My Father's Son - Chapter Forty-Five

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Katsuki rubbed at his damp hair as he walked down the hall, squeezing out as much moisture as possible before he cast the towel aside and crawled into bed. Despite his eyes being closed, Yuuto wriggled closer immediately, tucking himself into Katsuki’s arms.

“How you going?” Katsuki asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“Tired.”

“Yeah? Good. You’re supposed to be, by now. Haven’t fallen asleep though, huh?”

Yuuto shook his head, burying his face a little tighter in Katsuki’s chest, and Katsuki stroked his back lightly.

“You wanna tell me some of your worries?”

“No.”

“Please?”

Yuuto hesitated, fingers tangling in Katsuki’s dark singlet, and finally conceded a nod.

“Why don’t we start with the little ones?” Katsuki suggested. “The easy ones that I can maybe help with.”

“Did I only get into school because you’re my Dad?”

“No, buddy,” Katsuki assured him, combing thick fingers through his hair. “Even heroes don’t get that kind of privilege, that’s why I raised Hiro the way I did. You think he’d work so hard if he could get stuff just by being my kid?”

“Maybe. He likes working hard.”

“And you don’t?”

“Mm... Sometimes.”

“Have I been making you work too much? Deku said you would hate cram school, is that the problem?”

“No, it’s okay, just... Some things? Some things I don’t like. Cram school is fun, mostly.”

“Ah, gotcha. Like writing?”

“Writing is hard,” Yuuto agreed. “I like stories but reading and writing are hard.”

“Yeah, I get that. You know that’s normal, yeah? Lots of people have trouble with reading and writing sometimes.”

“But Hirokun is really good, and Papa too, and I don’t wanna make it hard.”

“For them?”

“Mm-hm.”

“I don’t think they mind if you take a little longer,” Katsuki mused. “Maybe you should do that homework with Papa while Hiro does something else? Would that make you more comfortable?”

“Mm... Maybe.”

“Or how about with Nana? You know she loves listening to you read and things. And she’s not quite as uhh... Energetic as the other two, yeah?”

“I could try with Nana.”

“Okay, you want me to talk to her?”

“I can do it, I’m a big boy.”

“I know you are, my big brave boy.”

Yuuto smiled faintly, and Katsuki hugged him a little tighter.

“If it doesn’t work with Nana, I’ll find a time me and you can do it, okay? We’ll find something that makes it better for you, I promise. Any other worries I can help with?”

“Mm... What happens if villains sneak into our house?”

“Oh, you saw that stuff on TV, huh?” Katsuki grimaced, remembering the slew of burglaries that had been headline news. “Well, sometimes people sneak in to try to get money, so they’d probably try to take some things and then run away with them. It would be sad and I’m sure we’d all be angry, but we can replace things.”

“But what if I’m here and I wake up and they hurt me?”

“Oh. Is this why you’re having trouble sleeping, bud?”

“A little.”

“Well, I know you don’t see it because you go to bed first, but there’s a little button on our intercoms that I push every night when I go to bed. And that little button makes it so that if anyone tries to come in and doesn’t know our password, it sets off super loud alarms that will wake everyone up so I can take care of you. They wouldn’t be able to get anywhere close to you before that alarm woke me up to come look after you.”

“What about Papa and Nana?”

“They know what those loud noises mean, so they would make sure to be safe too, they can call me, or the other heroes, or call the police. But if the villain heard them, they’d probably run away anyway, since they know the alarms mean heroes or police will come.”

“They won’t get hurt?”

“No, buddy, Papa and Nana won’t get hurt if someone breaks in. And I really doubt anyone is gonna break in anyway, there are lots of other houses close by so they’d be seen super quick. Usually if people are gonna break in, they try not to be seen.”

“Mmkay.”

“Does that help a little?”

“I think so.”

“I’m glad. What else can I help with?”

Yuuto paused a lot longer this time, contemplating, but Katsuki just waited knowingly. If that was all, Yuuto wouldn’t have hesitated to say so – Katsuki knew exactly what silence meant.

“It’s okay if I can’t help, too,” he said softly. “Sometimes it helps just to share it, you know?”

“Do you have worries too?”

“Of course I do. You know how many bad people I meet every day, I’m always worried about letting people down, about being too late to help, that kind of thing. But i just have to do my best and hope that’s enough, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Yuuto nodded, swallowing hard. “Um, is... Is my quirk... Is it gonna go away?”

“Go away?”

“Like Eri’s,” Yuuto whispered. “Is mine gonna go away too?”

“How do you even know about that, buddy?”

“Eri told me.”

Katsuki froze. He had been prepared for a lot of answers, but certainly not that one.

“What did she say?”

“She had a bad quirk, people used it for bad things, and then they used it all up and it went away. Am I gonna use my quirk up too?”

“No, Yuuto, you’re not. That’s not how quirks work. You’ve seen how much I use mine, it would be long gone by now if that was gonna happen.”

“Then why did Eri’s get used up?”

“Because people were taking it from her. I’m not sure what made it stop, but she didn’t just use it all up.”

“I know. They took it from her and she got lots of scars.”

“Yeah, she did.”

“And they put her back together to take it again but then he wasn’t there anymore.”

“Is that what she said?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, you just taught me something new, bud,” Katsuki smiled weakly. “I fought that man who was taking her quirk, and I put him in jail, and I guess other people tried to keep taking her quirk and they broke it.”

“Is someone gonna take my quirk?”

“No, buddy, they aren’t. Eri’s quirk had something special that the bad people wanted, it was just her. They don’t try to take quirks from everybody.”

“What about yours? Yours is special.”

“So is yours, but it’s not the same kind of special.”

“What about Mr. Iida?”

“Ahh... Yeah. Um, that was... complicated.”

“Because it’ll make me scared?”

“Yeah, it might,” Katsuki admitted. “But no, it’s just... Hard to explain. Mr. Iida was shot by a special bullet that destroys quirks. A few of my friends were, it was very sad. But uh, they can’t make those bullets anymore, as far as we know, and we’re pretty sure they’re all gone. Besides, no one would try to shoot you.”

“They might try to shoot you, though.”

“Nah,” Katsuki grinned. “You think a bullet is enough to take me down? No way. I’d explode the bullet before it got close to me! But like I said, the bullets should be gone now, so it’s okay.”

“Mm... Okay. So my quirk isn’t gonna go away?”

“No, I don’t see any reason why it would go away.”

“Papa is amazing but he didn’t get to be a hero and I want to be a hero.”

“I agree,” Katsuki nodded. “He is amazing, and he would have been a great hero. It’s very sad that he didn’t get the chance. But even if for some reason you lose your quirk, we’ll find a way, okay? We’ll find a way for you to be a hero even with no quirk, if we have to.”

“You promise?”

“I promise. I know lots and lots of people, now. I know heroes with lame quirks, I know people with awesome quirks who didn’t become heroes, I even know people who build support gear for heroes who could probably build you a fake quirk. I’m the number one hero and you’re my son, someone would make you something for sure.”

“Okay. Thanks, Dad.”

“Any time, Yuuto, you know that.”

“And thanks for sleeping with me, too.”

“It’s my pleasure. Don’t tell Papa and Hiro, but I kind of like bedtime cuddles.”

“Me too,” Yuuto admitted. “It’s warm.”

“Yeah, warm is always good. And cozy.”

“Uh-huh, I like cozy.”

“Let’s get some sleep then, shall we? Now that we’ve done our bedtime talk? Unless you want to tell me more worries?”

“No, I’m okay,” Yuuto smiled faintly, mostly hidden by Katsuki’s chest. “Sleep sounds good. Goodnight, Dad.”

“Goodnight, Yuuto.”

He seemed to turn out like a light, asleep the moment he gave his body over to it, but Katsuki remained awake a little longer, stroking lightly up and down Yuuto’s spine. He’d gotten so used to Hiroki’s brand of worrying, about him coming home safely or about people getting hurt, but Yuuto was a whole new kind to think about.  

He knew he had to be honest, the kid would never accept half-assed assurances that things would never happen to him, but some nights he worried he was just making it worse, tacking on new things to be concerned about. One day he was going to slip and say something stupid, something that would traumatize the poor kid, and he was just going to have to hope like hell that Izuku and Inko could put him back together where Katsuki had failed. He’d never been cut out to be a father, he’d known that his entire life. And sure, he’d done his best, and he was pretty damn pleased with how Hiroki had turned out, but he was still...  

He sighed to himself, leaning in to rest his cheek on Yuuto’s fluffy hair as he closed his eyes, casting the room into darkness.

He would keep doing his best, of course, but some days he still felt like he’d swum out too far in the ocean, like he was just treading water for as long as he could until some wave crashed down and ruined it.  

At least now, when it all fell apart, the boys would have Izuku to hold on to them. He might not be able to save himself, but he could sure as hell throw them to Izuku before he went under.

“Dad?” Yuuto asked, voice barely a whisper.

“What’s up, buddy?”

“I love you.”

Katsuki felt a damp spot hit the pillowcase under his head, and he swallowed hard before daring to speak.

“I love you too, Yuuto. So, so much.”

─────

When Katsuki padded downstairs, he was surprised to find Izuku already there, ready and waiting in his Downfall t-shirt. He looked up with a big grin when he heard Katsuki coming, and Katsuki grimaced, shoving the head back down roughly and making him giggle.

“Morning Kacchan!” he grinned, the moment Katsuki removed his hand. “I made coffee for you! It’s on the counter!”

“Why are you so chipper, huh?” Katsuki grumbled, grabbing the pot and pouring himself a mug. “You’re normally a damn zombie at this time of morning.”

“I got up early, I’ve had time to wake up!” he laughed. “It’s still kinda weird waking up without Yuuto in my bed, though. He used to show up for morning cuddles at least every couple of days, but I haven’t seen him since we moved in.”

“Oh. Uh, sorry.”

“What? Why?” Izuku’s smile faded, eyebrows knitting together. “Is he going up to your room instead? You don’t need to be sorry for that.”

“No, I uh, I’ve been staying in his room.”

“Wait, every night?”

“Yeah.”

“You haven’t even slept in your new room yet?”

“No? I’m an adult, Deku, I don’t care about that shit.”

“I thought it was just the first night! You should have told me!”

“It’s not a big deal, he’s just... Worrying about stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“New house and all, new room, being alone I guess. He was worried someone would break in or something, I told him the alarms would let us know and scare anyone away who tried.”

“Kacchaaaan,” Izuku pouted. “You need to tell me this kind of thing!”

“Shut up, it only came up last night,” Katsuki huffed. “Usually it’s minor stuff, I guess this one was bigger. He uh, had some questions about his quirk, too, but I think... I think he’s okay on that one, now.”

“You don’t want to tell me?”

“More like he wouldn’t tell you.”

“Because I don’t have one?”

Katsuki fell silent, hating himself for the way Izuku’s face had fallen so quickly.

“He was worried it would go away,” Katsuki explained quietly, taking a sip from his mug to buy him time to think. “I think if he said that to you, you’d just tell him how he doesn’t need one, right? Which is fine, you’re right, but it’s not what he wanted to hear.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That there’s no reason for it to go away, and if it does, we’ll find another way to help him be a hero.”

The silence that fell over the room was deafening, and when Katsuki finally dragged his gaze away from his coffee, he found a faint shimmer of tears in Izuku’s eyes.  

“Sorry,” Izuku said quickly. “I just... I guess I wish someone had said that to me as a kid, you know?”

“I know.”

Katsuki sat down at the table, ruffling Izuku’s curls awkwardly, and Izuku scrubbed the tears from his eyes.

“Sorry, I’m being stupid.”

“You’re not,” Katsuki grumbled, draining the last of his mug. “Sorry for taking away your smile. Come on, let’s run.”

“You don’t need to be sorry for that.”

“I am, though. I... Miss it.”

Izuku blinked at him a couple of times, stunned, but then a much more shy smile crept across his lips, small but so perfectly genuine.

“Come on, nerd,” Katsuki insisted, jumping up from his chair before Izuku could speak. “We’re gonna be late, gonna have to move your ass faster to get back in time.”

“We have heaps of time, Kacchan!”

“Shut up.”

With a little laugh, Izuku nodded, climbing up from his chair and following Katsuki down to the front door. The morning winds were chilly, when he opened the door, and Izuku shivered a little as they stepped outside, rubbing his hands together to warm them up.

“Want a jacket?” Katsuki asked, without even having to look back. “I’ll wait.”

“I’m okay! I’ll warm up soon!”

“Alright, nerd. Come on, then.”

“I’m right behind you!”

Despite the words, when Katsuki set off at a jog, Izuku stepped up beside him knowingly. They’d gotten used to the route, had pretty much memorised it by day three, so he had no need to follow behind anymore, and he knew Katsuki preferred it when they ran together.  

It was one of those weird little things that he would never admit to directly, but Izuku knew it from the way he slowed down if Izuku fell behind, the way he teased or grumbled when Izuku ran behind him instead. On the rare occasion that they crossed paths with someone else so early in the morning, he fell back to let them pass comfortably, but if he didn’t move back up right after, Katsuki immediately began to slow his pace. It was kind of sweet, really, the way he made sure he was never pushing Izuku too hard – he knew the whole thing was a walk in the park for Katsuki, so he was grateful for the way he paid such close attention to Izuku’s needs. Izuku couldn’t help but find it endearing, though.  

There were a lot of endearing things about Katsuki, really, once you got past his grumpy exterior.

Sure enough, Izuku warmed up quickly, the warm rays of sunrise cutting through and soothing his chilly fingers. By the time they got back to the house, he was pleasantly warm and out of breath, his thighs burning when he bent over to remove his shoes.

“Not bad,” Katsuki mumbled, clapping him on the back lightly. “Um, good job.”

“You’re getting so good at the encouragement,” Izuku grinned. “Thanks, Kacchan!”

“Whatever, nerd. Go shower, you stink.”

“I’m going! You’re not too tired, right?”

“I’m fine,” Katsuki snorted. “Why, you suddenly don’t want me to take your kid hiking?”

“Our kid,” Izuku objected quickly. “And you know that’s not true. He’s gonna have a blast, I’m so excited for you both!”

“Whatever,” Katsuki huffed, cheeks tinted pink. “Just go take your damn shower, I’m gonna go see if the boys are up.”

“Okay!”

He watched as Izuku waddled off to the bathroom, legs clearly stiff and in dire need of a blast of hot water. In half an hour he’d be back, rearing to go with his muscles soothed, but for now he desperately needed that warmth.

When the bathroom door closed between them, Katsuki finally pulled his sneakers off, leaving them tucked up against the side of the entryway. His normal routine would have had them back in the closet, but he knew he’d be putting them on again soon enough – as much as he liked spending his days off around the house relaxing, the idea of wearing shoes that weren’t heavy combat boots, twice in one day, was pretty appealing.

“Daddy!” Hiroki beamed, leaping up as soon as Katsuki reached the top of the stairs. “It’s Saturday! Did you forget?!”

“I didn’t forget,” Katsuki assured him, lifting him up for a hug. “We thought instead of family workout, we could do something a bit different today.”

“What kind of different?”

“It’s a surprise,” Katsuki teased, rubbing his cheek on Hiroki’s fluffy curls. “You have to wait until Papa is out of the shower.”

“Did you go run?”

“Uh-huh, the nerd needs the exercise.”

“Don’t be mean!”

“I’m not being mean! He sits at a damn desk all day!”

“Papa is perfect just the way he is!”

“Nah, he could use some work,” Katsuki grinned. “We could all use some work.”

“Nuh-uh, Daddy and Papa are both perfect.”

“But you just said I was mean.”

Hiroki’s face screwed up in concentration, trying his best to fit the two things together, but when Katsuki laughed he gave up immediately, wrapping his arms around Katsuki’s neck instead.

“I like when you’re happy,” Hiroki said softly, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “I’m glad Daddy is having a good day.”

“Thanks, little man. You’re gonna have a really good day too, I promise.”

“I always have a good day!”

“I’m glad. You finished your breakfast?”

“Nope!”

Katsuki set him down with a grin, letting him climb back into his chair to finish eating, instead stopping by to ruffle Yuuto’s hair fondly. He whined a little, more to make a point than actual annoyance, and Katsuki shifted to pat him on the shoulder as he passed.

“You sleep okay, bud?” he asked, reaching into the fridge for a container of yoghurt. “You were still out cold when I got up.”

“Slept well,” Yuuto agreed, through a mouthful of cereal. “Good dreams.”

“Glad to hear it.”

He threw some fruit in his bowl of yoghurt and sat down opposite the boys, leaning on his elbow as he stirred it up. The pair munched away at their sugary cereal like it was the best thing in the world, and Katsuki couldn’t help but wonder why that was the one bad habit they’d both picked up from Izuku, that they somehow refused to break.  

Then again, there were worse things to pick up from him, he supposed. The way he constantly put himself down, for instance, or his weird insistence that he was somehow a terrible father for not being rich.

“Speak of the devil,” Katsuki mumbled, when he heard the footsteps on the stairs. “You clean now, nerd?”

“Uh-huh,” Izuku grinned, holding his arms out when Hiroki jumped up for his morning hug. “Good morning, sweetie!”

“Morning Papa! Daddy said when you got here you’d tell us the surprise!”

“Did he now?” Izuku laughed, carrying Hiroki back to the table still tight in his arms. “I don’t remember promising that.”

“Papaaaaa!”

“Okay, okay,” Izuku grinned, setting him back in his chair and kissing his head fondly. “Remember we talked about Papa-Hiro dates?”

“Yeah! Is it today?!”

“If you want to.”

“I want to!” Hiroki nodded quickly, kicking his little feet in his excitement. “Please!”

“Perfect.”

“And Daddy-Yuuchan date?”

“Uh-huh,” Katsuki nodded, when big, red eyes turned his way. “I thought we could go for a hike, Yuuto. What do you think?”

“A real hike?” Yuuto asked, sitting up straighter. “Can we?”

“Damn right we can.”

“Yeah!”

“And I thought we could go pick some strawberries,” Izuku offered, peeking at Hiroki a little nervously. “Then go eat lunch at a nice cafe?”

Hiroki’s face lit up, and Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been so worried about the reaction, no matter how much Katsuki assured him Hiroki would love the idea.

“I’ve never picked them myself before!” Hiroki clapped his hands excitedly. “Strawberries are my favourite!”

“I know,” Izuku grinned. “We’ll get as many as we can carry, then we can eat strawberries for every meal.”

“Yeah!”

“No,” Katsuki laughed, poking Hiroki in a chubby cheek. “Need vegetables too.”

“Strawberries and carrots!”

“Much better. Alright, I’d better go grab a bag for water and things. Yuuto, you wanna go get dressed? We’ve gotta take a train, so we can head off soon.”

“Going!” Yuuto agreed, rinsing out his cereal bowl quickly and darting off toward the stairs.

“I’m gonna go too!” Hiroki grinned, drinking the last of his cereal milk and climbing out of his chair. “I’ll be back soon, Papa! Don’t leave without me!”

“Of course I won’t,” Izuku laughed. “Take your time, we don’t have to rush.”

“But I’m excited!”

“Okay, then I’d better rush too!”

“Yeah!”

When he headed off to his room, Izuku shot a grin at Katsuki, surprised to see a genuine smile pointing back at him. He’d gotten so used to the stern look Katsuki usually wore, the glares and anger when he was working, and the careful softness around the kids, but to see such a bright smile from him still seemed so rare. Izuku felt like his heart melted when he saw it; that smile could lead anyone to hell and back with no hesitation.

“You’re pretty when you smile,” he said boldly, when he knew his staring had grown too long.

“Haah? Shut the hell up,” Katsuki shoved him, face burning bright red. “Don’t say shit like that, you damn nerd.”

“But you are!” Izuku insisted, ducking away from the half-hearted swipe Katsuki took at him. “You should smile more often!”

“Fuck off!”

“No!”

Katsuki grabbed him by the face, pulling at his cheeks, and Izuku whined at him pitifully. The scowl was back in full force, eyebrows knitted together, and Izuku was sad to see the smile go away so quickly.

“You’re so mean,” Izuku complained, voice distorted by the hands still squishing his face. “It was a compliment, Kacchan, you’re meant to say ‘thank you’!”

“Like hell!”

“You’re still pretty when you’re grumpy anyway,” Izuku offered, skipping right over the apologise option and into prod the bear territory. “If you’re trying to make yourself ugly, you’re failing.”

“Obviously, nerd, I’m the hottest piece of ass in the country. The voters said so.”

“Then how come Shouto was the one they picked for the photoshoot?” Izuku poked his tongue out. “Sounds like people thought he was the hottest.”

“You think I’m gonna do that half-naked shit when I have a kid at home? Fuck off.”

“It’s not like Hiro was gonna see it!”

“Gross. You wanna perv at that shit or something? Should’ve known you were a pervy nerd as well as a shitty one.”

“Kacchan we live together, I see you shirtless at least twice a week.”

“Other people would kill to be you.”

“I know. I appreciate it. Now will you please let me go? I’m gonna look like a chipmunk all day.”

“You always do,” Katsuki snorted, setting him free all the same. “Those dumb cheeks and big eyes, you could walk into a chipmunk nest and no one would even notice.”

“I don’t think chipmunks build nests.”

“Shut the hell up.”

Their argument was thankfully interrupted by Yuuto returning in his stretchy leggings and a Suneater t-shirt, his old backpack held tight in his hands.

“I got a jumper,” he explained, holding up his bag. “In case it gets cold. What else should I bring?”

“Good thinking,” Katsuki nodded, switching back to parent-mode in a heartbeat. “How about a water bottle? I’ll bring some too, but if you carry one you can get it out easier when you want it.”

“Kay!”

Katsuki followed him out to the kitchen to grab the bottles he’d frozen the night prior, and Izuku followed silently, reaching into the fridge for two lunchboxes. Katsuki just stared at him for a moment, when he held them out, and Izuku cracked a shy smile.

“I promised I’d make you lunch every day, right? Picnics count too.”

“When did you even do this?”

“After you went to bed, like most days. I’m a night owl, you know that.”

“Y-Yeah,” Katsuki swallowed hard, accepting the little boxes with a nod. “Um, thanks. It uh, it always tastes good.”

“I’m glad!”

He held them tight in his arms, alongside his cold water bottles, and stepped back toward the stairs awkwardly. He swallowed again, glancing back over his shoulder at the stairwell, then back to Izuku again.

“I’d better grab my bag,” he said finally. “Um, thanks again.”

“You’re welcome, Kacchan!”

Katsuki turned away, still hesitant as he took his first step up the stairs, then looked back again at Izuku’s proud smile.

“More bunny than chipmunk,” he said finally, eyes darting away again. “I’ve always thought so, anyway.”

He disappeared before Izuku could say a word, which was probably good considering Izuku seemed to have forgotten how to speak. Yuuto fastened his bag closed, pulling it on to his back, and as he straightened up he tilted his head to one side a little.

“Papa, why are you blushing?”

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