Building Blocks and Tiny Socks

Here's a fluffy little gift for Mika's birthday - Happy birthday!! I hope you like it <3

─────

“Kacchan, we talked about this! He needs to learn the classics!”

“Screw the classics, you damn nerd. We’re the future, he should be wearing our merch.”

The pair didn’t seem to notice every eye in the store turning their direction as they bickered, let alone the nervous sales assistant who hovered awkwardly, forgotten in favour of an argument they’d already had sixteen times that week alone.  

“We’re his dads,” Katsuki insisted. “I don’t want him staring at shitty All Might merch when he could be looking at our merch!”

“But he has us, Kacchan, he doesn’t need our merch! Besides, I saw your face light up when I found that cute little All Might baby onesie, don’t lie to me! He needs to develop a proper appreciation for the amazingness of All Might!”

“That isn’t even a word, dumbass.”

“Is too!”

“Is not.”

“E-Excuse me, Sirs?” the sales lady finally managed to squeeze in, both men freezing in an instant, their surroundings finally remembered. “I hope I’m not over-stepping, here, but uh, you don’t have to theme the entire nursery around one subject? Y-You could always have sections, if that makes any- Any sense?”

Katsuki hummed to himself thoughtfully, eyes narrowing in contemplation, but Izuku lit up at the suggestion, practically vibrating as he filled with new ideas.

“We could have a green and orange bed area, so he gets to have both his dads there when he sleeps!” Izuku beamed, watching Katsuki immediately soften under the enthusiasm. “And we could have a little All Might play area, lots of colourful toys with all his signature colours! Do you think we can find a set of building blocks that are all red, white, blue and yellow? I bet they exist! Or we could buy a few sets and just pick out the colours we want!”

“I want a Ground Zero corner with the rocking chair we ordered,” Katsuki grumbled. “Lots of cushions and blankets and stuff.”

“For cuddle time!” Izuku agreed, watching Katsuki’s face flush. “I like it, the Kacchan Cuddle Corner!”

“Shut up, nerd.”

“But it’s so cute!”  

Katsuki rolled his eyes at the little pout that took over Izuku’s face, giving Katsuki his best puppy eyes as he pleaded silently.

“And a Deku changing area,” he said finally.  

“Yeah!”

“You get the poop, since you’re a shitty nerd.”

Izuku snorted at that, unable to quite hold back his laugh, and Katsuki smirked in return – he always knew he’d won when Izuku started laughing at his stupid jokes.  

Then again, Izuku always laughed at his stupid jokes.

“What about the crib?” Izuku asked, a lot quieter this time. “He’s gonna sleep with us for the first year, right? So it won’t be in the nursery?”

“Yeah, I guess we need one of each? He can nap in the nursery during the day, then sleep with us at night?”

“Okay! We should get two the same, then, and matching blankets and stuff so he doesn’t know it’s different!”

“I don’t think he’s gonna be that observant, nerd.”

“Just in case!” Izuku huffed. “I already ordered two mobiles, it’s fine.”

“They better not be fuckin’ All Might themed.”

“Not entirely?” Izuku squeaked. “Maybe a little.”

“You damn nerd I swear to God-”

“You’ll like them I promise!”  

“I damn well better.”

Katsuki folded his arms stubbornly, finally turning to give the sales associate a quick nod.

“Alright, we need to look at cribs, then. I want the best damn crib you stock, no cheap stuff that’s gonna splinter around my baby.”

“Of course, Sir, right this way!”

The rest of the customers went back to their own shopping as the trio trekked across the store, leaving them in peace, but not even halfway to the crib section Izuku stopped in a hurry, Katsuki slamming into his back – damn nerd felt like a brick wall.

“What the fuck, nerd?”

“Kacchan, look!” he squeaked, once again drawing attention from all around them. “It’s so adorable oh my gosh Kacchan!”

Izuku plucked a tiny pacifier off the shelf, cupping it tenderly in his hands, and Katsuki couldn’t help but smile when he saw the shining eyes glance up at him for approval. The pacifier was black, not exactly Izuku’s usual choice for baby supplies, but the little loop that protruded from it was a familiar shade of orange.  

“Are you seriously crying over a pacifier?” Katsuki asked, a hint of fondness slipping into his tone when he saw the trembling lower lip. “This is a new low even for you.”

“But look at it, Kacchan! He’ll match his Daddy!”

Katsuki held out their basket knowingly, already filling up with bits and pieces Izuku had fallen in love with on their way in, and with watery eyes Izuku dropped it in. After a brief pause, he quickly snatched a second one, mumbling “just in case” as he set it beside the first.

“Done now?” Katsuki asked, reaching out with his free hand to swipe a tear off Izuku’s cheek. “We still haven’t made it to the bed section.”

“I knooooow,” he whined pathetically. “Everything is just so cute and I keeping thinking about how soon he’s gonna be in our lives and I just- I just-”

“Okay, okay, don’t work yourself up,” Katsuki insisted. “Compose yourself, nerd.”

“I’m tryyyyingggg.”

With a sigh that felt like the fiftieth since they stepped through the store’s doors, Katsuki wrapped his arm around Izuku’s waist, pulling him in for a quick hug as he sniffled and swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears at bay. It took a second for him to gather himself, to nod apologetically at their sales lady who by now had to be regretting every life choice she’d ever made, but Katsuki kept hold of him anyway, hoping it might provide him some comfort – or at least keep him away from the shelves of cute baby items.

“Oh, those green baskets would look cute in the Deku Poop Area!”

Never mind, he’d clearly overestimated Izuku’s ability to stay on track.

“I’ll tell you what, let’s go sort the cribs so they can arrange delivery, and then me and you will go through every single aisle to pick out all the cute things in the world while the staff help someone else, okay?”

“Every aisle?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“Even the baby clothes?” Izuku clarified, eyes shining.

“I still think we have enough damn baby clothes, but yeah, if you want.”

“Deal!”

“Thank Christ.

Izuku finally turned his eyes straight ahead, practically skipping after their poor sales assistant, to a little section of cribs, set up to scrutinise in the corner. Thankfully the lady seemed to know her stuff, leading them straight to a more expensive brand – though not the most expensive, Katsuki noticed.

“These ones have a ten year warranty, in case you decide to have more children after the first, and I’ve worked here for over twenty years and never seen one returned or replaced. They’re very well-made, and they put a lot of care into each one, they’re not just manufactured cheaply and thrown out into the world. They’re a little on the expensive side, as you can see, but personally I think it’s well-worth the money.”

“Money isn’t an issue,” Katsuki assured her. “What about these more expensive ones, are they even better?”

“They’re designer brands, Sir. They-”

“Got it, say no more,” Katsuki snorted. “Forget them.”

“His parents work in fashion,” Izuku smiled, leaning over to inspect the inside of the crib. “He’s spent far too much time around designer brands.”

“Five minutes was too much time,” Katsuki grumbled. “Let alone half my life.”

“I think I like the one on the end,” Izuku hummed, running his hands over the different cribs as he explored. “It looks pretty, and it’s a bit taller than the others.”

“Yeah, you might not be able to bend over far enough for the lower ones.”

“Are you calling me too tall or too old? Or too injured?”

“Yes.”

“Do we put a blanket or something on this mattress?” Izuku asked, ignoring the slights – half-hearted as they were. “I know you’re not meant to use blankets for a bit in case they get stuck and suffocate, but it doesn’t seem very comfy or warm just on the bare mattress?”

“We have fitted sheets you can use to cover them, they’re easier to wash too. They have nice strong elastic to keep them in place so they won’t slip off and pose a risk.”

“That sounds good. Um, what colours do they come in?”

“A veritable rainbow,” she smiled fondly. “I’m sure we can find you one to match your themes.”

“We have these cute curtains with cartoon All Mights on them that Katsuki pretends to hate,” Izuku explained, digging out his phone to show her a photo. “Do you think we could get a blue or a yellow that would match?”

“Absolutely, why don’t I go grab you some options while you browse here?”

“That would be great! Thank you!”

She stepped away to a nearby area of shelves, stuffed with various linens, and Katsuki huffed when Izuku beamed at him.

“I’m not gonna win on the damn curtains, am I?”

“You love them,” Izuku laughed. “Don’t lie to me.”

“You’re so lucky I don’t give a shit about curtains.”

Izuku grinned triumphantly, running his hand one more time over the smooth wood of his favourite crib, and getting a nod of approval from Katsuki when their eyes met.

“It’s so soon, Kacchan. I can’t believe it.”

“I know.”

“I’m so excited.”

“Me too.”

“And kinda scared.”

“I never would have guessed.”

“Meanie.”

When the sales lady returned, she came with a younger man holding a tablet, ready to get all their delivery details for their two new cribs. Katsuki took charge of giving all the details, letting Izuku do the whole small-talk thing while he waited, and soon they were left to their own devices, just Katsuki, Izuku, and a basket rapidly filling with all the cute baby items Izuku fell in love with.

Izuku dragged him straight to the baby clothes, always ready and waiting for a chance to find tiny onesies in All Might colours, or little hats in All Might colours, or stacks of bibs in- Yeah, he had a pattern going.

Surprisingly, though, it was Katsuki who froze when his eyes fell on a little shelf, his jaw hanging open slightly as he stared. Izuku stopped a metre ahead, glancing back over his shoulder to see what had distracted him so much, but when Katsuki’s hands trembled, he shot back to his side.

“What’s wrong?!” he insisted, watching Katsuki’s eyes get a little shinier under the store lights. “Kacchan, are you okay?”

“They’re… So small.”

Izuku blinked at him in confusion, turning his head to look, dumbfounded when he found a collection of baby socks on the nearest shelf.

“The socks?” he clarified.

“They’re just… So damn small, Deku.”

“Yeah, they’re tiny.”

“Are his feet gonna be this small?”

“Yes, Kacchan.”

“Oh my god.”

Katsuki swallowed hard, and when Izuku hugged him tightly, he didn’t put up a fight.

“I need a minute,” Katsuki stumbled, sniffing hard and trying to keep himself from shaking. “I just… Holy shit they’re tiny.”

Izuku cracked a smile, ducking his head to hide it in Katsuki’s shoulder, and for a moment they just stayed there in the middle of the aisle, staring at baby socks.

“You wanna buy some socks?” Izuku asked quietly, when Katsuki gained some composure back. “He’ll need a lot of them, probably.”

“Damn right he will, those things are gonna get lost so damn fast.”

“Yeah,” Izuku chuckled. “I’m sure they will, they’re very small.”

“They really fuckin’ are.”

Katsuki reached out, picking up a little green set with a matching hat, slotting them into the basket with no hesitation. Izuku leaned over to peek as Katsuki explored more colours, his smile stretching wider when he saw the little bunny ears on the hat.  

He’d heard enough bunny jokes from Katsuki in his lifetime, ever since they’d become proper friends again in high school and Katsuki had figured out the difference between insults and friendly teasing. His mask was a favourite target, with Kacchan pulling at his “ears” during slow moments on patrol and poking fun at the little hops he did sometimes, when he was using his quirk to move around. As much as he refuted the rabbit comparisons, he was kind of flattered that Katsuki had based his little meltdown on tiny green socks and a bunny hat, of all things.

A handful of socks covered them over quickly, a rainbow of colours and every pattern under the sun, each pair as tiny as the last. Part of Izuku wanted to point out that maybe they didn’t quite need that many, but when he saw the look on Katsuki’s face, barely holding himself together, the words died in his chest.  

“Remember when you made fun of me about the pacifier?” Izuku asked, boldly poking the bear with a stick. “You can’t do that anymore.”

“Shut up.”

─────

Izuku cradled the tiny bundle of blankets in his arms, torn between the fear of holding too tight and hurting him, and the fear of not holding tight enough and letting him fall. Katsuki held the front door open for him to go inside first, then quickly hurried ahead again, making sure the path to the nursery was clear of any obstacles, no matter how minor.

When they finally made it upstairs and into the room, Izuku let out a breath he’d been holding since the first moment he reached into the car seat. Normally that wouldn’t have been too awful, but considering how long they’d spent trying to figure out how to work the damn thing, he was pretty well out of air by the time they reached the door.

“Welcome home, my sweet little Shucchan,” Izuku whispered, tears already spilling down his cheeks again. “Daddy and I spent a long time picking the perfect decorations for your room here, I hope you love it as much as we do! Shall we take a look around?”

Katsuki could only watch fondly as Izuku carted their new son around the room, showing off everything they’d bought in the build up to his homecoming, even the smallest and most insignificant of details.

“This is what Daddy calls the Shitty Nerd Corner, but you shouldn’t use that word, swearing isn’t nice. It all looks like my hero costume, see? Lots of nice greens, just like your pretty eyes, and some reds too like Daddy’s eyes, and like my shoes and belt. We almost didn’t get these baskets because Daddy got distracted by tiny socks, but I made him go back for them. They’re gonna hold all your little diapies for me!”

“You don’t need to show him the diapers, idiot.”

“I need to show him everything, Kacchan! It’s a big, scary world, I just want Shucchan to recognise his little part of it! Come on baby, let’s look at Kacchan’s Cuddle Corner next! See this rocking chair? He didn’t even tell me he bought it, it just showed up on the doorstep because he refused to not have it. He’s gonna snuggle up here with you to feed you and talk to you and read to you and rock you to sleep when you’re lonely or scared. Daddy is gonna take such good care of you, you know. I’m gonna try my best, but Daddy is gonna be amazing. He likes the black and orange, that’s why we’ve got the black cushions here for him, and we’ve got some snuggly orange blankets in the drawer so Daddy doesn’t get cold sitting here, he doesn’t like the cold. We even have some books for you already, see? This little pile here is all for you, because it’s never too early to start hearing hero stories!”

Katsuki sighed fondly, keeping his mouth shut this time, watching the sweet look on his husband’s face as he took the baby on his little tour. Shunsuke’s eyes weren’t even open anymore, but Izuku didn’t seem to notice, pointing out their surroundings all the same.

“I had to fight really hard to get our Mighty Nap Area, Daddy is a little embarrassed that he still likes All Might so much, even though he should, because All Might is the best. But look how bright and cheerful these curtains are, Shucchan! I love all these little All Might faces with their big smiles. Maybe his smile will make you smile too! And I have blue and yellow sheets for your bed here, so you can decide your favourite colour as you get a bit older. Maybe it won’t be either? You might like the green and orange ones in our bedroom better, that would be cute. Or maybe you’ll like purple the best because it’s pretty much the only colour that isn’t in one of our costumes? That wouldn’t surprise me, you’re Kacchan’s son after all, you’ll probably be really contrary and stubborn.”

He paused briefly, reaching up to set their custom mobile spinning, six little plush toys dangling from the edges.

“This is my favourite bit,” Izuku explained. “I had it made just for you, and there’s one in the bedroom too. Look, it has Daddy, and Papa, and Grandpa All Might too!”

Katsuki had laughed when the mobiles showed up, but never even pretended to protest – they were perfect, with the little squishy likenesses of Shunsuke’s three most important people for him to look at, complete with hero costumes and everything.

“I think he needs a nap,” Katsuki said softly, watching Izuku’s eyes dart down to the sleeping bundle held carefully in his arms, a fond smile stretching across his face as he stared. “Maybe we can finish the tour in the morning?”

“Maybe we should,” Izuku agreed. “You wanna give him a goodnight kiss?”

“Course I do, idiot, why would you even ask?”

Giggling, Izuku planted a little kiss on Shunsuke’s tiny forehead, then turned to carefully hand him over, letting Katsuki hold his son for the first time in a solid hour.

“I love you,” he said softly, with zero hesitation. “Sweet dreams, Shu. I’ll be right here when you wake up, I promise.”

He leaned over to place Shunsuke in the crib, making sure he was safely wrapped in his blanket still and that the crib was securely shut, then reaching for Izuku’s hand. Even after a decade together, Katsuki initiating affection was somewhat rare – admittedly mostly because Izuku beat him to it – so Izuku found himself tearing up again when the fingers laced through his, both of them staring down at their tiny little son.

“His feet are so little,” Izuku teased, planting his head on Katsuki’s shoulder. “I can’t even believe it.”

“Shut up, nerd.”

─────

It took weeks for Katsuki to finally break down and sob over his new baby, Izuku thumping up the stairs in alarm to see what was going on. Instead of the disaster he expected, he found Katsuki comfortable on their bed, exactly where Izuku had left him, Shunsuke still staring up at him from his lap.  

“What’s wrong, Kacchan?!”

“Nothing,” Katsuki sobbed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “H-He looked at m-me.”

“He looked at you? He’s been doing that for a week, right? Whenever you feed him?”

“But h-he,” Katsuki swallowed hard, struggling to get his words out through the tears that fell out of him. “He l-looked at me, then l-leaned into m-me.”

“He wanted snuggles with his Daddy,” Izuku beamed, crawling across the mattress to join them. “Didn’t you, Shucchan? I can’t blame you, Daddy is good at snuggles.”

Sure enough, rather than lying in the crook of his arm like usual, Shunsuke was turned in a little, pressed into Katsuki’s stomach. It was such a small change, but it was enough to push Katsuki over the edge, and Izuku honestly couldn’t blame him. He leaned into Katsuki’s other side, joining the three of them together into a little cuddle huddle, and Katsuki finally managed to stem his tears a little.

“I love you,” Izuku whispered, planting a kiss on Katsuki’s cheek. “There’s no one else in the world that I would even consider raising my son with, you’re so perfect.”

“Stop being sappy.”

“Excuse me?” Izuku snorted. “I’m being sappy?”

“Damn right you are,” Katsuki sniffed hard, cracking a little smile. “Cut it out, nerd.”

Shunsuke’s arm moved, flailing a little, but when Izuku reached to hold his hand, he was met with a little burble that somehow seemed indignant – considering he’d barely started making the noises, he sure was clear about what they meant. Katsuki started offering him things, picking up everything in sight and offering them one at a time, but it wasn’t until a familiar little plushie was picked up that Shunsuke’s noises changed. Izuku’s jaw dropped when he patted at the fluffy, squishy grenade, and Katsuki gave him a knowing look.

“Go open the closet for me,” Katsuki instructed, waving the plushie a little and watching Shunsuke reach toward it clumsily. “There’s a box behind my suit.”

Pouting, Izuku obeyed, hunting down a small cardboard box at the back of the cupboard. He brought it back to the bed, pulling the top open and staring in confusion at the eclectic collection of Katsuki’s merch inside.

“All your favourites,” Katsuki explained, refusing to meet Izuku’s eyes. “I know you’ll wear them out or lose them, so I keep spares on hand so you won’t be all depressed about it.”

“I love you, Kacchan.”

“There’s another grenade in there, find it for me.”

Izuku unearthed the toy, a little firmer than his own, not worn down yet like his one was, but when he held it up over Shunsuke, he couldn’t have cared less. The bright green eyes still stared after Katsuki’s hand, at the more beat-up version of the toy, and Katsuki snorted.

“Looks like you’re getting the new one, nerd.”

“But my one might have germs on it, what if it gets him sick?”

“If it has germs, so do you. You’d have gotten him sick by now.”

“I guess that’s true,” Izuku pouted. “Why does he like that one?”

“Hmm… Remember that week-by-week calendar thing you were reading the other day?”

“What about it?”

“It said they like stuff that smells good,” Katsuki reminded him. “Maybe it smells like his Papa?”

Izuku choked up at the thought, vision blurring as he watched Shunsuke happily burble at the old toy again, and Katsuki freed one hand to ruffle Izuku’s hair fondly.

“Sappy nerd,” he said again, grinning this time. “I could be wrong, maybe he just wants it because he knows it belongs to someone else. He might be a selfish little thing.”

“Never, my Shucchan is perfect.”

“Damn right he is,” Katsuki agreed, moving his hand to stroke Shunsuke’s hair this time – it was much fairer than Izuku’s, he clearly took after Katsuki in that way, but the fuzziness was unfamiliar. Katsuki’s had been spiky from the start, a mess in all his baby photos, but Shunsuke was more like a soft little kitten. Maybe he took after them both. “Look at the little thing, he’s unreal.”

“He looks like you.”

“Haah? He has green eyes, nerd. You blind?”

“But he’s a cute little blondie! And he has your eyes, other than the colour.”

“He’s paler than me.”

“Because he’s barely been in the sun!”

“True. He might erupt with freckles when he starts playing outside more.”

“That would be cute,” Izuku admitted. “I never liked mine much, but on him they’d be super cute.”

“He’ll be you but blond.”

“No, he’ll be you with green eyes and maybe freckles.”

“This is a really dumb argument to be having.”

“Aren’t they always?”

“Fair.”

They exchanged a quick smile, and Izuku snuggled in a little tighter, letting Katsuki’s arm wrap around him for real.  

“He’s perfect,” Izuku said again, eyes sinking closed to savour the moment. “And so are you, Kacchan.”

“Sappy nerd,” Katsuki smirked, planting a kiss on green curls. “You’re not half bad yourself.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“You wanna take him for a walk?” Izuku offered, cracking an eye open to peek at the happy baby in his husband’s lap. “We can walk past the agency and show him off to everyone.”

“I don’t want their grubby hands on my baby.”

“We’ll bring wet wipes and make them clean their hands first. You don’t wanna hear everyone tell you how perfect he is?”

“Dork, I already know how perfect he is.”

Izuku smiled wider at that, especially enjoying the way Katsuki squeezed him a little tighter as he said it.  

“Yeah, let’s take him for a walk,” Katsuki said finally. “He likes the outdoors.”

“Just like his Daddy.”

“Maybe next week I’ll take him hiking.”

Izuku laughed, turning his head to look up at Katsuki’s fond smile.

“I saw these little baby backpacks,” he grinned. “I thought it would be kinda perfect to take him hiking in when he’s a little bigger.”

“Get me one.”

“I will.”

Izuku sat up, preparing himself to crawl off the bed, but paused when Katsuki leaned over, the sweetest and softest kiss in the world landing on his lips.

“I love you, Izuku.”

“Aww,” Izuku cooed, winding his arm around Katsuki’s neck and pulling him in to return the favour. “I love you too, Kacchan. I always did.”