My Father's Son - Chapter 61

“I’m home!” a voice called, as the door opened downstairs. “Hirohiro!” Izuku laughed, finding a grin just as bright on Katsuki’s

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“I’m home!” a voice called, as the door opened downstairs. “Hirohiro!”

Izuku laughed, finding a grin just as bright on Katsuki’s face, too, when he looked over. Hurried little footsteps came down the stairs toward them, then ran straight past, sprinting straight down to the front door. A little thump told them that Hiroki had found his mark, and a couple of matching chuckles from downstairs confirmed he’d done so safely – thank god.

Mirio and Tamaki headed up first, to join them in the living area, and Izuku beamed when he saw Koara tucked into Mirio’s arm, cooing as he leaned in to say hello. Koara laughed at him, and Izuku felt his heart melt – he loved having six-year-olds, but gosh he missed having a baby, too.

“She can stand now,” Mirio told him proudly. “Any day now she’s gonna be running off and getting in trouble without us!”

“Awww, I’m sure she would never! You’re gonna be such a good girl for your daddies, aren’t you?”

She laughed again, and Mirio grinned, poking at her little fingers lightly when they reached up.

“Pretty sure that laugh was at the idea of being good,” he said with a grin. “She’s not gonna have a little Hiro to keep her in check, we should have convinced Katsuki to have another baby at the same time.”

“God no,” Katsuki shuddered. “One woman was more than enough.”

“Oh right, do you need me to hook you up with our seahorse dealer?”

“Sure, the supply is the issue.”

Ryouji and Hiroki finally made it upstairs, hands intertwined, and Ryouji grinned as he shrugged off his little satchel, expertly opening it with only one hand – Izuku suspected he frequently found himself missing one.

“We brought drinks!” he announced, pulling out the first bottle and offering it to Katsuki. “Dad says I’m not allowed to drink this one, can you sneak me a glass when he isn’t looking?”

“You wouldn’t like it,” Katsuki assured him, accepting all the same. “Thanks, this is my favourite one.”

“I know! And we brought sparkling grape juice for the not-adults, so we can feel fancy too. Except for... ta-da!” He pulled out a little plastic bottle, grinning as he handed it to Hiroki, and Hiroki smiled at him like he personally hung the sun in the sky every morning.

“Chocolate milk!” he gushed, hugging it with his one free arm. “Thank you!”

Despite all the adults watching, he turned and pressed a kiss to Ryouji’s cheek, and Izuku did his best to hold back his coos, lest he embarrass them both.

“Oh, there’s Yuuto,” Ryouji said, looking back when he heard the footsteps coming. “I brought the dragon book so you can read it.”

“You did?” Yuuto asked, wide-eyed.

“Uh-huh. You can borrow it for as long as you want, I’ve read it lots.”

“Thank you, I’m excited.”

He reached into his bag again, handing Yuuto a thick, hardback book that Izuku found surprisingly intimidating. But hell, if Yuuto was excited about reading something, he sure wasn’t gonna question it.

“Uncle Katsuki, do you get holidays this year?”

“I do,” Katsuki agreed, smiling slightly. “Why, you want something?”

“Nope, I’m just glad,” Ryouji shrugged, leaning over to retrieve the last bottle of drink before he set his bag aside. “You never get holidays, you deserve more.”

“Thank you,” Katsuki said, holding out his hand to take the juice. “It’s nice to spend some time with the family for once.”

“It’s the first time he’s ever had the whole week off,” Hiroki said gleefully. “We have lots of time to do fun things!”

“Are you gonna do sparring?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said, before Hiroki could even look at him for an answer. “I sent Halfie a text this morning, he’s gonna send me his schedule.”

“Woohoo!” Hiroki grinned. “Are you gonna spar too?”

“Dad is working, and Dad has to take care of Koara, we can’t spar with her in the room.”

“You want to come with us?” Katsuki offered, glancing at the Togatas for confirmation. “We’ll have to take turns, but I’m sure we can have some fun”

“Can I?” Ryouji asked, whirling around with wide eyes.

“Of course you can,” Mirio answered, without a moment of hesitation. “Show Katsuki who’s boss for me.”

Ryouji stood up straight, snapping his free hand up to a salute, and Izuku couldn’t quite stifle his laugh – thankfully Ryouji didn’t seem offended, though.

“I’m gonna go grab some glasses,” Katsuki said, gesturing with the bottles. “Thanks again.”

“Our pleasure,” Tamaki assured him. “It’s the least we can do, when you’re the one hosting.”

A knock came from downstairs, and Mirio raised an eyebrow.

“Who the hell knocks at your house?” he teased. “I’m pretty sure we have a key somewhere.”

“Ryouji has a key,” Katsuki called. “Not you. It’ll be Aizawa-sensei, Eri doesn’t like just walking in.”

“Eri!” Yuuto grinned, hopping down the stairs cheerfully. “I’ll get it!”

Izuku followed him quickly, just in case, to watch him reach up to the handle, cracking the door open to peek.

“Hi Eri!” he said, pulling it open properly and letting Izuku’s nerves wash away. “Come in!”

“Hello,” she said softly. “I made cookies.”

“You made them?!” Yuuto asked excitedly, accepting the container she held out to him. “I like the shapes!”

Izuku leaned over a little to look, smiling when he saw all the flowers and hearts neatly stacked inside.

“They look beautiful,” he praised. “Did you have fun making them?”

She nodded firmly, and Yuuto’s face lit up.

“I like baking too,” he told her. “You should come bake with me!”

She nodded again, smiling this time, and Izuku had to resist the urge to bend down and hug them both. He knew neither of them would appreciate it, but it was so damn hard when they were being so cute and sweet!

“Eri!” Mirio said brightly, when they all headed upstairs. “It’s been a while, how are you doing?”

“Good,” she said softly. “I made cookies.”

“Look how cool they are,” Yuuto said, holding out the container for Mirio to see. “They’re all cool shapes.”

“Wow, that’s amazing, Eri! They look delicious!”

Yuuto set the box down on the coffee table with their other snacks, making sure to place them right in the centre, and the pair exchanged a little smile when everyone immediately reached for one to try.

“Dad gave me all the game rules,” Yuuto said, picking up a little stack of instruction manuals that thankfully featured prominent illustrations. “Do you wanna look with me so we can pick a game to play?”

Eri nodded, and the two of them posted up on a sofa together, settling in to do some reading. Izuku couldn’t help but wonder which one of them would struggle more with the words – he doubted Eri had exactly gotten an education in her upbringing. Hopefully between the two of them, they’d be able to figure it all out without anyone being embarrassed at the end of it.

“Oh, did you guys see this?” Mirio asked, leaning over to show the group his phone. “Funniest thing I’ve seen in weeks.”

He turned the volume up, and Izuku watched as the news crew held out a microphone, getting a surprisingly awkward look from Shouto – Izuku was used to him looking so unbothered, or just a little annoyed by the inconvenience, but never so... shy? Embarrassed?

“Yes, well...” he started, refusing to look the reporter in the eye. “I don’t use them very often, but I guess I’m not as opposed to it as I used to be. Uh... Downfall is... a good reference for my practice. He’s very precise, and he never wastes energy, even when he looks like he’s being reckless. He’s a very skilled fighter, and uh, I respect his abilities, so it’s useful to have him... around.”

Mirio could hardly contain his laughter, and Katsuki snorted, clapping a hand over his mouth to stifle it; even Tamaki looked quietly amused over Shouto’s efforts.

“Have you been practicing with Downfall a lot?” the reporter asked, surprise clear in her voice.

“No, never,” Shouto answered, much more easily. “I try to spar with his son once a month or so, though, so we do see each other outside of work.”

“Oh! How old is his son?”

“Six, he just started school. He is a wonderful and talented child.” Shouto paused, looking thoughtful. “Do you think that counts as complimenting Downfall?”

“C-Compli...? I suppose so? It’s praising his parenting efforts, is it not?”

“That would have been much easier,” Shouto mused. “I wish I’d thought of that earlier.”

“Thought of...?”

“Oh, I have to go,” Shouto said, glancing at his watch. “I have a meeting soon. Goodbye.”

“G-Goodbye, thank you for your time.”

Shouto disappeared off the screen, and the video came to an end, Mirio and Katsuki finally giving way to the peals of laughter that had been fighting so hard to come out. Izuku was struggling to hold back a chuckle, despite his best efforts, and he had to pointedly avoid looking at Katsuki’s laughter to keep from being infected.

“You’re so mean,” Tamaki said, smiling all the same. “He did his best.”

“His best is so painful,” Mirio laughed. “But hey, you can’t say the guy doesn’t keep his word!”

The door opened again downstairs, and Hiroki jumped up, dragging Ryouji along with him to run and greet their last arrivals. All Might’s booming laugh rang out from below them, and Izuku smiled a lot more fondly this time, listening to them exchange their greetings and make their way up the stairs.

“I mean it, you’ve grown!” All Might was insisting, when they followed the boys up the stairs. “I’m not just being an old man this time!”

“He has,” Hiroki confirmed, pulling Ryouji a little closer to line them up next to each other. “He used to only be two centimetres taller but now he’s three!”

“You’ve been growing too, though!”

“I know,” Hiroki laughed. “But not as much! And you see me more.”

“That’s true, Mirio has been slack about inviting me over lately.”

“Hey!” Mirio objected, grinning all the same. “It’s not my fault you’ve been so pre-occupied lately.”

All Might just laughed, though Inko turned a little pink, and Izuku couldn’t help but watch on fondly.

“I want to see you train again soon,” All Might said, patting Ryouji on the head fondly. “Hiro has been telling me how good you’ve gotten.”

“I’m not really,” Ryouji objected, scrunching up his face. “Dad still goes easy on me.”

“Ryou, your fathers are some of the top ten heroes in the country, of course they have to go a little easy on you.”

“Not for long!” Ryouji said stubbornly. “I’m gonna beat Dad by the time I start at U.A., I swear it.”

“Which Dad?”

“Yes.”

All Might laughed again, but Izuku could only see the look of admiration on Hiroki’s face over the words, the way his eyes shone as he watched Ryouji’s determination. He couldn’t blame the kid, to be honest – Ryouji had a whole lot of self-confidence, when he wanted to show it, and Izuku knew Hiroki was lacking a little in that department; in Hiroki’s eyes, that must have been the coolest thing in the world.

“I wish my quirk still worked,” All Might said fondly. “I would have loved to spar with you. All of you.”

“I won’t use my quirk,” Ryouji offered. “I should get better without it, too.”

“Me too!” Hiroki offered, eyes finally torn away from Ryouji’s face. “I’m no good if there’s no fire, anyway!”

“Don’t say that,” Ryouji reprimanded him. “You’re still good! Besides, you can get support gear for that, when you’re older.”

“I wanna just carry a lighter but Dad still says no.”

“Good, you might have an accident.”

“How?”

The room went silent, and Izuku froze. He’d always thought the same thing, but now that he really thought about it...

“It’s fire,” Hiroki continued, when no one answered him. “I can’t have accidents with fire.”

“Remember those bandages you had to wear?” Katsuki asked.

“Oh.” Hiroki screwed up his face, thinking hard. “I guess that could count. It wasn’t really an accident since I did it on purpose, but I didn’t mean to get hurt so... maybe.”

“So what if that happens again?” Katsuki asked. “You sit on a lighter or something and it bursts into too much fire for you to handle?”

“I could have a small lighter,” Hiroki said weakly. “Fine. When I’m bigger.”

“We’ll get you proper support gear,” Ryouji promised him. “Safer ignition. You only need a tiny spark, after all.”

“Yeah,” Hiroki agreed, resigned. “Fine. Just hands then, for Grampa Toshi!”

“I’m not sure I could keep up with you, even without your quirks,” All Might chuckled. “But I appreciate the thought.”

Ryouji sighed dramatically, eyes shifting a little toward where Izuku stood, then conceded a nod.

“Fine,” he echoed. “Uncle Katsuki will have to spar with me instead.”

“You know it,” Katsuki said with a smirk. “Name a time and I’ll be there – I won’t go as easy on you as your dads do, either.”

“I’m counting on it!” Ryouji said cheerfully. “Don’t go easy on us in games, either! We’re gonna kick your butt!”

“Ryouji!” Tamaki warned him.

“What? Dad says it!”

Mirio quickly looked away, when Tamaki glared at him, but the annoyance quickly subsided when the rest of the room laughed.

“Not at school,” Ryouji said knowingly. “I’ll be good.”

“Liar,” Hiroki whispered, so quietly that Izuku was pretty sure he was the only adult who had heard it.

“Hypocrite,” Ryouji whispered right back.

Well.

It looked like Izuku had some parenting to do, when he got some time alone with the tiny pair of conspirators.

───

Toshinori sank into the couch with a contented sigh, watching as Mirio and Katsuki bickered, just like old times. There had been a tense few years, before Katsuki got number one, in which he had genuinely feared for the relationship between his two proteges; but as they’d gotten older, and especially since Hiroki had shown up on Katsuki’s doorstep, things had thankfully mended themselves pretty quickly. He was glad the two young men, whom he occasionally secretly thought of as his sons, were able to get along these days, even if their version of getting along didn’t always look like it to observers.

He looked away from the playful argument when he heard tiny footsteps heading his way, surprised to find it was Yuuto who had summoned the courage to approach him. He was used to Hiroki, who just dove into his lap for a hug, and Ryouji, who excitedly clambered up to lean into his side and show him something – Yuuto’s quiet approach, shuffling onto the cushion beside him with nothing but a quick dart of his eyes to say that he knew Toshinori was there, was brand new to him, and he hated to think that he might ruin things with a single wrong word – or wrong volume to the right word.

“I have a question,” Yuuto said softly.

Toshinori felt his heart rate double in just those few seconds, one hand quickly reaching to his pocket, to make sure the tiny box was still burning a hole in it, and not somehow magically in Yuuto’s possession.

“Go ahead, my boy,” Toshinori said, proud of himself for his quick recovery. “You can ask me anything you like.”

“How come Hiro and Ryou call you by your first name, like Nana and Dad do?”

Thank God.

“Well, I retired from hero work long before any of you were born, so that probably contributed,” Toshinori mused. “For a long time everyone still called me All Might, after, and a lot of people still do – members of the public who don’t know me any better, or reporters if I do an interview, that kind of thing. But most people in my life call me by my real name, now, so I suppose it was natural that the boys learned from the people around them.”

Yuuto paused for a moment, then nodded just once, still looking at his feet rather than at Toshinori.

“Should I call you by your real name too?” he asked nervously.

“You don’t have to, if it feels uncomfortable,” Toshinori assured him, flashing him a quick smile. “But if you’d like to, I’d like that too.”

Yuuto didn’t say anything, so Toshinori continued, not meeting Yuuto’s eyes for fear of scaring him off.

“My students at U.A. all call me Yagi-sensei, the way they do with any other teacher,” he explained. “And my coworkers mostly call me Yagi, for similar reasons. A few of my closer friends call me Toshinori, though.”

“Like Nana,” Yuuto said sagely.

“Exactly. Katsuki and Mirio are very close to me, they’re my family, so at some point they started calling me Toshi-sensei, but most of my students find it too strange to call me by my first name. I think Hiroki started calling me Grampa first because he equated me with Masaru – not that I could ever deserve that! – and because of Mirio and Katsuki, Grampa Toshi was what stuck. I think it’s very sweet of them, I’m honoured.”

“I don’t have any Grampas,” Yuuto said softly. “Papa’s Dad was mean so he left, and Mama didn’t have any parents.”

“I’d be more than happy to be the first, if you want me to be,” Toshinori offered. “I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but I’d like to know you better, and I’m happy to be your Grampa if you want one for anything. I’m sure Masaru would love to be, as well.”

Yuuto nodded again, apparently satisfied, just in time for Inko to return, chuckling when Yuuto quickly stood up to make room for her on the couch.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “You can stay, if you want.”

“I’m okay,” Yuuto told her, shaking his head. “I’m done.”

“You sure?”

“Uh-huh. I was just... talking to, um... G-Grampa Yagi.”

Yuuto scurried off in a hurry, and it took every bit of Toshinori’s willpower to blink back his tears, sniffling a little when Inko sat down and took his hand fondly.

“I told you he’d come around.”

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