My Father's Son - Chapter 63

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Katsuki leaned carefully over the railing, tying the last little knot in his fishing line, then stepped back to survey his handiwork. He’d had to visit three different stores to find exactly what he wanted, to make sure they’d all match well enough when they went up as a set, but he was satisfied he’d managed to finally make it work.

“How’s it look?” he called, looking down at where Izuku and the boys stood on the footpath, grinning up at him.

“So good!” Hiroki praised. “I love it!”

Four carp-shaped windsocks fluttered in the breeze below him, swimming through the air, and the boys watched them with delight. It had always been Hiroki’s favourite decoration to put up, so Katsuki had been determined to get it right for him – and for all of them, really. Two of the fish were larger, both patterned in black, similar in style though not quite as matching as he’d have liked. The other two were smaller, one old and green, the other new and bright red. He’d picked out the green one when Hiroki was just a baby, to match his eyes, so it had only seemed fitting to get a red one to join it.

With the fish secured in place, he headed down to join them, admiring his handiwork. From a distance, they matched a lot more closely than they did up close, and he was pleased to see that no one would be questioning it as they walked by the house. They all piled into the car together, the boys chattering a mile a minute in their excitement, while Izuku pulled up a map on his phone, to help out with navigation.

“It’s such a nice day for it,” Izuku said, as he glanced over the list of directions. “It’s gonna be so sunny and warm at the park.”

“It’s about time the temperature picked up, I was getting sick of the cold nights.”

“Yeah, this is your time of the year,” Izuku said knowingly. “When you get all the best captures.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. It wasn’t like Katsuki ever lost a fight, but he certainly put away more villains in the summer, when he could finish things quicker.

“More sweat,” Katsuki explained, even though he was sure Izuku knew already. “It’s uh, good.”

“Oh!” Hiroki piped up from the back seat, gently nudging Katsuki’s seat with his foot. “Daddy, I know my first costume thing I need, did I tell you?”

“Hm? You made a decision?”

“I need gloves! To keep my hands warm. Uncle Shouto froze my hand and I couldn’t move my fire properly.”

“He froze your hand?”

“Only a little,” Hiroki assured him. “It was just really cold.”

“So you can’t manipulate fire as well with cold hands? That’s good to know. Yeah, we can get you some gloves. Think about how you want them to look.”

“Black so they match whatever I choose later,” Hiroki said firmly. “No mind-changing!”

“That sounds smart.”

“And a little bit open, somewhere, so they keep me warm, but don’t get in the way.”

“Like the fingers, or like the palms?”

“I’m not sure. Uncle Shouto said he can’t use his quirk as well with gloves, so I don’t want them to do that to me.”

“We might have to try some things and see what works.”

“Uh-huh!”

Soon they were pulling into a crowded parking lot, filing into a park full of kids of all ages, running and cheering and playing games. There was a band playing, somewhere in the distance, but the music was all but drowned out by the yelling of kids’ voices.

“Woah!” Hiroki gushed, looking up at all the fluttering streamers and colourful carp flags. “There’s so many!”

“They’re so pretty!” Izuku enthused right along with him. “Where do you guys wanna go first?”

“The food!” Yuuto answered immediately. “I want yummy festival food.”

“A man after my own heart,” Katsuki chuckled. “I agree, let’s get some good food.”

The crowds grew thicker around the stalls, as they tried to look at what was on offer, so Katsuki scooped Hiroki up out of the crowd, perching him on his shoulders to get a good view. He’d spent enough of his life up there that Katsuki wasn’t afraid to pick Yuuto up, next, holding him up on a hip where he, too, was safe from being stepped on. Izuku smiled at them all, with that weirdly soft, fond smile of his, but Katsuki looked away quickly to keep from staring at it for too long.

“I want the fish cookies!” Hiroki declared, pointing at a stall of them. “Do you think they sell them on a string?”

“I think they’d break, unfortunately. You’ll have to settle for imaginary strings.”

“That’s okay too!”

He set the boys down when they joined the queue, and by the time they got close enough to order, Yuuto was marvelling too, pointing at a tray of cookies shaped like samurai faces, iced with the colours of different hero costumes. There were a bunch of real versions in the crowd, too – Katsuki had already seen a bunch of black ones with orange edging, a few red and white ones with little yellow highlights, and even a few purple and white ones, in a very specific and familiar shade of purple. There were reds and yellows and pinks too, of course, but Katsuki was never quite sure if those ones were as thematic, or just bright colours that kids liked.

“Yuuchan, do you want a Downfall samurai?” Hiroki asked. “Or a Suneater? Or a different one?”

“Downfall,” he agreed.

“Daddy, Papa, are you getting a cookie?”

“I’m good,” Katsuki told him. “Nerd? You want an All Might cookie?”

Izuku hesitated, and Katsuki couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Grab Papa an All Might samurai,” Katsuki instructed. “Thanks.”

The lady at the counter smiled down at the boys, and Hiroki stepped up with no hesitation, grinning back.

“Can I please have a Shouto fish, a Downfall samurai, and an All Might samurai?”

“Of course, coming right up!”

She picked up each one carefully with a little pair of tongs, slotting them into paper bags, then set them down on the counter, right at the edge where Hiroki could reach. He handed her coins in return, letting her count them to confirm before he took the bag of cookies, exchanging little bows and thanks with her before they stepped out of the line again.

“For Papa,” Hiroki said first, handing him his bag. “And for Yuuchan!”

The kids bit straight into their snacks, but Izuku paused to admire his first, with all the colourful icing so perfectly mapped out on the top.

“I love that everything is hero-themed at festivals,” he explained, when he caught Katsuki looking. “I know some people don’t care, but I guess they can always just ask for the blue one or the purple one or something, it’s cute that there are always hero combos though for the kids who idolise them.”

“And the adults,” Katsuki teased, making Izuku turn pink. “I’m a little offended that you always pick the All Might ones though, when’s it my turn?”

“You offered,” Izuku pointed out. “You could have offered me a Downfall one!”

“We both know you want the All Might more. So unappreciative.”

“Don’t be mean,” Izuku pouted, shoving him lightly with his shoulder. “You know I appreciate you.”

“Sure you do.”

“Careful or I’m gonna go buy one of those Downfall hats and wear it all day just to embarrass you.”

“Do it, I probably get paid commission.”

“Do you really?”

“Nah, I doubt it. I should though, look how many they’ve sold.”

Izuku looked around, at all the black-and-orange paper hats that Katsuki had been spotting everywhere, finally taking in exactly how many there were. Katsuki would never understand why he was so popular with kids – well, other than the flashy quirk and being the best – but he supposed they could have picked a worse role model. Like Lemillion.

They walked along the river as they ate their cookies, admiring the way the streamers and carp fluttered above it. There were kids splashing around in the shallow water, their parents standing back and chatting together, and Hiroki waved when two boys looked up, immediately grinning and hurrying over.

“Hey, Hiroki!” one of them said brightly. “Hi Yuuto!”

“Kita! Kou! Hi!”

“We’re playing tag in the river, you wanna play?”

The kid gestured toward a group of young boys splashing around, and Hiroki looked up at Katsuki, his eyes wide.

“If you want,” Katsuki answered. “Take your shoes off first, don’t need you complaining about wet feet the rest of the day.”

“Thanks Daddy!”

“Do you wanna play, Yuuto?” one of the older boys asked. “You’re welcome to come.”

Yuuto just shook his head, holding Katsuki’s pants lightly, and the boy smiled understandingly.

“If you change your mind, just come down,” he instructed. “You don’t have to ask.”

“Is Ryouji coming?” the other asked. “He’s not with you guys?”

“He doesn’t like festivals,” Hiroki said, fighting his shoes off and tucking his socks inside. “Too many people.”

“Oh, the crowds?” he asked, nodding faintly. “That makes sense.”

The three of them ran off down the little slope that led to the water, and Yuuto looked up at Katsuki, tugging on his pants.

“Can I go say hi to Wataru while he plays?”

He pointed off the other way, at a couple of kids kicking a ball around, and Katsuki nodded immediately.

“Yeah, of course you can.”

Yuuto smiled faintly, then ran off toward them. Two of the boys spotted him immediately, grinning and calling his name, and Yuuto seemed perfectly content to jump in with them – Katsuki really needed to do a better job of learning who his kids’ friends were.

“Our boys are growing up,” Izuku chuckled, looking a little wistful all the same. “I’m so glad they’re making friends.”

“I’m not sure how many Hiro has made,” Katsuki admitted. “Yuuto seems to have made a bunch, but Hiro only talks about Ryouji and their buddies.”

“Give it time!”

They found a dry, empty spot on the grass, and Izuku laid out the picnic blanket he’d brought along, giving them a spot to sit and watch both their boys playing with their friends. The kids in the water had all kicked off their shoes and hats, and rolled up their pants, most of them drenched even so, but half of Yuuto’s group were wearing those same paper hats he’d been spotting everywhere, most of them black-and-orange. He wondered if any of those kids knew, if Yuuto had said anything about him or if they’d recognised Katsuki’s hair and eyes on him – he hoped Yuuto knew it was okay, if he wanted to. Hiroki didn’t tend to talk about him until he got to know people a little better, and Ryouji never did unless someone asked directly, but he wasn’t sure if it had ever come up, with Yuuto.

“Excuse me!”

Katsuki jumped, head whipping around to face the tiny, squeaky voice, only to find a little girl looking at him, trembling hands clutching a familiar little plushie.

“Oh, that’s my son’s favourite one,” Katsuki said, shifting onto his knees to match the girl’s height. “He loves how floppy it is.”

“Me too,” she whispered, turning shy in an instant. “I like how he wiggles.”

She shook it a little, and Katsuki laughed when the limbs flapped all over the place.

“That’s great, I’m glad he makes you happy.”

“D-Do you think I could take a photo with you? If you’re not too busy?”

“Of course you can, I’m never too busy. I’m sorry I’m not in costume.”

“That’s okay!”

She turned around, and he put a hand on her shoulder lightly, giving her mother his best attempt at a smile, as she lifted her phone to take the shot. She held the button down to take a bunch in quick succession, and Katsuki almost laughed – he’d learned that trick quickly, trying to photograph children. They always managed to do something weird at the last second, it was safer to get a ton of them and pick out the best frame from the selection.

An older man came running over as they finished, waving one of the paper hats, and handed it to the little girl, breathing hard – Katsuki wondered if they knew he’d have waited five more minutes, if they’d just asked.

“Did you get a pen?” the mother hissed, watching the father turn pale.

“I’ve got one,” Katsuki offered, reaching into his pocket. “Do you want black on the orange part, or silver on the black part?”

“Black!” the girl chose quickly, taking the hat from her dad and holding it out to him. “To match!”

“Good choice,” Katsuki praised, uncapping his dark marker. “What was your name?”

“Hiroko!”

“That’s a great name,” Katsuki said, trying his best not to laugh. “Your parents have good taste.”

He inked out a careful message on the hat, doing his best to make sure it would be legible for a child to read without too much help. For adults, or even teenagers, he didn’t care too much about that – they’d work it out, surely. But he didn’t want the young ones to have to struggle, or to ask their parents over and over to read it for them.

Hiroko,

Thank you for all your support. Work hard and take good care of your wiggle plushie.

Downfall.

He signed his autograph underneath, waving it lightly to make sure the ink was dry before he handed it back. There were tears in her eyes when she accepted, hugging it gently to make sure she wouldn’t crease it, and Katsuki gave them a last little smile and a wave as she retreated to her parents, bowing and thanking him repeatedly. He waved goodbye as they headed off, then sat back on the blanket again, sighing as he leaned back against his hands.

Izuku was smiling to himself when Katsuki glanced over, but he didn’t say anything, and Katsuki refused to ask – he could tell from that dumb look on his face that it was gonna be something cheesy and sappy anyway, he didn’t need to deal with that. So instead he just sat back comfortably, looking over to check on Hiroki in the water, then to watch Yuuto kick a ball. He was a little clumsy about it, clearly hadn’t practiced much yet, but he seemed to be having fun, and that was all that really mattered. Hiroki had no such concerns, splashing around without a care, unphased even when he slipped over and landed on his butt. He was sodden from head to toe, his green curls hanging damp over his face, but he just laughed, accepting a hand that offered to help him up, returning to their game like it had never even happened.

“It’s such a nice day for it,” Izuku said softly, even though Katsuki was pretty sure he’d already said it, not that long ago. “I’m glad.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed anyway. “Thanks for coming.”

─────

Hiroki giggled as the firework burst overhead, reaching his hands toward it, and Katsuki cracked a fond smile of his own. Hiroki had always been delighted by everything remotely related to fire, from his love of dragons and phoenixes to his fascination with hot air balloons, he even adored sunsets just for the fiery hues they turned the sky. Ryouji was big on stars and space, but Hiroki preferred the slightly earlier hours, before the dark took over – the pair had spent a lot of time sitting outside together in the evenings, in their lives so far. Fireworks were no exception to his love, he was always fascinated by watching them burst, seeing if he could snatch the sparks out of the sky; so far he hadn’t managed it, but Katsuki wondered if one day, when he was older and had more training, they might see one of those colourful explosions come rocketing toward his hands. Hiroki would like that, he thought; the culmination of years of trying and training, the moment of victory when he finally succeeded in it.

Yuuto, too, seemed fascinated by the colourful sparks, which Katsuki supposed made sense as well. They were so much like his quirk, though on a much larger scale, and Katsuki had loved them for that exact same reason as a kid – even before his quirk had presented, if his parents were to be believed.

“I can’t reach!” Hiroki whined, laughing all the same. “They’re too high up!”

He flopped onto his back, lying on Izuku’s picnic blanket, green curls going everywhere. He’d dried out since his earlier playtime, but his hair didn’t exactly dry nicely on its own – not that Hiroki seemed to mind, yet. His hands still reached for the sky, feeling the little pops of heat way above them – Katsuki could see it in his face, that he could feel them, even if he couldn’t quite take them for himself.

“You’ll just have to take mine,” Yuuto teased, lifting a hand and sending a spray of fluffy sparks Hiroki’s way.

They fizzled with heat and light, not quite an explosion yet but so clearly ready for it, glowing red and orange in the dim light of the park. Katsuki wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Yuuto use his quirk in that dark, before. They’d always just looked like little bits of fluff to him before, like the piles of tinder Katsuki used to take camping in his younger years, he’d never realised how brilliantly they shone.

“They look pretty in the dark,” he explained, when Yuuto caught him staring. “I never knew.”

“My fireflies?” Yuuto asked, closing his hand and popping one in Hiroki’s face. “Yeah, they glow.”

“Is that what you like to call them?”

“Sometimes,” Yuuto agreed, popping another one and poking his tongue out when Hiroki couldn’t quite snatch the flame in time. “Or my sparks, but that sounds like Chargebolt too.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

The next set of fireworks fired, and both the kids forgot about the quirk immediately, Yuuto’s little fireflies just floating around him gently. Even without him focusing on him, they just bobbed in the breeze, never disappeared or wandered off. There were still a lot of things Katsuki had to learn about that quirk, apparently.

But that was a job for another day.

Soon the fireworks were wrapping up, and the crowd was packing up their belongings, heading back toward the cars and buses. Katsuki’s family took their time, wandering the stalls as they headed out, picking out a last snack each to munch on as they slowly moved toward the park exit. Thankfully, the crowd split toward a few different exits, giving them some more room to breathe as they got closer.

Izuku produced a pack of wet wipes when they’d finished eating, helping the kids clean off their hands, and Hiroki slipped one of his clean hands into Katsuki’s, letting him lead the way across the parking lot. He reached for his phone with the other hand, pointing it at the sky for a moment, and Katsuki smiled to himself. He knew exactly where that photo was going, with how clear the moon looked that night.

“I’m sleepy,” Hiroki said, as he clambered up onto his booster seat. “Is it bedtime?”

“Not yet, but you can go to bed whenever you want,” Katsuki reminded him, making sure he got buckled in safely. “You probably need a shower first, though.”

“Mm-hm. Shower and bed. And story?”

“Yeah, I’m sure we can read a story.”

“Can you read it to me?”

“You don’t want to read?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Okay, I can read it.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

On the other side of the car, Yuuto was putting his seat belt on, giving Izuku a thumbs up when it clicked into place. Having them both in booster seats instead of the fiddly car seats had been amazing for both time and mental health – they could fasten themselves in so much more easily, and he never got whines from Hiroki about having to use a car seat anymore. He was sure one day he’d be getting complaints about the booster seat, too, but hopefully that wouldn’t come until he was close to being tall enough to get rid of it.

The drive home was quiet, with Hiroki falling asleep immediately. The radio played on a low volume, the car hummed along, and Yuuto played a game on his phone for part of the trip, but mostly they just sat and drove.

“Thanks for today,” Izuku said, when they pulled into the garage. “It was nice to spend time with you.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said, turning to hop out of the car and hopefully hide the warmth in his cheeks. “It was a good day.”

Hiroki woke up when the car turned off, rubbing at his eyes sleepily as Katsuki helped him down, and together they headed straight up to the bathroom, to get him cleaned up and ready for bed. Yuuto was much more awake still, picking up one of their bags from the day and hurrying up the stairs with it, leaving Izuku to lock the car and follow.

He found Yuuto chatting with Inko and All Might, when he got up to the living room, telling them all about the little festival, babbling about fireworks and soccer in a way that made both of them smile fondly. Izuku had always joked about not being able to take credit for how cute his kid was, since he’d clearly taken after his mother – little had he known it was Katsuki who had managed that one for him. He wasn’t sure if he was meant to be grateful for that, or something. It seemed a little superficial to be grateful for his kids being cute.

Soon Inko was excusing herself for a bath of her own, and Izuku was a little pleased to see that All Might didn’t rush off after her. He knew he wasn’t the best at making conversation still, when All Might stayed over, but he liked to think he managed it, at least.

“Can I talk to you both for a moment?” All Might asked, smiling when they both just stared at him. “I’ve actually been waiting for an opportunity.”

“Sure,” Izuku agreed, stomach churning. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, very much so,” All Might assured him. “Do you have a moment to chat, Yuuto?”

Yuuto nodded awkwardly, and Izuku managed a little smile. It was quite sweet seeing All Might interact with the kids, he had an effortless way of just getting along with them, treating them like real people rather than talking down to them like so many older people did.

“I hope you know how much I’ve been enjoying spending time with your family,” All Might began. “I’m sure it’s been a little weird for you, after only knowing me as All Might, but I hope it’s gotten a little easier over time.”

Izuku’s nerves turned immediately to guilt. He still only thought of him as All Might, after all.

“It’s good,” Yuuto said, surprising Izuku with his moment of boldness. “I like having a Grampa.”

“I’m glad. I love having another grandson, too.”

The change had only happened a few days prior, and Izuku still wasn’t sure exactly where it had come from. Out of the blue Yuuto had started calling him Grampa, like Hiroki and Ryouji did, and Izuku didn’t dare to ask. All Might seemed far too delighted by it for Izuku to risk putting it in jeopardy by embarrassing Yuuto.

“And I love spending time with Inko, too,” All Might added, a little awkwardly. “So uh, I was wondering what you two would think of it, if I... asked her to marry me.”

Izuku’s head shot up, but Yuuto didn’t even seem surprised, his lower lip just jutting out a little in a pout.

“Does she know about this?” Izuku asked.

“Not exactly. We’ve discussed it more... abstractly. About whether she’d ever want to be married again, and whether I’d want to be, one day. Of course I would ask her too, and respect her answer, I’m not just assuming she’ll say yes, but I won’t go that far if you two aren’t okay with it. More than okay with it. I’d like for you to be happy about it, ideally.”

“You know my father was kind of an asshole, right?”

“I know,” All Might assured him. “I promise you I would never treat her that way, but I understand why you’d be hesitant because of it.”

“Are you still strong?” Yuuto blurted out. “I know you can do pull-ups.”

All Might blinked at him, surprised, but to his credit, he didn’t question it.

“I think I’m pretty strong,” All Might answered. “I couldn’t beat Katsuki in a fight, of course, or any of his friends, now that my quirk doesn’t work anymore.”

“Why doesn’t it work?”

“Yuuto,” Izuku said warningly.

“It’s okay,” All Might assured him. “My quirk was a strange one, it had limitations that most quirks don’t have, especially ones like yours – they get stronger every generation, you know. But I pushed myself too hard, I had lots of accidents as a hero, and eventually I was too hurt and too tired to keep using it, so I had to pass my torch on to the next generation.”

“Could you if you wanted to?”

“Not like I used to. There’s a tiny bit left of it, like the embers left after a fire, that I think I could use in an emergency if I really needed to. I trust Katsuki and Mirio and everyone else to keep us safe, though; I don’t think I’ll ever need to use them, but I like knowing they’re there, just in case.”

“So you can protect Nana?”

Understanding finally dawned on Izuku, and the look of concern on Yuuto’s face made his heart break. Had he really been worrying about that for so long without Izuku realising it?

“I’m meant to be her hero, if anything bad happens” Yuuto continued, pouting a little. “So if you get married, you have to be her hero instead.”

All Might leaned forward a little in his seat, meeting Yuuto’s gaze head on, and nodded.

“I promise you, Yuuto, if even the slightest harm was coming your Nana’s way, I would protect her with everything I have, whether we were married or not. I love her very much, and I would never forgive myself if she got hurt. You’ll still be her hero, forever and ever, but I want to be her hero too. Will you let be stand beside you?”

Yuuto hesitated, but All Might didn’t look away, and finally Yuuto nodded, just once.

“Okay,” he said softly. “But you better be nice to her.”

“Yuuto, don’t threaten people,” Izuku said with a sigh. “I understand, but there’s no reason to talk that way.”

“It’s important!” Yuuto huffed, pointing a stern finger at All Might. “If you’re mean to her, I’m gonna take her away, and you’ll never be allowed to see her again.”

“I understand.”

“Promise you’ll be nice?”

All Might offered out his little finger, and Yuuto accepted, apparently satisfied.

“Okay,” he said finally. “You can marry her.”

“Thank you, Yuuto. That means a lot to me.”

He looked at Izuku next, cracking a smile.

“Do you need a pinky promise too?” he asked.

“No,” Izuku chuckled. “I see how happy you make each other, I’m really glad she has you in her life. As long as you’re confident that this is what you want – what you both want – then of course I’m okay with it. I appreciate you taking the time to ask, though.”

“Thank you, it means a lot to me. You two are the most important people in her life, I would never want to risk coming between you.”

Feet padded down the stairs toward them, and Izuku smiled faintly, reaching out to ruffle Yuuto’s hair fondly. He really was a sweet little thing, even if he did threaten adults occasionally.

“Alright, it’s time for you to start getting ready for bed,” he said. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

Yuuto frowned, ready to object, but All Might cut him off before he could get the words out.

“Thank you again, Yuuto. I’m glad to have such a grown up grandson.”

Yuuto hesitated, then nodded, just slightly.

“Goodnight,” he said. “Tell Nana goodnight for me, if I don’t see her after my bath.”

“I will. Goodnight, I hope you sleep well.”

“Thanks.”

He took himself off up the stairs, and Izuku shot a grateful smile at All Might, getting a little chuckle in return.

“You’ve done a good job raising him, he’s a great kid.”

“You don’t need to flatter me, I already said I was okay with it.”

All Might laughed much more brightly this time, and Izuku couldn’t help but join him.

“Congratulations,” he added, a little more softly. “I’m happy for you both.”

“She hasn’t said yes yet, my boy,” All Might chuckled.

“She will,” Izuku assured him, flashing him a little smile as Katsuki returned to them. “Just be prepared for tears.”

“Believe me, I always am.”

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