"Deku-chan! Ahh, I'm so sorry for coming in late again, my agency has been running me wild." Ochako looked guiltily at the floor. This was the third family dinner she missed in the last week and even though she knew her husband understood she still felt bad about it.

"That's fine," Deku pressed his lip together into a small smile. "I know you're busy. Plus the kids and I watched you on T.V today. Toshi was very excited that his mama was so cool. Izuku turned his attention away from his wife and towards the dishes.

Ochako felt uneasy. Was something wrong? Did she do something? She had been getting more popular lately and was away from home more often than not. "Hey is everything okay?" she asked cautiously.

"Everything's good." Izuku continued to focus on the dishes. Ochako knew something was wrong, but she was too tired from a long day of hero work to do anything about it right now.

"Okay then. Let me know if you need me then." she lingered for a moment, hoping Deku would speak up. He used to be an open book. She remembered back when they first started dating there were no secrets between them. It made her feel good knowing she could hold his heart in her hands. She missed that, things weren't the same lately.

"I'm fine Ochako, you have an early day tomorrow and should probably turn it. Don't worry I can handle the fort here, you worry about all the citizens that need you." She opened her mouth to protest, to say something, but the words didn't come to her. She didn't know what to say to him anymore. The last two years had been the hardest of their marriage and she sometimes wished she could take a time machine back to when they were in sync. For now, all she could do is get some rest and do it all another day.

Ochako woke up to find her husband still asleep next to her. She loved seeing him like this. He looked at peace. Ever since his fight with All for One two years ago, he had been tense. She knew why. It's not easy losing your quirk and your dream, but she wondered how much longer it would take for things to get back to normal. The man she married was bright-eyed and determined. That's what she admired about him, the light in his eyes inspired her to work hard and become a great hero. She missed that man.

Deku woke up to a cold bed like every morning. He missed having Ochako beside him when he woke up. He would trace circles on her stomach and she would giggle and tell him to stop because it tickled. Back when he was at his agency they would wake up at the same time and race to see who could get into the shower first. Sometimes they got in together and took a little too long to get ready. He missed those times.

"Daddy! Daddy!" he heard his son bang on the door to his bedroom.

"Hey, pal? You're up early today." he opened the door which caused his five-year-old to race past him and start jumping on his bed.

"Daddy look I can float just like Mommy!" he closed his eyes and touched his fingers together hoping something would happen, but nothing did. Izuku hoped that his kids would get Ochako's quirk. He knew how hard it was to be quirkless and hoped his children wouldn't inherit the same fate.

"It's okay buddy, you'll quirk will come in soon." he smiled at his son. He hoped his words would ring true. He took Toshi off the bed and went downstairs to start making breakfast. Pancakes because his kids both had a sweet tooth and today was Sunday. It was a shame his wife had to work this Sunday as well, he never got to see her anymore. He finished making pancakes and went up to wake up his toddler.

"Hikari sweetie? Time to wake up." His two-year-old daughter protested a bit, but with some encouragement got out of bed. Hikari was just a newborn when the incident occurred. He felt bad thinking about how much Ochako had to deal with back then. She had to not only take care of the baby but him as well. He was a mess after that fight. All for One's dying face was ingrained within his mind. Losing One for All was the hardest on him though. He wished he was able to handle it better like Mirio when he lost his quirk, but he just wasn't strong enough. One for All wasn't just his quirk, it was his last connection to All Might and now that was gone too.

"Papa!" Hikari stretched her arms up indicating she wanted to be picked up. He picked her up and carried her downstairs to eat with her brother. Taking care of these two was the light of his day and he loved discovering pieces of his wife in them. He still missed Ochako, she was there, but she also wasn't. Of course, she was a big hero, but he wanted to hold his wife. He couldn't tell her that though, she needed to focus on saving people.

Work was particularly difficult for Uravity today. It was only noon and there had already been a villain attack and rescue mission. She was looking forward to eating lunch alone and video calling her kids. Izuku made it a point to pack her lunch for the last few months and looking at his note in her bento was always a highlight of her day. She still wished Izuku would take some time to talk to her, but for now, she'd settle for his little notes. Today's note was a hand-drawn picture of Toshi and Hikari making a heart with their hands with the words miss you inside. She missed them too. Pro-hero work had been demanding the last few months and she barely had time to spend with her kids. Hikari didn't even call her Mama, just Uravity because that's what she saw on T.V. Izuku has been working on it with her, but no luck. Today was Sunday and she wanted to hug her kids more than anything, but for now, she would have to settle for a video call. Lately, she's had to settle on a lot of things.

"Uravity? You're supposed to be at the agency briefing!" one of her colleagues called out to her from across the break room.

"Briefing? I'm on lunch break and I was about to call my ki-" she tried to protest, but before she knew it she was being dragged out by the will of her colleagues' quirk.

Izuku sat with his kids in front of the T.V which was showing footage of Uravity's recent save.

"Look, baby, it's Mama," he pointed at Ochako hoping Hikari would take notice.

"Uravity!" she giggled enthusiastically.

"Yes Uravity is Mama's hero name, but you have to call her Mama okay?" They had this conversation about 1000 times already, but she didn't budge. It didn't help that Ochako's agency barely gave her time off to spend with her kids or him. He missed her so goddamn much. He didn't tell her that though, she was busy being a great hero and he was busy feeling sorry for himself.

"Mama is so cool, she's the best hero. She gets to help save people every day. I want to be just like her!" cheered Toshi causing Izuku to smile. He loved that his son was an Uravity superfan, it reminded him of how he was with All Might back in the day.

"Work hard and you will be a great hero just like Mama." he patted his son's head, but for some reason, the boy looked dismayed. "What's wrong?" he got on his knees to meet his son's eye level.

"Nothing. Mama and Shou-chan said I'm not allowed to say." admitted the boys who focused his attention on the ground. This caused Izuku to let out a deep sigh. People had been very cautious around him since the incident.

"First of all can't you call him Oji-san and second of all what are you not allowed to say." the little boy contemplated what to do, but ultimately gave in. Toshi was awful at lying to him.

"Well, I don't have my quirk yet and I know you don't have a quirk Papa so I asked Shou-chan if I wouldn't get one." Toshi bit his lip and looked down at the ground guiltily. Deku had been thinking the same thing recently, but he had no idea his friend had warned his son about it. Both Ochacko and Shouto knew about One for All and even before he lost his quirk, there was a chance that Toshi wouldn't get a quirk based on genetics.

"What did he tell you?" Izuku smiled softly at him which prompted the boy to keep going.

"Well, he said there was a chance that I wouldn't, but he had a feeling I would have a quirk. He also told me not to bring it up in front of you because you'd get sad. I asked Mama and she agreed." there it was, his wife and best friend thought they were protecting him. He appreciated how much they cared, but hated that even Toshi was walking on eggshells around him.

"Well you're only five and most quirks come in between 4-6 so let's see what happens. Don't worry about me. I'm not going to feel sad if you talk about quirks. Papa wants to know what's on your mind okay? Besides, even without a quirk, there are plenty of jobs that can help make a difference." He patted his son on the head once more to comfort him.

"But Papa? Why don't you have a job then?" and there it was, the question that plagued him at night. It had been two years since the incident and he still wasn't able to get past his dreams. He knew it was time to move on, but he just couldn't. It felt like all his time spent at UA and with All Might had been for nothing. Recently he had been hiding pamphlets for different police academies from Ochako. He wanted to do it, but he was scared to enroll. It would be saying goodbye to a chapter in his life and talking to Ochako about it would make it suddenly feel too real.

"Well then I couldn't see you all the time then silly," he started tickling Toshi in his attempt to avoid giving a real answer. He loves his kids and staying home with them, but he wanted more.

"Welcome Uravity," greeted Ochako's supervisor as she sat down in the meeting room. Her agency was a big one and managed quite a few pro heroes, but this room only had about 7 of them. She scanned the room to see if she knew anyone and found Shinsou looking at her. He had some of the best saves of their agency, but he had to keep out of the public eye due to the nature of his quirk.

"Sorry I'm late, I didn't realize we had a briefing today." she apologized and took a seat. She felt her phone buzz a couple of times but did her best to ignore it.

"It's fine, you are our star after all. Rumor has it you might make top ten at Japan's next hero ranking. We need to make sure you get as many saves as possible before then. You'll have to log more hours from now on." the older lady smiled at her.

"But those rankings aren't for another 3 months and I already have such a long work week." protested Ochako. She had to work 12 hours a day already, she didn't want to have to be away from her kids anymore. She felt her phone buzz a few more times and was almost certain it was Deku.

"It takes sacrifice to become a top hero Uravity and you're so close. What are another three months?"

"I know and I'm thankful for everyone's support, it's just that I have kids and I can't-"

"Don't you have a jobless husband that takes care of them?" her supervisor said so bluntly that it made Ochako angry. She looked over at Shinsou who also seemed to wince at the comment. She hated the hate her husband got after the incident. Many of his "fans" called him weak or made fun of his quirkless status. Sometimes she hated how public heroes had to be.

"Please, my husband does a lot for our kids as it is, but I still want to be there for them. I am their mother after all," Ochako explained as her phone continued to buzz. She wished Deku understood that she wasn't picking up because she was busy. After continued buzzing, her supervisor's attention was directed towards her pocket where her phone was.

"Need to take that? Sounds important." the older woman was annoyed and she knew it, but she stepped out to take the call.

"God Izuku this better be important! I'm really busy right now," she grunted in frustration at the loading video screen. Only when the video screen loaded it was Toshi on the other end.

"Sorry Mama, I didn't mean to bother you." Toshi looked terrified when he saw her.

"Oh no baby, I'm not mad at you. Where's Papa?" she hated that she just yelled at her son for trying to talk to her. She hated this entire situation.

"He's giving Hikari a bath. I'm sorry Mama, I just wanted to call you so I took Papa's phone."

She breathed a deep sigh. "That's okay Toshi, I'm really busy right now, but we can play hero when I get home okay?" she smiled at her son through the phone. More than anything she wanted to hold him.

"Will you be home for dinner today Mama?" he looked hopeful and she wished she could say yes, but she knew better than to get his hopes up.

"Toshi what are you doing?" she heard Deku say off-screen which caused Toshi to end the call immediately. Part of her was relieved because she had to go to work, but a part of her was angry with him for taking her son away from her. It was moments like this that made her jealous. He got to be there for them every moment of the day. Hikari was such a Daddy's girl and would get fussy anytime Deku wasn't in the room. Even Toshi who seemed to worship Uravity still didn't come to her when he was having nightmares or wanted to build legos. Lately, she didn't feel like a mother and she hated it.

Izuku knew Toshi missed his mother and he couldn't blame him. Still, Ochako and he had an unwritten agreement that they had to wait for her call. Too many times did Deku call her during inopportune times. Now, unless it was an emergency he waited for her to call.

"Sorry Papa," Toshi said, giving him his phone back. Deku thought about scolding him for taking his phone, but looking at his solemn expression he knew better.

"What's wrong pal?"

"I miss Mama, she's never home anymore." his son began to tear up. He pulled Toshi in for a hug, but Deku knew nothing he could say would change that fact.

"I know Toshi, I miss her too." Izuku knew that the kids needed some more time with Ochako, but her work schedule was so crazy. She was saving lives and he needed to support her. She had to get out there and defend Japan against some crazy villains and disasters. Not only that but as a popular hero, she had multiple press and publicity events she had to attend to as well. She crossed paths with many of their classmates from UA at them. Izuku couldn't help but be jealous sometimes. He loved spending time with his kids, but he missed the social events and camaraderie of being a UA alum. He also wanted to get out there and do something important like Ochako, but lately, it felt like he had to hide from the public. He also wondered if Ochako was embarrassed to be with him sometimes. He knew this was not the marriage she signed up for. It was time he got out of his bubble and put himself out there again. The only question was 'how?'.