My Father's Son - Chapter 69

Izuku woke up to familiar voices, cracking his eyes open on his two little boys standing in his doorway, singing a rendition of happy birthday in place of an alarm. Katsuki stood behind them, holding a tray, and smiling, even though he didn’t join in with the singing. Yuuto blew on a little party horn he’d found somewhere, letting out a joyful toot, and Hiroki climbed up on the bed with no hesitation, snuggling into Izuku’s side for morning cuddles.

God he was a lucky man.

“Happy birthday Papa,” Yuuto reiterated, handing him a package wrapped in shiny paper. “Here! But maybe eat your breakfast first.”

“It looks beautiful,” Izuku told him, reaching out to ruffle his hair fondly – he knew Yuuto didn’t like it, but he still preferred it over hugs, so as far as Izuku was concerned, he was doing the kid a favour. “I could do both.”

“No, eat first!” Hiroki agreed. “Look what we made!”

Katsuki handed over the tray, and Izuku gasped when he saw the beautiful stack of french toast, with the telltale brown flecks of plenty of cinnamon in the coating.

“Yuuto told us it’s your favourite breakfast,” Katsuki explained, when Izuku got all teary. “Hiro cracked all the eggs for us, and Yuuto did the frying. I got to sleep in.”

Izuku giggled, but he still had to wipe tears from his eyes as he went for the first bite. It was excellent, he had to say; he was pretty sure Katsuki had been a little more involved than he’d let on. He knew he should have offered to share, should have made sure the others had eaten too, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

“I tried the first piece, to make sure it was good,” Hiroki whispered, lifting a hand to hide his mouth, like it would stop Katsuki from seeing him. “Yuuchan had the second one.”

“Did your Dad know about your taste tests?” Izuku asked knowingly.

Hiroki grinned, shaking his head, and Izuku couldn’t help but laugh, reaching over to give him a squeeze.

“Thanks for taste-testing,” Izuku said with a chuckle. “You must have done a good job, because it’s amazing.”

“I’m glad!”

The moment he’d finished eating and wiped his hands on the napkin provided, Katsuki was taking the tray again, letting Yuuto shove the shiny box back into his lap instead. He opened it up immediately, surprised to find more, smaller boxes inside, getting a cheeky little smile from Yuuto when he laughed.

“That one’s from me,” he said, when Izuku picked up the smallest box. “You wanna open it?”

“Can I?”

“That’s what presents are for,” Yuuto reminded him, finally hopping up to sit with them. “Dad, did you bring the hankies?”

“Yup,” Katsuki assured him, pulling one from his pocket and chucking it at Izuku’s chest. “We know you, nerd.”

Izuku laughed, but he didn’t try to object; they were probably right. Instead, he just opened up the little box to look, gasping when he found the resin keychain inside. The edges were tinted with greens and reds and browns, but the middle was perfectly clear, housing two thumbprints.

“They’re mine and Hiro’s,” Yuuto explained, grinning when Izuku got teary. “I told you so.”

The two prints overlapped in the middle, making a perfect heart shape, and a tiny sob escaped Izuku when he tried to find words for it.

“How am I ever gonna use it?” Izuku whined. “What if I break it?!”

“That’ll make next birthday super easy,” Katsuki snorted.

Yuuto just smiled wryly, reaching into his pocket, and Izuku laughed through his tears when he saw the second, matching keychain dangling from Yuuto’s hand.

“I knew you’d say it,” Yuuto said smugly. “So I made two! Now you can use one, and keep the other safe!”

“You really do know me so well,” Izuku laughed, dabbing at his eyes with the handkerchief. “Thank you, Yuuto, I love them so much!”

“Miko at school taught me how,” he told Izuku. “And Nana helped me make it in secret.”

“You did such a good job, I had no idea!”

“I know!”

He squeezed Yuuto in a hug, and for once Yuuto didn’t complain, just letting him have it. Izuku almost started crying all over again; he had such a good son.

“My turn next!” Hiroki said, taking a second box from the main one and setting it in his lap. “It’s from me and Ryou together, he helped lots. He says to say happy birthday.”

“Is it fireworks?” Katsuki asked warily.

“No, silly!”

Inside the box, Izuku found a painstakingly hand-drawn comic book, with his face on the cover. He was surprised for a moment, and confused, but when he opened it to the first page, his jaw dropped.

“I wrote the story and made the book,” Hiroki said proudly. “But Ryou did... most of the drawing. He’s better at making it look how I want.”

The book, at least twenty pages thick, was all about him, fighting alongside Downfall and his friends as a hero. He was still quirkless, that much was made clear right from the get go, but he stood shoulder to shoulder with all those amazing people, helping them fight, like Hiroki had zero doubt in his mind that it was actually possible.

“It’s amazing,” Izuku praised. “It’s beautiful, I can’t wait to read it!”

“Later,” Hiroki insisted. “We have birthday things to do first!”

Izuku whined, but Hiroki just giggled at him for it, and Izuku couldn’t help but smile again. He leaned over, kissing Hiroki’s head, making him giggle even harder as he leaned in to snuggle.

“Last one, for now,” Katsuki said. “Happy birthday.”

“From you?” Izuku asked, as he picked up the last box with shaking hands. “But Kacchan! You didn’t let me get you anything for your birthday! You weren’t meant to get me anything either!”

“Too bad,” Katsuki said with a smirk. “Should’ve said it, if you didn’t want anything.”

“I did say it.”

“No, you said Kacchan what could I possibly need?” Katsuki parroted in a squeaky voice. “Birthdays aren’t about needs.”

“You’re cheating!”

“Not my fault you don’t know how to play the game.”

Izuku huffed, but opened up the box all the same, jaw dropping when he saw the contents. It wasn’t his first time laying eyes on the figure inside: oh no, on the contrary, he’d seen it daily for the longest time. But when they’d been short on cash, it had been his most valuable possession, and Izuku had given it up for the sake of his family.

“Is it the right one?” Katsuki asked, a tiny hint of nerves sneaking into his voice.

“Kacchan,” Izuku said breathily. “Did you really...? You must have spent forever finding this. Not to mention a fortune.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Katsuki said, smirking again. “I’m glad you like it, nerd.”

He gingerly removed the old All Might figure from its box, turning it every direction to get a good look at it. It was like new, not a single scratch or dent on it, and it was all Izuku could do to keep his tears from ruining that.

“Happy birthday,” Katsuki said again, a lot softer this time around. “You’ll never have to sell it again. I promise.”

Yuuto picked up the handkerchief knowingly, shoving it into Izuku’s hand, and that was what it took to push him over the edge. In an instant, he went from a little watery to full-blown sobs, and they only got harder when Yuuto gently took the figure from him and carried it over to his bookshelf to display, and Hiroki moved the box with his other gifts aside, replacing it with his warm little body, cuddling in even closer and holding him tightly. Even Katsuki came over, setting a hand on Izuku’s head lightly, in his own attempt to be comforting. He didn’t deserve any of it, had done nothing in his life that warranted him having such an amazing family. He had already been so damn lucky just to have Yuuto, to have a kid that was so sweet and entertaining, but to have another son? And Katsuki? It was all just too much, like he was taking away good things from people who deserved it so much more, by keeping them for himself.

Hiroki’s head lifted off Izuku’s chest, and then with a last little squeeze, the rest of him moved, too.

“Hey, what are you blubbering about?” Katsuki asked, the mattress shifting as Katsuki sat down beside him carefully. “I know it’s not just the presents, not even from you.”

“I’m just so lucky!” Izuku whined between sobs.

“Really? That’s all?” Katsuki snorted, but leaned a little closer all the same, sliding a stiff arm around Izuku’s shoulders. “Did you not sleep last night, or something?”

Izuku didn’t answer; there really was no good answer for that. If he lied and said he’d slept great, Katsuki would catch him out immediately, but if he admitted to how poorly he’d slept, again, it was gonna set off a bunch of worries and lectures that he didn’t want Katsuki to have to deal with.

“Message received,” Katsuki said, awkwardly patting Izuku’s shoulder. “I told you, if you can’t sleep, come find me.”

“I can’t do that every night,” Izuku protested, feeling Katsuki tense up.

“You can,” Katsuki corrected him. “Is it really every night?”

“Pretty much,” he admitted.

“Just come up to my room, any time you want,” Katsuki told him. “You don’t even have to wake me up, if you don’t want to. Just walk in, I won’t care.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Thank you, Katsuki,” Izuku said softly, tilting his head to rest on Katsuki’s shoulder. “Sorry for all the tears, that’s not how a birthday is meant to go.”

“Birthdays go however the fuck you want,” Katsuki told him. “Anything for the birthday boy, right?”

Izuku chuckled weakly, and Katsuki ruffled his hair, sliding away gently.

“If you want to sleep a bit longer, you can,” Katsuki offered, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. “The boys just couldn’t wait any longer.”

“It’s okay, I have to get ready for work anyway. Thank you for... all of it. The breakfast, and the figure, and the reassurance, and—”

“You’re welcome,” Katsuki cut him off. “And be prepared, we’re all going out for dinner tonight.”

“All?”

“The four of us and your parents.”

“You can’t call All Might that,” Izuku whined.

“But you knew what I meant,” Katsuki laughed. “Toshi-sensei adores you, so you may as well start getting used to it. It’s alright, he’s useful sometimes.”

Izuku just sighed at him, but he managed a tiny smile, and Katsuki flashed him one of his own.

“Get ready for work,” Katsuki said, showing himself to the door. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

———

Izuku just seemed to get luckier and luckier. He’d had his sweet morning and beautiful gifts at home, of course, and that alone would have been more than enough. When lunchtime rolled around, though, Tsukauchi showed up in Izuku’s office doorway, asking him to come take a look at something, only to deliver him to a break room full of their coworkers, grinning at him from around a table covered in food. Most of it was simple (though delicious) stuff from the local place they all frequented, but right in the centre was a familiar box, and Izuku gasped when he laid eyes on it.

“Are you serious?!” he asked, getting bright laughs from his coworkers.

The pretty teal box came from one specific bakery, that he’d only mentioned one time. It was near his old university, a store he’d visited daily because he had no willpower to resist, and he’d only even brought it up because of a coworker taking a trip nearby.

“Oh my gosh,” he said, when someone opened the box for him to see the beautiful little cakes inside. “What are the rest of you gonna eat?”

Everyone laughed, and Izuku grinned, snapping a quick photo before he picked one out and stood back. There were more than enough to go around, thankfully, because Izuku was pretty sure he was gonna go back for a second pretty soon.

“Thank you so much,” he said, when Tsukauchi returned to his side. “This is all so sweet of you.”

“Not at all, Midoriya; we’re glad to have you with us.”

After that, and a few more hours of work, he’d gotten home to find a box waiting on his doorstep, with his name stamped on the top. He’d opened it up to find a bunch of nice, way-too-expensive shirts and ties inside, with a card from Mitsuki and Masaru wishing him a happy birthday – he hadn’t even known that they knew. He’d been in his work suit the day he’d dropped by to take them the meals Katsuki had cooked up, had suffered through a lot of teasing about how “handsome” he looked, and had lamented, off-hand, that he always seemed to wear the same things over and over, while all his coworkers wore a different combination of colours or patterns every day. It had been nothing but a passing comment, with a little joke about his inability to shop for himself to remedy it and how he just hoped no one would notice, but apparently they’d remembered it and found him some new options, to let him be more colourful. They were such sweet people, he needed to give them a call.

And of course, after that, his boys had rushed home from school to greet him, including Ryouji and a little family of origami rabbits, to match the toy Katsuki had gotten him once. He’d informed Izuku that “Uncle Katsuki” compared him to a bunny a lot because of the way he bounced around when he was excited, and when Izuku had blushed about it, Ryouji had just given him a knowing smile, that Izuku adamantly refused to believe meant what he thought it meant.

But then Ryouji had been called back home, and Katsuki had arrived home from work to get them all changed and out the door, and Inko and All Might had met them all at the restaurant, and god Izuku was just so lucky to have so many amazing people in his life.

The two of them, as well, had brought him a gift, and Izuku had teared up all over again when he opened it. He’d been talking to All Might on their last visit about the family workouts Katsuki still subjected him to, had said he was trying to set a better example for the boys, by eating good food and drinking water and being active, but it had just been so hard to remember all the time. It was so easy to get caught up in a task at work and realise he’d forgotten to drink for eight hours, or he hadn’t stood up all day. So when he opened the box, finding the fancy, shiny little watch inside, he knew All Might had been involved, had helped Inko to pick something out that Izuku would love and would use daily.

“It’s perfect,” Izuku told them, fastening it onto his wrist. “I’d never even thought about something like this, oh my gosh. Thank you!”

“Our pleasure!” Inko assured him. “I’m proud of all the effort you’ve been putting in, I’m glad we can contribute something to help you out.”

He’d hugged her tightly, then shaken All Might’s hand since they weren’t exactly on hugging terms just yet, and then their waiter had arrived just in time to cut off the tears that had threatened to fall.

The whole day had been a whirlwind, nothing but wonderful people and teary smiles and hugs and laughter and it was all just perfect. The best birthday he could ever have hoped for, let alone asked for. And it took all of his willpower to not just sob over it again, over how amazing his little family was, and how every time it grew a little bigger, it just got even more beautiful to be a part of. But finally, the boys were in bed, and Izuku was showered and in his comfiest pyjamas, and then time was finally slowing back to its normal speed, instead of careening off various cliffs. He was a little sad that it was over, when he’d had so much fun and it had all gone so quickly, but he was also kind of exhausted, so maybe it wasn’t so bad for it to end.

And then it was just him and Katsuki, standing in a nice, clean living room that Katsuki had refused to let him help with, so Izuku had spent that time in the kitchen instead, assembling Katsuki’s lunch for the next day, making sure it was extra-perfect as thanks for the best birthday Izuku had ever had. He’d washed the dishes, too, despite Katsuki’s complaints about it, insisting that he needed to relax or something and stop being productive on his birthday, like the weirdly-sweet guy he really was, underneath the brash exterior.

When they began to say their goodnights, began to head for the stairs, Izuku hesitated. Katsuki just waited knowingly, waiting for him to find the words, and Izuku knew what Katsuki thought was coming and he knew he should just pick those words and be done with it, but somehow... Somehow it felt right.

So Izuku paused, his mouth opening like he might form words, only to slam back shut again, his eyes darting away. And Katsuki saw that look, and he knew that look, but he also knew not to push too hard, lest the idiot clam up and never find the words he wanted to say.

“You remember the morning of the boys’ entrance ceremony?” Izuku asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Katsuki confirmed, feeling himself tense up and hoping it wasn’t too visible. He’d thought about that morning constantly, for the longest time, and just when he’d finally thought he was safe, Izuku had apparently decided that was the time to bring it up? God damn it.

“I guess I was just... wondering.”

Katsuki didn’t respond.

“I thought it was... nice,” Izuku explained. “And I wondered... maybe... if you thought it could... happen again, one day?”

“Aww.” Katsuki felt a sharp grin stretching across his face, unable to will it back despite his best intentions. “Li’l Deku wants a birthday kiss?”

Izuku’s face burned bright red, and he quickly hid it behind his arms. He was such a dork, wrapping his head up in his arms like it was somehow less obvious than the change in colour, or something. Katsuki was sorely tempted to tear the arms away, to expose him and get a good look, but there were much more important things on his mind, right then.

“Fine,” Katsuki said, smirking when Izuku’s head darted back up, eyes wide. “Anything for the birthday boy, right?”

“K-Kacchan, you— I mean, you don’t— Only if—”

Katsuki resisted the urge to tell him to shut up, instead just stepping in closer, their shirts brushing together every time one of them moved. He wondered what it would be like to go even further, get them chest-to-chest, or even skin-to-skin, tracing the lines of freckles across Izuku’s shoulders. All things in good time, though. First, he had to take that first step, lifting his hand to Izuku’s chin, gently tilting his head a little to make him look up. Izuku’s eyes were watery, his lips trembling, and his hand rose to grip Katsuki’s wrist – whether to hold him in place or tear him off, Katsuki wasn’t sure.

“You want to do it again?” Katsuki clarified, amused when Izuku nodded almost frantically. “Okay.”

He leaned in, pressing his lips to Izuku’s, giving him a moment to relax a little and sink into it. The first one had been so quick and clumsy, just a quick brush of warm lips, but Katsuki knew he couldn’t pull back right away, couldn’t give Izuku the chance to second-guess any of it and try to run away.

“Oops,” he teased, when they parted by barely a centimetre, their noses still threatening to bump into each other if one of them turned their head too much.

“Oops?” Izuku asked weakly.

“Yeah, nerd, oops,” Katsuki said, unable to wipe the stupid grin off his face. “I would say sorry, but that would be a lie.”

Izuku blushed again, and from so close together, Katsuki could see the way it spread right to his ears, and even down his neck. God, he really was such a dork, and Katsuki was such a sucker for it. He shifted his hand, cupping Izuku’s flaming cheek, bringing their lips only millimetres apart and watching Izuku lean in a little, waiting for it to happen.

“Happy birthday, nerd,” Katsuki whispered, before he took a step back. “Hope that was what you wanted.”

Izuku stared at him, jaw hanging open like a damn cartoon character, and Katsuki smirked as he turned away, heading for the stairs. The boys were long-since asleep, and it was well past Katsuki’s bedtime too, but suddenly he felt wide awake again, not that he could admit that to Izuku.

“Kacchan!” Izuku protested.

Katsuki didn’t look back, but he heard a soft footstep, then another, and suddenly Izuku was running, grabbing him by the elbow and yanking to turn him around, crashing their lips back together in a mess of desperate, frantic need. Katsuki stared for a moment, stunned by the stupid look of determination in Izuku’s scrunched-up face, the way his hands boldly clung to Katsuki’s arms, the way his lips parted a little, and oh, okay, they were kissing properly this time, huh? Not that Katsuki was exactly complaining. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had dreams about that moment, as he lay alone in his bed at night, so— shit, was he dreaming? It was late, maybe he’d dozed off on the sofa and not even realised it.

Fuck it, so be it. He was gonna make the most of it either way.

He bent his arms, lifting his hands to Izuku’s waist, and for a second Izuku tensed up, as if Katsuki might push him away.

Fat chance.

Katsuki curled his fingers in response, tugging just slightly, bringing him closer, and slowly Izuku’s hands moved higher, from his elbows, to his biceps, and then his shoulders, until they were wrapped lightly around Katsuki’s neck, holding him close, refusing to let him end their kiss, this time.

Katsuki could get used to that.

Soft footsteps upstairs broke them out of their daze, halting to listen, but then the toilet door closed, and they let out matching sighs, relieved.

“It’s midnight,” Izuku told him, his voice oddly level, for how shaky he’d been only two minutes earlier. “It’s not my birthday anymore.”

“Yeah?” Katsuki asked, his smirk quickly making a return. “So what, you just want to kiss me on any old day, now? Just because you feel like it?”

“Yeah.” Izuku said firmly, though his face betrayed him, refusing to shed its fiery hue. “Whenever I want.”

“Fine,” Katsuki said, snorting when Izuku squeaked. “What, you expected me to say no? I’ve only been fuckin’ flirting with you for months, nerd.”

“Why?!” Izuku demanded, kicking himself immediately for the stupid question. “I mean— you’re amazing, you’re Kacchan, so why would you want...?”

“The quirkless nerd?” Katsuki asked knowingly. “Hmm, I dunno. Because he’s so good with my kids, and I fuckin’ love that? Because he makes me laugh, more than I’ve laughed in years? Because he’s just a damn good person in ways I never could be? Because he’s fuckin’ cute?”

“Plenty of heroes are cute!” Izuku protested, pouting a little. “I’m just...”

“Get used to it, Deku,” Katsuki teased. “You’re screwed, now. I’m never letting you leave.”

Izuku paused, and then a tiny smile began to form on his face, his arms tightening a little around Katsuki’s neck. He seemed to have found a little courage, despite his protests, using it to lean in, tucking his head in under Katsuki’s chin. He fit there so perfectly, slotted in like the spot was made for him, and Katsuki ducked his head a little, letting fluffy green hair tickle his cheek.

“Good,” Izuku said firmly, a little petulantly. “Because I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay with Kacchan.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said, unable to resist a big, stupid grin. “Damn right you do.”