My Father's Son - Chapter 36

[Previous]

“Look at you!” Katsuki grinned, catching Hiroki in a big hug. “I forgot how grown up you are, I have such a handsome son!”

“Daddy!” Hiroki grinned, wrapping his arms around Katsuki's neck. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too. You should quit school and I'll quit my job, then we can just be together all the time.”

“Yeah!”

“I was kidding,” Katsuki snorted, closing his eyes when Hiroki rubbed their cheeks together happily. “You have to go learn to be the best hero ever.”

“Mm... Yeah, I do,” Hiroki agreed. “I guess I shouldn't quit school.”

“Probably not.”

“And you should keep everyone safe until I can.”

“Okay, I won't quit my job either.”

“Just lots of after-work snuggles?”

“Sure,” Katsuki chuckled. “We can do that. Where's your brother at?”

“Helping Nana cook! We're having roast beef!”

“That sounds amazing. I should probably go take a quick shower, I smell bad.”

“Daddy never smells bad,” Hiroki laughed. “Was work hard?”

“Nah, it was an easy day,” he grinned, kicking his boots off and carting Hiroki up the stairs. “How come, you wanna do something?”

“I got a new game!”

“Oh yeah? Tell me about it.”

Katsuki listened to every single word that was chattered in his ear, the little voice running at a mile a minute. He'd met parents who would have just smiled and nodded, ignoring the content, but Katsuki did his best to sift through all the information, to rearrange it into an order that made sense in his head. He loved the sound of his kids' voices, loved hearing all about whatever they were excited about that day, and if that made him a sap, so be it.

When he stepped into the kitchen to greet the rest of the family, his feet stuck to the floor like he'd stepped in a puddle of glue. He'd completely frozen, his brain ceasing to function, and Hiroki's words trailed off in a hurry.

“Oh, h-hi, welcome home,” Izuku stuttered, blushing under Katsuki's stunned gaze. “How was your day?”

“Wow,” he choked out. “You, uh- You actually look like less of a nerd. I should keep that hairdresser's number.”

Izuku flushed even brighter, running a hand through his short locks, and Hiroki smiled even wider.

“Papa looks so handsome!” he praised.

“Y-Yeah,” Katsuki nodded, blushing a little himself. “You both do. Two handsome boys.”

“Yeah!”

He caught a glimpse of a smile on Inko's face as she leaned down to check the oven, and he hitched Hiroki up a little higher, settling him more comfortably against his side.

“I'm gonna ask them to put the new oven higher up,” Katsuki mused, more to himself than to his company. “So we don't have to bend so much. Where's Yuuto?”

“Bathroom, he managed to spill flour all over himself.”

“Course he did,” Katsuki chuckled. “I need a shower anyway, I'll go say hi and check how he's going. You coming with me, little man?”

“Yeah!” Hiroki grinned, squeezing Katsuki tighter. “Don't want you to leave again!”

“You make it sound like I was gone for a week.”

“No, if it was a week I would cry.”

“Oh come on, don't say that,” Katsuki grumbled, nuzzling his sweet-smelling hair. “You'll make me feel bad.”

“But if you feel bad you won't leave for a week.”

“Manipulative little brat,” he chuckled. “Alright, let's go check on Yuuto.”

He sneaked one last glance back at Izuku as they left, at the fluffy green curls that seemed so much lighter – both in weight and in colour – with a good trim. He'd always thought Izuku's hair was just darker than Hiroki's naturally, he'd never stopped to consider that maybe the sheep just needed shearing.

“Hey Yuuto,” Katsuki called, knocking on the bathroom door. “I'm home. You doing okay in there?”

“Y-Yeah, fine! Um, welcome home!”

His voice was slightly choked, like the sounds were caught in his throat, and the look on Hiroki's face told him he definitely wasn't imagining it.

“Give me a minute, bud,” he whispered, setting Hiroki on the ground.

“Uh-huh!”

He trotted back down the hall, bouncing lightly down the staircase, and Katsuki cracked the bathroom door open.

“You sure you're alright?” he asked, peeking inside. “What's up, my little man?”

“I'm fine!” Yuuto sniffed, clutching his messy shirt to his side. “H-How was w-work?”

“What happened?” he asked, kneeling down to swipe a stubborn tear from Yuuto's cheek. “Talk to me, buddy. I can't help if you don't talk to me.”

“N-Nothing I just m-made a m-mess.”

“I know you wouldn't be upset about that, you're my big, brave boy. Please?”

He reached to take away the floury shirt, gently sliding it away from Yuuto's grip, but when he saw the splotchy red skin he cursed under his breath.

“Is that why you spilled?” he asked knowingly, already scooping Yuuto up to sit him on the edge of the bath. “Why didn't you tell anyone?”

“Nana told me not to touch,” he sniffled, the tears falling a little quicker. “I didn't want to g-get in t-trouble.”

“Oh Yuuto,” Katsuki sighed, turning the shower to cold and aiming it at Yuuto's arm. “We talked about this, remember? Even if you think you'll be in trouble, we need to help.”

“It's f-fine, I don't need h-help.”

“Yuuto,” he said softly, wrapping him up in his free arm. “You don't always have to be brave, okay? You're allowed to be hurt, everyone gets hurt.”

“Even y-you?”

“I get hurt at work all the time, you know that. I'm an adult, I know what to do when I get hurt, but I also know when to ask for help. You're still little, still learning, you don't need to know all the answers yet.”

“I'm big.”

“I know you are, but you're little next to me,” Katsuki pointed out, getting a little pout and a nod in return. “We're never gonna be mad at you for getting hurt.”

“But I wasn't meant to touch.”

“Then why did you touch?”

“I tried to get the milk and I missed.”

“So it was an accident?”

Yuuto nodded, lower lip jutting out.

“Why would we be mad over an accident? If we say 'don't touch' it means 'don't touch on purpose and do your best to stay away', not 'you'll be in big trouble if you touch by accident'.”

“You promise?”

“I promise, buddy. You should have told Nana or Papa, they could have helped.”

“I know, I'm sorry.”

“You don't need to be sorry,” Katsuki assured him, planting a kiss on his hair despite the little whine it earned him. “Is it still hurting?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Okay, you sit here and keep it under the water.”

“Are you going away?”

“Of course not, silly. I'm just gonna get some warm water, so we can get cleaned up without freezing to death.”

“Okay.”

He stepped out to the handbasin, filling one of their little wash buckets up with water, and then he was right back at Yuuto's side, hugging him close again. He'd all but forgotten about his own sweat and dirt, preoccupied with Yuuto's mess of flour that was rapidly turning to dough. With a washcloth dipped in warm water, he started wiping the mess from his pouty little face, smiling as he poked a little button-nose.

“I love you,” he said softly, the words coming a lot easier than they had only a few months ago. “I know that's sappy and gross, but I do.”

“Me too,” Yuuto grumbled, cheeks pink when the flour came off. “Even though it's gross.”

“Thank you,” Katsuki laughed. “Alright, let's see that arm.”

The skin was a lot less red already, and Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief.

“You pull your arm away real quick?”

“Uh-huh. I spilled.”

“Good boy. Spilling is much better than burning. You're gonna be fine, we'll just put some stuff on it to help it get better, and we'll cover it up with a bandage so it doesn't bump on anything and get hurt more.”

“Okay.”

“Does it feel nice and cold now, or still hot?”

“Cold now.”

“Alright. Let's wash that hair of yours and we'll see if it still feels cold after.”

Yuuto nodded, shuffling to perch in Katsuki's lap, and Katsuki couldn't resist a smile. He turned the temperature up a little to get the water warm, and Yuuto softened into him when his fingers combed through blond spikes.

“I'm getting you wet,” Yuuto mumbled.

“My costume needs a wash anyway,” Katsuki assured him. “I'm gonna shower and change after you. You been helping cook, huh?”

“Mm-hm, I made potatoes.”

“Those yummy-smelling ones I saw in the kitchen?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I'm impressed, you're such a good little chef.”

“Not little.”

“Yes little,” Katsuki teased, ruffling his hair when the shampoo was all washed out. “Always gonna be little, even when you're old like me.”

He doused Yuuto in conditioner then finished cleaning flour off his limbs, making sure he was clean and warm by the time he rinsed it out.

“Still feel okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You can tell me if it feels hot again, I need to know.”

“It doesn't.”

“Okay, let's give it one more little blast of cold just in case.”

Yuuto held his arm out obediently, letting Katsuki splash it with cold water one more time, and then he was turning the tap off, bundling Yuuto up in a fluffy towel.

“If it starts hurting or feeling hot again, I need you to tell me right away, okay? Or Nana or Papa if I'm not here.”

“I will.”

“Even if you think you'll be in trouble?”

“Yeah,” Yuuto smiled faintly. “I'm sorry.”

“You don't need to be sorry.”

He gently patted the area dry, covering it with aloe vera and gauze from under the sink, and with a last little pinch at his chubby cheek, Yuuto was done.

“Go put your pyjamas on,” he instructed. “I'm gonna shower real quick, then I'll come down for dinner with you.”

“Can I wait for you?”

“Of course you can, that sounds nice.”

“Okay. I get my pyjamas and wait for Dad.”

“I'll see you soon.”

He let out a long breath when Yuuto was gone, still wrapped up in his big towel, and finally stripped off his sodden costume. It fell into the clothes basket with a heavy slap, bringing him a huge relief to get the extra weight off his tired body, and then he was scrubbing dirt from his body and hair.

He wound a towel around his waist, ready to go find some clean clothes, but when he opened the door he found Yuuto leaning against the wall, a pair of red flannel pyjamas waiting in his arms.

“Thanks,” he grinned, ruffling Yuuto's damp hair again before he accepted. “You're very thoughtful.”

“I like to help.”

“I know you do, you're such a good helper. A good hero.”

“Gotta save everyone,” Yuuto nodded firmly. “Even if it's just save from cold.”

“Good man.”

He pulled them on, buttoning up his shirt and give his hair a quick squeeze with the towel, then they were padding back down to a kitchen of concerned faces.

“We're okay,” he smiled softly, patting Yuuto on the shoulder. “Just a little accident.”

“Why didn't you tell me, Yuu?” Izuku asked, heartbroken as he knelt down to Yuuto's height. “You were upset and I didn't even know, I'm so sorry!”

“It was an accident,” Yuuto sniffed, valiantly holding back another burst of tears. “I didn't mean to.”

“What was an accident, baby?”

“I touched the pot.”

“Oh, no! Yuuto, sweetie!” Izuku pulled him into his arms, tears spilling over with no attempt to stem them. “I didn't know! I'm so sorry, baby! I would have helped!”

“Just a little misunderstanding,” Katsuki assured them. “We're good now, right bud?”

“Uh-huh,” Yuuto nodded, his eyes watering again as he accepted the hug. “I'll say so, next time.”

“Please do, bubs. I need to know when accidents happen!”

“I will.”

Katsuki didn't realise his hand had moved until he felt the soft hair beneath it, his fingers combing through familiar green curls.

“He's okay,” he said softly. “Crisis averted, nerd.”

A smile stretched across Izuku's lips, and for longer than was probably normal, he let himself enjoy the touch. Katsuki's hand was so big and warm, so comforting, and combined with Yuuto in his arms it was damn near perfect.

“Me too!” Hiroki called, throwing himself into the pile. “Hugs!”

“That's better,” Izuku chuckled, scooping him into the mix. “Now we're perfect.”

─────

“You wanna show me your game?” Katsuki asked, when Hiroki was finished rinsing off his plate. “Kinda like the dance one, right? But with magic?”

“Yeah!”

“Can I play too?”

“Uh-huh! We can all play!”

He switched on the console, already set up and ready to go – they hadn't moved it back upstairs in a long time. They had a collection of controllers sitting safely in a case, and Hiroki went through one by one to connect them, handing them out to everyone like he was one of santa's elves – with his hair and eyes and smile, he'd probably be good at that, Katsuki mused.

It took a while for them all to get the hang of it, but with a controller strapped to his ankle and a second one in his hand, Katsuki found it a little more natural than the first few games they'd bought for the thing. Sitting on a couch using a joystick to move had never been his forte, even back at high school when Eijirou and Denki had dragged him along to game nights. Using his body to actually move somewhat intuitively suited him much better.

“When the monster comes up, we gotta pick a challenge to fight with!” Hiroki explained, when a fiery demon appeared and a menu of little pictures popped up. “We don't all have to do them all, we can do one or two or three people on each one, but more people does more damage to the monster!”

Katsuki finally cottoned on, when he scanned across the pictures, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Sounds like hero training,” he said knowingly, shooting a glance at Izuku's face – he suspected the nerd was more excited than he was letting on. “Sounds like you boys and Deku are gonna have to do all of them, since me and Inko are already heroes.”

Inko giggled, and Katsuki's smirk grew wider, reaching over to ruffle Izuku's hair when his eyes widened.

“Have you done it before, Hiro?”

“A little!”

“And Yuuto?”

“Not yet, but he watched some!”

“Alright, why don't you boys and Inko do the first one?” he suggested. “You can show us how it's done.”

“Okay! Nana, do you wanna choose?”

The list he scrolled across was a set of three exercises: squats, star jumps and sit ups, though he suspected there were more coming. The same sensors in their controllers that detected their motions in the dance game and the tennis game were now being put to work on calisthenics.

It was so damn perfect – he loved the game, and he loved that his kid had found it.

“Let's try some squats,” Inko decided, smiling as she stepped up beside the boys. “Do I need to go fast?”

“Nope! The game tells you how fast to go!”

That was a good sign, too; no hurried, frantic motions that would get people hurt. Whoever had come up with the idea had really known what they were doing.

“Ready, Nana?” Hiroki asked, waiting for her okay before he hit the button. “Okay, let's go!”

With every squat, a chunk of health came off the enemy, and out of sheer curiosity, Katsuki started counting. It took ten good squats for the creature to die, for their little characters to cheer in victory and the boys to follow right along.

“Good job!” Hiroki praised, hugging Inko and then Yuuto. “We won!”

“Papa and Dad's turn next,” Yuuto grinned back at them over his shoulder. “Papa, are you gonna win?”

“Of course I'm gonna win,” Izuku scoffed, pinching Yuuto's cheek indignantly but smiling when a giggle escaped the boy. “You have no faith in me!”

“Show us, Papa!”

“Damn right I will.”


[Next]