My Father's Son - Chapter 7

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Izuku had expected gloating, when Katsuki got home with the kids, but to his surprise, not a word of it was spoken. He praised both the boys for their hard work, sending them off to get changed out of their uniforms, and when he looked at Izuku there wasn't even an ounce of smug in his expression. All Izuku saw was fatigue, ready to collapse into bed if not for the energetic boys quickly returning in their clean clothes, bouncing balls of excitement telling him all about their days.

“I'm glad you had fun,” he said softly, setting down a basket of dirty laundry to hug them both when they reached for him. “You're not too tired, Yuuto?”

“Nuh-uh! I made lots of friends and Hirokun looked after me all day! And the teachers were super nice!”

“I'm glad. Do you have any homework?”

“A little bit,” Hiroki nodded, retrieving their books from their backpacks. “Let's do it together, Yuuchan!”

“Okay!”

He climbed up to the table without question, and Izuku marvelled at the way they settled in to work together. It was quickly replaced with concern, though, when Katsuki sighed faintly, his struggling smile finally falling away.

“Go have a bath,” he instructed, watching Katsuki blink at him in shock as he snatched the laundry basket from his hands. “I'm gonna do this, and Mom is already cooking.”

“I'm f-”

“I know you're fine,” Izuku frowned, cutting him off. “I didn't ask if you were fine. You stink, go have a bath.”

Katsuki didn't stink at all, and they both knew it. Izuku had read enough interviews and articles to know that his sweat didn't work like most people's, and one weird side effect of his quirk was an apparent immunity to gross, sweaty smells.

“Fine,” he conceded. “Hiroki, Yuuto, I'm gonna go have a bath upstairs, just call me if you get stuck on anything, okay?”

“Okay!”

“I'll help them,” Izuku huffed. “Don't start with me, Katsuki, I have a university degree! I'm more than capable of helping! All you have is a hero license, don't give me that look!”

“What's got you so demanding today?” Katsuki asked, amused when Izuku followed him up the stairs to keep arguing. “Someone feeling a little insecure or some shit?”

“Shut up!”

“I know you're smart, even if you're a dumbass too. Do you really think so little of yourself that you have to win an argument that I wasn't even going to have?”

“Just go have a damn bath!” Izuku huffed, following him into the bathroom and getting a weird look for it. “Shut up!”

“I didn't even say anything. God, you sound more like me every day.”

Izuku rummaged under the sink, grumbling to himself, and Katsuki watched and waited patiently.

“You have a five year old,” Izuku complained finally, jumping back to his feet. “You don't even own bubble bath?!”

“You want me to take a bubble bath?” Katsuki snorted. “What the hell, nerd.”

“Stay right there!”

He hurried back down the stairs, nabbing some epsom salts from a first aid kit and a bottle of dish soap from the kitchen, along with a plastic container to mix them in. He remembered his mother throwing them together with some kind of goopy liquid, but he had no clue what it actually was.

“Mom?” he asked, “that time you made bubble bath, what was the third thing you used?”

He held up the soap and salts in explanation, and she smiled knowingly at him in the doorway.

“Glycerin, but I think something like a coconut oil would work too?”

The word was weirdly familiar, and Izuku almost laughed when he realised.

“Okay, thanks Mom!”

He took the stairs two at a time on his way back up, not saying a word as he dumped the container on the counter and added a handful of epsom salts. Katsuki just watched silently as he squirted in some dish soap, swirling them up a little before he held it out.

“Sweat in this.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your sweat is glycerin based, right? Gimme some.”

“You're a weird fuck.”

Nonetheless, he put his hand over the top, forcibly secreting some goop into the concoction.

“I don't usually do that without igniting it,” he grumbled, pulling a face. “Feels weird.”

“Please don't blow my hand off, I'm just trying to make you bubbles.”

“I swear you're the weirdest nerd I've ever met.”

“And you love it,” Izuku teased, mixing it up with his finger. “Mm, it smells a little like caramel!”

To Izuku's disbelief, Katsuki blushed.

“Oh, is that your quirk?” he asked, catching on quickly. “That's so neat! It's like you make your own perfume!”

“I hate caramel.”

“No you don't,” Izuku grinned. “If you hated it you would wear some kind of deodorant or cologne that covered it up. But you don't, so clearly you don't mind the smell, you're just embarrassed.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Nah.”

Izuku wasn't sure where his sudden boldness came from, but he certainly enjoyed the way it made Katsuki react.

He turned the bath on nice and hot, pouring the homemade bubble bath into the water as it ran, and to his delight it soon began to foam up with big fluffy bubbles, ready for a nice relaxing soak.

“Okay!” he grinned, rinsing the container out in the tub to catch the last of the mixture. “I'll leave you to it. Dinner will be about half an hour, I'll make sure the boys do their homework by then, I don't want to see your face until I come get you for food. Got it?”

“Fuck off.”

“I mean it, Katsuki! Have a good scrub, then take a load off. We've got this.”

He pulled the door closed behind him without waiting for a confirmation, smiling as he padded back downstairs lightly.

“Everything okay?” Inko asked, leaning against the kitchen counter to watch him join the boys at the table. “Is Katsuki taking a bubble bath?”

“Uh-huh! He seemed like he needed to relax. I told him he's not allowed out until I go get him for dinner.”

“That was a good idea, I'm sure he could use some time to relax.”

“Mr. Midoriya,” Hiroki piped up, when there was a lull in the conversation. “How do you spell Yuuto's name?”

“Hm? It's on his book just there.”

“In Kanji, I mean.”

“Oh! Okay, sure, just a second,” he found a blank piece of paper in Yuuto's supplies, writing it out in his clearest handwriting. “Here you go, like this. Do you write yours in Kanji?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Wow, that's impressive. Even the Bakugou part? That's a complicated one.”

“Yeah! It looks cooler!”

“You're right, it does,” Izuku smiled. “I'm very impressed.”

It only took about twenty minutes for them to be done with their homework, including Hiroki's careful study of every character of Yuuto's name, fascinated by the other words that made it up. He moved to the keyboard without waiting to be asked, and Yuuto busied himself packing away their books, scurrying downstairs to slot them into their backpacks.

Izuku pulled up a chair to watch, Hiroki's fingers tapping away at the keys, playing a cute little tune. He watched for a while, then stroked Hiroki's curls lightly as he stood, moving to the kitchen where Yuuto was now helping to cook.

“Looking good, Yuuto. How long do you think 'til we'll be eating?”

He looked up at Inko, grinning when she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“About five minutes, Papa!”

“Alright, I'd better go haul Katsuki out of the bath.”

“Oh!” Hiroki looked up in a hurry. “In his closet there are extra fluffy pyjamas on the left side!”

“You think he'll be mad if I go get them?”

“No! I can do it if you want, though.”

“That's okay, you finish piano, I'll just blame you if he yells.”

“Okay!”

“I was kidding, silly. You don't need to take blame for me.”

“But Daddy never gets mad at me!”

“That's because you're too cute,” Izuku grinned. “He can't handle the cuteness.”

“But Daddy is cute too!”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, heading for the stairs. “But not as cute as you two munchkins.”

He felt a little weird, reaching the top of the stairs and laying his hand on Katsuki's door handle. It seemed so strange to go into his room at all, let alone without him there, but he swallowed hard and took a deep breath as he twisted the handle.

The room was spacious, but weirdly empty. Other than his big bed in the middle, topped with a thick duvet that wasn't even in a cover, there was really nothing to it.

He understood why, a little, when he opened the mirrored closet door. The closet was huge, big enough to walk right in and look around, and even had its own dedicated light recessed in the ceiling. He tried not to stare too much, tried not to breathe in the sweet scent that he now knew came from the number one hero's quirk, of all things, focussing instead on finding the pair of fluffy pyjamas that, sure enough, sat on a little shelf to the left.

As he escaped from the room quickly, he discovered one more piece of furniture. Right beside the door, hanging on the wall, a shiny silver photo frame. On one side of it, a younger Katsuki with a softer face looked down at a tiny bundle of blankets in his arms. On the other, Hiroki looking much closer to his current size, beaming at the camera as Katsuki balanced him on his hip at some kind of party.

With a little smile he scurried across to the bathroom, knocking lightly and waiting for the little grumble that told Izuku he'd heard.

“Katsuki?” he asked quietly. “Dinner is almost done, do you want me to keep it warm for you?”

“I'm coming,” he sighed, and Izuku heard water slosh. “Go away, I need clothes.”

“I brought you clothes,” Izuku countered, opening the door a crack to shove his hand inside. “Hiroki told me to give you these ones.”

Katsuki snorted when he saw, but he took them all the same, and Izuku waited as he dried off and got dressed. When he emerged in his fluffy pyjamas, hair hanging wet and floppy over his face, Izuku felt his heart thump. Katsuki seemed so vulnerable like this, all cozy and sleepy, and Izuku felt a strange need to protect him.

Instead, he took the towel from Katsuki's hand, draping it over his damp head and smiling fondly as he rubbed. Katsuki just watched him silently, letting it happen, until they heard the clinking of plates and glasses being laid out downstairs, and Izuku retracted his hands.

“You're a really good father,” Izuku said softly. “Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”

“Shut up, nerd,” Katsuki grumbled. “Don't be a sappy fuck just because I'm tired.”

“But I mean it!”

“I know you do.”

In a moment of boldness, Izuku reached out again, running his hand through Katsuki's floppy hair and spiking it back up.

“There, perfect,” he grinned. “You look like you again. You wanna come have some dinner?”

“You don't need to treat me like your kid.”

“If you were my kid I would be giving you cuddles by now,” Izuku pointed out. “Don't tempt me, Kacchan.”

“Haaah?!” he demanded, face burning red as he shoved Izuku out of his way. “What the fuck is that about, loser?!”

“It's cute!” Izuku laughed, following him down the stairs. “Don't you think so?”

“Shut the hell up!”

Yuuto and Hiroki were already waiting at the table when they arrived, the dishes laid out and glasses full. Hiroki grinned when he saw Katsuki bundled up warm, jumping up to give him a hug before he could sit down.

“Was it a long day, Daddy?”

“Yeah, bud, it was,” he agreed, kneeling down to return his big hug. “But it's okay, I'm okay, I just need some sleep and in the morning I'll be all better.”

“I'll come tuck you in after dinner.”

“Thank you. It smells good, let's go eat.”

“Okay!”

Inko brought out two big bowls of hot stew, setting them in the middle of the table, and Katsuki hummed appreciatively as he breathed it in.

“Smells good, Inko. Thank you.”

“Any time, Katsuki,” Inko smiled, handing him a ladle to serve himself first. “Eat up, you need your strength back for tomorrow!”

“I knew I asked you to move in for a reason,” Katsuki smirked, dishing out a pile of steaming hot meat and vegetables then passing the bowl along. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure!”

The table was surprisingly quiet as they ate, Hiroki and Yuuto exchanging a few words between mouthfuls, but mostly they were all focussed on their food, filling themselves up. Katsuki was genuinely surprised by how good it tasted, after years of cooking for himself and Hiroki with no one else around to help, and when he finished his first helping he shot Inko an approving nod.

“Really good,” he explained, peeking into one of the bowls. “Um, can I take seconds?”

“Of course you can! There's plenty to go around!”

“Thank you.”

He leaned over to fill his bowl, and Hiroki reached up, patting the fluffy blond spikes.

“Good boy,” he praised. “Good manners, Daddy!”

“Thanks,” Katsuki snorted, sitting back with his food. “You've taught me well.”

Between the five of them, the serving bowls slowly dwindled, and Katsuki sat back with a contented sigh. Yuuto patted his stomach, slumping in his chair, and Hiroki giggled at him as he reached over to poke the little belly.

“Did you eat too much?” he asked, when Yuuto poked his tongue out. “It was yummy, right?”

“Nana's stew is the best,” he nodded. “Always.”

“Thanks, sweetie,” Inko laughed. “I'm glad you liked it.”

“It was amazing!” Hiroki agreed. “Thank you for cooking!”

“My pleasure, hun! I'm glad you liked it!”

With dinner done, the flurry of kids getting ready for bed began, with fathers dumping them in bathtubs and reminding them to brush their teeth when they were done. Izuku nudged Katsuki aside when he reached to help with the dishes, rolling his eyes when Katsuki shoved him right back.

“Katsuki, go sit down,” he whined, pushing him toward the living room. “Sit! Relax!”

“I'm fine, I don't need-”

“It's not about needs,” Izuku protested. “Come on, just let us pitch in! Take a break!”

“Stop babying me.”

“Never.”

He dragged Katsuki all the way to the couch, nudging him into a seat and tucking a blanket over his lap. Katsuki growled at him, but for once he didn't argue, especially when Inko shuffled over and set a hot mug of tea in his hands.

“You've worked hard today, Katsuki,” she reminded him, patting his hand gently. “Let us take our turn, okay?”

“Fine,” he grumbled, tucking his feet up on the couch and settling in. “Whatever.”

“Good boy,” Izuku teased, patting his head and giggling when his spikes bounced under the touch. “Get comfy and warm.”

“Mm-hm,” he hummed, taking a sip from his tea. “Reminds me. Gonna be cold tonight, turn your heaters on.”

“Oh, that's okay, we'll cope,” Izuku smiled faintly. “Would you like me to go turn yours on for you?”

“I wasn't asking,” Katsuki snorted. “Stop stressing about heating bills, I'm not gonna suddenly hand you a utility bill at the end of the month.”

“But we don't want to put extra burden on-”

“Burden?” Katsuki demanded, eyebrows knitting together. “What the fuck, where is this coming from? I fight villains for a living and you think a power bill is a burden?”

“It sounds silly when you say it like that.”

“No fuckin' kidding. Just go turn the damn heaters on for me, alright? There's one in each bedroom and one in the dining room. If you're gonna insist that I sit my ass down and relax or whatever stupid shit you're preaching, you need to turn the damn heat on.”

“Okay, okay!” Izuku threw his hands up in defeat, sighing. “Five heaters, check on the boys, help with dishes. Anything else, your majesty?”

“A foot rub would be nice.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Izuku warned him. “I don't want you blowing my face off because you didn't expect me to touch your feet.”

“I guess we'll find out, won't we?”

Izuku sighed, smiling all the same as he turned away. The dining room heater went on first, to warm up the living area for Katsuki, then he headed downstairs to Inko's room. She usually went to bed earlier than the rest of them, though he suspected Katsuki wouldn't be far behind, that night. He poked his head into the bathroom as he passed, to check on Yuuto as he splashed away with his little plastic toys.

“You all clean?”

“Uh-huh! Just playing now! Do I need to get out?”

“No, not yet, you can keep playing,” Izuku assured him. “Take as long as you want.”

“Okay!”

At the other end of the house, he knocked on a second bathroom door, calling through to the little boy inside.

“Everything okay in there, Hiroki?”

“Uh-huh! Nice and clean now, gonna have a bath to get warm!”

“Good boy, take as long as you like.”

“Okay!”

He switched on two more heaters, then returned to his own bedroom for the last, glancing in at Inko as she loaded up the last of the dishes.

“Sorry, I took too long.”

“It's no problem, Izuku! With the dishwasher it's not much work anyway.”

“Still, I hate that you have to keep bending down a bunch.”

“I promise if I'm not feeling well, I won't do it,” she assured him, smiling fondly as she washed her hands. “Is everything else done?”

“Yeah, the boys are just having a splash around.”

“No, I'm here,” Yuuto corrected, returning with wet hair dripping down his face, bundled in Hiroki's spare pyjamas again. “Is Hiroki in the bath still?”

“Yeah, I'm sure he won't be long. Why don't you go dry your hair while you wait?”

“Okay,” he nodded. “I'm gonna go upstairs.”

“Alright, I'll come check on you in a bit.”

“Kay.”

As he wandered off upstairs, Izuku sat down at the end of the sofa, reaching under the warm blanket.

“Are you serious?” Katsuki snorted, as Izuku lifted the foot into his lap. “You're an idiot.”

Thankfully, he only responded with his words, not his quirk, and Izuku smiled as he ran a thumb across the sole of Katsuki's foot, making him twitch.

Katsuki caught on too late, trying to drag his foot back after Izuku had already grabbed hold, and when Izuku began tickling he squirmed and yelled incomprehensibly. He used his other foot to stomp at Izuku's hand, fighting him off, and finally Izuku relented, moving away in a hurry to keep from getting whacked.

“Asshole,” Katsuki pouted, hugging his knees close. “Thought you wanted me to relax.”

“I do, but it was just so tempting,” Izuku grinned. “You should get some sleep.”

“I will when Hiroki is in bed.”

“I can put them to bed, if you want to rest.”

“No, I always read to him, I'm not gonna let him down just because I'm tired.”

Izuku's smile softened a little, strangely fond of the man before him. At first glance he'd been so staunch and stubborn, so stern, it was weird and kind of endearing to see him become a pouty, sleepy mess, bundled up in his blanket.

“Can I ask something from you?” he began quietly, hating himself for the words even as they left his mouth. “I hate asking, and I swear I'm not just doing it because you're tired and lenient, but, um...”

“Yeah, of course,” Katsuki nodded, sitting up a little taller. “Is something wrong?”

“I've listed our old furniture to sell, but I don't know how quickly it'll happen. Or if it will at all, to be honest, it's all pretty old and... And shitty. But, um, I was going to use that money to get Yuuto a winter coat, and with how cold it's starting to get, I just wondered if maybe you could lend me the money for it, and I'll pay you back when I get paid or when the stuff sells.”

“You're an idiot,” Katsuki snorted, reaching over purely to shove him in the arm. “I'll buy the kid a damn coat, you don't owe me anything.”

“I don't want to take advantage of-”

“He's a kid, you damn nerd. He's my kid, on some level. What kind of asshole would refuse to use their disposable income to buy the kid a coat?”

“W-Well... Thank you.”

“Izuku,” Katsuki snorted. “More like Deku.”

“If you're gonna be mean, I'm gonna keep calling you Kacchan.”

“You're gonna do that anyway and we both know it.”

“But now I have an excuse.”

“Whatever.” He paused, looking away. “We'll go shopping on Saturday. Hiroki could do with some new winter clothes too, not to mention you.”

“M-Me?”

“Yeah, you, nerd. You think I didn't see your wardrobe of threadbare t-shirts and sweatpants? At the very least you need a suit for Yuuto's interview.”

“Interview?”

“Yeah, idiot. Figured you'd rather do it yourself instead of me taking him. Next Thursday, right after kindergarten. Do you have a driver's license?”

“Y-Yeah, but-”

“You can take my car,” Katsuki cut him off knowingly. “I'll leave you the keys.”

“O-Oh. Thank you, that's- That's really kind of you.”

“It's fine, just don't screw it up. The interview, not the car. Cars are replaceable, the interview is your only chance.”

“Okay,” he nodded, swallowing hard. “Um, j-just write me a list of things to remember, if you want?”

“Yeah, I'll coach you through it. Yuuto is gonna go through interview stuff with the cram school tutor on Monday and Tuesday, I've already arranged it.”

“You're very prepared, aren't you?”

“Always.” Katsuki yawned, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand. “Just leave it to me.”

“Okay, as long as you'll leave some stuff to me, too.”

“Like what?”

“Like checking on the boys,” he grinned, ruffling Katsuki's surprisingly soft hair. “I'll call you when it's time for stories.”

“Whatever,” Katsuki snorted. “Fine.”

With a last little smile he headed off, finding Hiroki in the hallway in his pyjamas, heading for the bedroom. They exchanged smiles when they met up, and Izuku leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

“I have a fun idea for bedtime tonight.”

“What is it?!” Hiroki asked, eyes lighting up. “I wanna know!”

“Come on, we'll tell Yuuto too.”

By the time Katsuki was called upstairs, he found Izuku in his bedroom doorway, grinning a cheeky smile that he'd seen a thousand times on a much smaller face.

“Come on, Kacchan, time for bed!”

Katsuki eyed him warily, following him into the room, sighing when he found both boys tucked up in his bed, waiting with their own little chubby-cheeked grins.

“We're having storytime in Daddy's room tonight!” Hiroki explained, giggling. “Come snuggle, Daddy!”

“Alright, just this once,” he insisted, crawling up the middle of the bed to slide in between them. “C'mere, kiddos.”

He held his arms out, letting one boy cuddle into each side and hugging them lightly, and Izuku sat down on the end of the bed with a storybook.

“Oh no you don't,” Katsuki snorted. “Get your butt up here.”

“Snuggles, Papa!” Yuuto insisted, wriggling over to make room on his other side. “Room for everyone!”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, shuffling up to join them, his hand brushing over Katsuki's taut bicep as he wrapped Yuuto in a hug. “Better?”

“Better!”

He opened up the book, leaning in to make sure Hiroki could see it too, and when he caught a glimpse of their little pile in the mirror, he was struck by how much they looked like a family. He tried to shake that thought out of his head, though, pushing it aside to deal with later.

“Alright, my boys, let's take a look at this story.”

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