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My Father's Son - Chapter 51
🕑 Added 2024-07-30 13:48:40 +0000 UTCThe doctor carefully unwrapped Hiroki’s bandages, and Izuku breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the clean, unblemished skin...
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The doctor carefully unwrapped Hiroki’s bandages, and Izuku breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the clean, unblemished skin beneath them. Any trace of a burn that had been there was completely gone, without even that telltale pink tint of freshly healed skin to show for it. The healing quirks they’d used at the hospital had clearly done their job, and Izuku couldn’t help but smile as he watched Hiroki wiggle his fingers.
“It feels so good!” Hiroki said, when he saw Izuku looking. “I missed using my hands!”
“I know,” Izuku chuckled, reaching out to touch his palm lightly. “I’m glad you’re all better, too.”
“Especially with school so soon!” Hiroki nodded. “I can ride my bike and hold my pencil!”
“And hold Ryouji’s hand.”
“Shush!”
Izuku grinned, and Hiroki laughed despite his blush. Since his talk with Katsuki, he didn’t seem to mind the teasing anymore – Izuku couldn’t resist sometimes, with the cute little giggle it always elicited.
“Alright Hiroki, do you think you can show me your quirk?” the doctor requested. “We’ll start small, so don’t worry too much about losing control.”
He offered Hiroki a match, letting him strike it himself at his own pace. Izuku appreciated the caution and the patience, even though he knew Hiroki didn’t need it – he supposed most kids didn’t get to practice the way Hiroki did.
“Just hold it there for me, and let me know if it starts giving you any pain or discomfort.”
Hiroki held the tiny ball of flame in his hands, glancing up at the doctor with a painfully earnest expression on his face – if it had been Yuuto, he would have been scoffing and telling the doctor he could do things a thousand times cooler with his quirk than just hold it there, but Hiroki just sat there quietly, admiring the flames as they hovered between his hands, flickering slightly.
“Can you tell me a little about your quirk?” the doctor asked.
Hiroki looked up at Izuku, a little shy all of a sudden, and Izuku smiled, patting him on the back lightly.
“Go on,” he encouraged. “Like you told me, once.”
“It’s called pyrokinesis,” he said, quieter than usual. “It means I can make fire move where I want.”
“That’s good,” the doctor said, nodding encouragingly. “A cool word too, it’s always good to get a quirk with a cool name, then you can be extra proud when you tell people about it. When did it start?”
“My third birthday,” Hiroki said, smiling faintly. “My grandparents brought me a cake, and I was laughing and clapping my hands, and then the fire started wiggling all funny and they got confused. And my daddy gave me this strange look that I hadn’t seen before, and asked me ‘are you doing that?’ and he says I just smiled at him and told him the candles were super pretty.”
“That’s a great story, I’m glad it was a happy memory! Does your dad have a quirk like yours?”
“No, my Nana does! Well, she can move things, kinda like a magnet. And my, uh... her...” He stopped, looking up at Izuku, and Izuku smiled awkwardly. “My Papa’s dad, he breathed fire.”
“I don’t have a quirk,” Izuku clarified. “But Hiro has what we think my quirk would have been.”
“Got it,” the doctor smiled, apparently unphased by the quirklessness – Izuku supposed that, if anybody, a doctor would be used to it. “Have you used it much, Hiroki? I know you’re not supposed to, but don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody.”
Hiroki glanced at Izuku again, but the doctor laughed before Izuku could come up with a response.
“You’re protected by patient confidentiality,” he assured them both. “You can say whatever you want here, I promise you won’t be in trouble.”
“I practice with my dad sometimes,” Hiroki admitted. “Because he’s a hero so he knows how to keep it safe, and he worries I might get in danger one day because of him being my dad, so he wants me to be able to help myself a bit if I do.”
“His other dad,” Izuku clarified. “He’s very picky about safety when they do it.”
“I’m glad to hear it. That must be exciting, practicing your quirk with a real hero.”
“Uh-huh! My daddy is the best hero, and my uncle helps too because he uses fire for his quirk so he makes fire and I try to take it from him.”
“It sounds like you’ve got a great family to help you out. How about that fire you’re holding now? Is it hurting at all?”
“Nuh-uh! The fire is my friend.” Hiroki smiled to himself, spreading his hands apart a little and watching the flame grow. “It only hurt when I was using lots and lots of it and it was super hot, much hotter than usual. And I tried to put it out, and putting it out made it burn me.”
“Does putting it out usually hurt?”
“No, just that time. See?”
Hiroki closed his hands, the flame instantly blinking out, his hands apparently unscathed.
“We thought I couldn’t burn, but then I did, so Daddy and the doctors at the hospital got worried that something might be wrong.”
“We can definitely do some tests for that, just to be sure,” the doctor said. “It’s also entirely possible you just overexerted yourself without enough training, so hopefully it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah!”
Izuku watched as the pair continued to talk, the doctor asking all sorts of questions about his quirk and the practice he’d done with it. He always seemed to know exactly what question to ask, to draw out the information he needed, and all the while he examined Hiroki’s hands, poked at them lightly to make sure he could feel it, and watched him twirl little balls of fire around the room, praising him for his control. Hiroki seemed to have forgotten the man was even a doctor, just chatting away like he’d made a new friend, and Izuku was relieved. It had been weird to see him so hesitant at the start, always looking to Izuku for back-up instead of just charging forward blindly.
“Papa, am I allowed to practice with Uncle Shouto?” Hiroki asked, when they’d said their goodbyes.
“Hm? I don’t see why not, has Katsuki said anything about it?”
Hiroki shook his head.
“He would have told you if you couldn’t, right? I’m sure it’ll be okay, you’ll just have to be careful and tell him if your hands hurt at all so you can stop and rest.”
“I will, I promise!”
“Let’s go home and get ready, then; maybe Katsuki will be home by now.”
Hiroki climbed into his carseat, and Izuku made sure he was buckled in securely before he hopped into the driver’s seat. Hiroki took his phone out as they drove, tongue poking out as he tapped away it at with laser focus, and Izuku couldn’t help but smile when he saw him hold it out at arm’s length, taking a selfie with his freshly healed hand held up in view.
“Is Ryouji practicing again today too?”
“Uh-huh, he always does.”
“Always?”
“Every week.”
“Oh, that’s cool.”
“His quirks are dangerous if he uses them wrong,” Hiroki continued, pausing to pull a face at his camera. “If I do bad things with mine, not much happens. But if Ryouji does things wrong, he can get hurt bad, or hurt someone else by accident.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true, I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Uncle Number Two was worried lots about him trying to go through a wall and getting stuck halfway, or falling through the floor and stuff. Uncle Suneater is mostly just worried he’ll make a poison gas in public without knowing it’s poison.”
“That’s fair. He might think it’ll do one thing and it does something else entirely.”
“Mm-hm. So he practices lots, he’s always practiced lots.”
“That must get tiring.”
“I think so,” Hiroki agreed. “He doesn’t say it though.”
Yuuto was hovering in the doorway when they got home, waiting for them to come in, and Hiroki just grinned at him, holding up his hands to answer the unspoken question. Yuuto breathed a sigh of relief when he saw, and Hiroki hugged him despite his grumbles, whispering something in his ear that Izuku didn’t quite catch.
“Dad’s in the shower,” Yuuto said, when Hiroki freed him from his affectionate confines. “He came home messy but he’s not hurt.”
“Was he pretty gross-looking?”
“Yeah,” Yuuto giggled. “He helped rescue people from a falling bridge but he had to jump in gross water and help someone so he was all wet and muddy.”
“Poor Kacchan,” Izuku said, smiling all the same. “On a weekend, too.”
“Villains don’t take weekends,” Yuuto said solemnly. “I got our bags. Dad said to get ready and he’ll be here soon.”
He pointed at their matching sports bags beside the stairs, but when Hiroki took a step toward them, Yuuto just picked up both, hooking one over each shoulder. He headed for the car to put them in, and Izuku and Hiroki shared a grin behind his back.
“Sorry, coming,” Katsuki called, his footsteps echoing on the stairs. “You guys need anything?”
“I think Yuuto has us covered,” Izuku chuckled. “Hiro, you good to go?”
“Gotta pee!”
He hurried off to the toilet, and Izuku smiled at Katsuki when he plodded down the stairs, his hair wet and floppy over his face rather than the spikes Izuku was used to. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Izuku staring, but Izuku refused to say a word, just waved him through to the car.
“Appointment was all good, then?” he asked, nudging Izuku lightly with his fist. “Hiro said everything is fine.”
“Yeah! The doctor was very nice, and he seems to think everything is normal and that Hiroki just overexerted himself. With more training, he should be able to handle that kind of thing without hurting himself, it’ll just take a while.”
“Look at my hands, Daddy!” Hiroki insisted, returning with them freshly washed. “They’re normal!”
Katsuki took one in his, with the most caring touch Izuku had ever seen, and Hiroki just beamed up at him, watching him examine the skin for any kind of damage.
“All better!” Hiroki assured him, when Katsuki met his eyes. “I can practice, right? I’ll tell Uncle Shouto straight away if anything hurts.”
“Yeah,” Katsuki said with a nod. “Of course you can.”
“Yay!”
They piled into the car, and this time Izuku took the passenger seat, checking the boys were buckled in, while Katsuki got ready to drive. The boys chattered away throughout the drive, but when they arrived, the pair got oddly quiet, and Izuku’s questioning looks went unanswered.
“There he is,” Yuuto blurted out, running to a window to peek through. “Oh, it’s not Suneater this time.”
“It’s Uncle Number Two’s turn today,” Hiroki confirmed, following him to the door to look. “Uncle Suneater is at home with Koara, she can’t come in case they have an accident and hit her.”
Izuku was surprised to see a look of frustration on Ryouji’s face as he moved, aiming projectiles at his father and growing increasingly annoyed when they all went straight through him. He couldn’t hear what Mirio was saying, but his expression was all encouragement and understanding, where Tamaki’s had been concentration and focus. Izuku had a feeling that was part of the problem.
“Do you ever practice with him?” Izuku asked, when Hiroki leaned into him lightly.
“Nuh-uh. He would win.”
“You think so?”
“He wouldn’t make fire, and if I made any he’d find a way to get rid of it.”
“I guess that’s true,” Izuku admitted. “You’d need a good source of ignition you can use in a hurry, so you can keep making more.”
“Mm-hm. Daddy said I can’t have a lighter until I’m bigger.”
“Daddy is a smart man,” Izuku said, cracking a smile. “Safety is more important than ignition.”
“Only until I’m big.”
Izuku looked down at him sternly, but Hiroki was already grinning back, and Izuku immediately softened.
“You little tease,” he said, ruffling Hiroki’s hair. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, you can get away with anything when you’re cute.”
Hiroki just giggled, and Izuku caught a glimpse of a fond smile on Katsuki’s face before he quickly looked away to hide it.
“Come on Papa, Hirokun, it’s time to train,” Yuuto whined, marching on ahead toward the changing room.
“You didn’t mind when you thought it was Uncle Suneater!” Hiroki poked out his tongue, stepping closer to the window stubbornly. “Training can wait a minute.”
“You two go ahead,” Izuku suggested, catching Katsuki’s eye. “Be safe.”
“Halfie is still on his way,” Katsuki said, nodding. “You guys can just hang out until he arrives.”
“Okay!” Hiroki said, reaching to squeeze Katsuki’s hand without taking his eyes off Ryouji’s newest attempt at an attack. “Have fun Daddy, take care of Yuuchan!”
“I will,” Katsuki assured him. “You’re gonna be good with Halfie, yeah?”
“Uh-huh! Papa will make sure I take breaks.”
“Good. Have a good time, you know where to find me if you need anything.”
With a last nod to Izuku, Katsuki headed off after Yuuto to get changed, and Izuku hugged Hiroki to his side lightly. Hiroki rested his cheek against Izuku’s side, still watching intently through the window, and Izuku stayed silent until the pair within began to slow down a little, Ryouji’s chest heaving as he regained his breath. Mirio caught Izuku’s eye as he turned, a grin stretching quickly across his face, and Ryouji whirled around to look when Mirio raised his hand in a wave. Hiroki waved back shyly, oddly quiet, and for a moment he and Ryouji just stared at each other through the window, each of them looking more nervous than Izuku had ever seen them.
“We don’t watch each other,” Hiroki said softly. “I hope he’s not mad.”
“You always stop to watch him.”
“Only for a second!”
“So he doesn’t catch you?”
Hiroki didn’t answer, and Izuku stroked his arm lightly, trying his best to be comforting.
“I’m sure he won’t be mad,” Izuku said. “You can always send him a message later, saying sorry for distracting him.”
Ryouji turned to look at his dad again for a second, then he was jogging over to the door, unlocking it to pull it open. Hiroki tensed up, but Ryouji just hugged him like always, and Hiroki relaxed again as he slid his arms around Ryouji’s waist to match.
“Uncle Shouto is on his way,” Hiroki explained quietly. “Sorry.”
“Why?” Ryouji asked, wide-eyed when he leaned back to see Hiroki’s face. “Do you wanna come in while you wait for him?”
Hiroki shook his head, but his relief was visible, and Izuku couldn’t help but smile.
“I didn’t want to break your focus.”
“You didn’t, I was pausing anyway. Dad keeps doing that annoying wind-punch thing so my gases don’t work, and of course my projectiles don’t, I need a new plan.”
“Fire always works for me.”
Ryouji laughed, and Hiroki grinned along with him, giving him one last quick squeeze before they parted properly this time.
“Go practice!” he said, back to his usual smiles and energy. “I’m gonna go get changed. Work hard okay?”
“Only if you do!”
Ryouji poked his tongue out, and Hiroki mirrored the gesture, sharing a last giggle together before Ryouji stepped away. Izuku gave Mirio a little wave as the door swung closed again, Ryouji locking it carefully to make sure no one could step in and get caught in the crossfire, and then Hiroki was leading the way to the changing rooms, babbling a mile a minute about his training with Uncle Shouto.
———
Katsuki looked exhausted when he got home, maybe more than Izuku had ever seen him. His own day had been pretty normal, nothing particularly exciting had crossed his desk, so he wasn’t sure what had gone down to make Katsuki look that way, and he was honestly a little scared to ask.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked instead. He knew 'are you okay' or 'what happened?' was a bad move, so he hoped that was a good substitute. “Hungry?”
“No, just a long day,” Katsuki said, surprisingly quiet. “Where are the boys?”
“Playing in the park, Mom is watching them.” He almost asked if he should go get them, but he bit back the words. “They’ll be in for dinner in a bit, if you want to change before you go see them.”
“Yeah,” Katsuki said. “I just need a minute.”
Izuku smiled, trying his best to not look as concerned as he felt, and nodded. While Katsuki plodded up the stairs to his bedroom, Izuku returned to the kitchen, slotting a tray of vegetables into the oven. He’d had a roast in there cooking for a couple of hours, just needed the vegetables to finish off with it, but Katsuki’s face made him regret not making something spicy – he just hoped the roast would be comforting enough without the tongue-burning spice Katsuki loved.
He went back to his laptop while he waited, but Katsuki didn’t return. The food was almost ready, the boys were beginning to wrap up their game and head back toward the house, but still Katsuki remained upstairs. Had he decided to take a bath? Izuku hadn’t heard the water running, or his footsteps heading down to the bathroom, but it was a possibility. Or maybe he’d fallen asleep, lain down for a minute to rest and ended up dozing off.
Setting his laptop aside and turning off the oven, Izuku headed upstairs to investigate. The bathroom door was wide open, with no immediate signs of having been used, so he tiptoed onward, heading up to Katsuki’s private room. He wasn’t sure he’d set foot in there since they moved in, even though he knew Katsuki didn’t mind. They had a big balcony off the main floor now, for hanging out laundry, so while the boys had occasionally gone up to play on the rooftop, Izuku had never really bothered. That felt like Katsuki’s space, and he didn’t want to intrude on that.
The door was closed, so Izuku tapped on it lightly, waiting for a response. If Katsuki had decided to take a nap, he didn’t want to wake him by knocking too loudly. Katsuki had seemed so out of sorts, though – what if he’d passed out, or something? He could have been sick, or injured, and refused to let Izuku know!
Steeling himself, he cracked the door open, peeking his head inside to look around. The bed was empty, but the blankets were disturbed slightly, like he might have sat down on it at some point since making it that morning. The room was quiet, but warm, the heater running on a low setting to combat the cool evening. Izuku pushed the door open a little wider. There was no way Katsuki had left again without saying anything, right?
Through a grid of windows, their sills decorated with old action figures and trinkets and drawings from his boys, Izuku caught a glimpse of blond hair. He smiled to himself slightly, relieved to see Katsuki sitting upright, but the dark blanket wrapped around his shoulders made Izuku a little nervous all over again.
He slid the door open, stepping out onto the pretty roof, and Katsuki’s head turned, looking over. He didn’t say a word, his expression didn’t even change, but he also didn’t tell Izuku to fuck off.
Izuku took another step forward.
Soon he was standing right beside Katsuki, and before he even realised what he was doing, he took one edge of the blanket from Katsuki’s hand. He sat down, so close that their thighs brushed together, and wrapped the blanket around them both, just like they’d done once before. It might have been the only time Katsuki had ever really opened up to Izuku, at least to that extent, and while Izuku didn’t expect anything to come from doing it again, he hoped Katsuki knew that he’d be willing. Willing to talk, to listen, to help, if Katsuki wanted it.
Katsuki still didn’t say anything, just looked out at the sunset again, his face lit with fiery hues that seemed so at home on his skin. Izuku wanted to ask him, wanted to find out what had happened, what had gone wrong or worn him out or made him think too deeply about something he tried to avoid thinking about. He wanted to find out exactly what was going on, and how he could fix it. He wanted to tell Katsuki exactly how amazing he was, and how much Izuku and Inko and the boys all appreciated him.
He bit his tongue.
It wasn’t the right time, he could just feel it somehow. So he bit his tongue, swallowed down all the words he wanted to say, and just leaned in a little closer, letting their arms touch, letting Katsuki know he was there.
If that was all Katsuki wanted, for that moment, then Izuku would gladly give it.
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