeed okay and Shigaraki hadn’t murdered her.

Still, she would have to call Uraraka tomorrow and apologize - or at least warn her. Bakugou might not say anything tonight, but she didn’t know how long he would be able to contain himself before he had to say something. He was a volcano and this was bound to make him explode eventually once it became too much to hold in. She wasn’t even sure he would tell Kirishima about this. Discussing an ex was awkward no matter how kind and good your significant other was.

Bakugou tapped his fingers on the tabletop as he thought the revelation over. “The kid.” Uh oh. Mina tried not to react, but she wanted to bite her nails. “I didn’t think of it before because it’s absolutely ridiculous - outside of Ochako willingly spending time with a villain - but the red eyes and that mole…” Damnit, he had gotten a much better look at the picture than she’d thought. She hoped he only caught a glimpse of it before she turned the screen black. “That’s his fucking kid.”

“Shigaraki a dad? Whaaat?” Mina’s voice was way too high-pitched. She rubbed the back of her neck and rolled her eyes. It was too over the top and she knew it even as she kept acting this way. Her brain screamed at her to stop, but she couldn’t. She was basically acting like Kaminari. How lame. “That’s silly! Who would sleep with him?”

“Another villain,” Bakugou said, so to the point that Mina coughed. He wasn’t wrong, but she really wished he wouldn’t keep referring to Shigaraki as if he was still one. She wasn’t about to go up to bat for him, even if Uraraka and Midoriya proclaimed he wasn’t one anymore, but it made her uncomfortable since Uraraka was with him right now. Why couldn’t she have just gotten with Todoroki? “There was that unusually peaceful villain takedown a while back. I only remember it because there was a baby involved and it was in Uraraka’s sector.”

Mina huffed in exasperation. “Do you remember every villain captured?”

“When they stand out, yeah,” Bakugou answered. “I’m not wrong.” Chewing on her lip, she shook her lip. So much for a fun night out with no thinking involved. It was starting to look like had made a better choice with her night in. “What the hell is she doing hanging around him? It can’t be just because-”

“Don’t,” Mina cut in. “Don’t you dare assume it’s because of you.”

“Can you blame me?” Bakugou shot back. He simmered down and turned away from her, a decidedly uncomfortable expression on his face. “After...what happened between us?”

He still cared and it still hurt sometimes and everything still… Bakugou hadn’t meant to hurt Uraraka. Mina was friends with both of them and had seen both sides of the story. In the end, their relationship simply faded away. Despite what everyone thought of him, it hadn’t ended with an explosive fight that instigated an ugly breakup. Things might’ve been easier had it been that way. Mina wasn’t sure. She’d dated and been in relationships, but never one as serious as that.

“It’s not like she ran to the first guy with a kid because you didn’t think you wanted any,” Mina pointed out, with all the delicacy of a wrecking ball. It was kind of harsh, but sometimes one had to act that way with Bakugou in order to get a point through his hard head. He was so stubborn. What most people didn’t people realize about him was that he shouldered so much. He acted like he had to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. If he didn’t live up to his own expectations, if he felt like he failed in any way, he took it hard.

He was happy with Kirishima now, but that didn’t he still considered himself a failure when it came to Uraraka.

“As heroes, I think we know more than most that the world is a crazy and weird place sometimes,” Mina continued, trying her best to soften the blow. “It’s a coincidence. She saw someone in need of help and stepped in and things just sorta snowballed from there.”

“I don’t like it,” Bakugou grumbled.

Mina snorted. “I didn’t think it would tickle you pink.”

He sighed. “But I won’t bother her about it. You’re right. She’s not… It’s not my life. She’s a grown woman and she can hang out with whoever she wants.” Bakugou’s gaze moved behind her until they stopped. His face softened immediately and she knew right away he had spotted Kirishima. “Still dumb.”

“You’re not mad at her?” Mina asked hesitantly. “I mean, since he, you know…”

Bakugou took a moment to respond before he finally said, “No, I’m not mad at her.”

Mina didn’t want to sigh in relief or get her hopes up, but honestly, he hadn’t reacted nearly as bad as she had expected. Uraraka had been concerned that he would be furious with her. They still worked together from time-to-time and it was impossible to avoid him completely when they had many of the same friends, but she hadn’t wanted him to come barging into her life either demanding answers. As much as she cared about him still, it was easier to do at a distance.

“Good,” Mina said. “Now cheer up and try to forget about it. Unless you want them to ask questions.”

The face Bakugou made actually got a laugh out of her. “The last thing I need is Kaminari poking around this. He’d lose his shit.” He grabbed his drink. “Besides, I don’t think this is something she wants getting out. She clearly went out of her way to keep it on the down low and I think it was a good idea. It wouldn’t be good for her image and the media already loves shitting on female heroes. Who knows what the media would say about one spending time with a villain?”

“Reformed villain,” Mina interjected.

“Whatever,” Bakugou said, waving a hand. “You said they’re...friends?”

“Yeah.”

“Fucking ridiculous,” he muttered before downing the rest of his drink in one go. Mina cringed. Yeah, he’d handled this as well as he could have. She needed another drink.

Chapter Text

Having been on opening shift for a few weeks now, Shigaraki realized he preferred it. Not only did fewer people show up early in the morning, but he was already accustomed to being up early thanks to Yukiko’s absurd sleeping habits. He was still tired as fuck, considering said sleep habits, but he had plenty of daylight to do things when he got off work. Before, the sun was long gone by the time he got off work. He didn’t have to think about productivity or doing things at night, leaving any errands for his days off.

Going back to work had not been fun. The first week felt like a race against the clock, except sometimes it felt like time was going backward and working against him. He’d never actively enjoyed going to work before, but it had been torture after Yukiko. Things were easier without her around. He could sit down, use both hands, eat without scarfing the food down, and take a piss without feeling like he was going over his time limit. He could breathe. For eight or nine hours of the day, life was like it used to be before Himura had jumped him after his shift.

And yet it felt strange not having Yukiko’s weight resting on his chest as he leaned back in his chair. He often found himself wondering if the daycare employees carried her around and paced in circles to get her to fall asleep like he did or if they left her to cry herself to sleep in a swing or crib. He ate fast out of habit even without her there. All those moments when he had wanted nothing more than time to himself, no matter how guilty it made him feel, and now that he did, he wasn’t content.

It was stupid. Why was he so disgruntled over this shit? Fuyumi said it was normal. Uraraka said he just missed her since he’d formed a bond with her. Shigaraki didn’t like it (and yet he did at the same time). It made him feel weak. Back in his villain days, he would’ve scoffed at such a thing. Forming close personal attachments was dangerous and stupid. It left a person open and vulnerable. Yes, he cared about the members of his team, but they were villains and they lived a dangerous life.

A baby, on the other hand… His child…

Fuck, he really had gone soft in prison. Would he even make it longer than a week if he wanted to go back into villainy? Probably not.

“I can’t go back to being a villain because I’m a dad now.” How ridiculous. Other villains would laugh at how far he had fallen. Not that he cared what they thought of him. He just didn’t want them getting the wrong ideas and thinking they could cross him now that he was a civilian. He had a kid. He couldn’t just get into fights with other villains anymore because they pissed him off or wanted him dead.

(Taking Shigaraki in hadn’t stopped All for One, but then again, after years of therapy, he could admit that the man hadn’t been much of a father. It had all been a carefully constructed projection to make Shigaraki more pliable. And that was one of the few examples he had to go by for fatherhood. Lovely.)

Today had dragged on, making it feel as if he’d worked two shifts in a row. Very few customers came in, which meant that he had most of the day and store to himself. He spent most of it restocking and organizing the back room once another employee came in. Working in the back made the day go by a little better. He could plug in some earbuds, turn on some music (usually a video game OST), and get lost in the work by himself with nobody to bother him. It was relaxing as far as work got, if only because it was so monotonous.

Someone tapping on his back interrupted his train of thought. He rounded on the offender, his heart leaping into his throat when he caught sight of the other employee. A girl fresh out of high school, still in braces to boot, she gawked at him with wide, innocent eyes behind her glasses. Shigaraki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Stupid teenagers. She was one of the very few that left him to his business and never bothered him, so he didn’t mind her. If she was doing so now, it must’ve been important.

He pulled an earbud out of one ear. “What?”

“I, um, sorry, Shimura,” the girl stammered. Had he scared her? Shit, that was stupid. Maybe he was a lot more on edge than he thought. “I got a call from my mom. Something came up with my dad and I... “ She fiddled with her hands as tears sprung to her eyes. “Would you mind if I went home? I know you opened, but I-”

The last thing Shigaraki wanted to do was stay later, but then the girl choked up and struggled not to cry. Normally, that wouldn’t affect him, but then it made him think of Yukiko crying about him leaving her at daycare. For some reason, the mental picture hit him like a semi-truck and his stomach did a weird flip. His therapist’s words came back to haunt him - he would start empathizing with others - and he hated it. He did not give a shit about this girl.

“Just go,” Shigaraki sighed in aggravation.

“I’m so sorry, Shimura,” the girl started to cry in earnest. “I’ll call someone to come in-”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But your baby-”

Shigaraki stood up. “Go. I’ll get someone.”

The girl didn’t waste any more of his time. She nodded, spun on her heels, and ran out of the storage room. The next person didn’t come in for a few more hours, which meant that he wouldn’t be on time to pick up Yukiko. There were other people who could do it, but he was so particular about who was allowed. The employees were a little befuddled by his strict instructions, but they had gone along with it since they had heroes’ children as well.

By the time he stepped back into the main room, the girl was gone and the store was empty. He ran a hand along his jaw, thinking about how he needed to shave, and then fished his phone out of his back pocket. His first main struggle was who to call first. He didn’t want to become too reliant on anyone, but Uraraka was the newest person in his life. He didn’t need her thinking he was dependent on her. Fuyumi, however, was someone he had called in the past when he was desperate enough (because Touya could be helpful if it was important enough, but asking for his help was as painful as pulling teeth), so she was his best option.

After punching in her contact info, Shigaraki held up the phone and waited. It was at least a solid seven rings before she answered with a confused, “Hello, is everything okay?”

Why did she automatically assume everything was not okay?

“Are you busy?” Shigaraki asked.

“Well, I, um-”

Kids could be heard screaming in the background. Young ones, reminding him of the daycare. It was still the afternoon. He had hoped she was done teaching for the day, but honestly, he didn’t know her schedule. It suddenly shamed him that he didn’t. Out of everyone in his life, Fuyumi could perhaps be the first person who had helped him the most without ulterior motives. Maybe. Unless he counted Toga. She had always been gleeful about making him happy in the strangest of ways and never seemed to want anything in return except to have fun and not be judged for it. He couldn’t fault her for that.

“Shit, you are.” He’d known this was a mistake. Eventually, he was going to ask for help and someone would be forced to turn him down because of their own lives. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. He couldn’t be mad at her.

“I’m sorry!” Fuyumi exclaimed. “There’s a school event today and all the kids’ parents are here and-”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Shigaraki rubbed the bottom half of his face. It was fine. He couldn’t expect Fuyumi to be free at any given point to help him out. She had a job and a life of her own. She deserved that.

“What did you need?”

He plopped down in the chair behind the counter. At least they let their employees sit here. Apparently, some stores didn’t allow it even if no customers were around. “The other employee here had to leave for a family emergency, so I need someone to pick up Yukiko from daycare.”

Fuyumi actually, honest-to-god gasped. She was such a good person. Far too good for the likes of him and Touya. “Oh, that’s awful! I mean, it’s really nice of you to stay so she could leave, but still.” When she hesitated on the other end, he knew he wouldn’t like what she had to say next. “Have you tried Touya? He doesn’t work until nine.”

“Hell no,” Shigaraki replied without hesitating. “He doesn’t want anything to do with Yukiko. He acts like she’s a carrier for a deadly disease every time he’s around her. I’m not trusting him to pick her up.”

He could hear the smile in Fuyumi’s voice when she gently replied, “Okay, I understand.”

She paused as she thought his options over. He had tried to keep the whole Uraraka helping him out thing from Touya, but it was impossible with the way the two of them crossed paths with one another. Even if he had tried to pass it off like that, Touya for some reason hadn’t believed him and often questioned him about her, very amused every time he did. The truth was found out anyway when he exploded over Midoriya and Todoroki showing up at his place. Touya had been surprised. His little brother had not brought up the revelation yet. Nonetheless, Touya thought it was absolutely hilarious that a pro hero was willingly and happily helping him out. It was not.

(Uraraka was nice though. She wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d thought she would be. In fact, she was almost… pleasant. Warm to be around. It was a strange thought, one that he decidedly ignored.)

“Shigaraki?”

“It’s fine,” Shigaraki sighed. “Don’t worry about it.”

“O-okay,” Fuyumi stammered. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, have fun.”

Shigaraki hung up before she could offer to leave her family fun event at the preschool. Her life didn’t revolve around him and his dumb timeline. He had to figure something out. The next person on his list to call should have been the person he spent most of his time with (outside of his baby), but he didn’t. He couldn’t just call Uraraka. It was easier to text her. If he heard her voice, he knew he’d cave if she told him to do something. He didn’t like it - he hated it - but she made him feel like things were okay when they decidedly weren’t. Must’ve been a hero thing. She was good at calming people down. She did specialize in rescuing, after all.

His first text was vague: Hey, you doing anything this evening?

The moment he sent it, Shigaraki swore at himself. What the fuck kind of text was that? It made it sound like he was asking if she was free to do something with him. Fuck, she probably thought he was desperate at this point. Granted, he was, just not in that way. He just needed someone to get Yukiko from daycare. He didn’t care if they brought her here. Work would just have to deal with it.

However, Shigaraki was left to scribble on a piece of paper until he tore a hole in it before Uraraka responded a full thirty minutes later. A few people came in the meantime to buy games, but his eyes kept slipping back to the clock, reminding him that it wouldn’t be much longer before he was supposed to pick Yukiko up.

Sorry dealing with a mugger.

Fuck, she was at work. That was a no go.

Never mind

Everything ok?

Yeah

Shigaraki. Stop it. What is it?

Goddamnit. Even in texts, Uraraka was compelling. Was her quirk more than zero gravity? Dealing with her was like having the rug swept out from underneath his feet. He didn’t know how to handle her. One second she was the easiest person in the world to deal with, then the next he was at a complete loss and she… Some people might’ve said she amazed them. Shigaraki was not one of those people. She frustrated him, but not in an awful way. Just different.

I have to stay later for work and need someone to pick up Yukiko from daycare. I’ll figure it out.

Ugh! I would! I just sent off that mugger with the cops and on patrol for 4 more hours.

Busy day?

Why does everyone want to commit crime today? :( I wanna see my girl.

You can see her later if you want.

What was his deal? What was his problem ? She was just over three days ago. He’d felt guilty for his therapy session being so late (even though she had said it wasn’t a big deal), so he’d brought takeout home. It had made sense to him. He was starving after work and seeing his therapist. Uraraka was hungry after working all day and hanging out with Yukiko. It made sense to bring food and watch a movie while eating. It turned out that she had the same habit of watching television every time she ate at home. She had even managed to get Yukiko to sleep in the swing so they could eat quickly without interruption.

I’m gonna need it after this mess of a day. She always makes me smile.

So. Fucking. Cheesy.

You know it! :D
So what are you gonna do about Yukiko? Did you ask Fuyumi?

Yes
Fuck I’m gonna have to ask Touya.

Think he will?

The stupid bastard owes me. Either that or he’ll ask for something. But he’ll do it. Don’t worry about it.

Uraraka didn’t text back, presumably because she was caught up in work again - or maybe because she knew the conversation was over. He had come to find that she very rarely texted during work. Sometimes she didn’t even have her phone on her. He got lucky this time. He didn’t want to think she had been carrying it in case he called, but it was a relief that she’d answered, even if it meant he was shit out of luck and left to his last resort.

Touya. Fucking Touya Todoroki. Asking a favor from him was a terrible idea. Shigaraki hated it, especially when it involved his daughter. He was still on the list of people allowed to pick her up though. And it was better than calling up All Might, who he knew would pick her up but wasn’t on the list of approved people to do so.

Growling irritably to himself, Shigaraki clicked on Touya’s contact info and called him. It would be quicker and easier to get an answer out of him this way. He glanced at the clock on the wall. The asshole better not be asleep. He would sleep the whole day away if left to his own devices. It didn’t help that he worked late as hell.

Back in the last year of their League days, it hadn’t been uncommon to find Touya sprawled somewhere in their hideout passed out. After two years, he had finally been okay with them enough to leave himself in a vulnerable position like that. Trust them? Even Shigaraki wasn’t sure Touya had ever let himself do that. Toga had thought it was the cutest picture, the only time she wasn’t in a particularly stabby mood. She would’ve curled up next to him like a cat and fell asleep if she hadn’t known he would wake up violent and pissed.

There had always been that wall between them, even after he had admitted his identity to them. There probably always would be. Shigaraki didn’t kid himself on that. He hadn’t then and he wouldn’t do so now. Therapy couldn’t fix everything and it could only try to fix what a person wanted to change.. Seemingly nothing could fully penetrate the wall that Touya put up between himself and the world. Shigaraki knew well enough to leave it be.

The first call went to voicemail. He was asleep. Shigaraki was not one to give up immediately and he tried again. Chances were the first call had woken Touya up, but he’d ignored it. If the calls did not stop, he’d drag himself out of bed or wherever he was sleeping to answer it.

On the second to last last ring, the call was picked up and Touya’s rough voice snapped on the other end, “What?”

“Did I wake you, sleeping beauty?” Shigaraki shot back. Wrong response. He had called to ask for a favor, not insult him. He needed to be more delicate about this. There was also a chance that, if Touya was in a bad enough mood, he would not agree to help. He didn’t have to agree. He could say no. Yukiko was not his problem. Shigaraki was not his problem. He had been the one to accept the responsibility of a kid, not Touya. They weren’t exactly friends.

However, after a moment of silence, Touya said in a calmer tone, “No, you didn’t.” Calm wasn’t the right word. Thoughtful. Considering. Shigaraki narrowed his eyes but refused to let his brain jump to conclusions. “You’re calling instead of texting so it must be something important. What is it?”

“Are you busy?” Shigaraki asked.

There was another pause and then Touya responded, “Not anymore,” which didn’t exactly ease Shigaraki’s nerves, but didn’t make him totally suspicious either. Say Touya was doing something he shouldn’t be doing - something that could get him in trouble or maybe even sent back to jail. He wouldn’t have answered the call. He would’ve avoided it and lied about why he didn’t answer later. There was that at least.

Still, he was doing something, or had been doing something, and he was being more evasive about it than usual. He thought he was so damn mysterious and edgy.

“I’m stuck at work,” Shigaraki said. “I need someone to pick up Yukiko.”

“Fuyumi’s at that school thing tonight,” Touya supplied unhelpfully. It felt important that he knew his sister’s schedule. He cared enough to know. Either that or he was doing something at home that he didn’t want her around for. Best not to think about what that could be. “You try your girl?”

Shigaraki slapped a hand over his face. “She’s not-” There was no sense in arguing with him over this. “Uraraka is officially Uravity at the moment.”

“That’s a shame,” Touya deadpanned. “So I’m your last resort, huh?”

“I don’t like this either,” Shigaraki said.

“Oh no,” Touya replied, sounding incredibly pleased with himself. That wasn’t a good sign. “I’m loving this. You asking me for help? I wish you had texted me so I could’ve screenshot this moment and hung it on the wall.”

Shigaraki could hear the smirk in Touya’s voice, which made him want to try and strangle him over the phone. He kept his pinky finger raised, although there was a voice in the back of his mind that struggled to be heard, telling him to let it go and put his frustration to work.

“Are you gonna do it or not?” Shigaraki demanded.

“That depends,” Touya drawled. “What’s in it for me?”

“What do you want?” Shigaraki asked.

Touya hummed as he considered his options. To be honest, he probably didn’t actually want anything, but he’d come up with something specifically designed to piss Shigaraki off. He enjoyed making things stupidly difficult just to make them difficult so he wouldn’t come off as nice or helpful in any way, even if he was. And Touya was capable of being helpful. He was even capable of being nice. Shigaraki had seen it and not just with his siblings or mother. Near the end of their time as villains, Touya proved to be protective of Toga, understanding of Twice, pleasant with Spinner, and downright respectful of Compress.

He just didn’t like other people to know or get used to that side of him because then they expected things that he knew he wouldn’t always be able to uphold. Touya was capable of being nice - but he wasn’t, not anymore.

“Can I get back to you on that?” Touya finally said.

“It cannot be that difficult,” Shigaraki huffed.

“I want it to be good,” Touya replied, full of himself. “Because let’s be honest: I’m not just picking up Yukiko from daycare. I’m gonna have to watch her until you get off work.” Shit, he was right. Shigaraki winced. Couldn’t that girl have had a family emergency on his day off? No, things didn’t work like that, but still, it was piss poor timing. “And unlike your favorite pro hero, I don’t do babysitting for free.”

Of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t do babysitting at all if Shigaraki wasn’t so desperate.

“Whatever, fine, I don’t care.” It wasn’t like he had another choice. Shigaraki picked up the schedule book out from underneath the counter and opened it to see who came in tonight. Maybe he could call and convince them to come in early. That way Yukiko wouldn’t be with Touya for long. “She needs to be picked up in an hour.”

“Got it, boss,” Touya said flippantly.

Shigaraki did not flinch. He didn’t.

“Make sure you have your ID on you,” Shigaraki told him. Before Touya could make a joke, he added, “They’re going to ask you a few questions too to make sure you are who you are.”

Touya snorted. “Are you serious?”

“We worked with someone who could transform into anyone she wanted as long as she drank their blood,” Shigaraki shot back flatly. He couldn’t forget things like that and he knew, try as Touya might, he couldn’t either. Their therapy didn’t erase their memories, just helped them make more sense of a very confusing and conflicting past. “I’m a former villain. That puts a target on my back and therefore hers. It would be easy to use her to get to me. I have to consider every angle.”

“Damn, paranoid much?” Touya asked, but there wasn’t any heat in his voice. He understood. Fuyumi might’ve been a little weirded out. Uraraka would probably understand. It wasn’t just villains, current or reformed. Heroes had plenty of enemies to watch out for as well. It was easier for them not to have families to be used against them. (He did not flinch at the thought. He didn’t .) That was part of the reason why he’d agreed to enroll her in this daycare. If heroes used it for their kids, then there stood to be a little more security at least.

Shigaraki rubbed his temple. “I’m out of the game, but that doesn’t mean my enemies have forgiven me. And they’re out there. I’d rather not risk it.”

“No, I suppose not,” Touya said, somewhat distantly, as if he was thinking of something. Even if the man hadn’t loved or even actively liked his children, Endeavor had probably taken similar security measures for his offspring. He had been the number two hero with four kids. Any of them could be used against him. He didn’t have to like them, but he wouldn’t have been able to abandon them to a villain either. Too bad he hadn’t taken measures to ensure one of his kids didn’t become one of the villains he protected them from by being a good father. “You owe me extra if I have to fight any villains on my way home.”

“You better not fight at all,” Shigaraki retorted, even though he knew Touya didn’t mean it. He’d become more a fighter in a sense as time wore on. He could hold his own against heroes when he put effort into it instead of running away or relying on Twice’s quirk. His own quirk was stronger than most, but it took a lot out of him. Like most things in life, it came at a cost.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll leave it to the heroes,” Touya said dryly. “Anything else?”

“No, everything you need is with her,” Shigaraki told him. This was the part where he should thank him. This was where he should tell him how grateful he was for his help. Touya had been in the middle of something - what, Shigaraki neither knew nor wanted to know - but he had stepped up. He had done that a lot when they were villains. By the end, the authorities and media considered Dabi the right-hand man of the League. This was different. It was so painfully normal.

It was strange how, after almost two months, having a baby was normal now. Still weird but an everyday part of his life that he had come to expect.

“Right,” Touya said. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

That was closer to a goodbye than they’d had in years. Civilian life really was softening the both of them up. Shigaraki didn’t particularly like it, but there was little he could do about it too. His therapist would be pleased. He was making progress, getting more involved in his life, in his relationships. The man was thrilled that Shigaraki had remained in contact with Uraraka and formed an association with her. Such a big step for him. It made him feel a bit like a child.

Setting his phone aside, Shigaraki looked back down at the schedule again. That girl was due to work three more shifts this week. Judging from the way she had run out of here crying, there was a fat chance of that, so either one of the other employees would be forced to pick up her shifts or he’d be stuck working longer. Before, that would’ve only mildly irritated him, but he would’ve done it with little complaint. Now it inconvenienced him and he hated it. The world didn’t revolve around him and he knew that, but Yukiko ran on her own schedule and he didn’t like deviating from it.

He was considering going ahead and calling the next employee when the front bell rang, signaling the arrival of a guest. It definitely wasn’t another employee come to take his shift. He could never be that lucky. Since the person didn’t say anything, Shigaraki didn’t bother greeting them. He had found that most of the customers that came here wanted to be left alone to make their own decisions and purchases with minimal human interaction. That was fine by him, seeing as how he wanted the same thing.

Shigaraki’s thoughts were rudely interrupted when the person slapped their hands on the counter and snarled, “You look fucking ridiculous in that getup.”

Oh no. He knew that voice. As if his day could not get fucking any worse.

When Shigaraki lifted his gaze, he was met with none other than Katsuki Bakugou. He was wearing regular clothes, which meant he wasn’t masquerading as Ground Zero, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. Shigaraki knew that, at least in the past, he could’ve been considered a volatile person, but that had nothing on Bakugou, who had made a brand name out of it. He was a damn good hero, resting somewhere between the number five and four ranks, depending on the public’s mood.

He’d probably be higher if he wasn’t such a raging asshole.

“What the hell do you want?” Shigaraki questioned, too tired to deal with another pro hero’s bullshit. Unlike the others, he knew for a fact that Bakugou was not here to offer his help. He had made it clear during his trial that he would be more than happy if both Shigaraki and Touya spent the rest of their lives rotting away in jail. Years had passed since then, but it looked like he still had a pretty black and white view of villains and heroes. At least Midoriya had that more evolved understanding going for him.

Bakugou tapped his a finger on the counter. “What I want has very little to do with this.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he not here about Yukiko? Come to accuse him of being a horrible influence and incapable of being a father - that he should give her up if he wanted to act like he was any good. There was no doubt in Shigaraki’s mind that Bakugou didn’t believe for a single second that he was reformed. He probably thought he was running some sort of bootleg or villainous activity in the backroom. Villains were villains and that was that. Shigaraki had mistaken him greatly in the beginning. He had thought the boy would understand.

He wasn’t about to make the same mistake now. Bakugou was likely to go off on him again. He might’ve simmered down in the past few years since graduating and becoming an actual pro, but the furious glare in his red eyes glowed like a warning sign. For whatever reason, he was pissed and he was barely holding it together.

“Then what is it?” Shigaraki demanded. “I don’t have all day for your petty complaints.” He waved a hand around. “As you can see, I’m very busy.”

“You think this is a joke?” Bakugou questioned.

“I mean, kind of, since you haven’t even told me why you’re even here,” Shigaraki responded.

Back when he had been a teenager, that might’ve set Bakugou off. Hell, Bakugou being here might’ve set him off. They’d both gotten older though, maybe even matured, which meant the two of them stared each other down. Shigaraki didn’t even know what he was doing it, except he felt like he had to assert his dominance over his domain. Yeah, it was a video game store, but it was his work and he’d be damned if some stupid ass hero made him feel like he didn’t have a right to be here. He was working to provide for his kid.

“I’m more interested in finding out what you want,” Bakugou stated.

Shigaraki almost threw his hands in the air. “What?”

“Like what you want with Ochako,” Bakugou finished. “What the fuck do you want from her?”

Everything came to a halt in Shigaraki’s brain the moment he heard her name. Bakugou was here...because of Uraraka? He had kind of figured something like this would happen, but after the confrontation with Midoriya and Todoroki in his apartment, he’d forgotten about it. She had told her best friend, who had been supportive if not amused by the situation. The whole thing seemed to blow over. No one really cared that much. They might’ve been a little anxious - and he admittedly couldn’t fault them for that - but they trusted her, if not him.

“I don’t want anything from her,” Shigaraki said, somewhat insulted.

“Then why are you hanging around her like a creep?” Bakugou demanded.

“Like a creep?” Shigaraki almost laughed. Oh, this guy was a trip - a really bad one that he hadn’t wanted to go on again. The first one had been his own fault. The rest of the times they’d clashed? Eh, probably his fault too. This time Bakugou had inserted himself into Shigaraki’s world and Shigaraki wanted him gone. “What the hell do you think is going on? That I somehow tricked or manipulated her into being around me? Trust me. I didn’t. In fact, I tried to do everything I could to not have her around, but you do not say no to that woman without good cause.”

And then, by the time he thought he did have a good enough handle on taking care of Yukiko on his own, Uraraka was just...in his life. Kind of like Touya. There was no exact reason for either one of them to stick around, but they did and it was easier to simply let it happen than resist. As much as he was used to being alone, his therapist in prison got him to admit that he liked being surrounded by people too. He’d kept strange company before. This was only a little different.

Bakugou chewed on his response and muttered something that sounded like, “You’re not wrong,” but then a hard expression came over his face again. He wasn’t going to give him any leeway. Shigaraki fought back an exasperated sigh. For the first time since he got a job here, he wished a customer or two would show up. Bakugou pointed an accusing finger at him. “I don’t give a shit what anyone says. I don’t trust you. I don’t believe you’re a good person simply because of how things ended with the League or that you went to jail or are in therapy. That doesn’t change all the awful shit you did.”

“I never said it did,” Shigaraki said flatly. Not that it mattered. Bakugou wasn’t likely to listen to him.

“I don’t know what your intentions are with Ochako-”

“My intentions?” Shigaraki interjected incredulously.

“-but I don’t like it,” Bakugou finished, completely ignoring the look on his face. “You’re a villain. Reformed or not, that’s what you are and that’s what people will remember you by.” He wasn’t wrong. If any of the other employees knew who he really was, they wouldn’t be nearly as friendly. He wouldn’t get invites out for drinks or people thanking him for taking their shift when they were hungover the next day. And the daycare employees… Who knew how they would react to having the former League of Villain leader’s daughter in their care? “Ochako is a good person. She’s an incredible hero. The last thing she needs is your shit dragging her down.”

What was this guy’s problem? Had he been born with a stick up his arrogant ass that made him think he was hot shit? Why had he ever thought that offering him a position within the League was a good idea? Well, hindsight was twenty-twenty and he was seeing a hell of a lot clearer now.

“I’m not doing anything,” Shigaraki replied heatedly. “Excuse me for trying to live my life, work my job, and raise my damn kid.” He smacked Bakugou’s finger away. “I don’t need your opinion. I’m not forcing Uraraka to do anything. I don’t think I could try at this point.” Not only would she kick his ass, because he had looked up her hero record and it was impressive, to say the least, but Yukiko would miss her. And he couldn’t upset her. “You ever try to argue with her? It’s not easy.”

Bakugou made a weird face, his cheeks turning red as if torn between agreeing and arguing for the sake of not agreeing with him. “Stop hanging around her.”

Shigaraki folded his arms across his chest. Despite the fact that he hadn’t wanted to get her involved to begin with and used to berate himself for it, he said, “No.”

Honestly, he was surprised a vein didn’t bulge from Bakugou’s temple. “No?”

“No,” Shigaraki repeated. “Uraraka is a grown woman. She can hang out with whoever she wants - even me, for some unknown reason. I’m not about to tell her what she can and can’t do. It’s not up to me and, quite frankly, it’s not up to you either.” Bakugou’s expression hardened, but his failure to respond told Shigaraki he was right. He was a lot more vindictive when he continued, “You wanna tell her what to do? Be my guest. I can tell you know how that’s gonna go. It’s her life, not mine, not yours. Are you that arrogant that you think you can control her? Because I’m sure as hell not gonna try.”

Bakugou stiffened. “I’m not trying to control her.”

“You sure about that?” Shigaraki retorted. “Because it sounds like you’re trying to police who she spends her time with behind her back.”

He didn’t say anything, just glared back, but Shigaraki knew he was right. Maybe that wasn’t Bakugou’s intentions, but he was forcing his will onto her life in a way and she probably didn’t even know she was here. Some friend. Heroes always assumed they were right - that they knew better because they were so good and they saved people and took out the bad guys. It was obnoxious as hell.

Shigaraki knew Bakugou thought he was better than him and not just because he hadn’t gone down the path of villainy. He had turned it down when given the option. Well, good for him. He’d had a great role model and not a puppeteer masquerading as a teacher and sometimes father. His parents had been alive to raise him. He had been praised his entire life for how strong his quirk was and how he would make a great hero. He’d been able to apply his intelligence in healthy ways. And when he had acted out, there were people around to correct him so he stayed on a path to success in a socially acceptable way.

“I just… I’m still allowed to care about her,” Bakugou finally said, much quieter than before.

“Yeah, well, care about her elsewhere,” Shigaraki replied.

When Bakugou lifted his eyes back to his, there was still fire in them. Red on red. Shigaraki wasn’t threatened. For as much bark and spark as there was in him, he knew Bakugou wouldn’t actually do anything. He could threaten, curse him out, and grip him by the shirt, but there were certain lines he couldn’t cross now that he was a pro hero and they were both very aware of that. Even if he had served time in prison for villainous activity, Shigaraki was a civilian now. Hurting an unarmed civilian unprovoked could get his license questioned or even revoked.

It all depended on Shigaraki. In a strange way, even though he was nobody, he held the power. He knew he was a petty person, so maybe, except he knew Uraraka wouldn’t be happy. Neither would Fuyumi. He was supposed to be getting better. He couldn’t disappoint. Besides, it wouldn’t be worth getting into trouble, not with Yukiko around. He’d prefer to stay out of the court system for as long as possible for any reason. Getting her official documents had been ridiculous enough.

“Listen up, you asswipe,” Bakugou snapped. “I fucked up her life enough as it is after we broke up. She doesn’t need scum like you getting her into shit-”

“Wait.” Shigaraki’s brain hit the brakes hard and fast. “What?”

Bakugou furrowed his brow. “What?”

“After you…”

Oh. Oh shit. The ex she had mentioned. The very serious relationship that had ended sourly after they couldn’t agree on their future. The one that hadn’t wanted kids or kept flip-flopping and then maybe was thinking about it now. The ex that very much broke her heart even though she skirted around the subject, made jokes about it, or referred to it flippantly. He hadn’t really understood why it was such a big deal and he wasn’t about to ask about it either. Her past was her past. If she didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t want to hear about it, so it was a win-win.

But it had never occurred to him that the ex she was referring to was this explosive shit stain.

“You’re Uraraka’s ex-boyfriend?” Shigaraki exclaimed. “She dated you?”

Bakugou’s face turned red. “Yeah, you dipshit! For four years! How the…? Did you seriously not know?”

“Why would I know that?” Shigaraki retorted.

“Because our breakup and everything that came after was everywhere!” Bakugou shouted back, although he kind of sounded more confused than angry. “She couldn’t get through an interview after a villain takedown or rescue without a reporter asking her how she felt about things. It was frustrating as hell.”

Shigaraki rubbed his forehead where a tension headache had started to build. “Look, I might’ve been obsessive about heroes before and compiling information on them, but I literally go out of my way to stay far away from all that crap now. Shit like that isn’t even on my radar. Contrary to what you might believe: my world doesn’t revolve around heroes anymore. If I could avoid them entirely, I would.”

For a moment, Bakugou just stared at him, seemingly still in disbelief. When he spoke again, while his voice was lower, there was still a hint of indignation in it. “She didn’t… She didn’t mention me at all?”

“Her world doesn’t revolve around you either, you arrogant bastard,” Shigaraki huffed, folding his arms across his chest. Bakugou blinked, taken aback. The ego of some heroes… Unbelievable. There was a reason why pro hero Deku was higher ranked than Ground Zero. The stupid little shit was humble despite being confident. And that was the last time he was ever going to think of something positive about Midoriya. He was spending too much time with Uraraka. She was a bad influence on him. “Yeah, she did mention you, just not by name. I got the feeling you really did a number on her then, so why the hell do you think you can mess with her life now?”

“It didn’t do it on purpose,” Bakugou said.

“Maybe not, but this definitely is,” Shigaraki replied. “You really think she’d be happy if she found out you were here?” When Bakugou didn’t answer right away, Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. Was he not answering because he knew that Uraraka wouldn’t be pleased with his meddling? Or was he not answering because he genuinely thought Uraraka would be a little happy that he still cared about her and was trying to protect in some way? “You know what: don’t answer that question. Because I’m not gonna presume to know what she’d want either. You got a problem with this? You can take it up with her. And if you’re not gonna buy a game, then get the hell out of my store.”

Bakugou snorted. “This is how it’s gonna be, huh?”

“Yeah, it is,” Shigaraki said flatly. “You’re a pro hero and, like it or not, I’m a civilian now. Lay a finger on me and you’re the one committing a crime. I’m not doing anything wrong. You’re just mad that your ex is hanging out with someone you don’t like.”

“With a villain,” Bakugou interjected.

“Reformed,” Shigaraki corrected.

“I don’t believe it.”

“You don’t have to believe it,” Shigaraki stated coldly, “and honestly, I don’t give a shit either way. It doesn’t affect me. Because I’m not a villain anymore and I know that. Uraraka believes it too, so as far as she’s concerned, that’s all that matters.” What a dumbass. He’d thought Bakugou was an inconsiderate asshole friend. But an ex-boyfriend? Yeah, okay, he was being overprotective, but this wasn’t Shigaraki’s fault. “You done throwing a fit?”

Bakugou scowled and pointed a finger at him. “I’m not done with you. If anything happens to Ochako - if I hear that you made her cry or some other bullshit - I swear to gods I will end you.”

“Looking forward to it, hero,” Shigaraki retorted with an unpleasant smile.

With a furious gleam in his eyes that promised that he hadn’t been making empty threats, Bakugou turned on his heels to stomp out of the store. He slammed the door much harder than necessary, causing the open/close sign to fall off, but at least he was gone. Shigaraki dropped back into the seat behind the counter and rubbed his face with his hands. Well, that had been fun and eventful. He pulled his phone back out and typed out a short text that he knew Uraraka most likely wouldn’t get until she finished her patrol.

Just had a fun chat with your ex. He seems nice.

He hesitated before sending it. Maybe he shouldn’t. It would probably only stress her out. Bakugou probably wouldn’t confront her about it - at least not for a while. He seemed determined to not let Uraraka know of his involvement. He was meddling in her life where he shouldn’t, but at least he seemed to have the awareness to realize she wouldn’t want him there. Or something like that. Shigaraki couldn’t be sure it wasn’t a cry for attention. It sounded like the two of them weren’t on speaking terms. He wouldn’t know. He avoided all hero-related news. It wasn’t good for his mental health, so it was best to ignore it altogether, even something as dumb as a breakup.

He deleted the text without sending it. Best not to stir that hornet's nest. If it came up, he’d talk with her about it later. Knowing who exactly her ex was might’ve made him more hesitant to let her tell her friends about them. Instead, he typed out another text, this one to Touya.

Are you on your way to pick up Yukiko?

No response.

?? Hey asshole are you getting Yukiko?

Another five minutes and there was nothing.

I swear Touya if you forgot so help me

Relax worrywart. You’re such a dad. I got the wiggle worm.

One of these days, Shigaraki was going to throw Touya out a window. He should’ve done it back when they were in the League. Instead, he made him his de facto number two. He wasn’t even that smart. Asshole. At least he had picked Yukiko up. He didn’t have to do that. So he was good for some things. There was that.

Chapter Text

The last thing Touya wanted to deal with before his shift at work that evening was a baby, especially since he’d been in the middle of something a lot more fun. Or at least less stressful. He was getting less sure of that these days, which probably accounted for his sour mood. Back in the day, blowing off steam like this had been fun, exhilarating, and definitely stupid. Now he didn’t know. It was frustrating. He was free now. A civilian. He could, in theory, have things he couldn’t back when he’d been pretending that Touya was dead and he was a villain.

So why did he feel so restless about everything?

His therapist said he was still adjusting and it would take time for him to feel comfortable. He’d spent more than just those six years living on the fringes of society. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been comfortable in his own skin. Even the word made him shift on his feet. Comfortable. What was that even like? Nothing about his life had ever been comfortable, including when he’d been in the League. Maybe, in the end, he’d started to feel it,  like he fit in with them, but that first year had been painful even though he’d finally had access to medical care for his scars.

Honestly, Touya didn’t mind his scars that much. He knew a lot of people looked at him sideways or were afraid of him just because of how he looked. (That and, according to some people, he had a very unapproachable, “fuck off” air about him, which he was glad hadn’t faded while he was in prison.) They made him stand out, usually in a bad way. With the right fancy lotion, Shigaraki could pass for normal. Seeing as he’d manage to produce a child, some people might even think he was attractive.

(Either that or Himura really just had a thing for villains since she’d been one herself.)

Touya knew he was different. The scars were his. He didn’t want to fully heal them. Fuyumi thought he was mad and he knew it upset her. The only reason he’d paid to have them partially healed was that the risk of infection and disease were too great. The medical procedure had put him in considerable debt, which was why he’d taken the first job he could get his hands on that promised legal, quick, and easy cash. Plus, Kurogiri had taught him a good amount about bartending, so he was better than anyone else on that bar’s shitty staff.

His father had offered to pay for the full procedure so his scars would be healed entirely. Touya would rather choke on his own blood. Some things couldn’t be repaired by therapy or money. Quite frankly, he was okay with letting that scar remain visible too. He didn’t want to heal the rift between them and he didn’t have to. Not all kids had to have relationships with their parents. Some of them weren’t healthy. As far as Touya, now in his thirties, was concerned, he had no need for a father.

Kind of like how Yukiko didn’t need a relationship with her biological mother. Damn, that woman was a bag of crazy cats and then some. Touya had done some shady (and deplorable) shit as Dabi, but he couldn’t imagine a woman murdering people while eight months pregnant. He knew that Shigaraki didn’t think himself much better, but, well, as dumb as he was for keeping the baby, he was trying to raise her right. Touya could begrudgingly admit that he might even admire his decision.

After all, Touya knew exactly what it was like to be abandoned and neglected by his father. Even though Shigaraki would have been within his rights - and probably considered much saner - to give Yukiko up, he hadn’t. He kept her. He took her in. He changed his life to revolve around her. He hadn’t had to do that. It was… good of him.

Oh, shit, maybe therapy and prison had done them both some good.

A year ago, Touya probably wouldn’t have agreed to go pick up a baby from daycare. He was due out of prison and didn’t even know where to begin to start his life. All he’d known was that he was going to live with Fuyumi. She had set it all up before he got out to make the transition easier. He hadn’t wanted to live with her at first, but it had been for the best and helped his parole officer go easier on him. Their father hadn’t approved, but Fuyumi had grown more independent and resistant against him since Touya had left home. That was what convinced him to move in without complaint.

He was also certain that the reason he’d agreed to pick up Yukiko was partly because Fuyumi would rip him a new one if he said no. Yeah, he’d been doing something, but it wasn’t particularly important. In a way, he had kind of used Yukiko as an excuse to end things early, which was a bad sign now that he thought about it. He wasn’t going to think about it. He would, however, remember that babies were good excuses. Next time he needed a reason to get out of something, he could probably just use her. It wasn’t like she was old enough to care.

The daycare was exactly what he’d expected: bright, obnoxious, and dumb. It appealed to the parents, making the building look like more than it was. What a fun, happy place! Filled with smiling, excitable, happy children! Who were cared for by attentive, considerate, happy employees! Touya fought the urge to stick his tongue out and mock gag. Who were these people kidding? No doubt Shigaraki had spent at least an hour doubting and casting suspicion on everyone who worked here after touring the place. There wasn’t a more paranoid person on the planet.

Taking a deep breath, Touya pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was immediately assaulted by the strong scent of air freshener, which was probably being used to disguise the smell of shit. There were ugly ass drawings proudly hung up everywhere. If he thought back hard enough, he could remember drawing with Fuyumi. He didn’t have an artistic bone in his body. All of his piss poor drawings had ended in the trash, which was exactly where these would go once handed off to the parents. It wasn’t their fault that their kids weren’t artistically inclined yet.

A young woman with bright yellow hair was at the desk, loudly smacking on a piece of gum. Great. “Can I help you?” She didn’t even look up at him. Eh, her loss.

“Yeah, I’m here to pick up Yukiko Shimura for her dad.”

The woman - actually, she was probably a recent high school graduate, now that he was closer - blew a bubble and popped it, smacking it in her mouth again. “Name and ID?”

Touya pulled his thin wallet out, pulled out his ID (one of the three cards in his useless wallet), and slapped it on the desk. “Touya Todoroki.”

It really was unfortunate how that last name made people’s eyes snap to attention. It wasn’t an uncommon surname, but people always had to look twice to make sure he wasn’t one of the Todoroki kids. Unfortunately for everyone, he was, although the scars and dyed hair hid it fairly well. Unfortunately, the scars and dyed hair also marked him as a very recognizable former villain, so any awe the girl might’ve felt at him being a Todoroki was quickly replaced by horror and shock at him being, well, Dabi.

The girl gaped at him. “You’re-”

“Running late, I know,” Touya cut in, although he knew that wasn’t what she’d meant. “I was told there were some sort of security questions? Yukiko’s dad is a paranoid nutjob.”

“Oh, um, I-” The poor girl fumbled. She didn’t even look at his ID. Not that she needed to in order to confirm who he was. After digging through the files under the desk, she found Yukiko’s and pulled it out, setting it on top of the desk and opening it up. “Uh…”

“It’s okay,” Touya replied in an almost patient tone. “I get this a lot.”

The girl flushed, clearly more out of anxiety than embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I just- I didn’t expect-”

“For me to look so handsome?” Touya responded. The girl made a strange choking sound. Ah, poor kid. He shouldn’t be so mean to her. She was only here doing her minimum wage job. “Happens all the time. Don’t worry about it.” She nodded quickly. At least he gave her a fun story to tell all her little friends. “So, what dumbass security question did he come up with to prove it’s really me?”

“Uh…” The girl looked down at the file and read off, “What did you say to him when you two first met?”

Touya snorted. “Oh, that one’s easy. I said he looked even uglier in person.” And then they tried to kill each other. That was how every great partnership started, right? “Anything else?”

“Er, favorite ice cream flavor?”

Damnit, the bastard had to go for something embarrassing. Grimacing irritably, Touya scratched the back of his head and looked away as he muttered, “strawberry.” It was such a basic flavor and the color was stupid, but ice cream was one of the things that always made him feel better. It cooled him down from the inside out. It was a bit like how ice was one of his favorite snacks, but he didn’t like people knowing. Shigaraki knew it was embarrassing and therefore something only he or one of the old League members would know.

“Okay, Mr. Todoroki-”

“Touya is fine.”

“U-uh, okay…” The girl flustered through putting the paperwork up. He took his ID back and waited for her to work through her issues. This wasn’t the first time he’d had this issue and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. His therapist was concerned he was further punishing himself, but Touya disagreed. It didn’t bother him. This was just life. “Right this way then. She’s in the playroom with the other babies.”

The girl practically ran out from behind the desk, down the hallway, and into one of the rooms. Considering that he had been prepared to get smacked in the face with an awful smell, the baby playroom wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t as bright as the other rooms, sticking to more gentle, pastel colors. Still ugly as hell, but he supposed babies weren’t in the age range to complain about decor yet. There were multiple babies in the room, some in swings, others in playpens, and a few on the floor, along with two other female employees.

“Dab-?”

The question was cut off when the person seemingly realized their mistake. Touya knew what they had stopped themselves from saying. The girl did too, judging from the way she was buzzing with nervous energy. Again, it didn’t bother him as much as being referred to by his surname. When he turned to see who else had recognized him, he was surprised to see a somewhat familiar face. One of the UA kids, now turned hero. Still, he couldn’t put a name to the face. He hadn’t cared enough to remember all of them, just the important ones and those close to Shouto. From what he could recall, this one was friends with Bakugou.

(There was definitely no forgetting that punk.)

“Ah, you don’t remember me, do you?” The hero gave a big awkward smile. It wasn’t surprising how many heroes were uncomfortable being around reformed villains. It was like they expected all criminals to stay in prison for the rest of their lives and to never cross paths with them again. Yeah, some of them got out and started living normal lives. Who would’ve thought that half the point of prison was rehabilitation?

Touya glanced at his arms. “Tape Guy?”

“Ha, yeah, that’s… That’s basically me.” Tape Guy held a kid in his arms. Was it a toddler? She looked old enough to walk and more aware of her surroundings, but clung to him, eyeing Touya very suspiciously. Smart kid. “So, uh, what are you doing here? I know you don’t have a, uh…”

“Oh hell no. Definitely not.” Touya shook his head. “I don’t have one of these things.”

Tape Guy grinned. “Things.”

“I’m just being a considerate, helpful citizen,” Touya drawled. While Tape Guy still looked a bit uncomfortable, he rolled his eyes, reminding him of how Uraraka reacted whenever Shigaraki did the same thing. “Picking up a kid for a… friend.”

“Oh, yeah, Shigaraki’s kiddo,” Tape Guy piped up gleefully.

Touya raised an eyebrow. Man, word really did get around. Then again, Shigaraki had given Uraraka the go-ahead to tell her friends if they asked. Had she told everyone in her phone? Called up all her old high school friends to give them the scoop on the poor former villain she was dutifully helping out? Ah, maybe he was being too harsh on her. She genuinely seemed to… care. Shouto was fond of her, so she couldn’t awful, but he was also best friends with Midoriya. His judgment was sometimes suspect.

“Mina told me,” Tape Guy continued. “I don’t know if you remember her. She’s, uh, pink?” Surprisingly, Touya did, in fact, remember her, but that was partly because it was kind of hard to forget someone that was bright pink. “Uraraka told her and Mina told me. She thought I might have some advice for Uraraka to give to Shigaraki since, you know,”  he bounced his kid in his arms, “I’ve got one too. Luckily, I haven’t had to raise her alone.”

“Huh.” That was… thoughtful. Gods, these heroes were ridiculous. They should hate them. They should never trust them. (Shouto shouldn’t want anything to do with him after what he’d done.) Some of them surely did. Touya wouldn’t want to cross paths with Ground Zero anytime soon. Not that he could do anything or Touya was afraid of him. He just didn’t want to see his dumb face. “You all are too nice. You know that, right?”

Tape Guy readjusted his hold on his daughter. “I’ve been told that once or twice.”

“You should tell Uraraka that,” Touya said.

“Right?” Tape Guy laughed awkwardly. “Not gonna lie: when Mina first told me that Uraraka was hanging around Shigaraki and his daughter, I was a little weirded out and confused. I thought she might be doing it partly to get back at Bakugou, but that’s not her style.” He smiled at his kid, who was still frowning. She must take more after her mother with her thick, wavy hair. Maybe if she smiled, she’d look more like him. He had a very standout smile. “I was still worried, especially after what happened between her and Bakugou, but things are finally looking up. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy - and I’m more than willing to give any advice. Raising a kid is a full-time job.”

After what happened between her and Bakugou? To get back at him?  Why would…?

The ex Shigaraki had said she’d mentioned. The one that hadn’t wanted to have kids with her. That ex was Bakugou, also known as Ground Zero, also known as probably the guy that hated their guts the most.

Touya almost laughed but settled on a snort instead. It was strange timing, considering what Tape Guy had been talking about, but he didn’t care, even if he did get a few weird looks.

“I’ll let him know that there’s another hero gearing up to help him,” Touya said. “He’ll enjoy that.”

Tape Guy shook his head. “I doubt it. That’s why we figured it’d sound better coming from her. It seems like they, uh, get along pretty well. But it’s hard not to get along with Uraraka. She’s always been like that.”

Yeah, no kidding. If someone was able to break through Shigaraki’s walls that fast, they were damn good. Either that or she had another quirk no one knew about, the kind of quirk that made people more comfortable around them. He’d heard of quirks like that. Therapists had them. His didn’t - he had gone out of his way to find one that was quirkless for reasons he didn’t want to consider - but it supposedly helped with more difficult clients. Some people needed that extra calming measure to help them open up.

Apparently, all Shigaraki needed was Uraraka. And maybe a baby. How a baby could calm anyone down when all they did was eat, shit, and cry was beyond Touya, but he wasn’t about to ask the hero who had willingly gotten married and started a family.

“Okay, well, great catching up with you, but I’ve gotta get this wiggle worm out of here,” Touya said, turning and walking away from Tape Guy before he could say goodbye. This was just a waste of time. He did not need to get dragged into Shigaraki’s weird shit with heroes. He had enough of that with Shouto and his friends and such.

Near the back of the room, Yukiko was lying on her stomach on a blanket, partaking in her daily tummy time. He vaguely remembered it from when Shouto was a baby. His mom saying it was important to help him grow and get stronger. He’d lie on the ground with his baby brother after training with his father, feeling too exhausted to do much of anything else. Their old man had let him hang around Shouto since he was just a baby.

“She’s such a good baby, yes, you are,” the woman with her cooed. “She doesn’t cry as much as most babies I’ve seen come through here.”

Well, it was only in the past two months or so that Yukiko had come to realize that crying would now garner her attention instead of going ignored. He knew what that felt like. His cries had mostly gone unheard too.

“Alright, wiggle worm, let’s blow this joint,” Touya said as he stepped next to her.

As if hearing his voice did the trick, once struggling with pushing herself upright, Yukiko pushed one last time and rolled onto her back. The moment he connected eyes with her, she threw her arms up. It startled him, especially when the employee gasped and began to loudly cheer as if the roll was the most marvelous thing she’d ever seen in her boring ass life. Hell, maybe it was.

“Good job, Yukiko! You did it! Yay!”

Before she could scoop her up and dote on her in a way that would make him uncomfortable, Touya bent down and picked her up. He wasn’t nearly as awkward doing it as they might’ve guessed. Their surprise was hard to miss when he held her properly against him and she immediately grabbed a fistful of his shirt with her cheeks pressed against his chest. They probably thought he’d never been around a kid in his life. Little did they know that he’d had to help raise his younger siblings for a while. He hadn’t done the best job, but he knew how to hold a damn baby.

“She rolled over,” Touya said blandly. “So what?”

“That was the first time she’s done it!” the woman excitedly explained. “I knew she was close, but she must’ve needed a little burst of inspiration for that final push.” She stood up and beamed at him brightly. “Hearing your voice and recognizing it must’ve helped her. She responded very positively to you. Oh, I’m so excited! Your papa will be proud!”

“What’s the big deal?” Touya asked. Had his mom been this excited when Shouto had done the same? He couldn’t remember. He’d probably been in training with his father at the time.

“It’s an important milestone in a baby’s first year,” the woman told him.

Behind him, Tape Guy whistled a sad tune. “Oh, man, I wouldn’t tell Shigaraki if I were you.”

Touya gave him an unimpressed look. “Why not?”

“Because he’ll probably be super pissed that he missed it,” Tape Guy said. He shook his head, wearing a look on his face that suggested he felt truly sorry for Touya. He didn’t like it. He didn’t need anyone to pity him for any reason, even if it was one as dumb as this. Yukiko rolled over. So what? Now she was a roly-poly. “I remember when I forgot to record Haruka’s first steps. Setsuna was so upset that I slept on the couch.”

“She kicked you out of bed for that?” Touya said incredulously.

“Oh, no, I just felt that guilty,” Tape Guy explained with a laugh. He lifted a hand, like he meant to pat Touya on the shoulder, and then thought better of it, pulling his hand away and giving him something between a grimace and a smile. “Good luck, dude. You’re gonna need it.”

Touya hummed thoughtfully as he considered Yukiko. “At least I wasn’t alone to see it.”

“Oh, no, no way.” Tape Guy shook his head. “Don’t drag me into this too. I’m fully content to help from the outside only.” He paused and then added, “Uh, no offense.”

“Being around reformed villains make you uncomfortable?” Touya asked as he took Yukiko’s backpack and swung one strap over his shoulder.

That grimacing smile stayed on Tape Guy’s face. “Only when they tried to kill me and my friends a few times.”

By now, the daycare employees had realized that inserting themselves into this conversation was not in their best interest. Either that or they would rather listen in to get more information. Civilians were so fucking nosy. They didn’t understand the concept of privacy. All those trashy magazines confirmed as much. He remembered them from back when he was growing up. Considering that he was a tabloid’s wet dream for all the shit that went on in his house, there was never much about Endeavor in those magazines. He kept his private business on lockdown.

Touya had always dreamed about spilling the truth to someone. Having all of Endeavor’s dirty laundry aired out for everyone to see. Watching the public turn on him when they realized was a piece of shit he was. His career would be over, taking such a severe hit that it would be impossible to recover from. Maybe they could’ve been saved somehow. After all, they wouldn’t have had to cover for him anymore. It would’ve been glorious. What a fucking meltdown.

It never happened, but a guy could still dream. He could’ve had it too, but instead, after everything that he’d done to ruin his father, Touya took the quiet route. He still wondered what would’ve happened had he not taken the plea deal - if he had let Shouto go on the stand the next day like he was scheduled. His lawyer alone had known the truth about the situation. She had been prepared to publicly eviscerate Endeavor, which first meant having his children answer honestly about their home life.

Touya thought he could do it. He thought he was ready. And then the night came and he…

Had he panicked? It was hard to say. He had all his dreams in his grasp and then he backed down before he could finish the job. He half-assed it, just like he had everything else in his life. Go figure. Dad was right.

“Well, like I said earlier,” Tape Guy said, “if Shigaraki needs any advice, run it through Uraraka.”

“All you heroes are ridiculous,” Touya grumbled as he walked out of the room.

“It’s in the job description!” Tape Guy called after him cheerfully, just like Uraraka. Maybe it was. He wouldn’t have been surprised.

The main reason he didn’t believe it was because Endeavor had never been this kind. His motto when it came to villains was no mercy. There was no such thing as redemption. Once a villain, always a villain. The irony was not lost on Touya. When it had come to his own treatment of his family, he hadn’t asked for forgiveness, not even the night Touya had taken the plea deal and faced the man alone for the first time in years. His father had not sought redemption the way others might have tried. The past had happened and he accepted his role in it and tried to be better.

Touya tried not to think about how it felt like he was doing the same damn thing as he walked to the train station.

“Ah, you’ve got a fucked up family, kid,” Touya sighed.

Yukiko made a laughing sound and clung tighter to his t-shirt. She didn’t seem to care.

*

By the time Shigaraki got off work, he was in a sour mood. He didn’t even try to hide it when his replacement came in, not early, but fifteen minutes late. The irritation radiating from him must have been so strong that it literally blocked his coworker from getting anywhere near him, which was fine by him. The second the guy strolled into the store like it was no big deal, Shigaraki clocked out and stormed out of the place like he was ready for a villain attack.

The fucking nerve of some people. It wasn’t like other people had places to be or kids waiting on them. Fuyumi was still at the school event, which meant that it was just Touya watching Yukiko. On some level, he knew that Yukiko was safe with him, but he still wasn’t sure of Touya’s babysitting capabilities. He didn’t know whether to trust him alone or only with Fuyumi around, but he hadn’t had a choice and, by some miracle, Touya had been willing to watch Yukiko.

I swear I’m gonna freaking murder that asshole for being late, Shigaraki texted once he got on the train.

A few minutes later, Touya responded: Better hope your probation officer doesn’t check your texts because that sounds incriminating.

He didn’t care. People texted like this all the time. It was normal to violently vent, wasn’t it? His therapist would be more concerned if he was holding in all of his emotions and letting them stew inside of him until he burst. That was what Touya did. He’d done it before as a kid, later on as a villain, and now as a regular adult. He had to be the most emotionally constipated person that Shigaraki had ever met and that included himself.

For some reason, while he sat on the train, Shigaraki was tempted to text Uraraka and complain to her, but he didn’t know if she was still at work. Probably not since she was on morning shift now. At any rate, texting her wouldn’t do him any good. He had already vented to Touya and probably would some more when he got to his apartment. He didn’t need for Uraraka to know that he had shitty coworkers. There wasn’t anything she could do about it.

By the time he made it to Touya’s place, Shigaraki had simmered down. He got stuck at work. His coworker was late. He was off work now and he had tomorrow off. It was over. There was no sense in having a meltdown over it. Before, when he had been a villain, at least in the beginning, he would’ve lingered on it until he exploded and threw a fit. Later on, he had started to control himself more when he had to be more of a leader, but his temper still got the best of him sometimes. His anger was one thing he could admit therapy had helped him deal with.

That did not make it any less annoying.

Shigaraki knocked on the door. “Hey, Touya, open up!”

Give me my fucking kid. Shigaraki didn’t know why he was being so aggressive about it. He just wanted to get Yukiko and go home so they could pass out. It was getting close to when he tried to lay her down. If he didn’t get her down soon, she wouldn’t go to sleep. He was on a clock and that time was running out.

The door jerked open to reveal a bored-looking Touya. “Took you long enough.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Shigaraki brushed past him to step inside. He almost forgot to take off his shoes, but did so at the last second. He wasn’t as particular about it at home and neither was Touya, but it would be disrespectful to Fuyumi to tread any dirt around her place. “When was the last time she ate?”

“Like thirty minutes ago. Don’t worry; I’m not going to starve the kid.” Touya gave him a bland smile that he ignored. No sense in letting him work him up even further after the day he’d had at work. “So where’s my payment?”

“Payment?”

Touya plopped on the couch in the living room. “Yeah, I don’t babysit for free, unlike certain pro heroes.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “Stop being-” He caught sight of Yukiko on her back. “Did you just lay her on the floor and forget about her?” He bent down to scoop her up carefully, glowering at Touya as he did so. When he looked her over, she seemed fine. There was nothing wrong with her and she looked content. “What the hell?”

“Nah, she did that herself,” Touya said as he picked up his gaming controller. Shigaraki’s controller. The asshole hadn’t given it back. He’d had to get another one so that Uraraka would be able to play too when she came over. At least he hadn’t destroyed it like last time.

His words finally caught up with Shigaraki when he determined Yukiko was perfectly fine. “She what?”

“Yeah, she rolled over on her own,” Touya continued as he started up a game. “She did it at the daycare when I got there to pick her up. Everyone was so weirdly excited like it was some sort of big deal, but now she won’t stop, so I just let her keep doing it.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“Nope.”

Shigaraki tried to reign in his frustration. He really did. He didn’t want to explode with Yukiko in his arms. Startling her for any reason always made him feel so damn guilty. He never meant it, but babies were so easy to scare. If he so much as left her sight before she was asleep, she panicked. Still, he was… He wasn’t pissed because that would imply he was pissed off at Yukiko, which was ridiculous. He was mad, but not at her and not even at Touya. Maybe his coworker again.

“I have been… I have been trying to get her to roll over for weeks. She was so fucking close, but she just wouldn’t do it. Like she was holding back on purpose.” Holding her in one arm against his chest, Shigaraki rubbed his temple with his other. “Of course she does it when you’re around and not me. Of course you see it first. I’m only with her all the time unless I’m working or in therapy. I have been practically living on the floor, just trying to get her to do it, and then she randomly does it the one fucking time I get stuck at work and you pick her up.”

Touya snorted. “It’s not that big a deal. Everyone does it.”

“Yeah, but it was the first time she did it on her own,” Shigaraki complained.

“She’ll do it again and you’ll get sick of it, trust me.” Touya leaned back, resting his head against the back of the couch and sighing. “You didn’t miss anything important.”

“I missed the first three months of her life!” Shigaraki snapped. “I don’t want to miss anything else.”

Touya looked over to him without lifting his head from the couch and stared at him for a beat. Honestly, Shigaraki was a little embarrassed over his outburst. He was just tired. That was why it had slipped out. It wasn’t untrue though. Even though he knew it wasn’t his fault, he had missed those three months. How much had changed about her in that time? How much had he missed out on? How much had she because Himura didn’t take care of her properly?

“Ah, that’s what you’re freaking out about,” Touya surmised.

Shigaraki held Yukiko closer to his chest and grumbled, “I’m not freaking out.”

“It was three months and it wasn’t your fault when you didn’t even know she existed,” Touya pointed out. It was as close as he got to comforting someone. He didn’t do comforting. Even now he was somewhat sharp and rough around the edges, but that was just him. Shigaraki would never expect him to be kind and considerate of his feelings, especially when he wasn’t himself. “Besides, you could’ve been worse. You could have had her for the sole purpose of whipping her into your idealized version of yourself. I’d have rather my father didn’t know about my existence.”

“Well, you almost succeeded.”

Touya hummed thoughtfully. “Almost.”

Sighing, Shigaraki pulled his daughter away and held her away from his chest so he could stare her down. “I can’t believe you rolled over for the first time for that jackass after everything I’ve done for you.” All Yukiko did was stare back at him with her innocent red eyes. “You could’ve at least done it for Uraraka. That wouldn’t have been as bad.”

“You’re gonna choose a pro hero over me after everything I’ve done for you?” Touya griped half-heartedly, most of his attention on the video game. “That’s cold.”

“She doesn’t demand payment and favors,” Shigaraki said as he searched for the backpack. Realistically, he could afford to get an actual diaper bag, but he didn’t see the point when a backpack worked just fine. Sure, the people at the daycare gave him an odd look every time he handed over the slightly worn thing, but he didn’t care. It did the job.

“Does she ask for daily reports about Yukiko?” Touya asked.

“She just likes to stay in contact with her,” Shigaraki said. He awkwardly slung a strap over the shoulder opposite of the arm he was carrying Yukiko in. He had to shift her over so he could get the other strap on or the thing would slide right off his arm. It had happened more than once and he felt like a dumbass every single time. “And it’s not daily.”

Touya snorted. “Or maybe she’s using Yukiko as a means to keep an eye on you - make sure you’re not doing anything suspicious or harming the kid.”

“Stop it,” Shigaraki snapped.

“What?” Touya peered back at him. “Someone’s gotta stay sharp if you’re gonna go soft.”

Shigaraki sneered. “Because you’re not a hypocrite when it comes to your baby brother, the big Number Two.”

Touya stiffened on the couch, his video game character dying in the background on the screen, but he didn’t argue either, which meant that Shigaraki had hit a sore spot. Whatever. It didn’t matter. The point of their therapy and being back in society was that they didn’t get stuck on their issues with heroes anymore. Their cognitive dissonance about heroes was most likely something they would have to deal with for the rest of their lives. No one said reformation was easy or fun.

Finally, Touya looked away. “I’m just…”

“What? Concerned?” Shigaraki shook his head. “That’s not like you.”

“Not concerned, you jackass,” Touya retorted. “It’s not like you - okay, it’s not like either of us - to open or warm up to people quickly.” He wasn’t wrong there. It took far too long for him to be comfortable speaking honestly with his current therapist and even then it wasn’t all the time. Touya, he knew, was no better, if not worse. “And it’s not like you suddenly became an open book or the warmest person on the planet, but…” He frowned. “You are different with Uraraka.”

Shigaraki did not like that assessment one bit, but maybe he wasn’t wrong about it either. “I didn’t do it for myself.” It had been for Yukiko. He had needed help and he knew it. Nowadays, it would just be weird to cut off contact with her since it was obvious that his daughter adored her so much. He could handle any sort of awkwardness between them for her. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“Did you not?” Touya asked. Shigaraki couldn’t answer that. He swore he didn’t. “Maybe you didn’t. I don’t know. All I know is that I’ve never seen you like this with someone before.” Shigaraki tensed up and grit his teeth. Was he that different around her? He didn’t feel like he was. He hadn’t seen the point in acting like someone else. Uraraka could deal with it or leave. He was who he was. Pretending to be something else was worthless. “Granted, I’ve also never seen you interact with a baby, so that might be a part of it too.”

“You’ve got too much time on your hands if you’re thinking about this,” Shigaraki told him.

Touya shrugged. “You might be right about that.”

“Shouldn’t you like take a nap or something before you go in for work tonight?” Shigaraki questioned.

“Who’s the concerned one now?” Touya quipped.

“I’m not.” Shigaraki slid his shoes back on at the door. “But you shouldn’t slack off at work. You better pay your half the bills. Fuyumi isn’t here to take care of a freeloader.”

Touya was surprisingly quiet when he replied, “I know.” He lifted one hand from the controller while pushing buttons with the other. “I’ll get back to you on that repayment for this favor.”

“Whatever,” Shigaraki muttered. He wasn’t even mad about that anymore. He’d expected it of Touya and he hadn’t disappointed him in the slightest. All he cared about right now was getting home and getting to bed. At this rate, it was going to be a pain getting her to lay down. Maybe, if he let her fall asleep in his bed, he could move her to her sleep nest once she was knocked out. She’d think he let her sleep with him. Yeah, that trick could work. He would just have to make sure that he didn’t fall asleep in the process.

Opening the door, he stepped out of the apartment. He was tired. The trip home wasn’t that long, but it would’ve been arduous on his own, much more so with a baby in tow. From the way she was squirming and grunting in his arms, she wasn’t pleased about being out and about at this time either. It looked like she wanted to be home too. This was going to be a fun trip, especially if she got really fussy. Fuck it. Maybe she could just sleep in his bed. He honestly didn’t give a shit about it right now.

*

So she rolled over for the first time.

Shigaraki wasn’t sure why he felt the urge to tell Uraraka that, but it was probably something she would want to know. He could just picture the disappointment on her face when she realized that she was days late in finding out Yukiko could now officially roll from her stomach to her back on her own. It sounded like the kind of thing she would get all giddy and excited about.

Omg! That’s so exciting! Yup, there it was - Uraraka’s unbridled excitement whenever it came to every dumb, little thing Yukiko did - just as he’d expected. Did you get pictures?

No, she did it at daycare when fucking Touya went to pick her up.

Did HE get pictures?

What do you think?

Awww that’s too bad. :( But you’ll be there for plenty of her other firsts!

What if I’m not? What if I miss everything?

Why was he panicking about this now on the train? It was so utterly stupid. He knew the questions were lame. He knew it was unrealistic to be present to see every, little thing in Yukiko’s life. He’d gotten a handle on delegating when he was the leader of the League. Before, he had wanted to do everything himself, but he had been forced to learn how to trust others to do things and carry out missions on their own.

Surely the same came with raising a kid. He had to trust the daycare employees to take care of Yukiko. He trusted Uraraka not to whisk her away to raise her solely among pro heroes. To be honest, he wasn’t worried about that anymore. Maybe he had been a little paranoid about it in the beginning, but while they sometimes snarked at each other (which was admittedly unavoidable when dealing with him), she had proven to be, well, compassionate and even thoughtful.

He didn’t mind being around her, which was saying something. She was easy to be around. Plus, she usually knew the right things to say that took off the edge of everything weighing down on him. That was truly a wonder. Even Touya backed off if Shigaraki was worked up enough, but Uraraka was able to face him down without even blinking.

Well you can’t see everything either, she finally responded. That’s just life. You’ll be there with her for the big things tho. That’s what counts.

How are you so positive about everything? He didn’t understand. No one could be this positive and honest about it at the same time. All Might’s had even been a little fake in the end.

Sheer stubbornness and maybe a little denial. She was even honest about that. Go fucking figure.

That’s the spirit.

Hey I’m trying here. I just got off work and I am BEAT. I got held up because someone decided to rob a jewelry store.

That’s so cliche. Jewelry is difficult to sell on the black market these days. Fences are so picky.

That almost sounds like you know from experience, but I didn’t think that was your MO.

It definitely wasn’t. It’s stupid and I don’t know shit about jewelry or any of that stuff.

Well now I know you’re not the type of guy that buys a girl a necklace.

I’ve never even seen you wear jewelry.

I didn’t say I wanted you to buy me some. :P

Shigaraki scowled at his phone and jammed it into his pocket. He didn’t need Uraraka teasing him like that. It just made him think of what Touya had said and he didn’t want to think about that either. A part of him expected to feel his phone buzz in his pocket, alerting him to another text, but it didn’t. She didn’t add on anything else. Was he that predictable or was she just good at reading the end of their conversations? She rarely ever texted again once he was finished with a conversation, as if she somehow knew she wouldn’t get a response.

He didn’t like either one of those answers. It implied things he didn’t want to get into when he was so tired. Yukiko had fallen asleep in his arms on the train, the rocking of public transportation lulling her to sleep, but he didn’t have the ability to do the same, not when he was holding her. What if someone took her right out of his arms while he was knocked out? Kidnapped her right in front of him and he woke up with her gone? What would he do then?

Goddamnit. No one had warned him that he would worry about the most ridiculous things when he became a parent. Of course, no one had thought they needed to warn him since it didn’t seem likely that he would ever become one, to begin with. Life was stupid and absurd that way. He just had to roll with it like everyone else, but sometimes it felt like he had a lot more punches coming his way than most people.

Shit. He’d forgotten to tell her about Bakugou showing up at his store yesterday afternoon. He hadn’t even told Touya. The whole “Yukiko rolled over for the first time and I fucking missed it” had thrown him off completely. Maybe he shouldn’t. She might get anxious about Bakugou visiting him. It had sounded like the end of the relationship had hurt her and, seeing as how he was seeing someone else, she was clearly doing her best to put the past behind her. Besides, he knew that Bakugou wasn’t about to say anything to her. He was too prideful and Shigaraki had nicked it.

Ah, fuck him. If it came up, Shigaraki would say something. If not, screw him. He had put the past behind him as well and that included Ground freaking Zero.

Chapter Text

Another day, another dollar. At least that was what Shigaraki kept telling himself at work. The morning shift wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, but things took a turn for the worst an hour before his shift ended. Uraraka sent him a text, but unlike her usual, silly ones that made him want to simultaneously roll his eyes and almost maybe smile, it was an actual serious one that made him frown.

I’m so sorry but I can’t come over on Thursday! the text read. He could hear the grief in her voice, begging him to know she meant it. Uraraka was such an earnest person, a lot like Midoriya. Although it was annoying, it did make her easy to read. There was a massive earthquake in China. Multiple heroes were called to help, including me. You know I would never do this unless it was serious. Please don’t think I’m blowing you or Yukiko off.

Shigaraki sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Uraraka’s visit wasn’t even to make sure he could make an appointment. It was just the best time for her to come over. She was over two days ago too. His therapist had been forced to cancel for a family emergency, but Uraraka since was already there, they went to the park together. Weird but...not bad. She made him push her and Yukiko on the swings. Again, it wasn’t bad.

Maybe Touya was right about him getting too soft.

Maybe her not coming over was a good thing.

It’s fine.

Omg you’re mad. I know this was last minute.

I’m not mad. It’s an earthquake ffs. Your quirk is naturally suited to help people in that situation.

Thank you for understanding. I’m already on the plane. It’s been chaos since I was alerted, but I wanted to let you know before I went dark. I would never bail on you unless it was serious.

He could sense the panic in her voice through the text alone. It wasn’t just Yukiko that she was worried about; it was him too. She was genuinely worried about him being mad at her over one small thing. Was she used to walking on eggshells? Granted, if her last boyfriend was Ground Zero, he could see that.

Wait. Did that mean she thought he had the same temperament or temper as Bakugou?

I’ll let you know when I get back.

Ok that’s fine

Wait. Maybe I shouldn’t. These situations tend to mess me up emotionally. I don’t want to put that on you.

Just let me know. Come over. Idc

You’re so comforting.

It was weird - seeing the way he normally ended a conversation thrown at him. Shigaraki somehow knew it was the end of the conversation, so he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Uraraka must have waited until the very last minute to text him to make sure he wasn’t busy. This was around the time he got off work and picked up Yukiko from daycare so he still had time to respond to texts. She was too considerate. She needed to learn how to be selfish once in a while.

After picking a very sleepy Yukiko up from daycare, he walked to the train station and hopped on one right before it departed. A part of him wanted to wake up Yukiko so she would sleep tonight, but she looked genuinely zonked out. They did say she was struggling to take naps at daycare. She must’ve been exhausted. She’d fallen asleep within minutes of being in his arms. Normally he walked to work, but he’d opted for the train today since he had to run a few errands before picking her up.

Walking around his neighborhood at night had never bothered him before, but Shigaraki found it a little disconcerting with Yukiko in his arms. He wouldn’t be able to protect her properly. Even though it made things difficult, he didn’t wear his gloves when he walked the few minutes to his apartment. He could hold her with three or four fingers touching her. In case something did happen or someone thought to take advantage of him having a kid in his arms, he wanted to be prepared to fight back. Tugging off his gloves would be pointless. He’d be stabbed and dead by then.

However, as usual, nothing happened. He made it to his apartment just fine. Yukiko would have a red mark on her cheek by the time she woke up. The side of her face was pressed against his shoulder, her mouth wide open. Maybe he’d go ahead and lay her down when they got inside. Maybe he’d lay down too. It was early as fuck, but if she woke up at three am, he wouldn’t be as regretful about staying up.

Moving her to one arm, Shigaraki fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his door. He kind of wanted to put her to bed and turn on the tv. He didn’t watch the news, but a part of him wanted to see if there was anything on there about the earthquake Uraraka had mentioned. Not that he didn’t believe her - she wouldn’t lie about something so serious just to get out of watching Yukiko or hanging out - but he was...curious. An event large enough to warrant heroes from other countries was a big deal.

He would know.

He flipped the light switch, already stepping in the direction of the bedroom.

Only to nearly jump out of his shoes when he heard someone cheerfully greet, “Good evening, Tomura!”

Shigaraki’s heart damn near burst out of his chest as he swore and pressed his palm against the wall, keeping his pinky raised. “What the fuck, Sako! Do you know how to fucking knock? Call first? Wait to be let inside? Were you just hiding in the dark waiting for me to come home? Fucking goddamn.”

Atsuhiro Sako, formerly (currently?) known as Mr. Compress, pulled one of his signature masks off to reveal a smile. He wasn’t wearing a balaclava similar to the one he’d donned as a villain. A mask under a mask. Shigaraki could never decide whether it was stupid or cool. It was hard to say. They’d worked together for three years and he still didn’t know much about him. Compress - no, it was Sako; his therapist impressed upon him the habit of using their real names now - had vanished as quickly as he had appeared when the authorities finally closed in on them. Shigaraki hadn’t even been mad about it. At least someone was able to get out of there...well, mostly intact. Sako had lost an arm in the process.

“I apologize for the fright,” Sako said, not sounding apologetic one bit. The guy was kind of arrogant. Of course, he had a right to be so: he was one of the most intelligent people Shigaraki had met, proven by the fact that he was the only member of the League to have never been caught. Technically, he was still wanted and at large, although no one had seen him in years.

“Yeah, yeah, sure you do.” Shigaraki kicked his door shut and winced when it hit louder than he anticipated. The sound startled Yukiko awake. She jerked her head upright and looked around blearily in an attempt to find the source of the noise. Shit, of course. “What are you doing here?”

“Just checking up on you,” Sako insisted innocently. “Touya told me you had a child. It was something I had to see for myself to believe.”

Shigaraki stilled in the middle of slipping the backpack off and stared Sako down. “You talked to Touya?” And the bastard hadn’t said anything to him? What the fuck? “When?”

That was exactly the type of thing he should have told him. This could get them both into deep shit. Why hadn’t Touya said anything? It was suspicious as fuck and the type of secret that would drive the wedge between them. Mr. Compress had never paid for the crimes he committed while affiliated with the League. He escaped while everyone else had been handcuffed and locked away in various places, be them jail or mental institutions. Sure, he shouldered more blame than anyone anticipated, which helped lighten Touya’s sentencing, but he hadn’t gone to jail for any of it.

Realistically, Shigaraki should call the cops right now, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Sako would only escape again. Besides, he’d called in one villain in the past few months. That met his quota. No one knew a villain was in his apartment and no one would ever know. And, to be honest, he didn’t feel like turning Sako in. Arrogant as he was, Shigaraki didn’t hold a grudge against him for slipping away. He rather preferred it. On their good days in prison, he and Touya would try to figure out where Compress had gone or even come from.

“Not too long ago,” Sako answered. “You didn’t receive his message?”

Shigaraki pulled his phone out to reveal a handful of missed text messages (the one that showed on the screen was a pleasant, Answer your fucking phone you stupid dipshit ) and a call from Touya. Oh, shit, he’d accidentally put it on silent when he shoved it into his pocket. No wonder he didn’t get them. Any other person would have felt guilty for immediately jumping to conclusions about Touya possibly slipping into problematic behavior, but Shigaraki was not that person. Touya would’ve done the exact same had their situations been switched.

“To be honest, I heard a rumor you had a child, but I didn’t think it was true,” Sako explained.

“A rumor,” Shigaraki murmured thoughtfully. He set his phone down on his shitty table and dropped the backpack on the floor next to it. He didn’t like the sound of that. If other more active villains found out he had a kid, there was no telling what would happen. Retaliation had been an often occurrence while in prison. So far, on the outside, the only villain he’d come face-to-face with was Himura - and, well, now Mr. Compress. He had a feeling Himura was a little more aggressive.

Sako held out a hand. “You’re still well-known in those circles.”

“Run in them often, do you?”

“Not particularly,” Sako admitted. “You could say I’m retired - the old man’s version of reformed - but it doesn’t hurt to keep an ear to the ground, just in case. Staying well-informed about any unusual or interesting events from old friends and foes alike usually means staying alive, which I would prefer.”

He wasn’t wrong. As much as he literally did not give a shit about hero events anymore (there was no telling if Uraraka would be on the news for that earthquake or not), Shigaraki didn’t like being out of the loop when it came to the opposite side. He truly wasn’t interested in being a villain again, but not knowing anything made him feel exposed. He had a blind spot now. If an old enemy decided they wanted to settle a score with him, he likely wouldn’t know until it was too late.

After eyeing Sako carefully, Shigaraki propped Yukiko up on the couch against a pillow. She liked sitting like that. Maybe it made her feel grown or something. “Keeping tabs on me then?”

Sako twirled his signature cane between his fingers. “Just checking in here and there. I’m happy to see you’re doing well. I’ll admit I was…concerned about how you and Touya would adjust to civilian life.”

Shigaraki snorted as he wandered into the kitchen to get a drink. It was weird as hell and extremely boring. Sometimes it was awful. Sometimes he even missed the lack of responsibility that had come with being a villain. Sure, he’d been the leader of a criminal organization, which meant a shit ton of responsibility, but at least he didn’t have to worry about taxes or utility bills.

Another smile pulled at Sako’s lips. He waved a hand at Yukiko trying to maul a toy to death with her gums. “It seems like you’re fitting in fine. Parenthood is a huge step.”

“It wasn’t a planned one,” Shigaraki muttered before downing half a glass of water.

“May I?” Sako asked, pulling his gaze from Yukiko to Shigaraki.

He considered it for a moment before nodding his head. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust him, but it wasn’t like he did either. They had a lot of history between them. He might even stretch it and say it was mutual respect. Despite the fact that Shigaraki had gone to prison and “reformed”, Sako did not seem to bear a grudge against him for doing a one-eighty. He hadn’t seen Twice or Toga since their trials. Technically, he hadn’t seen Spinner either, but they talked online when gaming together in the middle of the night.

Sako was different. He’d not attempted to reintegrate into society. He could easily be disgusted by Shigaraki’s change and, even though he was better now, he wouldn’t be mad at him for it.

After setting his mask and cane aside, Sako walked over to Yukiko and crouched down in front of the couch. He carefully tugged off the glove of his good hand. “She has your eyes.”

“Red, I know, yeah.”

“No, wary ,” Sako corrected. He held out his hand. Yukiko looked at it before deciding he was okay and taking one of his fingers. She tightened her grip on her toy, biting down on it harder, like she was worried he might try to take it from her. Fuyumi said a tooth was coming in, which might have accounted for her being even grumpier than usual. “You’ve been through a lot in your young age, haven’t you?”

Shigaraki leaned back against the counter. “How much did Touya tell you?”

“Enough.” Sako frowned at him. “Did neither Kurogiri nor All for One give you the Talk?”

“They-” Shigaraki slapped a hand against his face. “I thought I used protection. I think I did. I...can’t remember.” When Sako gave him a knowing look, he dragged his hand down his face. “I had a lot to drink and I hadn’t drank in a long time. It’s not like they offer you alcohol when you’re in prison and I didn’t have a lot of time to build up a tolerance when I was operating as the leader of the League.”

“Well, clearly, even if you did use it, you didn’t use it properly or it broke,” Sako pointed out, as if he needed it. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter what he had or hadn’t done. Evidence of his misjudged actions that night were sitting propped up on his couch. “How are you handling things?”

Shigaraki snorted. “Marvelously.”

“And civilian life?”

“I just love working a retail job, paying taxes and bills, and getting shit on by idiots who used to piss their pants when they heard my name.” Shigaraki flexed fingers. They got stiff occasionally, so he often found himself wiggling, flexing, or stretching them when he wasn’t thinking - or when he was thinking too much. It might’ve had to do with his quirk and lack of using it. If Touya didn’t use his quirk every so often, it ate right through him. “It’s whatever. It’s life. I either play this role or I fall back into old, familiar habits and risk going back to prison and I-” He watched his daughter stare almost suspiciously at Sako. “I don’t want to do that. She deserves more.”

Sako’s shoulders dropped, more in relief than disappointment. “You really have grown, Tomura.”

“I’m nearly thirty,” Shigaraki griped. “I better have.”

“You were hindered in a lot of ways,” Sako said.

Scraping the side of his glass with the nail of his pointer finger, Shigaraki asked, “Did you and Kurogiri chat about that behind my back? Pass on stories of when I was the little, traumatized brat All for One pulled out of a ditch?”

“No,” Sako said honestly, “but I figured it out on my own before the truth came to light.”

It wasn’t like him to be so forward. He liked the theatrics of things. He liked people knowing he was smarter than them. Before, he might have gloated about figuring out All for One had been using Shigaraki all along. Hell, he had probably known Touya was a goddamn Todoroki before everyone else; he didn’t act nearly as surprised as he should’ve been. Sako was a man who knew he was intelligent and enjoyed lording it over everyone, even when it made him look like a bastard. He didn’t care. He didn’t need to care.

“What are you going to do about her?” Sako asked.

“Raise her,” Shigaraki answered bluntly. “What the hell does it look like?”

“On your own?” Sako pressed, sounding unimpressed.

Shigaraki tensed. “I’ve got help.”

Sako smiled. “Touya doesn’t count. He’s got a lot of his own issues and you know that.”

“Other than Touya,” Shigaraki shot back mockingly, “who I wasn’t counting anyways.” He’d been counting Fuyumi. No way in hell was he going to count the guy who gave him a glove filled with warm milk for his three-month-old baby. Idiot. “What? Worried I can’t hack this parenting thing either?”

“I didn’t say that,” Sako said.

“But you’re thinking it,” Shigaraki accused. “Don’t worry; you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. No one’s believed in me.”

That...wasn’t exactly true. Uraraka helped him that first night, but she had, in her own way, trusted him to work this out. Touya didn’t think him capable of it at first, going so far as to suggest him safe dropping Yukiko, but he hadn’t argued with him since. Fuyumi hadn’t told him outright that she didn’t think he could handle it. Even… All Might merely said that Shigaraki would need help. Shigaraki could feel their judgment; he could sense that they sort of thought he’d try this being a dad thing for a few months and then pass her off when he couldn’t take it any longer. Maybe they didn’t think that anymore, but it was there in the beginning.

At least he thought it was there. It was getting harder to tell these days.

Taking a deep breath, Sako returned his attention to Yukiko, who still held his finger in a death grip. When she removed the toy from her mouth in favor of chewing on his finger, he gently pulled his hand back before she could chomp down. Smart thinking. It wasn’t all that pleasant when part of a tooth jammed into your skin. Shigaraki found that out the hard way when he wasn’t paying attention and Yukiko decided his pinky finger was the perfect chew toy.

“There will be days when it’s easy and days when it’s the hardest thing you will ever do,” Sako lectured. Just great. Like he needed another old man telling him how to raise his kid. All Might might have Midoriya now, but he’d never raised a kid from infancy. What did Sako know? “Your case is unique since you took her in. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. That took a lot of strength.” Did it? He hadn’t really thought it through, if he was being honest. She had simply been placed in his arms and he hadn’t wanted to let go. “But it’s not something you should do alone.”

“I can,” Shigaraki insisted.

“I’d rather you not.” Sako stood.. He didn’t pick up Yukiko, but he still considered her closely. It was almost like he was afraid of holding her, which was absurd. Besides marbles held in his mouth apparently, Sako had the most careful grip of anyone Shigaraki knew, even with his prosthetic arm. “Being a parent is both wonderful and awful at the same time. No one tells you that, but it’s true. For those that want children, you’ll never feel quite as high when your child does something - and you’ll never feel so low and pathetic either at other times.”

Shigaraki set his glass down on the counter behind him. “Oh yeah?”

“Or so I’ve heard,” Sako added, putting his mask back on. It was just like him to be so mysterious for no goddamn reason. “Yukiko is her name, yes?” Shigaraki nodded. “A beautiful name. I’m surprised you were able to pick it out on your own.” He hadn’t. Uraraka had been there with him. If not for her, he probably would’ve picked out something not nearly as good. “Touya was rather vague on some details. He said someone has been helping you out, but he neglected to say who. Of course, I’m used to him being evasive.”

“Does it matter?” Shigaraki questioned.

“It does if it’s a villain,” Sako said. “I don’t want you to fall back into old habits. I truly think this is good for you.”

After considering his options, Shigaraki replied, “It’s not a villain.”

“Open as ever,” Sako chuckled. “I should’ve expected as much.”

“So is that it?” Shigaraki demanded. “You just broke into my place to check up on me and see if I really had a kid?”

Sako placed a hand over his heart, ever the one for melodrama. “Of course not, Tomura. Did you honestly believe I would come after so many years to visit you and your child without a gift?” He was worse than Touya and that bastard had admitted to being a Todoroki in the middle of a massive fight with Endeavor and a group of other heroes. “This is a special occasion. It’s not every day you become a father.”

“Oh, goodie,” Shigaraki muttered dryly.

Luckily - or perhaps unluckily - Sako wasn’t offended. He very rarely had been, even in the League, perhaps because he was one of the few people that even Touya didn’t insult repeatedly. “I asked Touya what you might need, but, as expected, he was mostly unhelpful. Fortunately, his brilliant twin sister was there.”

“Oh my god,” Shigaraki sighed, resisting the urge to rub the headache out of his forehead. “Tell me you did not break into their apartment while Fuyumi was there.”

“She had a good idea of what you might still need,” Sako continued, not responding to his statement. Somehow that made it even worse. He had probably broken into the apartment and scared the living shit out of Fuyumi. It was one thing for Touya to be hanging out with his old boss, a now reformed villain, but another for him to have villains who hadn’t served time for their crimes appearing out of thin ice. That could get her in trouble too. Shigaraki didn’t doubt no one had seen Sako enter, but it still made him want to disintegrate something.

Instead of trying to strangle Sako, Shigaraki asked, “And what did she say?”

“You don’t have a proper place for her to sleep,” Sako pointed out. “You need a crib.”

“She’ll barely sleep unless she’s being held. Why would I need something that takes up room?”

“Because you should start sleep training when she’s six months,” Sako explained. “That’s the best time. Also, you might think she’ll only sleep when you’re holding her, but there’s a chance some space will actually help her. You like your space. She might have inherited that as well.”

Shigaraki threw his hands in the air. “What? Did you read the same lame baby articles as me?”

“Are you letting her sleep in bed with you?”

A scoff tumbled out of Shigaraki’s mouth before he could stop it. “No, I’ve got one of those sleep nest...things. I don’t know what the fuck they are. That’s what the box said. I mean, okay, yeah, I put it in my bed, but she’s not in my bed with me. Every article I read acted like it was the worst thing in the world to do - a sin against parenting.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Sako insisted, holding up a hand. “People will tell you that co-sleeping will get them too used to sleeping in bed with you, but that’s not the case. Some just need it in the beginning, to get used to sleeping through the night.”

“Seriously, how would you know that?”

“I’m well-versed in life.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why I asked.” He pushed away from the counter and made his way over to the couch, plopping down on it in front of Sako. As soon as he did, Yukiko rolled over to him and he had to catch her so she didn’t do a face plant on the couch cushion. The little shit was such a daredevil already. He already knew he was going to have a nightmare on his hands once she started walking. “You said you brought a gift for her. I’m going to assume it’s a crib. It wasn’t stolen, was it?”

“And risk you being caught with stolen property when you’re on the straight and narrow?” Sako clung to the front of his shirt and gasped in mock horror. “I would never.”

“So you bought Yukiko a crib.”

“Plus a few toys,” Sako added. He pulled a handful of marbles out of his pocket, swishing them around between this fingers like a magic trick. “Not to mention Touya said you’ve been relying on public transportation and walking. That’s fine when it comes to saving money and going to places not too far away, but you might need a vehicle for emergencies at least or long trips.”

The implication dawned on Shigaraki a second too late. “No, you didn’t .”

Sako shrugged. “I did. Why not?”

“Because vehicles are expensive! Also, I don’t have my driver’s license!”

“Money isn’t a problem for me anymore,” Sako said. And if that wasn’t a statement Shigaraki didn’t want to unpack. It wasn’t a problem for him? He could just casually buy a car and not even blink? Had he bought it? Stealing things was one of the easiest skills in the world for a villain like Mr. Compress. All he had to do was tap something and turn it into a marble. Not to mention he could easily slip in and out of an area with no one noticing as long as he didn’t open his mouth. “Again, it’s not stolen. Don’t worry. You’ll just have to get your license. It’ll be good for you.”

“And a car seat?” Shigaraki countered. Uraraka mentioned that in the very beginning. They hadn’t bought one because he didn’t own a vehicle or have a license. He knew how to drive, but it hadn’t been necessary until now. That was annoying.

“I got one that will grow with her.” Sako really had thought of everything.

Yukiko squirmed in his arms. As she got older, she wanted to see more things. He moved her from lying against his chest to sitting in his lap. It put both him and her directly against Sako. With his mask back on, it was impossible to tell how he was feeling or what he was thinking.

“What do you get out of it?” Shigaraki asked bluntly.

Sako tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“What do you get out of giving me all these expensive things? Do you think I’ll owe you or something?”

“No, Tomura, I don’t think you’ll owe me anything,” Sako said in a gentle tone that bordered on condescending. Shigaraki looked back at him flatly. “You’re a father in need - not exactly a gold mine to take advantage of, although desperate, poor people often make for easy marks.”

Shigaraki dropped his head back against the couch. “You’re truly a well of knowledge.”

“I tried to instill some in you,” Sako replied, amusement ringing in his voice. “Of course, if I had known you were going to be a father, I might have tried harder.”

“I probably wouldn’t have listened back then.”

“And you would now?”

Shigaraki huffed. “I’m open to any advice on this from time-to-time.”

Sako chuckled. “You know, Touya said something similar. I really am glad to see you two are both doing better.”

His words weren’t nearly as inspiring as Sako might’ve hoped, but then again, judging from the way he continued to chuckle at the face Shigaraki made, maybe his disgruntled reaction was what he wanted. He’d always enjoyed pushing the envelope for his own entertainment. Clearly, that hadn’t changed. A crib, car, toys, car seat. What was next?

“Wait.” Shigaraki sat up straight. “What kind of car did you get me?”

Even though Sako was wearing a mask, Shigaraki could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, “Why, the only type of car that a parent should have.” He was going to regret letting this man in his life again, wasn’t he?

Chapter Text

Shigaraki was in the middle of waging battle against his child (aka changing her godforsaken diaper) when his phone buzzed on the table, alerting him to a text message. After wrangling Yukiko into a fresh diaper and saying fuck it to those little buttons on her onesie, he scooped her up and shuffled over to check his phone. If it was one of those idiots at his job asking him if he could pick up a shift this week, he was going to lose it. Didn’t they understand he had less time and flexibility now that he had a kid? He had a set schedule for a reason.

It wasn’t one of his coworkers, but he still frowned when he saw Uraraka’s name instead. Wasn’t she still in China? He hadn’t heard from her in a few days, but he’d more or less expected radio silence from her while she worked. Unlike the regular patrols she went on with her agency, dealing with the aftermath of a massive earthquake was different. She didn’t have a set schedule. She worked when and where she was needed until she returned to Japan, even if it meant working twelve to fourteen hours in a row.

At least that was what he found out while researching first responses to major catastrophes back when he was a villain. In some cases of large scale attacks, villains waited for the first responders to come before launching another surprise attack, which forced heroes into the position of both saving and fighting at the same time. It was a very delicate balance that could be easily tipped. After all, it was easier to take a hero down when they were exhausted after hours of rescue work.

Unlocking his phone, Shigaraki clicked on Uraraka’s text. Hey are you busy? It’s ok if you are.

Wasn’t he the one that usually asked that question? What could she possibly want from him? Frowning further, Shigaraki texted back: Just about to put Yukiko to bed.

Uraraka’s response came back lightning fast: Oh sorry of course. It’s getting late. Nevermind.

Had they swapped personalities for the week? Her sudden shift and evasiveness was irritating. Shit, was this what she dealt with when it came to him? How did she manage it? He could’ve let it go. Whatever her issue was, it wasn’t his problem. He didn’t care. She had her own life going on. Surely there were better people she could unload her shit on if that was the issue. He wasn’t the right person for it. Then again, it might not be that, but he didn’t know what the hell she’d want.

Just spit it out

It took her a few minutes to respond. By the time she did, he was in the bedroom trying to get everything situated with one hand while he held Yukiko in his other arm. He checked his phone a minute after, but her words made him pause. A part of him thought he should’ve expected this, but another part of him still thought it was ridiculous.

You’re going to think this is so stupid, but do you think I could facetime Yukiko just for a minute or two?

Why would you wanna facetime someone that can’t even talk back to you?

I’ve had a really bad day. It’s ok. I don’t expect you to listen to me talk about it. I really need to see something good right now. Cute pictures of puppies and kittens aren’t cutting it. Deku can only do so much. Everyone around me is trying, but I just wanna see Yukiko and know everything’s ok.

Shigaraki stared at his phone. From what it sounded like, if he did say yes to this, Uraraka would be in tears and he didn’t know if he was ready to handle that. He didn’t particularly mind crying, but seeing someone as cheery and positive as Uraraka that low would be unsettling. Plus, watching people in his life get emotional was awkward these days. He didn’t know what to do or if he should do anything. He typically didn’t want to either.

Before he could respond, Uraraka sent another text: You don’t have to say yes. I understand if you just want to get her to bed or it makes you uncomfortable.

Instead of arguing with her via text messaging, Shigaraki stacked his pillows and propped Yukiko against them. She could sort of sit up on her own now, although she tended to lean over like she was milk drunk. Having something behind her made it easier for her. Plus, she really liked it. Without any hesitation, he called Uraraka for a video chat and switched the camera around into selfie mode so the two of them would be able to see each other.

As soon as Uraraka answered, she popped up on the screen and excitedly exclaimed in a watery voice, “Hey there, baby girl!”

It was hard to tell, considering Yukiko was still too young, but it almost looked like she knew who was on the phone screen. She smiled brightly and reached for the phone, like she was trying to touch Uraraka, but fell down on her face in the process.

“Shit,” Shigaraki swore, leaping into action. He awkwardly pushed her back into the sitting position while trying to hold the phone in place, but it made for shaky camera work at best.

Uraraka gasped, “Oh, no, sweetheart,” but began to giggle once it was obvious Yukiko hadn’t minded the faceplant. Yukiko even made a few babbling noises like she was trying to talk back. It was highly unlikely, but it didn’t seem to matter to Uraraka, who visibly brightened with each passing second. “I’ve missed you! I was so sad I couldn’t see you this week, but I promise I’ll see you soon. Have you been good for your papa?”

“Grumpy as hell these past few days,” Shigaraki said loud enough for her to hear his disembodied voice. He was not about to get in the screen too. She wanted to see Yukiko, not him.

“Just like your papa then,” Uraraka teased.

“Real funny.”

The smile on her face didn’t look as forced as it had in the beginning of the call. Slowly, as the seconds ticked by, she began to ease up. He didn’t have a good angle to see the screen, but from what he could tell, she had more than likely come out of a crying spell recently. Along with her red-rimmed and puffy eyes, her cheeks were obviously tear-stained instead of their normal pink, but she looked pale underneath. Her hair was wet and stringy too, like she had gotten out of the shower, and she was in a plain t-shirt instead of her hero costume.

“It’s good to see you smiling,” Uraraka said as if Yukiko could understand her. “Are you enjoying daycare? Have you been better when you get dropped off?”

“She doesn’t cry at first, but apparently once I don’t come back right away, she gets upset,” Shigaraki replied, answering in place for Yukiko. It wasn’t like she could respond herself. The questions were for both of them, but she liked talking to Yukiko. He caught her doing it often. Not that he could mock her for it since he found himself doing the same thing half the time. It was good for her to be talked to regularly instead of that stupid baby talk shit. Making a weird voice didn’t help babies understand them more. “But they said she’s well-behaved for the most part. We’ll see how that changes once she starts crawling.”

“Has she showed any interest in it yet?” Uraraka asked, this time directing the question to him.

“Not at all,” Shigaraki said, “although she likes the bouncer Sak-”

He cut himself off at the last second, hoping against hope she hadn’t heard that last part since he was behind the phone. If she found out Compress had shown up announced in his apartment, she might not be as accepting as she was of his…friendship with Touya. After all, Compress had gotten away scot-free.

“Aw, a bouncer, how cute!” Uraraka gushed. “You’ll have to send me pictures.”

“Better than puppy and kitten pictures?” Shigaraki asked dryly.

The expression on Uraraka’s face was so downright soft that he almost looked away from the screen. “Much better.” Even her voice was soft, the longing in it unmistakable. She really did miss Yukiko. Not that he doubted her after that text and the way she lit up when Yukiko appeared on the screen, but it was something else to see her missing Yukiko. She didn’t have to say it for him to know she did. “I won’t keep you all. She should get to bed. I’m so happy I got to see you, baby girl. I’ll visit as soon as I get back. I’ve got some time off when I return.”

“Don’t worry,” Shigaraki said. “She’s not going anywhere.”

“Thank you - for letting me see her.” Uraraka chewed on her bottom lip. He’d noticed she had a habit of doing that whenever she was nervous or upset. If he looked close enough, he could tell that her lip looked almost raw and would probably bleed if she kept it up. “I know it was last minute and dumb, but I-” She took a deep breath. “I needed that. I really appreciate it.”

Her genuine gratitude made Shigaraki shift uncomfortably. When was the last time someone had thanked him? Ah, that girl at work when he’d stayed over late. Before that, he couldn’t really remember. It wasn’t something he had ever gotten used to before. He might’ve been thanked here or there, but it had been for strange things, like letting Toga be free and trusting her to do her job. To hear it from a hero was even stranger, but Uraraka sounded truly happy and relieved.

“I’ve gotta catch a few hours of sleep before I jump back in,” Uraraka said. “I’ll let you know when I get back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shigaraki muttered. The words “be careful” almost left his mouth, but he stopped them. She didn’t need him telling her that. She already knew. It went without saying.

Besides, this was a natural disaster. No villains had been involved in the earthquake as far as he was aware. Certainly there were people capable of creating or at least jumpstarting them with their quirks, but he didn’t think she’d have time to take a shower and sleep if that was the case. Judging from her withdrawn face and tired eyes, she had probably reached her quirk limit and needed a break before she could work again.

They hung up on each other at seemingly the same time. Shigaraki tossed his phone to the side and fell down on his bed horizontal so that his hands hung over one side and his feet the other. He pressed his face into the mattress as if attempting to smother himself. Shit, maybe he was. He felt about the same as Uraraka had looked and, while he knew Yukiko was tired, she simply pawed at his back and kicked his side.

“Okay,” Shigaraki mumbled into the mattress. “You win.”

Instead of trying to lay her down in the sleep nest, he moved the pillows and laid her down on top of the sheet that he slept under. After getting up to turn off the lights and turn on a fan, he laid next to her on his side and slipped under the sheets for good measure. He gave her one of his gloved fingers to hold and bided his time. She liked to play with his fingers in order to fall asleep, but it was easier to lie next to her and let her do this than sit up or hold her and pace the apartment. With any luck, she’d be out in ten minutes and he could transfer her to the sleep nest and then take a hot shower. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

He thought of Uraraka’s teary but determined smile. True to her word, she hadn’t tried to talk with him about why she was so upset that she wanted to facetime a baby. That kind of smile used to piss him off. He didn’t understand how or why someone could smile when the world around them was falling apart. It wasn’t right. Why would they smile when everything was going to shit?

Shigaraki watched Yukiko drowsily play with his finger. It had taken him a few years, but he was finally beginning to understand why and he didn’t like it, not one bit.

*

Such a good quirk… A strong quirk... We shouldn’t let that go to waste. Wouldn’t you agree, Tomura?

A hand, held out for him to take. All he had to do was reach up and meet it halfway to grasp. It beckoned him forward. He wanted to take it. Life would be easier, wouldn’t it? He could pass off the responsibility on his shoulders, if only for a moment. It called to him. What did he know? He couldn’t do this.

Ah, but he would know. He always knew what to do. He’d known right from the start how to get him to do whatever he wanted. It was simple in the end. All he had to do was take the hand offered to him.

You don’t have to be alone, not anymore. I’m here. Give her to me.

*

Shigaraki startled awake, flailing in bed, tangled in the sheets weighing down on him for some reason. Only when he felt something solid shift next to him in bed did he freeze. Panting heavily and sweating, he glanced over and saw Yukiko lying on top of the sheets, not even in her sleep nest. Shit, he’d fallen asleep next to her while he was trying to get her to sleep.

Some time through the night, she must have rolled onto her stomach. Either that or his flopping around like a fish out of water had moved her. Whatever the case, he hadn’t woken her up. He leaned his head back against his flat pillow to breathe for a few seconds before panic spiked in his chest all over again. She hadn’t woken up. Everything woke her up. What if she’d smothered herself in the middle of the night while he was passed out? What if he had somehow hurt her upon his rude awakening? He was wearing gloves, but he could’ve hit her or-or-

Rolling onto his side, Shigaraki pressed a hand on her back. For one second, his entire world was crashing down on him and he couldn’t freaking breathe. In the next, when her back moved under his hand as she took a soft breath, relief washed over him and his world turned back on its end.

He collapsed on his back and gulped down the lump in his throat that kept him from speaking. Placing a hand over his eyes, he forced himself to take a few deep breaths until his heart calmed down. It had been a long ass time since panic nearly overwhelmed him that. It hadn’t been that long since he had a nightmare about All for One, but it had been a few months. The last time was shortly after he’d taken in Yukiko.

Every time he thought he was over this shit, it swamped him all over again. It drove him fucking crazy. When the hell would he be done with this? Years had passed since he was stuck under All for One’s thumb, being played like his personal puppet. Why was it coming back to him now?

Trying to sleep was useless. It would take him at least thirty minutes to fall back asleep, but with his shit luck, Yukiko would probably wake up right when he crashed again. Instead, Shigaraki carefully rolled out of bed, trying to stir her as little as possible, and then shuffled out of the room. He’d let her keep sleeping while he occupied himself. If he got tired in a few minutes, he’d try to lay back down. If he woke up further, he’d take a shower and read something until she cried herself awake.

After making himself a cup of hot tea using the microwave, Shigaraki wandered over to the couch and dropped down on it with a sigh. He was only in his late twenties, but he felt old as shit in this moment. Maybe his quirk affected his joints too. Who knew? A quirk specialist might, but he had no intention of going to one like Touya had been forced to while in prison. He turned on the television, flicking through channels of paid programs, shitty movies, and old tv shows until he finally landed on a twenty-four hour news station.

Back in the day, Shigaraki had obsessively read newspapers and scoured the internet for news sources. As much as he hated heroes, he tracked their movements religiously. The only person who knew as much about All Might as he did was probably Midoriya. Of course, it would’ve been nice to know the truth about One for All from the start, but All for One had been very secretive about it, even with him. The news had been common background noise for him while he read, played video games, slept, or did research.

After getting out of prison, Shigaraki quit watching it. A part of his issue was getting so caught up in all the drama surrounding heroes and villains. If he wanted to be a normal civilian, the easiest way would be to ignore all that shit and pretend like it didn’t exist. He couldn’t always ignore heroes - what with them patrolling the streets in their bright, loud costumes - but he could forget about villains from time-to-time. As long as he didn’t watch the news or get on certain websites, he didn’t see or hear anything about villain attacks. He could be blissfully ignorant about dumbasses trying to follow in his footsteps.

Shigaraki didn’t know why he stopped on the channel now when he’d resisted the urge for over a year. He was about to change the channel when the newsreel at the bottom caught his eye and he turned up the volume instead.

“...days already spent dealing with the aftermath of a 7.3 earthquake,” a reporter was describing, her serious tone matching her face. “Heroes and other emergency responders were still sorting through the destruction looking for survivors when an unexpected 6.1 earthquake struck. On its own, it would have caused severe damage, but with many infrastructures already weakened or damaged, the devastation was immense.”

“Pro heroes from around the world were already on the scene, yes?” the desk correspondent asked.

“Yes, after the first earthquake, the Chinese government requested the aid of heroes and even sidekicks with quirks specializing in Rescue,” the reporter answered as clips of heroes jumping into action - or rather, rescue - played on the screen. Most of the heroes were people he didn’t recognize, most likely because they weren’t from Japan. “Their foresight proved to be instrumental in saving and protecting lives during the second earthquake. Many more lives would’ve been lost had heroes not been here.”

“Japan’s number one hero Deku is there, isn’t he?” the corresponder prompted.

Clips of Midoriya directing aid relief workers and lifting ridiculous amounts of debris popped on the screen. “A number of Japan’s pros were called on, but yes, Pro Hero Deku is here. Of course, he’s notable for being one of the few heroes who often operates in multiple countries. He doesn’t have an agency and works rescue almost more than he fights villains.”

It brought to mind the famous image of All Might’s debut where he saved a thousand people. How many times had Shigaraki watched that video, seething with more rage every time he heard that stupid laugh? And then there was Midoriya, smiling as he carried people to safety, wearing a laser-focused expression as he conversed with other heroes and emergency responders. There was even a shocking video of him holding up building while people ran for cover after the second earthquake.

What jumped out to Shigaraki as the reporter began to report the damage was a clip of Midoriya and Uraraka. She looked tired, but determined as she directed firefighters pulling people out. Even Midoriya was taking orders from her from what it looked like. What had to be tons of rubble hung suspended in the air due to her quirk. She had seemingly dug her way through the damage using her quirk to reach a group of people who were trapped underneath a collapsed building.

As the talking heads continued on, the video being played over them changed. It was a stark difference from the professional recording done by the media. The quality was still decent, but the shaking and bad focus made it obvious someone had filmed it with their phone - in the middle of the second earthquake, like some dumbass civilian would. They had no damn sense sometimes.

Struggling to figure out what was going on, Shigaraki leaned forward as if that might help him. Now he was being stupid. Something about the video made him distinctly uncomfortable. This was what people on the ground experienced during a catastrophe - or during a villain attack. The chaos, the confusion, the fear. Once upon a time, he thought such moments were thrilling, but he couldn’t figure out why for the life of him now. He pictured this happening while he held a hysterically crying Yukiko in his arms. He pictured the fear on Fuyumi’s face while she tried to calm her bratty students down.

He thought of Uraraka facing him down, scared but fully prepared to bring that building down on him so he wouldn’t hurt Midoriya.

The reporter talked about the bridge shown on the video, but Shigaraki droned her out. Something about how it had been structurally built to survive large scale earthquakes since it was on a fault line, but two large ones in a row so close together broke it down. It would’ve been fine had it only been one. It was damaged, but deemed sound enough to still be used, as it was the only way across the river for miles. Both sides had suffered devastation. It was a foolish mistake, but one that most people would’ve made. While not as strong, the second earthquake rocked that bridge like a rope and it cracked, breaking into pieces.

It should have gone down - it would have gone down - if not for Uraraka.

“Confident in the bridge’s structure, as it was known to be one of the world’s leading bridges in terms of sturdiness during an earthquake, it was not blocked off,” the reporter continued. “Authorities and civilians were on the bridge when the second earthquake struck-”

“Shut up and get off the screen, you idiot,” Shigaraki muttered furiously like they could hear him.

“The video, recorded by a civilian on the west side, shows the bridge collapse-”

Shigaraki growled. “It’s not collapsing.”

“-only for it to be stopped by lesser-known Japanese Pro Hero Uravity.”

He didn’t need the reporter to say anything. Shigaraki would’ve recognized that quirk after seeing it up close and personal years ago. She had casually used it in front of him a few times in the past months, carrying all that baby shit from the store, taking out the trash, playing with toys.

That was chump change compared to this. The bridge was large and no doubt weighed a veritable shit ton. Uraraka had leaped into action without thought. Having activated her quirk partially on herself, she shot through the sky using rockets in her boots and skipped over the ground quaking below her. She dropped to the edge of the bridge and touched it right when the concrete cracked and metal wires snapped loose. The footage was shitty as it zoomed in closer on her, but he saw the way her body lurched forward as the weight of the bridge tugged on her quirk. Despite breaking into pieces, the bridge didn’t fall and heroes jumped in to rescue the people before they fell into the water.

It was too much, even for her, especially after using her quirk for the better part of the day doing rescue work.

This was today, Shigaraki realized suddenly. This happened yesterday - about six hours before she texted me.

Green lightning zigzagged on the screen. Ah, there he was, Midoriya. Shigaraki wasn’t likely to forget his quirk either, considering it was his version of One for All. He was too fast to even be a blur as he raced on the floating parts of the bridge to save as many people as possible. It wasn’t enough. Even with so many heroes involved and Uraraka holding the bridge up with her quirk, it was massive. Had it not already broken, Midoriya might’ve been able to save everyone. He was that good. Shigaraki might not have liked him, but he was the Number One Hero for a reason and beloved throughout the world.

He knew the exact moment when Uraraka could no longer hold onto her quirk. Her face drained entirely of blood except for the dribble out of her nose, she collapsed to the side, tumbling over the edge. Only thanks to Midoriya did not she fall into the river. Even as concrete, metal, and vehicles fell out of the sky around him, he was able to cut through the air to catch her and land on the river bank below. They were out of sight of the camera, but Shigaraki still jumped to his feet as if he could lean over and see them. It was stupid. She was out cold. She almost died. More than likely she would’ve either drowned or been crushed by falling debris had she hit the water.

Midoriya had saved her, but at the cost of ignoring the remaining civilians trapped on the bridge.

Shigaraki’s stomach twisted to the point of making him feel ill. That sounded an awful lot like something he would’ve done in his villain heydays in order to escape being caught: forcing the hero in the unwinnable scenario of choosing who to save (or rather who would live - who was more important) or between capturing him and saving someone else. This was what she’d dealt with back in school. He had been the monster who caused situations like this, not just mother nature. How many times had she almost died because of him? Midoriya? All Might?

You’re not like that anymore. She knows that.

Did it matter though? He’d done those things, hadn’t he? How many people had inadvertently died because of him? So what if All for One spent years manipulating him, grooming him, forcing him to be a tool of his own design? Yeah, Shigaraki and the League eventually broke away from him to do their own thing, but he still hadn’t been good. He had still technically been a villain, even if some news pundits used the word vigilante too. He’d still caused mayhem and chaos. He had still clashed with Midoriya and all those around him.

Shigaraki collapsed onto the couch, staring numbly at the screen as the reporter listed off the number of dead and injured caused by the second earthquake. It could’ve been worse, but he knew that a solid amount had come from the bridge. The number was still rising, as not every body had been recovered from the river. Uraraka’s face on the phone came to mind. He knew she’d been crying before the call. He could see it in her face and the way she held herself no matter how much she tried to hide it.

She thought she failed - that their deaths rested on her shoulders.

Goddamnit, she was an idiot. That number would’ve been much higher if not for her. She had to recognize that. She was incredible out there - a fucking hero.

And he really had been the villain in her story. What the hell was she doing around him?

Chapter Text

Hey sorry I’ve been sorta MIA for the past two weeks, but I just got back into town last night. How have things been?

Fine

Cool. How’s Yukiko?

Good

Glad to hear

Uraraka didn’t send another text. Shigaraki kept thinking she would - even thought his phone buzzed in alert once or twice - but she never did. After thirty minutes of what felt like utter torture, he groaned and pulled his phone back out. This was fucking ridiculous. He was being stupid as fuck. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him, but he was pissed the hell off. He shouldn’t care. He didn’t. She shouldn’t care either. She shouldn’t even be texting him. He had very nearly ruined her life so many times. What the hell was wrong with either of them?

She’s staying the night with Fuyumi. Apparently I need a night to myself.

You definitely do. You haven’t had one since you got her right?

Not unless you count that night I passed out on their couch

Any fun plans?

Probably drive myself crazy. Fuyumi said I’m not allowed to stay home.

You’ll figure something out. Maybe you and Touya could hang out?

Like I wanna hang out with that stupid fucker

That stupid fucker is your best friend. I hope you know that.

Shigaraki lifted a hand from the stroller to rub his temple. No way in hell was Touya his best friend, but he couldn’t deny that he wasn’t exactly close to anyone else either. The only other person he spent more time with, besides Yukiko, was either Uraraka or Fuyumi. Didn’t friends have each other’s backs? When Shigaraki had asked Fuyumi if she could watch Yukiko, her twin brother lamented over it. He wasn’t even going to be at the apartment while Fuyumi had her since he had work and Yukiko would be gone by the time he got off. What a jackass. They weren’t best friends. That was cheesy.

After watching the video of the bridge collapse, Shigaraki hadn’t been able to go back to sleep. Instead, he’d laid in bed ruminating on it. The next day, instead of napping like he should have when Yukiko did, he got online and did research on some of his more prolific attacks during his League days. Instead of focusing on what he accomplished, like he had back then, he looked into the consequences. People injured, buildings destroyed, lives ruined. Even when she woke up, he continued the research on his phone. He couldn’t stop until he felt as if he’d spiraled into a black hole that he didn’t deserve to get out of. His therapist brought up his moody, reflective change, but he hadn’t felt like talking about it.

He spent what felt like hours watching Yukiko gnaw on a toy where she sat upright on the couch, almost all on her own without the help of a pillow behind her. What was he doing - thinking he could raise her? He didn’t even deserve her or the chance to be a father, not when he’d ruined so many people’s lives. Uraraka shouldn’t hang around him. It wasn’t that she was better than him. It just wasn’t right. She couldn’t fix this and shouldn’t be trying. This was only going to end in disappointment for her. He didn’t need that on him too.

It would be better if they regained their distance and stopped talking. It would be easier on them both if he slowly cut himself out of her life and they could all pretend it was a phase. He hoped she would get the hints with his one word texts - and it seemed like she might have - but then he went and fucked it up. What was wrong with him?

Within seconds of knocking on Fuyumi’s door, she answered and ushered him inside. As he set aside the backpack, she took Yukiko out of the stroller and held her close to squash cheeks with her. “Hello, precious!” She smiled at Shigaraki and added, “And hello to you too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shigaraki muttered. “Are you sure about this?”

“Of course!” Fuyumi held onto Yukiko happily. “Did you bring the sleeper and extra diapers?”

Shigaraki handed her the backpack. “Yeah, but you won’t need them. I’m only gonna be out for like two hours-”

“Nonsense.” Fuyumi lightly bopped Yukiko on the nose. “She’s gonna spend the night. That way you can sleep in too. How long has it been since you were able to do that?”

“No, that’s too-”

Fuyumi settled a serious look on him, cutting Shigaraki off. It was the teacher look she probably used on her students when they were acting up, the one that immediately made them go silent. Sometimes, with how nice she was, it was easy to forget that she was a Todoroki as well. She had grown up in the same household that had produced Touya.

“Can I please have a night with Yukiko?” Fuyumi asked calmly.

Well, when she put it like that… “Yeah, okay.”

“Great!” Fuyumi walked into the living room and laid Yukiko down on a blanket she had spread out on the floor. “So have you figured out any plans for tonight?”

“Nope.” Shigaraki stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’m just going to wander the city aimlessly.”

Fuyumi shook her head as she eased herself down on the floor next to the blanket. “What about Uraraka?”

Shigaraki stiffened. “What about her?”

When Fuyumi lifted her head to look at him, the smile on her face was far too knowing and sneaky. She really tricked everyone into thinking she was so innocent, but he’d seen her rip Touya a new one before. “You should see if she’s free tonight. You all haven’t hung out without Yukiko around before, have you?”

“Not unless you count me attacking her class or them interrupting one of the League’s plots as hanging out.” Shigaraki stared at Fuyumi, a neutral expression on his face. Her smile faded into a small frown. It was a sad frown, not a disappointed one, which somehow made things worse. “Touya’s at work, isn’t he?” She nodded. “I’ll probably go there. I’m not feeling very social.”

“Baby steps,” Fuyumi decided. “He could use the company. He says his job is fine, but I think he hates it. Service industry is not his forte, but the clientele doesn’t exactly require much from him.” That was an understatement. Touya definitely hated his job and complained about it all the time, but it was also quick, easy, and (most importantly) legal cash. “I’ll text you updates on Yukiko.”

Fighting the urge to take Yukiko and go back home, even though he really did need and want a break, Shigaraki took one last look at her and then ducked out of the place. As soon as he left her sight, she started to wail, but he didn’t stop, not even when he shut the door and could only hear her muffled cries. She’d move past the crying stage soon enough, but it was so damn rough in the beginning. Guilt clawed at him like never before. He had felt guilty a few times, especially during his time in prison and then this past week, but there was something painfully raw about the guilt he struggled with over just leaving Yukiko to cry.

Fucking softie. You used to run away at the sound of cries and now you wanna turn back? You’ve really fallen, huh.

No, he had risen above all of the cold, empty ugliness of his past. This was him learning to care. It was empathy or sympathy or whatever other bullshit his therapist threw at him. He had thought the League meant more than him - he had thought All for One was more important than him - but now he knew the truth. Yukiko - vulnerable, weak, weepy, dependent, smelly ass - was the most important thing in the world. He wouldn’t have been capable of thinking that before prison and therapy.

And it made him hate the person he used to be. Fucking selfish bastard, just wanting to destroy shit simply because he hated it.

The trip to Touya’s workplace took him about thirty minutes. Not a bad commute, but Touya wasn’t overly fond of public transportation. Shigaraki didn’t mind it as much. It gave him time to think. Of course, sometimes he hated that. This was one of those times. Pulling out his phone, he used an app to pull one of the free books he’d been able to download on his phone. It was shit, but it was better than thinking. How hard had Touya and Twice laughed when they figured out how much of a bookworm he really was? Kurogiri had always made sure he was well-read. All for One liked that. His “successor” couldn’t be an idiot. Just ignorant enough to be malleable.

Although the bar wasn’t located in a spot as bad as Shigaraki’s place, it wasn’t a decent part of town either. It was placed in a strange spot right in between a good street and a shitty one, the two worlds clashing awkwardly. The drinks were cheap as fuck, strong as fuck, and disgusting as fuck most of the time, although Shigaraki could admit Touya was actually proficient at making a drink. When he actually listened, he was a quick study, but that usually required him to give a fuck. Blame it on Endeavor’s constant training. When he learned something, he didn’t forget it. Somehow, he had picked up on Kurogiri’s bartending skills.

Seeing as how he had been raised in a bar, Shigaraki didn’t really consider this place that bad. Like him, Touya had to be careful when picking a job. He couldn’t get one that would put him directly in line with other villains. At least a few of the people that frequented the bar were criminals, but most of them only committed petty crimes or had already served their time. It was why Touya was able to get a job so quickly. Half the clientele recognized him as Dabi and knew better than to start shit. Crowd control and a bartender all in one and Touya barely had to lift a finger. Even a villain that stepped in that bar would think twice.

Granted, these days, it was hard to say who was a villain and who wasn’t. They could hide in plain sight with average lives and no one would be the wiser. Shigaraki often wondered how many villains he unknowingly crossed on the street. After all, he had taken a lot of walks through the city even after being labeled a villain. It was easy to hide in a crowd of trusting and unsuspecting civilians. Now he was one and he didn’t know if there was a knife being pointed at his back.

You’re being paranoid again.

His therapist brought up his paranoia often. Touya brought it up. Uraraka brought it up. It wasn’t going to go away overnight, but it really wasn’t helping him right now.

As soon as he stepped into the dingy bar, Shigaraki was greeted with a familiar, “Oh? Did we lower our standards? Pretty sure this is an adult only establishment.”

“Yukiko isn’t with me, you prick,” Shigaraki griped as he sat down at the bar.

“Damn, I thought she was in one of those back carriers and I was going to make so much fun of you.” Touya polished a glass with a clean rag. The other bartenders used typically suspect ones, but for however much he had a bad habit of hoarding things, Touya was surprisingly meticulous when it came to cleanliness. For a long time, he had to be or he ran the risk of contracting an infection because of his scars and open wounds. “Where’s the wiggle worm?”

Shigaraki smirked. “Your place, remember? Your sister asked to keep her overnight.”

Touya narrowed his eyes. “You reformed villainous bastard. Now I can’t go home.”

“Just gonna wander the streets like a hobo after work?”

“I’ve got a place I can crash for a few hours,” Touya replied cryptically, a grin twitching onto his face.

Shigaraki stared at him hard. If it was something bad - aka something that went against his parole - he wouldn’t have brought it up, so he wasn’t concerned too much. Touya would never show his entire hand; he would always have one card hidden under the table only he knew about. Shigaraki couldn’t blame him, not when he was the same way sometimes. Still, it was strange to realize Touya was even more secretive than him. He should have figured that out when it took Touya over a year to tell them he was the number one hero’s oldest son.

“What do you want?” Touya asked.

“Whatever. I don’t really care.”

“On a scale of ‘I’m just here for a few drinks and then go home’ to ‘I’d like to forget a few things’, what kind of night is this?” Touya set the glass down and tossed the rag over his shoulder. “Since you came here, I’d say it’s leaning toward the latter.”

Raising his eyes to meet Touya’s, Shigaraki asked, “Think you can read me that well now?”

“You’ve got your ‘I’m thinking about something uncomfortable and conflicting’ look on your face,” Touya pointed out. “Yeah, I think I can read you well enough.” It wasn’t the first time someone had called Shigaraki out on that look. Toga had been the one to bring up first after Touya explained who he was. He’d been pissed as fuck, but then all the implications about Endeavor came with it and it made him think of Sensei… It hadn’t been fun. “We’ll take it slow, yeah? I don’t need you piss drunk and ready to blackout on my bar in two hours.”

He nodded in agreement. Besides a beer here and there, Shigaraki hadn’t drank much since acquiring Yukiko. He hadn’t drank much even before then, despite his first hideout being in a bar. He learned to have a glass with him whenever he had meetings with other villains, if only because it made him seem older than he actually was, but he wasn’t fond of the stuff. The lack of self-control and inhibitions made him uncomfortable

When Touya set down what was presumably a weak beer in front of him, Shigaraki took a small sip, grimaced a little, and then a larger gulp before setting it down. “That’s fucking revolting.”

“Aw, don’t insult a local business,” Touya said as he wandered to the other end to help another customer.

Shigaraki stared down into the liquid. Whatever. If it did the job in the end, he would take it. Maybe a few more of these and he would stop thinking about Uraraka and the fact that she had called him of all people (okay, Yukiko) after the bridge incident. He was the worse person to call in that moment. Why had she done that?

A minute later, Touya returned, strolling back over to him like a bored cat. It wasn’t like he had much to do. Besides Shigaraki, there were only a few people in the bar. They all kept to themselves, only requiring Touya’s attention when they needed a refill to drown their misery. Shigaraki’s skin crawled. What the fuck was he doing here? It wasn’t so bad later at night when people came here to have a good time, but right now, everyone drinking was acting like miserable piles of shit.

“Do you ever think we should still be in prison?” Shigaraki asked as he swirled the beer around in his glass. It was clean. He’d give Touya that. No other bartender in a shithole like this would’ve cared that much to actually polish the glasses after washing them - if they washed them thoroughly and didn’t just rinse them out.

Touya sighed and leaned against the back of the bar. “It’s one of those nights, huh.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “Shut the fuck up. Like you don’t think about it.”

“Of course I do,” Touya shot back. “My twin is a preschool teacher and I’ve got a doctor for one little brother and the goddamn Number Two Hero for the other.” He held out his hands. “What accomplishments do I have under my belt? Well, I got rid of more villains than my baby brother. My number rivals my father’s. Only difference is that my takedowns weren’t exactly through legal means and Shouto tries not to kill.”

“Cute kid,” Shigaraki snorted.

“I tell him all the time that he’s too nice.” Touya dropped his hands. “I hope he stays that way.”

Picking up the glass, Shigaraki swallowed an uncomfortable amount of the beer. He paused to catch his breath and then drank more. When Yukiko popped into his mind, he set the glass back down. His stomach twisted at the thought of her not with him. Combined with the beer he just gulped down, it wasn’t a comfortable feeling. If he had still been locked away, like he would’ve been if not for All Might and Midoriya most likely, he wouldn’t have Yukiko. Was that a bad thing? His heart skipped a beat. Months ago, he would’ve thought that was fine, but now, he didn’t know how to consider a life without her.

You’re weak, pathetic, stupid, soft. It’s no wonder All for One was able to take advantage of you. Even now you’re craving the familiarity and safety of a family. But it’s not safe and it’s not familiar. You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re a villain .

Shigaraki shook his head and drained the rest of his drink.

Touya raised an eyebrow, but didn’t even ask before taking the glass and refilling it. He set the glass down in front of him. “You gonna tell me what this mood swing is about or am I gonna have to wait for three more drinks?”

“I’ve been thinking,” Shigaraki said slowly.

“Famous last words.”

After casting him a brief glower, Shigaraki peered down into his glass. “We got off easy.”

“Yeah,” Touya agreed without hesitation, “yeah, we really fucking did.”

“You had leverage.”

Touya sighed. “And don’t you remind me.” He folded his arms across his chest and stared out the front windows, like he was waiting for more people to come in. As much as he needed money, Shigaraki knew he would’ve been content if no one else walked in those doors. “I was ready - I was going to tear that bastard apart - and then I fucking flaked out.” He took a deep breath. “Probably for the best. Fuyumi and the others probably wouldn’t be talking to me if I’d pulled that shit on them. They were ready for it.”

“Your sentence probably would’ve been reduced like mine,” Shigaraki pointed out.

It still blew his mind that he ended up serving less time than Touya. He was the goddamn leader of the League. If anyone should’ve gotten more time, it was him. Then again, besides All Might’s influence, he’d also been on his best behavior. Touya had started his tenure in prison by getting into a fight that landed a guy in a coma for a month. Granted, the guy had been fucking stupid enough to attack him before they had their quirk inhibitor braces put on while being transferred. Shigaraki might’ve been shanked in prison, but he actually knew how to fight. A broken wrist tended to end things quickly.

“Five years wasn’t that bad,” Touya mused. He smiled, not a hint of warmth behind it. “Better than living with my dad.”

“How’s therapy going?” Shigaraki asked.

“Peachy.”

“I can tell.”

Shigaraki took another gulp his beer and then set it aside as he leaned forward. “What the fuck are we doing here? We planned on bringing heroes down - shaking society to its core-”

Touya pointed at him. “Eh, that was you. I just wanted to kill my dad in the long run.”

“Not the point!” Shigaraki pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to collect his thoughts. The beer and a half had already begun to cloud his brain, all of his concerns melding into one big blob. He took a moment to sort through them and set each one aside. He needed to pick one and stick with it before he ran off the rails. Fuck, this was why he didn’t drink to get drunk. He couldn’t think straight. “We’re nothing now.”

“Isn’t that the actual point?” Touya asked. “We’re living our lives as regular ass citizens. We don’t mean a thing. We just live our lives and then we die. No ripple effects in the water. That’s our second chance.”

“Should we even have that?”

Touya shrugged. “Fuck if I know. I didn’t ask for one, but we got it.” They stared at each other until finally Touya huffed and unfolded his arms. “Is this about Yukiko?” Shigaraki twisted his lips. Touya pressed his hands on the bar counter and leaned forward, an ugly sneer appearing on his face. “Or is it about Uraraka?”

Shigaraki tensed. “Why would it be about her?”

The look on Touya’s face was entirely too smug. “What happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Shigaraki insisted, affronted by the assumption.

On the other hand, Touya looked even more pleased. “Oh? So she didn’t say or do anything that triggered you into wondering if you were good enough to be Yukiko’s father? Good enough for her?”

“No, she didn’t-” Shigaraki gripped his beer tightly and glared down at the brown liquid. “She didn’t do anything.”

The pleased expression dropped from Touya’s face as he rolled his eyes. “C’mon, spit it out.”

“This is stupid,” Shigaraki muttered. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

“Yeah, you clearly do.”

“She just-” Shigaraki drank what felt like half a glass of beer and then set it down again. “You know she got back to Japan recently? She was out of the country doing rescue hero work for a few weeks.”

“Aw, did you miss her?”

“Can you shut the fuck up?” Shigaraki snapped.

Touya straightened and held his hands up in surrender. He didn’t take it personally. He never did, but especially not when it was obvious that Shigaraki was in an off mood. Touya could pick and pick until the very last second, but he always knew when to back off. Prison and growing up under Endeavor had taught him that. He simply hadn’t bothered listening to those warning signs back when he was acting as Dabi.

“I haven’t watched the news in a long time. You remember how obsessed I used to get over every piece of media about heroes.” His entire room had been filled with cutouts of anything related to the heroes he hated. Eventually, it was a mixture of villains he hated too. He absorbed newspapers, watched television clips when he could, read articles online when he had the wifi connection. “Not good for my mental health or whatever, but I got...curious. I hear her mention work all the time. She comes over after or before, but I don’t really know what she’s doing.”

“You looked into it,” Touya surmised.

“By accident.” Shigaraki swirled the bottom of his glass on the table. “I couldn’t sleep so I turned on the television to watch something mindless and the news about the earthquake came on and…” He waved a hand. “There she was, along with goddamn Midoriya.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “He does that stupid smiling shit just like All Might, but it looks more genuine on him somehow. It’s fucking annoying.”

Touya took his glass and refilled it even though it was only halfway gone. “So you saw her at work capacity. You knew she was a hero - and it’s not like you’ve never seen her in action before either. She’s not just some cute girl who loves babies. She’s also the friendliest person who can kick your ass.”

“It wasn’t a villain attack,” Shigaraki said. “It was an earthquake - two actually.” He ran a finger around the rim of the glass, the urge to drink no longer swallowing him whole. “She held a bridge up all on her own - saved fucking countless of people and nearly died in the process. People died when she passed out and her quirk gave up, but still, she did that. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, just a natural disaster, but it was utter chaos and…” The Kamino Incident came to mind. It was the first large scale catastrophe he’d been involved in, even though it hadn’t been his own doing. “We did that.”

Dropping his shoulders, Touya looked away. “Ah, yeah, we did, didn’t we?”

“Do you ever wonder how many lives we ruined?” Shigaraki asked. “How many we ended?”

“You mean how many counts of murder we should’ve had put on us?” Touya shrugged. “I’ve got more than you.”

Shigaraki glowered. “That’s not something to brag about.”

“Certainly not,” Touya countered. “You’re right: by all means, we should still be in prison, but we aren’t. And you know why?” When he smiled coldly, Shigaraki didn’t even blink. This dose of harsh reality was exactly what he needed to get his head straight. “Because the same system you wanted to destroy for being corrupt is the one that saved us. We got away with hurting people because, in the long run, we hurt people worse than us. We took out the bad guys that the good guys weren’t willing to deal with. We took out the trash they didn’t want to bother with. By the time we were arrested, the League of Villains were little more than glorified villain garbage men.”

Even though his words made Shigaraki tense up and want to explode, Touya wasn’t wrong. They hadn’t been much of villains in the end. They fought and took out more villains than anyone else. Any villain that stood to gain from following All for One was a target, that fucking doctor, and even the Nomus he’d once been rather fond of - all of them became enemies. The only time they had ever clashed with heroes was to save their own skin or go after a corrupt one. Even when he had tried to kill Midoriya, it had been more of a flash of anger for getting in his way than desire.

And then Uraraka stepped in and he disintegrated the ground under her feet and it hadn’t even mattered to her. She stepped in to help him with Yukiko, like it hadn’t mattered he used to be public enemy number one.

He hated it. He hated that he didn’t hate her. He hated that he knew her help wasn’t born out of pity or hero bullshit. He hated that he cared about anything, but he couldn’t stop himself. Before, he could pretend and even believe that he didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything, but now Yukiko was here. He saw the big picture and couldn’t ignore it for the life of him.

Goddamnit, it was annoying as shit.

“She messaged me after the bridge shit,” Shigaraki grumbled. “She wanted to see Yukiko.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She just finished crying and all she wanted was to see her.”

“That’s…” Touya searched for the right word. “Touching?”

“She shouldn’t do that,” Shigaraki insisted, tapping a finger on the bartop. “Not with me. I’m not good with that shit. She knows better than that.”

“You answered, didn’t you? I’d call that progress. Your therapist would be proud.”

Shigaraki fought the urge to smack Touya right in the face. “Ass.”

Touya made a face that suggested he knew he was but didn’t particularly care. “What’s the problem here? You finally see she’s actually a hero in more than name and you’re wondering if maybe you’re not up to par for...what? I don’t get why you’re having a brooding attack over this.”

“I’m wasting her time,” Shigaraki said flatly.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Touya almost laughed. “Are you worried about not being good enough? Maybe a bad influence? Or maybe you’re more worried about being a waste of time?”

“I’m doing nothing with my life and she’s out there...fucking saving people and shit.” She had done what she could to save him, despite everything, and she had. Even if it was just helping him buy baby shit and get it home. Even if it was coming over because he accidentally clipped his daughter’s finger or because Yukiko was sick and he needed an hour to breathe.

“You’re raising your kid, aren’t you?” Touya countered. “Even when everyone expected you to give her up - when you would have been in your rights to turn her away because you knew shit about her and even less shit about raising a kid right - you’re doing it and you’re even doing right by her.” Despite his tone being harsh, his words were supportive. It was one or the other. He didn’t know any other way. Even when he had been praised as a kid, it had usually been a double-edged, flaming sword. “You’re a better father than either of us had. That’s not nothing.”

Shigaraki groaned. “It doesn’t feel like it. I keep wondering if I’m wasting her time too - if she would be better off with some nice, normal, happy family and not fucked up me.”

Taking a deep breath, Touya pressed both hands against the bar and leaned forward. “Tell me this: do you regret keeping Yukiko?”

“No.” Shigaraki scowled. “What the fuck kind of question is that?”

“So you don’t wish you’d never found out you had a daughter?”

“No, you dumbass. That’s what I just said.”

“Different question.” Touya’s eyes hardened, his jaw becoming sharper as he clenched it. “Why?”

“That’s…” Shigaraki shoved the stool away from the bar, but he didn’t stand up or leave. “That’s a stupid question. I’m just… I don’t know. She’s important. She makes me feel important - like I can do better. I should do better.” He rubbed his forehead. “Fuck, she makes me feel like I’m good enough, okay? I had you all depending on me at times, but this is different. It’s like everyone can shit on me and then I pick her up and she smiles, none the wiser about what a horrible person I am, and it doesn’t matter. None of it fucking matters - just her. Like I was supposed to get out of prison earlier than I should have so I could have her.”

A bark of laughter slipped from Touya. “That’s fucking cheesy, man.”

“I know, damnit! Shut up!”

“Okay, okay. Next one.” Touya waited until Shigaraki looked him in the eyes and then asked, “Do you regret Uraraka being in your life now?”

Shigaraki reared back. “What the hell?”

“Just answer it.”

“No.”

Touya narrowed his eyes. “Stop being such a fucking wimp. Are you grateful she stuck around?”

Shigaraki didn’t answer. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and glared back, not saying a word, but he didn’t have to. Not saying anything was an answer in itself. He’d learned that well enough while questioning captives. He didn’t want to answer this question out loud. He didn’t like it. Instead, he picked up the beer and drained it in a few painful gulps before slamming it down almost hard enough to break it.

Lucky for him, that seemed to appease Touya. “There you go. Stop brooding about it.”

“Isn’t that selfish?” Shigaraki retorted dryly.

Touya ran his fingers through his hair as he stood up straight and then pulled out a shot glass. “Listen; you don’t think I felt the same way about my family?” He picked a liquor from behind the bar and poured the shot. “How long did I refuse Fuyumi’s visits before you tricked me?”

“Ten months, like a dumbass.” Shigaraki grabbed the shot and took it, his stomach nearly revolting in the process. He glared at the shot glass in offense. “What the fuck is this?”

“My shot, you piece of shit.” Touya snatched the glass from him.

Shigaraki pointed a wavering finger at him. “You don’t need to drink.”

“Who said anything about needing one? I want one.” Regardless of his desire, Touya didn’t attempt to pour another drink. Good. The last thing he needed was hard liquor. Two or three drinks and he was done for. He needed to wait at least until the end of the night if he was going to drink anything. He dropped the shot glass in the sink and put away the liquor. Shigaraki’s stomach burned unpleasantly. That shit had been disgusting. Why had he drank it?

Because you’re an idiot who thinks punishing himself is a good idea.

That was what Touya would say at least. He wouldn’t be wrong.

“It was- It is hard sometimes, being in their lives knowing what I did, especially to Shouto. You put him on the kill list and I rolled with it. I didn’t even blink.” Touya blew out some air and flexed his fingers. Shigaraki eyed his hands and idly wondered how long it had been since he used his quirk, just to burn it out of him. They didn’t get the chance often anymore, only at home where no one could see them and get scared. “I spent so much time wondering if I could really go through with it or let it happen. He might’ve been my brother, but I didn’t know much about him. We hadn’t been close and it had been years since I’d seen him. As far as I knew, he was a mini Endeavor and that was a good enough reason to hate him.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t,” Shigaraki said. “You went easy on the kid every time, even if you acted like you didn’t. Your aim was always a little off.”

Touya clenched one of his hands into a fist. “I knew it the first time I saw him at the Training Camp: he wasn’t like our father at all. He was too devastated when he couldn’t save his friend.” He relaxed his hand. “That was me. Figuring that out was like getting punched in the gut. I thought I’d burned out every trace of him.”

But he hadn’t. That was half the problem, wasn’t it? By doing that, Touya had just marked himself further. There was still a lot that Shigaraki didn’t know about Touya’s history and likely never would. They had told each other enough, but not everything. It wasn’t in them to be that open, but they didn’t need to be. The moment Touya had pointed out that All for One was manipulating Shigaraki, something had shifted between them. Sure, Shigaraki had always more or less known that was the case, but he hadn’t realized how much he was letting it happen until he figured out that Touya had gone through something similar but more openly brutal.

“After everything we did, I didn’t think I belonged with them,” Touya continued, staring ahead sightlessly. “I didn’t fit in. It’d be easier if I stayed out of their lives and didn’t ruin them any more than I already had.” He tilted his head up, his eyes fixing on the television in the corner. He never had the news on, but if there was a major villain attack, they would be alerted anyway. Exposure was one of a villain’s main goals, after all. “But here’s the thing: you can choose who you want in your life, but you can’t choose who wants to be in it. I didn’t think they’d want me around, but then I saw Fuyumi and…”

Shigaraki folded his arms on the bartop and dropped his chin on them. “Fucking softie. I know you missed them. We weren’t the family you wanted.”

“Meh, the League was a good fill-in,” Touya mused. Toga might’ve been hurt by the comment, but Shigaraki had known from the start Touya kept himself one space removed from everyone else. They all had their motives for joining the League, some more ulterior than others. Had he ever figured out why Sako joined them? “But now we’ve got actual family, which is wild. It doesn’t seem real. I’ll wake up and hear Fuyumi cooking breakfast or wake up to a text from Natsuo or see Shouto on the news and- It’s weird.”

“Do you ever miss it?” Shigaraki asked edgily.

“Villainy?” Touya scratched his chin. “I mean, it was kind of fun when we were more like vigilantes. It felt like we had a leg up on the heroes.”

It had. Shigaraki wasn’t sure how that had happened. Getting rid of other villain groups had come about first as a means to survive. After taking out the Yakuza and then slumming it for a while, they figured out that robbing villains was safer. They couldn’t report their losses to the authorities. Slowly but surely, as time progressed and they learned more about themselves, it happened more and more. There was always a reason - more territory, resources, lower level members, shit like that - but then Shigaraki turned on All for One and all he wanted to do was tear apart the man from the inside out, even if that meant clashing with heroes too.

All for One hadn’t just had villains on his side. Finding out he had pro hero agents as well rocked everyone. It turned out hero society was more corrupt than even Stain had imagined. Ugh.

“I guess I miss it sometimes,” Touya admitted. “Maybe not the villainy itself but the feelings that came with it - the control over my life. I finally felt like my quirk fit in my skin - like I fit in it. I was able to match the power raging inside of me - the confidence that I’d faked for years. I could be angry and it was okay. It felt good at times.”

“And the other times?”

“Never felt so fucking low in my life,” Touya finished, “and that’s saying something.”

Shigaraki lifted his head so he could gesture to the bar behind him. “You feel better now? Higher?”

“I would if my parole officer didn’t have me piss in a cup once a week,” Touya quipped. Shigaraki didn’t even bother snapping at him. He might have looked the delinquent part, but Touya had never smoked anything other than cigarettes in his life. Even those could make him feel light-headed if he was dehydrated. All that firepower rolling inside of such a delicately put-together body. It must have frustrated the hell out of him - and disappointed Endeavor. “It’s not so bad. This is better than being on the streets, committing petty crimes and mugging people just to survive. I can at least say this is living.”

“Touya Todoroki being positive?” Shigaraki drank more of his beer as if toasting to him. “Who would’ve thought it?”

“Someone has to counteract your piss poor attitude.” Touya folded his arms across his chest. “Shit is weird and it’s only gotten weirder since you had a serial killer plop a kid in your lap. I get it. The way I see it, you’ve got two options: you can keep whining like a little baby and give up or you can act like the leader I eventually learned to follow and get shit done.”

Shigaraki huffed. “Yeah, but-”

“Nope, no ‘buts’. Just do it. This is your life, so you’ve gotta do shit about it. Didn’t you learn that lesson already?”

He had, but that didn’t make it any easier. By now, he knew he could be at least a decent father, but that didn’t mean he had the right to be one. Yukiko would grow older. One day, she would ask questions. She might even read about the League’s impact on society and their oh-so terrible crimes in school. Other kids might tease her. Teachers would know. His history would follow her no matter what he did to be better now. How was that fair?

And Uraraka… She had experienced the backlash of the media once before over a stupid break up. Shigaraki had used the media’s penchant for turning against heroes quickly and dishing out dirt on villains to his advantage. They were cold-hearted vultures, even worse than villains sometimes. He had known that the media was a weapon as much as it was a source of information. Was she prepared to suffer that backlash again? He highly doubted the media would be kind to a hero being friendly with someone like him. Was he supposed to care about that?

Touya fixed him with a cold, unrelenting look that drew Shigaraki’s attention. It must have been hereditary since it was was the kind that only Todorokis seemed capable of giving. How had he not seen it before? It was so obvious now. “Is your life better with Yukiko in it?”

“Yes.”

“What about Uraraka?”

Shigaraki tapped his fingers along the bartop and grit out, “Yes.”

“See? Was that so difficult?” Touya relaxed as he unfolded his arms, but then a stupid grin appeared on his face, one that made Shigaraki immediately regret opening up. “You know, you coming here talking to me implies that you want me in your life and my presence makes it better.”

Yup, he definitely regretted it. Shigaraki drank more of his beer instead of answering, glaring over the rim as Touya chuckled and walked away to deal with another customer. He pulled out his phone to check on a text from Fuyumi.

Yukiko is doing great! Just ate. How’s your night going so far?

Your twin is an asshole.

Aw glad you two are having fun!

If this was fun, he really needed to get out more. Shigaraki knew better than to say that out loud. He knew exactly what Touya would suggest and he didn’t need to explain why his idea of fun was a shit one. Wasn’t that how he landed in this situation to begin with? Besides, who would he even do that with? No way in hell was he going to make the mistake of finding someone at random again. Nope, he was officially not in a “fun” mood. He was just going to drink a few more beers and then go home to sleep. That was his idea of fun at this point in his life.

Chapter Text

Shigaraki was drunk as fuck.

Unlike some people, he was able to hold himself together in public, but Touya knew a drunk when he saw one. The dumbass was rooted to his seat at the bar, having not moved for a solid forty-five minutes. Plus, he’d been nursing the same mixed drink for just as long, spinning a straw around the glass and watching the ice that Touya kept refilling swirl around with a gaze that was both far too focused and removed at the same time.

The biggest sign that Shigaraki was too far gone was he’d gone deathly quiet. Short of literally prodding him, Touya wasn’t sure anything would snap him out of the mopey ass trance he’d fallen into. During the times they drank together, Touya typically got drunk first, if only because it didn’t take him much. He had to go terribly slow or the night would end in an hour. Either way, it usually ended with Shigaraki doing the heavy lifting, buzzed or not, and he always came off as somewhat put together in Touya’s foggy memory.

This was different. Despite the unconventional and aggressive pep talk earlier, Shigaraki fell into an even darker slump that Touya knew better than to try to pull him out of. He’d done what he could. Now it was someone else’s turn. All the things Shigaraki had kept locked inside since Yukiko came into his life were spilling out into the open. Instead of rambling about them though, he was letting them swallow him whole. Tomorrow was going to hurt like hell for him and not just because of the hangover.

Once Shigaraki’s head started bobbing back and forth in his palm, Touya knew he was done for. It was only a matter of time before he slumped passed out against the bartop. Maybe he shouldn’t have served him that last drink, but he had tipped really well to convince Touya not to push the matter further. Was it wrong to take money from friends? Uh, no, it was his job. He’d take money from anyone at this point, save his father and most villains. Medical bills on top of rent, utilities, and taxes were a bitch.

Touya waited until Shigaraki dropped. There was a policy against sleeping at the bar, but it was a slow ass night and no one would question him. Besides, it wouldn’t be for long. He slid to the customer side of the bar and, after making sure Shigaraki was out, searched his jacket pocket. Pulling out the phone, he wandered back behind the bar as he searched through the contacts.

Fuyumi was out. Besides the fact that she was watching Yukiko, there was no way in hell he would foist a drunk Shigaraki on her. She deserved better than that. Shouto might do in a pinch, but he was still mad at Shigaraki for hanging around Uraraka. Ah, well, there was her. Touya found her contact info in Shigaraki’s cell and pulled up the text chat between them.

Like I wanna hang out with that stupid fucker

That stupid fucker is your best friend. I hope you know that.

Touya huffed out a low laugh. All that talk and Shigaraki still came here, drank with him, and passed out. He wouldn’t have allowed himself to be that vulnerable with other people. Not that this was Shigaraki vulnerable. He might have been more honest and open, but it had taken some pushing and pulling. Touya idly wondered if Uraraka had as much trouble getting through to him or if she pushed that far. Probably not. Judging by how much Shigaraki had let her in, she could break through a wall, but she wasn’t a bulldozer or he would’ve resisted more.

Still, she did know how to sass him right back. Good. He needed that. Touya was still wary about her, even though he did think she was one of Shouto’s better friends, but as weird as it was, she seemed to be good for Shigaraki. Now, was he good for her? It was debatable, something which he was starting to realize.

Part of the reason why Shigaraki had come here was because of Uraraka. She hadn’t done anything wrong, which was a problem in itself. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. The longer he waited, the more he didn’t want it to happen, even if he did get satisfaction out of being right about others. Getting Shigaraki to admit even a little that he liked Uraraka around was an accomplishment. He liked being around people, but he didn’t like liking it either. It made him uncomfortable. Weirdo. Having that person be a pro hero too and it was asking for a fight with cognitive dissociation.

Touya stared at the empty text box. If he messaged or called her, he didn’t doubt she would answer. Regardless of his thoughts about her intentions, he was pretty sure Uraraka was a good person. She hadn’t ignored Shigaraki yet and that was saying something. It wasn’t her that he was suddenly worried about. Of course, he wasn’t worried about Shigaraki, but the guy had come slumming here because of his conflicting thoughts about her. Touya still wasn’t exactly sure what they were (and he doubted Shigaraki knew either), but they were complicated, to say the least. Had she struggled with this as well?

As full as he was of terrible ideas, Touya realized calling her now might be one of the worst ones yet. Normally he didn’t mind bad ideas - in fact, he kind of liked them sometimes - but he didn’t know how Shigaraki would react to seeing her, especially if it was to help him. It might be...unpleasant. People did a lot of shit things when they were drunk that they regretted when they were sober. On top of his own experience (no more drunk texting for him), he saw it happen on a near nightly basis.

If Shigaraki messed up the tentative whatever it was he had with Uraraka, it would piss him off. No, it would upset him, but he wouldn’t want to admit it. He could pass it off all he wanted and say he was bothered because Yukiko liked Uraraka and was close with her, but Yukiko was a fucking baby. If Uraraka faded out of their lives, in five or six years, Yukiko would forget her. Hell, he couldn’t remember anything from before he was three, which was shit since that meant most of his memories were after his quirk manifested. Go fucking figure.

Blowing out some air, Touya clicked out of the chat and away from Uraraka’s contact info. No, he might’ve jumped onto bad ideas like they were going out of style, but not when they were for someone else. However, he had no clue who else he could call to get Shigaraki home, save for a cab or-

He raised his eyebrows when his eyes landed on a contact. Midoriya? Shigaraki had Izuku Midoriya’s number? The number one hero? Oh, yeah, he had given it to Shigaraki after finding out that Uraraka was helping him. According to the phone’s history records, there had been no contact between him and Shigaraki, no calls or texts. He hadn’t taken Midoriya’s offer of help yet.

Touya glanced at Shigaraki snoring at the bar and then back at the phone. Well, this was better than calling Uraraka. Shigaraki might hate him later and maybe even not talk to him for a while, but it could’ve been much worse. Midoriya could handle Shigaraki’s drunken ramblings and Shigaraki would be irritated, but if he dumped all of that on her, he would’ve been infuriated and mortified. It was the lesser of two shitty choices.

Figuring a call would be easier and quicker than a text, Touya called him and then pressed the phone to his ear. Most people thought he was impatient, but he really had a lot. He’d waited years to take his dad down after all and then didn’t even take the final shot when he had it. He could wait.

“Hello?” a tired voice answered on the other end near the last ring.

“Midoriya?”

“Who’s asking?” Sharper now. Getting a call from an unknown number would do that to a hero.

Touya leaned back against the bar. “It’s Touya, Shouto’s brother.” You know, the former villain one.

That certainly caught Midoriya’s attention. “Is Shouto-?”

“Yeah, he’s fine,” Touya cut in. “This isn’t about him. I’m actually calling from Shigaraki’s phone.”

“Oh.” A thoughtful pause. “Is he...okay?”

“How serious were you about helping him out?” Touya questioned.

“Very,” Midoriya instantly answered. So genuine, so kind. Man, it was almost too easy to manipulate heroes, but he didn’t get to the number one position by being soft. Touya had seen Midoriya in action on the news. Compassionate and goofy as he might be, he was not a hero to fuck around with. “Why are you calling?”

“Shigaraki is incapacitated at the moment.”

“What-?”

“He’s wasted.”

Silence echoed over the phone as the information sunk in. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I was going to call Uraraka since he’s all buddy-buddy with her and I’m not sure how much he talks to his coworkers, but…”

Midoriya sighed. “Yeah, that’s probably not a good idea. What kind of drunk is he?”

“Mopey as fuck,” Touya helpfully supplied. “He’s passed out on my bar. I’d like him to get home, but I’m still working and I can’t exactly leave him here.” He paused, not for dramatic effect but it worked. He could hear Midoriya’s mind flying a mile a second. If Touya was calling him, then there really was no one else to help. He didn’t know Midoriya personally, but he’d listened to Shouto talk about him. He couldn’t say no to someone asking for help, even if it was an indirect call. “So, you gonna help out, hero?”

“Of course. I guess weirder things than picking up my former nemesis from a bar will happen to me.”

Touya snorted. “Former nemesis. He’ll like that. Say it when you get here.”

“Why did he get drunk in the first place?”

“Well, he’s not typically a talkative drunk,” Touya admitted, “but I’m sure he’ll give you an earful if you ask.” He scratched the side of his face. “He’s been awfully open tonight.”

And he was definitely going to regret that come tomorrow. Without those hands severing him from everyone else, he was forced to be more open and he hated it. He’d gotten better about it - so had Touya - but it was still weird. It would be even weirder when the person was someone he tried to kill multiple times as a teenager, but then again, he’d tried to kill Touya once or twice too.

After giving Midoriya the address and advising him to dress as incognito as possible, Touya hung up and set the phone on the bartop next to Shigaraki. He’d think he took it out of his pocket and didn’t remember. It’d be about thirty minutes before Midoriya showed up, but Touya didn’t mind letting Shigaraki sleep on the bar. Maybe a few people tossed weird or amused looks in his direction, but all Touya had to do was glare and they backed off. No one would bother Shigaraki. Besides, he’d seen what that guy was like when he woke up unprepared. It wasn’t good.

Right when Touya expected him, Midoriya showed up. He wore jeans, plain hoodie, and a beanie covering his wild green hair, somehow able to hide the build of a hero. If Touya didn’t know him on sight, he might’ve mistaken him for a simply in-shape civilian. How he continued to look average was beyond him, but it must have come in handy when he didn’t want to be recognized in public.

An anxious smile twitched onto Midoriya’s face until his eyes landed on Shigaraki at the bar and it dropped. “Oh, he’s really out of it.”

“First night out without the wiggle worm and it’s when he’s in a sour ass mood,” Touya said by way of greeting. “I’ll wake him up so he doesn’t immediately take a swing at you.”

Midoriya furrowed his brow. “Thanks?”

He better thank him. Touya was risking his life here.

Reaching over the bar, Touya shook Shigaraki by the arm. “Yo, wake up. Your ride home is here.”

“Fuck, get off me,” Shigaraki mumbled, his voice muffled by the bar. He weakly swatted at Touya’s hand, a minor gesture that would’ve ended horrifically if not for his gloves. “’M not asleep.”

“Yeah you were,” Touya replied. “Now get up.”

Shigaraki still didn’t lift his head. “Didja call me a cab or some shit?”

“Not exactly,” Midoriya chimed in.

Suddenly very much awake, Shigaraki whipped his head up. Unfortunately, he lacked the coordination to move that fast and would’ve fallen off the stool had he not gripped the edge of the bar so tightly. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I’m your ride?”

“No.” Shigaraki shook his head wildly, which was a terrible idea. He stopped and put a hand against his head to stave off the dizziness. Poor, dumb fool. Touya hadn’t seen him this drunk in forever, normally because he passed out first and Shigaraki wasn’t much a drinker. “No, no, no. You’re not… I’m not gettin’ in a car with you. Why are you here? You don’t come here. This isn’t your...waterin’ hole. Get out. Go away.”

“I called him,” Touya cut in.

Shigaraki gawked at him with such a deep, incredulous look of betrayal that Touya almost laughed. “ Why ?” His voice was little more than a horrified whisper. “Why would you do somethin’ so...so...fuckin’ dumb?”

“You needed a ride home and I honestly didn’t know if you’d make it in a cab.”

“I’m fine!” Shigaraki slid off the stool to prove it and promptly stumbled. Thankfully, Midoriya didn’t move to help him. Perhaps he knew it would’ve been a mistake. Shigaraki’s case also wasn’t helped by the fact that he was slurring his words either. He was trying so very hard to appear okay enough to not need Midoriya’s help, but Touya was around drunks almost every night. He knew when the line had been crossed. Shigaraki would be lucky if he didn’t fall asleep on the ride home. He probably wouldn’t only out of sheer spite.

Even if he didn’t want Midoriya’s help, what Shigaraki needed was to get his ass in bed. Despite being obviously drunk, he would continue to argue and maybe even cause a scene, neither of which Touya wanted to deal with and Shigaraki would regret come morning. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but he wasn’t above being dirty and playing his trump card immediately. The high ground? He didn’t know what that was.

Pressing his hands against the bar, Touya leaned over. “Well, it was either him, Uraraka, or All Might - and I didn’t think you’d want your favorite hero to see you like this.” He smiled in the face of Shigaraki’s vacant yet shocked gaze. Oh the effects alcohol had on a person. It could make someone feel things so deeply and numb them at the same time. “I mean, unless you want her around right now. Wasn’t the last time you were this drunk when you-?”

“Alright, alright!” Shigaraki exclaimed, a furious scowl on his red face. “You’re such a fuckin’ asshole.”

“I’m an amazing friend that you cherish being in your life,” Touya quipped. Shigaraki’s scowl deepened. “You’ll thank me in the morning.”

“No I won’t.” Ah, he was probably right. That was if he even remembered half of tonight. He swung his murderous glare in Midoriya’s direction. To give him credit, Midoriya didn’t flinch or even blink. He wasn’t wearing that anxious smile anymore, but he still gave off a cautiously pleasant air. No, Shigaraki’s days of being a living nightmare for Midoriya were over. He was just a sad drunk right now. It was kind of pitiful. “Don’t fuckin’ talk to me. Got it?”

When Midoriya mimed zipping up his mouth, Shigaraki groaned. Luckily, he had paid Touya before passing out so he wouldn’t have to worry about it. He waved a dismissive hand at Touya without looking back at him. Some might have been offended by the rude gesture, but he honestly didn’t mind.

Midoriya let Shigaraki stagger out of the bar first. “You good?”

“Yeah, he already paid.” Touya considered the number one hero for a moment. “Be warned. He’s in a mood.”

“I probably won’t make it much better,” Midoriya said.

“Probably not.” Touya picked up the glass and dumped out the drink. “But he won’t try to kill you at least. He wouldn’t want to upset Uraraka.”

Midoriya scratched the back of his head. “That’s...comforting, I suppose.” He sighed. “I’ll get him home safely. Don’t worry.” Touya most definitely wasn’t worried. The non-reaction from him more than likely confirmed as such for the hero, but he didn’t appear phased. Ah, well, he was used to Shouto. “I’ll let you know when he’s there.”

“Whatever floats your boat, hero.”

After taking one last look around the bar, Midoriya followed Shigaraki outside. Hopefully, he was still there and hadn’t tried walking home on his own or calling a cab to pick him up. He was sneaky like that. Touya snorted and grabbed the rag to wipe down the bar. He would not want to be in that car with them. No way in hell.

He also didn’t want to be home tonight if Fuyumi was babysitting Yukiko. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. Time to make some last minute plans. Ah, it shouldn’t be that difficult. Touya could be convincing when he wanted to be.

*

Getting Shigaraki into his car was more of a task than anything else. He kept trying to walk in other directions and refused to get in. Midoriya really didn’t want to resort to underhanded tactics to get him to listen (what if he took it too hard and used it to fuel his grudge against him even more?), but he was a bit desperate after fifteen minutes. Arguing with drunk people was one thing - he was in his mid-twenties, so he’d done it a time or two, especially when he was just a sidekick - but arguing with a drunk Shigaraki was something else entirely.

He was clearly drunk, but he could still speak...mostly coherently. He was fully aware he was being difficult for no reason and did it anyway out of spite. He said purposely mean and rude things to convince Midoriya to leave. He might have even meant some of them, but that didn’t really upset Midoriya. However, he was tired and, honestly, he wanted to go home too. Dealing with those earthquakes and the aftermath had been rough. Nearly losing Uraraka and watching her struggle even more so. He needed time to process it and Shigaraki was acting like a brat.

Finally, after arguing with him over calling a cab or another driving service, Midoriya had enough. Time to bring out the big guns. He saw the way Shigaraki reacted when Touya did so earlier. This was a good way to test out a hypothesis he had started to come up with while talking with Uraraka.

Midoriya put his hands on his hips. “Fine then.”

Shigaraki swayed slightly and arched an eyebrow. “Fine?”

“Yeah, fine.” Midoriya shrugged. “If you don’t want me to take you home, that’s okay. I’ll get someone else.”

“Someone else…” Shigaraki narrowed his eyes. “Who are you gonna call? All Might?”

Disdain dripped from Shigaraki’s voice when he said the name. Years ago, it might have infuriated Midoriya and got him worked up, but he was old enough now to know it didn’t matter. Shigaraki would always have complicated feelings towards All Might and therefore him too. He wasn’t mad about that. He didn’t have any right to tell someone how they felt about someone else. Getting upset over something like that was pointless. He wasn’t frustrated over Shigaraki’s feelings about All Might. He simply wanted to sleep.

“No, I’m not going to call him.” Midoriya pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll call Uraraka.”

Shigaraki’s jaw tightened. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would,” Midoriya retorted. “You know she was really sad that she couldn’t see Yukiko. She didn’t want to bother you, but to be honest, I think she kinda missed you too.”

It was both the right and wrong thing to say. Shigaraki pressed a hand against his head and turned away, muttering a simple, “Stop it,” before he shuffled to the passenger side of the car. Midoriya sighed in relief. He hadn’t been lying. During the worst parts of their time working together the past few weeks, he quickly figured out that talking about Yukiko usually brought a smile to Uraraka’s face. The conversation inevitably went to Shigaraki.

Her smile didn’t fade.

After invading her privacy so horribly, Midoriya wasn’t about to pry further. If there was something she wanted to tell him, she would. Until then, the best thing he could do for her was listen. He was good at that. If Shigaraki needed the same tonight, he could do that as well, no matter how tired he was. He’d sworn to help out however he could. He wouldn’t abandon Shigaraki if he needed help - even if he didn’t think he did. Something had triggered him into getting drunk enough not to be able to go home on his own to the point where Touya called him. It would’ve made more sense to call Uraraka, which made him think Shigaraki’s state might have something to do with her. But why?

Midoriya glanced at Shigaraki in the passenger seat. He wasn’t passed out, but that might’ve been for the better, considering he was trying to text and failing miserably. “So, uh, who you messaging?”

“None of your business,” Shigaraki snapped. He scratched his neck and then continued texting. Midoriya could tell it wasn’t going as well as he expected by the way his frown deepened. He squirmed in his seat and held the phone closer to his face like that might help. “Fuyumi. I just wanna know how Yukiko’s doin’. I shouldn’t- fuck, I shouldn’t have gotten this drunk. What kind of dad am I?”

“A regular one?” Midoriya offered. His dad had never been around in his childhood since his job was in the States. Even if All Might was dating his mother now, it was different since Midoriya was an adult and no longer lived at home. “This is your first night without her since you found out you were a father, right?”

Shigaraki grit his teeth. “Still doesn’t… I should be there.”

Not in this state, Midoriya thought.

“It’s late,” Midoriya pointed out. “What if they’re asleep?”

“Jokes on you if you think Yukiko is sleepin’.”

Midoriya shook his head. “You know, she might sleep better without you there.” Shigaraki opened his mouth, but Midoriya continued full force, “She wakes and stays up because she wants to be near and close to you. Without you around, she doesn’t have that desire - or you - to fall back on.” He smiled. “She’s dependant on you. That’s a good thing. She wants to be with you.”

“Oh like what? Like she’s, uh…” Shigaraki struggled to come up with the right term, squinting his eyes like that might help him somehow. It only made the crow’s feet around his eyes stand out more. “Dad’s girl?”

“Daddy’s girl?” Midoriya offered.

“That sounds stupid.” Shigaraki wrinkled his nose. “I bet you were such a mama’s boy.”

Some might’ve considered that an insult - and he probably meant it as one - but Midoriya actually laughed. “I was - very much so. My mom was my whole world. For the longest time, it felt like she was the only one there for me.” Shigaraki stared at him hard - or as hard as he could when he had difficulty concentrating. He was trying though and that was what counted. “My dad moved to the States when I was two for a job. Besides video chats here and there, I didn’t see him for years. Some days, I kind of forgot he existed. It was only my mom.”

Shigaraki blinked slowly. “And you...fared okay?”

Midoriya shrugged. “Some days were hard, but it was harder on her than me.” He paused, thinking about One for All flowing through him. Shigaraki knew he had it thanks to All for One. It had been an unavoidable confrontation. To know that his enemy’s life had also been washed down the drain at the same age as his but for a lack of a quirk instead of a manifestation of one… Midoriya wasn’t sure what Shigaraki made of it. He’d never had the chance to ask. His lack of a quirk and One for All aside, he knew his mother had done everything she to give him everything he could ever want for. “I had a good life. I can’t complain.”

“You could, you know,” Shigaraki said. “Complain, I mean.”

“Sure, I could,” Midoriya quipped, “but I don’t see the point.”

“No, ‘course not.” Shigaraki rolled his eyes back to his phone. “You’d rather keep on smiling like nothing’s wrong.”

“I keep on smiling because something is wrong,” Midoriya corrected. Shigaraki shot him a brief glare before looking away again. “It’s not always easy and sometimes I don’t want to do it - sometimes I can’t, to be honest - but if I can help at least one person, I’m happy. It’s not enough, but it’s something.”

Shigaraki’s head lolled back against the seat. “Oh, and I guess I’m that one person today, huh?” He dropped his hands and phone in his lap, giving up on trying to send a text message that made sense or lacked grammatical errors. “Lucky me.”

Midoriya smirked as he made the turn that would lead him to Shigaraki’s apartment. “It’s not every day that you get personally saved by the Number One Hero - well, maybe for you.”

“Shut up,” Shigaraki half-heartedly snapped, his eyes already closed. It wasn’t long before he was breathing softly, his head slumped to the side and neck bent in an awkward angle. Man, that was going to hurt when he woke up. To be honest, Midoriya was kind of surprised it took him that long to pass out, considering the state he was in, but he didn’t complain about that either. Dealing with a passed out Shigaraki in the car was so much easier than an argumentative drunk one.

Now, when it was time to get him out of the car, that was going to be another story. He’d cross that bridge when he got there. At least he put his gloves on in case he grabbed something with all five fingers while intoxicated.

It turned out Midoriya didn’t have to worry. As soon as his car jerked into the parking position, Shigaraki stirred awake and blearily looked out the window of the car. He stared at a minivan parked beside them for a solid minute before pushing the passenger door open and all but stumbling out. Midoriya was at his side in a flash, having to use his quirk to reach him in time to catch him so he didn’t do a faceplant in the asphalt.

“Get off me, you asswipe,” Shigaraki ground out.

Midoriya raised his eyebrows. Well, it was better not to fight him too much and let him learn on his own like all intoxicated idiots. “Okay, if you insist.”

When he let go of Shigaraki and stepped aside, the man immediately went sprawling forward and smacked into the brick wall. Midoriya winced. That had to hurt. Shigaraki swore viciously as he pushed himself away from the one with one hand and rubbed his face with the other. Luckily, he didn’t have a bloody nose or anything, but there was definitely a red mark that he was not going to point out. Shigaraki could find that on his own in the morning.

Seeing as how Shigaraki had told him to not touch him, Midoriya hung back and followed him into his apartment building. He managed to make it into the elevator and push the right button before slumping against the wall, his arms holding himself up just barely. Geez, either he couldn’t hold his liquor or he drank a lot. Considering that he didn’t think Shigaraki was that much of a drinker, it was probably a combination of the two. Poor guy. He had his first night without his kid and spiraled. It would’ve been touching if he wasn’t concerned Shigaraki might puke on his shoes.

“You don’t have to follow me,” Shigaraki muttered, his eyes closed and head tilted back against the wall.

“I know,” Midoriya replied, “but I promised Touya that I would see you home.”

Shigaraki snorted. “Like that bastard cares.”

“He cared enough to call me to help you out,” Midoriya pointed out.

Instead of shooting something snappy back at him, Shigaraki clenched his jaw and stayed quiet. From what Uraraka and Todoroki had told him, Shigaraki and Touya had a strange friendship where they picked at each other constantly, didn’t even seem to like one another, and yet depended on each other regularly. Todoroki still didn’t like him around, but, if Midoriya was being honest, he didn’t think the two were that bad for each other. They kept one another in check, if only because no one else knew what the other was truly like at their worst or best. Maybe they refused to call or acknowledge each other as friends, but that was what they were.

It took a full minute for Shigaraki to get into his apartment, but Midoriya thought part of it was exhaustion. Only until Midoriya swiped the keys from him and unlocked the door himself did they manage to get inside. It must have pissed Shigaraki to no end that he needed any sort of help, especially from him, but he kept his mouth shut. Maybe he was too tired to fight now. Midoriya could feel the itch to ask questions - he couldn’t help himself sometimes - but he bit his tongue and willed himself not to ask. Touya had said Shigaraki might talk if asked, but it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of him while he was in this state.

“Go ahead.”

Midoriya jumped. “Huh?”

Shigaraki swayed on the spot and then pressed a hand on the back of his couch to hold himself up. “Go ahead and ask whatever is on your mind. Your thinkin’ is givin’ me a headache.”

“Pretty sure it’s the alcohol.”

Shigaraki narrowed his vibrant red eyes. They weren’t that different from Kacchan’s these days. “Fuck off then.”

Instead of fucking off, Midoriya huffed. “Well, okay, I’m worried, of course. You got piss drunk enough to the point where Touya thought you needed my help. I feel like I would’ve heard if something was really wrong, so I don’t know if it’s maybe something else.”

“What? You and Uraraka gab about me all the time?”

“No, we don’t,” Midoriya said without hesitation. “I was really nosy before, and it was inappropriate. I don’t need to know everything going on in Uraraka’s life - or yours. She values your privacy, so she doesn’t tell me anything unless it’s like something really cute with Yukiko, but I can tell she doesn’t mind being around you.”

Shigaraki stared at him flatly. “Doesn’t mind bein’ around me.”

Midoriya rolled his eyes. “She enjoys your presence.”

“It’s Yukiko, not me,” Shigaraki stated, folding his arms across his chest. He might’ve cut an intimidating figure if he didn’t immediately stumble backward when the couch skidded on the floor behind him. Somehow, he managed to not fall on his face. Midoriya didn’t even move to help him. He wouldn’t want it and honestly, he kind of deserved a face plant at the moment.

“Yeah, it’s Yukiko,” Midoriya agreed, “but it’s also you.” He tossed Shigaraki’s keys onto his table. “You think she’d stick around to hang out even for a second if she didn’t like being around you?”

Shigaraki furrowed his brow in thought and then looked away. “She’s polite. It’s the polite thing to do.”

“She could still be polite and leave as soon as you get back,” Midoriya pointed out. “She could still be nice and even text you about Yukiko throughout the week, but I have a feeling it’s a little more than that.” Shigaraki didn’t respond, but it was almost like he was refusing to react - like he didn’t want to admit Uraraka might not just be his babysitter and was actually something more. It must be hard - wanting ties and being so wary of them at the same time. “Seeing as how you’re acting like a total asshole, I don’t know why she enjoys being around you, but, whether you want to admit it or not, you’re friends. Simple as that.”

“We’re not friends,” Shigaraki snapped.

“Yeah, you are,” Midoriya shot back. “Maybe not like you’re friends with Touya” - and if that didn’t make him sputter incoherently like a broken faucet - “but I can tell you like being around her too.” He pointed an accusing finger at Shigaraki, which nearly made him stumble again in his drunken state. He was not a happy drunk. Midoriya would have to give Uraraka the heads up about that at least. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be struggling so much with it. Okay, it’s a really weird situation - and I’ll admit to being concerned - but it’s not a bad one. So pull your head out of your ass, get over yourself, and go to bed.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll feel better in the morning despite the hangover-”

“No, I mean-” Shigaraki pressed a hand against his head. He must not have been lying about the headache. Midoriya would have one too if he’d drank as much as Shigaraki had tonight. “Why would she…?” He threw his hands up in a way that suggested he was giving up. “Touya is biased because we...worked together - but you know me, Midoriya. You know my history, my record, my...pattern of behavior.” He was trying so hard to talk coherently and intelligently, but it was an obvious struggle for someone so tired and intoxicated. “I’m not good. I don’t know if I’ll ever be good. The most I can hope for is that I’m not bad, and she deserves better than that.”

“Is that what you’re going to tell Yukiko when she’s older?”

Shigaraki snapped his mouth shut. That hit a nerve. It was easy to deal with Yukiko right now while she was a baby, but eventually, she was going to get older and start asking questions. Midoriya had done the same in the beginning, pestering his mom with questions about where his dad was and why he wasn’t home for his birthday. It never got easier for her.

“I dunno what I’m doin’,” Shigaraki admitted. “I dunno...” He growled, probably irritated with his slurring. “I’m tryin’ to do right by Yukiko, but I’m pretty sure I’m failin’ her somehow every day and it freaks me out. It isn’t like there’s a tutorial for raisin’ a kid right. I’m tryin’ to live my life like society says I should, but I’m not goin’ anywhere. I’ve got this...thing with Uraraka and I don’t even know what it is. I’m positive I’ll fuck that up somehow and mess with one of the few good things in Yukiko’s life.”

Oh man, this was worse than Midoriya thought. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Was he really going to have to try to placate Shigaraki somehow? Comfort him? No doubt he would reject something like that. He didn’t want anyone to pity him, especially now that he felt stuck in a civilian role he didn’t know what to do with.

What he didn’t realize was that so many people his age - people who had never gone through the trauma he had - felt the same way. They were aimless, confused, and unsure. They were at a stand still in their lives or couldn’t figure a way out. He wasn’t the only one who thought he wasn’t good enough because of all the marks against him, but life wasn’t made up of a tally score. That wasn’t how things worked. How could he possibly explain to someone as drunk and admittedly with as many issues as him that things like that didn’t matter to Uraraka?

The good didn’t outweigh the bad. Todoroki might have made amends with his father, but Midoriya knew a part of him would never completely forgive him. There would always be that part of him that held back. And that was okay. Endeavor might have done what he could to become a better person and he had one of the most impressive records in hero history, but that didn’t make up for what he’d done to his family. Not by a long shot. Touya was a testament to that. Todoroki said his oldest brother wouldn’t even accept help from their father for his medical treatment. A change in ways couldn’t erase the way things were before.

Likewise, if that was the case, the bad couldn’t outweigh the good either. Midoriya would never be able to understand Shigaraki’s views on his past as a villain. Had he even seen himself as one at first or had he reveled in it? Such things were hard to say, especially since his path had taken such a drastic turn. They hadn’t been much of villains anymore, not when they took out more bad guys than some heroes. They hadn’t used the proper channels and they had, by and large, used much harsher means than a hero would dare, but Midoriya had understood his frustration.

Now that he was neither one of those things, Shigaraki found himself in a strange position. On top of that, he was a father now. Did he not realize how much good he’d done by saving Yukiko? Maybe he didn’t think of it that way considering he was struggling to learn how to be a father - maybe he still thought it selfish - but Midoriya knew plenty of heroes who would have given the child away. If Shigaraki had let them, the heroes on the scene that night would have taken her, given her to a social worker, and washed their hands of her and never seen her again. Case closed.

Meanwhile, Shigaraki had uprooted his entire life for a child he had known for all of a few minutes.

Maybe he wasn’t good. But he wasn’t awful either.

“Would it have made your life better if Uraraka hadn’t stuck around?” Midoriya asked.

“It would’ve made it less confusin’,” Shigaraki muttered. Probably, but he wasn’t the only one confused. Midoriya knew for a fact that Uraraka couldn’t explain it either, if only because she felt guilty about it. She didn’t want to admit that she was afraid she was betraying Kacchan somehow. She wasn’t, but she still worried about what he thought even if she no longer had feelings for him. “She’s so weird. People shouldn’t be that bubbly. She shouldn’t… She shouldn’t want to be around me. I almost ruined her life before. And I know everyone keeps sayin’ I’m different and I’ve changed, but I still did that shit. I was hateful and dangerous and maybe I don’t know how to be good - maybe it’s not in me - maybe I’m too fucked up or somethin’. Fuck , I wish I wasn’t this drunk.”

It appeared as if empathy had struck Shigaraki right in the face, and he wasn’t dealing with it particularly well.

He also clearly didn’t know how he felt about Uraraka, which was...interesting.

“What would make you feel better?” Midoriya patiently asked.

“What d’ya mean?” Shigaraki slumped sideways but caught himself again. Ah, he was fading fast. That tended to be a side effect of alcohol. There was a chance he wouldn’t even remember this part of their conversation if he was fighting sleep. He rubbed his eyes and walked over to a large box. From what Midoriya could see from the picture on the side, it was a crib. Huh. Yukiko was around the age for sleep training. “For shit to make sense.”

Midoriya smiled. “Life doesn’t always work that way. In fact, it’s been kind of the opposite for us, hasn’t it?” Shigaraki snorted, but he didn’t argue either. Likely, he was simply too out of it and didn’t have the energy. “If it made things less confusing, would you rather Uraraka not be in your life?”

“What? No.” Shigaraki shook his head, then stopped and squinted when that proved to be a mistake. “I mean- Yukiko would be sad. She’s an…important part of her life or whatever.”

Yukiko. Right. Because this was just about a baby who wouldn’t even remember Uraraka if she stopped coming around now. Midoriya didn’t remember the first year of his life when his dad was around. Yukiko wouldn’t remember anything from this year either, not her biological mom or Shigaraki taking her in or Uraraka offering to help. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, this issue was more about him than her.

“If this really an issue, you should talk with her about it,” Midoriya told him.

“No.”

“Afraid she’ll confirm everything I’ve said?”

Shigaraki turned away from him and ran his hand over the box. Midoriya was almost positive he wasn’t going to respond and turned to leave when Shigaraki spoke up. “More like sure she’ll figure out she doesn’t need this and leave. That’s what everyone else does, right?”

Oh, that… hurt, but it was a fear Midoriya knew Shigaraki didn’t need to worry about. “You’re lucky that Uraraka never abandons her friends.” Shigaraki opened his mouth to argue - as all drunk people did about the same things over and over again - Midoriya continued over him, “She even stuck up for Kacchan and Kirishima when her more...passionate fans started trash-talking them online when their relationship came out. That couldn’t have been easy for her, but she did it.”

“Her fans won’t be so nice about me.”

“Maybe not,” Midoriya admitted, “but she’ll cross that bridge when she gets there. What is most important to her is that she does her job and those that she cares about are okay. Everything else…” He shrugged. “It’s just a bonus.”

Uravity wasn’t the highest-rated hero out there, but she was beloved by many and absolutely adored by her fans. After what she had done in China with that bridge, her name was being splashed around everywhere online - hero message boards, news sites, you name it. She needed that sort of coverage. Their ranks weren’t generally affected by trashy magazines and those rumor-filled websites, but her image had taken a hit after her breakup with Kacchan and later when he “moved on” first.

How would her fanbase and the general public react to the knowledge that she was hanging around a former villain and his kid? How would his? If it became controversial enough, it could potentially knock him from his number one position. Shouto’s had wavered briefly after Touya’s release, but he was back in the number two slot.

It wouldn’t have compared to what would’ve happened to Endeavor had Touya gone through with the trial instead of taking that quiet plea deal. He may have lost his number one position, but it would’ve been much worse had Touya gone through with smearing his father’s name in the mud. Some details surrounding the League’s trials didn’t come out until after. A hero’s rank could be a fickle thing, but it wasn’t everything to some heroes like it was others. Midoriya’s position wasn’t as solid yet as All Might’s had been. Being around Shigaraki had the potential to hurt his image too.

He didn’t care. Being a hero wasn’t about his image. He could still do the same work as the number one even if that wasn’t his rank.

“You’re so fuckin’ annoyin’,” Shigaraki muttered as he staggered to his bedroom.

“I know,” Midoriya laughed as he turned to the door. He halted. “Wait. I need to text Touya.”

“Why would you wanna text that bastard?”

“To let him know you’re home safe and haven’t killed me.”

Shigaraki made a face. “Like he cares.” He pulled his phone out anyway, and Midoriya held out a hand, but simply tossed it into his bedroom. “Fuck. It’s dead. How long has it been like that? What if Fuyumi called? Is your phone charged?”

Midoriya nodded and pulled his cell out of his jacket, but was surprised when Shigaraki snapped his fingers, demanding he hand it over. Not up to fighting with him anymore, he gave him his phone and watched as he struggled through sending a text. It ended up being a few ones because the response he got back made him scrunch up his nose. Touya must’ve said something that irritated him.

When he was finally finished, Shigaraki tossed the phone back at him. “I’m goin’ to bed.”

“You’re welcome too,” Midoriya responded, barely suppressing a grin.

Shigaraki glowered and ducked into his room. “Lock the door on your way out.”

“Got it.” Midoriya hadn’t expected any sort of thanks. To be honest, he got a lot more than he’d expected with Shigaraki upon agreeing to pick him up. He hadn’t thought Shigaraki would talk to him, much less open up, but he’d definitely spilled a lot more than he usually would thanks to the alcohol. Hangover aside, if he remembered their conversation tonight, he was definitely going to regret it. The headache would just make things worse.

As he traipsed down the stairs, Midoriya checked his phone. It wasn’t being nosy if the conversation was on his cell. He was surprised Shigaraki hadn’t deleted the texts, although he most likely forgot due to his exhaustion.

At home u basterd fuck u for gettin me this drunk

This must be Midoriya’s phone. Did you kill him?

No i didnt but im gonna kill u tomrrow wtf did u give me

A painful dose of reality. See you in the morning!

Fcuk off

Midoriya chuckled, but before he could put his phone away as he stepped outside, another text from Touya appeared on his screen: Did he give you a lot of trouble? Any crying?

Nah he was fine. Just moody and confused. He’s not used to letting people care about him - or at least he doesn’t know if he deserves it.

How sad.
He’s gonna be mad as hell at both of us come morning.

That’s the usual state regarding me anyway. I’ll be fine.

Shaking his head, Midoriya returned his phone to his pocket and got into his car. Depending on how Shigaraki felt in the morning, he was likely to get a slew of angry texts demanding he keep his mouth shut about their conversation or total radio silence. Even if the former was less pleasant, he would prefer it. At least that option would mean a line of communication was open between them. Midoriya wanted to help, but it had to be on Shigaraki’s terms. He could do that. It was what Uraraka had done, after all, and look where that got her.

Midoriya scratched his chin. Seriously, where had it got her?

Chapter Text

Shigaraki wasn’t sure what woke him: the furious pounding in his head or his phone buzzing to alert him to a text message. Either way, he wasn’t happy about it and rolled onto his stomach to stuff the pillow over his head to block everything out. After unsuccessfully trying to fall back asleep thanks to his stomach, he groaned and pulled his head out from the pillow. Thankfully his bedroom didn’t have a window so it was dark, but then he made the dumbass mistake of checking his phone and being blinded by the screen.

After rubbing his bleary eyes and letting them adjust, Shigaraki clicked to open up the text from Fuyumi. It was a picture of Yukiko warily eyeing a jar of fruit baby food with the message, Good morning, Dad! underneath. Obviously, Yukiko hadn’t typed it out herself, but the picture made him snort even if the idea of eating made his stomach angry at him for lying on it. He’d started her on actual baby food a week ago with mixed results. Sometimes she loved it. Sometimes she preferred to spit it out on her shirt.

All in all, she had proven to be unpredictable and stubborn, just like him. It was definitely karma.

Squinting his eyes, Shigaraki checked the time - quarter after nine - and managed to text back, Mind if I sleep a little longer?

Fuyumi responded quickly: Be my guest! Touya just got back in so he can help out.

Shigaraki dropped his phone on the bed. Like that bastard would help out with Yukiko. He had stuck with his decision to find somewhere to stay the night. Shigaraki was curious about where he might’ve gone, considering Touya didn’t have that many options, but his head hurt too much to think about it. He knew better than to move around more than necessary, lest his stomach roll as well. He didn’t want to push his luck. Instead, he closed his eyes and was out again within minutes.

When he woke up two hours later, Shigaraki felt much better. His mouth was dry, but his headache was mostly gone and his stomach wasn’t too upset. He dragged himself out of bed to take a hot shower to wash of the grime and fog from last night. It was akin to the first shower he’d taken after getting Yukiko. He took his time getting ready. By the time he was finished, he didn’t look like he’d been piss drunk last night - only like he’d stayed up too late. Nothing could get rid of the bags under his eyes or the exhaustion in his body, but they would eventually go away. His stomach did a minor flip, but it was nothing major.

After sending Fuyumi a quick text that he was on his way, he slid on his shoes, threw on a jacket, and walked out the door. He waited to put his gloves on until he was outside. The weather now actually called for them, so he didn’t stand out. They didn’t feel like restraints. His eyes wandered over to the minivan parked innocently on the curb, and he turned to head to the nearest train stop. One of these days he was going to have to figure out what the hell to do with that thing, but not today. Who could teach him how to drive and deal with him? He wasn’t about to take a class.

Upon reaching Fuyumi’s and Touya’s, Shigaraki knocked on the door and called out, “It’s me!” After some shuffling and muffled voices that sounded like arguing, the door whipped open to reveal a tired-looking Touya wearing the same clothes from last night. Shigaraki wrinkled his nose. “Have you even showered yet?”

“Yeah, and then I put my dirty clothes back on,” Touya shot back. “C’mon, your princess awaits you.”

“I told you not to call her that,” Shigaraki grumbled as he stepped inside.

Touya shut the door. “You prefer wiggle worm and roly-poly?”

“I prefer her name, but you’re a jackass so-” Shigaraki cut himself when he found Fuyumi attempting to feed Yukiko a jar of mushed-up peas. Honestly, he didn’t blame Yukiko for being so resistant. The fruit wasn’t so bad, but some of the vegetables were atrocious. He’d made the dumbass mistake of trying them out of curiosity to find out if her hatred of them was warranted.

It was.

“She really isn’t a fan of vegetables,” Fuyumi sighed in defeat.

“I wouldn’t be either if they looked like green shit,” Shigaraki pointed out as he picked Yukiko up from the floor. His body protested against the heavy lifting, but he ignored it. He’d drank last night, not lifted weights. Why was it acting like an over-cooked noodle?

Fuyumi rolled her eyes and set the spoon and baby food aside. “Maybe you can try later. Touya-”

“-was not interested in navigating that child’s temperament at all,” Touya cut in, leaning in the threshold of the kitchen and folding his arms across your chest. “I thought she was mild-mannered, but no, she can snap just like you.”

“She’s a baby,” Shigaraki snapped.

“And what’s your excuse?”

“Boys, please.” Fuyumi stood and went around the couch to retrieve the backpack. “She woke up a few times, but honestly, she was great. She might do better if she’s not in the same room as you.” How was that supposed to help him? He only had one bedroom, and there wasn’t enough room in the living room for the fancy crib Sako got her. He was supposed to start sleep training her, but he had nowhere to put her but his room. “I know, I know. Your, um, friend got you a crib, but your space doesn’t exactly allow that. Maybe a pack ‘n play might work? It’s just a thought.”

Swallowing down any retorts he might’ve had, Shigaraki muttered, “Thanks.”

Fuyumi beamed. “Of course!”

While Shigaraki put Yukiko in her winter coat, hat, and boots, Touya piped up, “Oh, how was your ride last night?” Really? He was going to ask that? When Shigaraki turned to glare at him, he only chuckled and held up his hands, not in the least bit apologetic. “Sorry I asked.”

“Touya,” Fuyumi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “what did you do?”

“Nothing!” Touya insisted in a tone so innocent that it was obviously guilty. Fuyumi swatted at him, not believing him for a second, but he blocked it with his forearm. “I was only helping him out. After all, he needed to get home.”

Shigaraki ignored their bickering as he placed Yukiko in the already unfolded stroller and then tucked a blanket around her. It wasn’t that cold outside, but he wasn’t sure how well babies retained body heat, so it was better to be safe than sorry. She was a little heater in bed, but since she couldn’t tell him if she was cold, he always went overboard. The only thing that could be seen was her face. He waved a hand at them, letting them know he was off, with only Fuyumi saying goodbye in return, and then walked out.

If he could sleep the rest of the day, he would, but Yukiko’s wide eyes suggested she was very much awake. Needing a distraction since she was awake as hell, Shigaraki got out his phone and pulled up Uraraka’s contact. No doubt she was curious about how his first night without Yukiko had gone. While some of the details were fuzzy, unfortunately, he remembered everything else. He couldn’t recall the entirety of the two conversations he’d had, but he knew enough to know that he was an absolute dumbass.

Embarrassing as his behavior was, it should’ve made him want to avoid Uraraka for the rest of his life, but then it would directly conflict with what Touya and Midoriya told him. Not that he was taking their advice or anything, but they hadn’t been completely wrong. He...didn’t mind Uraraka. Okay, it was a little more than that. She at least didn’t make him want to bang his head against a wall like Midoriya or throttle someone like Touya.

She confused him. Maybe that was the problem. He didn’t know how he was supposed to - or want to - feel about her. People had distinct places in his life - it made it easier to deal with them - but she was just sort of floating in it.

After months of carrying her and with her now able to sit up on her own, Shigaraki could easily carry her, walk, and text at the same time, but for some reason, texting while pushing a stroller was still awkward. It made him wonder how he had barely been able to hold her with two hands in the beginning. How incompetent had he been? Why had those pro heroes and Naomasa been okay with letting him walk away with a baby when he obviously hadn’t known what he was doing? No wonder Uraraka jumped up to help. She must have been afraid he would drop Yukiko any second.

Remind me to never let Touya serve me alcohol again.

Uraraka responded back a few minutes later: lol that bad huh?

I feel better than I did this morning. I think what little pride I had left is gone.

Did you get sick at the bar?

Worse. I got too drunk and Touya called fucking Midoriya to pick me up.

Within less than a minute, his phone buzzed in his hand alerting him to a call. It was Uraraka. Texting must not have been able to cut it after he dropped that bomb on her. He could understand why. It was fucking ridiculous. He never should’ve let himself get put in a situation where he had to resort to relying on the Number One Hero.

The moment Shigaraki answered the call, Uraraka sputtered out laughing, “He did what ? He called Deku ?”

“Yeah, he did. The asshole. Of course he did it with the best intentions. Such a good friend.”

“Why didn’t he call me?”

Shigaraki sighed. “He thought I might...embarrass myself or something.”

“Embarrass yourself? With me?” Uraraka snickered. He kind of wanted to die a little, and she wasn’t even in front of him. No one had warned him normal life was filled with so much petty, humiliating bullshit. This should’ve been nothing to him, but he knew he would’ve embarrassed himself with her or, even worse, messed things up. Whatever “things” were. “I’m pretty sure you calling me after like three days of no sleep or showering after cutting Yukiko’s finger was way more embarrassing.”

“There’s a chance he wasn’t wrong. He thought I’d either say something or act like a total asshole that would make you…” Hate him? Shouldn’t she already do that for trying to kill her friends and her? No, he couldn’t go down that road again. It didn’t lead anywhere. Whether she hated him or not was up to her. However she felt about him was up to her. “Not want to be around me anymore, I guess. I don’t know. I was beyond fucked last night. I can’t remember the last time I ever drank like that - if I ever have.”

“Did you at least get whatever has been bothering you off your chest? Blow off some steam?”

“Well, you can always ask your stalker about it since I blabbed to him,” Shigaraki said dryly.

Uraraka blew a raspberry. He bet this was so funny to her. All those years he spent hating Midoriya, targeting him, getting into insane fights that would’ve destroyed others - and Shigaraki drunkenly rambled to him over all the stupid, emotional bullshit going on in his life last night. It wasn’t just embarrassing. It was mortifying. Even worse, he had rambled to him about his insecurities surrounding her. Why the hell had he thought that was a good idea? Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut? Had his brain just opted to disconnect?

“If I could delete last night from my memory, that would be great. As it stands, I’m stuck with remembering I’m capable of being a dumbass.” With his hands full, Shigaraki couldn’t pinch the bridge of his nose or press his temple to stop the oncoming headache. He needed more water and something to eat, but he had absolutely no desire to cook at home. “Did you wanna see Yukiko or anything today?”

“Need some more recovery time?”

“More like I need something to eat and at least one hand to eat with,” Shigaraki said, pausing at a crosswalk. He still had a few seconds to cross the street, but he didn’t trust any of the drivers to not rush forward like a jerk. “I think she can sit in a highchair, but I’m not sure how long she’ll last in one and she already ate so I can’t distract her with food.”

“Oh, taking me out for lunch?” Uraraka teased.

“ What ?” Well, he should probably offer her some sort of compensation for all the times she’d watched Yukiko for him, especially the last minute times. She was incredibly busy with her job. It was a hell of a lot more demanding than his, even if she didn’t hold bridges up all the time. He’d brought extra food home, but they’d never gone out in public to get food. “I mean, I probably owe you at least a meal-”

“I was kidding!” Uraraka cut in, laughing all over again. It wasn’t that funny. “I’m not going to take advantage of a single dad . What kind of person do you think I am?”

He would’ve taken advantage of a free meal if he could. All Might would probably jump at the chance to see Yukiko again and check on him. Thankfully, he wasn’t that desperate. After next months bills, if Yukiko’s health insurance didn’t pay him back when it kicked in, he might be forced to once again dip into the account All Might set up for him. He really shouldn’t eat out, but fuck it, he was too tired to deal with anything else. It wouldn’t kill him.

“I don’t care where we go,” Shigaraki said. “I’m just hoping food will get rid of the last bit of this hangover.”

“Did you just pick up Yukiko from Fuyumi and Touya’s?”

“Yeah.” Shigaraki had to stop to correct the stroller since he didn’t walk right into a pole. Why was it so difficult to steer this damn thing? It was easier to drive a car in a video game.

Uraraka hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I could always meet you somewhere close by? I needed an excuse to get out of my pajamas. I’m not used to being off work this much.”

“You deserve a break after everything you did,” Shigaraki replied without thinking.

The moment Uraraka fell silent on the other end, Shigaraki knew he’d slipped up. So far, he had shown little to no interest in her hero work. It was something he actively avoided, partly because it just made things easier that way. He knew she was a pro-hero - he’d seen her in action when she was training to become one - and she briefly spoke about it, but besides a dry comment here and there, he didn’t talk about it. He never brought up the specifics. He wasn’t supposed to care about it at all. That was a side of her life that he wasn’t a part of.

“I guess I do,” Uraraka finally said in a strange, distant tone.

Shigaraki closed his eyes and swore under his breath. “Yukiko will be happy to see you. She’s probably tired of my grumpy ass. It’s no wonder she was so good for Fuyumi - the little monster.”

“Not as happy as I will be to see her,” Uraraka quipped. “Just text me wherever you wanna eat and I’ll GPS it. I’ve still gotta get ready real quick. Hope you don’t mind me looking like I just rolled out of bed.”

“You’ll look fine.” Shigaraki struggled to resist the urge to slap his hand over his face. He was really out of it. Maybe being around her right now was a bad idea. She kind of sounded like she might be out of it too, but he didn’t know if that would be a good or bad thing or if it mattered at all. As long as they could switch off holding a wiggly baby so they could eat, they should be fine.

Uraraka snorted and said, “Okay, thanks,” before hanging up. Damn, either she was used to him or he’d accidentally rubbed off on her. She normally always said goodbye even if he didn’t. Had she adapted when talking to him?

Shaking his head at himself, he continued walking. Yukiko babbled happily in her stroller, but he’d feel better if they were inside somewhere warm. It wasn’t ridiculously cold out, but not a lot of people were walking around, and he felt conscious of the fact that he had a baby with him. He didn’t think anyone was giving him strange looks, but no doubt people would not approve of him taking a small child on a walk in this weather. He only knew of two places in the area where he’d gone to eat with Touya and Fuyumi, so he chose the closest one and texted Uraraka the name before jamming his phone into his pocket.

It would probably take her around thirty minutes to get here, but he could wait in the lobby or something. As long as he was out of the elements, he’d feel better. He could walk in the cold for hours and not even blink - he’d had the habit of going on long ass walks to clear his mind even when he was a teen - but Yukiko either really liked her stroller or she hated it. Having to carry a baby while pushing an empty stroller was so damn stupid and yet he’d done it a handful of times already. It had to be less comfortable, but she didn’t care.

He had to have a clingy baby. He couldn’t tell if it was irony or karma or maybe a strange mixture of both.

The wait for Uraraka wasn’t that bad, but Shigaraki was starving by the time she stepped into the restaurant, and Yukiko was decidedly not a fan of the stroller any longer. He almost didn’t recognize her since she was wearing a fluffy hat that covered most of her head and sunglasses large enough that they almost hid the recognizable pink spots on her cheeks. The A-line coat was nice, but everything doubled as both a source of warmth and way to hide. Each piece she took off showed a little more of herself, but it was her smile upon seeing Yukiko that gave her away.

“Hey there!” Uraraka gushed excitedly, rushing over to them. Yukiko popped up in the stroller, lifting her arms eagerly in order to get picked up. She really had started to become more aware of her surroundings in the past month, and it would only get stronger in time. Since he’d unbuckled her, Uraraka was able to easily scoop her out of the stroller and hold her close, squishing cheeks with her. “I missed you so much! Did you get bigger on me?”

As Uraraka spoke, Yukiko laughed in delight. She’d started doing that more, typically when Shigaraki did something stupid. He didn’t know how a baby could laugh at him, but he knew she was doing it. She’d practically screamed in laughter when he was trying to fix her bottle and the lid popped off and spewed formula all over his front. His child was as cruel as Touya sometimes. Go figure.

Uraraka pulled back slightly to set Yukiko on her hip and turned to face him. It occurred to Shigaraki that this would be the time most people would hug in greeting, especially when they hadn’t seen each other in a while, but he didn’t move and neither did she. He liked his space and wasn’t a physically affectionate person with anyone aside from his daughter so she would know better than to try it with him. She respected his space. She was polite like that.

She could still be polite and leave you as soon as you get back.

Midoriya’s words would come back to haunt him. A few things were blurry, especially near the end of that night, but he could remember a few things clearly as if they’d been burned into his head. She didn’t have to be here. She could spend time with Yukiko and not him. She could’ve asked to watch her or take her to the park or anything that didn’t involve him and he would’ve said yes.

Damnit, that made him sound so…pathetic.

“Long time, no see,” Uraraka joked at the same time as Shigaraki asked, “How’s not working?”

He refused to cringe. He would not make a face. This was fine.

Luckily for him, Uraraka was also polite enough not to comment on the mix-up. “It’s a little boring - and before you say anything, it’s not because I spend my time on the clock getting into fights. I’d prefer a quiet night over one filled with actions because that means people are safe.” She rolled her eyes. “But this quiet is different. I’m not used to just sitting around. I feel like I’m being useless.”

Shigaraki shook his head. “Most people would be happy not to work and lay around.”

“I mean, I’m fully capable of being lazy as hell,” Uraraka said, “but it gets old after three days.” She shrugged as they made their way to a table. “On the bright side, my apartment has never been this clean. On the other end, my Netflix account must be worried about me since it keeps asking me if I’m watching something.”

“You wanna come clean my place too?” Shigaraki asked dryly. “I’ll pay you.”

“I have my limits.”

“Some hero you are.”

Uraraka winked as she sat down. “You should call Wash then.”

“What does that hero even do?” Shigaraki asked. It was a mystery he hadn’t been able to figure out even when he was a villain who obsessively researched pro heroes and their activities. “What are his accomplishments? What’s his quirk? Does he just do commercials for cleaning supplies created by support factories?”

“It’s one of hero society’s greatest mysteries and best kept secrets,” Uraraka replied in a melodramatic tone, a mock-sage expression on her face. He rolled his eyes. All heroes were prone to fits of dramatics, but villains, he knew, were much worse. Dabi’s dramatic reveal that he was actually Touya Todoroki was just one of the many examples he could remember - and that didn’t include the shit he’d pulled.

Instead of placing Yukiko in the highchair, Uraraka let her bounce in her lap. One of Yukiko’s favorite things to do these days was stand and bounce around. It shouldn’t, but it scared the piss out of him every time she suddenly jumped and nearly went sideways on his lap. Uraraka held Yukiko by her hands while she stood on her thighs and bounced up and down, gabbing and giggling. It took a little maneuvering to keep her from slipping off, but Uraraka managed it while also looking over the menu.

“So besides last night, how have things been?” Uraraka asked.

“Boring as fuck,” Shigaraki groaned. “Things are different now with her, but it’s still…” He waved a hand in the air as he attempted to come up with the right word. “I feel like I’m going nowhere.”

Uraraka shrugged. “It comes with being in a routine.”

“No, it’s like I’m not doing anything,” Shigaraki said. “I’m stagnant - like I’m just waiting for Yukiko to hit the next stage in her life, I’ll deal with that, and then wait again.” He dropped the menu on the table. As hungry as he was, nothing looked good either. He didn’t know if it was because of what was on his mind or the lingering hangover. “I’m not doing shit. It’s frustrating. I didn’t mind it before, but now...”

“But now you feel like you should do something more,” Uraraka finished carefully. “For Yukiko.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Shigaraki muttered. “And maybe…” He could be honest - he could open - even without the help of alcohol. Either that or it was still in his blood after how much he’d drank last night. Or maybe, just maybe, it was simply easy to talk with her. She wouldn’t judge him and, if she did, he probably deserved it. “I’ve been given a second chance. I talked with Touya about it last night - shockingly, he can be smart when he’s not busy acting like an emotionless asshole - and I thought, well- I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have Yukiko. But I do. Coasting through life until the next thing is a waste of my freedom that I might not even deserve.”

“Wow. You’ve really been doing some introspective thinking.”

Shigaraki huffed. “If you’re gonna mock me-”

“I’m not!” Uraraka jumped in hastily. “I-”

She clamped her mouth shut the moment their waiter appeared at their table to take their order. Putting a pleasant smile on her face, she ordered her meal. Shigaraki picked something at random. At this point, as long as he got something on his stomach, he would be fine. He probably felt like this because he’d been stupid enough not to eat after last night. He hadn’t eaten enough before going out. It was a wonder he hadn’t thrown up, but at least he had one thing going for him. Then again, puking on Midoriya’s red sneakers might not have been so bad.

As soon as the waiter left, Uraraka continued in a softer voice, “I think it’s a good thing.”

“Coasting isn’t gonna cut it,” Shigaraki said, “and I hate half-assing shit. I did it a lot, but I was never content with it. Even at my worst, I was always...better when I was doing something.”

That something wasn’t always a good thing - most of the time, back then, it was directly at odds with what society would’ve considered good or acceptable - but he’d felt alive. Did he miss being a villain? No, he didn’t. What he missed was having some sort of direction - a meaning. Living simply to live wasn’t it. Being free was pointless when his daily routine didn’t change much from when he was behind bars. He’d still worked when he was imprisoned. The only difference was that he got paid a lot less for his manual labor and he owed more money in return. He was even back on a schedule now that he had Yukiko.

And that was what he kept going back to every time he hit a wall in his mind. Living was different from being alive. He had to do more - he needed to do more - or eventually, he would start to crack. His mind had always been active and his lapse into a boring, habitual life wouldn’t change that. He would grow too restless. He needed to move forward. He needed to do something.

That meaning he was yearning for was right in front of him. He could live for Yukiko. It wasn’t the perfect solution, but it was the easiest and quickest one to latch onto. He needed to be a better father - one that he wanted growing up that All for One could and would never fulfill. He needed to be better fucking period. Even if he didn’t give a shit about himself, this wasn’t the life he wanted for her. He didn’t want her to grow up in some shitty one bedroom apartment or with a man who was going absolutely nowhere. How could that inspire her? Help her grow? All for One might have been a manipulative bastard, but he hadn’t...taught him to do nothing with his life.

“I was thinking,” Shigaraki began slowly, “about asking for a raise.”

“Oh?”

“I open the store five days a week and stay there for most of the day. I know everything about the place and more than any of the other employees - more than my own boss.” And damn if it didn’t feel weird to say that word. It might have been years since the League had been disbanded, but he’d kind of gotten used to being his own boss. All for One was his Sensei, not his employer. He’d been at the top of the food chain and now he was fighting to make more than minimum wage. Fuck, it was humiliating. “I do everything a manager does. I work more hours than that idiot does. I should get that pay, plus the benefits.”

“You should,” Uraraka insisted. “I totally agree.”

“The only issue is that my resume doesn’t exactly back up the sentiment.” Shigaraki leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “You think I can put down my leadership experience under skills? ‘Successfully ran a villain turned vigilante organization for multiple years on my own: excelled in delegating responsibilities to subordinates without micromanaging, able to balance strong personalities to create a balanced team, planned out strategic moves to expand the business, hands-on involvement with the hiring and firing process, managed the organization's finances.’”

Uraraka blew a raspberry. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“Sounds almost bland, doesn’t it?” Shigaraki snorted. “There’s a reason why I’m able to live on my own while Touya is with his sister. He can’t manage his money for shit. He was never taught.”

“You’re so responsible,” Uraraka said.

Shigaraki pointed a finger at her. “Hey, it’s hard work running a criminal enterprise. It wasn’t always blowing shit up, attacking people, and robbing other groups in order to fund our endeavors.”

“That’s what it seemed like on our end.”

“I had to work with Touya and you know how difficult he is to manage,” Shigaraki pointed out. “On top of that, I had Toga who was unpredictable at best, Jin who was two people on a good day, and Sako who… Shit, I still don’t know what Sako was doing there, and I doubt I ever will. Things were always a mess, but I managed.”

“A criminal CEO,” Uraraka hummed as Yukiko continued to bounce enthusiastically in her lap.

“Being the boss is overrated,” Shigaraki replied honestly. He didn’t like being an underling, but he didn’t want that kind of responsibility again. Getting a manager position at a game store was nowhere near that level. “At least here I can get health insurance. You don’t get that as a villain unless you’re a proper CEO of a semi-legitimate company.”

Uraraka finally reached over to place Yukiko in her high chair. “I mean, capitalism is the true enemy of the people.”

“Why else are pieces of paper that babies shit in so expensive?”

Sitting back down, Uraraka actually giggled. “You’re such a visionary. It’s a shame you can’t run for office.”

Shigaraki scoffed. “I got out of villainy and you would propose I jump back in? How low do you think of me?”

“Eh.” Uraraka wavered a hand in the air. “Not that low.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Despite the sarcasm, Shigaraki didn’t feel bad. Even if he felt low as shit or stuck in that wavering middle ground she joked about, he knew that wasn’t the end. He could get better - he would get better - and for the first time in a while, he felt ready to do so. A promotion at a game store was nothing compared to what he’d gone through, but he’d fight for it anyway. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was how to fight for something he wanted. He didn’t give up, so why the hell was he acting like a dog going belly-up?

It was stupid, and Shigaraki wasn’t fucking stupid.

Considering how awkward things had been yesterday when he’d tried ignoring her, the rest of lunch continued to flow almost effortlessly. Uraraka made it easy if he let her. Yukiko ate a jar of baby food without complaint (only after Uraraka tried), and the food was good. There were natural pauses in the conversation and he had to leave for a moment to change Yukiko who decided lunch was the appropriate time to have a goddamn blow out, but Uraraka was still there when he came back, scrolling through her Twitter feed on her phone. Oh, yeah, heroes were all about social media. Plus, as Midoriya had said, her name was in the news more than ever right now - and not because of some stupid break up this time.

Which...reminded him of Bakugou. He still hadn’t told her that her lovely ex-boyfriend had visited him at work. Since she hadn’t said anything to him about it, he was positive Bakugou hadn’t told her either. Keeping it from her seemed like a bad idea, but telling her would only cause drama, which she didn’t need. Burning a bridge was sometimes less painful than trying to keep the bridge partially open. As far as he knew, she was no longer in contact with him. Not that Shigaraki would’ve cared. It was her life. Bakugou might try to police who she could be around, but he wouldn’t.

It was just that… Okay, not telling her did make him somewhat uncomfortable. Lying and being evasive wasn’t exactly new to him, but she could get pissed if she found out later on that he’d kept it from her. Again, not that he cared about her being mad at him, but he didn’t want that to indirectly affect Yukiko either. He didn’t think it would since Uraraka obviously cared about her, but…

This was nice - just going out, having lunch, shooting shit and not having to worry about anything. It wasn’t bad. It felt like the step forward his therapist had been pushing him to take. He might’ve done things with his coworkers here and there, but he really only did stuff like this with Touya. His therapist wanted him to go out more - build more connections, strengthen his ties to society, and whatever other babble he concocted. It was just weird. Then again, integrating himself in a society he’d once felt rejected by couldn’t be anything but weird. He probably could’ve picked someone he didn’t have such a complex history with, but Uraraka just sort of fit in a place where he lacked.

“I wish it wasn’t so cold outside,” Uraraka sighed as the waiter took their empty plates away. He felt infinitely better after eating. What the hell had he been thinking not doing that earlier? “The park would be nice right now.”

“If you want to spend more time with Yukiko, you could just come over.”

“Inviting me over now too? Wow, you must really be bored.”

“Well, you’ve been gone for like three weeks.”

Uraraka put her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her hand. “Miss me, huh?”

“That smartass mouth?” Shigaraki scoffed. “Never. I missed having a babysitter. Do you know how much fun it is to bring a baby to check in with your parole officer?”

“Can’t say that I do.”

“It’s a blast.”

Shigaraki did not want to do that again. Yukiko hadn’t been bad at first, but she’d gotten antsy and started crying halfway through. He spent the rest of the time convinced his parole officer would find him at fault of being a terrible parent and Yukiko would get taken from him somehow. She hadn’t done anything like that, reassuring him it was normal for babies to cry and that she was probably just tired, but it still freaked him out. The idea that anyone might take her from him for any reason was still a touchy subject after all these months.

They paid for the bill with only a minimal mix-up - they forgot to tell the waiter that it was separate checks - so Uraraka snatched it from him and paid before he could attempt it. (“I make more money than you,” was enough to shut him up, but he still didn’t like it. Her telling him to pay her back could only soothe his ego so much.) Since she didn’t have any plans until later that night, she figured there wasn’t any harm in coming over. He mentally tried to remember if his place was clean or not and then remembered she’d seen worse. Still, he had decided to be better and didn’t want her to come back to his place to see it looking like shit. It wasn’t a good start.

Uraraka put Yukiko in the stroller and then got to work on bundling her up. Shigaraki didn’t double check her work as he put his coat and gloves back on. Maybe he fixed Yukiko’s hat, but it had a tendency to ride up when she wiggled around the stroller. With her winter gear and sunglasses back on, Uraraka didn’t even look like herself. She could pass for anyone on the street. Then again, so could he. That was the nice thing about winter. It was easy to hide. As far as anyone on the street was concerned, they were two ordinary citizens, not a pro-hero and a former criminal mastermind.

Touya would say “mastermind” was stretching it. Considering Shigaraki was now planning on putting up the case for why he should be promoted to a management position at a video game store, he was probably right. It was a bad sign when he started agreeing with Touya - and he had after last night. The fact that Touya had made sense was the reason Shigaraki found himself here in the first place. He was acting like a total idiot and he didn’t know why, but he couldn’t stand it.

Now he had to prove Touya wrong. Well, not wrong so much as show that he wasn’t the worthless piece of shit that he’d felt like last night. Humiliating himself in front of him was bad enough, but Touya had seen Shigaraki at both his best and worst. Talking so openly with Midoriya was downright excruciating. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t doing bad with Yukiko, all things considered, but he wasn’t doing good enough.

However, something else had been bothering him since he’d got all bent out of shape. Now that it was out in the open, it was either put up or shut up.

The only issue was that he didn’t know what the “put up” part entailed. If he had to guess, admitting that he liked being around Uraraka was the first step. Wherever that led, he was uncertain, but that was kind of the point, wasn’t it? He didn’t know. He couldn’t plan for everything. He could make steps to change things, but when it came to other people, short of manipulating them, he couldn’t control what they were doing. He could only control himself and it was high time he started doing that instead of nothing. Yukiko deserved that.

Chapter Text

Shigaraki wasn’t sure whether or not he was lucky that Yukiko started to fall asleep for her afternoon nap right around the time they got back to the apartment. The entire reason Uraraka was coming over was so she could spend time with her and now she was passing out for an hour or two. She’d gotten better about sleeping during the day, even if she still fought it at night. Her naps were sporadic so he was never sure when they were going to happen, but as fate would have it, her nap came right when she was supposed to be awake.

Uraraka would’ve put her down for a nap, but her sleep nest thing was in his bedroom. Not that it was unseemly for her to go in there, but she let him do it without complaint. Or maybe it would be weird. It was probably weird. Either that or he was the one being weird about it for no reason. Touya would have something smart to say, but he was not going to think about that bastard now. He and Uraraka had been around each other while Yukiko was asleep, but she was always in the room with them.

As he stared down at a happily passed out Yukiko, it occurred to him that they had never spent time together without her. This was the first time.

Discounting any times when he was a villain. They had been alone in that building.

“She seems like she’s sleeping better,” Uraraka said when he stepped out of the bedroom.

“During the day at least.” He left the door open just a crack. The walls were thin enough that he would hear her cry when she woke up even if he did shut it completely, but his paranoia wouldn’t let him. He really needed to work on that. His therapist said it would lessen over time, but he was still struggling months later. It probably had something to do with his past.

An awkward silence fell over them. Maybe it wasn’t awkward - maybe he was just making it up in his head because he wasn’t used to the idea that someone might want to spend time with him - but maybe it was, and Midoriya was the one in the wrong. He might’ve been the Number One Hero, but he couldn’t be right all the time. Uraraka was one of his closest friends though. Surely he’d know her.

“Did you want me to leave?” Uraraka asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. She didn’t sound even a hint offended or uncomfortable. “Since she’s asleep - so you can get some rest too. You’ll probably feel a lot better after.”

“No, I don’t want to take a nap,” Shigaraki said. She gave him an expectant look, waiting for him to continue. He hadn’t exactly answered her question. This was his place. It was up to him. She looked at him like she wouldn’t care either way, standing with her hands clasped behind her back, completely at ease. He got the feeling it came with becoming a hero. “You can stay if you want. Who knows how long she’ll nap. It could be ten minutes; it could be an hour.”

Uraraka shrugged. “Okay.”

And that was that. He wasn’t sure how they were supposed to fill the time until Yukiko woke up, but then again, it wasn’t like Uraraka was so completely different from everyone else. It turned out she’d read a few of the same books he had on his shelf. It had surprised her to find that he actually read a lot. There wasn’t much else he could do with a baby on his chest or in his arms half the time, but he’d always been like that. All for One had liked him to be well-read and it was boring being around a bunch of adults all the time. He never got out of the habit, although he probably should venture further away from high fantasy books.

Even though he’d spent lunch talking with her, it wasn’t nearly as awkward as he might’ve imagined. He figured Yukiko would be the only thing tying them together, that they would only talk about her, but now that she was out of the room, it turned out there were other things too. They read similar books (although she liked hers with more romance, which, ugh, no thank you) and watched a lot of the same shows and movies. He’d almost forgotten that she liked video games until he remembered that she’d called him out on his original names for Yukiko.

She still hadn’t caught on to that little deception at least.

“Oh my god!” Uraraka suddenly exclaimed, diving down onto the floor in front of his entertainment center. “You have the new Mortal Kombat game? I thought it wasn’t out until next week!” She turned around to peer at him, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Did you get this by illegal means, Shigaraki?”

“What? No!” Shigaraki almost yelled, stopping himself at the last second. If he woke Yukiko up now, he’d throw himself out of the apartment. Instead of questioning him further, Uraraka put a hand over her mouth to stifle snickers and hide the smirk on her face. She was teasing him again. He narrowed his eyes. How cold. “I can sometimes get new games ahead of the release thanks to work.”

“That’s a cool perk.”

“I guess it’s got something over villainy,” Shigaraki said dryly as he dropped onto the couch. “There weren’t any cool perks in that. The pay wasn’t that much better either.” Uraraka shook her head at him and moved to stand. “Did you want to play it? I actually haven’t had the time yet so you might be able to last a minute or two before losing.”

Uraraka scoffed. “Excuse me? But I kick everyone’s ass at this game.” She picked up the case and took the CD out, turning on the console and putting it in. When she stood up, she pointed an accusing finger at him. “I don’t want to hear you whining when I beat you silly.”

“That sounded awfully threatening, Uravity.”

“It’s not a threat,” Uraraka insisted. She tossed him a controller, which he caught with ease. “It’s a warning.”

Shigaraki snorted. “Aren’t those the same thing?”

“A warning is much more polite, thank you very much.” Uraraka dropped down onto the couch next to him, the action so aggressive that it nearly made him crash into her. He would have if he hadn’t grabbed the arm of the couch at the last second. She didn’t even seem to notice him glaring at her as she pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged. Honestly, what a ridiculous girl. And he’d thought Toga was bad. Her murdering people was understandable at the time at least. He felt consistently thrown by Uraraka on the other hand.

Even though he’d managed to update the game on his console, he hadn’t actually played it, but the start up of every game was the same, especially one that had been a franchise as long as Mortal Kombat. There were some games that simply never died and this was one of them. alf the characters had died and been resurrected multiple times since its conception. As someone who was bored enough to read extensively about video game lore, he knew more of the history than most people, which made this new game utterly ridiculous. If the people who created the first game could see it now, they wouldn’t even know what to say.

That was par for course for everything, he supposed. If his twenty-year-old self could see what he was doing right now, he would lose his shit. He’d think he was being brainwashed or possessed or was someone else entirely. In a way, he was someone else, but at the same time not. He’d still committed all those atrocities; he was simply trying to be… better now. His old self wouldn’t look at it that way. Honestly, he’d probably try to kill him.

Shit, he knew people in their twenties were hot messes, but he’d been particularly shitty at twenty.

As he suspected, Uraraka picked the main female character for her first character in their tag team fight. She also picked the most hated female character for her second. When he gave her a questioning look, she shrugged. “I like how unapologetic she is. She’s a badass, knows it, and doesn’t give a shit what anyone else thinks of her.”

“Reminds me of someone I know,” Shigaraki said as he picked his characters.

“Todoroki’s sister?”

A bark of laughter slipped from him. “Okay, that’s a good point.”

He quickly set up the rest of their game, and then they waited. Uraraka squirmed on the couch to get into a more comfortable position, an intense expression on her face as she stared down the screen. Shigaraki was more relaxed on his side. He didn’t tense up like most people did, even when he was playing incredibly difficult scenes. He didn’t like the way his hands cramped up if he played too aggressively. Plus, he needed to make sure he didn’t grip down on the controller with all five fingers. Uraraka held her pinky fingers up the same way as him. It made playing a little more difficult, but he hated wearing gloves when he held a controller.

“Ready to lose?” Shigaraki asked with only a few seconds to spare.

“Bite me.”

“Do not say stuff like that when Touya is around,” Shigaraki warned her. “He’ll take it the wrong way.”

Uraraka blinked at him in shock. “Wha-?” And her character got fucked up in a combo attack right off the bat. “Hey! That’s cheating! I call bullshit.”

“You’ve gotta do whatever it takes to win,” Shigaraki said as he dodged her counterattacks.

“I’ll show you whatever it takes to win.”

To be honest, despite her threats, he hadn’t really thought she’d be any good at the game. Not that he believed girls weren’t good at video games. It just didn’t seem to be her type of game. He should’ve known better. He didn’t even know why he was surprised by her anymore. He won the first two games but just barely. Each time, it would’ve only taken a hit or two for her to take him down and win. She was relentless and picked up on using combos and special moves after trying them out a few times. He lost the third game, which meant he had to really put in the effort for the fourth one, even leaning forward like her.

Even more surprising was just how… viciously she got into the game.

Needless to say, when he managed to kill her with a disgusting fatality move, the last thing he expected was for her to violently exclaim in a lowered voice, “Fucking hell! That’s such fucking bullshit! Oh my god. I can’t believe you. Such an asshole move! Ugh, we’re doing this again, and I’m going to fucking annihilate you.”

Shigaraki gawked at her. “Goddamn, what the hell? I was not expecting that reaction. I didn’t know you had that much of a mouth on you.”

“Better not say something like that when Touya is around,” Uraraka shot back.

“What in the…?” Shigaraki shook his head. “I unleashed a monster.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Uraraka mumbled as she set up the next game. “I’m just...really competitive. I think it’s a side effect of going to hero school. It was like you were in a competition all the time.”

“Sounds annoying,” Shigaraki drawled.

Uraraka rolled her eyes. “It didn’t help that we had villains interrupting our school schedule once a month. Try fitting in math and English lit homework in between fighting bad guys and nursing broken ribs.”

He couldn’t imagine, yet a part of him could. There had been downtime while parading as the leader of the League, times when there had been nothing to do but exist. When they were on the run after the Kamino Incident and Yakuza confrontation, he couldn’t spend it the way he had before. In a way, it made him realize how spoiled and sheltered he’d been. He didn’t have someone like Recovery Girl to help with his wounds. When Snipe shot him in the USJ, he had to heal up like everybody else.

“Video games were kind of a way for us to decompress and deal with the stress,” Uraraka explained as she chose her characters. She kept the hated female character but opted for one of the men this time. She didn’t stick with only the good guys at least, just as he knew it was stupid to only play the bad guys. Touya did that shit, as if choosing a heroic character made him uncomfortable. “We used to hold competitions, little tournaments, game nights, just to blow off steam. We could take our aggression out there and then go to bed.”

“You are better at this than I thought you were gonna be,” Shigaraki admitted.

“Yeah, well-” Uraraka pointed a thumb at herself and gave him a grin. “Not to brag or anything, but you’re looking at the reigning Tekken champ in my class. It was the one thing I was better at than Deku, Todoroki, Katsuki, and Momo.”

Shigaraki shook his head. “You’re better at a lot of things.”

“Oh, please.” Uraraka blew a raspberry. “I’m sure you’ve seen my rank by now if you saw the news.”

“Rank doesn’t have shit to do with being a hero and you know it,” Shigaraki snapped.

Instead of getting mad at him for his reaction, Uraraka sighed. “I know it doesn’t, especially after everything that happened. It’s just a paycheck in the end. I think Deku would go unranked if the status didn’t mean something to the public. He’d still be the number one even if someone else carried the title.”

“Todoroki’s second, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is, but I don’t think he cares either. It’s mostly out of spite, even if he won’t admit it.”

“He became the Number Two out of spite?” Shigaraki didn’t know why he was surprised. It sounded exactly like the kind of thing a Todoroki would do. They were all half spite. Just because the youngest one had gone on to become a hero didn’t make him any less petty. “Of course he did. Touya became a villain out of spite. They really are brothers.”

Shigaraki didn’t like that he knew any of this, but Uraraka was right. After seeing her bridge rescue on the news, he’d fallen into a hole and started researching things like he did before. He couldn’t get it out of his mind. Ranks didn’t mean shit, but he’d still been surprised by hers. It was lower than he expected. Maybe it was because she was considered a rescue hero whereas the top ten were always more offensive heroes. The public loved a good villain takedown.

“It doesn’t matter,” Shigaraki said. “Ranks, I mean. You’re a great hero.”

Uraraka gave him a weird smile. “I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or not from you.”

“It’s a damn compliment. Take it.”

She held up a hand in surrender. “Okay, just checking. You’re not big on the whole hero thing, so I try not to bring it up, you know?”

“Yeah.” Shigaraki took a breath. “Yeah, I know - and I appreciate it because it’s weird enough as it is - but I can admit now that not all heroes are super at being shitty. Some of them are good. You are.”

“Thank you,” Uraraka said as she returned to look at the game. “I’m honored.”

Shigaraki hunkered his shoulders down and pressed the button to start the game's countdown. “You’re really gonna make me regret saying that, aren’t you?”

“ Well ,” Uraraka said dramatically, wearing the cheesiest grin on her face, “now that I know I’m your favorite hero-”

“Stop.”

“Did you want any merch? I can even sign it!”

“Don’t you dare-”

“Oh! I know! I think I saw a Uravity onesie online” - okay that would be pretty cool, but only because Yukiko would love it, even if she wasn’t exactly aware of what it was yet - “and you could have a matching t-shirt!”

“Uraraka-”

“My number one fan-”

“That’s it!”

Shigaraki dropped the controller and launched himself at her. He shouldn’t have done it - a move like that could be considered a threat coming from him - but Uraraka was quicker. She had training and time at the gym on her side while he walked to work and carried a seventeen pound baby around. She activated her quirk on herself and flipped over the arm of the couch, letting go just long enough to deactivate her quirk and land on her feet so that she was standing beside the couch. Leaning over and holding onto it like she might activate her quirk on the couch, and therefore him, she wore a grin on her face. Then she pressed a finger to her lips, signalling him to be quiet, and then pointed to the bedroom where Yukiko was sleeping.

All but snarling at her, Shigaraki snatched his controller back up. “You’re a little shit. You did that purpose so I’d be distracted during the next game.”

“You’ve gotta do whatever it takes to win,” Uraraka countered.

Shigaraki leaned over and smirked. “Oh, you’re-”

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?”

As Uraraka jerked upright and let out a yip sound, Shigaraki slammed his hand over his face. “For fuck’s sake, Touya, would it kill you to knock on the door instead of breaking in every damn time?” The asshole in question only grinned in response. He stood in the open doorway, swinging a bag around by the strap with his finger. “What the hell are you doing here? Didn’t I just see you?”

“Yeah, but Fuyumi forgot to pack Yukiko’s clothes, so she wanted me to drop them off before I went to work.” Touya stopped spinning the bag and promptly threw it in Shigaraki’s face. He swore, batting it aside, but Touya was no longer interested in him, his attention having landed on the other person in the room. “Hello, Uravity. Fancy seeing you here.”

“You too,” Uraraka responded dryly.

“It’s a shame you didn’t come out last night with Shigaraki,” Touya said, sounding far too pleased with himself. “I think he would’ve had a lot more fun with some company.”

Honestly, one of these days, Shigaraki was going to murder Touya and the authorities would thank him. He was a public menace even now that he wasn’t a villain.

Uraraka shrugged. “I might have, but I didn’t get an invite.”

Touya mock-gasped. “You didn’t even invite her out?” He pressed a hand over his chest and stared at Shigaraki with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. “How could you be so rude? This hero has been nothing but helpful and kind to you. The least you could’ve done was offered to buy her a drink or two.”

Shigaraki rubbed his temple. “I swear, Touya, I’m gonna-”

Crying from the bedroom cut him off and made him jump to his feet so quickly that he forgot what he was even saying. Before he could rush inside to make sure Yukiko didn’t try to roll out of the sleep nest, Uraraka waved him away and went into the bedroom to retrieve her. He thought of all the dirty clothes lying on the floor and tried not to cringe. Maybe she wasn’t anxious about stepping into his room after all. More than likely, her natural instinct to calm Yukiko down won over anything else. A few seconds later, the crying began to quiet down, and they heard a soothing murmur.

“Guess that talk last night helped, huh?” Touya said. “Where’s my thanks?”

Shigaraki rounded the couch and pointed a threatening finger at him. “Shut the hell up.”

“Why?” The grin was back on Touya’s face and twice as smug. “You mad I interrupted your little date?”

“For fuck’s sake-”

“Can you lay out a blanket on the floor and get her bag?” Uraraka asked as she stepped back into the room with Yukiko in her arms. “Someone needs to be changed.”

“Good fucking God,” Touya groaned, waving a hand in the air and taking a step back. “She’s like a bomb. You could take out an entire block with her shit alone.”

Shigaraki did as she asked and snapped, “Stop being such a wimp.”

“You could kill someone with that smell.”

Uraraka ignored him as she lied Yukiko down on the blanket and got down on her knees to quickly change the diaper. She could’ve told him to do it and he would have, but she didn’t even bother. He kind of thought he was a little faster than her, but he had a lot more experience too. He had to change Yukiko’s diaper at least five or six times a day, if not more. He’d stopped counting after the first week, which made visits to her pediatrician fun when he could not remember shit for the life of him.

“There.” Uraraka put the diaper in a bag and handed it to Shigaraki, who threw it in the trash. He had to take it out tonight anyway. Touya looked utterly aghast over the whole ordeal. After rolling Yukiko onto her belly, she stood up and wiped the hand sanitizer on her pants. “Do you think she’s hungry?”

Shigaraki turned toward the kitchen. “Yeah, probably-”

“What was that?” Touya demanded shrilly, staring at the entertainment center with even wider eyes. Had he actually gone pale too? He looked like he’d just seen a ghost. What the hell was wrong with him? Shigaraki couldn’t remember ever seeing Touya look like this before. The closest was when he thought Shouto was killed in his third year, but the brat turned out to be alive.

“It’s the new Mortal Kombat game,” Shigaraki said.

“No, no.” Touya shook his head. “I just saw something move.”

“The game-”

“It wasn’t the fucking game!” Touya exclaimed. “It went behind the TV stand.”

Uraraka and Shigaraki met each other’s eyes. Neither one of them had a clue what he was going on about. Taking a deep breath, she stepped around the couch to get a closer look. “I don’t know-”

Then a rat scurried out from behind the TV stand and went somewhere behind the bookcase.

Multiple things happened at once. Uraraka shrieked so loudly that Shigaraki was shocked the windows didn’t shatter. She stumbled away from the stand and snatched up Yukiko as fast as she could. They floated in the air, Uraraka having activated her quirk on both of them, until her back bumped into the ceiling. She clutched a confused and crying Yukiko to her chest as she breathed heavily. Touya yelled again and jumped onto a chair at the kitchen table. Shigaraki let out a string of curses as he scrambled onto the couch. He’d seen rats before in the shitty hideouts they’d stayed in as villains, but none since he’d moved into his own place.

And that fucker had been huge.

“A rat! A fucking rat!” Touya yelled. “What the fuck, Shigaraki? You’ve been living here for how long and you didn’t notice you had goddamn Ratatouille living in your place with you? With Yukiko?”

“I didn’t know!” Shigaraki shouted back. “If I’d known, I would’ve done something about it!”

“You can’t keep living like this! You’ve got your daughter to think about! What the fuck is that thing eating? Is it on steroids? Is it still behind the bookcase? Did you see it, Uraraka?”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t look. I could only think about getting Yukiko off the ground.”

Uraraka’s knees were lifted and bent, tucked against her chest to hold Yukiko in place. Now that they were simply floating in the air like a balloon, she’d calmed down and stopped crying. Uraraka snatching her up suddenly had startled her. He would’ve been surprised by how well she was handling zero gravity if not for the fact that there was a monster loose in his apartment.

“Well?” Touya prompted, staring Uraraka down.

“Well what?”

“Do something!” Touya snapped. “You’re the hero, aren’t you?”

“I’m off duty,” Uraraka said flatly.

Touya threw his hands in the air. “C’mon! What kind of bullshit is that?”

“My quirk is touch-based!” Uraraka exclaimed, turning her body away as if to shield Yukiko from Touya’s madness. Next he’d be suggesting she do it. “I’m not touching that thing! What do you want me to do? Chase it around, grab it, and then chuck it out the window? Are you crazy?”

“Great,” Shigaraki said dryly as he glared the bookcase down. “I should’ve released a fuckton of rats into the streets. That would’ve stopped heroes cold, apparently.”

Uraraka shot him a look so dirty that he nearly stumbled off the couch. “You aren’t looking too fearless yourself.”

“This is your apartment,” Touya said. “Do something about it, Shigaraki.”

“I’ve got a touch-based quirk too, you dumbass. I’m not about to touch that disgusting vermin and have rat ashes all over my damn floor.”

Touya groaned so dramatically that he might as well have been an actor on television. “Think of all the shit everywhere. You don’t clean this place enough. They found all your trash and they’ve come to stay here. We’re standing in a cesspool of disease and germs!”

“Would you stop it?” Shigaraki growled. He reached up and gently grabbed Uraraka’s ankle with four fingers. She had managed to float over to him, still holding onto Yukiko for dear life. To be honest, Yukiko seemed more than content to float around in Uraraka’s arms. He hadn’t seen her ever look that peaceful and happy before. Wasn’t that how she was supposed to be in that swing All Might got him?

With a grip on her ankle, he gently tugged Uraraka down from the ceiling, moving to grip onto her jacket in order to pull her level with him. He had to hold onto her securely in order for her to not float awkwardly off into the air again. Only when her feet were near the couch did she finally release her quirk. Once more, her weight on the couch moved him and his chest crashed into her back, but he clung to her almost as tightly as she was Yukiko to make sure they didn’t fall off the couch. Sure, a rat could climb onto the couch or chair, meaning the ceiling was safest, but he didn’t want his daughter to float aimlessly out of his reach.

“Maybe it’s gone,” Uraraka suggested. “There could be a hole in the wall behind the bookcase.”

“No, no, no.” Touya shook his head. “It’s hiding, biding its time, waiting to pounce on us.”

Uraraka rolled her eyes. “Now you’re being ridic-” She started shrieking again when the rat chose that exact moment to scurry out from behind the bookcase. Shigaraki unintentionally tightened his grip on her to make sure she didn’t activate her quirk again, but he didn’t need to, since she turned around to bury her face in his chest like it was the most terrifying thing in the world.

Blue fire exploded from the kitchen area where Touya activated his quirk in a panic when the rat made the unfortunate choice to head in his direction. “No! Fuck! Get away! Fuck! Fuck! We’re gonna get the bubonic plague! Fucking filthy piece of shit!”

“Touya, stop it!” Shigaraki yelled. “You’re gonna burn down the place!”

“At least it’ll die too!”

The thought was good in theory, but foiled by the fact that the fire resulted in something worse. Now there wasn’t just one giant rat scurrying around the apartment. There were three, all of them running around and squeaking shrilly as the smoke rousted them from their hiding places. It was like something out of a horror movie. Shigaraki swore he hadn’t seen any signs of them, but they were here now, and it was bad. Touya was on the table, his head bumping into the ceiling. If Uraraka hadn’t been holding onto Yukiko, he was almost positive she would’ve crawled into his arms or on his shoulders. She nearly activated her quirk again, but he stopped her at the last second.

“We’re fucked!” Touya lamented. “How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?”

Uraraka pulled away from his chest. “I can float us out.” She peered up at Shigaraki. “I’m not touching the ground with those things running around.” He wasn’t either, so he nodded. If one of those things came anywhere near him, he was likely to disintegrate the floor on the spot. “I know you don’t like it when other people use their quirks on you, but-”

“It’s okay,” Shigaraki cut in. “Get us the fuck out of here.”

“Oh man, I bet they’re everywhere in this shithole.” Touya shuddered, holding out his hand like he might shoot off another ball of fire if he saw another rat. They were lucky the place hadn’t gone up in flames, but there were definitely singe marks on the floor. So much for his deposit. “This entire building is probably infested. I swear to God, if I see one in that hallway, I’m burning this whole motherfucker to the ground. It’s a health hazard and a violation of every public health code in existence.”

Shigaraki wanted to comment on Touya’s issues with germs, but he couldn’t, not when he locked eyes with Uraraka, who was far closer to him than ever before. She was just right there with Yukiko pressed up between them, cozy as could be despite them freaking out. He was pretty sure he’d heard her even laughing while he and Uraraka screamed in horror. This was not the time for him to be having some sort of Moment, but for however much she hated rats or was scared of them, there was a sort of calmness in her brown eyes that steadied him.

“You good?” Uraraka asked.

“Just do it.”

She tapped his arm, and he floated to the ceiling effortlessly, although he still had a hand on her shoulder. He felt clumsy and awkward. She made it look so easy, but he felt helpless. He’d never experienced her quirk like this before, only seen it in action, but it was strange as hell. It was like being underwater, except there was nothing he could use to propel himself.

After activately her quirk on herself and Yukiko, she floated up next to him. “Use your fingers to pull on the ceiling.” She grabbed hold of the bottom of his shirt, and he did as she told him. Instead of feeling any resistance due to her holding onto him, there was nothing. They were weightless.

Once they reached Touya, she reached down to tap him. He handled being weightless about as well as Shigaraki, if not worse, flailing around like a dumbass fish out of water. When he hit the ceiling, he immediately relaxed, totally relieved at being as far away from the rats as possible. Shigaraki didn’t want to think about how more could be in the ceiling. It would only serve to make Touya panic again and burn the place down.

Together, all four of them made their way to the door, which took some time to open since they were on the ceiling. In the end, Uraraka passed Yukiko over to him very carefully and turned herself upside down. With her feet planted on the ceiling, she stood and reached the doorknob, twisting it and pulling the door open so they could all pull themselves outside. It was tricky getting themselves close enough to the floor for her to be able to deactivate her quirk safely, but they managed it. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Touya jerked the door shut, leaving the four of them standing in silence in the hallway.

“So… stairs or elevator?” Uraraka asked, staring at the door.

“We should’ve gone through the damn window,” Touya said. He turned to Shigaraki. “You’re fucked. There’s no way in hell you can keep living here now, not unless you wanna wake up to rats crawling all over you.”

Shigaraki grimaced. He had planned on looking for somewhere else to stay, but preferably after he got a raise and was able to save up some money. Waiting wasn’t an option any longer. Even if an exterminator came in and took care of the problem - cleaned it from top to bottom - there was no way he could stay here any longer. He needed to get the fuck out. His lease wasn’t up, but he was pretty sure a rat infestation might give him cause to break it without any fees.

“This is stupid,” Shigaraki finally said.

“I completely agree,” Touya added.

“Well… you were thinking about moving?” Uraraka offered.

Great. This was just fucking great. So much for turning his life around. All of his shit was inside that apartment - all of Yukiko’s - and now he didn’t want to step foot in there. This was so fucking stupid. Outdone and defeated by a goddamn rat or three. He really had joined the bottom of the barrel.

Chapter Text

Upon surviving the Great Rat Fiasco, Shigaraki found out he wasn’t the only one with issues concerning big ass vermin in his place. Not that he planned on living there ever again, but the entire apartment building had to essentially be emptied out so that an exterminator could take care of it. Who knew how long that would be? The whole thing was a mess, but it meant he wasn’t the only one displaced. People were either stuck in hotels, staying with family or friends, or who knew what else.

To be honest, he didn’t care about them. He was more concerned with the fact that he had an almost eight-month-old baby and nowhere to fucking live for the time being. After the League’s bar hideout had been found and destroyed, he got used to living in random places. Some of them were better than others. He missed the solitude of his apartment and all of his things, but he had his freedom and his mind. And honestly, he didn’t mind the other League members being there. He wasn’t alone. He could always make something of himself as long as he had himself.

It was harder to think that when he had a baby on his hands. He admittedly sometimes thrived on chaos even now whereas she truly needed stability. Luckily, she could still go to daycare, so that part of her schedule didn’t have to stop, but he needed to figure something out quick. He had to be better. He’d sworn that he would be.

Even though every second pained him, he braved his place long enough to pack two bags for him and Yukiko and swiped all the formula and diapers he could before the building was completely closed off and then bounced. There was no way in hell he was going to take her back in there again. One of those suckers might’ve been large enough to carry her away. He wasn’t going to let her get raised by rats.

He had Sunday off, so he did all of that while Yukiko stayed over at Uraraka’s. It was...kind of weird, but the whole thing had been last minute. Yukiko had already spent the night with Fuyumi, so he didn’t want to put that on her again. Touya had acted like he was actively dying and so fucking melodramatic that he sounded ready to bathe in hand sanitizer despite the potential agony it would cause him. The easiest thing for Shigaraki to do while he got their shit together and into a heated discussion with his landlord was for her to go with Uraraka.

After an argument with his landlord over his lease, he went to the closest laundromat and washed their clothes again. It didn’t matter if they were “clean”. He had to make sure. He even threw her stuffed animals in there for good measure. As soon as he was let back into his place, he was going to scrub everything down. He didn’t give a shit what anyone said. He kept his place relatively decent despite the chaos. With her slowly starting to crawl now, he didn’t have as much of a choice, but she was growing more independent so he had time to do things. Working up the effort was more of an issue now, but nothing inspired him to clean like fucking rats and their beady, little eyes and paws.

Once that was taken care of, he headed to the address Uraraka had sent him. This wasn’t weird. She’d been to his place plenty of times. He’d gone to Touya’s place plenty of times. This was what...friends did. After having survived a bunch of scurrying rats together and her saving them from probably humiliating themselves even further, he had to consider her to be on that level. She had been before, but he was a stubborn asshole if nothing else. She’d never referred to them as friends except for that one time someone confused them for a couple, so maybe she hadn’t even thought of him that way.

Shigaraki rubbed his temple and sighed in aggravation. This day definitely could not get any worse.

As fate would have it, he was wrong about that.

Uraraka’s apartment building was a pretty big step-up from his, but it wasn’t as fancy as he was expecting from a hero. Granted, their pay was still based on rank in the popularity polls besides bonuses from their agencies, so it made sense that she lived modestly. Still, the hallways were very clean and bright and there were no cracks on the walls, so there was that.

When he knocked on the door, he heard her muffled voice call out on the other side. With two bags on the ground at his feet and Yukiko’s backpack slung over his shoulder, he ran his fingers through his hair. He felt so out of place here. Everything was too bright. He didn’t belong here with his dark clothes and his messy everything. He probably looked a disaster. At least he’d showered this morning, but it was night now and he felt gross from the whole thing. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he still needed to get Yukiko and then get a motel room and…

Ugh, this was so damn annoying. Why was he so fucking anxious? He was even resisting the urge to claw at his neck and he hadn’t done that in months.

The door opened to reveal Uraraka, just as he expected, in a change of clothes. She’d switched to sweatpants and a jacket over a tank top. Her hair looked faintly wet too, so she must’ve taken a shower. Lucky her. He still felt like there were rat germs on him. He’d never had that issue when he was a villain living in rat-infested places, so he didn’t know why it was a problem now.

“Hey! Come on in. Yukiko just fell asleep.”

“Shit, I was hoping she’d still be up,” Shigaraki grumbled as he followed her inside. “Getting her back to sleep after moving her is a nightmare.”

Uraraka tossed him a strange look but didn’t make a comment. He was grateful if only because he was too tired to navigate what that look might’ve meant. However, he came to an immediate halt when he walked into her small but cozy living room to find that she wasn’t by herself.

“Um, remember when I said I had plans this evening?” Uraraka asked as she stepped up beside him. She rubbed the back of her neck. “I kind of forgot to cancel them.”

“Hi!” greeted a pink-skinned woman from the couch. Said woman was holding onto a passed out Yukiko, who looked more than content to sleep in the stranger’s arm, and wore a cheerful smile on her face, completely undeterred by his lack of reaction or the way Uraraka hung herself at his side in embarrassment. “We’ve sorta met before? I mean, not directly, but…”

“You were a part of Uraraka and Midoriya’s class,” Shigaraki supplied in a flat tone.

“Yup! I’m Mina Ashido, Ochako’s best friend.”

Ah. Her. The girl who was pestering Uraraka when they were trying to keep this whole thing a secret. She’d only been concerned about her friend. It was absurd to think of it now, but he had really freaked out over the idea of people knowing about Yukiko and Uraraka helping him out in any way. How utterly idiotic of him. He did remember Ashido vaguely, but he’d never interacted with her like the way he had Midoriya, Bakugou, or Uraraka - meaning he hadn’t directly tried to kill her. That was something positive at least, right?

Ashido blinked and then stood up to carefully hold Yukiko out to him. “Oh, you probably want her back. Sorry, I was holding her while Uraraka made dinner and ate real quick. She’s hard to resist.”

Shigaraki stepped forward and took Yukiko from her. He put a hand behind her head before it could loll in her sleep. He knew she would be unharmed, but he couldn’t help but feel wary after today. Uraraka opened her mouth, probably to apologize since she knew he was particular about who was around Yukiko, but he shook his head to stop her. It didn’t matter. His more pressing concern was what Yukiko was wearing.

“Is this...a Pro Hero Deku onesie?” Shigaraki slowly turned to stare Uraraka down.

“I felt like I had to change her clothes,” Uraraka replied defensively, a wide, anxious smile on her face. “You changed outfits.” Yeah, after he washed everything. Even the slightest chance that a rat had touched his stuff made him too uncomfortable until he changed. “I didn’t have anything on hand, but then I remembered the free bundle of merch I got from Deku. It had a onesie in it.” She shrugged. “Better than nothing?”

Holding Yukiko against his chest in one arm, Shigaraki pinched the bridge of his nose with his other hand. It could have been worse. She could’ve been wearing old All Might merch. A lot of those bundles came with some truly random shit. He would know since he bought a few just to destroy them whenever he was in a foul mood. Some might have said that was a waste of money, but it had been therapeutic to him at the time so he considered it worth it.

“It’s fine. I don’t care.” He wasn’t mad at her. At least she’d had the foresight to change Yukiko after she was on the floor, even if she had been lying on a blanket.

Before Uraraka could say anything or make sure he wasn’t lying, Ashido startled and then pulled her phone out of her pocket. She cringed, an ugly expression tinged with horror and reluctance crossing her face. “Okay, so normally I would lie and say that I have to make a call so you two can have some alone time-”

“Mina!”

“-but I really have to take this...outside…” Ashido shrugged unapologetically. “I’ll be back.” She brushed past them to step outside. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! Safety first!”

Uraraka rounded on her heels, her cheeks almost as pink as her friend’s skin. “Mina, there’s a baby!”

“I’m pretty sure she couldn’t understand us even if she was awake,” Shigaraki pointed out flatly. That didn’t seem to comfort Uraraka any as she glared at the door her friend her disappeared through. It looked like she also had a friend that enjoyed teasing her, just like Touya did with him. Wait, shit. Too late - he’d already had the thought that Touya was his friend. At least he hadn’t said it out loud, even if he had to admit that they were.

Tugging at her hair, Uraraka turned around and walked into what he assumed was a small kitchen. “Did you want anything to eat? I’ve got leftovers. I typically cook a lot of food all at once so I don’t have to cook later.”

“No, I’m not really hungry after everything.” Rats didn’t really inspire hunger, and he’d gone longer periods without eating even before Yukiko. Plus, it was already later than he’d wanted it to be when he was finished with everything. He was running behind. He needed to get a motel room and then at least a few hours of sleep before he had work tomorrow. After work, he’d take the night to figure out what to do next. “It’s late and I need a shower myself. I should get going.”

“Oh.” Uraraka paused in the doorway and glanced at Yukiko in his arms. “Are you sure?”

“What do you mean?”

Uraraka rolled her eyes. “I meant are you sure about going somewhere - since it is so late.” What would he do if he didn’t go? Surely she wasn’t implying… She huffed. “I’m not asking you to spend the night with me.” He almost choked on his tongue. He wasn’t thinking that . “I have a fold-out couch” - which looked nicer than his but not by much if he was being honest - “and spare pillows and blankets. You can even take a shower.”

“No.” Shigaraki shook his head. “No, I can’t do that. It’s-”

Too much. It was too nice. Besides the time he passed out on Touya’s couch after dinner with his family, he’d never stayed at someone else’s place. He never felt comfortable enough. It left him far too vulnerable, especially with Yukiko around. Not that Uraraka was dangerous or anything, but it would be awkward, even if she had fallen asleep on his couch that one time. She hadn’t stayed the night though despite his half-assed offer. It only made sense that she was doing the same now. She was being polite.

Perhaps sensing his conflicting thoughts over accepting the offer, Uraraka held her hands up in front of her. “I’d give you space, so you wouldn’t have to worry about me being all up in your business or whatever.”

“I don’t want to be all up in your business,” Shigaraki shot back, only for Uraraka to sputter into laughter. “What? What’s so funny?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just-” Uraraka put a hand over her mouth as she pulled herself back together. “It was really funny hearing you say ‘all up in your business’, okay? I wasn’t expecting it.” She pulled her hand away from her mouth so she could wave it in the air. “Regardless, it’d be fine. I’m honestly pretty tired, so I might crash soon and I can stay in my room and torture myself by scrolling through social media accounts until I pass out.”

Shigaraki snorted. “Sounds riveting.”

The one good thing about being a villain was that he didn’t have to worry about social media accounts. He still didn’t and neither did Touya or Iguchi as far as he knew. Heroes had to constantly keep theirs up to date so they remained in the spotlight. Even if they didn’t, the media wouldn’t let them if something particularly interesting happened. All Might had been in the news if he so much as sneezed.

“Trust me,” Uraraka said melodramatically, “dodging relatives asking me when I’m gonna get married on top of reading media articles about how I must be pregnant because I’ve gained three pounds since my return from China is a blast.”

“Well.” Shigaraki raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

Uraraka smacked him in the arm, just barely avoiding hitting him with all five fingers. “Asshole! No!”

Shigaraki swept a quick gaze over her. “You look fine to me - no different from before.” Her sweatpants and jacket might’ve been light and baggy, but the cheap tank top she wore underneath was tight, so it would’ve been easy to spot if she was showing. Then again, it wasn’t like he’d been paying attention to any changes in her body before. She always looked cute - good, she looked good. Normal. Average. Ugh, he needed a shower and sleep. “I can go get a motel room. It’s not a big deal. I’ve stayed in shadier places, but I’ll make sure to find a decent one for her.”

When Uraraka stepped up to him, Shigaraki’s first thought was to take a step back. There was far too intense of a look on her face to be normal. She stopped just a foot in front of him and put her hands on her hips, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. He pressed his lips together and glared down at her. Why did this feel like a threat?

“Stop it. I thought we’d moved past this.” He had known Uraraka could be intense, but geez, this was a little much. Nearly being attacked by rats must have thrown her for a number more than he realized. “If it was just you, it’d be fine, but you’ve got Yukiko to consider. Dragging her around from place-to-place while you figure out what your next move is won’t cut it, and you know that.”

Damnit. She was right. He did know that. He didn’t want to drag Yukiko around in the middle of the night to some stupid ass motel when she was already asleep. Likely it would only wake her up and she’d either be upset about being in a strange place or she simply wouldn’t go back to sleep. It would be easier and better to just unfold the couch, lay her back down, and crash next to her. But this was Uraraka’s place. It was her home. Maybe it wasn’t as weird as he was making it out in his head, but… She was a pro hero. Being friends with her was one thing, but this felt like something else.

Yeah, he was getting into his own head.

Her expression softened, and he really hated it when she did that. It had no right to be that effective. “I’m not going to force it on you, but hear me out. It’s late, so just stay here tonight. It’s really not a big deal. I’ll stay out of your way so you won’t even know I’m here. You can get a motel room when you get off work but before you pick Yukiko up from daycare. It’s just for a few hours and you’ll save money.”

Shigaraki almost scowled. “You’re a nightmare to deal with sometimes.”

Uraraka blew a soft raspberry, not fully managing to suppress a grin. “Gee, what a way to compliment a girl after she offers you and your baby a place to stay the night after rats attacked her in your apartment.”

“They didn’t attack you.”

“I swear that one behind the bookcase jumped at me!”

“Well, you two look cozy,” Ashido said from behind.

Both Uraraka and Shigaraki took a step back from each other. When he turned around, he found Ashido smirking at them far too knowingly. His glare did absolutely nothing to deter to look on her face. In fact, it only seemed to make it worse. He was far too used to Touya giving him that look. He did not need it here too. Sometimes, it really sucked when people knew them well. It was harder to get away with bullshit.

“Everything okay?” Uraraka asked.

“What?” Ashido’s smirk fell, but then she glanced at the phone in her hand and got the point. “Oh, yeah! Everything’s fine. It was, uh...”

Uraraka sighed. “I figured. It’s okay. You can say his name. I’m not gonna get all weepy.”

Oh, the call that had taken Ashido into the hallway - it had been from Bakugou. Shigaraki wasn’t an idiot. The only person she would avoid talking about would probably be her ex, especially with him around. She’d never said he was her ex directly, even if he had found out. Shit, he still hadn’t told her or Touya about Bakugou confronting him at work. To be honest, it kind of slipped his mind. Every time he thought about it, he’d decide to tell her later and then he’d forget about it by the time “later” arrived. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal.

Ashido laughed awkwardly. “Right, of course! He needed my advice for something and got all worked up and, well…”

“Go on,” Uraraka told her.

A groan slipped from Ashido. “I’m the worst, aren’t I?”

“Nah, you’re the best friend ever.” Uraraka smiled and walked over to hug her. “Don’t let him drive you crazy too much or I’ll beat him up.”

“Isn’t that my job?” Ashido joked as she hugged her back. When she pulled away, she pointed at Shigaraki. “What about Mr. Mom over there? You good with him?”

Mr. Mom-? Shigaraki took a deep breath. No, he wasn’t going to say anything to insult Uraraka’s best friend. That would only end poorly. Uraraka was offering him a place for Yukiko (and him) to stay the night so he didn’t have to search for a place to sleep last second. The least he could do was keep his mouth shut instead of saying something that would likely get him either kicked out or floated to the ceiling for timeout. She was lucky he’d practiced not saying shit in prison or around Fuyumi.

Uraraka tossed him a look over her shoulder and shrugged. “I should be fine. I think I can take him.”

“I was a notorious villain for years,” Shigaraki said, sounding too close to petulant for his taste.

“The key word being ‘was’. I’m still a hero.” Uraraka gave him the finger guns, which he honestly didn’t know how to take. His expression fell somewhere in between bemused and unamused, which made Ashido laugh. They said goodbye, Ashido waved to either him or Yukiko, and then she was gone. Uraraka turned back around to him. “I’ll get the pillows and blanket and get the couch set up.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she cut in, “You’ve got a sleeping baby in her arms. Deal with it. Just think of this as a luxury hotel.”

Shigaraki checked out what he could see of the apartment. “I mean, compared to some of the places I’ve slept, it’s not that bad.”

“Thanks,” Uraraka replied dryly as she took the couch cushions off and pulled out the couch to turn it into a bed. “You should’ve seen my place before I moved here. It was huge. I didn’t know what to do with all that space. There was so much junk we didn’t even need. I kinda felt like I didn’t belong because it was so nice.”

“Right.” Shigaraki nodded. “Ground Zero was the number five hero last year, so he must’ve been raking in the big bucks. No wonder it was ridiculous.”

Uraraka froze at the closet, but before he could even think to half-ass apologize or say something else, she kept moving. She pulled a blanket and two pillows out and then carried them over to the makeshift bed. “Yeah, it was. I never would’ve been able to afford a place on my own like that, so it made sense for me to move out.” She turned around and put on a smile. “I don’t mind the size of this place though, to be honest. It’s cozier. I kinda prefer it that way. Makes it feel more like home.”

He couldn’t tell whether she genuinely meant it or if she simply wanted to avoid the topic. Either way, he wasn’t about to bring up Bakugou again. That had been twice in less than a few minutes, and he could sense her discomfort. It was strange. She didn’t look upset at the mention of his name so much as she just didn’t want to hear it at all. He could understand that. He hated even thinking about All Might and avoided thoughts about All for One as much as possible. She didn’t need him digging up dirt. He didn’t need that kind of blackmail on people anymore.

“You sure this is okay?” Shigaraki asked, trying his hardest to be polite. His patience was waning, however, and he could feel his ability to deal with things getting shorter.

“Yes, and if you need another night or two to get your shit together, that’s fine.” Uraraka watched him lay Yukiko down on the mattress. She rolled onto her side, throwing her head back in what looked like a very uncomfortable position and curling her hands under her chin. How did she sleep like that? “I go back to work in two days, but it’s day shift still. I just want Yukiko to be safe and content.”

“Babies make you so soft,” Shigaraki mocked.

“Just this one,” Uraraka chirped, “and Yukiko.” She was never going to stop that joke, was she? He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but just barely. “Shower is down the hall on the left. Towels are in there too. I’ll be in my room fake-liking facebook statuses and Instagram pictures in between reading articles out of spite if you need me.”

Shigaraki shook his head as she walked down the hall into the room across from the one she pointed out as the bathroom. What a ridiculous woman. She was so painfully normal that he almost forgot about the video he’d seen of her on the news. How could someone that incredibly strong - someone willing to die and risk their life for complete strangers in another country - be the same person who froze up when she heard her ex’s name or spent time on social media platforms feeling petty? It didn’t make any sense.

Okay, maybe it did, considering he used to obsessively read articles about heroes even though he hated them, collected merch just to destroy it, and went on walks to clear his mind in between committing villainous and vigilante acts that the government marked as terrorism. Humans were complex creatures even in their simplicity. There had to be the ordinary even within the extraordinary.

As much as he wanted to take a shower, the idea of taking one in Uraraka’s bathroom with her shampoo and soap threw him off too much. If he did that, he would lie awake thinking about it for hours while Yukiko soundly slept, and he didn’t want to do that. He glanced at the products while using the restroom, which was decorated almost as sparsely as his, and was surprised to find they were similar to the items he bought. Yeah, her body wash was fruity as expected, but most of her stuff was pretty basic, meant for price over function or girliness. She really did have a habit of spending money frugally.

Yukiko was still asleep when he turned off the lights and laid down next to her. Her little mouth was parted slightly so that he could hear her breathing. He tugged his gloves on and pulled the blanket up to his waist. Sleeping in an unfamiliar place usually put him on edge. He could see the glow of Uraraka’s bedroom underneath her door and then shut his eyes in determination to fall asleep. Just when he was considering saying fuck it and turning on the tv, he fell asleep with one hand resting on Yukiko. She was safe and happy. It was strangely comforting enough to put him at ease here.

Chapter Text

Uraraka was still asleep when Shigaraki woke up, but that was only because Yukiko woke up a few hours later. He sat with her for an hour watching television and coaxing her back to sleep before he fell asleep with her in his arms. Little brat. When he woke up again, it was to the sound of the sink running in the bathroom, which meant she was awake. He really freaking should take a shower before he went to work, but there was that same dilemma. It was weird enough taking a shower in a hotel, but in someone else’s place? With them in it?

To be honest, there probably wasn’t anything odd about that, but he didn’t like it. Maybe it was a leftover feeling from prison where the showers were a good place to get stabbed. He’d never liked going there after that incident, even if it didn’t happen again. Uraraka wasn’t likely to stab him, so he should be safe, but he couldn’t help but be wary. Maybe he could take one at Touya’s. That would be odd. Call up Touya to use his shower instead of the one right here. He’d ask questions.

Shigaraki did not need him asking questions. He’d told Touya that he was getting a hotel room and planned on letting him keep thinking that. The asshole kept secrets from him all the time. He could do the same once in a while.

When Uraraka slunk out of the bathroom, her hair was still a mess and eyelids heavy. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she groaned and covered her face. “I stayed up too late watching TV on my phone. I don’t know why I do that. It always messes with my sleep schedule.”

Absolutely ridiculous. Shigaraki waved a hand at her. “Go back to bed.”

“But Yukiko-”

“She’s fine. I’ll lay her on a towel or whatever in the bathroom while I shower and change for work.” Before she could argue with him, he grabbed her by the shoulders and somewhat gently shoved her back into her bedroom. She only pouted a little, but she didn’t fight him. Once inside, she sighed and waved a dismissive hand at him, and he stepped back so he could shut the door.

For some reason, he had a feeling it hadn’t just been Netflix keeping her up. There was something off about her this morning. She looked kind of...bummed out. The usual spark he saw in her wasn’t there. Maybe it was just because she was tired. He wasn’t exactly Prince Charming when he woke up first thing in the morning.

Biting the bullet, Shigaraki did as he said he would, laying Yukiko on a towel to play, while he took the world’s quickest shower. He could not afford to show up to work looking grimy when he wanted to ask for a raise. If one of his coworkers asked him why he smelled like sweet green tea, then he’d glare long enough to make them leave. He had packed the quirk-enhanced lotion to counteract his quirk’s issues and fixed his hair as much as he could. There, he looked pretty presentable considering how fast he went.

Even Yukiko seemed to approve as she raised her arms to him and said, “Dada!”

Shigaraki froze. Had she just…? No, it couldn’t be. She loved to babble, but he’d never heard a clear word from her. He’d been getting kind of nervous since he had read that a lot of kids said their first words around five or six months. He didn’t want to think she was behind in developing, but then she had spent the first three months of her life on the run with a serial killer. He didn’t know what to expect in how that might affect her mental and emotional development. Not even her pediatrician knew what to think when she’d had that information laid on her.

And then, as clear as day, with a little more insistence: “Dada!”

His stomach twisted, and he bent down to her level. “Yeah, that’s me.”

Yukiko smiled at him, two teeth poking out of her gums to give him a crooked smile. Carefully, he picked up her with a four finger hold and then lifted her as he stood. She kicked her legs and laughed as he dangled her in the air, quite pleased with the movement. “Dada.”

When he moved to hold her against his chest, she put her arms almost around his neck and leaned her cheek on his shoulder, like she was hugging him. He sighed. “Ah, fuck.”

Hadn’t he made fun of Uraraka for being soft around babies? Look at him now, feeling all sorts of conflicted and befuddled over Yukiko saying “dad” as her first understandable word. He was goddamn weak. Even the most pathetic villain would probably be able to pick him off at this point.

It was kind of weird leaving Uraraka’s place while she was asleep, but once he was out the door, relief overwhelmed him. Not that the apartment was weird or she was strange, but it felt so oddly domestic and simple that he couldn’t take it. Accepting help in the form of her watching Yukiko and paying for a meal once was one thing, but he’d slept on her couch. People couldn’t possibly be that nice without ulterior motives, could they? He supposed if anyone could it would be her, but he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to take it.

Shortly after dropping Yukiko off at daycare and making his way to work to open up the store, he got a text from Touya, his usual concerned self: You find a place to stay for now? Fuyumi’s been bugging me about it non-stop. She’s worried.

Shigaraki finished the last few steps of opening before he responded back: Yeah. Tell her not to worry about it.

Where?

Got a hotel room like I said I would.

Which one?

Furrowing his brow, Shigaraki dropped into the chair behind the counter and typed back irritably: What’s with the third degree? You normally don’t give a shit to ask so many details.

Because I wanted to make sure you were telling the truth. And you aren’t.

What the…? Stupid asshole. How would he know that? It wasn’t like Touya was a natural-born lie detector. Just because he was good at lying and it was second nature to him did not mean he could spot a lie through texts alone or that everyone else lied as much as him. Granted, Shigaraki was lying, but it wasn’t lying he was sleeping in a ditch or anything. Yukiko had been safe and warm and actually slept pretty damn good, all things considered. Touya just needed to get off his case.

Maybe I just don’t want you popping up unannounced like you did at my apartment all the time.

No. You would’ve told me where and then insulted me. You avoided it instead.

Since when did you become a detective?

You learn to catch details like that when you’re living a lie and need to be one step ahead to keep it that way. Damnit, the asshole had to make a low blow. He wasn’t wrong. Touya had kept his charade up as Dabi for so long because he didn’t give any details about his history. Shigaraki hadn’t even been aware of the truth about his quirk until well into his time with the League. He had to be able to catch their tells in case one of them figured out his. Look, I don’t give a shit and I’ll make up something if need be, but Fuyumi is concerned. She says our place is open to you.

And what do you say?

That we sorta lived together twice already and I ain’t about that life again.

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. Prison doesn’t count since we were on different blocks most of the time.

Yeah that’s how it felt with my dad when I lived at home. We were under the same roof. That’s bad enough.
So how was it staying at a pro hero’s place? Was Uraraka’s bed cozy?

That bastard! Okay, so it probably wasn’t a stretch to come to the conclusion where he’d stayed the night before if he hadn’t gone to a motel. Touya was right: if he had, he would’ve just told Touya the name of the place and been done with it. However, he hadn’t planned on him asking and being so persistent. Maybe he wouldn’t have been if Fuyumi wasn’t worried over it, but neither one of them were good at saying no to her. Every time he thought about it, he would vaguely remember Hana, and he couldn’t… He couldn’t do it.

Gripping his phone tightly, Shigaraki shot back: the couch might’ve been better than my bed.

See. That wasn’t so hard to answer was it?

Her place is actually smaller than yours and Fuyumi’s.

I’m shocked. Pros make them big bucks. I think my dad got a big house just to spend money.

She’s not that high ranked and had to move out of her ex’s much fancier place.

Oh yeah must’ve been a downgrade from living with Ground Zero.

Shigaraki stared at the phone. How the hell did Touya know that Bakugou was Uraraka’s ex? He didn’t remember telling him about it. He hadn’t even said anything about the little shit hero coming into his workplace to threaten him. That had been a blast. It was a good thing Bakugou didn’t know about him staying over at her place or he was likely to come back here to kick shit up again.

How do you know about that?

It was all over those hero entertainment magazines and tv stations. Oh. Had it been? Shigaraki didn’t keep up with those and Uraraka had mentioned about stuff about the media. Even minor heroes could get in the middle of bad press when something humiliating happened. They could’ve talked about accomplishments, but instead they were asking her how she was faring over her ex moving on faster than her. But actually I know because of Shouto. Looks like someone made it onto his shit list above you. He complains about him a lot.

I’m honored to not be at the top of the list.

He hasn’t done anything in a while so I’d be careful if I were you. Not that Touya and Shouto knew at least since Shigaraki hadn’t told Touya about the confrontation. No doubt that would piss Shouto off. Now he kind of wanted to tell him so he’d have one Todoroki off his back. I won’t tell him you’re staying with one of his best friends. :) he’s very protective of her.

That last thing he needed was any more pro heroes in his shit, but he very likely wasn’t going to get that. He needed to get a motel after work. Once he was out of Uraraka’s hair, he’d be relieved. He hadn’t even shared a cell in prison after his cellmate tried to strangle him in a poor attempt at a paid hit. They’d decided it was better for him to remain isolated for the most part when authorities, heroes, villains, and criminals alike weren’t a fan of him. Touya had faced the same issue. Staying somewhere with someone else felt weird all over again. He’d kind of gotten used to it after being with the League for so long, but prison broke him of the habit.

Yukiko didn’t count. She was a baby. Uraraka was another matter entirely. It felt too… Intimate wasn’t the right word, but it was uncomfortable for a lot of reasons he couldn’t describe.

I’m not staying there for long. Getting a room tonight.

Stop being a dumbass. Take advantage of a free place to stay.

It’s weird.

Hell yeah it is but your entire life is one big ball of weird. Or waste your money on a shit hotel that also might have rats. Use All Might’s money to get a better place. Do whatever you want. It’s your life - and Yukiko’s.

Touya was such a goddamn bastard. Shigaraki didn’t know why he was friends with him. Instead of responding to the mocking text, he shoved his phone into his pocket and sat down. He didn’t need to deal with this right now. He’d focus on work and then figure out what to do next.

It turned out that today - unlike every other day in this godforsaken place - was busy as hell. On top of that, he remembered at the last minute that he had to meet with his parole officer to tell her about his living situation. A call might have sufficed, but he had to be extra careful since his release had been controversial. Now that he had a child, it made things even more complicated. He needed to find a place to stay so he’d have a name to give and wouldn’t look bad, but she would be off work by then. A call would have to do. He could call her during work. He could…

Just stay one more night and get off work early tomorrow to find a place to stay for the rest of the week.

As much as he hated to admit it, Touya was right about the fund All Might had set up for him. It had been for a reason like this. Besides, it was for Yukiko. While All Might received alerts whenever the account was used, he had promised not to look into it. The money was for Shigaraki alone to use and none of his business. He didn’t know how much he could trust All Might not to poke his nose around, but it would have to do.

An hour before his shift was due to end, he bit the bit and called Uraraka. She didn’t answer. It kind of irritated him, but then she could’ve been doing anything. He was just being stupid because he was aggravated over this whole mess. She didn’t owe him anything, certainly not her time. Then he wondered if maybe something had happened to her and that was why she hadn’t answered. No, that was even more stupid. She was a pro-hero who was perfectly capable of handling herself, and he was in frustrated panic mode because he was homeless with a baby.

Fifteen minutes later, she called back right as a customer was walking out the door. Looking around to make sure he wasn’t needed and someone could man the front, he stepped in the back and answered the call. Before he could even get a word in, Uraraka exclaimed, “Sorry! I was skyping with my parents and didn’t hear my phone go off. I put it on vibrate when I’m chatting with them. What’s up?”

“Hey.” Good start, super solid. Shigaraki rolled his eyes at himself. “Would it be...super inconvenient...if we…”

“Stayed another night?” Uraraka filled in for him when he didn’t want to finish the sentence.

“Ugh, yeah.”

Uraraka laughed. “Don’t sound so enthused to stay the night! We can treat it like a sleepover. You ever have one of those before?”

“Yeah, the League had movie and pillowfort nights.”

“I’m sure Touya set them up too.”

“Of course, and he was also really big on cuddling during them, especially if it was a scary movie.”

She sputtered into laughter on the other end. It was becoming far too familiar of a sound, which was a thought he did not want to think about right now. “Seriously though, you’re good. Do you want me to pick up Yukiko?” It would make his trip to see his parole officer easier as he wouldn’t have to run to make it there. Plus, she was on the list of people allowed to pick her up. He thought of the questions he’d picked for the daycare employees to ask her to make sure it was really her. That was going to be awkward. “I’m going to take your silence as you debating over whether or not your pride can handle saying ‘yes’ and go pick her up. Cool?”

“Yeah, cool.” Shigaraki really didn’t like the fact that people were finding him so easy to read. Back in the day, no one knew what he was thinking. Hell, even he didn’t know half the time. Why were people catching on now? Was it because of the hands?

“Chin up. You can get a hotel room tomorrow and stop feeling so awkward.”

“Whatever. I’ll see you later.”

He could practically hear the smile when Uraraka replied, “Careful - that almost sounded like a goodbye,” and then she hung out without saying one.

Shigaraki glared at his phone like it would do something and then put it back in his pocket. How the hell had he managed to get himself in this situation? Staying with a pro-hero because his apartment complex was infested with rats? Was the world out to get him or something? Was this karma? He didn’t know and he likely wouldn’t find out. That was just how life worked.

*

After speaking with his parole officer, Shigaraki returned to Uraraka’s place, but not before he bought food. He was sleeping on her couch; he wasn’t about to eat her food too, even if she had offered it the night before. His parole officer wasn’t as displeased as Shigaraki thought she might be, especially after he explained where he was staying until he decided on a hotel. Staying at a pro hero’s place was about as positive as it could get for him. She also liked that he was looking to move somewhere nicer. It wasn’t a good way to get that bump to do more, but she approved of his decisions and thanked him for keeping her up-to-date.

Wearing workout clothes with her hair pulled up and Yukiko on her hip, Uraraka looked downright domestic when she answered the door. It was the single weirdest thing he’d ever experienced. This was like a scene out of a movie where the dad came home from work, the couple asked each other how their day was, and they kissed one another or some other PDA shit like that.

Except Uraraka did none of that as she turned on her heels to return to the living room. “Cool, you’re back. I’m going to the gym for an hour or two.” She set Yukiko down in her boppy pillow so she could play with her toys on the floor. It wouldn’t be long before she didn’t need it at all. She was already standing by holding onto things and dropping on her ass like it was the funniest thing ever. “Everything go over okay with your parole officer?”

“Yeah.” Shigaraki dropped onto the couch, which Uraraka had folded up after he left. Shit, he should’ve done that, but he hadn’t been thinking. He hadn’t even planned on returning. What an asshole move. “She’s not happy about the whole couch surfing ordeal, but there are worse people I could be staying with until I find a better solution.”

Crouched over a gym bag, Uraraka bit her lip as she went through it. “There are plenty of people willing to help you out until then.”

“No.”

“I’m just saying - he would love to help-”

“I said no.” Shigaraki refused to even look at her, but he heard her sigh and stand upright. “I’m not asking All Might for help. I’d rather sleep in a ditch.”

“Okay, okay.” She pulled the strap of her bag over her head so that it hung diagonally across her chest. “You need anything while I’m out?” He shook his head. He did not need to ask her for more. She’d already done too much, and he didn’t know how to handle it. A part of him felt like he should do something for her, but he didn’t know what, and he hated feeling like he owed someone. “Controller for the tv is on the stand. The gaming system is the same as yours. Sake in the fridge if you need a de-stressor.”

Shigaraki scoffed. “Uh, no, I think I made a fool out of myself enough the other night.”

Uraraka chuckled. “True enough. Be good, both of you.”

When she bent over to kiss Yukiko on the head, Yukiko laughed and chattered at her loudly. Something that almost resembled “bye” could be heard from her, which made Uraraka smile. She’d just said “dada” this morning. Could she already be saying another word? Uraraka bounced out of the apartment like she was excited to go to the gym, which, ugh, sounded terrible. He’d never actually gone to a gym, but it sounded like a terrible idea. Running and lifting shit and whatever around a bunch of sweaty people? No thank you.

With Yukiko entertaining herself, babbling included, Shigaraki dug around one of the bags he packed and pulled out the memory card and a few games for his PlayStation. Lugging the whole thing around didn’t make sense, but he figured keeping the card and games on him might come in handy somewhere. He needed to blow off some steam while he ate, and this was the perfect time. He put on his gloves just in case - this wasn’t his system, after all - and popped in a game. Plus, Yukiko sometimes liked to watch him play. The only issue was that she preferred to be in his lap when she did, which made it a little awkward.

Fortunately for him, Yukiko seemed content to watch from her spot on the ground and play with her toys. He couldn’t tell if she was actually paying attention to the game, but she did sorta crawl in that direction. It was an awkward scoot on her belly, but she made it from the blanket to the front of the television. He didn’t have to pay as much attention while playing Persona so he could keep an eye on her, but Uraraka’s place was tidy and didn’t have a lot of things she could get in. He had to stop a few times when she tried to crawl around the back of the couch, pissing her off when he moved her back to her blanket.

Still, he wasn’t really in the mood to play a game by himself, so he switched to one of the online games he favored. He’d gone through a few, but it wasn’t the game so much as the people he could play with. Hey, he’d been the leader of the League of Villains - which meant that he’d learned to value teams. As much as he’d wanted to kill All Might and didn’t always like dealing with other villains, once they were a part of his squad, they were his. He’d learned that basic skill while gaming online. Some people were truly idiotic and couldn’t do shit no matter how hard they tried, but every now and then, he found a person who could actually play.

He was fortunate that Uraraka had a headset with a mic since he hadn’t packed his. He snorted at the thought of her cursing up a storm over the mic while playing a game. No doubt every guy with the speakers on freaked out when they realized a girl was playing. They probably tried giving her tips before each game. And Uraraka was so sweet at first. They would’ve been thrown for a trip when she started threatening them mid-game. Actually, that would be kind of fun. They should do that. He hadn’t had a good laugh in a while - or like ever - but it would be very entertaining to listen to a bunch of guys panic over her foul mouth.

A familiar name popped on the screen, pulling Shigaraki out of his thoughts as he waited for the game to load. There were a handful of people that he’d played with repeatedly on multiplayer online games - once you found a good player, you stuck with them for as long as you needed in a campaign - but none of them more so than TazerBlazer. It was a stupid ass name, but the guy had had it since they were kids, and it was his brand by now. In a way, they had sort of grown up together, which was weird since Shigaraki didn’t even know his real name. Most people probably would have asked for given it by now, but, well, it just never came up.

And it wasn’t like he could tell the other guy that he was Tomura Shigaraki, leader of Japan’s most notorious villain turned haphazard vigilante group.

A message from TazerBlazer popped up a few minutes later while Shigaraki was trying to corral Yukiko into sitting next to him and not on him: wut up my man u ready for some ass kickin or u got le bebe?

Yukiko refused to sit next to him, so he had to settle for her half lying/half sitting in his lap while she drank a bottle of formula. That seemed to appease her, although the way she was looking at him over the bottle suggested she knew exactly what she was doing and was being stubborn on purpose. Shigaraki wouldn’t doubt it. As luck would have it, he had to have the world’s most stubborn child. She even refused to roll over when it was just him around. She did for Uraraka and even Touya. Absolutely rude.

Shigaraki typed in a quick response: I got her but I can still play

Yasssss lets fuck em up

Eloquently said, but he’d always been like that since they were younger. Maybe it was kind of weird that Shigaraki knew so much about him and yet so little, but that was how online partnerships were like. They both knew some deep shit about each other while being vague about everything else. Shigaraki’s bad habit of randomly oversharing meant he got into some pretty heated online discussions, especially while gaming, but he couldn’t be honest or open about everything. Tazer must have been brought up to wary of strangers but was also too friendly to not just talk.

He was kind of a dumbass, had destroyed enough controllers due to his quirk to the point where his parents wouldn’t buy him one, and had a fondness for heroes, but he was a damn good healer, enjoyed it, and a quick learner. Even if he didn’t know a game well, he picked up with ease after playing for a little. Shigaraki didn’t mind giving tutorials because then someone was listening to him. It was a nice ego boost when he was a teenager and no one thought he was capable of leading the League.

After switching over to Overwatch and getting everything set up, he turned on the mic and said, “I might actually be better this time around. This TV is way nicer than mine.”

“Oh yeah?” Tazer’s cheerful voice came through the TV speakers. “You move in with that girl?”

Shigaraki grunted in irritation. “No.” He paused and looked around the room. “I am at her place though.”

“Ooooh,” Tazer cooed playfully. “Taking things to the next level, huh? I knew you had it in you!”

“No, I am not,” Shigaraki said flatly. “My apartment building turned out to be infested with rats, so I moved out and am crashing here until I get a hotel room and a new apartment.”

Tazer burst out into laughter. “For real? Man, the weirdest shit happens to you!” He had absolutely no idea. The baby thing had come out of nowhere and he’d been shocked by that, but then drunken hookups with sketchy use of protection could lead to that, so he’d been understanding. He was very careful about that. No time for a baby and it cramped his style. The things Shigaraki knew about this idiot. “But it’s cool that she’s letting you and your baby crash there. And she games too? Hey, if you swear you’re not into her… Is she single? Because she sounds awesome.”

Shigaraki may have hit the buttons on the controller harder than necessary. “I don’t think she’s interested in dating right now.”

“What a shame,” Tazer sighed dramatically. “I haven’t been on a date in a hot minute. I’ve been pretty busy with work and stuff. You need to play up the ‘dad card’. I’m telling you: women love it when guys are dads. Use that baby to your advantage. It’s been like - what? - two years since you’ve got laid? You need some!”

“I’m not using my baby to get laid.” Besides, that was how he’d ended up here in the first place.

Tazer did not have the same qualms. “Use the baby!”

The match started, pitting them against an opposite team, but that would do nothing to deter his talking. Most of the time, talking only distracted players, but it seemed to help him out. Maybe it had something to do with focus. His constant chattering also drove other players crazy and into muting him and distracting them. It was a good tactic. Shigaraki could tune him out or also talk, so it didn’t faze him. The guy could talk endlessly, although he had stopped chattering as much as he did when they were kids.

Shigaraki grimaced when he was shot and had to run away to avoid getting taken out entirely. Playing with a baby in his lap wasn’t impossible, but it did make things a little awkward. “Ah, I need-”

“I got you, bro.” Tazer healed him in a flash and was then off. “How’s the babby anyway? She handling the move okay? I had to move when I was like four and I hated it.”

“I don’t think she cares much as long as there’s food and she’s being held.”

“Damn, what a mood. I feel that, girl.”

“That’s because you’re a baby.”

“Hey now! I’m a grown ass man. I was a cute baby though - a cute kid, really.”

“You’re probably just greasy and scrawny as hell.”

Tazer laughed, unbothered by the insult. By now he was probably used to it. Comments like that hadn’t even affected him when they first started playing together. It was partly why he made such a good teammate. “Nah, man, that’s you! I’m in hella good shape - have to be for my job. Trust me, these abs come at a cost and sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it. I swear all my friends are like beasts and super fit and I’m still struggling at the gym. I was not built for this.”

“Then why do it?”

“Because I love it - even when I suffer for it.”

“How inspirational.”

“What can I say? I’m a walking fountain of inspiration.”

Another voice cut in: “Can you two shut up?”

Shigaraki immediately shot down the player who belonged to the voice and said a simple, “No,” before muting him and continuing on with the game. Tazer cackled. While other people were usually turned off with his brusque behavior at times, he never had been. According to him, he had a friend that was similar, so he was used to it. Plus, he thought it was funny. Once you got used to a person and knew their ins and outs, it made it easier to work together. And simply put, Tazer was a great teammate and player.

The doorknob to the front door jiggled, the sound of keys unlocking it almost distracting Shigaraki from the game, but then it was just Uraraka walking inside. She’d changed clothes, so she must’ve showered after working out. Who put on clean clothes after working out without showering?

She set her stuff down and kicked off her shoes. “I didn’t expect her to still be awake.”

“This thing? She never sleeps on time.”

Uraraka walked into the kitchen and then returned with a water. “Having fun?”

“A blast.” Shigaraki paused to concentrate on counter-taking a guy out. “We’re winning at least.”

“Oh hey hey! Is that her?” Tazer piped up excitedly. Shit, he hadn’t muted him, and the mic must’ve been strong enough to pick up her voice. He should’ve said something when he heard the door being unlocked, but he’d been in the middle of a tense fight and nearly died.

Shigaraki’s lips twitched, but he refrained from scowling. Not like it would do any good online. “Uh yeah, it is.”

Uraraka grinned and made her way over to the couch. Instead of sitting down on it, she leaned over and rested her forearms on the back of it above Yukiko. “You got online friends? How cute.”

“Hi, mystery girl!” Tazer greeted. “I’ve heard a lot about you! Well, not really, but it’s rare for this grouchy bastard to talk about anyone in his life, so you stood out.” Uraraka laughed, which he could not handle. Nope, he was going to mute Tazer. He could complain about it later, but that was it. Her being around Touya was bad enough, but this person was different. He’d known Shigaraki when he was a teenager. He’d been such an annoying little shit. “Oh, can she play? Can you play? You should play!”

“Yeah, I-” Uraraka stopped abruptly, her brow furrowing as she stared at the television screen. Without warning, she stood upright and walked around the couch to stand next to the TV, as if that might help her see better. The action was confusing enough to distract Shigaraki and get him killed, but he didn’t really care, not when her eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped. She rushed to jump on the couch next to Shigaraki, sitting with her legs folded underneath her, and pulled the mic away from his mouth towards hers. “Kaminari, is that you?”

For once in the many, many years that Shigaraki had known this particular player, Tazer was dead silent. His character went still on the screen, and he didn’t seem to notice when he was killed. “Uh...yeah...it is? Who’s-? Wait, you sound familiar. Do I know you? Like in real life?”

“Yeah, you do!” Uraraka exclaimed. “We were only in the same hero course together and I dated one of your closest friends for three years!”

“Holy fuck, Uraraka ?”

“Yes, Kaminari!”

Wait. Why did that name sound familiar? Shigaraki knew that name. He’d heard it from somewhere before.

“Whoa, so wait, you’re real-life friends with Strider? You’re the one that’s been helping him out with his kid and he’s totally got repressed feelings for?”

“Oi!” Shigaraki barked. What the hell kind of comment was that? He knew Tazer - no, Kamarini - didn’t have a filter for what came out of his mouth, but that was uncalled for as fuck.

“No shit! This is so wild!” Kaminari continued without missing a beat. “What a crazy coincidence. I was just thinking about you today. So how do you know Strider?”

Uraraka gawked at the screen. “How do you know Shigaraki?”

“Huh?”

“The person you’re playing with - it’s Shigaraki.”

“As in…”

Shigaraki sighed and rubbed his forehead. “The one and only.”

The game came to an end, their team having lost after both he and Tazer gave up on playing. Now he remembered how he knew the name - Kaminari was one of the other students from Class A with Midoriya and Uraraka. He was or at least had been friends with Bakugou. He was also a pro hero now after having graduated from UA.

“Whoa… That’s, uh…” Kaminari coughed. “Does Bakugou know you’re hanging around him?”

“Yes,” Uraraka said, surprising Shigaraki. She knew he knew? “Mina accidentally spilled it. I don’t care about that. It doesn’t matter what he thinks. This is my life.” Damn straight it was. That was what he’d told Bakugou when the explosive gremlin came into his store. “What I care about is the fact that you two have been gaming with each other - for a while, it sounds like - without even knowing each other’s identities! What the hell!”

Kaminari laughed weakly. “Weird, right? It’s weird, isn’t it, man?”

Uraraka pinched the bridge of her nose. “How long have you two been gaming with each other?”

“Er…”

“Over ten years,” Shigaraki admitted when Kaminari wouldn’t.

“Oh my god.” Leaning back on the couch, Uraraka pressed her hands together and held them in front of her lips. “You were chatting and gaming with Shigaraki regularly when he was a villain and you were a student at UA?” She took a deep breath. He could not fucking believe this. The whole time... “Kaminari, were you an unintentional leak?”

“No!” Kaminari exclaimed.

Shigaraki tossed the controller aside, the desire to play completely gone. “I didn’t even know he was a hero or went to UA! I thought he was just going to some super uppity high school.”

“So like when you said you were off the grid for a while, it was because you were in prison?”

“I literally said I was locked up.”

“I thought you were being metaphorical or some shit! You like to use a lot of metaphors when you talk - you know, because you had like a super strict dad that put a lot of pressure on you or- Oh. Oh, your dad.”

Shigaraki groaned and hid in his face in his hands. Yukiko laughed and tried to roll out of his lap, forcing him to jerk forward to catch her. It was not funny. Even Uraraka wasn’t laughing, silently sitting close to him while she took everything in. Kaminari had gone silent again. It was true that Shigaraki was often vague and evasive about his life, but he had to be. He never exactly lied, but just told things in a different way, building up a story for his online presence. He’d never referred to All for One or Kurogiri as his dad, but letting Kaminari believe it had made things easier.

Uraraka cleared her throat and peered at Shigaraki out of the corner of her eyes. “I...don’t know what to say...”

He was so done with this. The absurdity of his life was threatening to crush him. The entire time he was trying to find a way into UA and destroy hero society from the inside out, he had an in and didn’t even realize it. Hell, not even that, they’d built up a rapport since they were dumbass teens. Hell, since Kaminari was Uraraka’s age, he couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve when they first started teaming up.

Every little detail that he knew about Kaminari from simply playing with him for years slowly pieced together to become a bigger picture. An obvious hero fan but not super big about it, his hectic schedule, all the references to school, internships, job. Internet friendships were strange. People could know intimate details about a person’s life and also be completely unaware of larger details.

Shigaraki had told him that he worked in a retail store, but he’d never specified what kind - he had a kid from a one night stand, but not how he’d acquired her - that he’d been raised by a manipulative bastard but not that said bastard was a supervillain. A simple “Yeah I’ve got a huge exam coming up so I won’t be on for a while” probably meant Kaminari was taking the Provisional Hero License Exam or doing some insane final exam at UA. Getting tied up at work meant he had to work overtime at his hero agency. Getting his ass kicked by his teachers literally meant getting his ass kicked by his teachers.

How stupid could he be?

“Well, this has certainly been enlightening,” a familiar, awful, terrible voice quipped from the speakers.

God. Fucking. Damnit. He hadn’t even noticed that Touya had gotten online. He very rarely did unless he was in a piss poor mood and wanted to ruin someone’s day. Half the time, he didn’t even use the mic so that only silence came from his end. Shigaraki was pretty sure he muted them half the time since he sometimes completely did the opposite of what he told him to do. Now, however, he sounded incredibly cheerful and pleased.

Shigaraki dropped his head back against the couch and let out a groan, which only made Touya laugh. “What the hell do you want?”

“Well, I was going to see if you all wanted to play a few more rounds, but then I came in on this delightful revelation.”

“Don’t tell me,” Kaminari said. “Someone also from the League?”

Touya cackled, and Shigaraki could hear the smirk in his voice. “I can’t believe I’ve been gaming with one of my little brother’s friends. He’s going to lose his shit.”

“Holy shit, Dabi! Todoroki is gonna kill me!” Kaminari exclaimed. “Who was the other guy? No, no, don’t tell me. I’m already in deep shit if Bakugou finds out.” He paused and then made a hysterical sound. Uraraka put a hand over her mouth. “Dude, we played like the night before the Camping Trip! What the hell were you doing gaming then?”

“I needed to blow off some steam,” Shigaraki muttered. “I was stressed out. The game took my mind off it.”

“We talked about it,” Kaminari continued in a flabbergasted voice.

“What?” Uraraka squeaked.

“Well, like, he didn’t call it a kidnapping.” Kaminari’s mic messed up as he moved around. Honestly, Shigaraki was surprised that he was still on and hadn’t bounced the second he realized what had happened, but then again, he hadn’t ended the voice chat either. “He said he’d been put in charge of hiring and it was a lot of responsibility. He was in the process of trying to recruit someone that could make a difference for their team.”

Touya sounded like he might actually choke and die on his end. “Hiring? You called that shit show hiring? We attacked a bunch of high school students and you called it hiring?”

“We were adding another member to our party!” Shigaraki shot back.

“That’s even worse!” Touya howled.

Kaminari made a strange whining sound. “Oh man, I even wished you good luck and told you that I hoped he joined your group. I figured your dad was trusting you with more responsibility. And when I didn’t hear from you for a while, I figured he had and you were swamped with work.”

“Well, we were.” If only the couch could swallow him whole. There was no way he could stay with Uraraka now. She’d probably want him out of the apartment - maybe even out of her life. He didn’t know why it felt like such a big deal, but everything felt sideways.

Even worse, Uraraka had gone quiet, holding her hands over her mouth. He couldn’t tell if she was upset or not. Mostly she looked flummoxed and unsure of what to think, but it was hard to tell when she was mostly silent. He peered at her, and she turned to connect eyes with him. Neither one of them moved or blinked. Normally, she was easy to read, but right now, he couldn’t get a handle on her at all. Anxiety made his stomach turn. Better than anger, which he might’ve felt had he been alone.

While Touya continued to poke fun at the situation and Kaminari denied giving away any sensitive information, Shigaraki put a hand over the mic so they wouldn’t be able to hear him talk. “I swear I didn’t know who he was. If I had, I admittedly would’ve tried to exploit it way more, but I didn’t.”

“It’s hard to believe since you two have known each other for so long, but…” Uraraka dropped her hands onto her thighs. “You didn’t know Touya’s identity for over a year and you were around each other almost every day.” She bit her lip as she considered her next words carefully. “I think I heard you two playing. Kaminari is the one who got me into gaming. We’d play in his dorm some nights or I’d watch him to learn. He’d play with a guy that he’d known for a while. He said… He said you were one of the reasons he applied to UA.”

Shigaraki ran his fingers through his hair. This was unreal. This couldn’t be happening. “I didn’t know he went to UA. He said he was thinking about applying to one of the top schools in Japan, but he didn’t know if he was smart enough for it.” He took a deep breath. He didn’t want to think about it, but his brain kept supplying him with more random conversations he and Tazer had had over the years. Everything made so much sense, and it didn’t at the same time. He’d been talking with a UA student the whole damn time… “I told him to go for it. The worst they could say was no. Not taking the shot would be a wasted opportunity.”

“Oh my god.” Uraraka stared at him. “You’re so inspiring.”

“This is so damn stupid.” Shigaraki picked up Yukiko and moved her so that she was standing on the ground and using the couch to keep herself up. She liked to do that, even if she didn’t go anywhere. She wrapped one hand around the leg of his pants while she put her other hand on Uraraka’s knee. “I cannot fucking believe it.”

“Your longest friend is Kaminari."

“No, no, don’t put that on me.”

“And your second is Touya.”

This couldn’t be happening. Shigaraki could not believe he had not only been gaming with one of the kids he’d probably tried to kill or came close to it indirectly thanks to another League member, but he had actively been friends with the guy. They’d spent a lot of hours talking late into the night when both of them should’ve been asleep over the most absolute bullshit. It could’ve been another game or a movie or the stress of responsibility and living up to people’s expectations or whatever.

And he’d never fucking known...

Uraraka gasped as if an idea struck her. “You’ve known each other since Kaminari was in middle school!” She leaned forward to grab the mic again, seemingly not noticing how close she was to him. “Kaminari, what was Shigaraki like when you first met him? He was a teenager!”

“That’s years of blackmail,” Touya declared. “Let’s hear how cringy and dorky he was.”

Shigaraki swiped the mic back from Uraraka. “Don’t you dare!”

Unfortunately for him, Kaminari was either incredibly brave, dumb, or did not give a single fuck whatsoever. “Well, he ranted a lot about people on online forums for anything from like games to books to heroes-”

That set Uraraka off, who sputtered into laughter all over again. “Just like Deku!”

Shigaraki slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her, but he could still hear her muffled laughs. “Stop it.” The tone in his voice was far too close to pleading for his taste, so he added a glare, but all she did was shake her head to let him know that it didn’t work. “You might not have accidentally betrayed UA, but you’re a goddamn traitor, Kaminari.”

“Hey! This is good for your image!” Kaminari replied defensively. How could this possibly help him in any way? It was humiliating on every level. His longest gaming companion was a hero. He’d been stuck with them for even longer than he knew. “Remember that time you ranted about Lord of the Rings for like two hours? I told you that I had a paper due on it in two days but I hadn’t read it, and I think you’d had like a few drinks and you just went off about it. That really helped me out. I just used what you said and wrote my paper. Present Mic liked it a lot.”

In his stunned state, Shigaraki didn’t even fight Uraraka when she grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from her mouth. “Truly an inspiration.”

“He also taught me how to play a bunch of games,” Kaminari continued. “I helped him out a bunch of times one night when we were both on the same team and just kinda clicked.” He no longer sounded shocked, but now he was confused. Shigaraki just wanted to die. “I thought it was cool that an older kid was helping me out, and he seemed, well, kinda by himself, so it worked out. We, uh, made a good team.”

“I think you tried to recruit the wrong hero student,” Touya supplied unhelpfully.

Shigaraki closed his eyes. “Touya?”

“Yeah?”

“Log off before I come over and strangle you with your own charger cable.”

“Too bad, asshole, I’m not home.”

“Where are you-?”

The echoing sound of a door closing interrupted him, and Touya said, “Ah, well, it’s been real, but I guess I’m gonna log off early. Have fun with your hero best friend.” He logged off before Shigaraki could say a word, coming and going like the tricky bastard he had been in the League when he ran on only his own time.

“Huh.” Kaminari cleared his throat. “This is… I feel like I need time to process this, but I don’t know what.” Shigaraki knew the feeling. He kept sorting through old conversations. He could even dig through their old chat conversations in his inbox. The more the dots connected, the more he was going to drive himself crazy. Yukiko bounced up and down on the ground and tugged on his pants. “I actually have to go too. I’m not just saying that, I swear! I’ve got, uh…”

“Hero work,” Shigaraki finished.

“Ha, yeah!” Kaminari blew out some air. “Listen, uh, I still think it’s cool that you’re raising your daughter on your own. And if Uraraka trusts you enough to hang around and help you out, then you must be good.” Yeah, maybe. Not that Uraraka’s stamp of approval meant a ton to him, but it was something to others. It gave weight to his trying to be better and change for the good. Even his parole officer liked her, being a fan of Uravity. “Uh, speaking of which, could you not tell Bakugou about this, Uraraka?”

“Like I just chat with him on the daily.” Uraraka blew a raspberry. “You’re good. Just don’t tell him Shigaraki is over at my place.”

“Deal. I’ll, er, catch you later then?” Kaminari jumped offline as quickly as possible, once again not giving Shigaraki the ability to say something back.

It left him feeling out of balance, but it wasn’t like he’d had anything to say. What could he possibly add? Sure, yeah, they’d game again like nothing had happened. Just two people who had known each other for years only to find out they really didn’t know each other. It was weird because Shigaraki knew he’d told Kaminari a lot of shit in the past that, while he’d been very vague about, was stuff he hadn’t told other people.

He didn’t know what to think about that. Even if they hadn’t known each other’s names - Shigaraki had always used an alias and Kaminari just stuck with his profile name - they knew a lot of shit about each other too. Kaminari’s insecurities that he wasn’t as smart as other people and how he overcompensated with his humor. His difficulty to connect with girls and his idiotic behavior around them. The side effects of his quirk. Shigaraki’s struggle to find what he wanted to do in life. All for One’s controlling behavior and how it trickled down through Kurogiri. His worries over not be able to be a proper boss.

All of that had been squashed in between nights of gaming. He’d been a pissy, scrawny ass teenager and Kaminari some annoying, energetic as fuck pre-teen when they started playing together. So much had happened since then, but that had always been consistent, almost comforting in that it never changed.

“You okay?” Uraraka asked as he logged out of the game and returned to the PlayStation's main screen.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You seem kinda off.” That was an understatement, but Uraraka didn’t push the matter. She reached down to pick up Yukiko and bounce her on her thighs. She loved to bounce in laps. Even before she could stand without someone holding her up, she enjoyed it, even if it was his stomach and not his legs. She didn’t seem to care whether or not he could breathe as long as she could jump around, which was why the bounce Sako gave him was a gift. All he could picture was rats bouncing in it while he was gone. “Wanna watch a movie to completely avoid what just happened?”

“Yes.” That sounded like the best idea ever. That was how he’d handled a lot of things until he figured out what to do without blowing up. He eventually got better at coping and thinking things through, but it was a process. He’d deal with this revelation later, preferably never.

Uraraka took the controller with one hand while he peeled off the headset and set it aside. “Anything you wanna watch in particular?”

“Something so embarrassingly bad that I forget this entire evening.” Shigaraki had great taste in films (Touya might disagree), but every now and then, he needed to watch something so trashy and shitty that he couldn’t think about everything else. It was the lowkey source of relief he could think of. It was better than destroying stuff and lashing out at his comrades. It was also better to do if there was someone he could complain about it.

“Well then,” Uraraka said, as she used the search to find a movie on her streaming service, “I’ve been saving this one for a wine night with the guys, but I think the occasion calls for it.”

Shigaraki only nodded in his response. Any distraction would be a welcomed one. Hopefully, Yukiko would go to sleep soon so he didn’t have to worry about her being up during any potentially scary scenes. He wasn’t sure how aware she was of what was on the television, but the older she got, the warier he became. He didn’t want her to have nightmares because of anything he watched. She sometimes cried in her sleep, which always scared the piss out of him. He’d feel like shit if he added to that stress.

The title alone of the movie Uraraka picked was enough to confirm it was going to be awful. Good. In two hours, he’d be completely distracted and able to fall asleep. Plus, since Uraraka had planned on watching it anyway, he didn’t feel bad. Not that he would’ve felt bad if she didn’t want to watch it. She seemed like she wanted the distraction too - just anything more absurd than what she’d found out.

At least no one had brought up the “repressed feelings” comment. Touya must not have been on yet to hear that. Shigaraki had to count his blessings where he could. He wasn’t on the street. Yukiko was happy. And he could have suffered even more humiliation. One thing was for sure: he had to find another place to stay. He couldn’t intrude on Uraraka’s space any longer, not after tonight. His ego couldn’t take it.

Chapter Text

Even though he knew Uraraka would be okay with it, Shigaraki couldn’t stay another night at her place. After finding out that he’d been gaming with one of her high school friends for longer than she’d known him, he needed to get out of there. He couldn’t explain why it was so embarrassing, but he needed some space. When he told her that he and Yukiko were going to crash at Touya’s that night, she didn’t even question him. He kind of felt like she expected it, but she didn’t say anything about it, which somehow made him feel worse.

On the other hand, Fuyumi was excited. It had only been three days since Yukiko had spent the night - and my god, did it feel so much longer - but she was really happy that Shigaraki was comfortable enough to rely on them for help. He didn’t want to tell her that he’d felt like he didn’t have much of a choice, but he was hard put to complain when she cooked an entire dinner and went out of her way to make him comfortable. The last time he’d stayed here, he had passed out on their couch out of exhaustion, but this time around, there were blankets and pillows.

Touya stared at the set-up in the living room. “It looks like we’re having a sleepover.”

“It’s kind of what it is,” Fuyumi replied sheepishly as she set out dinner on the table. She wiped her hands off on her shorts and then walked over to them. “Everyone talked about them at school, and I was so jealous. We had the perfect house for one, but it wasn’t allowed.”

“So you’re reliving it now in our thirties?”

Fuyumi smacked him on the arm. “Let me live a little, okay? You got to act out by being a villain!”

Touya flinched away from her. “You’re so fucking cold.”

She wasn’t wrong, so neither Shigaraki nor Touya argued with her.

Silly as it was, if she wanted to somewhat pretend like they were having a sleepover as adults, they wouldn’t say no. Shigaraki wasn’t about to turn down a delicious meal or say no to watching movies when it distracted him from the reality of his situation. Yukiko was content to do that as well, although he caught her saying something that sounded suspiciously like “Raka”. He couldn’t be for sure. At least it wasn’t “mom” or something like that. They rarely said the word around her, so it wasn’t likely that she’d learn it soon.

Touya cleaned up after dinner, which was a shock to the system. Shigaraki had expected Fuyumi to clean up since she had also cooked, but Touya did it without a word, which allowed Fuyumi to rest in the living room. Touya didn’t have to go into work until ten, which normally meant he slept, but he stayed up for her. It was...touching. Shigaraki had never seen Touya in such a domestic scenario. He’d kind of figured that he just mooched off his sister, but it was clear from the way they talked that there was an effortless ebb and flow between them.

Holy shit, Touya must have missed that while in the League. He’d gotten along with them in the end, but it was nothing like what he had with Fuyumi.

“What?” Fuyumi teased. “You thought Touya just lounged about and did nothing around here?”

“Kind of, yeah,” Shigaraki admitted as he bounced Yukiko in his lap. “That’s what he did with the League.”

Fuyumi actually laughed despite the mention of their villain days. “That’s what you let him do. If you keep on him, he’s actually very productive.”

Okay, it was true that Shigaraki had never exactly gotten onto Touya about being a more productive member of the League. He had a few times here and there, but for the most part, he liked to let his people do their own thing, which usually meant Toga and Twice did a lot of work while Touya fucked around and did part of it. He’d never really gotten onto him about roasting potential members of the League instead of actually recruiting them. Had he known that Touya would clean their hideouts, he might’ve actually said something.

It was easier to move to the floor once they turned on the movie. Yukiko was in too energetic of a mood to sit still during the film, and she kept trying to climb all over their laps, specifically Touya’s. Every time, Touya would shoosh and shove her away, but she kept going for him every time. Even after Shigaraki moved to the floor, she was determined to crawl over and bother him. Touya practically hissed at her, but she was undeterred, going so far as to burst into hysteric tears when he pulled her away for the fourth time.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Shigaraki snapped. “Just hold her.”

“I don’t want to hold her!” Touya snapped indignantly.

Fuyumi nudged him with her shoulder. “Just for a little until she calms down.”

Huffing in frustration, Touya relented to his sister’s whims and slid his arms under Yukiko’s to lift her into his lap. As soon as she was with him, Yukiko quieted down and settled in like it was the best place in the world. Shigaraki glared at her, and she stared back at him, their red eyes fighting one another. Oh, he knew that look, even if it was from a baby: I don’t care what you think. He hadn’t expected to be a recipient of that look so early in her life. He’d thought he had at least until she was three.

“See?” Fuyumi smiled. “It all worked out.”

“Ugh, don’t get used to this, wiggle worm,” Touya grumbled.

“She has a name,” Shigaraki snapped.

Touya returned his attention to the movie. “Never heard it.”

They watched the rest of the movie in silence except for a few comments. Shigaraki normally preferred it that way, but he kind of missed the way Uraraka would randomly ask questions or interject with dumb comments. Fuyumi was quiet the entire time after Yukiko piped down and Touya made a few dry statements here and there, but for the most part, they were rather...polite. He’d spent most of his youth watching movies on his own, so he either complained out loud the entire time or didn’t say anything at all. He didn’t know how to feel about their movie etiquette.

Yukiko’s thoughts on the matter? She passed out after five minutes of being held by Touya. Traitor.

After the movie, Fuyumi shuffled off to bed. She had to get up early for work. He could tell she felt guilty for going to bed, but he waved it away, and she disappeared into her room. The main menu kept replaying in the background of the dark room, leaving Touya and Shigaraki alone since Yukiko was also asleep. Taking a deep breath, Touya gently laid her down in the sleep nest on the floor and then sank back into the couch.

“Shouldn’t you be going to work?” Shigaraki asked.

Touya shrugged. “I called in tonight.”

“What?” Shigaraki sat up, alarmed and very much awake. “Why?”

“I didn’t want to put this on Fuyumi again, not with you here too.”

Shigaraki folded his arms. “Don’t trust me around her?”

“No, I know you’re okay with her.” Touya’s eyes remained on the television, a blank look in them. He’d had that look about him a lot when he was in the League. It usually meant he was thinking about something that he didn’t want to think about. Touya might be able to read him, but Shigaraki had learned to read him too, difficult as he was. “Don’t repeat shit about this, okay?”

Well, that was a strange response. “Okay…”

“You did a lot for me in the League. This is the most I’ve seen you struggle since then.”

Shigaraki snorted. “Even after I just found out I had a kid?”

“Even then, Uraraka found you that same night,” Touya said, still not looking at him. Was he embarrassed? Well, it was easy to feel when they were both used to living and doing things on their own. “I know what it’s like to not have a home. It’s...hard.”

“Yeah,” Shigaraki admitted, “it is.”

Touya pointed at him. “Do not get used to this shit. Fuyumi was all worried that you were gonna end up on the streets or something - as if you’d do that with Yukiko now.” He dropped his hand and tilted his head back, closing his eyes like he might fall asleep on the couch. He better not. That was where Shigaraki was supposed to sleep. “She’s good for you - Yukiko, I mean.” He snorted. “And Uraraka too. Who would’ve thought?” He opened one eye and grinned, which was never a good sign. “Oh, and we can’t forget your best friend.”

Shigaraki scowled. “Could you not for one fucking minute? You were doing so well.”

No, he could not control himself for longer than a minute. Touya let out a bark of laughter. “I can’t believe you were gaming buddies with a UA student the whole damn time!”

“He wasn’t a UA student the whole time,” Shigaraki muttered, glaring at him in the dark. If he woke up Yukiko with his laughter, he was going to pay.

“You helped inspire him to become a hero!” Touya snickered. “It’s so touching.”

“Whatever.”

Touya sighed and peered at him out of the corners of his eyes. Shigaraki hated being under such scrutiny, but it wasn’t like Touya was the brightest bulb in the box. They simply knew each other too well. It was easy to do when you saw the worst parts of a person almost daily. Even at their worst, they had also sometimes been at their best. Touya had found strength and confidence while with the League, and Shigaraki had found leadership skills and bravery. Under the League, they’d realized they weren’t alone.

Such mushy shit.

“You wanna get online?” Touya asked.

“No,” Shigaraki responded immediately. He pulled one of the receiving blankets out of his backpack and laid it over Yukiko. She was getting too big for it, but it was also the smallest blanket he could fit in the bag.

“Aw, c’mon, you keep looking at the system like it’s gonna do the work for you.” Touya gestured to the black box, which Shigaraki definitely wasn’t looking at. He kept his focus on Yukiko, who was sleeping peacefully. Maybe he should shove Touya off the couch and get some sleep too. “You worried your little buddy won’t be around anymore?”

“ No .”

Even if he was, it didn’t matter. Things would undoubtedly be weird for a while. Shigaraki had never personally tried to kill Kaminari at any point, but he was sure that Kaminari had been dragged into fights with the League before. Not to mention he was good friends with Bakugou, which made a lot more sense now that Shigaraki thought back on it. All those times he laughed and talked about his friend with the anger issues, the one who was unintentionally inspiring, and then his other friend whose mood he could never read.

I can’t get a read on this dude. He’s so mysterious!

Sounds like one of my coworkers. Maybe they’re related.

Lolol that would be crazy!

They had literally talked about Touya and Shouto being related before Shigaraki had even known that Dabi was actually a fucking Todoroki. Shigaraki wanted to die every time he thought about how half of their conversations made so much sense once he added in the UA student and hero factor. Hadn’t he also talked about how bummed out he was when two of his close friends broke up? He was a friendly guy - albeit a little immature and kinda gross when it came to girls while he was a teenager, which Shigaraki always harped on him about - so he hadn’t wanted to take any sides.

There was so much that Shigaraki knew, and new information and realizations kept coming to light the more he thought about it. No doubt Kaminari was going through the same thing, except instead of realizing he knew about hero gossip, he was finding out that he could’ve possibly stopped countless of villain attacks had he simply been more aware of who he was gaming with. He probably felt disgusted too.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Touya said. “Worrying about what others think of you.”

Shigaraki grunted. “I’m not worried about that.”

“Mmhm, and that’s why you asked if you could stay here instead of staying at Uraraka’s another night.” Touya stood up and stretched his arms above his head. He was so lanky that it was easy to think that he was tall, but he lacked Natsuo’s and his father’s height. He and Todoroki had ended up being the same height, although his younger brother had the obvious build of a hero while Touya still couldn’t pack on any muscle. He’d at least gained some weight since he no longer used his quirk to absurd levels. “I’m going to bed. Don’t bother Fuyumi if you need anything.”

“So I just bother you instead?” Shigaraki stood as well but only so he could drop back on the couch.

“Hell no. Suffer in silence out here like a normal emotionally-crippled person.”

Shaking his head, Shigaraki waved him off and leaned back on the couch as Touya disappeared into his room. Grabbing the remote, he turned off the movie and began to flip through the regular television channels. As much as he ought to sleep, he couldn’t do it just yet. Uraraka’s place had been comfier, but he’d needed some space. He wasn’t sure why. Had it been too comfortable? Was he making things difficult for himself on purpose? Probably.

Parenting was hard. But dealing with interpersonal relationships? Shigaraki didn’t want to think about it. He’d rather change a shitty diaper. That was easy.

*

How’s it going rooming with Touya again?

I think I’ve squandered the last bit of my pride. Yukiko has chosen him over me.

The betrayal is real.
Hotel?

The asshole is right: spending money when I need to save for a better apartment is a dumb idea.

I’ve got a thought, but you might not like it.

Shigaraki stared at his phone suspiciously. After crashing on Touya and Fuyumi’s couch for three days, he was starting to get a little desperate. It wasn’t bad, but he was starting to miss Uraraka’s pull-out couch, which was a thought he didn’t want to think about. Touya worked the next two nights, but he didn’t normally leave until after Fuyumi went to bed, so honestly, he spent most of his time there alone with Yukiko since he worked during the day. The most he had to deal with was a few snarky comments from Touya, but that wasn’t any different from what things were normally like.

But he hated relying on them in any way, especially Fuyumi. She had done far more for either of them than she should have. She’d wormed her way back into Touya’s life despite his stubborn, self-destructive refusal to be in theirs after his imprisonment. She had actually reached out to him after he got out first to check on him, if only because they had become slightly familiar after she used him to get to Touya. He knew for a fact that Touya wasn’t always honest with her in an attempt to protect her - and she knew that too.

He wasn’t as slick as he thought. Touya was a great liar, but he had a weak spot.

Shigaraki peered down at Yukiko, who was repeatedly crouching and standing up while holding onto his pants. He hadn’t really understood it before, but he could now. What wouldn’t he do to protect her - to keep her from living anything close to the same life as him? The thought of something happening to her - of her being taken hold of by someone like All for One or even his old self - made him sick.

He had to do better. He had to be better. He couldn’t keep doing shit like this. He wasn’t a lowlife anymore, not that he’d ever considered himself one before.

What is it? he finally texted Uraraka back.

You should text Deku.

Shigaraki almost fell into a coughing fit. Had she lost her damn mind? He was already in an awkward place with Midoriya because he’d picked him up when he was drunk. Why the hell would I do that?

You want space, don’t you? And not to be around other people?
He’s got a small apartment for when he’s in town, but he’s honestly not around much since he works a lot overseas and throughout Japan. I stayed there after Katsuki and I broke up until I found a place and saw him like once.

I’m not asking him for help.

I could ask him for you?

That’s even worse!

It’s ok. I knew you wouldn’t like it. But it was a thought since he’s leaving tomorrow for up north and won’t be back for a while.

The idea of staying in an apartment without feeling like he was intruding on someone else would be nice. Even if Touya left for work and Fuyumi went to bed early, he couldn’t help but feel like he was in someone’s space and was keeping them from being, well, themselves. Touya had a habit of acting like someone different depending on who was around. Shigaraki had the distinct thought that he was acting a little stiffer with Fuyumi while he was here, if only because they were bickering. Granted, they bickered a lot, but she was narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him whenever he proved to be difficult.

If Touya didn’t want Shigaraki to know that Fuyumi was in charge here, it was a little too late.

Even worse, he knew that Midoriya would agree to it. That little shit was too good. He was genuinely and disgustingly a good person along with being a good hero. It somehow made it both harder and easier to dislike him. For the longest time, he thought that Midoriya was just like All Might. It was true that they had a lot of similarities, quirks notwithstanding, but there was just a little more to Midoriya.

Like Uraraka, he didn’t take any shit. All Might still felt like he had to apologize for not being there. He couldn’t. What had happened had happened. Angry, hurt, and resentful as he’d been of All Might failing him, those perceptions had been based on lies and manipulation. Granted, he had come up with it on his own, but All for One had pushed him in that direction on purpose so it felt like his own conclusion. Midoriya didn’t feel like he owed Shigaraki anything, even if, in truth, All Might didn’t either. When Shigaraki pushed, he pushed right back.

I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?

If you’re uncomfortable asking, then don’t.

It’s not that I don’t like staying here. It’s fine. Fuyumi has been nothing but nice and helpful. Touya’s an ass, but he’s honestly not that bad.

Wow. Not that bad. What an upgrade.

Can it.
I feel like a burden. I fucking hate that.

You’re not.

I can afford a hotel room, but every time I bring it up, both of them get this look on their face. Even Touya. He makes jokes about me owing him one, but it doesn’t feel as genuine as before.

Have you looked at a few places?

Not looked but called. Gonna go look this weekend.
I’m able to get out of my lease. Argued that one with my landlord.
I just want to get my shit and move somewhere better for Yukiko.

Triple text. You’re seriously stressed.

Ugh, the fact that she called it out said something. Shigaraki ran his fingers through his hair. He was stressed. A part of it probably had to do with not having his own space. Yukiko still wanted to sleep with him, but Sako and Midoriya had been right about her sleeping better when he wasn’t in the same room. He just hadn’t picked up on it because it was normally during the day when she napped. She needed her space just as much as he did. Neither one of them were sleeping well while crashing on couches.

I feel like this is something you want or need to do on your own so I won’t push the matter.
Just know the option is there.

He noticed that she didn’t offer her place again. It was hard to say what that meant, if it meant anything. Then again, he had abruptly decided to stay with Touya and Fuyumi, so maybe she simply assumed he was uncomfortable. He also hadn’t gotten online to game since then either. It was weird. Everything was so fucking weird. Being a father was weird. Yukiko repeatedly said “dada” as she bounced up and down, happy as could be, and all he could think about was how he was failing her right now.

Shigaraki closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled up Midoriya’s contact information. He waffled on it for a solid five minutes before texting, How serious are you about helping out with Yukiko?

As expected, Midoriya responded quickly: What do you need?

No “yes” or “maybe” or “no”. What do you need? Shigaraki swallowed. He hated this. He hated this with every fiber of his being, but he needed this space. Uraraka had used Midoriya’s place while looking for a new apartment. She must have been in one of the worst states of her life, completely alone, staying in a friend’s apartment while he was off being the Number One Hero. How that must have pained Midoriya to not be able to be there for her more.

Did Uraraka tell you what happened with my apartment?

No. It’s your business. What’s up?

Shigaraki pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to long ass conversation and night. It turned out he had a little bit of pride left that he could lose.

*

The first thing Shigaraki said when he begrudgingly arrived at Midoriya’s apartment was predictably, “You cannot tell All Might about this.”

Midoriya laughed good-naturedly. “I won’t.”

“I’m serious!” Shigaraki hadn’t touched the money in the fund All Might had set up since that first night he went to the store with Uraraka. It was a matter of pride at this point, not that it counted for much anymore. He could’ve used it to stay at a hotel until he was able to find a place and move out of his old shithole of an apartment, but that would have shaken his pride too. Either way, he would’ve been forced to accept help in some fashion.

So far, his usual route meant accepting any help that wasn’t from All Might, and he’d only broken it…

Shigaraki almost growled just thinking about it. He’d broken that rule far too many times since Yukiko had come into his life. He couldn’t do it again. Accepting help from his replacement did not count.

“And I’m serious too,” Midoriya counted, a smile still on his face. “I won’t. I promise.” He held out his hand, which Shigaraki eyed suspiciously and then shook, careful to keep his thumb up. Midoriya didn’t even hesitate. Back in the day, he would’ve jumped back from Shigaraki’s hand and now he was asking for it. Dumbass. “I’m just glad I could help in some way.” Again , but neither one of them said that. “And you contacted me on your own.”

“Uraraka didn’t warn you?” Shigaraki asked as he dropped his stuff in the living room. He had been terrified that it would be decked out in hero (and All Might) merch, but the place was surprisingly quaint. It was clean, but it had the distinct feel of not being lived in much. Midoriya wasn’t home more often than not, so it made sense. It felt more like a hotel than a home.

Midoriya shook his head. “No, she probably didn’t want you to feel like we were talking about you or to influence my decision in any way.”

Well, that was nice of her. She was really going out of her way to give him his privacy. It was probably because she felt guilty. She’d apologized for outing both him and Kaminari online, fiddling with the hem of her sweater, but he hadn’t been mad at her for that much. It would’ve come out one way or another since he was in her life.

“Yeah, I guess,” Shigaraki muttered.

“After all, I can say no to you, but how could I say no to her?” Midoriya joked - and yet, at the same time, he wasn’t. There really wasn’t any arguing with her. She backed down if she sensed discomfort or genuine anger, but she knew how to deal with his particular brand of stubborn. It must have come with practice after dating Bakugou for so long and also being best friends with Midoriya, two of the most difficult people on the planet. “In truth, I would’ve agreed to help out either way. How can I say no to such a good baby?”

The switch in Midoriya was almost as fast as his quirk, which made Shigaraki groan in disgust. Without even being asked, he held out Yukiko, who Midoriya took with glee. To his even more utter disgust, Yukiko went to him without complaint. Maybe she wasn’t as excited as she got whenever she saw Uraraka (or Touya, which was even more disgruntling), but she didn’t struggle like she did whenever he took her to daycare. He spent weeks wondering if maybe the daycare workers were mean to her, but then he saw other kids do the same.

“She’s getting so big!” Midoriya exclaimed excitedly. “Are you crawling around now?” Yukiko made a few noises that almost sounded like she was trying to talk back. Well, either that or take a shit. It was one of the two, and he kind of hoped it was the latter. “She looks very healthy.”

“Of course she is,” Shigaraki snapped, half-tempted to take her back. “What do you think I do? Starve her?”

Midoriya rolled his eyes. “No, I don’t think that.” Right. Of course he didn’t. Shigaraki folded his arms and tried not to simmer, but it was difficult. He didn’t know why he was so defensive. Maybe because Midoriya knew that he’d been raising his child in a rat-infested apartment building and technically homeless. If someone got it in their heads that this was proof that he couldn’t take care of her, he’d be pissed. “I saw those pictures of when you went to dinner with Shouto’s family. She was so small back then, probably from, well…”

Yeah, from neglect. He didn’t have to say it. Himura hadn’t won any mother of the year awards. The pediatrician had been nervous about Yukiko’s weight and development since the first few months were so crucial. But she had caught up. She was doing well and was in the 60th percentile for weight and height. She was good.

“And she’s happy,” Midoriya added as he lifted her up and down in the air. She loved that, making all sorts of excited noises and smiles. Damn, he made it look easy. Stupid hero muscles. “It’s really obvious.”

Shigaraki peered at her sideways. “You think?”

“Yeah, it is.” Midoriya held her back out for him to take, perhaps sensing his anxiety. No, not anxiety - it was just more like tension. He always got like that when anyone but Uraraka held her. “You’re probably worried about how this is affecting her and if you’re doing an okay job. I know my mom stressed about whether she was enough for me all the time, even if she didn’t admit it and I wasn’t aware of it for years. Honestly though, she’s healthy, happy, growing, and it’s even more obvious that she’s comfortable around you. You’re doing good.”

He had neither needed nor wanted validation of his parenting skills from Izuku Midoriya, but… For some reason, Shigaraki felt like he could breathe a little easier. Midoriya was outside of the situation. He didn’t see Yukiko often like Uraraka, Fuyumi, or Touya. They could tell him all they wanted that he was doing good, but they were biased in some fashion. Midoriya had no reason to spare his feelings (not that Touya ever did), and he was an outsider looking in. He had a fresh perspective and was good at judging things.

And he’d determined that Shigaraki was doing a good job at raising Yukiko, even with the current situation at hand.

“Everything is pretty self-explanatory,” Midroiya said as he grabbed a suitcase in the hallway. “You’ll have to get your food as I don’t really shop until I come back into town. Bedroom on the right, bathroom on the left. They built this place kind of funny, but I got it at a good price.”

“Aren’t you the Number One Hero?” Shigaraki asked blandly. “Don’t you have a lot of money?”

“I guess?” Midoriya sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I usually donate most of it since I don’t have an actual agency. It’s kind of weird.”

Shigaraki shook his head. “You’re…” He set Yukiko down on the couch. Perfect. Midoriya was fucking perfect. It was obnoxious as hell. “I can’t deal with you sometimes.”

“It was Uraraka’s suggestion,” Midoriya pointed out. Of course it was. She knew what it was like to go without, and she would know that any help money-wise was a good thing. How many criminals and villains popped up simply because it felt like it was the only way they could survive? Had Uraraka not been so attached to the hero world or her parents so loving, there was a chance she could’ve gone the other way.

What a stupid thought. She’d be a terrible villain. She cares too much.

Midoriya pointed a finger at him. “Don’t disintegrate anything. You turn it to ashes; you buy it.”

Shigaraki dropped onto the couch next to Yukiko, who happily bounced back into his lap. “I’m gonna turn this whole place into dust.”

“Hm, I don’t think you’d do that to her,” Midoriya quipped. Shigaraki narrowed his eyes but said nothing. No, he wouldn’t do anything that would put Yukiko in a bad position. Himura had done enough damage as it was. “Text me if you need anything, but I’ll probably be dark for the next fifteen hours, so…”

“I’ll text Uraraka.” He wasn’t going to text anyone. He literally couldn’t handle asking for any more help right now. He might actually implode if he did. Judging by the way Midoriya eyed him and gave a goofy salute, he knew it too, but he said nothing else as he left.

The moment Midoriya shut the door, Shigaraki sank further into the couch and closed his eyes. Alone. Besides Yukiko - who honestly didn’t count since she couldn’t hold a conversation - he was alone for the first time in almost a week. He didn’t have to worry about waking Fuyumi up or Touya banging on the bathroom door. He didn’t have to think about Uraraka asleep in the other room or her admittedly bad singing in the shower. He didn’t have to feel like he was eating someone out of house and home, even though Fuyumi practically dumped food on his plate and made sure he ate it.

Even if he did feel weird about being in Midoriya’s apartment, he wasn’t here. He was going to be miles and miles away and wouldn’t be back for a while. He could search for a new place, play some games, read a book, maybe even cook actual dinner. And he wouldn’t have to worry about being in anyone’s space. If the bed was nice enough, he might even see if Yukiko slept better in a separate room. The possibilities felt endless and vast.

Shigaraki breathed and opened his eyes. Alone - but not at the same time. He hadn’t felt like this in a while, not since his League days when he knew the others had his back without any question. It was a strange thought.

Chapter Text

Having Shigaraki stay at her place had been weird for multiple reasons, but not the ones Uraraka had originally anticipated when she made him the offer. True, she thought about the fact that he’d been a villain for years with a very specific grudge towards her best friend, and yes, she remembered how scared of him she used to be as a teenager, but that hadn’t really been the issue, which was odd in itself. She had seen him in the domestic capacity with Yukiko, but it was somehow surreal in a different setting, specifically her place. How the hell was she supposed to react to the image of Yukiko crawling around her living room with baby toys strewn everywhere while Shigaraki eyed her and played video games at the same time?

The scene was so stupidly domestic from the start that first night - the two of them taking turns handling Yukiko like it was natural, normal, them - that she honestly didn’t know what to think.

It had been Shigaraki’s mention of Bakugou that had caused her mood to spiral, one which she’d tried hard to work out at the gym the next day. She had already felt kind of off from her work in China, the bridge collapse during the second earthquake, and the time off. He hadn’t meant to tack that on too, but sometimes, shit like that hit her in waves, particularly when she was vulnerable. It should’ve made her leery to think that she’d let herself feel vulnerable around Shigaraki, but he couldn’t possibly be in a more fragile position.

While she genuinely was over Bakugou and no longer felt upset about how things had happened, he had been an important part of her life. She couldn’t erase him completely, no matter how hard she avoided him or talking about him in conversation. Out of sight, out of mind? It was easier to do when she was hanging out with Shigaraki and Yukiko. Like Deku and Bakugou, he had such a strong personality even when he was subdued. He couldn’t fly off the handle while on parole, after all.

And then Shigaraki brought up her old relationship and it hit her: had they managed to work things out or come to an agreement about having kids, this likely would’ve been them. Upon doing some mental math after going to bed that first night, she figured out that Yukiko had been conceived not long after she and Bakugou officially ended things. Instead of Shigaraki asleep in the other room with his kid, it could’ve been Bakugou. It wasn’t, and she was strangely glad that it wasn’t, but it was still an odd thought.

One that ended with her making a huge mistake: scrolling on social media and hero gossip sites, although she’d told Shigaraki that she stayed up watching TV on her phone. That never ended particularly well for her, even if she wasn’t the subject. She heard about Bakugou mostly through Mina, Sero, and Kaminari, so she was up-to-date on his life whether she wanted to be or not, just as she was sure that he couldn’t entirely avoid news about her. He and Kirishima often popped up in pictures on her twitter and facebook timelines. They had the same mutual friends. It was unavoidable unless she blocked him entirely, and she didn’t want to be that petty. It was exhausting.

Plus, she was happy that he was happy. Once upon a time, they had been too - and then they weren’t. She couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when things started to change, but it happened. People fell out of love and some didn’t even know why. She’d always love him in her own way and didn’t begrudge him for finding happiness with someone else before her, not like so many gossip magazines suggested. However, that didn’t mean she fell into fits or down moods whenever she watched lives from the outside. All those pictures she saw him in - she used to be in those pictures too. It used to hurt a lot more than it did now, but seeing them still made her feel weird.

It shouldn’t matter. She had close friends. She did fun things. She was a great hero.

Uraraka was happy - like seriously, genuinely happy. She was feeling better about herself every day. Yeah, things were kinda out there right now, but life was like that sometimes. It had definitely taken a sharp turn when she saw Shigaraki on the street with Yukiko that first night and decided to help him. Out of all the things in the world to happen to her, she couldn’t have anticipated it would end up like this.

After all, technically speaking, Shigaraki was the first guy she’d had stay over at her place since the breakup, a fact that Mina was all too pleased to bring up. Sometimes, she wished that she could block her friends too. Besides the wild realization that Kaminari was his gaming buddy best friend (which she still couldn’t wrap her mind around, seeing as how she’d been in the room before while the two of them played), nothing had happened. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as Mina made it out to be. He was only there for two nights, the first of which he went to bed almost immediately, before declaring that he was staying at Touya’s the next day.

She wasn’t insulted. He hated relying on someone for too long and he needed his space, especially after the whole Kaminari revelation. Did she stop to stare at her empty living room when she came home from her first day back at work? Maybe. But then, entirely unprompted, Shigaraki sent her a video of Yukiko crawling around in what looked like an attempt to chase Touya with the caption, My child is a monster and I don’t know whether to be proud or frustrated , and she laughed.

Yeah, things were weird, but she was still happy.

Plus, Shigaraki had even talked with Deku and was staying at his apartment. While he might’ve griped and complained about it, she could also tell that he felt a lot better now that he had a place to himself. He must have been so stressed out being forced to share a space with other people. He’d done it before but on his own terms. They had always been his hideouts or his apartment. He felt like an invader, sticking out like a sore thumb in their private lives and seeing things and witnessing interactions he wasn’t meant to see.

While Deku’s place was only a little better, there was no one for him to bump into, and Deku hadn’t the time to decorate it more personally, which was why she had considered it in the first place. After all, it was the perfect space for her after the breakup. She’d needed someplace where she felt safe but not a burden. Deku was so good about helping people feel that way, even when it was his life’s mission to save people in the first place.

Still, she knew that it wouldn’t last for long. Shigaraki needed his own space. It would help him with whatever issues he had with himself. While he had been a very capable leader of a villain turned vigilante organization, he didn’t have the same blooming confidence with fatherhood even after all these months. Yukiko was obviously flourishing, happy, and growing so well, but she saw the way he eyed her sometimes, like he was questioning every little thing he’d done since claiming her and refusing to let go. She was his , but he still wondered if maybe she would be better off if she was with someone else. Getting his own place, one better than the last, would solidify that he was on the right path.

Which was why she’d agreed to help him apartment hunt over the weekend. If there was one thing she knew she was good at besides being a hero, it was finding a deal. Not many high school students could say they lived on their own, although it had only been for a short period of time and she’d been broke as a joke.

After eating lunch at Deku’s place, Uraraka flipped through Shigaraki’s phone to look at the places he’d marked down to check. Most of them were pretty decent - he had a shrewd eye - but there were some that she flat out deleted, sometimes because she’d looked at an apartment there and it hadn’t been good and once because the landlord was under investigation for his ties with a villain group. It paid to be in the know about such things. The last thing Shigaraki needed was to live in a nice place being run by a suspected villain.

“Damn, I liked that one too,” Shigaraki grumbled next to her on the couch.

“There’s probably a reason why it looks so nice with such cheap rent,” Uraraka sighed. She had liked it too before catching the address. What a disappointment. She handed him his phone back. “Okay, I’d say these five are the most promising. We could probably check them out today if we leave now.”

Shigaraki arched an eyebrow. “We?”

“I could stay here with Yukiko?” Uraraka offered.

After considering it for a moment, Shigaraki said, “No, I’d rather you come. Two sets of eyes are better than one.” He stood and walked away to grab his jacket and toss hers over to her. “It’s...good to have a second opinion.”

And so off they went - Yukiko bundled up in the stroller with the baby carrier shoved underneath since she sometimes preferred to be held and Shigaraki grumbling about having to use the train so much.

“You could always learn to drive and get a car,” Uraraka pointed out. She didn’t have one herself, but she didn’t need one now that she lived so close to work and had never minded public transportation until she had been forced to commute to work. As annoying as they were, it might make his life a bit easier with Yukiko around.

Shigaraki peered at her strangely out of the corners of his eyes. She didn’t know what she said to deserve a look like that, but she didn’t question him when he looked away and muttered, “Maybe.”

She fought the urge to sigh. Difficult and cryptic as usual. Whatever. She wouldn’t push it.

The first two places on the list weren’t that far from each other. Uraraka had a talent when it came to apartment hunting. She’d helped most of her friends find somewhere to live upon graduating from UA. Deku had been particularly helpless. Of course, some of them went back to living at home while they got their feet wet with actual hero work, but many of her classmates joined agencies that weren’t in the same city and had to move out. She’d lived at home for two months before the commute became too much. As long as Shigaraki didn’t turn out to be insanely picky, it should be easy.

Well, that and if the landlords didn’t recognize him immediately as the former leader of the League. She had a bad feeling that more than a few people would turn down his application on the spot. It might’ve been part of the reason why she offered to go with him. He had a mark against him on his record because of his time in prison, but hopefully a stamp of approval from a hero would help out. She wasn’t that big of a name, but she was recognizable, especially after the earthquakes. It was better than nothing. Someone like Deku or All Might would’ve been much better, but she would do what she could.

The first place they checked out was good, but Uraraka had reservations about it once they stepped inside. The pictures had definitely made it look better than it was. Shigaraki acted strangely too. He had to be nicer, but he clearly wasn’t a fan. When the man showing them around reached out to shake his hand, he didn’t take his hand out of his pocket at first. He was reserved but not moody. After all, he had to be on his best behavior in order to look good. 

While he talked with the owner of the building, she wandered around the apartment. Two bedrooms, the main one of which was kind of small, an awkwardly placed bathroom, a large living room area. It wasn’t bad, but Shigaraki could do better, especially for the monthly price they were asking. Speaking of which…

Uraraka poked her head out of the second bedroom. “Does the listed rent include utilities?”

The landlord fumbled. “Ah, no, it doesn’t, but-”

“Oh, this is overpriced then,” Uraraka said decisively as she strode out of the room. She could understand the price if it did. He’d be able to afford it most likely if he got that promotion he was talking about, but it didn’t sit right with her.

Shigaraki didn’t even question it. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

“Thank you for your time,” Uraraka said politely, if only because she knew Shigaraki wouldn’t. He was already out of the place and heading for the elevator. The landlord blinked and shook her hand, and then she jogged to catch up with him. “You didn’t like it.”

“Not really.” Shigaraki nudged the stroller into the elevator and jabbed the first-floor button. “That guy seemed shady too. I got a weird vibe from him.”

“I’m pretty sure you feel that way about everyone,” Uraraka pointed out as she leaned back against the wall. He had even felt that way about her - maybe still did. Granted, it made sense for him to be suspicious of her when she offered to help him out. It was out of the blue and the last they’d seen each other hadn’t been on the best of terms. He had looked so beaten down during his trial, so thoroughly done with the world and everything in it. He’d come close to looking like that again a few times these past five months, but he wasn’t there yet.

She hoped he never looked like that again.

Yukiko fell asleep on the way to the second apartment. Honestly, Uraraka was surprised she last this long, but she was starting to stay up longer throughout the day, going from two to one nap. At least it made it easier to apartment hunt since there were other things that got in their way. Despite the fact that Shigaraki was going by his legal, on paper name today like he did at his job, she could tell the guy from the second apartment building recognized who he truly was when he narrowed his eyes and didn’t hold out his hand.

“Tenko Shimura, huh?”

Judging by the way Shigaraki eyed him, he could tell too. Nope, this wasn’t going to work out, which sucked since this was a good place and had the right price. Uraraka sighed as she ran a hand over Yukiko’s head. Not even having a pro hero could help him out here.

“Sorry,” the guy said, not apologetic in the slightest, “we’ve got a no villain policy here.”

“Yeah, because people list ‘villain’ as their occupation on the apartment application,” Shigaraki responded dryly. As much as Uraraka wanted to tell the guy off, she kept her mouth shut when Shigaraki raised a hand slightly. He could handle this. He didn’t need her to step in. It was probably for the best. Former villain or not, the question could get brought up when he had to state on the form that he had been convicted of a felony. “Let’s go.”

Uraraka turned on her heels to follow him, only to stop when the guy called out, “Why’s a nice girl like you with trash like that?”

She glanced back at him and smiled sharply. “Who says I’m nice?”

Shigaraki snorted and shook his head while the guy was too flabbergasted to respond. She stomped out of the place before he could figure one out, a dark cloud hanging over her. It was no wonder Shigaraki had lived in such a place. Fresh out of prison, it was likely all he could get. Where had he stayed before then? A motel? A halfway house? She didn’t know and a part of her was too wary to ask. It wasn’t like villains and felons lived glamorous lives. Being rejected had been the norm for him before he became a villain and it was still the norm for him now after.

“‘Who says I’m nice’,” Shigaraki mocked. “You’re literally the nicest person I know, aside from Fuyumi.”

Uraraka made a face. “I can be mean!”

“Says the woman who saw a guy who once tried to kill her on the street struggling with a baby and decided to go to the store with him to buy baby supplies.”

“Okay, I’m a nice person,” Uraraka agreed, “but I can be mean too if the situation calls for it.”

After considering it for a moment, Shigaraki conceded, “You’re not too pleasant to current villains. I’ve seen you fight. You admittedly can get brutal, so I guess you have your moments.”

She certainly hadn’t been nice to him when he was a villain or anyone else in the League. She’d learned early on that holding back would only get her killed. Yeah, sometimes she was a little too nice for her own good, but she would also throw down with anyone that pushed her or threatened people, even if it was just a landlord being a dick to someone trying to turn his life around and take care of his child.

“That guy didn’t have to be such an asshole about things,” Uraraka muttered.

“That’s how it usually is,” Shigaraki told her. “Either that or I get the door slammed on me right away. People aren’t too keen about reformed villains being around them.” It didn’t seem to bother him, but maybe he was just used to it. He was dismissive of the whole thing, but she didn’t like it at all. “I’ve done a lot of awful shit. It’s only natural that most people are gonna react with either anger or fear.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s stupid. People shouldn’t be so rude to someone who can kill with just a touch. I don’t care if they insult me about being a villain, but acting like a bastard to me? Yeah, okay, really smart.”

“I guess people aren’t as afraid of you anymore,” Uraraka said.

Shigaraki grunted irritably but didn’t say anything. She saw the look in his eyes and could tell what he was thinking: They should be. Maybe. While she hadn’t seen him fight or get into a dispute or even use his quirk, she remembered how dangerous he could be - how strong he was. His quirk was no joke. He had to be careful with it, particularly these days since he was under such scrutiny. Still, time hadn’t erased what he’d done, even if it was hard to picture him as the man who could bring down a building with a single touch as the same one who held his daughter so carefully and protectively.

Best not to think about it too much. Whenever she did, she just felt confused. He’d let her facetime Yukiko out of the blue, took in a child when he had no idea what he was doing, helped Kaminari throughout the years. He had also killed people. And apparently he didn’t like rats - and was mildly afraid of them. She was pretty sure he hated rats more than heroes at this point.

The third place was a little further from his work than he would’ve liked, but it was much nicer than the first two. Uraraka liked it immediately. There was a lot of natural light, the flooring was better, it was small but felt spacious because of the more open concept, which even gave the kitchen the appearance of having more space. Even Shigaraki seemed interested. Yukiko woke up while Shigaraki was talking to the lady who ran the place, so Uraraka plucked her out of the stroller and walked around the apartment with her.

“See this one?” Uraraka pointed into the smaller second bedroom. “This would be your room. Yeah, you’re gonna get a room all to yourself. How exciting, huh?”

The landlady gestured to the main bedroom. “There’s plenty of closet space too, so there shouldn’t be a problem with storage with all your things.” She beamed at them and clasped her hands together. “This is a really good place for families and couples.”

Shigaraki choked. “We’re not-”

“I’m-” Uraraka blushed furiously. She looked at him, but he turned away, leaving her to fend for herself. Honestly, while she was holding his baby? How rude. “We’re not married.”

“Oh.” The woman’s smile faltered only a little. “My apologies. I only assumed because of your child-”

“She’s not mine!” Uraraka exclaimed frantically. “I meant- We’re not together. We’re, um-” Hadn’t they gone through this once already? This time, Shigaraki did meet her eyes when she searched for him. There was a rather thoughtful, considering look in them. He was leaving it up to her how to define them. “We’re friends. I’m just here to help. Moral support - you know, that kind of thing.”

Yes, that was what they were. They were friends - two people who helped each other out, hung out together, and talked often. When he didn’t make a noise or shake his head to disagree with her, she smiled a little. It shouldn’t feel like such a big step to get there, but it did. Shigaraki didn’t even like to admit that he and Touya were friends, so the fact that he didn’t contradict her now said something.

“That’s kind of you,” the lady said. Uraraka shrugged, blush still tinting her cheeks. She hadn’t really thought about it being kind. It was the natural thing to do when he was so stressed over looking for places. She could see why since the last guy had barely let them get through the door before turning him down. “So it’s just going to be you and the baby then?”

“Yeah,” Shigaraki replied. The woman had been careful not to bring up the topic of the mother and neither did he. She must have caught on that Yukiko’s real mother was no longer in the picture. Smart woman for having made such a ridiculous assumption. She and Shigaraki looked nothing like a couple. That would be crazy. “Is that a problem?”

The woman shook her head. “No, no, not at all.”

Yukiko wiggled in Uraraka’s arms, signaling that she wanted to crawl. It was definitely a lot cleaner than his old place, but she didn’t want to do that just yet. Instead, she bent over and held Yukiko by her hands so that she was standing up. While Shigaraki discussed more details with the woman, Uraraka awkwardly walked around the apartment with Yukiko, who did her best to walk. She lifted her legs needlessly high and walked on her tiptoes, which couldn’t make walking easier, but she laughed in delight.

Uraraka glanced at Shigaraki, who was watching them while the woman leafed through a folder of paperwork. “I think this place gets the seal of Yukiko approval.”

He had his arms folded across his chest and rolled his eyes, but… It wasn’t exactly a rude gesture. It was more playful than anything else. Which was strange, but she didn’t feel like getting into that now. Instead, she went back to walking around with Yukiko, cheerfully encouraging her with every step she took. Everyone was so quick for babies to learn new things, but once they did grow up, it was hard to let them go. Uraraka could still remember how tiny she’d been at three months - the way she slept in the cart at the store.

Look at her now with her fluff of brown hair and vibrant red eyes and a big smile with a few teeth poking out. Uraraka couldn’t remember seeing anything so beautiful.

*

Uraraka’s phone pinged from a text message alert a second before she heard shouting. In a matter of a minute, the text was all but forgotten as she engaged in taking down three villains in a robbery gone bad. Things like that tended to consume her completely, especially when there were civilians involved. She jumped into crisis mode immediately, switching from a casual patrol to serious at the drop of a hat. Luckily the sidekick with her didn’t complain about and the hero student from UA was a good listener.

Things would’ve been taken care of quicker had a fourth villain not gotten the jump on her sidekick and intern. He had hidden amongst the hostages, pretending to be one of them, only to attack when their guard was down. She had spent years working on her speed, but even she had to admit that she wasn’t the fastest. Plus, his sticky goo quirk could be used from a distance while she worked better in fights that were close range. When he managed to trap one of her feet in the sticky substance he created, she stumbled, wobbling in the air with her quirk activated.

The villain advanced on her, an ugly grin cutting across his face. “You’re a difficult one to catch.” Uraraka activated the rocket in her boot in an attempt to burn through the goo, but it was no use. The stuff was not giving away at all. “But I caught you.” He lifted his hand, goo dripping from his fingertips, but no matter how much she pulled on her foot, she couldn’t get away. Damnit! Was her sidekick still down? Her intern-

A red feather zipped through the air, catching the villain by the back of his jacket and throwing him into a wall. Uraraka could only stare when a fellow hero flew in through a broken window and cheerfully called out, “I had business at the bank, but I didn’t expect this kind on my day off.”

Specifically the current Number Three Hero, Hawks, in all his casual-wear glory.

With the villain distracted, Uraraka loosened her boot and pulled her leg out of it entirely. She didn’t need two shoes in order to do her job. While Hawks almost coolly take care of the goo villain, she checked on her sidekick and intern, both of whom were groggily getting up after being knocked out by some sort of gas quirk. “You okay?” she asked, and they nodded, somewhat sheepishly. After that, they focused on getting the hostages out of the scene. Most of them were either too flabbergasted or relieved to say anything. They burst out of the building, light spilling into the bank, and ran for cover as multiple police cars pulled up.

All in all, it only took about twenty minutes, but sometimes villain fights felt like they lasted for hours. Probably because of the aftermath that involved a lot of talking to the police and then paperwork. She wiped the sweat off her face and sighed before glancing down at her bare foot. Damnit, her boot was still inside the bank stuck in the goo. Who knew how long it would take to get that out? She didn’t want to go back in there and dig it out. That stuff had been disgusting.

“Missing something?”

Uraraka started and nearly yelped at the sudden voice, whipping around to find Hawks standing behind her and holding out her boot. It still had some slime on it, but he’d managed to recover it at the cost of one of his feathers, which dripped goo from his other hand. “Ah, thanks.” She took the boot and, after inspecting it with a wrinkled face, sat down to put it back on. “Sorry to bother you on your day off. That’s embarrassing. I should’ve been able to take him out on my own.”

“Nah, heroes need help from time-to-time,” Hawks replied. “That’s why I’ve got so many sidekicks.”

“I thought it was so you didn’t have to do as much work,” Uraraka said dryly.

Hawks shrugged. “That too. Delegation is key when you’re a leader.”

“You’re a real pro. You know that?”

“I do what I can.” Hawks turned his head to look at something and Uraraka followed, both of them watching as the police carted the captured villains away and shoved them into the back of a vehicle. It was a job well done, even if her shift had technically ended in the middle of the fight. Making her work overtime… Well, it wasn’t like villains ran on a schedule. This wouldn’t be the first time she had worked later than expected. And then there was the paperwork. Maybe she could do that in the morning. “To be honest, there wasn’t much left for me to do here. You did most of the work. I barely had to lift a feather, which I appreciate. No wonder Ryukyu has been so much trust in you.”

“What were you doing here anyway?” Uraraka asked.

“I legitimately had business to take care of at the bank,” Hawks answered. He frowned. “I guess it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Everywhere is closed by now. I shouldn’t have waited for the last minute.”

She couldn’t help but snort. Of course he did. He was the type of hero that would walk into a robbery gone wrong on his day off. His entire being was geared towards being a hero. Funny that, considering his whole business with the League. They really had come a long way since then. Five years could change a lot, but Hawks was still Hawks. Back in the day, she’d thought he was the coolest hero ever. She wouldn’t consider herself on the same level as him, but working with him a few times had definitely changed her perspective.

Plus, she could read people a lot more than they gave her credit for. Hawks was not the open book he proclaimed to be now that people knew of his infiltration of the League back in the day. He still hid parts of himself from the public. It made sense. A lot of heroes did that in order to protect themselves.

“I got distracted reading one of those hero gossip magazines,” Hawks continued airily. “They’re filled with so many fascinating theories and ideas. Of course, some of them are downright degrading, but there are a few I enjoy. I like the alien conspiracy ones.”

Uraraka blew a raspberry. “Yeah, I prefer the wild ones myself.” The ones that were a little too close to home on the other hand? Not so much. Some of the gossip they printed was absolute trash, completely and obviously false. She and Mina would laugh over them all the time. Some of them were a little too real. She couldn’t bring herself to laugh about those. “I don’t blame you. It’s easy to get lost in them.”

“Most of them are fake,” Hawks said, “but there are a few that catch my eye every now and then. It’s good to keep an eye on them, just in case. Some lead to something more.”

“Oh yeah?” Uraraka stood up and brushed herself off. Damn, she needed a shower. She always got so sweaty in this costume because of how tight it was. Maybe she could get it adjusted.

Hawks smiled, somehow both cold and warm at the same time. “Having fun dealing with the cognitive dissonance that comes with hanging out with a reformed villain?”

Uraraka choked and paled. “Wh-what?”

He knew. He knew about Shigaraki. While they hadn’t really been keeping it a secret, especially since they’d hung out in public recently, she hadn’t talked about it with anyone outside of the people that already knew. None of her coworkers even knew about it - and she would like for it to stay that way. She wasn’t sure how any of them would react, but she didn’t think it would be positive. She was mostly wary about how her boss would respond. Ryukyu was an incredible hero, but she had clashed with the League too back in the day.

Her shock was all too apparent on her face, so much so that Hawks gave her somewhat of an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. That must have caught you off guard.” No shit. She was very much aware of how the public’s opinion on a hero could change when it came to who they were involved with. Even Hawks’ reputation had suffered a blow until the trials were over. It was unavoidable, one he seemed mostly unbothered by back then and now. “You’re terrible at keeping things hidden. That’s not a bad thing. The public deserves heroes that are open.”

“What are you-?”

Hawks pulled out a rolled-up magazine from a pocket inside her jacket and held it out to her. “They haven’t caught onto it yet - he’s really turned himself around, and toting a kid around doesn’t hurt separating him from his old self - but it’s only a matter of time.”

Too stunned for her hands to even shake, Uraraka took the magazine and opened it up. It was only a one-page article and the pictures weren’t that great, but she immediately recognized them being taken when she and Shigaraki had gone out for lunch the morning after his night hanging out with Touya. His back was to the camera, leaning over with his elbows on the table, no manners whatsoever, so his face couldn’t be seen. Meanwhile, she was holding onto Yukiko and making a face like she was teasing him.

“I’ll admit that he’s a good conversationalist,” Hawks said. “It’s easy to get swept up by him.”

“I-I don’t-” What was she supposed to say? She felt cornered, like she should run or maybe stand her ground. She wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with him or she wouldn’t go out in public with him at all. She wouldn’t have offered to help him look at apartments or gone out to lunch with him or let him stay at her place. She wouldn’t…

Uravity’s New Mystery Man?

She shoved the paper back into Hawks’ hands so she could bury her face in her own. “Oh my god. He’s going to flip out if he sees that.”

“Oh, no doubt. I’d say keep him in the dark, but it might be better for him to be aware that he could have a few stalkers here soon.” Hawks scratched his chin thoughtfully. “While the paparazzi are basically parasites, he might think they’re villains.”

Uraraka sighed. Great. This was just great. He would probably become suspicious about being seen in public with her now. Not that she would blame him. Having her personal life invaded was no fun, especially right before and after her and Katsuki’s breakup and then all over again when he and Kirishima became official. She didn’t want him to go through that. It would be awful. He didn’t need random people prying into his private life. There were enough shows and documentaries about the League as it was. They were clamoring for something new.

And Shigaraki having a daughter? They’d eat that right up. Anger sparked in Uraraka. The last thing she wanted was for Yukiko to get dragged into any sort of limelight. She didn’t need that either.

“I’m going to assume you haven’t told Ryuku about your budding friendship with Shigaraki?” Hawks didn’t blink or look ashamed at her when she shook her head. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t have either.”

Oh. Right. Because he had been pretty...intimately involved with the League - if the rumors were true. It was hard to say when he’d gotten out of testifying at Dabi’s trial since Touya took a plea deal. They had only been hinted at in the other trials, but nothing ever truly came out of it.

“You should be careful though if you don’t want this to get out,” Hawks told her.

“What are you implying?” Uraraka questioned.

“I’m not implying anything.” Hawks eyed the feather covered in goo and dropped it onto the ground, a disappointed look on his face. “I’m simply saying that this could affect, well, everything about your life. You’re a hero. He’ll always have that mark of a villain against him no matter what he does.” He settled a careful look on her that made her press her lips together - a look that said he knew exactly what she was thinking. “They didn’t figure out his identity in this article, but someone likely will soon enough. I happened to spend a decent amount of time around him, so I recognized him off the bat despite his cleaning up and dad duties.”

It didn’t sound like he was judging her, which was a relief, but there was something...off about the way he talked about the whole thing. Familiar. Shouldn’t he be judging her even more since he’d witnessed many of the League’s crimes firsthand? He had been there when they’d devolved into vigilantism - when Shigaraki had begrudgingly agreed to help Deku take down All for One. Hawks knew more about the League than most people ever would, but no matter how many people asked him questions about it, he always declined to speak.

“Ah, I’m not being entirely forthcoming with you,” Hawks admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I knew that you and Shigaraki were...involved with one another? I’m not sure how to phrase it. Either way, I already knew that you two were spending time together, so that might’ve made it easier for me to figure it out when I saw the pictures.”

Uraraka tensed up. “How the hell did you know that? I mean, a good amount of people know, but it’s not like that’s something that comes up in conversation.”

“I might have an inside source close to the situation.”

“Who…?” Uraraka stared at him. Those old rumors came to mind again. But no. He couldn’t? Could he? After all this time, after years of being separated, after what they had gone through and the rollercoaster that had been Hawks’ position in the League, which no one truly understood to this day, could he still be…? “Touya?”

Hawks finger-gunned her. “Clever - no wonder Shigaraki likes you.”

“Oh my god.”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Hawks pocketed his hands casually and looked away from her. “Being around him, remembering what he was like before and seeing him now, feeling comfortable when you know you shouldn’t, thinking that this is the worst decision you could make and just...not caring about that.”

His eyes were on the scene, seemingly focused, but she could tell that he wasn’t really watching the cops and other first responders deal with everything. He didn’t care about this. It had taken very little effort on his part to deal with the villain even on his off day. There was a reason why he still clung to the top despite everything, even himself. He had a duty to do, a peace to uphold, but even the strongest heroes could be selfish and make irrational decisions.

And yet, to her, what he’d said made perfect sense. She understood every bit of it, even if she didn’t know why.

“Yeah, it is weird,” Uraraka admitted, “but I don’t...mind it.” Her shoulders dropped. “Is that stupid?”

“No, it really isn’t,” Hawks told her gently. “From what Touya has told me - and my, does he like to complain - you two are very good for each other. That is strange. I’ll admit I was mildly concerned when he first told me.” He peered at her out of the corners of his eyes. “I don’t know you personally, but I know you don’t take shit. Anyone that dated Ground Zero as long as you did can’t afford to be weak.”

Uraraka grunted irritably and folded her arms across her chest. “Glad to know my strength is based on Katsuki.”

“I don’t even like dealing with him,” Hawks said, amused with himself. “But no, I’ve seen your work as a hero - before and after you graduated from UA. And I can tell you that you impressed Shigaraki even then.” She furrowed her brow. “You forget that I was there when you two fought. I saw you drop that building on him - and I saw him after. He was shaken up, whether he admitted it or not. You’ve never been someone to mess with lightly.” That was new. She had never really thought about how he reacted after that fight. There had been so much adrenaline coursing through her that she could barely remember her own. “And that is something shown by the people in your company.”

“And the people in yours?” Uraraka countered.

“It shows that my ability to make good personal decisions is touchy at best,” Hawks laughed. He held out a hand. “Of course, that goes for you too. You’re the one willingly hanging out with Tomura Shigaraki. And you let him crash at your place? How kind of you.”

Uraraka grit her teeth. What was up with everyone going on about how kind she was? It wasn’t kindness. It was simply just...what she wanted to do. “Oh yeah? Well, you’re the one who-”

Actually, wait, she didn’t know what kind of relationship Hawks and Touya had. Were they tentative friends like her and Shigaraki or closer than that? Considering that she’d figured out that Touya had been at Hawks’ place the night of the Kaminari Incident since he had said he wasn’t home, they had to be close. Right? But how close was close? Were they her and Todoroki close or…?

“It’s admittedly not that deep,” Hawks admitted. “Not anymore at least. Some relationships are a sinking boat, but you can’t help but jump in and try to get to shore anyway.” Uraraka thought that was kind of sad, but she could tell that he didn’t want to linger on it. The focus wasn’t on him, even if she was tempted to bring it back up in order to avoid talking about her. “You can’t fault me for being curious. I’ve never really known anyone in a similar situation. It’s very contradicting. You end up justifying things that you wouldn’t have before.”

“I…” Uraraka bit her lip. “That kind of makes us sound bad, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know. Is it bad to give people a second chance when they’re trying to start their lives again the right way?”

No, it wasn’t. Touya was out of prison. Shigaraki was out of prison. Maybe the times they served weren’t long enough for some people, but they’d taken the punishment given to them. It didn’t make sense to continue treating them poorly and turning them away when they were trying to do right. As difficult and snarky as Touya could be, he had helped Shigaraki in so many ways - from picking up Yukiko to letting him vent and getting him home. And it was obvious, try as might hide it, that he cared about his family a lot. He wanted to do better by them.

And Shigaraki… Someone who had lost his family, who hadn’t understood the concept of it for a long time, who hated happiness so much that smiles pained him, had a beautiful daughter who laughed and smiled and loved him so much. Moody, difficult, cold - none of that mattered when it came to Yukiko. She was his daughter, and he would do everything in his power to protect her and give her the life that had been stolen from him. She couldn’t forget all the things he’d done, but she saw him now and things were just different.

She didn’t know how to explain it. She doubted Hawks could either. Maybe he felt stained by his time undercover with the League, which made things easier for him to explain away, but it was clear that it still troubled him some. How easy it was to mingle and keep company with people that most of society would turn their backs on.

“Don’t worry,” Hawks said. “I’m not gonna question what you see in him or what you two are really doing.”

Uraraka tried not to blush, but it was her natural instinct. “We’re not doing anything!”

“You’re a consenting adult allowed to do whatever and whoever you want, even former villains-”

“Tell that to yourself! I’m not- That’s not-”

Hawks laughed again. “You really are easy to rile up.” She snapped her mouth shut. Yeah, he was definitely seeing Touya. Only people with smart mouths and zero filters could put up with his ridiculous bullshit attitude. And then, right when she was considering letting him off the hook since he seemed to be teasing her, he winked. “But you do know extreme denial is one of the first stages, right? Trust me. I did not expect to fall into this either, but there are some things you just don’t have a say in. I saw how happy you looked in those photos. Even worse, I saw how trusting he was with you, and his trust is not cheap. That’s the truth no matter what way you spin it.”

“Yeah… I guess I am happier.” Uraraka rubbed her arm but then stopped and straightened up. “But it’s not just about him or Yukiko either. I’m doing really well for myself.”

“I saw the news. You really are.” It shouldn’t mean so much to hear Hawks say that, but he was still the Number Three Hero and had been at the top for so long. Being acknowledged was a big deal. She was a good hero. She was doing a great job. Maybe the public would look at her sideways for spending time with Shigaraki, but it didn’t matter. Her rank didn’t matter. What mattered was what she did with her life and if it made her happy. “When it does come to light - and chances are since you’re not sneaky like me or Touya, it will - things could get rough for you. And I’m talking much worse than all that basic breakup shit.”

Uraraka nodded. “I know.”

“But you’ll have people in your corner that know what really counts.” Hawks held out a hand, which she shook firmly. “Needless to say, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this. Shigaraki doesn’t know.” He rolled his eyes. “Touya won’t tell him and I’m fine with that, but he’s too stubborn to admit he worries about what Shigaraki will think about it.”

She wouldn’t tell Shigaraki, mostly because it wasn’t his business. He should understand that since he didn’t want people gossiping about Yukiko. Still, like him, she was curious. “What would he think of you two?”

“Probably hate it.” Hawks grinned. “He’s not my biggest fan.” He wasn’t Deku’s biggest fan either, and he was staying at his place, so maybe Shigaraki would surprise him. On the other hand, Hawks’ role in bringing down the League had been very controversial, so yeah, Hawks was most likely very right. Shigaraki held grudges like it was his job. “Good work today, Uravity. I’ll see you around. Just...watch yourself, okay? It’s easy to think you’re going one way, only to realize you’ve been in over your head for a while.”

Why did so many people have to be so cryptic? Still, Uraraka got the point more or less. Being told that by Hawks now that she knew more about his personal life only made her leery. She didn’t get the chance to thank him again, not when an officer walked up to them ready to take their statements. He switched into professional mode right before her eyes, and she went silent. Even though she had been the main hero on the scene and on duty, the officer of course went right to Hawks, who took over breezily. She put her hands on her hips and waited for her turn.

She wished the officer would hurry up so she didn’t have to linger on Hawks’ words for too long. He must have been damn good at his job infiltrating the League since he’d easily managed to get under her skin.

Still, him and Touya? Geez, she did not want to know what that dynamic was like. It sounded like a mess.

Oh, shit, her phone!

Uraraka fished it off the small pack from her belt and unlocked it. Even though she’d been stressed a second ago, a smile lit up her face when she saw the short message from Shigaraki: Got the place.

That’s awesome! When’s the move in date?

Five Days.
Ugh I have to get my shit out of my apartment.

The rats are gone right?

Will they ever truly be gone?

He was so dramatic. She rolled her eyes and put her phone away when she spotted the officer heading toward her after finishing up with Hawks. The Number Three Hero caught eyes with her and winked before gracefully taking off and leaving her to take care of the rest. Well, at least some good news had been heard today. She’d wait to tell him about the magazine article later. Hopefully, he wouldn’t find out about it until then.

Chapter Text

Shigaraki was spending what should’ve been his last night at Midoriya’s (admittedly decent) apartment, reading one of the few non-hero-related books in the place, when a message pinged on the television through the gaming system. He’d been mindlessly playing an RPG until he got bored - or rather, until Uraraka passed out on the couch next to him, practically drooling on the armrest.

She had swung by earlier to watch Yukiko while he finalized the details of the apartment and went to his therapy session. The game was boring enough for her to drift off once again, but honestly, he couldn’t blame her. Not even he had been interested. Plus, she’d come almost straight from work. There were dark circles under her eyes, but she waved away his offer to take Yukiko with him.

Stupid, self-sacrificing hero bullshit. At least, that was what he would’ve assumed before. No, this was just Uraraka - this was who she was - and she genuinely enjoyed being around Yukiko...and him. Maybe him.

He was considering waking her up when the message popped up on his screen, dragging his attention away from the sci-fi novel. He stared at the screen. TazerBlazer. It was Kaminari. He hadn’t heard from him since the whole reveal at Uraraka’s apartment and honestly assumed he wouldn’t ever again. It was better to let things go, or whatever shit his therapist was always on about. Shigaraki set the book aside and hovered a hand over the controller before he clicking on a button to open the message.

What’s up? Wanna game?

Taking a deep breath, Shigaraki picked up the controller and painstakingly typed out: Just like that?

Yeah man just like that.

Why?

I thought about it and it’s weird af and fucked up but if Uraraka is hanging out with u then ur good. I trust her. She let you stay at her place. That’s like a lot of trust on her end.

She’s a good person.

And a fucking saint for dating Bakugou for that long. Idk how she did it.

Shigaraki snorted. Yeah, she kind of fucking was. No one else could put up with him for that long - save for maybe the person he was dating now. He could’ve looked it up, but he hadn’t felt the desire to poke into her ex’s business. As long as Bakugou stayed away from him, he would do the same.

After glancing at Uraraka, who was starting to snore, and listening to see if he could hear Yukiko making any noise from the bedroom, he picked up the headset and put it on. As soon as his mic went live, Kaminari jumped on too. It was a hell of a lot easier than typing a bunch of shit out, even if he was quicker than most people. He didn’t have Kaminari’s speed or penchant for long-winded sentences.

“So, game?” Kaminari piped up without being prompted.

“Yeah,” Shigaraki replied slowly, “I’ve got some time before I need to crash. Yukiko is being good tonight.”

“First of all, that’s adorable,” Kaminari said as they set up their game, a different RPG instead of the one he’d been playing earlier. Apparently, he wasn’t in an online PVP gaming mood either. “Second of all, early morning tomorrow? I thought you worked weekdays at a video game store.”

“I’m moving into my new place,” Shigaraki admitted.

He should’ve been prepared for Kaminari’s loud cheering, but it still made him wince. “That’s awesome! Hey, you don’t have to couch or motel surf anymore, right?”

“Yeah, but I have to move my shit out of the apartment,” Shigaraki grumbled. “I’m kind of limited on help. Uraraka offered to come over-”

“Dude, her quirk would be insanely helpful.”

“That’s what I was thinking, but she doesn’t get off work until five.” And that was if a villain didn’t decide to interrupt the end of her shift like one had the other day. If potential villains and bank robbers could hold off for a few hours, that would be great. Shigaraki was starting to think that the minor inconveniences the League caused were worse than the actual terrorism. “Touya’s dragging his heels like usual and Iguchi might be able to swing by, but… It’s gonna be a long-ass day.”

There was a lull in the conversation while the game loaded before Kamnari blurted, “I could help.”

Shigaraki furrowed his brow. “What?”

“I could help you move. I live like thirty minutes from Uraraka.”

“No.” Shigaraki couldn’t stomach it. He didn’t want to admit that he was relieved Kaminari was still talking to him,  because while it was weird to think of him as Kaminari, he was also the longest relationship he had in his life outside of All for fucking One, but accepting help from him was a bad idea. It sounded like something a good friend would do, but he didn’t want to be put in that situation or category. “No, I don’t need you pulling your ‘good guy hero shit’ on me too. I’ve had enough of that.”

Kaminari laughed. “Hey, who says I’m trying to be a hero for you? Maybe I just wanna look good for Uraraka.”

Shigaraki scowled even though Kaminari couldn’t see him. “Didn’t she date one of your closest friends? What about that bros before hoes rule?”

“It doesn’t apply if they aren’t a hoe.”

“Goddamnit.” Shigaraki rubbed his forehead between his thumb and pointer finger. “You’re such an idiot.”

“I’m kidding!” Kaminari laughed. “I wouldn’t be like that with her. She’s too good of a person and friend. Besides, I know when a girl isn’t available - and I don’t push it, just like you taught me.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes and didn’t say anything. He had gotten onto Kaminari multiple times about his gross behavior with girls. Granted, he was a teenage boy surrounded by what he described as “the best looking girls on the planet,” but that didn’t excuse his behavior. Now in his mid-twenties, maybe he wasn’t the perfect guy, but he had grown and was better than he used to be. He’d spent his time at Midoriya’s reflecting on how Kaminari had spoken about the Uraraka and Bakugou’s breakup - how he’d tried to help her out and made sure she knew he wasn’t trying to make a move on her. Shigaraki hadn’t known it was about her at the time, but he did now.

“It’s been a while since she and that bastard broke up, right?” Shigaraki asked as he picked his character.

Kaminari snorted. “Maybe, but she isn’t on the market right now.”

“You make her sound like some sort of rare antiquity.”

“Okay, one, ‘rare antiquity’? That’s nerdy. And two, she’s with you now, isn’t she?”

Shigaraki froze. “How did you-?”

“She told Mina that she couldn’t come out because she was watching Yukiko, so I went out instead, and I’m like three drinks in so my filter is gone, my man.”

“You had a filter?”

“Touche!” Kaminari laughed. Before they started the game, he sighed and added, “But seriously, man. I’m off work tomorrow. I can help you move.”

“Wouldn’t that be weird?” Shigaraki was pretty sure the last time they saw each other in person had been before he was arrested. His trial was something of a blur, so he couldn’t remember if Kaminari had been there or not. Strong as his quirk was - getting electrocuted was never fun for anyone - he hadn’t really been on Shigaraki’s radar.

“Hella weird, but a bro’s gotta help a bro out.”

A groan slipped from Shigaraki. “Do not call me a bro.”

“We’re bros !” Kaminari crooned in a sing-song voice.

“Ugh, you’re drunk.” Shigaraki wrinkled his nose in distaste and started the game. Thank everything he’d turned set the system so that Kaminari could only be heard in the headset and wouldn’t wake up Uraraka. “You’re gonna be worthless on here and in the morning if you did help out.”

“I ain’t drunk, just buzzed!” Kaminari paused, although he didn’t stop playing. “Well, I’m technically always kinda buzzing, but this is different.”

Shigaraki shook his head. He really didn’t change. Yeah, he might’ve matured and smartened up, but Kaminari wasn’t acting any different than he had a few weeks ago. This was just him, like Uraraka was just her. He was still the dumbass but helpful kid that Shigaraki stumbled across when he was fifteen and Kaminari was ten.

“You’d be more help than Touya,” Shigaraki conceded. “He’ll probably just complain the whole time, and he’s scrawny as hell.”

It would be weird though, mostly because they’d only interacted online. Would it change things again? Would it make them more awkward? It was kind of easy to ignore the fact that Kaminari was a hero and Shigaraki was a reformed villain when they never saw each other and only heard each other's voice. He could still pretend that he didn’t know even if his mind never truly let him forget it.

“Yeah, man, I’ve got muscle ,” Kaminari said proudly. “I mean, I’m not like Kirishima or Bakugou-jacked, but I’m in pretty good shape. I can help lift shit.”

“Good, because that’s the only prerequisite to help someone move.”

The click of buttons could be heard over the low volume of his headphones. He wasn’t certain anything short of an explosion would wake Uraraka up at this point, but he didn’t want to test that out with Yukiko asleep. He’d have to wake her up eventually, but she wasn’t bothering him curled up on the other side of the couch. Did she have work tomorrow morning? She was going to regret getting home late. Touya had been hard as hell to wake up too. He could sleep through anything. One time, he didn’t wake up immediately when a group of villains attacked their hideout.

“You think you can handle being around three reformed villains in a formerly rat-infested apartment?”

“I’m a hero, ain’t I?” Kaminari joked. Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I never actually told you what I did for a living. It’s kind of a big deal. I’m not a big shot or anything, but it’s a big part of my life.”

“Well, I didn’t tell you I was a villain,” Shigaraki pointed out. Not that he would have if it came up. He’d come across quite a few villain sympathizers online, and a handful of criminals too - people like that tended to gravitate toward each other - but they usually pissed him off or irritated him by being so simple-minded. Granted, his first goal as a villain had just been to destroy shit, but people had to start somewhere. Now he was trying to create an actual life for his daughter. The world really was strange. “You serious about this?”

“Dude, of course,” Kaminari replied like it was completely obvious. It kind of reminded him of Toga, who had always been eager to help out no matter what he asked her to do. “Whether you meant to or not, you did kinda help me a lot - and yeah, I know, that’s cheesy and stranger than shit to say out loud - so I can do this one thing.” It was cheesy, but he couldn’t complain about it either. The more help he had, the quicker he could get away from there, into a better place, and out of Midoriya’s. “Uraraka and Todoroki don’t have a problem being around you all.”

“I wouldn’t count Todoroki in my case.”

Kaminari laughed. “Okay, that’s true, but it’ll be fine. I guess I’ve sorta known Touya for a while and…”

“Iguchi - or Spinner, in your case.”

“Yeah, I figured it was him. I might be a dumbass, but I’m not always an idiot.” At least Kaminari was honest with himself. Some people lived their whole lives refusing to admit they were stupid and repeatedly made the same mistakes. He couldn’t stand people like that. “I was kinda hoping it was Compress. That dude had such style. Whatever happened to him?”

Shigaraki thought about the minivan back at the apartment and the bouncer Yukiko probably missed. “No idea. He went completely off the radar after that Youtube video surfaced during our trials.”

“What an icon.”

That was certainly one way of looking at Sako. To be honest, Shigaraki would’ve preferred Sako’s help moving out over Iguchi’s. Nothing against him or anything, but that compressing quirk would’ve come in handy. Combine his quirk with Uraraka’s, and moving would’ve been a cinch. Maybe they should’ve started a moving company instead of taking down other villain organizations in an attempt to drain All for One’s power. He really needed to make sure his priorities were straight this time around.

*

“This is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” Iguchi stated as he gawked wide-eyed into Shigaraki’s now-ratless and clean apartment.

“We literally fought against a giant naked rock man for like a month to get him on our side.”

Iguchi pointed at the bouncer. “You’ve got baby shit in your apartment. You have a baby . That’s a bouncer that you put a baby in.”

“Sako got it for me. Appeared out of nowhere with a bunch of gifts because he heard a rumor about it and then vanished again right after.”

“No shit? That’s...thoughtful of him, I guess.” Iguchi ran his fingers through his hair. To be honest, he didn’t look very different from their League days aside from wearing different clothes. He was done cosplaying as the Hero Killer. In jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket, he looked normal as hell, just like Shigaraki. Aside from his reptilian appearance, which would mark him as Spinner for the rest of his days, he was an average citizen.

“He also got me a car.”

Iguchi choked. “He what? A car?”

“A minivan, to be precise, the arrogant bastard,” Shigaraki grouched. So far, Iguchi was the only person he had told about the vehicle sitting out front. He didn’t know why he’d decided to say it now, but it felt good to get off his chest. He’d been sitting on it for a while, too wary to touch it even if the paperwork had all checked out. He didn’t know how Sako had managed to make everything so damn legal . And he didn’t want to know.

“Do you even have a license?” Iguchi asked.

“I don’t even know how to drive,” Shigaraki said. “And we both know video games don’t count.”

Iguchi folded his arms across his chest. “They taught me just fine.”

“The only reason you don’t have more speeding tickets is because you don’t want to go back to jail.” Shigaraki shook his head and started to put Yukiko’s toys in one of the many boxes they had collected. “Could you imagine? You’re a model citizen, but you end up getting locked up again because of your GTA driving skills.”

“I took lessons!”

“I saw you pull in. Don’t even try me. That shit is ingrained in you.”

Sulking like a child, Iguchi began to clear the kitchen cabinets and demanded, “Are you gonna insult me the whole time I’m here while I’m helping you?”

Shigaraki peered at him sideways. “I haven’t seen you in a while and only have Touya around to insult.”

“He’s too easy of a target,” Iguchi said with a snort.

Touya was such an easy target, but he was also a target that shot back just as many insults and admittedly had a lot of humiliating information about him. So far, Touya had been kind for once and hadn’t told Fuyumi about what they’d talked about the night Shigaraki got drunk at his bar. He hadn’t even told her that he called Midoriya to give him a ride home. He also hadn’t told her about the whole “he’d been friends with a UA student and hero the whole time” debacle, which was a blessing.

Which...he should probably warn Iguchi about.

However, right when Shigaraki opened his mouth, there was a knock on his door. Iguchi must not have shut it all the way because it swung open on the first knock, revealing a surprised-looking Denki Kaminari, the hero Chargebolt, standing in the doorway. Iguchi stared at him in utter confusion. Shigaraki and Kaminari connected eyes. For one brief moment, Shigaraki regretted accepting Kaminari’s help. Being friends online was impersonal and safe, but in person meant so much more. It required so much more from both of them, and he didn’t know if he was capable of it. This might be the final nail in the coffin.

And then, just like online, Kaminari broke the awkward silence that fell over them with a dumbass comment. He lifted up a case of beer and cheerily greeted, “‘Sup? I brought libations to help make packing less stressful.”

Shigaraki gestured to him. “Iguchi, meet TazerBlazer from online.”

Iguchi’s jaw dropped. “You? You’re the kid who always played healer on our teams? The only one who Shigaraki never snapped at about talking?”

“That’s me!” Kaminari said with an awkward laugh.

“I…” Iguchi shook his head. “You know what? I have nothing to say that can top this. Your life really is the most messed up thing I can imagine.” And yet he was still here. That was the great thing about Iguchi. He always had someone’s back; he was dependable. Maybe he was a little over the top about it, but when Shigaraki had asked for his help, he hadn’t hesitated despite living over an hour away. “Seriously, I should’ve seen this coming.”

Kaminari grinned, bright and warm, and Shigaraki could feel the dumbass energy that made him easy to get along with online. “I almost didn’t recognize you after your name change when you got out of prison.” If it was possible for Iguchi to be any more shocked than he was, he might’ve had a heart attack. Shigaraki snorted. Iguchi’s gamer tag had been Stain-related before being arrested. He’d obviously changed it since getting out. “In retrospect, yeah, I should have recognized that ya’ll might be villains, but I mean, Stain was super popular online.”

“I can’t.” Iguchi threw up his hands. “It really is you.”

“Weird, right?” Kaminari set the case of beer down and pulled one out. “Drink to start this madness?”

“Might as well.” Iguchi took it. He looked like he needed it after this revelation. Shigaraki would’ve felt bad about not warning him beforehand, but he had tried. Kaminari simply proved to be more prompt than he expected. He should’ve guessed, since he always seemed to be around when he was needed. When Kaminari held a beer out to him, Shigaraki shook his head. Not yet. Kaminari shrugged and opened it for himself.

After taking a solid swig, Kaminari set the beer down and clapped his hands together. “You ready to get the hell out of here?”

“Fucking goddamn yes,” Shigaraki huffed. He wanted to be done with this shithole. It had served his purpose since he was released and got back on his feet, but he was over it. Maybe if he didn’t have Yukiko, it wouldn’t be a problem, but this had been his place. He didn’t want it to be hers. She was better than it and deserved more. And shit, maybe he did too. It was time to move on.

Unlike a lot of the heroes Shigaraki was used to seeing, Kaminari wasn’t super muscular or jacked, despite his jokes. It wasn’t like he could move a dresser on his own or pick up the couch like some. Iguchi might’ve had more muscle than him, in all honesty. Still, he had the same aura of endless energy about him that he did online. He bustled around the apartment at a speed that should’ve only been possible with a speed quirk, endless amount of chatter that kept things from getting awkward even when all three knew it was, and a laugh that switched between nervous and cackling as Shigaraki recounted the rat incident.

An hour into packing, Shigaraki pulled out his phone to check the time. “Where the hell is Touya?”

“You know him,” Iguchi said from the bathroom. “He shows up on his own time. He’s always been like that.”

“What?” Kaminari joked. “Ya’ll weren’t prompt in the League?”

“ He wasn’t,” Shigaraki grumbled as he pulled up Touya’s contact info. “Asshole was almost always late. Didn’t even show up sometimes.”

“Remember when he ghosted us?” Iguchi said.

Shigaraki scoffed. “Which time? The bastard wasn’t even around to deal with Overhaul until the end, and then he fucked off pretending to recruit again and play with a bunch of Nomus.”

It wasn’t by any means funny and probably disconcerting hearing such casual talk about their times as villains, but Kaminari full-on laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. It reminded Shigaraki of Uraraka. He used to bring up shit about his League days in an attempt to throw her off or maybe even make her leave, but it didn’t. She’d furrow her brow and shoot a mocking remark right back at him that left him thrown off and frustrated - but not mad. He had come to find that it was hard to be mad at her for very long.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Kaminari said between laughs. He bent over and put his hands on his knees as he tried to get his shit under control. “It’s just that… Man, we used to be so terrified of the League. Well, maybe not terrified - but ya’ll made us leery, nervous. You were the Big Bads until you all, you know, went sideways and did your vigilante shit, which I admittedly thought was kind of cool, but…” He stood up straight and took a deep breath. “Hearing you all talk about dumb stuff like this? Remembering all the times I gamed with you? It’s funny .”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shigaraki let out a sigh. “It’s not funny. It’s weird and stupid.”

“You-you-” Kaminari blew a raspberry as he tried not to laugh. “Touya was the shitty employee that you complained about wanting to fire! Todoroki’s brother! And he turned out to have ties to a rival company-”

He lost it again, bursting into laughter, while Shigaraki rolled his eyes. However, when he glanced over at Iguchi for some sort of support, he found him staring at him with wide eyes. “I forgot all the stuff you used to tell him. I could never figure out why he believed it, but then he was younger than us. I just thought he was blinded by like some gaming worship or something.”

Kaminari popped upright. “Gaming worship? No way!”

“I thought you said I was some cool older kid taking you under his wing,” Shigaraki retorted.

“Yeah, but you needed me after you realized how bad you were at noticing your health,” Kaminari replied cockily. He put a hand on his hip and everything. However, there was a faint nervous gleam in his eyes, like he was trying to gauge whether or not joking around like this was okay (safe), but when Shigaraki only pressed his lips together in consternation, that nervousness faded away and his shoulders relaxed. Had he been talking so much because he was afraid?

Iguchi laughed. “Life imitates video games.”

“Oi, I’ve gotten better,” Shigaraki snapped.

“I can tell,” Iguchi said.

Another smirk tugged at Kaminari’s lips, but this one was far too cunning for Shigaraki’s taste. He narrowed his eyes to warn him to stop. He did not. “Well, of course, he’s gotta look good for-”

“Not sorry we’re late,” Touya’s voice interrupted from the doorway. “Just letting you know though, if I see a rat or any rat shit, I’m out. I lived with rats enough when we were hiding out in shitholes.”

Shigaraki was turning around to berate Touya regardless when he saw that he wasn’t the only one there. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“We’re late because I didn’t want to come,” Shouto said flatly instead of answering.

“Todoroki!” Kaminari exclaimed, bolting forward and throwing himself full throttle at his old classmate. The action and shout were so unpredictable that Shouto had no time to dodge or even defend himself, and the two heroes crashed into the wall adjacent from the apartment. “I didn’t know you were going to be here too!”

“I didn’t know either,” Todoroki muttered as he tried and failed to untangle himself from Kaminari. “My mother and Fuyumi told me to come help.”

Touya flashed his little brother a smirk. “Can’t say no to mommy, now can you?”

“Uh, you tried to get out of it too and caved to her immediately,” Todoroki pointed out once Kaminari finally let go of him. He brushed himself off and glanced at his friend, gave him a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it smile that Shigaraki only caught because he was looking in that direction, and then stared back into the room. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Want a drink?” Kaminari offered.

Touya plucked one of the beers out of the case, only for Todoroki to snatch it from him. “Yeah, I will.”

“This could literally not get any weirder,” Iguchi sighed.

Shooting his brother a glare, which Todoroki completely ignored, Touya turned to Shigaraki. “Uravity coming over later? That zero gravity quirk of hers would really come in handy getting this shit into that truck.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Yay!” Kaminari cheered. “Uraraka is gonna make this so much easier. Plus, I haven’t seen her in a while.”

Iguchi gawked. “Zero gravity… Uraraka… Are you talking about Uravity? Why is she coming over?”

Before Shigaraki could say anything, Touya cackled loudly, which only seemed to make Todoroki chug the beer even more. “Oh, man,” Touya said with a hoarse laugh, “you’ve missed out on so much. Just wait until you see those two together. You are going to lose your shit .”

Shigaraki threw a stuffed animal at Touya, hitting him right in the face since he was too busy laughing to fend off any sudden attacks. “Would you shut up?”

Touya wasn’t bothered a bit, the smirk on his face broad and pleased. “She’s great. You’ll adore her - and not just because you won’t have to carry all of this shit out of here. Yukiko loves her. It’s adorable .”

“I honestly hate you,” Shigaraki muttered as he returned to taking the bouncer apart.

“Does that mean I can leave?”

“No, now you get to put away clothes,” Shigaraki said.

Touya groaned and dragged himself to the bedroom. “I’m burning this shit to the ground if I see anything move.”

“Touch any of Yukiko’s shit with that fire, and I will disintegrate you.”

Kaminari beamed. “This is fun!”

Shigaraki was not about to call it that, but he had nothing else to say either. Shaking his head, he finished putting the last piece of the bouncer into a box and moved on to his entertainment system. He didn’t trust anyone else besides maybe Iguchi to deal with it. Definitely not Kaminari, who he knew had a habit of activating his quirk whenever he was nervous. As much as Shigaraki didn’t get on with Todoroki, his presence had definitely put Kaminari at complete ease. Todoroki helped his brother, their murmured voices heard but indistinguishable.

They continued packing with the occasional disturbance, this time with a beer next to him as he sorted through the games, when Shigaraki’s phone pinged a while later with a text from Uraraka.

Just got off work. Still at the apartment?

Yeah we’re all here.

All?

You’re in for a few surprises. I could spoil them now.

Oh no, I love surprises.

Shigaraki glanced up to see Kaminari and Iguchi arguing over his DVD collection while Touya teased Todoroki about some rumor in the hero magazines. She was definitely going to raise her eyebrows at this scenario. He was kind of irritated that there would be so many people to distract her, but that was only because he wanted to get out of her hair as soon as possible. It was fine. All she had to do was touch a box and they could do the rest of the work. He didn’t want to make her do more than he’d asked of her.

Around thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Before anyone else could answer it, Shigaraki barged his way over there. He’d seen the gleeful look in Touya’s eyes and knew he had to get there before him. He opened the door to reveal Uraraka, who opened her mouth to greet him or something, but he stepped outside and into her space before she could get anything out, shutting the door behind him.

“Touya is in a mood, his brother is in an even bigger mood, and-”

“Was that...Spinner and Kaminari?” Uraraka asked, peering up at him, her eyebrows raised.

“Iguchi.”

“Right, sorry, Iguchi.”

“And yes, it is.” Shigaraki rubbed the back of his neck. It was starting to get sore along with his back from all the bending over, lifting, and packing. He wanted to get this taken care of in one day, but he surprisingly had a lot more stuff than he anticipated. He couldn’t even blame it on Yukiko. Where had all this shit come from?

“I didn’t know you and Kaminari were talking again.” Uraraka smiled tentatively. “I’m glad.”

“We weren’t until last night,” Shigaraki admitted. “He messaged me after you passed out on the couch.”

Uraraka winced. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize I was so tired.”

“You’re probably even more tired now,” Shigaraki pointed out. He hadn’t woken her up until about one after he and Kaminari were done gaming, which was probably a mistake. The apartment wasn’t his, but he still felt weird about just letting her sleep even if he had slept at her place. He had to at least give her the option of leaving. Plus, she would have woken up sore as hell if she continued sleeping curled up on the couch like that, and he didn’t need her complaining on top of Touya’s.

With a dismissive wave, Uraraka said, “It was a slow day at work. The only exciting thing I did was stop a jewelry thief and his quirk was quacking.”

Shigaraki made a face. “Quacking?”

“Yeah, he quacked like a duck, which brought actual ducks to the area and he controlled them to attack us.” Uraraka shook her head, a bemused expression on her face. “It was one of the weirdest fights I’ve ever been in. I guess I’m lucky it wasn’t honking for swans.”

“That’s…dumb as hell. You had to fight off a swarm of ducks?”

A grin slid onto Uraraka’s face. “It was a blast.” Yeah, he highly doubted that. He’d seen a lot of unusual quirks throughout the years, especially when he was a villain. Most people that became villains and criminals had quirks that were either deemed as too weird, useless, or dangerous. Their quirks were on the outskirts of what society deemed as acceptable or cool. But quacking to control ducks? That was ridiculous. “Okay, I can handle Touya - and I can definitely handle Shouto and Kaminari. Is Iguchi okay with me being here?”

“He hasn’t complained about Kaminari or Todoroki,” Shigaraki said, shrugging carelessly. “Even if he did complain about you, he can get over it.”

“Aw, defending me?” Uraraka joked. “How thoughtful of you.”

“I’m not defending you,” Shigaraki insisted. “Your quirk is going to make this a hundred times easier.”

Uraraka tsked. “Just using me again. I see how it is.”

Shigaraki grunted irritably. “I’m not-”

“Oi!” Touya shouted, banging on the front door. “You two done making out or what? I don’t want to be here all night!”

If it wasn’t for the fact that Shigaraki knew Touya was purposely testing his nerves in an attempt to get thrown out or told to leave so he wouldn’t have to work anymore, he might’ve done just that. Still, Uraraka flushed and looked away from him when their eyes accidentally connected a second later. Having been the subject of many invasive articles about her and Bakugou most likely (because he definitely didn’t look them up one night when Yukiko wouldn’t go back to sleep), she could handle a little embarrassment.

But Shigaraki was this close to throttling Touya.

He threw the door open, Touya just barely avoiding being hit by it, and stomped back into the room. “I’m onto your games, so don’t even think you can get out of this.”

Kaminari’s excited face dropped. “You mean he was just messing with you?” He pointed accusingly at Touya, who reared back in surprise. “Don’t be such an asshole. I thought he finally got over his denial.”

“What does-?” Shigaraki rubbed his temple and huffed in frustration while Uraraka snickered behind him. “I don’t care. Let’s just finish this.”

Whatever disappointment he might’ve felt (and over what, Shigaraki refused to think about it), Kaminari dropped it in order to smile again and rush to hug Uraraka. “Hey, girl, I missed you!” He went as far as to lift her off the ground, which made her laugh in delight. Shigaraki eyed them out of the corner of his eyes until Kaminari dropped her and then went back to focusing on his bookcase. Of course they were familiar with each other. They had gone to UA together and she’d dated one of his close friends. “We need to hang out more often. No, no, I’m serious. I don’t give a shit about what he thinks. We’re friends outside of him. Isn’t that right, Todoroki?”

“I’m not friends with him,” Todoroki responded. “Either of them.”

“Ah, man, I missed you too,” Kaminari sighed, completely serious. “We should do lunch this week. Dinner! Drinks! An escape room! Hey, Shigaraki, have you ever done an escape room? You’re smart. I bet you’d figure it out quick.”

“I am not willingly locking myself in a room with Shigaraki,” Todoroki stated very emphatically.

Shigaraki tossed him a dry smile. “Good because that sounds like a nightmare.”

“I did it unwillingly already, in prison,” Touya added.

Uraraka pressed her hands over her mouth, but it didn’t stop her from blowing a raspberry and sputtering into laughter. Iguchi raised his eyebrows and shook his head. This was classic Kaminari behavior, just like how he was online. He talked about whatever popped into his head without thinking it through first. It helped him gaming-wise because he was just there and acted without thinking, but sometimes he said the dumbest shit too. It was always genuine though. He’d liked that about him.

“I think your escape room idea is out,” Uraraka said apologetically, even if the smile on her face did not say she was too sorry about it. Kaminari nodded, although he didn’t look too upset. Some of his ideas were too ridiculous to ever come to fruition. “So - what all is there left to do?”

“Just move everything down to the truck,” Shigaraki said.

“My specialty.” Uraraka peered around him and pouted. “Where’s Yukiko?”

Shigaraki glanced at his phone to check the time. Normally, he’d still be working now, but he had managed to get off work in order to do this. “She’s still at daycare. Fuyumi is gonna pick her up later. I didn’t think a baby would be able to help packing.”

“Makes sense.” Looking around the room, Uraraka rubbed her hands together. “What needs to go down first?”

Touya grinned widely and opened his mouth, but Shigaraki cut in before he could say anything, “The furniture. We should get the largest things in the truck first.” He glared at Touya, who simply shrugged, while Uraraka nodded and walked about touching multiple pieces of furniture. After holding a bridge with her quirk, this was nothing, even if she had been at work earlier. The couch, empty bookcase, entertainment center, television, table, and desk began to float in the air.

Iguchi poked the bookcase and sent it across the room. It would’ve crashed into the table if not for Kaminari catching it at the last second. “Wow,” Iguchi murmured, “that really does change everything.”

“What else?” Uraraka asked, spinning around to Shigaraki for orders.

It made his head spin. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say, not with her looking at him expectantly. “I don’t know. Wait until we need you again?”

Uraraka put her hands on her hips. “I’m not just gonna stand here and watch you all do the work?”

Kaminari furrowed his brow. “Why not? We’re the men!” Uraraka glanced back at him with a look that said she wasn’t impressed at all by that assessment. “Oh, right, because we’re the men.”

“We don’t need you for anything else right now,” Shigaraki insisted. “We can take care of it.”

“Well, that’s not fair. All I did was touch a few things.”

“Have a drink. Kaminari brought beer to help keep us motivated.”

“I’ll be motivated if I help you.”

“You’ve done what we needed you to do in this room.”

“I can do more.”

“Stop!” Touya jumped in before Shigaraki could counter her again. “He feels embarrassed about asking you to help and is trying to lessen your load since you just got off work.” Uraraka and Shigaraki both stared at him at a loss for words. Touya sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “This is him trying to be nice.”

Scoffing, Uraraka touched the nearest boxes and floated them as well. “I appreciate that, but this is nothing.”

Shigaraki stepped in her space again. She always froze when he did that. Every time he expected her to take a step back, but she didn’t anymore. “You’re doing enough. You could strain your quirk if you spread yourself too thin.”

“Oh yeah?” Uraraka pointed in what was vaguely the direction of the parking lot. “You could fill that entire truck with everything you own and I could easily float it to your new apartment.”

“Is that legal, Miss Hero?” Shigaraki retorted.

And then, just to kill the moment, he heard Iguchi whisper, “Oh my god, you were right.”

Ugly snorting from Touya tore Shigaraki’s attention away from Uraraka. He looked over to see Touya sitting down, bent over and trying not to laugh. “It’s bad, ain’t it?” He swayed in the computer chair, very amused with himself, and then sat upright and slumped in it, a dopey grin on his face. “Kinda embarrassing, if ya ask me.”

Narrowing his eyes, Shigaraki demanded, “Are you drunk?”

Touya tilted his head. “Not yet.”

“Fucking hell.” Shigaraki stared him down. “You know you’re not getting out of this until we get to the apartment?”

“Try me,” Touya shot back.

“Who gave him a drink?” Todoroki questioned.

Kaminari cringed and awkwardly raised his hand. “It was only the one…”

“You know he can’t handle alcohol,” Shigaraki said, utterly flabbergasted, while both Uraraka and Iguchi struggled not to laugh. “You’ve gamed with him while he’s drinking. He’s completely incompetent!”

“I didn’t want to be mean,” Kaminari mumbled, averting his gaze from everyone.