Several years later.

You stared down at the muddled toilet bowl, eyes flitting over the remnants that you'd just purged. It had been going on for a little while now, this persistent nausea. Normally, you weren't one to make much of a fuss over these things, but it was starting to interfere with daily life, and plans...

"I'm too busy to be coming down with something," you thought grimly, flushing the water down one last time and rinsing yourself off in the sink. When you made your way back to your table, Uraraka was staring at you with her brows pulled into a knot.

"What happened?" she asked. "You look so pale..."

You sat down and let out a sigh. "I threw up."

"Again?"

"Yeah. I've been feeling really off these days."

"That's not good," she frowned. "Why haven't you gone to a doctor yet?"

"Well, you know how it is." You forced a weak smile. "We've been really busy, planning the wedding and all. Plus, Katsuki's super swamped with hero duties. Too much has been going on around the house."

"Your health takes precedence."

"I know, but—"

"No buts!" Uraraka silenced, wagging her fork in your direction. "You're going to the doctor today, whether you like it or not!"

"Alright, alright."

You knew better to protest. Maybe you were just overworked, and your eating schedule had been awfully erratic as well. It could easily just be a build-up of nerves and stress.

"Here's your fruit tart," the waitress smiled, dropping it off at your seat just as you were in the process of downing another gulp of water. Brightly-colored berries stared up at you from underneath a heaping of whipped cream. Uraraka was practically drooling.

"Yummy," she grinned. "It looks so good."

You smiled. "Yeah. Your order's not up yet, right? I'll wait for you."

"Oh, don't mind me!" she ushered. "Go ahead, go ahead! I might end up having a bite if you tempt me too much though, haha."

Admittedly, it did look good, and you'd skipped breakfast yet again so you couldn't wait much longer. Armed with a spoon, you scooped up the uppermost layer, making sure to get ample chunks of fruit. You brought the creamy bite to your lips, and...

Gagged.

"Oh, god."

Your spoon clattered to the plate. Uraraka's brows had rocketed upwards. She watched you bring your napkin to your mouth and spit out the little that you'd ingested. You tried to chug your glass of water in the hopes of removing the foul taste that had settled upon your tongue, but it just wouldn't clear. With every passing second, you felt your stomach churn more and more.

"I'm gonna throw up again."

"What?!" Uraraka exclaimed. "But you just... what was wrong with it? Could the fruits have maybe been spoiled, or—?"

You didn't even get to hear the last of her sentence, because you'd already rushed out of your seat and bolted for the nearest trashcan. Even though you hadn't been awfully keen on your table being so close to the front, you sure were thankful for it now.

"Miss?" one of the servers called, not quite sure to approach you as you spewed your guts into the trash. "Are you alright? Should I call somebody...?"

"She's fine!" Uraraka reassured, scrambling to your side immediately. You felt her fingers comb through strands of your hair and pull it out of your face. "She's just been feeling really sick these days. Um, some extra napkins or paper towels would be nice, though."

You groaned. "Good lord, how embarrassing."

"It's not embarrassing, just focus on yourself right now. But..." Uraraka shifted on her knees behind you, one arm hooked around your shoulders. "[Name]... have you considered the fact that you might be pregnant?"

You dabbed at the corners of your mouth with the wet cloths the server had brought you. A point in your chest had begun to ache. Up until now, you'd written it off as a bug or virus, but... thinking back on it logically, it added up. The nausea, or morning sickness, coupled with how fatigued and moody you'd been. Was your period really that late? It was likely. You'd been so busy these days that you hadn't even been keeping track of that anymore.

"I... can't say it's impossible," you admitted.

Uraraka gripped you tighter. "Right. So, I'd say first things first, after we clean up and get out of here, I think you should take a pregnancy test. I'll drive you to the nearest drugstore and we can pick one up, okay?"

"Okay."

A swell of emotions had burst through your rib-cage, but right now, you were just trying to focus on not throwing up on the floor.

—

The test came back positive.

Uraraka had been there to support you, and you were at least thankful for that, but this raised a lot of concerns. Most of them were in terms of logistics, finance, and long-term development, but the more pressing issue was something else entirely.

Namely, how you would bring this up to your fiancé.

Katsuki was a good guy. You'd realized this back in your U.A days, and the feelings hadn't changed since then. If anything, they'd grown stronger. The last few years you'd spent together had been yet more proof of the resilience of your bond. When he'd proposed a few months back, it had been the happiest day of your life.

For all the reasons you loved him, you knew that he had it in him to be an amazing dad. The question was if he was ready to be a dad. That, you had no way of knowing, and with the wedding still a few months away, you were horrified that this could be the make-or-break decision that would drive a wedge between your relationship.

Stepping into the apartment, you were, by all accounts, terrified. You had no idea how to bring it up, or when the right moment was, or if there even was a right moment for these kinds of things. You wanted to have a child, of course, and you wouldn't dream about having one with anyone other than Katsuki, but still. This was a big deal, and you still had a lot of unanswered questions. Perhaps waiting a bit longer to tell him would be the right call.

But Uraraka said I should do it sooner rather than later. Shit...

You were a walking bundle of nerves, and Katsuki was already home, making food. The scent alone made you gag.

"Babe, is that you?"

"Yeah... just got back."

He poked his head around the corner first, then stepped out altogether, donning the cheesy 'kiss-the-cook' apron you'd bought him for Christmas.

"How was it?" he asked, shuffling up his sleeves a bit farther.

"Good." You flashed him a weak smile. "What're you making?"

"Curry—but not too spicy, don't worry."

You should've known from the smell alone. A heavy meal like that was probably the worst thing he could possibly ask you to eat at a time like this. You knew there was no way you'd be able to hold it down.

"Smells yummy," you lied, "but I think I'll have to pass. I ate with Uraraka already, so I'm not that hungry."

"You left a while ago," Katsuki frowned. "I'm sure you're starting to get at least a little hungry. You don't need to eat a lot, just sit down at the table with me."

"No, I'm good, really..."

"The hell? You got a problem with my cooking, woman?"

You wanted to laugh, but just standing so close to the kitchen was making you want to vomit. You scrambled over to the living room and plopped down onto the sofa, letting your head fall back. Your purse was still hooked around your arm.

"What the fuck, [Name]?" Katsuki followed you over, sounding annoyed, but not really. "The hell are you walking away like that for? I'm about to set the table."

"I feel too sick," you whined. "Please, Katsuki. I'm sorry, I just... I can't eat right now."

His expression changed at that. "Why didn't you just say so?" He took a seat beside you, brows furrowed. "Are you still nauseous? You haven't gotten that checked out yet? What if it's food poisoning or some shit?"

"It's not..."

"Well, how would you know if you haven't gone yet?"

You groaned. "I'm fine, really. Just let me rest for a bit, please..."

"[Name], you look way too fucking pale right now." He clenched his jaw and placed a palm against your forehead. "It doesn't feel like you're running a fever, but you look sick. I'm going to take you to get checked."

"No!" The cry came out urgent and strained, and Katsuki stared back at you in bewilderment. You shifted your hand atop his own. "Just... no," you repeated, a bit more calmly. "I don't want to see a doctor. I just need to rest."

"Why the hell are you being so hard-headed about this? I'm trying to help because I fucking care."

"I don't need to get checked, I'm fine."

"You're going to get checked," Katsuki grimaced, "and stop fucking fighting me on this. It's starting to piss me off."

"Katsuki, please."

"[Name], come on."

He was starting to get really irritated, you could hear it in his voice now. You didn't have the strength to even fight him. You just wanted to lay here and close your eyes; to just stop thinking about everything for at least a few minutes. You couldn't take it that he kept raising his voice and tugging you by the wrist.

He needed to stop.

You were getting overwhelmed.

Your chest was starting to burn.

God, [Name], don't—!

"I'm only nauseous because I'm fucking pregnant, okay?!"

Now, there was silence.

You squeezed your eyes shut out of the fear of seeing his expression. What if he looked terrified? You couldn't bear to see that. Hell, even you were terrified, but the thought of him not wanting to have children with you was just...

"...are you serious?"

You opened your eyes a fraction. Katsuki was staring back at you, jaw rigid, but otherwise bearing no sign of the grievances you'd been afraid to see. His eyes were solemn, clear. Of course he wouldn't think that you were joking.

"Y-Yes."

Every fiber of your being felt red-hot, but you'd come this far, and turning back was certainly no longer an option. Without warning, you dived into the bag at your side and fished out the positive pregnancy test. Katsuki stared at the little, pink plus sign and how it contrasted against the white.

"Holy shit."

You unknowingly backed into the couch. Katsuki picked up the pregnancy test and lifted it closer. You noticed now that his hands were trembling.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit."

"Y-Yeah?"

You didn't know what in the hell else to say. You didn't know if this reaction was good, or just shy of a nervous breakdown. The test swayed between his fingers and dropped down to the couch.

And then he began to cry.

You'd only ever seen Katsuki cry a handful of times, and it had only ever been at your expense, or that time all the way back during the first week of high school when he'd lost against you and Izuku in the trial of battle. When someone like Katsuki cried, all of the emotions he'd been suppressing and fighting back came bursting like a water-logged dam. It was cathartic, really, and it was usually tears of relief, or genuine pain and anguish.

This was probably the first time you'd ever seen him cry tears of joy.

"You're pregnant," he choked out, burying his damp face between trembling fingers. "You're actually pregnant... we're pregnant. [Name], you're—this isn't a fucking j-joke or something, right? It's your test, not someone else's? Shit... don't look at me right now... I feel so pathetic."

You began to cry, too. Really, why had you expected anything else? After all these years, you should've known better than to doubt him. The two of you had fought through hell and back together, and no obstacle was going to test the strength of your bond ever again, no matter how seemingly insurmountable. You leaned your head against Katsuki's own, letting your warm, dampened cheeks come together.

The mark on your hip throbbed. This time, you weren't scared.

"You're going to be a dad, Katsuki."