My Father's Son - Chapter 15

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After a big, hearty breakfast with Inko at the helm, Katsuki began loading bags into the boot of his car. Hiroki and Yuuto did their best to help, lugging them down the stairs for Katsuki to hoist up and in, but Izuku just hovered nervously, a pained look on his face.

"You don't need me to come," he mumbled. "You'd have more fun without me."

"Shut up, nerd."

"I'm serious! I don't want to ruin your good time!"

"Pack your damn clothes and get in the car before I throw you in."

"I don't even own a tent, or a sleeping bag, or-"

"We're staying in a cabin, I have all of that shit sorted, you just need to pack your clothes and a toothbrush. So hurry the fuck up, I don't want to wait around for your anxious ass."

"I'm serious! You can just-"

"Get. In. The. Car."

Izuku finally seemed to get the point, sighing and conceding a nod. He headed for the stairs, smiling faintly when the boys squeezed past him with their brand new sleeping bags and their comfiest pillows squished in under their arms.

"Are you ready, Papa? Do you need help?" Hiroki offered, when Katsuki had taken his armful. "I'll come help you!"

"Oh, it's okay, I'm just not very-"

"Don't worry, I know exactly what to pack!" Hiroki beamed. "I've been researching for a long time to convince Daddy to take us! I'll help you pick the right things!"

Unable to resist the cute little face, Izuku nodded, letting the little hands clutch at his much larger one and drag him up the stairwell to his bedroom. Katsuki cracked a smirk as he watched them go, resolving to buy the kid an icecream cone later – he was a well-trained manipulator, even when Katsuki didn't get the chance to prompt him.

Katsuki had never been prouder.

"Alright, everyone peed?" he asked, when Hiroki returned with Izuku's backpack in his arms. "Water bottles are in the back, we have snacks too. Yuuto, have I forgotten anything?"

Yuuto hummed to himself, contemplating, and finally shook his head.

"I don't think so!"

"Perfect. Hiroki?"

"Nope! We're ready!"

"Alright. Deku?"

"Huh?"

"Forget it, get in the car."

"Okay, okay."

With a sigh, he slid into the passenger seat, watching with the same pained look on his face as Katsuki climbed into the driver's seat beside him. He watched over his shoulder as the boys buckled themselves into their booster seats, letting Katsuki focus on getting the car started and himself ready to go, and then, with Inko waving in the doorway, they were pulling out into the street.

Katsuki had offered multiple times to bring her along, had assured her they could find plenty of activities to do that she was more than capable of participating in, but she had just smiled and shaken her head.

"You two go have some fun with the boys," she'd urged him, patting his hands with her frail, twisted fingers. "It'll be nice for you all to spend some time outdoors! I'll hold down the fort here and make the most of the time to rest."

His own parents had agreed to check in on her – he'd just asked them to call that night, but he knew they would find some excuse to show up and spend the evening with her, to keep her company. Peace and rest were great, of course, but she'd no doubt be a little lonely when she was used to a packed household.

The trip to the campsite would take them about three hours by car, but Katsuki knew they wouldn't last that long in one burst. Maybe Yuuto might, but Hiroki was too full of energy, would need to get up and run around, or at least take a piss once in a while. Izuku had a bladder like a sieve too, no doubt he'd be squirming in his seat within an hour.

"We have an hour until our first stop," he informed them, using his GPS to select the first little playground he'd chosen and setting it up to give directions. "Can we all handle an hour before we get up to stretch our legs?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, then we're off."

Within ten minutes both boys were sound asleep, their excitement and enthusiasm forgotten in favour of the peaceful hum of the car engine, heads falling against their windows as they slept soundly. Izuku smiled every time he looked back at them, but Katsuki could already see that he was struggling to keep his mouth shut, the desire to make conversation weirdly overwhelming considering that Katsuki didn't give a shit.

Although it was kind of weird. Hiroki was the deepest sleeper Katsuki had ever met, could sleep through a damn siren given the chance, so most of their longer drives – not that they'd done many – had been Katsuki with audiobooks or music to entertain himself while Hiroki knocked out in the backseat. The car tended to do that to him, Katsuki was well-prepared for it. On the nights he had struggled to fall asleep as a baby, ten minutes in the car was more than enough to get him out.

And some habits never changed, apparently.

When they stopped at a little booth to pay their road fares, Katsuki reached into the glove box, pulling out a novel he'd been intending to get around to. He hadn't found the time yet, with everything going on at work – his lunchbreaks had been spent investigating on his own time instead of the peaceful breaks of most months.

"Do you get carsick?"

"N-No? I don't think so?"

"Then read to me," he instructed, setting the book in Izuku's hands. "They fall asleep to us reading, it won't wake them up."

Izuku nodded, a little surprised but more than willing, and when they were back on clear road he flipped it open to the first page.

─────

In the end, it only took one stop to get them to the campsite – much better than the two or three he'd planned on. They'd skipped the first park, since the boys were still sound asleep and Izuku assured Katsuki his bladder was fine, had waited until hour two when Hiroki woke up with a yawn and declared his need for a bathroom. When they pulled into the campground, it was only a little after ten o'clock, a good run if Katsuki did say so himself.

An older man was the lone occupant of the reception office, when Katsuki left Izuku in the parking lot with their slumbering boys and headed over to check in. He sat back behind the desk, flipping pages in the day's newspaper, but when the door opened he set it aside to smile at Katsuki.

"A pleasure to have you," the man said brightly, his sincerity practically unheard of. "If you could fill this out for me that would be wonderful."

"Sure. Sorry we're so early, was expecting more traffic. We're happy to hang out in a public area or whatever until the cabin is free."

"Oh no, please don't apologise! Yours was empty last night, so you're more than welcome to get settled in right away!"

With the form signed and dated, the man produced a little pamphlet, unfolding it into a map and pointing out various amenities they might like to make use of. He even found a marker to circle his recommendations for the kids, after seeing their reservation, and Katsuki smiled faintly as he accepted the little set of keys.

"I hope you have a wonderful stay, please don't hesitate to come and see me if there's anything I can do!"

"Thank you. I'm sure everything will be great."

There were only half a dozen huts in the campsite, built into the forest that he could see in the distance. The parking lot and reception were at one end of the property, with communal spaces for cooking and hanging out, as well as a playground for the kids; what they were there for, though, was the other end of the massive property. From where he stood, it didn't look like much, but he knew once they got closer it would all come together.

"We've gotta walk from here," Katsuki explained, when Izuku looked up expectantly. "We can wake the boys now, or I can carry the first load of gear and come back for you guys."

"That's not fair," Izuku pouted. "We can do our share."

"I didn't say you couldn't."

He opened Yuuto's car door, patting his shoulder gently to wake him, and sure enough the sleepy rubies blinked open to stare at him.

"We made it, bud," he smiled faintly. "You ready to come check it out?"

"Yeah!"

He helped the kid out of his seat and got him steady, his legs a lot less awake than the rest of him, then rounded the car to be a little less gentle with the freckled face trailing drool down his chin.

"Yo, Hiro, rise and shine," he smirked, ruffling the kid's hair and listening to him whine in his sleep "You wanna go camping?"

Bleary-eyed, he finally looked up, whining again when he saw Katsuki's smug look.

"Daddy I was sleeping," he slurred, voice thick with sleep. "It's early."

"It's ten o'clock and I thought you wanted to camp. I guess we could turn around and drive home again, if you prefer."

Hiroki finally seemed to put it all together, jolting upright in his booster seat and looking around blankly at the car.

"We're here?!"

"Uh-huh."

"LemmeoutIwannasee!"

He fumbled his seatbelt off and Katsuki caught him as he leapt out, managing to keep him from faceplanting into the gravel carpark.

"We need to grab our bags and go for a bit of a hike to our cabin."

"Okay!"

"But first you gotta go pee. See that little building there?"

"Yeah!"

"Me too," Yuuto piped up. "I'll come."

"Okay!"

Together they ran off toward the little wooden cabin with bathroom signs out front, and Katsuki gave Izuku a pointed look.

"You need to go too?"

"I'm good."

"You sure?"

"I'm not a child, Katsuki."

"Could've fooled me."

Katsuki rounded the car to their collection of baggage, contemplating it as he began to haul things out. The boys had a backpack each, easy enough for them to handle, but their sleeping bags and pillows were a little bulkier to cart in their small arms. Then there was his own gear, and Izuku's, and a few bits and pieces for the group as a whole – it was gonna be a pain, that was for sure.

When the boys returned, he got them strapped into their backpacks first, tying their pillows on top and handing them their sleeping bags. Izuku came next, with his little duffle bag of clothing and toiletries. Katsuki had a spare backpack housing some of their communal supplies, so he handed that over as well, and finally loaded himself up with the last of the gear.

"That looks heavy," Izuku protested, as he watched Katsuki shoulder the burdens. "Let me help."

"You just focus on walking, nerd. I'm good."

He locked the car behind them, and then they were off into the little park area, grateful they'd all worn their winter boots when they immediately hit a thick layer of snow.

"Where are the cabins?" Izuku asked, peering into the distance. "Are they much deeper into the forest? I can't see any in the trees."

"Nah, they're definitely in the trees," Katsuki grinned. "Don't worry about it."

It took them a solid half hour to cart all their supplies to the forest edge, and Izuku looked up in awe when they got close, jaw dropping when he realised the sheer scale of the things.

"Giant cedars," Katsuki explained, as the boys chased each other in circles around a trunk, giggling up a storm. "Like the ones Yakushima is famous for. Sound familiar?"

"All Might loves them!" he gasped. "I've never seen one before!"

"Most people haven't."

Only a few metres in from the treeline, they came to the little set of wooden stairs, a tiny mailbox at the bottom with "Cabin 1" written on it in gold - or gold-painted metal, anyway. The staircase spiralled around the trunk of the tree, making its way up toward the network of branches and leaves, and way up above them Katsuki could see their little door.

"Start climbing," Katsuki grinned. "Be safe."

It had been a great find, Katsuki had thought, when he came across the cabins in his research. Who wanted some boring cabin in a snowy field when they could have literal treehouses? The ones that grew on a little island covered in them were much more famous, were well-known to be All Might's favourite, but this little patch of them was a very different kind of attraction. 

In the hollows of the old trees, with a little help from tools to develop the caverns further, their rooms sat high above the world. Fallen trees and branches had been used to create the floorboards and staircases, and everything was inspected weekly to make sure the rooms were still safe to sleep in – even Katsuki had started to nerd out a little over how cool it was.

The boys were still laughing as they began their climb, running at first but slowing down as they got a little higher. Katsuki hung back, though, keeping an eye on them in case they did something stupid, but remaining behind to make sure Izuku wasn't going to pass out from all the exertion.

"I need to start working out," Izuku laughed breathlessly, cheeks flushed with either embarrassment or exertion - or maybe a mix of both. "It's been a long time since I was this active."

"Well we're gonna climb it at least a couple of times while we're here, so this is probably a good start," Katsuki smirked. "Thought you'd want to work on your arms more than your legs, though."

"My arms?" Izuku pouted. "Are you making fun of my arms?"

"Didn't you want bigger biceps to give better hugs?"

A bright laugh burst out of Izuku, and Katsuki's smirk widened, struggling to keep back a little chuckle of his own.

"You'll have to teach me," Izuku smiled awkwardly. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Sure, if you want."

"Really? You would do it?"

"Yeah. We'll do a family workout, get the boys into some good habits for the future."

He realised far too late that he'd used the word family out loud, but Izuku didn't even seem to notice, so he bit his tongue when the urge to retract it and explain himself hit him hard.

At the top of the stairs, with Izuku breathing heavily, Katsuki unlocked the little cabin door and one by one they stepped inside the tree. It was kind of surreal, in a weird way, like stepping into some kind of fairy world or a fantasy landscape from the books Hiroki loved to read. The floor was made of strong boards, but the walls were simply tree – a few beams added for reinforcement, but tree all the same. They had a tiny little bathroom with a toilet and sink, the pipes threaded down through long, drilled holes to bring up water from a pump down below and deposit waste back out.

He didn't think Izuku would have coped without decent plumbing, so he was grateful for that one luxury.

The showers were a communal building, further into the forest, and Katsuki knew from the man at reception that there was a pretty little outdoor onsen alongside them, so that would be a nice way to spend their evening.

The only problem Katsuki foresaw was the lack of heating. They couldn't have stoves and heaters in the trees, since, y'know, they would burn down, so they had to settle for plenty of blankets and a box of heatpacks Katsuki had brought along with him. His plan was to stick one in the bottom of each sleeping bag before bed and let them warm up that way.

And speaking of sleeping bags: They had one big futon to go between them, folded neatly in the corner, and each of them had a sleeping bag to keep themselves warm. He had no doubt Hiroki would end up snuggled up to him, though, maybe even inside his sleeping bag if it was particularly cold – he didn't think he would complain about that, for once. Hiroki was like a little space heater when he wanted cuddles in the winter months.

Just this once, of course.

But along with his sleeping bag, his spare one for Izuku, and their collection of comfy pillows, he'd found himself folding his new blanket neatly and squishing it into his backpack. He was a little embarrassed to pull it out in front of them all, even though he knew Izuku would be delighted that he liked the gift, but it had just been too tempting. Too warm, too soft, too cozy and comforting.

"Alright, let's get our stuff set up then go have some fun," Katsuki suggested, setting his armload of their things down in a corner. "Boys, find your pyjamas and toothbrushes for tonight, it might be hard to see up here once it starts to get dark. Better to do it now instead of holding flashlights for each other."

Katsuki set out the futon while the boys dug through their bags, pleased to find it was sufficiently wide enough that the two men wouldn't feel like they were sleeping weirdly close together. He handed Izuku a sleeping bag to lay out at his own end, hoping to busy him with a job to distract him, but sure enough the emerald eyes immediately honed in on the blanket Katsuki pulled from his bag.

"I'm glad you like it," he said knowingly, when Katsuki caught his eye by accident and felt himself blush. "I hope it helps."

"Yeah. Um, th-thanks."

Their gaze was thankfully broken by the boys laying out their bedding and pillows in between them, getting themselves set up so they could crawl into bed when they returned for the night, and Katsuki returned to the task at hand. He even dug out the little heat patches and threw one onto each little section of the bed so they wouldn't have to find them in his backpack, and with his thermal underwear on his pillow to wear as pyjamas, they were sorted.

"Alright," he grinned. "Who wants to go sledding?"

─────

Izuku's legs felt like jelly. He'd thought he was unfit when they had to climb the stairs to their cabin, but that was nothing on walking up and down the hill over and over to push and pull sleds. Yuuto and Hiroki tried their best to help, but the wooden sheds had proven too big and heavy for them, so Izuku had struggled through again and again despite his fatigue.

"Hey, take some photos," Katsuki instructed, digging the camera from his bag and handing it over. "Our parents will want to see them."

"Oh. Sure, okay."

"That cool?"

"Yeah! Of course!"

He pulled up a spare sled to sit on, finding a good angle to get some action shots of the boys, admittedly a little relieved for the rest. Katsuki took the tow ropes from both sleds in one hand, dragging them up behind him like it was no big deal as the boys ran on ahead. 

He felt so inadequate at times, watching Katsuki do things so easily where he himself struggled. So many times he found himself trying to reassure his own mind, trying to remind himself that there were things he could offer that Katsuki couldn't. It was a struggle, though, considering he was yet to actually find one.

Yuuto had always been an outdoorsy kid, ever since he was a toddler trying to escape the confines of his stroller to go climb the trees they walked past. He'd almost resorted to a leash at one point in their lives, but was thankfully saved from the embarrassment by having an intelligent kid who learned road safety in a heartbeat. He never once ran into a road, never tried to cross alone, just waited patiently at the pedestrian crossing for Izuku to lead him over, then took off again into the park.

Izuku regretted a little that he hadn't taken the time to learn more and practice. He'd known it was coming for six years, so why had he never gone for a run or lifted a couple of weights? Why had he never developed the stamina for hiking, or the strength for climbing? Why had none of it ever occurred to him?

He was learning a lot from Katsuki – about parenting, about himself. The "family workout" idea had no doubt been a joke, Katsuki would never call them a family, but maybe if he asked at just the right time and begged just the right amount, Katsuki would teach him a little about how to work out, so he could at least get on top of it for the future. It wasn't like he'd never tried as a teenager, back when he was still trying to be a hero. Somehow it had just never really worked. But with Katsuki's help, maybe by the time Yuuto wanted to run marathons and climb mountains, he'd be able to join in a little. 

Well, no, he'd never be able to run a marathon, but he could go on some training runs with the boy, or something. Take him on smaller hikes to help build up to Mount Fuji.

With a few good photos snapped on the camera, a few sweet smiles of Katsuki's captured for eternity, Izuku pushed it into Katsuki's hands, taking the sleds from him with a determination that was probably going to get him killed one day. Katsuki just smirked and switched places, setting up to take some pictures of Izuku with the boys just the way he'd done for Katsuki. He could see the nerd's legs trembling as he climbed up the hill, the boys grinning as they pushed from behind to help out, but somehow he made it to the top and got the boys ready to ride.

He was such a stubborn idiot.

When Hiroki reached the bottom in a shower of snow and a barrage of giggles, he moved his gaze away from the camera screen to smile fondly, watching as Hiroki dragged his sled off to the side to make room for Yuuto.

"You getting hungry yet?" he asked, when Hiroki scurried over to look at the screen with him, watching him snap shots of Izuku and Yuuto setting up at the top of the hill. "It's after your usual lunchtime."

"Starving! But I'm having fun too!"

"Let's go grab food after this run, then. We can play again later."

"Okay!"

Izuku hurried back down the slope to help, while Yuuto laughed his way down on his sled, but then Katsuki was tucking his camera away safely and reaching for the two tow ropes.

"I'm dying for food, last run then we go get lunch."

"Sounds good," Izuku agreed, pouting a little when Katsuki ignored the hand he offered to help. "You hungry, Yuuto?"

"The hungriest!"

They made their way up for one last turn, and Katsuki smirked when Yuuto reached up, his little hands grabbing at Izuku's coat.

"Papa too," he insisted. "Papa hasn't had a turn."

Katsuki gestured to the sled with a flourish, and despite his face burning bright red, Izuku sat down. He wrapped his limbs around Yuuto to fit, his hands huge beside the kid's, where they gripped at the rope, and with a little shove from Katsuki they went sailing down the hill together.

"Daddy's turn," Hiroki grinned. "Papa did it, Daddy has to too!"

"You might have to sit on my lap," Katsuki mused, contemplating how he was gonna cram his body onto the little seat. "It'll be a tight fit."

"I don't mind!"

"Alright."

He got himself positioned, then pulled Hiroki in on top, making sure he was secure. One hand wound around Hiroki, the other reached down to push, and then they were racing down the slope. Hiroki laughed his head off the entire way, and Katsuki managed a grin of his own despite the ice hitting him in the face.

"That was fun!" Hiroki grinned, when they slowed to a stop and he climbed off carefully. "Thanks for coming, Daddy!"

"Any time, kiddo. But for now, let's go eat. I'm gonna pass out if we wait much longer."

With the snow still falling, Katsuki piled them into the car rather than make them walk – though it was more for his own sake, he was willing to admit. He'd already gotten cold as hell in their playtime together, the idea of sitting in a car with a heater blowing on them was like heaven.

It was about a ten minute drive to reach the market, but the look on the boys' faces when they saw the brightly coloured stalls was worth the wait. It was another attraction the man at the campground had recommended, filled with a hundred different street foods to choose from, interspersed with carnival games to play and souvenirs to probably buy all of. He encouraged them to choose some foods near the entrance, making sure they had something in their stomachs before the fun times started, and sure enough the ice rink took their minds off of food the moment they saw it. Hiroki was babbling nonsense in his excitement, and while Yuuto looked a little nervous, his eyes still shone when he watched the skaters.

"Finish your food and we'll have a go," he agreed, shoving both the boys onto a bench gently. "I'll go get skates, just wait here."

There was a short line waiting, and Katsuki joined it patiently. He knew some people from work who would have used their names to barge through and get priority service, but that had never been Katsuki. He was more than content to wrap his scarf around his face for warmth and watch the myriad of kids trying on their skates, bubbling with excitement just like Hiroki.

"Excuse me, Sir?"

Katsuki looked down to see a sniffling, puffy-eyed child tugging at his coat, and he bent down to meet the kid's gaze.

"Everything okay, buddy?" he asked knowingly.

"Y-You're Mr. Downfall, right? The h-hero?" he asked, sniffing hard. "I l-lost my Momma."

"Yeah, I am. Can I pick you up?"

"Uh-huh."

He hoisted the boy up onto his hip, looking around for any sign of a frantic parent as the boy's fingers tangled in his coat.

"Alright, where did you last see her?"

"We were l-looking at the l-lights," he wiped his eyes on a damp sleeve, regaining a little composure with a hero to help him. "I stopped to look at the r-robot, and then she was g-gone."

"Okay. Tell me about your Momma."

He listened to the boy babble as they walked, heading back toward the light installations as he searched the crowd from someone who fit the description. "Two brothers and a sister" made him pull a face, understanding a little of how the kid might have slipped under the radar. He'd never misplaced Hiroki, had managed to avoid that, but four kids and one parent? That had to be rough.

"You ever gotten lost before, or is this the first time?" he asked, hoisting the boy up onto his shoulders as they got closer to the lights. "Ever talked about it with Momma?"

"Nuh-uh."

"You should talk to her today, ask her what she wants you to do if it happens again. Usually you gotta stay put."

"But I was looking for her."

"I know bud, but the first thing Momma is gonna do is walk back to where she just was. Makes it easier for her to find you that way, yeah?"

"Mm... Yeah," he agreed. "I will next time."

"Good boy. Or sometimes she might point out something big you can see and tell you to go there, it just depends what Momma wants, so you gotta ask. You see her anywhere?"

"Not yet."

"Okay. Keep looking."

The moment they made it back to the robot-shaped lights, Katsuki spotted a frantic woman in the distance, tapping at the boy's leg to get his attention.

"Is that Momma?"

He followed where Katsuki pointed, jolting upright when he spotted her.

"Yeah! Momma!"

Katsuki nudged his way through the crowd, surprisingly easy with his stature compared to the much smaller people around them, but when the woman began to move away from them he let out a frustrated growl.

"Hey!" he yelled, watching the entire area freeze in their tracks, carefully avoiding looking his way and making him curse his default tone of voice. "Kid, yell out to her, loud as you can."

"Loud as I can?"

"Yeah, she knows your voice, she'll hear you and stop walking away."

The boy took a deep breath, and Katsuki laughed when his voice echoed around them, the woman finally turning and spotting them in the distance. People began to move, making way for her, and Katsuki met her halfway to hand over her son.

"Thank you so much!" she sobbed, as she crushed the boy in a hug. "I was so scared! I just turned around and he was gone!"

"Little sh- guy was distracted by shiny things," Katsuki snorted. "Where are the rest of 'em? He said his siblings were here too."

"They're waiting together by the park, my oldest is keeping an eye on them. Thank you Sir, I can never thank you enough."

"It's no problem," Katsuki assured her, patting the kid on the head lightly. "I gotta get back to my own boys, so you be safe, alright?"

"I will! Thank you Mr. Downfall!"

Katsuki was already walking away by the time the mother caught on, but he smirked when he heard the little squawk of surprise, the hushed whispers she and her son exchanged behind his back.

It was kind of funny the way only children ever seemed to recognise him out of costume. His own parents had been the same, when he was growing up. The only hero they recognised without fail was All Might, but considering the amount of his merch they'd bought, that was probably fair enough.

When Katsuki finally made it back to his boys with four pairs of skates in hand, Izuku was twitching nervously, eyes darting back and forth from the kids playing in the snow to the skate rental shed where Katsuki had just been. He looked up with concern all through his face, and Katsuki smiled faintly as he handed over a pair of skates, shaking his head.

"Long story."

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