Y/n wasn't allowed to take Tomoru home. Her last few hours at the hospital were spent taking a shower, filling out Tomoko's paperwork, and whatever time was left was with her baby boy. 

Seeing as how this was y/n's first child, and as far as the nurses could tell she was alone, the last bit of time she had with her little boy was like a mini crash course on taking care of a baby. Under close supervision, y/n was taught how to change, bathe, and feed Tomo. In between lessons, Tomo slept in the nursery with all the other newborn children. 

Her heart ached when the nurses informed her that Tomoru had to stay for a few more days. Y/n almost considered sleeping in the waiting room until she could bring her baby home with her. 

Reluctantly, y/n left empty-handed. 

Y/n locked the motel door behind her. She felt the doorknob stab into her back as she stared at the dimly lit room. Her gaze wandered over to the part of the room set aside for the twins. 

Her fingers lightly ran along the side of the crib. Y/n looked over everything inside. She picked up one of the little outfits folded on top of the clothes piles. A little dress.

Y/n's eyes swelled up as she looked at the little dress she had purchased for Tomoko. It was supposed to be for their first family outing. Y/n wanted to pick a beautiful spring day and take the pair to a safer city and go to the park. 

She buried her face into the dress and began to sob uncontrollably. Y/n lamented all the missed opportunities and all the things Tomoko was going to miss out on. Growing up with her brother. Meeting her father for the first time. Learning what things she likes and doesn't like. Tomoko was going to miss everything.

Y/n wasn't mourning for just Tomoko's sake. She was also grieving for Tomoru. He was going to grow up without his big sister now. There are so many things he wasn't going to experience. Sharing a birthday with her and always having someone by his side. Y/n had no idea what to do, she was at a loss. Was she supposed to tell him or keep it a secret? Y/n was thankful she had time to think about it.

She caught her hands trembling. She could feel her fingers quiver against her face. Y/n peered over the little dress and over to the rest of the clothes. Tears streaming down her face, she began to dig through Tomoko's things.

She grudgingly thought of the papers she signed at the hospital. One asked if y/n wanted a funeral or cremation for Tomoko. There was only one correct answer. She couldn't bury her baby girl.

The hospital encouraged y/n to bring something for her to wear. Something to make the event a little bit easier.

Y/n took the clothes to her bed. Y/n sorted through everything, desperately trying to pick out the perfect outfit for her sweet baby to wear. Her soul cried for Tomoko as she looked through her things. Y/n wiped the tears blurring her vision. It was so challenging to pick something. She didn't know a thing about her baby girl.

Would she have liked dresses? The color baby blue? How about pastel green? Y/n didn't want to dare dress Tomoko up in something she wouldn't want to be dressed in.

In the end, y/n settled on the first dress she picked up. The one she bought specifically for her first family outing. Y/n neatly set it down by her pillow. She snuggled into the little dress as she drifted off to sleep.

Y/n ignored everything for days, it's been years since she's felt this depressed and shut down. She missed her babies. All y/n wanted to do was hold Tomoru. 

She didn't go to the bar, y/n used the doctor's order to rest as an excuse. She barely left her own bed. When it was time to pay her rent, y/n stayed inside and waited for the man who ran the front counter to violently knock outside her room. Instead of opening the door, and talk to him face to face, y/n would merely slide the money through a crack. It has been a long time since y/n felt this isolated. Not since Tomura had imprisoned her years ago. 

Finally, the day to take Tomoru home had arrived. She woke up and began sobbing. This was the first time she cried out of pure joy in what felt like years. Y/n picked up the dress and looked down at it. Suddenly, y/n felt guilty about feeling so happy.

Today was not just the day she will be able to take Tomoru home; it was also Tomoko's cremation date. Y/n kept the dress close to her as she hugged onto it.

A black mass caught her attention before she left. The black hoodie she wore religiously up until she could no longer fit it was slung over her chair. Y/n placed the dress over the map still stretched over the table. Y/n held the hoodie to her face and cuddled into it.

It was strange. Although Tomura hadn't worn this hoodie in years, y/n swore she could still pick up his scent on it. Y/n threw it on and felt it wrap around her. She felt comforted a bit. It was as if Tomura was giving her a hug. Her bag was tucked away in the corner of the room. Y/n flipped it over, dumping out its contents on the bed. She began to fill it up with a few things for Tomoru. On top of everything in the bag, y/n placed the neatly folded dress. 

Y/n impatiently took the long train ride back to the hospital. While she rode, y/n's mind went over what she wanted to do with Tomoru first. She had so many things in mind, y/n couldn't merely pick one. 

She stood in front of the front counter and spoke with the man sitting behind the desk. He instructed y/n to sit down. She picked a spot in the corner, far away from everyone else. Y/n fumbled with the bag's zipper anxiously. 

"Atsuko," a voice called out. Y/n was so far into her head, she had almost forgotten that was her false identity. She slung the bag over her shoulder and approached the woman holding the door open. 

Y/n traded the little dress for the baby boy. The doctors asked if y/n wanted to say her final goodbyes, but she declined. Y/n couldn't face the little girl again. She had failed Tomoko as a mother, and she couldn't bear to look at her. 

Y/n sat in a cold office with Tomoru in her arms. She ran her fingertips against his cheek, feeling his soft skin.

A doctor returned. He followed through with y/n's special request. In his hand, he held a very tiny bag of grey dust. Her chest felt heavy as she took it and held onto it. 

Y/n knew where she wanted to keep the small piece of Tomoko's remains. In her mind, there was no other place to put it. The doctor offered to hold Tomoru, and y/n obliged. 

She reached into her hoodie and pulled out the little heart-shaped locket. The device inside had broken shortly after Tartarus. Y/n gutted it clean so the ashes could fit inside. 

The ashes were secured tightly in the locket. Y/n slipped it back under her hoodie and retrieved Tomoru. After a small review of all the progress the baby boy had made, y/n was free to take him home. 

Home was not the first place she wanted to go. In fact, it was the last. 

Y/n unlocked the bar's doors and stepped inside. Y/n had some fantastic news to introduce and some terrible news to relay. "Mr. Goda?" y/n called out. 

Y/n cradled the baby in her arms while she sat on a barstool and waited. Footsteps crept down the wooden stairs. "Ah, Atsuko, I've been wondering where you ran off to." 

Mr. Goda stopped, y/n could see him staring at Tomoru. He walked up to y/n and her newborn. Carefully, y/n handed him Tomoru and watched him gently rock the baby. 

He had a gentle smile on his face. His eyes were glossed over with a kindhearted look. He looked up at y/n; the lighthearted look on his face remained unchanging. "And where is baby number two?" 

Just thinking of Tomoko made her want to cry. She buried her face in her hands and talked about everything. She even did something she seldom does after someone has fallen prey to Liar. She told the truth. 

Fessing up to a lie weakens Liar's effect on that person, but y/n couldn't imagine why she'd need to lie to Mr. Goda again. At this point, y/n just felt like confessing to someone and ease her mind. 

Mr. Goda's face was bright red. His brows were knitted together, and he gave off an aura of anger. "Didn't I tell you to never go there?" 

Y/n kept her head down. "you did." 

"You went and look at what happened. You–" Mr. Goda stopped his next words from slipping out. He took a deep breath, and the look on his face calmed down from anger to mild frustration. "Just– please take care of this little one." 

Y/n made a deal with Mr. Goda. Tomoru was allowed to sleep in his room above the bar while y/n worked. She can keep the baby monitor he had bought her strapped to her side. Y/n was allowed to drop everything and attend to Tomoru whenever she heard him cry. In exchange, y/n worked extra hours. She came in earlier in the day to run any errands he needed of her. 

The system the two made worked well. Y/n was thankful that she would be able to work at the bar without needing to entrust her child with a complete stranger. 

Y/n hugged the crying baby close to her. She sat down on Mr. Goda's couch while y/n did everything she could think of to ease Tomoru's mind. 

She cuddled the child while she hummed softly. Y/n gently rubbed the newborn's back.  She shushed the baby. "You're okay, mommy's here." 

Tomoru was absurdly fussy tonight. She's never had to make so many trips upstairs since he was born. Y/n felt a sense of guilt. Mr. Goda made a point not to cut y/n's pay because Tomoru was crying. She felt awful that he was currently closing the bar alone right now. 

After a bit, Tomoru calmed down. Y/n gently placed the baby in his pram. Before returning to work, y/n pulled Tomoru's baby blanket over his little body. He let out a silent yawn, y/n couldn't control the smile on her face.

Y/n carefully closed the door behind her. She heard an unfamiliar voice talking, Mr. Goda's voice responded. 

Y/n cautiously walked down the steps and peeked down to see who Mr. Goda was talking to. 

She covered her mouth, stifling a gasp. Y/n felt her shaky breath pass through between her fingers. Slowly, y/n tried to take a step back towards the room. 

Mr. Goda was saying something to the man, and y/n took a step back. The man replied, speaking just as quietly as Mr. Goda. Y/n retreated again. "Let me go call for her," Mr. Goda said. Y/n mentally begged him not to do it. "Atsuko!" 

She froze. Her mind was a storm as she tried to think about what she can do. Y/n was sure she could sneak back into the room and jump out the window, two stories isn't that high. She shook the thought out of her head. There was no way she was leaving Tomoru, nor was she going to attempt to sneak out with him. 

Y/n's whole being fell flat. She was trapped in a corner, flying wasn't an option. The only thing she could do was fight. She put a smile on her face, trying to mask the anxiety. 

Mr. Goda was standing behind the bar. Sitting in front of him was the man she had seen weeks beforehand. Next to him was a stranger. Y/n stood by Mr. Goda, her hands fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. The elderly man motioned to their guest. "Atsuko, this is Detective Tsukauchi." He directed her attention to the blonde stranger. "And this is his friend, Mr. Yagi." 

The sickly thin stranger gave her a nod. A serious look was plastered on the detective's face. Y/n told herself over and over to be brave. She sat down at the bar. "Nice to meet you both. What can I do for you?" 

Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to back down. She was given warnings about his quirk, a lie detection quirk. It was anybody's guess as to how Liar would affect him. Liar might work exactly the same, or it might not work at all. 

She recalled the bit of advice she had gotten. Watch what you say around him. Y/n mentally thanked Tsuji for the warning. 

The other man was a different story. She had no idea who he was or his connection to The League. His quirk was up in the air. 

"I'm doing some investigating regarding the League of Villains. I was wondering if you'd be willing to answer some questions." Y/n didn't want to, but she still felt like she was cornered. Her quirk had significant flaws in groups such as this. 

Liar only affected one person a time. She also can't target who to use Liar on. It has an equal chance of affecting everyone within hearing range. In this case, the detective only had a one in three chance for every lie. 

Y/n decided, she can't afford to gamble. Her plan was to answer as many questions truthfully as possible. Y/n simply had to be smart about her replies. 

"I'm don't think I could be of any use, but I don't see why not." That was the truth. She didn't know where anyone in The League was. If anything, they might know more about their whereabouts than she did. 

Y/n turned to Mr. Goda and gave him a smile as if to welcome him to the show. "I know the bar is closed, but why don't we get some drinks? I'll buy." Y/n was going to need it to get through this. 

Mr. Goda set down four glasses. Both the detective and Yagi turned down the alcohol. Y/n held onto her glass as Mr. Goda poured her a drink. 

"So how long have you been working here?" the detective asked. Y/n paused and thought about it. She started working at the bar when she was four months pregnant, Tomoru was born at eight months, the hospital kept him for two weeks, and he was now a week away from being a month old. 

"Five months, I'd say," she replied. Y/n turned to Mr. Goda. "That's about right, isn't it?" He confirmed that y/n had been working at the bar for that long. 

"Do you remember the Tartarus break-in?" The detective leaned forward. It seemed like he was concentrating. 

Y/n's thumb rubbed against her glass. "I do." Everyone heard about it. Reports of the attack were on the news. 

"So you're aware The League is behind that attack?" A trick question. If y/n wanted to answer truthfully, this would be her queue to say yes. However, one small detail stopped her. 

"The news never said who attacked Tartarus." She guessed that the media didn't want to give The League the credit they deserved. Much to y/n's displeasure, she's heard several villains claim they were in on Tartarus at the bar. It took every bit of her strength to not yell at them. 

The detective paused, y/n wondered if the divergence worked. The two men glanced at each other, the blonde one shrugged. Both men returned their eyes to y/n. "Do you know a man named Tomura Shigaraki?" 

"I did. It's been a long while since I've heard from him." Y/n's blood froze as she waited to see if she had just dug her own grave. 

"When was the last time you've made contact with him?" Y/n's chest felt heavy. She couldn't think of a way to steer her answer. 

Sobbing filled the room from the baby monitor. Y/n lowered the volume. "Oh, I have to go take care of that." She excused herself and walked upstairs. Her fingers curled around her locket as she hurried up to the second floor. 

Tomoru was loudly crying from the pram. His blanket was on the floor, she suspected must have kicked it off. 

Y/n wrapped the baby up in the blanket and carried him in her arms. She softly shushed Tomoru, gently rubbing his back while she paced around the room. Several questions attacked her. 

Surely, they don't have any solid evidence that linked her to The League? She hasn't done anything too illegal, just some light stealing here and there. Besides, Ogura City was full of murderers, the police had bigger villains to bother. 

Y/n could hear Mr. Goda calling her to come back down. Tomoru was still whimpering in her arms. Y/n opened the door. "Bean is still crying!" Y/n was careful not to use his name. She closed the door and continued pacing. 

Footsteps came up the stairs. Y/n froze. Was the detective coming up here? Her chest pounded as the door swung open. 

"I don't know what's going on." Y/n relaxed; it was Mr. Goda. "You can't just hide up here." 

"I don't know what to do. What if they try to take Tomo away?" Y/n began to hyperventilate in her panic. 

"Hey, hey, listen. You have to be a role model. You're Tomoru's protector, aren't you?" Y/n nodded. "Just get through this, okay?" Once again, she nodded. 

She chewed on her cheek with a frown. "I've got an idea." Y/n hated the thought, but Tomoru and his safety was her priority. 

"Get down there and get through this." Y/n nodded and thanked him. 

Y/n carried Tomoru down the stairs, Mr. Goda followed behind. She sat back down on her seat. "Sorry. He's been fussy all day today. So, where were we?" 

Y/n watched the men look down at the baby. Their eyes trailed up at her. "How old is your little one?" the blonde man asked. 

"He's almost a month," y/n replied. He commented about how cute Tomoru was. Y/n beamed. "Thank you." 

While she acted calm and happy on the outside. She was panicking on the inside. Y/n still had no clue as to why the other man was relevant. 

"Shigaraki," the detective began; "when did you meet him." 

"Nearly four years ago," y/n answered. 

"And how did you meet him?" Y/n knew it was time to keep on her toes. 

"He was in hiding. I didn't realize at the time. When we met, I had no idea who he was. He was just this weirdo that kept bothering me." All of this was true. Y/n strategically left out specific details. She was sure even the detective's lie detection shouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. 

Y/n watched him scribble something down on his notepad. "When did you realize it was him?" 

"Not long after we met. He terrified me. I felt like he was going to kill me." Y/n watched the detective write some more on his notepad. It was hard to get a reading on him. Y/n wasn't sure if her tactic was working. He asked if y/n considered getting help. "Of course, I did. He was always a step ahead of me."

"Can you describe your relationship with Shigaraki?" Y/n hummed as she tried to think of what to say. 

"Our relationship?" Y/n hummed to stall for a bit of time. "Sexual, for sure. He used to watch me all the time, he didn't trust me. After a while, I realized that he was looking for a bit more. Then we went on some dates. One thing led to another and– I don't think I need to say anymore." Every lie starts with a grain of honesty. On this case, the lie was everything she left out.

Y/n decided now was the time to put her plan into action. She motioned her head to the baby in her arms. "That's how I ended up with this little guy." 

Both the men looked surprised. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the look on Mr. Goda's face. Even he looked a bit surprised. 

"And you said he was a month old." The detective paused. He tapped on his notepad with the tip of his pen. "That would mean you had contact with Shigaraki dangerously close to Tartarus." 

"I did, yes." Y/n saw no reason to lie about that after admitting that the baby in her arms was a Shigaraki. 

"We have confirmation that The League had an extra accomplice. And–" Y/n cut him off right there. 

"And now you have reason to believe it's me?" Y/n scoffed. "Ridiculous." 

Y/n despised what she had to say next, but it was the only way she would be able to convince the detective to think otherwise without gambling with her quirk. "My baby was conceived before– Shigaraki did that stupid thing. If you line up my pregnancy, I would have been at least one month pregnant during Tartarus. What mother would willingly go out and do something that idiotic?"

She choked on her words a bit. "To put them in danger like that? Risk never seeing them again." Y/n cleared her throat, hearing her voice waver a bit.

She had a stern look on her face, and she spoke in an extra serious tone. "I have not spoken to Shigaraki since before I knew I was pregnant. If I had to choose between the two, I'd pick my baby over him. Shigaraki is dangerous, it would be best for everyone if he was locked away. It would be for the public's safety and his own." 

As painful as it was to say, y/n believed everything she said. If he was locked away, he couldn't hurt anyone. At the same time, no one could hurt him. She was so scared to let him go to Tartarus without her for selfish reasons. The thought that a hero would kill him, and she was left not knowing was too terrifying.

This talk has been stressful, but a relief. If the detective is asking about Tomura then that could only mean one thing. He's out there somewhere.

The two men looked at each other, they seemed convinced by her reasoning. She did her best to hide her jubilation inside. 

"Miss Atsuko," the blonde man began. Y/n looked over to him with a quizzical expression on her face. "Would you mind if I hold your little one?" 

Y/n hesitated upon hearing his request. She held onto Tomoru just a tiny bit tighter. "I don't make a habit of letting strangers hold him." 

He smiled at y/n. "My apologies, Miss Atsuko. I suppose you wouldn't recognize me in this state." Y/n was confused. She wondered if she had ever seen this man before or if he was playing a mind game with her. The blonde man extended a frail hand. "You might know me as All Might." 

The symbol of peace was right in front of her. Tomura would kill for a moment like this. To be this close to his least favorite hero. Y/n looked at his hand and back up to him. "Sorry, my hands are a bit full." 

Y/n paused. Most normal civilians would beg to let All Might hold their kids. Y/n supposed she had to follow suit. Her face lit up as she spoke. "Oh, well, then you're not a stranger, then." 

She emphasized that he should be careful as she handed Tomoru to him. Y/n anxiously watched Yagi as if they were going to stand up and walk away with her baby. He might be thin and sickly looking, but y/n wasn't above tackling him if they dared take Tomoru out of her sight. 

Yagi was looking down at the baby in his arms. He gently cradled him. "Do you want to know a secret, Miss Atsuko?" 

"A secret?" She repeated. 

"Yes, a secret." He looked up at y/n. "I used to know Shigaraki's grandmother, many, many years ago." Y/n was genuinely surprised by the ex number one hero's words. 

"Really?" Y/n leaned forward a bit, interested in learning more. Tomura claimed he didn't remember anything about his family, so this came as a shock. 

He nodded. "Yes, she was my mentor. Taught me everything I knew about being a hero." 

"His grandmother was a–" Y/n's voice wavered. 

"A hero. Yes." Y/n felt like this was a lot to digest. It almost sounded like a lie. "She never got the chance to meet Shigaraki. If she did, she would have known him as Tenko Shimura." 

"Tenko Shimura?" Y/n was even more confused. 

"His biological name." Y/n muttered a quiet oh. That was something about Tomura that she didn't know. Y/n wondered if Tomura knew himself. She doubted it, y/n had never once heard he nor Kurogiri refer to him as Tenko. 

"I bring it up because this young one reminds me of her." Yagi offered Tomoru a thin, bony finger. He smiled as Tomoru reached out and touched it. 

Y/n cocked her head to the side. "Really?" Y/n thought Tomoru looked like the spitting image of Tomura. It made her wonder what Tomura's grandmother looked like. 

"Yes. He seems like such a sweet little one. He reminds me of Nana so much." He sounded sad. Yagi cleared his throat. "This is a good kid. You've raised him well so far." 

Y/n bowed her head. "Thank you." 

The detective stood up. Y/n went on high alert. Yagi was just barely allowed to hold Tomoru. Tsukauchi was only allowed to even look at him right now because Yagi was sitting between them. 

Tsukauchi looked at Yagi. "I think we've overstayed our welcome." He offered his hand to y/n. She reluctantly took his hand, and he smiled pleasantly. "We will keep in touch." 

The blonde man gave y/n her baby back. He politely said his goodbyes to y/n and Mr. Goda. 

The bar was quiet and still. Y/n didn't want to speak until she was absolutely sure the two men were gone. She guessed Mr. Goda felt the same. 

Mr. Goda was the first one to disrupt the silence. "You have some explaining to do." 

Y/n didn't respond right away. She kept her eyes down on the baby in her arms. Tomoru was so innocently oblivious to the situation he had been thrown into. 

Finally, y/n spoke. "I guess I do."