My Father's Son - Chapter 19

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"I don't feel good."

Izuku looked up to find Hiroki in the doorway, face a little more pale then usual, one hand rubbing lightly at his stomach. Inko was in front of him right away, brushing his hair back to touch his forehead and giving him a soft smile.

"It's not just because your Daddy came home, is it?" she whispered. "Because Daddy is going to work soon, you know that?"

"I know. He can go to work," Hiroki grumbled, rubbing at his eyes. "I just don't feel good."

"Alright sweetie, why don't you come sit down and have a drink of water and we'll give it a minute, okay?"

Hiroki nodded, dropping carefully into a chair, and Inko handed him a drink complete with ice. He held it to his forehead for a moment before he took a sip, and Izuku reached over to stroke his hair.

"Feeling sick, buddy?"

Hiroki nodded, taking another long sip, and Izuku smiled at him faintly.

"I don't have to go to work today, do you wanna stay home from kindy with me?"

"Is it okay?" he mumbled, rubbing at his face again with his cold hands. "I wanna go back to bed."

"Yeah, it's okay," Izuku nodded. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Nuh-uh. Wanna sleep more."

"Okay, let's go say good morning to Daddy and then I'll take you back to bed, okay?"

Hiroki nodded, draining the last of the water and holding his arms up, pouting a little as he looked up at Izuku. Izuku was not a strong man, immediately caving to the silent request, hitching him up for a hug. He tried his best to keep him still, to keep from jiggling him too much, and when they reached the top of the stairs he knocked lightly on a bedroom door.

"Come in," Katsuki mumbled, yawning. "What's going on?"

Izuku pushed the door open, and Katsuki sat up to look, rubbing at tired eyes, his hair even more of a mess than his usual artfully-rumpled look. His brow furrowed when he saw Hiroki snuggled into Izuku's side, and Izuku tried his best to manage a reassuring smile.

"Hiroki isn't feeling very well," he explained, stepping closer when Hiroki reached a hand out. "I think we're gonna call in sick to kindy today."

"Mmm," Katsuki nodded, accepting Hiroki's hand. "Okay, let me call Stupid-Hair."

"Huh? I can stay with him," Izuku assured him. "I don't have work today, you don't need a babysitter."

"Don't be an idiot," Katsuki snorted, plucking Hiroki away with both hands and tucking him into the sheets. "He's gonna cover for me while I take care of Hiroki."

"You don't need-"

"Deku, I'm not going to work when my kid is sick," he objected, voice low and stern. "My little guy needs me, I'm not going anywhere."

Izuku couldn't help but smile faintly at that, reaching out to stroke Hiroki's hair as he snuggled in tight.

"Alright, you guys snooze a bit longer," he nodded. "I'll go sort Yuuto out."

"Let him stay too," Hiroki grumbled, hiding his face. "He'll be scared."

"Hmm? Scared of what?"

"I need to hold his hand," Hiroki explained. "He'll be scared without me holding his hand."

"Okay buddy, I'll talk to him about it."

He left them to their snuggles and headed back downstairs, meeting Yuuto in the hallway with his teeth and hair brushed.

"Hiroki isn't feeling very well," he began, crouching down to Yuuto's level. "He's gonna stay home for today. Do you think you can go to kindy without him? I'll walk you there and pick you up after."

"I guess so," Yuuto grumbled, reaching for his squishy Downfall ball. "If I have to."

"You don't want to?"

Yuuto pouted, shaking his head, and Izuku reached out to pat his shoulder.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Yuuto shook his head stubbornly, and Izuku shifted his hand, pinching lightly at Yuuto's chubby cheek.

"If you want to stay home, you can," he said softly. "But you've gotta remember that next year you won't be in the same class, yeah? Are you gonna be able to do that?"

"Uh-huh," Yuuto nodded, swallowing hard. "Gonna make lots of friends next year."

"I thought you had lots of friends now?"

"Mm... Hirokun's friends," he said awkwardly, squishing at his toy again. "I, um... Get nervous."

"You feel a bit shy with Hiroki's friends?" Izuku clarified, getting a blush and a nod. "That's okay. Let's all stay home together today, and we can think about making friends later."

"Yeah. I'll help Nana make breakfast?"

"That sounds awesome. I'm gonna call the kindy and tell them you're both staying home today, then I'll come back and steal all your yummy food."

"Noooo!" Yuuto whined, "you gotta save some for me and Nana and Hirokun and Dad!"

"Fine, I guess I'll be a good boy and share."

"Yeah!"

"Okay, you go help, I'll be back soon."

He stepped into his bedroom to make the phone call, leaving a message on the answering machine for them to pick up when their business hours began, and when he returned to the kitchen he found a proud look waiting on Yuuto's face.

"Making soup!" he explained, when Izuku smiled back. "Soup for Hirokun!"

"What a good idea, you're such a good brother."

"I wanna put the dinosaur noodles in it."

"I'm sure he'd love that."

It felt weirdly like old times when they sat down to eat together, back to just the three of them gathered around a table, chatting about their plans – Izuku's mound of paperwork from the recent villains; Inko's lunch date with all her old friends and, surprisingly, Mitsuki; Yuuto's practice at reading music so he'd be ready to ask Katsuki about the violin. Somehow, though, it felt lonely all of a sudden. After nearly six years of the three of them at a table, it suddenly felt empty.

"Is Hirokun gonna be okay?" Yuuto asked quietly.

"He'll be just fine," Izuku assured him with a smile. "It's weird when he's not here, huh?"

"Yeah," Yuuto nodded faintly. "Feels quiet."

"He does tend to fill the room with his presence," Inko chuckled. "He's a very lively young thing."

"Maybe he'll pick up a bit after some soup," Izuku suggested. "We'll give them a little while to nap and then give it a try, yeah?"

"Uh-huh," Yuuto nodded, stuffing another bite of egg in his mouth. "If gong be za besh shoup."

"Swallow first, Yuuto."

Yuuto swallowed his food, nodding as he spoke up again.

"I'm gonna make him the best soup ever!"

"Yeah, I know you will."

When the table was clear, a nice full plate set aside for Katsuki, Izuku pulled out his mound of paperwork. He was still piecing together exactly what Katsuki and his colleagues had been up to in the two days he was away, but every time he came across another little nugget of information it just made him realise exactly how stressful Katsuki's job must be. He wanted to run upstairs and give the man a big hug, hold him tight and praise him for how strong and amazing he was, but he knew he'd just end up with an explosive hand to the face if he tried it.

"Papa look," Yuuto insisted, holding out a cup carefully.

"Hmm? Oh wow, look at that! All those yummy vegetables and the chicken, and the dinosaurs look great!"

"I hope he likes it!"

"I'm sure he's gonna love it. Shall we go and see if he's awake?"

"Yeah!"

Izuku pushed his chair back, and Yuuto cradled his big mug in his arms, extra careful as he climbed up the stairs to the open bedroom door. Despite how closely they snuggled together, they both stirred when they heard the footsteps, and Hiroki rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

"I brought soup!" Yuuto whispered excitedly. "Me and Nana made it for you, so eat it and get better, okay?"

Hiroki nodded, letting Izuku help him to sit up against a pillow, then accepting the mug with both hands. He smiled when he saw the dinosaurs, picking one up on his spoon and swallowing it down.

"Mm, yummy," he nodded, taking a sip of the broth. "Thank you."

"You hungry too?" Izuku asked fondly, when Katsuki groaned and hauled himself up. "We saved you breakfast."

"Starving."

"I'll get it!" Yuuto insisted, hurrying off down the stairs. "Nanaaa, breakfast for Daaaad."

Izuku smiled fondly at his back, and Katsuki cracked one of his own as he sat up a little taller, wrapping an arm around Hiroki's waist.

"How long were we out?" he yawned. "Long time?"

"Maybe an hour, not long at all. We ate, they made soup, I did some paperwork. Are you, um, feeling okay?"

"I'm not the sick one."

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm fine," Katsuki assured him, eyes narrowing. "Don't start."

"I'm not starting anything! Just making sure!" Izuku objected. "Hiroki, make sure you give Daddy lots of cuddles. Daddy cuddles are magic for helping you get better, you know?"

"I know!" Hiroki grinned, looking up at his Dad with all the admiration in the world. "Daddy can fix anything."

Yuuto returned with his plate of breakfast, carefully handing Katsuki the bacon, eggs and rice, and Hiroki snuggled into his side, sipping at the last of his soup while Katsuki ate.

"Papa, can we watch the cartoons?" Hiroki asked, when Izuku took the empty mug back. "The English ones?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that can be arranged. You wanna come downstairs or shall I bring you a laptop?"

"Want you to watch too," Hiroki pouted. "I guess downstairs."

"I could bring the TV up," Katsuki offered, yawning again. "You wanna snuggle up in bed to watch?"

"Could we?" he asked, eyes shining. "That would be nice!"

"Alright," Katsuki nodded, finishing his last bite of rice. "Yuuto, I need your help, buddy."

"Carrying TV?" he asked, biting his lip. "I can try."

"No, you gotta come give Hiro snuggles while I bring it up."

Yuuto giggled, nodding as he switched places with Katsuki, getting a little smile from Hiroki as they curled up together. He made sure to rub Hiroki's back as he settled in, and Katsuki nodded, shooting him a thumbs up.

"Perfect. Good job, I'll be right back."

He stopped to brush his teeth on the way through, and Izuku returned to the living room to start unplugging cables. He gathered the ones he needed, along with his laptop to play the videos from, and by the time he set them up in the bedroom Katsuki was with him to lift the television.

"Cartoons in bed?" Inko asked fondly, watching as they took an end each. "Sounds like a good recovery method."

"We thought so too," Izuku grinned. "You wanna join us?"

"Thank you dear, but I'm going to go run a few errands then meet with my friends! Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"Oh, I can do errands," Izuku frowned. "You want me to go out and do the groceries and things?"

"No, no, that's alright! I'm happy to do it, you look after our boys!"

"Thanks Mom, we appreciate your help."

Together they got the TV hooked up, and Katsuki dove on the bed as Izuku hunted down a playlist of videos. By the time Izuku turned around the boys were both giggling, squirming as he nuzzled them both sweetly. Izuku couldn't help but stop and stare, watching his boys grin, and even with his pale face and obvious fatigue, Izuku had rarely seen Hiroki happier.

Katsuki crawled into the bed, dragging Hiroki into his lap and winding his spare arm around Yuuto. He whispered something in Yuuto's ear, and then Yuuto was grinning again, patting the mattress beside him.

"Papa, come on," he insisted. "Come get comfy before you miss it!"

"I'm coming, don't you worry!"

Despite a hint of awkwardness in his face, Izuku still joined them, letting Yuuto crawl into his lap. With the four of them clustered together, the show began to roll, but Katsuki caught Izuku's eyes wandering. A familiar direction, he couldn't help but notice – to the mirror hanging on his wardrobe door, staring at their reflections.

"Like one big happy family, huh?" Katsuki smirked, elbowing him lightly and making him blush. "Looks like you're gonna have to get used to it."

─────

When Hiroki yawned again, Katsuki pulled him a little closer, letting him snuggle in tight. He hid his face in Katsuki's chest, whining quietly, and Katsuki brushed his hair back to feel his temperature.

"Feeling queasy, bud?"

"Dizzy," Hiroki corrected him quietly.

"Not gonna be sick?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Alright, maybe it's time for another nap."

Izuku got up to pause the videos, leaving it set up for later, and Hiroki's fingers clutched tighter at Katsuki's shirt.

"Daddy nap too?" he asked with a pout. "Cuddles?"

"Yeah, of course," Katsuki assured him, continuing to stroke his hair gently. "I'll stay for a nap."

"Me too," Yuuto insisted, grabbing at Katsuki's arm. "I wanna nap too. Can I?"

"Yeah, of course you can. Snuggle in, little dude."

Izuku smiled as he wriggled out from underneath, giving Yuuto room to move over a little and let them pile up in the middle of the bed.

"I'm gonna go do some cleaning," he whispered, when Yuuto reached for him. "I haven't done laundry in a week. You stay and look after our boys, okay?"

Yuuto nodded, and when Katsuki slid down onto his back, he curled into the free side. Katsuki smiled with a kid tucked under each arm, and Izuku shook his head when their eyes met.

"You guys rest," he said firmly. "I'll come check on you again soon. Text me if you need anything in the meantime."

"You sure you don't wanna stay?"

"Yeah, it's okay, I'm gonna go be productive."

"Papa, kisses," Hiroki insisted, reaching up and wriggling his fingers as if he were trying to grab Izuku from across the room. "Need goodnight kisses, don't forget."

"I would never forget," Izuku assured him, leaning over to plant a big kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight Hiroki, you get some good sleep."

"Yeah!"

He rounded the bed to Yuuto next, getting a little smile in return despite how he liked to claim he didn't need kisses.

"Sweet dreams, Yuuto."

His eyes locked with Katsuki's, and before he knew it he was leaning over a little further, planting a shy little kiss on Katsuki's cheek.

"Get some rest, Kacchan," he smiled despite his blush. "Look after our boys."

"Dumb nerd," Katsuki huffed, burning red all the same. "Whatever."

"Sweet dreams!" Izuku grinned, barely stifling the giggle that wanted to come out over Katsuki's awkward embarrassment. "Feel better soon, Hiroki."

─────

The buzz at the intercom jolted Izuku out of his seat, hurrying to the little screen to check it out before it could wake up the boys. The face on the other end surprised him, but he padded down the stairs all the same, pulling the door open a little.

"Hey, Midoriya!" the man grinned, raising one hand in a wave. "I heard our little Hiro was sick, had to drop by. Is he up and about?"

"He's been in bed with Katsuki all day, but he might be awake. Come on up, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

He led the way up to the bedroom, peeking inside, and found Yuuto rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"You have a good nap?" Izuku asked quietly. "How's Hiroki doing?"

"I'm okay," Hiroki murmured into Katsuki's chest. "M'comfy."

"Are you feeling up to a visitor?"

"Visitor?"

He pried his head up to look, and when he saw the bright grin and spiky red hair, a tired smile spread across his lips.

"Uncle Eijirou!"

"Hey, Hirohiro! I heard you were under the weather!" he grinned, stepping in to scoop the boy from the bed, hugging him tight. "Is Daddy taking good care of you?"

"Yeah," Katsuki groaned, clutching at his head as he sat up. "I was, until you interrupted."

"Aww, is Daddy using you as an excuse to take naps again?" Eijirou grinned. "You know, when you were a baby, he used to go home in the middle of patrol for a nap break. Insisted you couldn't take a nap without him snuggling you."

"I like Daddy's snuggles," Hiroki pouted. "Don't tease please, he might not give me cuddles anymore."

"I'll always give you cuddles," Katsuki objected, snatching him back and dragging him under the blankets again. "Leave Stupid-Hair alone, let me have my cuddles."

"I've gotta head back to work anyway," Eijirou laughed. "Just came by on my lunchbreak! After all, you know what sickness needs?"

"Emergency chocolates?"

"Emergency chocolates!" Eijirou agreed, digging a pretty little box out of his bag. "I brought some for Yuuto too, to help keep your immune system up."

He handed a box to each of them, and Yuuto marvelled over his little red box, playing with the shiny ribbon.

"Thank you very much, it was very kind of you!" Yuuto said quickly, clutching it in his hands.

"You're welcome, little guy! You eat them whenever you want, don't let Daddy tell you it's almost dinner time or you just ate dessert. Emergency chocolates gotta get eaten when you want, no matter what!"

Yuuto grinned, and Izuku couldn't help but smile too, nodding firmly.

"Thank you Mr. Red Riot, I promise I won't listen to Dad just this one time."

"You're a good little dude, I like you. Alright, I gotta get back to work, you take care of Hiro for me while I take care of the city for Daddy, okay?"

"I will! I promise!"

He leaned in to give Hiroki a little kiss goodbye, then ruffled Yuuto's hair and Katsuki's, getting a blush from one and a scowl from the other. Yuuto popped open the lid of his box, plucking a chocolate out to eat, and with a little smile Izuku waved goodbye, following Eijirou back down the stairs.

"Thank you for coming by," he smiled, softening when Eijirou flashed him an even wider one of his own. "It clearly meant a lot to Hiroki, and you made Yuuto super happy too. Thank you for being such a good Uncle."

"Nah dude, I'm happy to be here! I love the little guy, and I know I haven't had a chance to talk much with Yuuto, but he's so damn cute. Katsuki's hair and eyes, not to mention his pout, it's kind of hilarious. I love it."

"Feel free to come by and chat with him, one day," Izuku laughed. "He'd be happy to see you, he's a huge fan."

"Oh yeah? I'll bring him a plushie or something, take some pictures in costume with him."

Izuku fidgetted awkwardly, choking on his words, and Eijirou tilted his head to the side as he contemplated the expression.

"My poster," he mumbled finally, burning bright red. "Um, thank you. It was super cool."

Eijirou laughed, reaching out to clap him on the shoulder again, shaking his head.

"Dude, it was my pleasure. Blasty is such a sucker for you, you know? We never stop giving him shit about it. You need to come meet the gang at some point! Think you could find a babysitter one night and drag him out for dinner and drinks with us all? Your Mom lives with you, right? Think she'd mind for a couple of hours?"

"She'd be happy to babysit, but Katsuki hates missing any moment he could be spending with the boys. I can try."

"We'll make it a late one. You can put them to bed, then come meet us for a drink?"

"I'm sure I could make that happen!" Izuku grinned. "Just let us know when! I'd love to meet everyone!"

"I'll start planning!"

He watched Eijirou head off down the street, keeping an eye on his back until he rounded a corner, then closing and locking the door with a last smile to himself. It was past lunchtime and Izuku's stomach was starting to growl – he'd been so caught up in his paperwork that he'd completely forgotten about eating. It was time to take a break, time to find out what his boys wanted for lunch and deliver it to them in bed, and maybe to watch a few more cartoons tucked up in Katsuki's bed.

For having a sick kid, it really was turning out to be a pretty good day.

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