My Father's Son - Chapter 18

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Izuku woke up with two boys in his bed, one on each side, snuggled in tight. He vaguely recalled waking up in the night when one arrived, though honestly he wasn't sure which one. He suspected Hiroki, since he always seemed to ask for permission before he got snuggly – Yuuto was happy to just crawl in and find a space for himself. He'd fallen back to sleep quickly, thankfully – he could have stayed up all night stressing, but he'd already stayed up so late in the hopes that Katsuki would get home before he went to bed, and by the time he fell into his sheets he was exhausted.

He knew he needed to get up, needed to rouse the boys and get them dressed to go to kindergarten, but it would have been so much easier just to stay in bed and sleep the hours away.

"Morning Papa," Yuuto yawned, fingers tightening in his shirt. "I'm sleepy."

"Me too," Izuku smiled faintly, hugging him a little closer. "But we've gotta start the day, Nana is already cooking breakfast."

"It smells yummy."

"Yeah, we should probably go check it out. Think I should wake Hiroki?"

"He'll wake up soon," Yuuto shook his head, glancing at the clock beside the bed. "He always wakes up on his own."

"Alright, I'll give him another minute. You wanna stay for a little more cuddle time?"

"Gotta pee."

"Okay, go do that then," he laughed. "That's more important."

He released his hold, letting Yuuto slide out of the blankets and power-walk toward the bathroom, and rolled over to hug Hiroki a little tighter. He didn't wake, didn't open his eyes or change his breathing patterns, but he snuggled into Izuku's chest comfortably as he continued to snooze.

Izuku wondered if Hiroki had gone through this often, throughout his years. How regularly had Katsuki called his parents or dropped Hiroki off at their house for days at a time? How often did he disappear for so long and leave his family behind, worrying about him?

When the clock hit seven, Hiroki's eyes fluttered open, and Izuku couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"Papa," he said sleepily, scrubbing tear stains from his cheeks. "Good morning."

"It's okay," Izuku said immediately, hugging him tight. "We're all worried about him, you're allowed to be worried."

"Daddy always wins," Hiroki mumbled, hiding his face again quickly. "I'm not worried, I don't need to worry, Daddy is the best hero."

"Yeah, he is," Izuku nodded, stroking his hair. "But we're still allowed to worry, even about the best hero."

"Grandpa says so too."

"Grandpa is a smart man."

"But I don't want Daddy to be sad to leave."

"What do you mean?"

Hiroki squirmed a little, a pink tinge in his ears where they poked out from his snuggly spot.

"If he knows I worry, he won't want to go," he explained awkwardly. "And I want him to stay, but I also want him to save everyone, so I don't want to be selfish and make him stay just for me."

"You're not selfish, you might be the most selfless boy I've ever met."

"There are lots of kids like me who need saving," he pouted. "And Daddies, and Mommies, and Grandpas and Grandmas, and Daddy saves all of them."

"He does. He's an amazing man."

"I don't want someone to not get saved because Daddy felt bad leaving me."

Izuku could feel the tears soaking through his shirt, but he didn't mention it, letting Hiroki hide it away stubbornly.

"I think we should talk to Daddy about this when he gets home," Izuku said softly. "I know you don't want to because you don't want to worry him, but if it were me instead of him, I would want to hear this stuff. I would want to find ways to make us both happy."

"I can't, I'll cry," he wiped his eyes stubbornly, swallowing hard. "I don't want to cry in front of Daddy."

"Idiot," Izuku snorted, making a mental note for later to address where such a Katsuki reaction had come from all of a sudden. "If you can't cry in front of Daddy, who can you cry in front of?"

"Mm... Papa and Uncle Eijirou."

"That was a rhetorical- Never mind. You can definitely cry to me and Uncle Eijirou, but you should cry to Daddy sometimes too. He wants to know, wants to help. He would be a lot sadder if he knew you were hiding it from him because you didn't want him to worry."

"Mm... I'll think about it," Hiroki mumbled. "When he gets home I'll think about it."

"Okay. Think we should go get some breakfast before Yuuto eats it all?"

"Yeah! I'm hungry!"

"Alright, come on then."

They rolled out of bed together, heading for the kitchen to investigate the smell of bacon, and Inko smiled warmly when she saw their sleepy faces.

"Did you get some sleep?" she asked knowingly. "I know my night was a little restless."

"Mm," Izuku nodded, yawning. "Not enough, but some."

"I'm glad. Are you heading into work again today?"

"Yeah, all of this week I think. Everyone is super busy right now, they need more hands."

"I'm sure they're very grateful to have you. Boys, are you going to walk home together again or should I come meet you after class?"

"We can do it," Hiroki assured her, climbing into his seat and reaching for the juice. "It's not far! We look after each other!"

Yuuto nodded his agreement, and Izuku smiled, patting them both on the head fondly as he rounded the table.

"You're such good boys," he praised, smiling when Inko handed him a mug of hot coffee. "If anything changes, if you're gonna be late or want someone to come get you, send one of us a text or give us a call, okay?"

"We will!"

"Alright, now eat up! Gotta fuel yourself for a big day!"

─────

Katsuki knew he was a mess as he left the agency, even though he'd changed clothes and done his best to clean up at the bathroom sink. He'd attempted and failed to wash all of the dirt and blood out of his hair, and really he probably should have stayed and taken a shower, but he couldn't face being there a moment longer than necessary. There was nothing broken or terribly damaged, just a lot of scrapes and bruises, but between his annoying black eye, his obvious fatigue, and the mess that was his half-washed hair, he could feel eyes turning his way constantly.

He pulled his hood up in an attempt to disguise it a little, snuggling into his baggy hoodie, and with his head down he just kept walking. No time for extras, no time for fans, he just needed to keep moving.

When he finally reached his destination, he could see the surprise and concern in the receptionist's face, quickly hidden away behind her best customer service smile.

"Mr. Bakugou!" she said brightly. "We missed you yesterday! How are you?"

"Been worse," he grunted, cracking a hint of a smile. "Been a long day is all."

"I can't even begin to imagine! You're a little early, please take a seat and rest! Would you like something to drink? Eat? Coffee?"

"Coffee would be amazing," he admitted. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all, it's my pleasure!"

She disappeared to the back room, and Katsuki sank into a comfortable armchair, groaning quietly as his muscles protested his every move. Within minutes she was back, handing him a steaming hot mug, and he nodded gratefully as he accepted.

"You're my favourite person," he said flatly, a little amused when she blushed. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome!"

His mug was nearly empty by the time he heard doors opening, so he drained the last of it in a few gulps, nodding faintly when the receptionist took the mug back from him.

Hiroki spotted him right away when they came down the hall, already in tears by the time he threw himself into Katsuki's arms. He couldn't help but laugh at the kid, scooping him up for a hug, quickly shifting him to make room for Yuuto as well.

"Idiots," he said fondly, holding a sobbing child in each arm, letting them cling to his hoodie and cry all over him. "I told you I'd be fine."

"But I missed you," Hiroki sobbed. "I love you, Daddy! I'm so happy you're back!"

"I missed you too. Both of you. I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly."

"It's your job," Yuuto mumbled, hiding his face. "You got hurt."

"Only a little, I'm okay. Mostly I'm just messy, I need a bath."

"Did you come straight here?"

"Uh-huh. Didn't want to leave my boys waiting."

The sobs started all over again, and Katsuki grinned, every eye in the room locked on their little huddle of hugs.

"Alright, we're off," he told the staff, hitching the boys up a little to balance on his hips. "Thanks again for the coffee."

"M-My pleasure."

One of the older kids quickly moved to hold the door open for him, and Katsuki gave her a grateful nod as he stepped by, his hands still occupied by the whining boys. He conveyed as much love as he could muster with the way he held them, wishing for the first time in his life that he had a different quirk – well, no, a second one – so he could have more arms to hug them with. If the half-and-half asshole could have fire and ice, he should be allowed double explodo-hands.

"You can put me down if you want," Yuuto mumbled knowingly.

"Nah."

They walked all the way home still twined together, still holding on with everything they could muster, only splitting apart when Katsuki set them down to open the front door. He nudged them ahead, letting Hiroki find his key to open the door for them all, and watched them step into the entryway.

"Welcome home!" Inko called from up above. "Are you hungry?"

Katsuki smirked when she looked down at them from the top of the stairwell, freezing in her tracks as she stared open-mouthed at his battered form.

"Not gonna lie, I'm pretty hungry," he offered. "Do you have room for one more?"

"Always," she smiled softly. "It's good to see you home safe. Feel like anything in particular?"

"Anything I wouldn't buy at a convenience store," he snorted, accepting when Hiroki reached for him for another hug. "You all unpacked, bud?"

"Uh-huh!"

When Yuuto finished unloading his own bag, Katsuki took each of them by the hand, holding on as they climbed the stairs together.

"Come have a snack," Inko instructed, stepping back into the kitchen and grabbing a bunch of fruit from the fridge. "Then you can go have a bath while I make something more hearty."

"You don't need to fuss over me."

"Would you rather I call your own mother and have her come fuss instead?"

"God no."

"Then be good and let me feed you," she laughed. "Come sit."

"Okay, okay. Thank you."

He let Hiroki push him into a seat at the table, dragging another chair over to let them all sit together, and soon there was a platter of freshly washed and cut fruit sitting in front of them, along with a little bowl of nuts and some cheese and crackers.

"I'll run you a bath," she insisted, as soon as the plates were down. "You relax a little."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know."

He smiled at her back as she left, hugging his boys close once more before he reached for a snack. Between Inko and Izuku, he really did have it good at home – the pair of them spoiled him to no end, refused to let him work after a long day. Or a long two days, as it may be.

"Nerd at work?" Katsuki asked, reaching for a couple of apple slices. "He's probably busy too, lots of paperwork to do now that my job is done."

"He was really worried about you," Hiroki shot him a wry little smile. "Even though you never lose."

"What an idiot," Katsuki snorted, ignoring the cheeky look on his little face. "At least you know better."

Hiroki paused, fidgeting with his hands in his lap, and Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

"I was worried too," he confessed. "You've never been gone for so long before, Daddy. And I always worry a little bit, since I want you to come home safe, but you gotta go save all the other people so I don't want you to feel bad."

"You're allowed to be sad when I'm gone," Katsuki said quietly, reaching out to stroke his hair, a little surprised by the sudden honesty. "I'm sad too, because I wish I could be home with you, but like you said, people need saving."

"It's okay to want you to be home?"

"Of course it is, I want to be home with you too. It's just not that simple, yeah? We both know that."

"Just come back safe," Yuuto grumbled, tangling his fingers in Katsuki's hoodie again. "Don't get hurt bad, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

He shoved a little more food in his face, then with a last hug he excused himself to go clean up. Inko was just leaving the bathroom when he made it upstairs, and she shot him a quick smile as they passed in the hall.

"Take a nice long soak, I'll keep dinner warm for you if you're still up here!"

"Thank you."

He understood the smile finally when he opened the bathroom door, finding a little yellow bottle on the counter with some cartoon mascot all over it. The tub was filled with hot water and fluffy bubbles, waiting for him to sink in, and he shook his head fondly. At least he knew where the nerd got it from, now.

He scrubbed himself off thoroughly, washing his hair three times to get all the dirt and blood out, then drenching it in conditioner by way of an apology. He sank into the bath with it still lathered up, and a tiny moan escaped him when the hot water caressed his limbs, cutting through his aches with warmth.

How much time and money would it take to remodel the bathroom, he wondered. Could they make do with one bathroom for long enough? A fancy tub with the little jets in the sides would be heaven on Earth, it was sorely tempting. At least his current abode had a big enough tub to really sink into, not one of the crappy little square things you could barely sit in.

He knew he should get out, should bundle up and head downstairs to spend time with the boys – and he wanted to, of course, but it was just so hard when the bath felt so good.

"Daddy?"

He tilted his head to look, managing a smile when Hiroki peeked inside.

"Hey," he answered faintly. "Everything alright?"

"Can I come sit with you?"

"Of course you can, bud. You wanna hop in and soak with me?"

"Can I? I'm not too big?"

"Nah, you're still little."

By the time Hiroki showered, Yuuto was at the door too, blushing when he looked in and found Hiroki cleaning himself.

"S-Sorry," he stumbled. "I didn't know-"

"It's okay!" Hiroki assured him, grinning as he rinsed off the rest of the soap. "I'm gonna rest with Daddy."

"Oh, okay."

"Did you wanna come in too?" Katsuki asked knowingly.

"Is it okay?" he asked nervously. "It's okay if it's Dad, right?"

"Yeah, just like the onsen. It's okay with me or Papa, just not with a stranger if we're not with you."

"Okay, me too then."

He closed the door to strip off, giving himself a quick clean, and soon the three of them were together in the deep tub, covered in frothy bubbles. Hiroki was already building little bubble snowmen, and Katsuki couldn't help but laugh when Yuuto made himself a bubble beard.

"Thanks for always being here to cheer me up," he smiled, splashing water at them both. "It's always nice to come home to you guys after a long day."

"I love you," Yuuto told him with an almost painful sincerity.

"I love you!" Hiroki parroted, beaming as he leaned over for a hug.

"Yeah, I love you both too," he said quietly, the words still so weird to say out loud – Hiroki had picked it up so quickly, with the touchy-feely Midoriyas around, but Katsuki was struggling to keep up. "You know that, right? Even if I don't say it much?"

"Uh-huh!" Hiroki nodded firmly. "Daddy shows us!"

Yuuto nodded his agreement, and Katsuki ruffled their damp heads of hair lightly, his smile a little watery this time.

"Yeah, I'll always show you how much I care, even if it's not with words. I promise."

─────

The house was quiet when Izuku got home, the boys long since put to bed and Inko likely retired to hers, too. He'd gotten absorbed in a case that he suspected was part of Katsuki's recent escapades, and as a result, he'd stayed for a ridiculous amount of overtime to get it done. All he wanted to do was eat and sleep – stuff something filling in his mouth then collapse into bed. Well, after he peeked in to say goodnight to the boys, that was.

He changed out of his suit and found a tray of leftovers waiting for him in the fridge, surprised by the variety they'd cooked up – he had a little bowl of stew, a nice cut of beef, a ton of rice, fried eggs, salad, even some kind of spicy ramen noodles. He felt like he'd missed some kind of party or something.

It wasn't until he'd downed the plate of reheated leftovers that he caught on, shoving the plates in the sink and taking the stairs two at a time up to the master bedroom. His hand trembled as he pushed on the door, steeling his nerves to peek inside, to find...

Nothing.

Wishful thinking after all, he supposed. He'd gotten too hopeful over a damn plate of food, it was getting stupid how deeply he hunted for some kind of a sign.

With a sigh, he headed across to the boys' room instead, smiling to himself as he looked in at their little piles of blankets.

"Papa?"

"You're still awake," he smiled faintly, taking a step inside. "You should be sound asleep by now."

"Mm, had to pee," Hiroki murmured, smiling when Izuku knelt down beside his bed. "Just went, now going sleep again."

"Daddy wouldn't like it if he heard that sentence."

"Mm. Sleepy."

"Okay," Izuku chuckled, brushing curls back from his forehead lightly. "I won't tell him. Did you have a good night?"

"The best night," he nodded, eyes sinking closed. "Had bathtime with Daddy and lots of yummy food, and he read us two stories."

Izuku's heart thumped extra hard for a moment, and he struggled to find any words to respond.

"Daddy is home?" he asked finally.

"Yeah! He picked us up from extra school," Hiroki smiled, his eyes still firmly shut. "You didn't see?"

"I just got home, he wasn't downstairs. Or in his bedroom."

"Hmm... Maybe roof," Hiroki yawned. "Is cold, but he likes roof."

"Yeah?" Izuku hummed. "I'll go check on him, then. You sleep."

"I sleep."

"Sweet dreams," Izuku chuckled, kissing his forehead. "I love you."

"Love Papa too."

He turned to give Yuuto the lightest of goodnight kisses, to keep from waking him, then tiptoed back out to the hallway to contemplate. He hadn't spent much time on the roof, other than occasionally hanging out the laundry on a nice day, but he did remember it being talked about a lot. They spent a lot of time up there in summer, he'd gathered, but in winter it was too chilly for Katsuki's tastes.

Steeling himself once more, he whipped up two mugs of hot chocolate with the tiny marshmallows that boys loved so much, carefully carting them upstairs to the little terrace.

It was such a nice area, with wooden trellises and a little roof overhead, opening up into clear sky and glass railing toward the front of the house. And sure enough, staring out into the falling snow, Katsuki sat on a little bench.

"Welcome home," Izuku said softly, sliding a mug into his hands. "We missed you."

"Thanks for looking after the boys."

"You don't need to thank me, you know that."

Katsuki had his new blanket wrapped around him, huddled inside like it was a warm, weighted cloak, and in a moment of boldness Izuku tucked himself in with him, pressed lightly against Katsuki's side as he pulled the blanket around them both.

For a long while they just sat in silence, watching the snow fall as they sipped at their warm mugs. Katsuki felt freezing, when his arm brushed against Izuku's, so he shuffled a little closer in an effort to share his warmth.

"I'm sorry I'm a mess sometimes."

"What?" Izuku bleated, cursing himself for not biting his tongue. "Katsuki, you're-"

"Don't say I'm not, we both know I am. Just... I know it can be a pain, so thanks for putting up with it. I'm never gonna say that again, so you better remember it, nerd."

"Kacchan is amazing," Izuku smiled, nudging him lightly with his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Katsuki didn't reply right away, and Izuku somehow took that as a good sign – maybe because of the lack of explodo-hand in his face.

"You know I was kidnapped once," he said faintly, not even a hint of questioning in the tone. "The villains thought they could turn me, thought because I was an asshole at the sports festival that they could make me a villain with them."

"You would never."

"Obviously," he scoffed, rubbing a hand over his face. "But it was... a whole thing."

"Tell me about it," Izuku prompted. "If you don't mind, I mean."

"You know most of it. One of my classmates managed to track our location and a huge group of heroes showed up to raid the hideout. I was probably an idiot for not just playing along to keep myself safe, but I couldn't do it. Even to a shitty villain, I'm not gonna lie about who I am, I'm not gonna give anyone a reason to doubt my loyalties."

"You're safe, that's the important thing."

"Mm. A couple of my classmates showed up to help bail me out. Shitty-Hair and Half-and-half. And others I haven't talked about much."

"Oh no, they didn't get hurt?"

"No, not them," he shook his head, drumming at his mug lightly. "It was the day All Might retired."

"Oh. Shit."

Katsuki cracked the tiniest of smiles, and Izuku reached out, patting his leg lightly.

"It's not your fault that the villains were assholes."

"But it's my fault that they ever believed I'd join them. My fault All Might was there in the first place. I was already the dumb kid from the sludge villain incident, and since that day I've been the reason for All Might's end." He paused, shooting a brief glance in Izuku's direction. "His downfall."

"Oh, God, Katsuki!" Izuku whined, pulling him into a hug despite his little spluttered protest. "You named yourself for that? No! You can't do that!"

Katsuki was too stunned to argue, staring wide-eyed at Izuku's heartbroken expression.

"You're not All Might's downfall, Kacchan! He talked about it in so many interviews since then, right? He was already on a downhill slope, and he chose to use the last of the power he had left to apprehend that villain! You're not his downfall, you're the villains' downfall, the one who is gonna send them all running when the heroes arrive! You're Downfall, the country's number one hero!"

"You're such a nerd," he complained weakly, eyes a little teary in the moonlight.

"It's such a badass name! I've always thought so! I never could have come up with anything that cool!"

"I wanted to be King Explosion Murder originally. Like, a play on my quirk and my surname, you know?"

"It's clever," Izuku snorted, "but not super heroic."

"Yeah, they wouldn't let me," he shrugged. "When I failed the license exam it gave me more time to think about a good name. Most hero names are like, descriptive, and I hate that. May as well just call myself 'Explosion' if we're gonna be that lame. And I guess... I wanted something that was meaningful, even if it was only to me. It's like... a reminder. I have to keep doing it for him."

"He must be so proud of you."

Katsuki shrugged, and Izuku elbowed him lightly, grinning.

"You know he is, you can't even deny it."

"He had to pick a successor," Katsuki managed the tiniest of smiles, looking out into the darkness again. "Someone to be like, a new symbol, you know? Someone who could take his place when he retired. He was training Miri- Um, Lemillion for that."

"Oh! He does seem kind of similar. In personality, I mean. And they're both super strong!"

"Yeah. He was the top student in school that year, getting ready to graduate, and I was just an idiot first year, but it stung for him to not pick me, you know? There was no reason he would or should have picked me, but I was still pissed. He was my hero, I wanted him to acknowledge me."

"Tsukauchi said you were determined to knock Lemillion out of number one."

"Yeah. He got there super fast after graduation, before the end of my second year, and I went to talk to All Might one day about it and found them having tea in his office and I was so mad about it that I just kind of burst and yelled at them both."

"You yelled at All Might," Izuku said breathlessly, shaking his head. "You're insane, Kacchan."

"I regretted it immediately," Katsuki admitted. "Mirio- Lemillion was nothing but nice to me, and All Might too, and I just burst at them like they were piece of shit extras in my class at school. I said all this dumb shit, and I expected them to lecture me or some shit, but Lemillion just laughed and patted me on the head and told me he was looking forward to the competition."

"He seems very sweet," Izuku smiled. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Yeah. And he just... He left so All Might could talk to me, didn't even think twice, just left us alone. And All Might apologised, for stressing me out or some shit. Thought he'd been a bad teacher by not realise how I felt about it all."

"He's a good man."

Katsuki nodded, fingers clutching at the edge of his blanket, pulling it around him tighter.

"I hadn't told him about my hero name, before that. I kept my license to myself, thought people might make fun of it or ask too many questions or some shit. But I told him that day, said I was gonna take my reputation as his downfall and own it, make it mean something positive."

Izuku's arm snaked around his waist when he went quiet again, holding him close, and for once Katsuki didn't complain about the affection.

"I took the spot, just like I told them. I made it to number one and I haven't lost it once. So much for Lemillion being the new All Might, right? Can't even beat Asshole Hero Downfall, gotta get his act together."

"Have you ever thought that maybe that makes you his true successor? Maybe he picked Lemillion first, but you're the one who is really carrying on his legacy."

"He wasn't an asshole."

"Neither are you, most days," Izuku laughed. "You're allowed to be an asshole to villains."

To both of their disbelief, Katsuki leaned in, resting lightly against Izuku's shoulder.

“Some days," he whispered, eyes falling closed. "I'm just not sure I can fill the hole he left behind.”

"You don't need to fill anything, Kacchan. You've built your own legacy now, with his help to guide you. Isn't that how teachers are supposed to work? I think you've done an amazing job. You're amazing."

Katsuki didn't answer right away, still leaning in tentatively, but he bundled the blanket around them both a little tighter.

"Thank you."

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