My Father's Son - Chapter 17

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When the group arrived home, an extra car was waiting for them out front, and Katsuki couldn't help but sigh quietly when he saw it. He should have known, really, that his parents would be there waiting for them, but somehow the thought had never crossed his mind.

He pulled into the garage, the boys stirring when the door closed behind them, and with heavy eyes they unbuckled themselves and climbed out to get their bags.

Hiroki moved like he was on auto-pilot, pulling out a handful of dirty clothes and dumping them in the laundry basket on his way through, setting his backpack down beside his little stack of kindy supplies, and trudging up the stairs with the rest of his things. A little thump came from above them, though, when Hiroki made it to the living room, finding the full set of grandparents waiting to greet him.

"You alright?" Katsuki asked, as Yuuto struggled to grip all his possessions. "Why don't you take your bag and pillow, and I'll bring your sleeping bag up?"

"I can do it," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes before he jammed everything into his arms stubbornly. "See? I'm strong."

"Super strong," Katsuki agreed. "Be careful on the stairs."

"I know."

The garage fell silent as Izuku and Katsuki unloaded the last of the gear, only broken by the click of the boot closing and the car locking. Katsuki knew Izuku was waiting to say something, but he didn't want to push it, was too tired to bother initiating what was no doubt some touchy-feely conversation swirling in the nerd's brain.

"Katsuki?" he asked quietly, before Katsuki had quite made his escape.

"What?"

"Um, thank you for including me in all this. I know I'm not the easiest person to have around, sometimes, and I know I was holding you back all weekend since I can't run and climb and stuff like you, and I'm not exactly useful considering I can't cook and there was nothing to clean and I just ended up following you around all weekend like an extra child except not as capab-"

"Deku," Katsuki cut him off, scowling as he looked back. "You're not in the way. You've never been in the way."

"Oh," Izuku blushed. "Um, th-that's really nice of you to say, but- I mean, it's not like I'm oblivious to the way I-"

"I swear to God, nerd, I'm gonna gag you if you don't cut it out with the self-deprecation."

"W-What?"

"You heard me," he growled, turning away indignantly. "You want that to rub off on your sons? Because it's gonna. So cut it out."

"Oh. R-Right, I know, I just- I don't say stuff in front of them. But we're both adults here, so-"

"So shut your damn mouth and listen to me," Katsuki interrupted once more. "You were not in the way. Stop saying it."

Chastised, Izuku nodded, cheeks flooding red as he dropped his gaze. Katsuki muttered something under his breath before he hitched his bags up again, kicking off his shoes and heading upstairs to join the others. Izuku lingered behind a minute, getting himself together before he followed, but he couldn't even seem to think straight.

It must have been the fatigue, he reasoned. He hadn't been so active in years – as long as he could remember, really – he was just weary from it all and needed a good night of sleep.

Everything would be better in the morning.

Taking a deep breath, he finally left the quiet garage, smiling despite himself when he heard Yuuto and Hiroki babbling away to the grandparents, regaling them with tales from every moment of their trip.

Izuku had to admit, he'd enjoyed himself too. Sure, it was a struggle to keep up, but Katsuki had been so good about including him anyway, and the time they'd shared together with their boys was something none of them would forget any time soon. It was the closest thing to a vacation that Yuuto had ever been on, and while Izuku felt a pang of guilt over that, he was also glad that the first one could be spent with Katsuki and Hiroki.

He wasn't a big believer in fate or destiny, but some days he found himself considering it, wondering if somehow the boys had been mixed up for a reason. He hated the idea that his son was taken away from him in the first place, let alone by some divine will of the universe, but he also hated the thought that in another world, he could have raised Hiroki as his own, without ever meeting his Yuuto.

When he finally made it up the stairs, he found Masaru and Katsuki whispering together in the hallway, and he smiled sheepishly as he slid his way past to his bedroom. The look on Katsuki's face had become so stern in such a short space of time, and Izuku's stomach churned. 

He unloaded his things quickly, putting his bag away and throwing his pillow back onto the bed, then paused at the doorway to contemplate.

They were clearly having a private discussion, should he just wait?

No, they were right near his door, for all he knew they were waiting for him to leave again. He didn't want anyone thinking he was trying to eavesdrop! He just had to put an apologetic smile on his face and squeeze past again, pretending he hadn't noticed as he joined the boys and their grandmothers.

"Hey," Katsuki said the moment the door opened, grabbing his arm to halt him and drawing a yelp from Izuku's embarrassed lungs. "Hold up."

"Y-Yes, Katsuki?" he squeaked. "Is everything okay?"

"I need to go to work," he said simply, ignoring the concern that washed over Masaru's face. "I probably won't be back tonight. I'll say goodbye to the boys first, but you can handle them in the morning, right? Get them to kindergarten?"

"Of course I can! Um, when should we expect you home? Is there, like, a time we should start worrying?"

"No," Katsuki shook his head, his eyes betraying a hint of the emotions he tried so hard to cover up. "Someone will tell you if something happens to me, the police will call or whatever. If you don't hear from me, just assume I'm still kicking."

"Be careful, okay?"

"That's not how it works, being a hero," Katsuki snorted, releasing him finally and taking a step backward, toward the flight of stairs that led to his bedroom. "I'm gonna go change, then I'll be back to say goodbye to everyone."

"Okay," Izuku agreed reluctantly, watching his back as he disappeared.

"He's been working on this case for a long time," Masaru smiled weakly, when the bedroom door closed above them. "This might be his big break, his chance to end it once and for all."

"He's already the number one hero, he doesn't need a big break."

"His break in the case," Masaru laughed. "He had that break in his first year of high school."

"At the sports festival?"

"Yeah, it wasn't the most positive attention but it was attention all the same."

Izuku thought back to all the articles he'd followed at the time, back when he'd only known the name Bakugou Katsuki, before Downfall came to exist. He remembered Inko crying in front of the television, and he remembered standing in the middle of the city on his way home from high school, watching All Might fight his heart out to protect the kid.

He wondered if Inko had ever put it all together, too, or if it was only his mind that the name had been cemented in.

"He'll be safe, right?" Izuku asked pathetically. "He's Downfall, he can't get hurt."

"If anyone can come back safely, Katsuki can," Masaru smiled, his eyes a little watery. "Believe in him."

Soon Katsuki was back in his familiar costume, a backpack slung over his shoulder, and Izuku pretended not to hear the whispered apologies that fell from his lips as he hugged the boys goodbye.

"I'll miss you so much, you be good," he spoke softly, a boy in each arm, crushed to his chest. "I'll be back really soon, I promise, just wait for me."

Izuku wondered if the boys realised the weight of it all, if they knew Katsuki was going out to potentially fight some insane villain he'd been hunting for years, but as they smiled and hugged him back and promised to go to bed on time, he suspected they had no idea.

"Be safe," Izuku instructed, as Katsuki headed for the door. "Don't you dare get hurt."

Rather than answer, Katsuki just raised his arm in a familiar victory pose as he trudged down the stairs, and Izuku couldn't help but let a few tears spill over, even when he smiled faintly.

"Go kick butt, Kacchan."

─────

When morning came, Izuku was surprised to find that the boys got ready for kindergarten like normal. He'd expected a fight, expected them to complain that they wanted to wait for Katsuki to get back, but he didn't dare bring it up. In a way, he supposed, it was normal for them. He always left before they woke up for school, so the fact that he wasn't there didn't make them feel nearly as concerned as it made Izuku. 

He tried his best to play along, smiling and teasing like usual, but he suspected even the boys could tell that his heart wasn't in it. Hiroki hugged him extra tight as they parted ways at the school gates, smiling up at him warmly as his fingers tangled in Izuku's shirt to hold on another moment.

"Daddy never loses," he whispered. "Don't worry, Papa, he's gonna come home safe and sound!"

"Thanks, Hiroki," Izuku smiled softly, a lot more genuinely this time. "I know he will."

As soon as they parted, Hiroki grabbed Yuuto by the hand, and then they were off into the school grounds to catch up with their friends. Izuku watched them for a moment before he turned around, walking back toward the train station to head for work.

He'd almost taken the day off, when he'd woken up after endless nightmares. He knew it wouldn't be a good look, when he'd only just gotten the job, and they'd already been so accommodating, but the idea of concentrating on work while Katsuki was out there fighting for his life was strangely difficult to comprehend. He felt like he should be sitting at home in front of the tv, waiting for news, hoping for a glimpse of him in the background of a reporter's footage.

Of course, with his new job, he was far more likely to get news at work, and that had ultimately been the deciding factor. He'd pulled on his suit and layered his coat over top to keep the damp out, and with his head held high, he'd walked out the door with the boys.

It was going to be a long day.

─────

Izuku got the text as he was walking in the front door, fumbling his phone out in a hurry to look. He'd been panicking all day, every time he got a call or message, dreading the thought that it could be the one that told him something had gone wrong. His hands trembled when Katsuki's name lit up the screen, struggling to find enough aim to hit open message.

Still alive, nerd.

He burst into tears like an idiot, shaking his head quickly when the boys came running, and rounding it out with laughter as he returned their concerned hugs.

"Daddy is doing fine," Izuku assured them. "He sent me a message."

"Us too!" Hiroki grinned, holding up his little phone. "He must be getting a rest!"

"Did you answer him yet?"

"Nuh-uh, I was writing it when you got home! Come write messages with us!"

He took Izuku's laptop bag and slung it over his arm, leading the way upstairs to where their homework books sat atop the dining room table. Yuuto gripped his hand tightly, at his side as they climbed the stairs, and he wasn't entirely sure which one of them it was meant to reassure.

When had his little boys become so grown up?

As the boys drafted out their replies of encouragement and love, Izuku drummed his fingers on the table, staring at the three-word message as if it was the most important thing in the world. He was still staring when the boys hit send, still contemplating how to answer it, and he caught a little smile aimed his way as Inko set down snacks and drinks between them all.

"Have you been worrying all day?" she asked quietly, as the boys munched on fruit and flipped through their homework books. "He's an amazing hero, Izuku, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I know, but that doesn't stop me worrying," he grumbled, his cheeks flushed pink in his embarrassment. "I just keep wondering how I would cope if he were gone, how I would ever manage to get the boys through that."

"Thankfully, you won't have to," Inko smiled. "Because he's going to be fine."

"Yeah. I know."

He knew the words didn't sound remotely convincing, but Inko humoured him all the same. She'd always been good at that, at pretending his lies were believeable to let him save face.

"Papa, do you think I could learn the drums?" Hiroki asked, as he flipped absentmindedly at his homework book pages. "It looks fun."

"I'm sure you could, if you want to. It does sound fun."

"Instead of piano?"

"Mmm... We'll have to talk to Katsuki about that, you know he likes you learning piano. We'll ask him what he thinks when he gets home, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Do you want to try the drums too, Yuuto?"

Yuuto looked away awkwardly, a little pout on his face as he considered his words, and Izuku frowned slightly as he waited. It wasn't like Yuuto to hide things, to not just blurt out his words.

"Yuuto likes the violin," Hiroki spoke up for him, getting a blush and a glare in return. "What? You do, you said so!"

"Violin would be cool," Izuku said quickly, nodding. "You should definitely try."

"You think so?" he asked quietly, staring at his glass of juice.

"Yeah! You should probably learn to read music, though. Hiroki, do you know how?"

"Uh-huh! I'm not very fast though."

"How about after snacks and homework you give me and Yuuto a lesson? I don't know how either."

"Yeah! I'll teach Papa and Yuuto!"

"Sounds good. I'm gonna go get changed while you guys do your work, back in a minute."

He left them to their homework and escaped to his bedroom, finally tearing off the suit and tie he'd been crammed into all day. For a brief moment he'd managed to forget about it, distracted by the texts, but the moment he pulled it off was the second greatest relief he'd felt all day.

Cozy in his fluffy new sweatpants and a baggy old t-shirt, he returned to the table, picking up his phone again and staring at the message that still waited for his response. With the smallest of smiles, he tapped the reply button, typing out a short response.

Keep it that way.

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