My Father's Son - Chapter 11

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Izuku could see Hiroki getting antsy as time went on, wriggling in his seat and fiddling with his hands like he couldn't quite sit still. He'd walked home by himself, when Katsuki wasn't there to pick him up, and had done his best to be strong. When eight o'clock rolled around, Izuku picked him up out of his chair, giving him a big, tight hug.

“He'll be home soon, sweetie, don't worry.”

“Can I check the news?”

“Of course you can. Let's go check together.”

Izuku turned on the television, flicking over to the news channel where he watched fights pretty regularly, but still he kept Hiroki in his lap as they settled in to watch. His arms wrapped around the tiny waist, and Hiroki held on tight, leaning into his chest as they watched and waited.

When Yuuto returned from his bath, there was still no sign of Katsuki either on TV or in real life, and in his fuzzy pyjamas Yuuto climbed up to snuggle with them.

The doorbell rang, and Izuku jumped, smiling as he stroked Hiroki's hair.

“That's probably him now,” he grinned. “Shall we go check?”

“Daddy has keys,” Hiroki pointed out, pouting as he went to the intercom to check the image. “We gotta check this first, Daddy says so.”

“Good thinking.”

Izuku frowned at the person on the screen, but Hiroki immediately began to tremble, and Izuku had to grab him as he ran for the door.

“Hey! Stop!” he insisted, snatching the squirming body into his arms. “Do you know him? Hiroki!”

“Where is he?!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “What happened?!”

“Hiro?” a concerned voice called back, pounding on the door. “Are you okay in there?”

“Where's Daddy?!”

“Hey, hey, stop!” Izuku insisted. “You can't open the door on your own, you know that! Mom! Can you see who it is?!”

Inko shuffled out of her room in a hurry, cracking the front door open to peek, and Hiroki finally managed to break free, shoving Izuku off as he ran. He nearly tripped on the stairs, Izuku at his heels immediately with Yuuto right behind, but Hiroki made it to the door, tearing it open and grabbing at the man with clumsy hands.

“Where is he?!” Hiroki insisted, tears pouring down his face. “What happened to Daddy?!”

“Hey, hey, are you okay?” the man picked him up in a hurry, hugging him close. “Shhh, Hirohiro, it's okay my little dude, it's okay, he's okay, shhhh.”

Izuku could only watch in horror as Hiroki bawled all over the stranger, scrabbling at him uselessly with his little hands. Part of him was relieved, seeing that Hiroki actually knew the guy and wasn't just freaking out and making assumptions, but he couldn't find the words to speak, and no one else even seemed to try.

“He's okay, Hirohiro, he's just busy, I promise, shhh, it's okay. You're such a good little dude, aren't you? Such a manly little hero, ready to run and help. Shhh, Hirohiro, I'm here.”

Finally Hiroki began to fall still, his desperate flails softening, until he just lay bawling against the tall man's chest.

“Hey,” the man said softly, finally looking up at his audience. “Sorry to show up unannounced. You must be the Midoriyas, I've heard a lot.”

“Y-Yeah,” Izuku choked out, swallowing hard. “I-I'm Izuku.”

“And I'm Inko, his mother. Would you like to come in?”

“Thanks,” he grinned, still stroking Hiroki's back gently. “It's nice to finally meet you both. And you must be Yuuto, Katsuki has told me all about you. You look like him.”

Yuuto nodded faintly, one hand shoved deep in his pocket, choking on his words when he tried to speak.

“Oh, sorry!” the man laughed awkwardly, looking over their confused and slightly terrified expressions. “I'm Kirishima Eijirou, Katsuki's friend and work partner! We were on a job tonight that got a bit messy, Katsuki is still cleaning up some odds and ends.”

“Is he okay?” Yuuto asked, tearing up. “Is he hurt?!”

“No, no! He's fine! I mean, a little bruised and scraped up, but he's fine! You hear me, Hirohiro? I promise your Daddy is okay, I super-promise.”

“He calls,” Hiroki insisted. “He's so late.”

“I know, little dude. Let's go sit down, okay? Sorry, do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Inko assured him, waving him toward the stairs. “Come on in.”

Eijirou didn't need to ask where to go, just took Hiroki straight through to the living room and sat down with him still held tight.

“Daddy made a big rescue,” he said softly, shifting his grip a little to stroke Hiroki's hair. “He saved so many people, little dude. But our phones got broken by a bad man with an electricity quirk. It was a little bit like Uncle Denki's! It would have been cool if he'd used it for good things, but he didn't, and he broke all our electronics! Rude, right?”

“All of them?”

“Uh-huh. Phones, watches, the streetlights, even our communicators that connect us with the agency! They were scared too, when they couldn't get in touch with us!”

“Why are you here and not him?” Hiroki mumbled, finally calming a little. “Where's Daddy?”

“There was a little boy who got hurt in the attack, a little boy about your age! And Katsuki saved him first, of course. He got him out of danger, and he came back to help fight, but the little boy just cried and cried and cried. And when we got rid of the villains, Katsuki went sprinting back to check on him, and he held him tight just like this, and he told him it was all gonna be okay. And the little boy stopped crying, and he held on just as tight, and he told Katsuki that his legs hurt.”

“Is he okay?”

“Uh-huh! Your Daddy took him straight to the hospital, and he had some pretty bad broken bones, and they were trying and trying to get in touch with his parents but they couldn't yet and the little boy needed surgery to get his legs fixed. You know what that means, right?”

“They had to cut his legs open.”

“Exactly. And he was very scared – anyone would be, right? I know I would be scared if they wanted to cut my legs open. And his parents weren't there, but Katsuki was there, and he promised he would stay with that little boy for every single second of that surgery and make sure he was okay. He promised he wouldn't leave until they could contact his family and get his Mom or his Dad or someone else like that to be there with him. And so right before he went in with the boy, he grabbed me by my shirt, and he put on that big angry voice that he does when he's trying to be scary, and he said-”

“Daddy is never scary,” Hiroki protested.

“I know, but he thinks he is. And he looks me in the eye and he says 'Shitty-Hair, I'm late for dinner, you need to sprint your ass to my house and make sure my boys know I'm safe.' So here I am!”

“You promise?”

“I promise, Hirohiro. I would never lie, you know that. I would be the first person to tell you if Daddy got hurt so that you could come kiss it better!”

“Can I go see him?” Hiroki sniffed, wiping his face on his sleeve. “I need to see him.”

“I'm sorry little dude, it's getting late and the hospital won't let you in. I'm sure he'll be home really soon! Do you want me to stay here with you until he gets back?”

“I have a phone,” Hiroki pointed out, lower lip jutting out, eyes shining with tears as he finally looked up. “Can you take Daddy my phone so he can call?”

“I can definitely do that one. Do you have Mr. Midoriya's phone number on it so he can call?”

“Mm-hm, it's saved as Papa.”

“Okay little dude, you go get your phone for me and I'll run it to him as fast as I possibly can.”

“Thank you Uncle Eijirou,” Hiroki sniffed one more time, hugging him tight. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Hirohiro.”

Face still sticky and stained with tears, Hiroki hurried off to his room, and Eijirou gave a kind smile to the room.

“Sorry for all that,” he said softly. “I'm always the one who comes to get him when Katsuki is hurt or anything, I didn't mean to freak him out.”

“No, it's okay,” Izuku assured him. “We just, um- I mean, I didn't know who you were when I saw you on the camera, and Hiroki didn't say he knew you, he just started yelling, and-”

“No, man, it's fine, I'm glad you were being cautious,” Eijirou assured him, standing up from the couch and stretching lightly. “Sorry, it's been a long day, I haven't exactly been thinking clearly.”

“I can't even imagine.”

“Have you eaten?” Inko asked, already heading for the kitchen. “You must have missed dinner. And lunch?”

“Yeah, I'll pick something up on the way home,” he chuckled. “Don't worry, I take okay care of myself.”

“Here, let me pack you up some food. Would you mind taking some to Katsuki too?”

“Of course I can, but you don't need to do-”

“Don't worry dear, I made plenty,” Inko smiled warmly, already scooping curry and rice into two of Katsuki's containers. “I hope you like it!”

“It smells amazing. You're very kind.”

“It's the least I can do!”

Hiroki returned while she was stacking the containers in a tote, setting a little duffle bag down at Eijirou's feet before he wrapped himself around a thick leg. Eijirou knelt down, pulling him into another hug, and for a moment the room was silent.

“Daddy's favourite hoodie is in here,” he whispered, nudging at the bag with his toes. “And my phone, and a charger in case it needs more battery, and a change of clothes, and emergency money if he wants a taxi home, 'cause you said electronics and that might mean his cards are broke too, and- and a picture. So he can stay as long as he needs and take care of the little boy because he's the best hero ever and I'm okay here with Papa and Mrs. Midoriya and Yuuto. So he doesn't have to worry, okay? I'm a big boy.”

“I know you are,” Eijirou agreed, eyes shining with tears as he hugged a little tighter. “I'll take him everything, and he'll call you as soon as he can, okay?”

“Thank you. You're the best Uncle ever.”

“And you're the best nephew ever,” he grinned, ruffling Hiroki's hair in the same way Katsuki always did it. “I'll come visit you again soon, for happier reasons next time.”

“Daddy being okay is a happy reason.”

“You know what I mean.”

Hiroki nodded, and Eijirou smiled as he stood back up, shouldering the little bag and bowing as he accepted the food from Inko.

“It was nice to meet you, I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!”

“Thank you for coming by,” Izuku smiled awkwardly. “Take care of yourself.”

“Of course! And everyone else, too!”

He showed himself out with a last little wave, and in the strange silence that washed over them, Izuku picked Hiroki up gently, balancing him on a hip.

“Hey, you know why I did what I did, right?”

“Mm-hm.”

“So if this ever happens again, I need you to do something for me. Even if you're panicking, or scared, or upset, I need you to tell me 'I know this person', okay?”

“Okay,” Hiroki nodded, sighing faintly. “I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do.”

“I know, sweetie. I understand. It must have been scary.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Why don't you go take a bath and relax, and I'll come up right away when Daddy calls? It'll take Mr. Kirishima a little while to get back to the hospital, and Daddy might still be busy.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “Don't miss his call, okay? You gotta answer it right away so we don't miss it!”

“I'll keep it in my hand the whole time,” Izuku promised. “And I'll come get you as soon as I've answered.”

“Okay, I'll go take a bath so Daddy knows I'm being good and getting ready for bed.”

“Good boy, he'll be so proud.”

Hiroki trudged off to the bathroom, and when Izuku looked back he found Yuuto sitting on the couch, a little toy in his hands that Izuku didn't recognise.

“What've you got there?”

“I got it this morning,” Yuuto explained, squishing at the little orb. “He gave it to me in case I got nervous.”

When Yuuto turned it around, Izuku saw a familiar little face printed on the fabric, and he couldn't help but smile.

“Did it help?”

“Yeah.”

“That's good, I'm glad. Have you brushed your teeth and done your homework for tomorrow?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. When Katsuki gets home he's gonna want to hear all about your interview, but it might have to be tomorrow.”

“I know, s'okay.”

When an hour had passed, Izuku insisted they get tucked up in bed, assuring them he would wake them up when Katsuki phoned. After some reluctance and whining, they compromised on getting into Katsuki's bed, so that if he got home late in the night they would be able to see him still.

The phone rang right as he was tucking them in, and when he saw the video icon on screen he quickly slid in between the boys, holding the phone out so they could all be seen when he answered.

Sure enough, there he was. Katsuki in all his battered and bruised glory, his blond spikes matted with dirt and what Izuku suspected was some blood, but the rest of him looking surprisingly good. He wore clean clothes, a thick hoodie, and- Oh, all the things Hiroki packed for him.

“How are my boys doing?” he asked with a smile, the moment the call connected. “You being good for the nerd?”

Both the kids burst into tears the moment they heard his voice, and Katsuki laughed at them brightly, watching with a surprisingly fond look on his face.

“They were worried,” Izuku explained needlessly. “We all were.”

“Daddyyyyyy,” Hiroki whined, grabbing for the phone with tears pouring down his face unimpeded. “Are you sure you're not hurt?!”

“Idiot, Daddy doesn't get hurt,” he snorted, smiling all the same. “I'm sorry I worried you. Did Uncle Hair-For-Brains tell you what happened?”

“He did,” Hiroki nodded, leaning over to let everyone else see again, snuggling in when Izuku wrapped an arm around him. “I made sure he brought you everything you might need.”

“You did an awesome job, bud. Thank you, I was cold and dirty so it was super nice to get changed. You really thought of everything, I'm so impressed.”

“Is the little boy okay?”

“Yeah! He's right here,” Katsuki shifted a little, holding his arm out so they could all see the little frame tucked in beside him. “This is Arakura. You wanna say hi?”

The boy raised a timid hand, wrapped in bandages, and waved at the screen.

“These are my boys, Hiroki on the left there, and Yuuto on the right. Looks like they've been good boys and got themselves tucked up in bed just like you!” Katsuki grinned. “Even if it's my bed, you little sneaks. Anyway, Arakura is all fixed up now, he just needs some time to recover. We couldn't find his phone number anywhere, but he had a super clever idea and told us where he goes to school, so they're finding a way to contact his parents now. I'm gonna stay until they get here, though, we wouldn't want him to be lonely!”

“Stay as long as you need, Daddy,” Hiroki sniffled. “Papa is taking good care of us.”

“Thank Inko for the curry, for me. It looks really good, I'm gonna eat it soon.”

“Make sure you eat all of it, Dad!” Yuuto piped up, wiping his tears away stubbornly. “You gotta get strong again!”

“I will, don't you worry, I'm gonna eat it up even faster than a vacuum cleaner would.”

“Do you have to work again in the morning?” Izuku asked, glancing at the time in the corner of his screen. “I know you finish early, but you normally start early too, right?”

“Shi- Um, Hair-For-Brains has called in for me. He normally has Fridays off, so he's gonna cover me and I'm gonna do his Saturday morning shift, maybe some Sunday afternoon stuff too. Do you mind keeping Hiroki after piano or should I ask my parents to hold onto him for me? You can use my car again.”

“Of course I can take him. Yuuto is gonna go swimming with them again anyway, so we'll sort something out.”

“Cool, thank you. Yuuto, can you tell me a little about your interview? I'll hear all about it tomorrow, but you should be getting some sleep now, so just give me the quick version. Was it scary?”

“I was nervous, but my squishy helped,” Yuuto smiled slightly, holding up his new toy. “They were very nice and I think I did good on the test.”

“He was awesome in the interview,” Izuku grinned. “I was impressed. I guess your methods work after all, even if they're demanding sometimes.”

“Damn right they do. Will you give me back my three days a week now?”

“No,” Izuku said firmly. “But maybe I could get on board with two, if they need it.”

“That's a start. What stuff did they ask you, Yuuto?”

“Just about my family and what I want to do when I grow up.”

“And you told them you're gonna be a hero?”

“Uh-huh! I'm gonna save lots of people!”

“Good, I'm sure they were happy to hear it. Alright, you boys get some sleep, and I'll see you when I get home, okay? Take good care of Papa.”

“We will,” Yuuto nodded. “Goodnight, be safe.”

“Goodnight Daddy, I'll see you soon.”

“Sweet dreams. I love you both.”

“We love you too! Goodnight!”

With a smile Izuku tucked them in, kissing each forehead in turn, then switched off the light as he headed back down the stairs with Katsuki still on-screen. He, too, was moving, and soon Izuku saw a stark hallway behind him, framing his messy hair.

“I'm really sorry,” he said quietly, and Izuku almost yelped in his surprise. “We couldn't find any ID to find out who his parents are and the kid was hysterical, couldn't even get his name out of him for ages. He wouldn't even go to Shitty-Hair for two minutes so I could take a piss, I had to hold it until he was out of surgery.”

“Really, Katsuki, it's okay. I mean yeah we were worried, but it's your job, we understand.” He collapsed onto the couch, smiling faintly. “The boys just want cuddles to know you're okay. You are okay, right? No major injuries?”

“Nah, I'm good. I'll probably have a black eye in the morning, but that's all.”

“Alright. Text me, keep me updated.”

“You should be sleeping.”

“I'm a night owl,” Izuku grinned. “I'm gonna work on an article, I'll probably still be up when you get home.”

For a moment he regretted the choice of words, but Katsuki didn't even seem to notice.

“Alright, I'm gonna go eat curry and hopefully make the kid go to sleep. We'll keep in touch.”

“Yeah, go be a hero!”

“Whatever, nerd. Talk soon.”

He hung up the call, and Izuku reached for his beaten up old laptop, settling in on the couch to get some work done. Inko was already sound asleep downstairs, with the assurance that Katsuki was fine, so he had a quiet household around him, only the faint hum of the heaters running to keep it from being silent.

Was Katsuki warm enough in the hospital?

Well, his bedroom and bed should be plenty warm by the time he got back, Izuku supposed. The boys would warm him up in a hurry.

His hair had been a mess, though. He'd probably need a good shower first, to wash all that blood and dirt out. His hair had been tinted at least three shades darker, on the video, and Izuku was pretty sure he hadn't gone out and gotten a dye job during his patrol, so it had to be from the mud. Poor guy must have felt disgusting. Maybe once Arakura fell asleep he'd be able to sneak a shower in the hospital bathrooms.

Izuku doubted it, though. He wouldn't want to leave the kid's side for more than the minute it took to heat up his curry.

When his phone buzzed on the cushions beside him, it made Izuku jump, scrabbling for it with the most uncoordinated of motions as he fumbled to check the message.

“The boys settled yet?”

“Yeah,” Izuku typed back with a smile. “They snuggled in as soon as they'd seen your face.”

He paused, tapping his fingers against his cracked phone case as he contemplated.

“So you talk to your friends about us, huh?”

He could practically see the scowl that would twist Katsuki's features when he read it, and the thought made him smile.

“Hard not to. They can all see that Yuuto looks like me. Easier to warn them in advance.”

“Makes sense. Are you and Mr. Kirishima close?”

There was a long pause again, and Izuku hated not knowing whether he was thinking or just distracted.

“More than anyone else, probably,” he admitted, when the reply finally came through. “He was my first friend at high school.”

“What, a week before you graduated?”

“Real funny, asshole. I had friends.”

“They must be saints.”

“Pretty much.”

Izuku smiled to himself, scanning a few more references for his article as he contemplated his next words, but Katsuki beat him to it.

“So are you.”

“Me?”

“For putting up with me.”

Izuku blinked back tears, struggling to come up with any semblance of a coherent reply.

“Kacchan is amazing,” he sent back finally. “I'm happy to have you.”

With the sappy stuff out of the way, the conversation quickly turned to Katsuki's patrols and Izuku's interview, more like a normal conversation with any old friend than the fluff it had started out with. It took a solid two hours before Arakura's parents finally arrived, relieving Katsuki of his duty, and when Izuku got the “see you soon” text it made his heart flutter. The boys were going to be so happy to see him.

Izuku quickly finished off his work for the night, while Katsuki was in his taxi, and the moment Izuku heard the car pull up he was on his feet, hurrying downstairs to open the door.

He wasn't sure what he was thinking when he flung his arms around Katsuki's waist, but after he recovered from his momentary shock, Katsuki hugged him back.

“You give good hugs,” Izuku mumbled stupidly, sniffing back his tears. “A side effect of the huge biceps, I guess.”

“Weird-ass,” Katsuki snorted, hugging him still all the same. “I'm sorry I worried you.”

“It's okay. I just... I wasn't very good at handling Hiroki.”

“Shitty-Hair said he had a meltdown,” Katsuki mumbled, nodding. “He's never done that before, not to that extent.”

“You should shower before you go see them,” Izuku suggested. “You'll get dragged into bed and stuck there.”

“I will when this lump of nerd gets off me.”

Izuku laughed, releasing him obediently, but to his surprise a soft little smile waited on the normally stern face.

“I'm not going anywhere,” Katsuki assured him, messing up his fluffy post-conditioner curls. “Don't worry about me.”

“I know. Heroes never lose.”

“Wow nerd, you really know all my catchphrases?”

“A couple,” Izuku smiled wryly. “Are you hungry still? There's a little curry left.”

“I'm good, just gonna shower like you said. I'll use the one down here.”

“Your pyjamas just came out of the laundry this evening, they're still in there,” he nodded toward the little laundry room down the hall. “Get nice and cozy.”

“You sap,” Katsuki snorted, giving him a little shove. “I will. Go to bed.”

“I am! I just finished working.”

“Goodnight, then.”

“Sleep well, Katsuki.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Izuku slinked off to his bedroom with a yawn, crawling into his soft bedcovers with a smile still on his face. It was such a damn relief to have him home, back where he was safe and warm, where the boys could see him and talk to him and give him hugs. Izuku wasn't sure what he would do if Katsuki got seriously hurt – or worse – on the job. He couldn't even imagine.

The thought alone made him shudder, and he pulled his blankets tighter around him, eyes sinking closed in the darkness.

It was fine, after all. Heroes never lose, especially Downfall.

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