My Father's Son - Chapter 34

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As the weeks went by, Izuku started to feel himself changing. He no longer felt out of breath when he had to run for his train to work, he found himself picking the boys up more often, throwing them around playfully or lugging them up to bed amidst their giggles and whines, and the weirdest of all, when he looked in the mirror at his Downfall workout shirt or All Might tank top, he felt...

Well, he didn't feel like shit, he supposed.

As he suited up for their usual run to the park, he even found himself lingering in his All Might shirt, his arms and scars on full display where he would normally feel more embarrassed about it. He fiddled with his jacket sleeves as he left the bedroom to meet up with Katsuki, getting it ready to pull on when they stepped out of the home heating and into the cold winter air, but for once he was in no rush to cover up.

“Looking good, nerd,” Katsuki teased, shoving him lightly and watching him blush. “Look at you with your muscle definition.”

“Shut up, don't tease me,” he whined, pulling away with a pout and throwing his jacket on in a hurry. “You're so mean.”

“Since when the fuck have compliments been mean?”

“Everything sounds mean when you say it.”

“Now who's being an ass?”

All the same, as they headed downstairs, Katsuki slung an arm around his shoulders fondly. He was growing a little more open to affection as time went by – both of them were, in fact. With every night out to have dinner together, every little meet up with all Katsuki's friends, they found themselves a little more willing to touch each other unprovoked, to share a playful nudge or a comforting pat on the back.

All in all, Izuku was happy. He wasn't sure he'd ever been happier than he was in that little household, surrounded by his eclectic family.

As they ran to the park, Izuku once again felt the changes in his body that he'd never expected. He didn't have to slow down or rest on the way, didn't even gasp for air as they stretched at the other end and got ready for the real thing.

“You're getting fit,” Katsuki praised, sending a rush of blood to Izuku's cheeks that made Katsuki laugh. “It's about time.”

“W-Well you keep dragging me out to do stuff,” he huffed. “It would be your fault if I wasn't.”

“I never fail at anything, nerd.”

“Yeah, so I've heard.”

Katsuki joined in right alongside Izuku at every step, always moving just a little bit faster than Izuku went on his own, smirking to himself when the nerd picked up his pace to match. He was actually getting surprisingly good, for someone who had never worked out in their life until a month prior, and for some reason he kept dwelling on that thought as he watched Izuku struggle through his pull up practice, jumping up to the bar and slowly lowering himself down. He'd been doing the same workout routine for about a month now, every morning before the boys woke up for kindergarten, with Katsuki slowly increasing the numbers of each exercise, but never really changing it. It kept the nervous idiot more comfortable, following a familiar routine, but now, as he watched, he found himself reconsidering.

“Oi, nerd,” he spoke up, before he could overthink it. “Try a proper one.”

“W-What?”

“A pull up. Try one.”

“B-But- I don't- I'm not-”

“What are you stressing out about? Hell, the worst that can happen is it doesn't work. Just try it, idiot.”

Izuku squirmed awkwardly, staring up at the bar like it was suddenly the most fearsome villain in the world, but still he made no move to jump up.

“Okay,” Katsuki sighed, running a hand down his face. “Talk to me, ner- Izuku. Tell me what the hell is going on in your anxious little brain.”

“I j-just- It's- I mean-”

“Breathe first.”

“I can't do it.”

“Can't breathe?”

“The pull up,” Izuku insisted, smiling slightly when Katsuki breathed a sigh of relief. “I'm just not you, okay?”

“If you think one pull up is my workout routine, I am honestly offended.”

“You know what I mean!”

Katsuki bent down and wrapped his arms around Izuku's thighs, hauling him up to reach the bar, ignoring the little squeak that came out of him in response.

“What happened to that new confidence of yours, huh? Came out looking like a hot little piece of ass in your singlet, smiled to yourself the whole way here, but now you won't attempt one little pull up? Show me what those new guns can do, nerd.”

Even though he knew it was all teasing, Izuku couldn't help but blush at the faux praise. With Katsuki's strong arms holding him up, he took a reluctant grip on the bar, cringing as he felt his weight come back to him. Katsuki still stayed right beside him, an arm wrapped around his calves to catch him when he fell, and when Izuku began to pull, he was surprised to find that his body actually shifted a little.

“That's the way,” Katsuki praised. “Keep going, come on. You've got this.”

Despite the flush that overtook his face, the encouragement really did help – he held his breath and pulled with all his strength, arms trembling, but then his chin was touching the bar, and an embarrassing little squeak of excitement burst from his lungs.

“Told you so, you damn nerd,” Katsuki grinned, catching him when he lost his grip immediately. “Knew you could do it.”

Izuku flung his arms around Katsuki's waist, and for a moment they both froze, unsure what to do with this new development. As Izuku began to stumble out an apology, Katsuki's arms fell to loop around him, in the most awkward and unpracticed hug Izuku had ever experienced.

“Thank you,” he said softly, blinking back his tears stubbornly. “You have the patience of a saint.”

“You're literally the first person in the history of the world to ever call me patient,” Katsuki snorted. “It's no big deal, nerd. Now come on, the boys will be waking up by now, we should get back.”

Izuku swallowed hard, his familiar smile back on his face as he looked up at Katsuki, nodding just once.

“I'm right behind you!”

“Idiot,” Katsuki snorted, grabbing his wrist and yanking him forward a step. “You know the way, run beside me.”

─────

“It looks naked,” Yuuto mumbled.

Izuku stifled his laugh, spluttering a little, and Katsuki cracked a smile of his own as he nodded.

“Yeah, it hasn't been painted and stuff yet,” he nodded. “We get to pick out colours while we're here. You can choose one for your room.”

“I can have any colour I want?”

“Yeah, you can.”

“Wow. Okay.”

Uriko met them at the door with the same smile as the first time they'd met – it still baffled Katsuki how genuine she seemed about it. Then again, it wasn't exactly uncommon in his life to see people fawn over his kids – Hiroki's freckles and enthusiasm, coupled with Yuuto's shy little pout, created a force to be reckoned with when it came to most adults.

“Welcome to your new home!” she beamed. “Are you boys excited to see it?”

“This is the real one?” Yuuto asked quietly.

“Yeah! It's pretty exciting, don't you think?”

Yuuto nodded, and Uriko smiled wider, stepping aside to wave them all through the door.

The entryway was wide and airy, the front hall lined with half a dozen different cupboards for all their storage purposes. Katsuki was already cataloguing them in his mind – one for coats and jackets, another for linen for the downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms, one of the bigger ones for all their shoes, a smaller one for school supplies – but Izuku broke him out of his thoughts in a hurry, gasping right in his ear.

“It's so pretty,” he exclaimed. “Mom, look at these floors! They're so shiny!”

“Most of the house uses the same ones,” Uriko informed him, looking pleased when izuku's face lit up. “They're the same ones you liked in the kitchen of the first model home we went through.”

“Oh! I knew they were familiar!”

“You're such an old man,” Katsuki snorted, elbowing him in the ribs. “Fawning over floors?”

“Don't be like that, Kacchan,” Izuku pouted. “I saw you get excited about closets.”

“Shut up.”

Hiroki finally wrestled his last shoe off, stepping carefully into a pair of slippers – Katsuki noticed that there were exactly the right number waiting for them, clearly not an accident – and then they were ready to explore. Yuuto bubbled with nervous energy, holding tight to Hiroki's hand, but Katsuki was disappointed to see that Hiroki didn't have his usual enthusiasm going on. He'd seemed off-colour for a good three weeks now, not angry or sad or sick, but just not quite his usual self. Katsuki was running out of ideas for how to fix it, other than allowing all the cuddles he requested – more than usual, he couldn't help but notice.

“These are your first two bedrooms,” Uriko informed them, leading the way down the short hall. “You've got a bathroom here, opposite, along with one off this main bedroom, and through this little hall here you've got a toilet as well.”

“So this is Inko's room,” Katsuki hummed, stepping inside to take a look. “It's big, that's good. They're all about the same size, right?”

“Close to it, yes!”

“Mine and Hiro's were a little smaller, right? With the bigger closets?”

“That's right!”

“Cool, looks good so far. And the toilet is through here?”

He took his time inspecting every door, checking the closets and rooms within, making sure none of the doors stuck as they slid or swung on their paths. They'd opted for a combination of both kinds, after a lot of debate – sliding doors where space permitted and they seemed practical, like most of Inko's room, and standard swinging doors for the rest.

The bathrooms were a little on the small side, but adequate for their purposes – Inko's even had rails installed to help with her balance when needed, he was pleased to note.

“Look at Papa's big closet,” Yuuto marvelled, when they stepped into the next room over. “I could hide inside and no one would know.”

“I could too,” Izuku grinned, shutting himself inside amidst giggles from Yuuto and a half-hearted smile from Hiroki. “Can you tell I'm here?”

“Nuh-uh! It's a good spot for hide and seek!”

“Yeah, I'll have to remember it for later!”

“Alright nerd, time to come out of the closet,” Katsuki snorted.

Izuku clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter, and with a soft smile, Inko laid her hand on Katsuki's arm.

“Oh honey,” she said sweetly. “Izuku was never in a closet.”

Katsuki lost it at that, almost doubling over as the laughter burst from him, and Hiroki watched with wide eyes as he struggled to regain his composure.

“I think that was an adult joke,” Yuuto whispered.

“Uh-huh,” Hiroki nodded, a little stunned. “It must have been really funny, though.”

Katsuki wiped tears from his eyes, still spluttering a little as he straightened up – that would have made a good joke too, if he'd said it out loud – and it took him a few deep breaths before he could manage to speak.

“You're amazing,” he said fondly, patting Inko on the back. “I was not expecting that one.”

“I'm glad I could make you laugh!”

Suitably recovered, Katsuki nodded when his eyes met Uriko's, ushering them toward the staircase to move on. The boys walked side-by-side up the staircase, more than wide enough for them to not crash into each other, and when Katsuki took Inko's arm, he was pleased to find that they, too, could walk together. It had been harder in their old place, the stairs a little too narrow for Katsuki's broad shoulders to fit beside a partner. As much as he loved his house, he was already finding small comforts in their new place.

“So here we have the living room,” Uriko gestured toward the open space at the top of the stairs. “You'll see these sliding doors here, so this area can be split into a separate space when you need it, for guests or just to make it a little quieter.”

“This is gonna be your study,” Katsuki smiled, ruffling Hiroki's hair. “Except for the drum set, that can go in the garage.”

“Playroom,” Izuku interjected. “They're six, Katsuki, they don't need a dedicated study!”

“Studying is important, Papa,” Hiroki mumbled. “Even when you're young.”

“You're just parroting what he taught you!” Izuku objected, ignoring Katsuki's triumphant expression. “We need to break you out of those bad habits!”

“Bad habits?”

“Yeah! You need to learn to be more selfish!”

He swept Hiroki into his arms, bringing them eye to eye, and smiled when Hiroki smiled a little.

“Papa, you got stronger.”

“Huh?”

“You pick me up so easy now, I like it!”

“Oh,” Izuku blushed. “Y-Yeah, I guess all those family workouts are paying off, huh?”

“Yeah! Um, do you think you can hold me a long time, too?”

Izuku smiled this time, nodding as he hugged Hiroki close.

“Yeah, I bet I can! Let's try it out!”

“Okay!”

He snuggled in against Izukus chest, eyelids drooping a little, and Katsuki reached out to pat him on the head lightly. He found himself being more gentle than usual, stroking his hair rather than his usual teasing rumples, and Hiroki smiled at him in a way Katsuki hadn't seen since he was a baby.

“I love you,” he whispered, leaning in to plant a kiss on Hiroki's head. “You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“More than anything else in the world.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

Izuku smiled at him fondly, and Katsuki turned away in a hurry to hide his flushed cheeks, hurrying into the next room to investigate the kitchen. It was a long room, with all the cupboards and a cut-out for the fridge on one end, his counters and appliances along a longer side. He'd picked out the colours himself, not satisfied with any of the default schemes they'd presented, and it was kind of a relief to see it turn out so well.

“Wow, look at this!” Inko gushed, following him inside. “It's so pretty, Katsuki!”

“Yeah, I'm... Excited. To cook here, I mean.”

“Me too! We'll have to come up with something nice to make together after we're all moved in!”

“Yeah,” Katsuki smiled faintly, looking away when his cheeks warmed up again. “I'll be looking forward to it.”

“Mr. Bakugou, Mrs. Midoriya, would you like to have a look through here?” Uriko offered, unlocking a glass door that led to a little balcony. “I hope it's what you were after!”

Katsuki's mouth fell open when he stepped onto the little balcony, a little patch of fresh soil already laid out around the edge. It wrapped around the house, with a glass railing and plenty of space for greenery, even a pretty mosaic of stone for them to walk along. It made up for losing his roof in an instant, his mind running wild with vegetable gardens and potted plants, and Inko squeezed his arm lightly as she joined him.

“It's better than I imagined!” she smiled. “It looks so good, right Katsuki?”

“It's perfect,” he agreed, missing the look of surprise that washed over Uriko behind him. “Wow.”

“I'm glad you like it!” Uriko beamed, recovering quickly. “One of our architects is an avid gardener, so this was kind of his pet project in the design stage! He'll be very happy to hear you like it.”

“Thank him for me.”

“I will!”

Another flight of stairs took them up to the boys' floor, wth the biggest bathroom and a huge hall closet for extra storage, the bedrooms at either end of the hall. Yuuto shook his head when Katsuki looked at him, already anticipating the question, and Katsuki nodded faintly as he pointed off to his right.

“Let's check out Hiro's big closet first.”

The room was only a little smaller than Izuku's, barely noticeable, and Hiroki's tired face stretched into a smile when Uriko slid the closet doors open.

“It's so big,” he said approvingly. “I could fit my bed in here.”

“What, you gonna sleep in here and use the rest of the room as your closet?” Katsuki snorted. “I guess you could. Weirdo.”

“Nooo!” Hiroki giggled, curls bouncing when he shook his head. “I was just saying it, I don't wanna do it!”

“Uh-huh, I believe you,” Katsuki chuckled. “It's your bedroom, you can do whatever the hell you want with it.”

“Anything?”

“Pretty much. What did you have in mind?”

“Lots of fluffy rugs to keep my feet warm.”

“We can just get carpet, dummy,” Katsuki chuckled again. “I want it in my room, and I'm sure the nerd and Inko do too. What colour do you want?”

“Grey.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! Grey floors and black blankies!”

“Hmmm,” Katsuki hummed, narrowing his eyes as he leaned in a little closer. “Grandpa been showing you old photos again?”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Hiroki said sweetly, not convincing in the slightest.

“You sure? Thought you might want brown stuff.”

“I already have brown stuff! Grey and black look good with brown!”

“That's true. Alright, dummy, we'll make it look just like my old dorm for you.”

“Yay! Oh, wait, I mean- Dorm? What are you talking about, Daddy?”

“Idiot,” Katsuki snorted. “Think we should go look at Yuu's room?”

“Uh-huh!”

They walked back down the hall to the opposite end, and Yuuto lit up when he saw the sliding glass doors, the private little balcony waiting for him on the other side.

“Papa!” he exclaimed, tugging at Izuku's pants. “Papa, I have a balcony!”

“Yeah, you do,” Izuku grinned. “You're gonna be careful though, right? No climbing.”

“I won't climb! I just wanna look!”

“We'll get you a cozy chair or a couch,” Katsuki offered. “It'll be a nice place to read and stuff.”

“Yeah!”

Their final stop on the tour made Katsuki's heart pound a little harder, climbing up the stairs to what the designs had called his private floor. It was smaller than the rest, barely a dent in the otherwise consistent roofing pattern, and the fact that Hiroki had requested it made his heart swell a little.

What a damn good kid he'd raised.

“The master suite,” Uriko smiled, holding the door for them to file inside. “I hope it measures up to your old one!”

Katsuki had to be overtired, there was no other explanation for why he teared up a little when he saw his new bedroom.

So much thought had to have gone into it, with so many little details to make it a nicer space – a grid of nine windows, for light and decoration without losing too much privacy; an attached toilet, for night-time relief; a massive closet that even had a second door out to the roof, giving him access at both ends.

And the roof. God, the roof. He had pretty stone walls for privacy from the nearest neighbours, trellises hung for pretty climbing plants, even a tree that had already been put in, casting a little shade over one corner of the sitting area. The main door was on the same wall as his windows, and the railing opposite was glass like the main balcony, giving him a view out over the nearby park, and way in the distance, a range of mountains.

“We're facing west,” Uriko informed them, glancing at her clipboard. “So you'll get a gorgeous view of the sunset from here.”

“I love it,” Katsuki admitted. “Um, thank you. Everything is... Exactly what we asked for. Wow.”

“I'm glad! I just need details for the carpets and paint so we can get those done, and then it will be all ready for you! You can probably move in about two weeks, if you'd like!”

“That soon?” Katsuki gaped. “That's... Fast.”

“Of course, you can move in your own time! There's no rush! But everything should be ready for you by then.”

“Wow. Yeah, okay.” He turned, looking back at Izuku for the first time in what felt like a while. “Whadda ya think, nerd? Think you can cope with this place?”

“It's gorgeous, Kacchan!” Izuku beamed, face lighting up with such a strange sincerity. “I can't wait!”

“Yeah, we're gonna have to start furniture shopping,” Katsuki huffed. “And packing, packing is gonna be a nightmare.”

“Maybe we should start right away? It might be easier to do a little at a time instead of everything at once.”

“Yeah, we can at least start boxing up the stuff we can go without for a bit. Maybe start listing furniture we're gonna sell and all that.” He paused, turning to look at Uriko again. “If we get stuff delivered while they're painting and sh- stuff, is that alright? Like, if we put some boxes in the garage?”

“Of course! They usually do a few rooms at a time, so we can also update you on which rooms are ready to start furnishing!”

“Yeah? Alright, that'd be cool,” he nodded. “Bit by bit, like the nerd said.”

“I'm happy to come by while you're all working, too,” Inko offered. “It's the least I can do!”

“Don't be an idiot,” Katsuki snorted. “Think I'm gonna let you do all the work? Hell no. Number Two already offered to help, let your new boy-toy do the work for you.”

Inko laughed brightly, and Katsuki managed a more genuine smile when he saw it, shaking his head fondly.

“Uncle Eijirou wants to help too,” Hiroki reminded him. “And Uncle Shouto will help if you ask.”

“Like I'm gonna ask that halfie jerk for help,” Katsuki scoffed. “You think I can't do it without them?”

“I think it's silly,” Hiroki poked his tongue out. “You helped him when he moved.”

“Damn right I did.”

“So you should let him help too!”

“I'll consider it. Rich prick probably wouldn't know how.”

“Uncle Shouto knows how to carry boxes, Daddy,” Hiroki pouted.

“You're just offended that he hasn't visited in months.”

“Because you don't ask him,” Hiroki jutted his lower lip, snuggling into Izuku again for comfort. “I wanna practice fire.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki sighed, “sorry.”

“It's okay.”

“Really. I'll arrange it, it's just been hectic lately.”

“I know, it's okay.”

“It's not,” Katsuki objected. “I should remember stuff like that.”

“I've been having lots of fun with Papa and Nana and Yuuchan.”

“I know, but quirk training is important.”

“Uh-huh, but we're allowed holidays!”

“Yeah, we are. Soon, okay? I promise.”

“Okay, thanks Daddy.”

“Alright, are we ready to head home?” he asked with another sigh. “We need to start picking out colours and stuff.”

They began their procession back down the stairs, ending back in the pretty entryway where the boys set to work getting their shoes on and tied.

“Two copies of everything,” Uriko said quietly, when she hand katsuki a folder of paperwork. “I thought the boys might like a copy to go through together.”

“Thank you, that was thoughtful of you.”

“Not at all! You've raised them well, they're very sweet.”

“Thank you. They made it pretty easy.”

He tucked the fat folder into his bag and slung it over his shoulder, exchanging a last nod of thanks with Uriko as he followed the boys out to the car, letting the Midoriyas have their polite little bowing-war without him.

“Can I have a big bed in my new room, Daddy?” Hiroki asked, as Katsuki checked his carseat buckles.

“For snuggles with Ryouji?”

“Daddy!” he protested, flooding red. “Not you too!”

“Sorry,” Katsuki grinned. “Sure, if you want. We'll go visit a store next weekend, okay? You can choose your favourite. Yuuto too.”

“Okay!”

“But only on one condition.”

“Condition? What condition?”

“Tonight you gotta talk to me, okay? When you come in for bedtime snuggles, I want you to tell me everything on your mind.”

Hiroki's eyes darted away, awkward all of a sudden, but Katsuki waited patiently.

“I'll try,” Hiroki agreed. “I'm... Not sure how.”

“I'm not good at it either,” Katsuki smiled faintly. “But we're gonna figure it out together, okay?”

“Okay.”

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