Ochako stared at the doctor as if he'd grown a third head.

His left head read through her chart, making sure he didn't miss anything important, while the right one gave her a sympathetic look. "We're very sorry Uravity, but this is the third time you've blown out your knee in as many years. We commend you for bouncing back after the first two injuries, but the damage is now just too great. There's not much we can do."

Her husband… that was still a very weird word to associate with Bakugo Katsuki, their marriage was only 6 months old at this point. Her husband was holding her hand tightly as the doctors droned on about her injuries. The right head paused in his monologue, his hand picking up a cup of water to drink, while the left head picked up the thread. "Our only option at this point is a full knee replacement. That will help with your quality of life, but we're afraid it will never be as good as it used to be. Your days as a hero are over."

Katsuki stood up from the hard chair next to his wife, reached across the doctors' desk, and grabbed them by both collars, one in each hand. The left head cowered at the aggression, while the right one choked on his water. "I don't care what you have to do, or how much money it costs, you're going to heal my wife, good as new!" He released the two-headed doctor and sat back in his chair. "Call for a healer, gods dammit! It worked last time!"

The left head straightened its tie as the right beat their chest, clearing the water. "That won't be much help. Most healing quirks work by making the body heal itself at an accelerated rate. However, there's a limit on the good that it can do. The scar tissue left behind will cause her pain and discomfort every day, and we'll be right back here in six months after it gives out again. We're sorry, but there's really nothing that can be done to preserve her hero career."

The right head spoke up, "At least let us preserve her quality of life."

Ochako took her husband's hand, trying to reassure him as much as he was trying to do for her. Their eyes met and Ochako could swear she could see tears in his. Her own vision was blurry with them. "It will be OK, Katsuki. I'll be OK."

Katsuki snarled in defiance. "We can get a second…" he glanced at the doctors, "…third opinion. There's got to be something someone can do for you!"

Ochako shook her head. "Doctors Sotono are the best orthopedic surgeon in East Asia. If they can't help me, nobody can." She grabbed her cane, and stood to leave. Katsuki supported her arm until she was upright. She faced the doctors. "Thank you for all you've done for me. Please arrange for the knee replacement surgery."

Both heads smiled at her. "We'll have our assistant schedule the surgery, and contact you with the details.

Ochako leaned on Katsuki as they walked to the nearest train station to take them home. Katsuki had offered to buy a car to take her to appointments when she got hurt the first time, but she'd always insisted on walking and taking the subway. At the time, they weren't even engaged yet, and she thought the car would be too big of an expense for him. Then when she got hurt the second time, she insisted that the money would be better spent on their upcoming wedding.

Sometimes though, the pain was enough to make her wish she was less stubborn.

"I still think we should talk to another doctor," Katsuki grumbled.

Ochako shook her head. "Doctors Sotono was the last, and best chance at getting some results. The good news is that I'll be able to live a normal life with very little pain." She winced as a sharp stab of pain hit her knee. "I think I'm looking forward to that…"

"But what about your career?" Katsuki countered. "You love being a hero! And you're fucking awesome at it!"

It was true. Uraraka had climbed the ranks, fighting tooth and nail for every spot ever since she went pro. She'd worked 12 and 24 hour shifts, took innumerable dangerous crooks off the streets, and even led the charge taking down a major human trafficking and prostitution ring. She still got birthday cards from the women they'd rescued from that warehouse.

The new rankings were due out next week, and a little birdie had told her she was going to be ranked fifteenth, something nearly unheard of in someone who was only 24 years old. Of course, Katsuki was going to be tenth, and Deku ninth, if her source was correct.

"Yeah… But they did warn us at U.A. this might be a short career, so I'm ok with it. I'm going to miss it a lot. It's been a great adventure." Her eyes got misty again, but she put in a brave face and fought back the tears. "I guess it's just time to move on to the next one. The insurance payout will be better once the rankings come out next week. I'll announce my retirement then." All heroes these days took out insurance policies against themselves in the event that they were forced to retire due to injury. The premiums were high, but the payouts were worth it, especially for a top 20 hero. "We should be able to use that money to put a down payment on a house!"

Katsuki sighed deeply, and squeezed the hand he was holding. "We don't need a damned house. It's just the two of us, our apartment is fine.

Ochako smiled up at him. "Maybe we'll just have to fill the house with babies!" Her husband gave her a look that said he wasn't quite ready for that discussion yet. She giggled. "Well, I'll think of something to do."

It was raining, as if the gods understood the reason for the gathering and matched the weather to the occasion.

Ochako sat on a folding chair by the casket, her mother standing on one side, her husband on the other, as they said their final goodbyes to her father. Her knee was bothering her, it usually did in the rain, and she rubbed at it as she listened to the Shinto priest drone on about death. Then she felt a bump in her belly, and rubbed at that spot too. The little sprout was active today, kicking fiercely as if he wanted to say goodbye to grandpa too.

It just wasn't fair, things were starting to get back on track again. The surgery on her knee two years ago was a great success, she barely had any pain most of the time and had full range of movement. While she'd had to retire from being a hero, she was able to keep up most of her old combat workout routine for exercise, though sparring was no longer an activity she participated in with her sensei.

One year ago they finally got the hero career insurance payout, and bought a house. Since they were able to put so much money down, their monthly mortgage payments were lower than they'd been paying in rent. While Katsuki would never admit he was wrong about buying the house, Ochako could tell that he absolutely loved having the extra space, and he especially loved the gourmet kitchen.

Then Ochako found out she was pregnant. It was a little unexpected, they weren't actively trying, but had decided to stop preventing it and see what happened. She missed her very next period. Katsuki had strutted around like a proud rooster when she got pregnant so quickly.

They were excited about their growing family, Katsuki went through the entire house baby proofing everything he could think of. Ochako's mother taught her to knit, and she made a baby blanket. Her father was so excited to be a grandpa. He would talk about wanting to take the child fishing when they were older, or teach them how to whistle with your fingers to get the loudest sounds. He bought a T-shirt that said "Grandpa" and a matching onesie that said "Grandpa's favorite".

But he wouldn't get to meet his grandchild. Two months before the due date, there was an accident on a job site. The family construction business had gotten a big job in Kamino, and her parents were excited about the opportunity to work in the big city. It would mean more work coming their way, and finally climbing out of the hole they'd been in for so long. But the years of needing to be cheap with their equipment caught up to them. A steel beam that was being hoisted into place fell when a cable snapped in the crane. Ochako's father had pushed one of his employees out of the way, saving him, but was not able to get out from under the beam in time. He died before paramedics could get there.

If Uraraka had been there, she could have used her quirk to lift the beam a lot more safely than using that crane. She'd asked her parents for a job after her hero career ended, but they'd declined, telling her she deserved to relax for a while, to work a desk job. She ended up as a dispatcher at her old hero agency. It was nice, but it made her miss the hero work too much.

Ochako looked up at Katsuki, who was his usual stoic self, but she could tell he was grieving as well. He'd gotten along great with his father-in-law, and was going to miss him. "I want to name our son after Dad," she said. "Reito"

Katsuki gave her a small smile. "Yeah Cheeks, I think it's perfect." Ochako could tell he was trying hard not to cry.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without him," said her mother in a haunted voice. "Reito handled all of the financials for the company, he was always better at them than me. I don't even know the account number for payroll, and paychecks are due Friday! I…"

Ochako grabbed her mother's hand and squeezed it tight. "Don't worry Mom, I'll help you out."

Her mother sniffed, stifling a sob. "I can't ask you to do that Tea Leaf," she said. "I'll hire someone or figure it out myself."

"Mom, you know I've been taking business classes for when Katsuki goes solo. It's fine, I can handle the books. You worry about the other stuff." Her son moved, and she put a hand on her belly. "I can do that much while pregnant at least."

Her mother looked at her with sad, but proud eyes. "Alright, Tea Leaf. If you're sure."

Ochako was hot and sweaty. She was filthy. Her knee was killing her. And she never felt more satisfied by a job well done. She removed her hard hat to wipe the sweat from her brow, before wiping her hands on her dirty white tank top. Her bare arms glistened with sweat in the afternoon sun, giving definition to her muscles. She was proud that she'd been able to maintain her fighting strength after retirement and a pregnancy. Working construction had its advantages.

She picked up a stack of two-by-fours, placed them across her shoulders, and carried them to the waiting worker over by the chop saw.

It had been 4 years since she started working at her family's construction company, and she'd taken to it like a duck to water. At first, she'd only handled the books, something she was immensely thankful for, as it gave her something to do on those long nights feeding Reito. When he got a little older, she took over more duties from her mother, going to job sites around the city to check on things.

She had finished her business classes, and started taking classes to get licensed to be a foreman. Today, she was helping one of the crews who were down a man so they didn't fall too far behind schedule. She didn't know how to do everything the missing man could have done, but at least she could work as a gopher to ease the burden on the rest of the crew.

She put the boards down for the worker to cut into smaller boards. "Thanks boss!" he said with a smile before he got to work. "What's the minimum width allowed on a staircase?" He asked.

Ochako smiled. The employees had loved her father, especially after he saved one of them, and that sentiment seemed to apply to her as well. Everyone on site was throwing building code questions at her to help her study for her license exam next month. "950 millimeters. Come on, give me a hard one next time!" she joked. He smiled and nodded.

She stretched her sore muscles as she walked to the foreman's office to get a drink of water, and to ask if there was anything else she could do before she went to pick up her son at daycare. She was thinking about what to make for dinner when she reached the door and stepped into the dark office.

Only it wasn't the office. She was expecting the wood paneled walls of the portable construction office, jammed full with three desks, each piled high with papers. Instead, she seemed to be in a dark basement. The only light source was a small window near the ceiling.

She heard the door click shut behind her and quickly turned to try to open it again. Locked.

"It's no use, you are quite trapped in here," said a voice inside the room.

Ochako peered into the darkness, trying to make out who was talking, but she'd just been outside in the sun, and her night vision was slow in coming. "Teleportation quirk?" she asked. "Somehow linked to doorways. You can make any two doorways connect to each other. Is that right?" she asked, stalling for time.

"Very good Bakugo-san!" came the giddy reply from the darkness. "I see you haven't forgotten all of your hero training since you retired. Your analytical skills are still top notch!"

She heard footsteps approach, more than one pair. She thought she counted three… no four. Her eyes were finally starting to adjust to the light, and she saw the silhouettes approaching. At least one of them was armed with what might be a metal pipe. The others probably were too, but she couldn't quite tell.

"We're kilometers away from your work site, and the basement of this house is a cell phone dead zone. There will be no calling for help," said the same voice smoothly. This was a man who was used to being the smartest guy in the room. "Fear not, you won't be harmed, and your husband has been informed that you are our guest. You shall be released, completely unharmed, once he obtains for us what we need."

Ochako nodded, playing along. Her eyes were finally dilated enough for the darkness. Four men, all wearing medical masks to hide their identities. One was definitely armed with a pipe, another had a butterfly knife he was playing with, the third had a chain, and the owner of the voice was a huge man who seemed to favor his fists. He must be the leader.

"And what will happen to me if he refuses to cooperate?" She asked. She wanted to keep him talking so that he didn't notice as she discreetly slid a hand into her pocket, and pressed the hidden button sewn into her pants.

"Then we will coerce him into cooperating by sending you to him a piece at a time through the mail." He gestured behind his crew, where a single wooden chair stood in the middle of the otherwise empty room. "Now please, Bakugo-san have a seat."

Ochako nodded, and walked to the chair. She was stopped by Pipe Man, blocking her path with his pipe. "We need to search you," he said, leering at her. He pushed his pipe against her breasts, the mask on his face moving in and out as he panted.

"Fine, but he does it," she said, pointing at Leader Man with her chin.

"But of course!" replied Leader Man. "There's no need for crudity here, we're all going to be the best of friends."

Ochako stood in a T-position, allowing him access. She'd pegged him for an honorable thief, and was right. Her tight tank top obviously wasn't hiding anything that could be considered a weapon, so he left her top half unmolested. She was, however, wearing cargo pants, so he had a bunch of pockets to work through.

He started with her ankles, checking both for a weapon holster. "I don't wear an ankle holster," she said. "It gets in the way of my work boots."

He ignored her, and continued his work, making his way up her legs. He paused at her knees. "That's my knee brace," she said.

He smiled up at her. "Ah, so is that why Uravity had to retire? I was devastated when you announced you had a career ending injury. You were my favorite hero back in the day!" OK, so maybe this guy was creepy in a different way.

He made it to the pockets on the side of her thighs, opening the flaps and sticking his hands inside each pocket. From the left one, he pulled out her work gloves. When his hand went into the right pocket, he paused. "What's this?" he muttered.

Ochako said nothing, but shut her eyes tightly, a grim smile on her face, as he pulled out a round object the size of a large egg. The pinging sound of the spoon flying off of the pinless grenade echoed loudly in the basement, but it was muffled to her, as she had already covered her ears. Leader Man turned to throw the grenade, but it was too late.

A bright light blazed from the grenade, followed by a loud bang, but there was no shrapnel as accompaniment. Ochako removed her hands from her ears and opened her eyes. All of her captors were stunned by the flashbang grenade her husband had given her, while she was left standing. She also knew that even if they recovered from the bang, she'd have the advantage of being able to see them better in the dark than they could see her, at least until their pupils were able to dilate again.

First, the guy with the knife, that was the most dangerous weapon. A chop to his wrist forced him to drop it. She kicked it off into a dark corner, and smiled when she heard a satisfying "plonk!" as it fell into some water. Must have kicked it into the sump pit. He wouldn't find it any time soon. She then stepped inside his reach as he blindly swung a fist at her, grabbed his arm, and delivered a devastating blow to his chin with the heel of her palm. Knife Man was lifted off of his feet and fell into a heap onto the concrete floor. A small gurgle emanating from his mouth made her think he probably took off a piece of his tongue when his jaws clicked together.

She ducked and rolled back as the pipe was swung blindly at her head, then sidestepped as an overhead swing of the chain was sent her way. They were recovering a little more quickly than she would have liked. She stepped up to Chain Man and body checked him roughly, forcing him into the arc of the swing of the incoming pipe. It struck him hard in the temple, and he went down with a groan.

Pipe Man gave a cry of triumph when he felt his blow connect, only to be surprised when Ochako ripped the pipe from his grasp and shoved it like a spear into his middle. He bent over gasping as the air was driven from his lungs, then was knocked unconscious himself when the pipe came whistling overhead and hit him on the back of the head.

Leader Man was the last man standing, and he'd recovered enough that he was able to grab Ochako from behind, his massive arms going over her shoulders, one meaty hand copping a feel, while the other grabbed her around the waist. "You're not going anywhere!" he growled, his voice now as rough as sharkskin.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline your hospitality," she sneered. "I have to pick up my son at DAYCARE!" She punctuated her sentence with a stomp on his instep, breaking his hold. "And I haven't figured out DINNER YET!" A hard elbow to the gut had him bent over. She grabbed his ears, forcing him to look up at her. "And when my husband gets home, I wanted to talk to him about trying for another BABY!" Her good knee came up and buried itself in his face. He collapsed, and didn't move.

Ochako let out a breath, satisfied, as the villains lay on the hard floor, some groaning and writhing, some still and silent. She walked up to each one in turn, and used her quirk to float them. Her years of training at UA had granted her enough control that rather than turning off gravity altogether so they'd wind up on the ceiling, she gave them neutral buoyancy so that they floated about 4 feet off the ground, effectively rendering them unable to move if they regained consciousness.

Just then, she heard a blast upstairs, and a door was ripped off its hinges. The light that poured down from above hurt her eyes. "Cheeks, you OK down there!?" yelled Katsuki.

"Yup! Situation is secure! I have four villains here waiting for pickup."

Katsuki must have found a light switch, because a bare bulb burst to life overhead, causing her to squint. She heard the heavy boot steps as Ground Zero trudged down the stairs. "Geeze, you couldn't have left one upright for me this time?" he teased.

"Don't complain to me that you don't get to have any fun when you're late to the party," she chided. "Tracking device work OK?"

Katsuki held up his wrist, showing off the smartwatch that was showing a map, with a pin in their current location. "Yup. Cell service is spotty in this neighborhood, but that pink-haired chick sure knows her stuff. I got the signal and the audio right away once you hit the button."

Ochako rolled her eyes. "You know Mei's name. Just because she's dating Deku doesn't mean you have to be so mean." She smacked him on the chest with the back of her hand. "This is the third time this year we had to use the tracker! We should invite them over for dinner to thank her."

Katsuki growled through his clenched jaw, but said nothing. The police had finally arrived as well, and were cuffing the villains and carrying them outside to the waiting paddy wagon.

"So what were they after?" asked Ochako.

"I dunno, some big diamond on loan from America. I wasn't really paying attention to the ransom note once your signal came in." He offered his arm to his wife, and she took it. "So are we going to keep this out of the press again? You know villains would probably stop trying this shit if they knew you were the one taking them down."

Ochako looked offended. "What, and ruin all my fun?" She smiled, and put her head on his shoulder as they walked up the stairs together. "Maybe soon, but not yet." They reached the top of the stairs and she stood on her toes to kiss him, a chaste one, but the look in her eye promised more later. "Oh! I need a new grenade by the way."

Katsuki waved her off. "Sure, Cheeks. Now, what was that I heard on the radio about another baby?"

Credit stillfly94 on Twitter for the idea for this fic!

A big thank you to Amiicee_Lokei for helping with ideas and beta reading!

I borrowed the names for Ochako's parents from the fic

Please let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!