My Father's Son - Chapter 22

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Izuku was confused when Katsuki handed him a cheque, ready to reject it, but Katsuki shook his head in a hurry.

"From the hospital," he explained. "I probably should have asked you first but I didn't think either of us really wanted to take it to court. They offered us a settlement, my lawyer negotiated it higher, and this is your half of what they paid us."

"You should keep it."

"I don't want it," Katsuki frowned, eyes narrowing. "I have my half, I stuck it in my savings account where I can pull it out if I need it. Right now, I don't. I recommend you do the same."

"But you're constantly paying for-"

"I don't want to hear it," Katsuki cut him off. "Save it for an emergency or something. As long as you don't need it, it'll keep earning interest. It's basically free money, you'd be an idiot not to. If there's something special you want to buy, something Yuuto has been wanting for a while or something, then yeah of course you can spend some of it, but at least stick most of it in the bank."

"I will. Um, thank you."

"Do you need to talk to my financial advisor?"

"N-No, that's okay, I don't really... I mean, I don't have much to manage?"

"I'll set you up an appointment," Katsuki said firmly, as if Izuku hadn't even spoken. "You'd be surprised."

"W-Well... Okay. If Kacchan trusts them, I guess it's worth talking to them."

"And what about the holidays? What do you normally do for the New Year? Are you staying here with us? Is Yuuto staying here with us?"

"What's got you so energetic all of a sudden?" Izuku asked, smiling weakly in an attempt to hide his nerves. "Is everything okay, Kacchan?"

"I like to plan shit in advance, you know that."

"We don't have any plans, we usually just stay in and watch the TV specials, try to stay up until midnight, the usual. Did you want some time to yourself? We could-"

"No," Katsuki cut him off before he could even entertain the thought. "My parents might come over to do the same thing, I assume you don't care. We could go to their place instead if you want, but they'd like to spend time with Yuuto."

"One big happy family, then," Izuku said nervously. "That's what everyone keeps saying, after all."

"Does it bother you?"

Izuku shook his head, and Katsuki breathed a short sigh that Izuku could almost take for relief.

"Then yeah, we're one big dumb family now, we may as well get used to that. You guys do a shrine visit too? My parents drag me along every year. They're looking at moving into a smaller house or apartment or something, selling the old house, so it might be the last time we go to the one we went to when I was a kid. They're making a big deal of it and shit."

"We moved around a lot, we don't have a special one," Izuku said knowingly. "Um, do you think we could come with you? Or would you prefer-"

"Yeah, you can. The old hag told me to ask you."

"Then we'd love to," Izuku's smile widened, a lot more genuine than his earlier awkwardness. "Thank you for inviting us, it was really sweet of you."

Katsuki just shrugged it off, the conversation apparently over since he turned to leave, only pausing when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"We do the whole otoshidama thing, I want to give one to Yuuto as well. That's okay, right?"

"Of course, if you want to, but you don't-"

"I do. Want to, I mean. My parents will too. But, um, you guys don't need to feel obligated, if it's not something you do."

"No, we do, just uhh, probably not as much as you usually do. But I have some money now," Izuku grinned, waving the cheque at him. "So who knows, maybe I can give him a little more. And one for Hiroki, obviously."

"Give it all to the boys," Katsuki smirked. "I'll keep paying your bills anyway, so you don't need it."

"Don't be mean, I can contribute too!"

"Sure, nerd. Also, uh, this is probably a weird time to tell you this but... I think any time is weird? So uh, I have like, a life insurance thing because of work? You know, so that if I kick the bucket on duty, Hiroki has money to grow up on. My will still leaves everything to him anyway, but um... I changed it a little, recently. So... Ugh this is awkward. If I die, you're listed as his guardian, okay? You won't have to worry about custody or anything, you're his official... Godfather, or whatever."

Izuku's eyes filled with tears and Katsuki rolled his eyes, groaning long and low.

"I knew this shit would happen!" he complained. "This is why I didn't want to tell you! Fuck!"

"I'm just so happy, Kacchan! Thank you for trusting me so much!"

"Whatever. It's not like you can kill me to take him or some shit, we both know I'd win."

"Katsuki! I would never!"

"I know." He paused again, running a hand through his hair. "The life insurance, too. Like, the house and everything in it still belongs to Hiroki, and my savings account gets split between the two of them, but the actual life insurance... Ugh. That'll go to you. Just in case there's any shitty trouble with his age, you know? I would hate for it all to get tied up in legal issues because the boys are too young to inherit it or something, so you should get enough to hire a good lawyer to sort it out, or to hopefully live on it until they turn twenty. With any luck I won't die until after that anyway."

"Thank you, Katsuki. The idea that you took the time to sit down and make sure we'd be taken care of means a lot to me. Not just Hiroki, but me and Yuuto as well. It's really good of you. But you're not going to die, not any time soon. You have to live for the boys, they would miss you too much."

"I'm Downfall, nerd," Katsuki sneered, back to his usual self finally. "No one can kill me."

"Knock on wood."

"No need. Just have faith in me."

"I always do."

─────

When Christmas Eve rolled around and kindergarten finally closed for the year, Katsuki found himself with three doting parents standing in his living room, grinning as if there was some conspiracy going on.

He didn't like it.

"Did I invite you over?" he asked pointedly, as he nudged past them to grab a drink. "I just finished work, I don't want to hear your nonsense. Inko is fine, the old man is alright, but when you're here, hag, I know there's gonna be problems."

"We thought you deserved a little treat, since you've been working so hard!" she smiled sweetly, and Katsuki immediately began scanning her for any sign there might be a quirk at work. This was not his mother. "The three of us are gonna babysit tonight, while you and Izuku go out for a nice dinner! You have a reservation at that lovely little place you picked out for your graduation, so go shower and put something nice on!"

"Wait, what?" Izuku asked, blushing as he leapt up from the couch. "You didn't tell me any of this!"

"It was a surprise! You need some adult time once in a while, you can't spend all your time with the kids, no matter how sweet they are! So you're gonna take a shower, put on some nice clothes, then give the boys a kiss goodbye and we'll get them fed and ready for bed!"

"It doesn't sound like I have a say in this," Katsuki sighed. "Whatever. Nerd, you want dinner?"

"S-Sure! Um, thank you! It was very thoughtful of you all!"

"Don't thank them, they're plotting something," Katsuki grumbled, eyes narrowed. "I'll figure out your game, hag."

"Off you go, boys! Go find something nice to wear!"

With another sigh, Katsuki caved. He peeled off his costume shirt as he walked, tossing it at the laundry hamper in the hall, and glanced back at Izuku's blush as he began stripping off his pants in the stairwell.

"Oi, you gonna do my laundry?" he called over the nerd's shoulder. "Need it for the morning!"

"I'll do it," Masaru offered, before Mitsuki could complain. "Put out anything else you have lying around, too!"

"Will do. Uh, thanks."

With his gear discarded he headed for the stairs again, clad only in his thin shorts, Izuku's eyes glued to him despite how hard he tried to avert them.

"Do something with this," he found himself demanding, reaching out to ruffle Izuku's messy hair. "Do I have to book you a haircut myself?"

"I'll do it eventually!" he whined. "It takes time and I've been busy!"

"Whatever. Just deal with it, make yourself pretty for when the newspapers inevitably end up with photos of us on the front page."

"Is... Is that likely to happen?"

"Probably."

"Oh."

"Relax, my PR team will handle it. I'm gonna go shower, my pits are rank."

"Thanks, I really needed to know that."

"What, you can't smell me from there?"

"No! I wasn't sniffing you."

"Really? Could've fooled me, you damn hero fanatic."

"I don't!"

"Suuuure you don't."

"I hate you."

"I know."

Katsuki showered in a hurry, washing dirt and a few traces of blood out of his hair, then pulling on a loofah mitt to scrub himself off. He lathered himself up in plenty of bubbles, grabbing a different bottle to soap up his face, and finally stepped back under the hot water to clean it all off. His skin was left fresh and pink from the efforts, but he still felt weirdly dirty, like he could never be entirely clean after a long day of patrols.

With a towel around his waist, he moved to the bedroom, aiming a hair dryer at his head as he stared into his wardrobe, contemplating the different shirts and suits hanging at the back. He had far too many of them, honestly, considering how rare it was to actually put one on, but he supposed it never hurt to be safe. His mother had gotten most of them for him anyway, thrown them at him after they were worn once for a modelling shoot and discarded at the end. The models always got their pick of the wares, but no one ever took home twelve different suits, so Katsuki ended up with the nicest ones in his size hanging in the back of the closet.

In the end, he picked out a plain black one that always felt like a safe option, along with a scarlet waistcoat that his mother said matched his eyes well – he didn't wear it very often since it felt stupidly formal, but occasionally he deigned to make an effort. A grey shirt and black tie finished off his pile, and finally he was getting dressed, his hair dry and extra fluffy as he fiddled with it in the mirror.

"Wow," Izuku mumbled, the moment Katsuki appeared at the top of the stairs. "Um, you look really nice. Really handsome."

"Thanks, I guess," he huffed, trudging down the stairs and eyeing him over once. "You look alright too."

"Thanks," Izuku smiled, cheeks still burning. "You picked well."

He wore the dark suit this time, rather than the charcoal he most often picked out for work and interviews, with a forest-green tie that matched his hair and eyes almost exactly, Katsuki couldn't help but notice. It had to be one of Hiroki's picks; after years of seeing black and brown hair everywhere, he'd been delighted to meet Izuku, to find a fellow greenie.

"Good colour," Katsuki admitted, as he reached out to fix the wonky knot. "Matches."

"It's not too much?" he asked nervously. "I know my hair is, uh, a lot."

"No, it's good."

Katsuki found himself shifting his grip, one hand sliding up to cup Izuku's warm cheek, their eyes meeting in silence.

"You look like Hiroki," Katsuki spluttered, pulling away the moment he realised what his stupid hand was doing. "It's not like I'm ever gonna think you're ugly. I love the kid."

"He wears it better."

"Oh shut up."

They stopped by the living room to hug the boys goodbye, and Izuku felt a little pang in his chest when he heard Katsuki's whispered apology.

"Don't be, Daddy!" Hiroki insisted, hugging him tight. "I want you to have a real fun night with Papa! Me and you can play tomorrow!"

"We will," he nodded. "I'm gonna take you guys to see all the Christmas lights, okay? We'll go see all the pretty decorations."

"I can't wait!" Hiroki beamed as they parted, not even a hint of a tear in his eyes. "Have lots of fun and eat a really yummy dinner!"

Hiroki moved to Izuku next, hugging him tight as he praised the latest outfit, and Izuku nuzzled into his curls with a smile.

"You're the sweetest little thing," he murmured. "Thank you, Hiro. Have a great night, okay?"

"We will! Grandma promised we can order pizza as long as I don't tell Daddy!"

Izuku laughed, glimpsing an eye roll from Katsuki, and with a couple of high-fives for Yuuto and his current "no hug" policy, they were out the door. Izuku was growing more accustomed to sitting in the passenger seat of the expensive car, staring out the window as Katsuki navigated them to wherever they were meant to be going, although it was pretty rare for it to happen after sunset.

Katsuki's stomach growled as they pulled up in front of the restaurant, and Izuku cracked a smile, getting an embarrassed little glare from Katsuki.

"I've been patrolling all day!" he insisted, climbing out and handing his keys to a valet who ran around to meet him. "Of course I'm hungry, nerd!"

"I didn't say anything!"

They were seated immediately, Katsuki didn't even have to give them his name – they were obviously prepared for the pair to show up. A host showed them to their little table in the back, lit by a lone candle, the sweet sound of a live pianist drifting over them from across the room.

"I hope this table is to your liking, Sirs," the host bowed, pulling out Izuku's chair for him to sit. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Wine," Katsuki nodded, sitting down and reaching for a menu. "White. Whichever you recommend."

"Right away, Sir!"

He disappeared, and Katsuki raised an eyebrow when he saw the tiny flush in Izuku's cheeks.

"You fit in so easily," he explained sheepishly. "You're so professional and in charge, it's... Kind of amazing."

"Whatever," Katsuki blushed a little himself, looking away pointedly. "It's no big deal."

A waiter arrived with their wine, pouring two glasses carefully, and Izuku smiled and thanked him repeatedly.

"Have you had a chance to look at your menu?" he asked, "or would you like another minute?"

"I'll take the stuffed ravioli with the alfredo sauce."

"Of course, Sir. Would you like an appetiser first?"

"Oh, no, I'll take that as my appetiser," Katsuki clarified. "And then the biggest steak you've got for my main. Make it two of them. And any other protein you have lying around, it's been a long day. Nerd, you better order something, I'm not sharing."

Izuku couldn't help but giggle, nodding as he scanned over the menu once more.

"Um, the chicken salad to start, and then I'll take a steak as well. It doesn't need to be as giant as his. Thank you!"

"Right away," the waiter bowed as he accepted the menus back. "Please don't hesitate to ask if I can help with anything else."

"Thank you!"

Katsuki dug in the moment the food arrived – surprisingly quickly, Izuku noticed. The perks of dining with the number one hero, he supposed. He managed to keep it neat, didn't spill food everywhere or chew with his mouth open, he just continued shovelling food into his mouth, barely pausing to breathe.

"Taste good?" he grinned, taking a bite of his salad. "Looks good."

"Yeah, eat it," he pushed his bowl across the table, pausing finally to wipe his mouth on a napkin. "I mean, not all of it, I need the carbs. But try some."

"Are you sure?"

"Obviously, nerd. Eat."

Izuku swallowed hard, but stabbed in with his fork all the same, taking a bite of the gooey, creamy shells.

"Mm, good," he agreed, nodding. "Really good."

"Have some more," he offered, reaching over with his own fork to take a bite. "It's fine."

"What happened to not sharing?" Izuku teased.

"Good point," Katsuki nodded, reaching for Izuku's salad and pulling it into the middle of the table with the pasta. "You have to share too, I should really get some vegetables in my diet."

Izuku giggled, clapping a hand over his mouth to hide it, but Katsuki just smirked as he stuffed salad in his mouth.

"Mm, not bad," he mumbled. "Good dressing, and what cheese is that? It's good."

"Feta, I think."

"Oh, yeah, makes sense. Like on greek salad, right? We should buy some of that, it's good."

"I'll make sure it's on the grocery list," Izuku laughed. "Think the boys will eat it?"

"No way. I'll stick normal cheddar cubes on theirs, Hiro will eat anything with cubes of cheddar on top. Besides," he smirked, taking another stab at the salad and showing off a fresh, pretty tomato. "Yuuto won't touch these, gonna have to make theirs separately anyway."

"You like cooking?"

"When I'm in the mood," Katsuki agreed. "On days off I do, after work not so much."

"Sorry you got dragged out tonight, I know you would have liked to just lie on the couch with Hiroki."

"Not your fault, my idiot mother was the one who booked it. But it's whatever, I haven't taken a break in a while, I guess they all thought I'd like some adult company or whatever."

"Kirishima thought so too," Izuku mumbled, getting a surprised look from those sharp red eyes. "He wants you to go get drinks with your friends. Um, he wanted me to come along, too. I don't know why, please don't yell at me."

"I'm not yelling," Katsuki sighed. "I should've known they'd try it eventually, they've heard enough stories to get curious."

"You talk about me?"

"Obviously," he snorted, taking another bite of pasta. "Dumb nerd. Think I can patrol with them every day without your name occasionally coming up?"

"I guess I never thought about it," he admitted. "I, um, don't really have friends? So I guess I don't think about other peoples' friends."

"You should fix that. Meet people at work or something."

"Yeah, maybe. Most of them are older than me. By, like, decades."

"Maybe you need to meet mine after all," Katsuki snorted. "You might get along with some of the nerds I knew at school."

"Heroes?"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't say no to meeting heroes."

"I know you wouldn't, damn nerd. They want to do some stupid reunion thing before the new year, maybe you can be my plus one."

"Yes please!!"

When their plates were cleared, someone stopped by to collect the dishes and refill their wine, leaving the pair to chat and drink for a while as they waited for their steaks. When the food arrived, it came with a collection of little side dishes to match – Izuku supposed they must have noticed the pair sharing food, because each dish came in a little bowl or plate with two forks. There was spinach with garlic butter, grilled mushrooms, roasted vegetables of a few kinds, even a bowl of french fries, but more importantly there were two plates with massive cuts of tantalising beef. Izuku's serving was already more than generous, but sure enough, Katsuki's plate had two almost identical pieces, each thick and juicy.

"Oh man," Katsuki grinned, a genuine, honest-to-God smile. "I am so down for this. Dig in, nerd, before I eat it all."

"It all looks so good!"

"Yeah, so eat it."

Despite his words, Izuku couldn't help but notice that Katsuki never ate more than half of any side dish, making sure Izuku had ample opportunity to eat his fill. He waited until Izuku set down his cutlery, sighing happily and patting his stomach, before he finished off the leftovers happily.

"I don't think I've seen you smile so much before," Izuku said softly, amused when Katsuki froze in his tracks. "Is this all it ever took? Good food?"

"I like food," Katsuki grumbled, stuffing the last of his steak in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. "I'm happy. Like, almost all the time. I guess I just don't show it much?"

"I'm glad you're happy."

After a few minutes to relax and chat, to finish off their wine, Katsuki called for the bill and handed over a credit card. Izuku didn't get a chance to look at the total, but he suspected that was probably for the best. It was sure to be a horrifying number.

"You wanna walk a bit?" Katsuki asked, as they buttoned up their jackets and headed for the door. "Good for digestion, you know?"

"Sure!"

He led the way across the road, through a line of trees to reach the little bay the street bordered. With the moon and stars reflected on the surface of the water, it looked especially pretty, and Izuku smiled again as he looked out over the ripples.

"There's a little crepe shop up here," Katsuki grinned, nudging Izuku lightly with his shoulder. "Think you can visit dessert in?"

"Katsuki! No!" he laughed. "I'm so full!"

"We can share one, then."

"Okay, fine," he conceded, grinning at Katsuki's triumphant expression. "I could take a few bites."

A short line awaited them when they reached the stall, but it moved quickly – good service and good company both making the wait fly by. Katsuki had been right, the crepes were gorgeous and delicious, rolled up lightly and filled with cream and fresh fruit. Izuku got the first bite, Katsuki practically stuffing it in his mouth, but Izuku only smiled and opened his mouth, sinking his teeth in.

"So good!" he exclaimed, licking cream from his lips. "Wow!"

"Not so full anymore, are you?" Katsuki teased, taking a big bite of his own. "Another?"

"Yeah!"

They walked along the water, alternating bites, and even though Izuku would later find himself unable to recall what they talked about, he knew there was never a moment of silence. Never a moment where he wasn't smiling and laughing at Katsuki's jokes.

"Excuse me?"

They both turned quickly at the sound of the squeaky little voice, stunned to find a little boy in his pyjamas looking up at them, a notebook clutched in his grip.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Downfall, but could I pretty please get an autograph? I promise I'll be quick!"

"Of course you can, bud," Katsuki knelt down on the edge of the grass without a care in the world for his expensive trousers, far more concerned with smiling at the little kid than he was about a potential grass stain. "What's your name?"

"Kenzou!"

"Good name, sounds strong. Can you spell it for me?"

"Yeah!"

Izuku watched fondly as Katsuki wrote out a little message to the boy, listening to him talk and nodding along to his stories.

"Thank you for cheering me on, I'll be extra strong with you on my side."

"I'll cheer super hard!"

"Thanks, Kenzou. Is that your phone? You wanna take a photo?"

"Can we?"

"Yeah, of course. Sorry I'm not in costume."

"That's okay! I'm super happy!"

They snapped a couple of quick pictures together, then the boy was waving goodbye and hurrying back to his mother a few metres away, grinning as he waved the phone and the autograph in her face.

"Thank you so much," she called. "He saw you across the street and insisted he couldn't miss the opportunity."

"It's my pleasure, always happy to meet a fan."

He waved until they disappeared through the trees, his smile turning awkward when he returned to Izuku on the path.

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be. Does that happen often?"

Katsuki hesitated, rubbing at the back of his neck as he conceded the smallest of nods.

"Kinda?"

"You're really sweet with kids. Kind of a contrast from how you treat adults, huh?"

"I don't need to be sappy to adults."

"It's cute, that's all."

"Shut up."

"Aww, why so mean all of a sudden?" he teased, shoving Katsuki with his shoulder. "Be nice to me, Kacchaaaaan."

"Make me, Dekuuuuuu."

He grabbed Izuku in a headlock, both of them giggling like idiots, and Katsuki wondered if he was getting sick or some shit, with the way he'd been acting all night. With a little shove, he pulled away, nodding toward the restaurant across the street.

"Ready to head home and kiss the boys goodnight?"

"Yuuto says no kisses this week."

"He'll be asleep. What he doesn't know can't hurt him."

"Thanks for tonight," Izuku's smile softened a little as he fell into step beside Katsuki. "I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, me too, nerd."

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