Incomplete [Chapter 12]

Their first snag arose a little after midnight, when Izuku woke to the sound of thunder. He squirmed his way out of Katsuki's arms to...

[Chapter 11]

Their first snag arose a little after midnight, when Izuku woke to the sound of thunder. He squirmed his way out of Katsuki's arms to make sure all the windows were closed, that none of the heavy rain was getting into the house, but on his way back to bed, with the house firmly secured against the weather, a flash of lightning burst through the hallway. He held his breath for a moment as he paused, listening. Again. A whimper, almost. An odd gasp.

He poked his head through Koharu's door, still open partway, and found her curled up in her warm blankets, surrounded by monkeys and hero plushies. A smile crept across his lips at the peaceful slumber, and he slipped back out again, pausing at Yoshiki's door.

“Yoshiki?” he asked quietly. “Are you awake?”

There was no answer, but when the thunder cracked again he head the same noise, louder this time, and with a mumbled apology he turned the handle.

“What's wrong?” he asked, when he found the wide eyes staring up at him. “Are you hurt?”

Yoshiki shook his head, clutching tight at the spiky hippo in his hands, and Izuku closed the door behind him gently. He padded over to the bedside, pulling up a chair, and when Yoshiki didn't speak, he settled in. Dark hair was messy from his pillow, a sure sign of tossing and turning that Izuku recognised all too well from his and Katsuki's sleepless nights, after a particularly bad day at work or a gruesome loss.

“Is it the storm?” he asked, pointing at the dark curtains needlessly. “They're a bit creepy, right? So much noise and light out of nowhere.”

Yoshiki nodded, and Izuku smiled as he reached out, combing messy locks back into place lightly.

“I'll stay with you,” he said, smoothing the blankets with his hand. “You can tell us if you're scared, you don't have to be alone. No one should ever be alone when things go wrong.”

“You need to sleep,” Yoshiki mumbled, pulling the blankets up over his nose. “I don't want to disturb you.”

“You're not,” Izuku assured him. “I don't have to work in the morning, so I can always go back to bed, and even if I was supposed to work, I can always trade shifts. You think anyone would object to me sending Dynamite in my place?”

“Only Dynamite,” Yoshiki answered, cracking a smile beneath his duvet. “But you don't seem to mind if he complains.”

“No, I don't,” Izuku laughed. “We've been friends since we were toddlers, I don't even notice it anymore.”

“What was he like when he was little? Was he ever scared of anything?”

“Yeah, he put on a brave face all the time, but he got scared sometimes. He still gets scared sometimes, just between you and me.”

“Really? Of what?”

“Letting people down, mostly. He has such a specific image, you know? Confident and ruthless and fearless, always ready to jump in at a moment's notice without hesitation. You can't imagine him hesitating, right? Can't imagine seeing him on TV, not diving in right away with that smirk on his face.”

“Yeah.”

“An amazing hero once told me that a big smile was the best way to hide the pressure that came with being a hero. We have to show everyone else that everything is okay, to keep them safe and happy. But sometimes we get scared, sometimes we worry, and we just have to pretend not to. Because it would be scary if you saw someone like Dynamite hesitate, right? So he can't.”

“That makes sense,” Yoshiki nodded, flinching when thunder rumbled again. “They would have to be someone really scary for him to pause.”

“Exactly. So no matter how scary they might be, we have to pretend it's all okay, so that people like you can keep being brave.”

“I don't think I would make a very good hero,” he confessed, gaze dropping away from Izuku's eyes. “Even if I had a Quirk.”

“I don't think that's true at all. You protect Koharu all the time, don't you?”

“Yeah but she's little. The people who pick on her aren't very big.”

“It's still brave of you to stick up for someone you love.”

“I don't know if she gets picked on still,” he mumbled. “I used to watch over her at preschool but now we're not together and I don’t know.”

“I'm sure she would tell you if anything bad happened.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

“You don't have to be a hero – no one has to be a hero, we all choose our own path. There are people with amazing quirks who choose to be doctors and teachers and plumbers, and there are people with quirks that seem kind of useless, who turn out to be amazing heroes. You take what you have, and you use it however you choose. No one is going to look down on you if you don't want to be a hero, but if you decide you want it, people will support you along the way.”

“I don't know what I want.”

“That's okay too, you've got years and years before you have to decide.”

Lightning flashed, and Yoshiki tensed up again, fingers turning white as he clutched at his blanket.

“Why don't we read a story?” Izuku suggested, leaning over to look at the huge, nearly-empty bookshelf across the room. “Something to take your mind off it.”

“Okay.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Mm... The long one,” he pointed to a novel on the end, thicker than most of the books. “It's, uh... Hard, sometimes.”

“Okay, let's take a look,” Izuku agreed, plucking it from the shelf. “Have you read some already?”

“I tried, but it was slow.”

“Okay, let's just start from the beginning then.”

He shuffled his chair a little closer, leaning in so Yoshiki could look at the pages too, and with a last little pat on the head, Izuku began to read.

By the time the storm stopped, the sun was rising in the distance, and Izuku yawned as light began to filter in slowly under the curtains.

“All done,” he smiled, setting aside their book. “You should get some sleep.”

“Thanks for staying with me.”

“Any time, Yoshiki. That's what I'm here for.”

“Thank you.”

He tucked the blankets up over Yoshiki's shoulders as he snuggled in, pushing his chair back where it belonged and heading for his own bedroom. Katsuki stirred when Izuku crawled back into his arms, cracking open a tired eye, and pulling him in close.

“You're freezing,” he grumbled. “Where were you?”

“Yoshiki was scared of the storm,” he explained, yawning. “I stayed up with him a while.”

“You should have woken me, idiot,” Katsuki complained. “I could have switched with you.”

“It's fine, you can get up with Koharu in a couple of hours while we sleep.”

“Fine. First you gotta warm your damn self up.”

“Isn't that what you're for?” he grinned, snuggling into Katsuki's chest. “You make such a good pillow, Kacchan. I love you.”

“Get warm and fall asleep, damn idiot. Don't be such a sap.”

“Looooove youuuuuuu.”

“Love you too. Even if you are a stupid fucker.”

─────

Izuku reached for his phone, glancing at the name on the screen when it lit up, and immediately cringing. Every week since he'd moved out, without fail, he'd texted his mother to ask how her week was. Even the past few weeks, with the kids around, he'd still followed the same routine. But now, for the first time, he'd forgotten.

> How are you, Izuku? Having a busy weekend?

He cursed under his breath and excused himself from the room, hitting the 'call' button as he headed upstairs to find some quiet.

“Hi Mom!” he said brightly, as soon as she picked up. “Sorry I didn't text earlier! Busy day, like you said. How are you? How was your week?”

“It was lovely, I went out to dinner with some friends yesterday. Mitsuki was there too, the food was delicious and we had lots of laughs together. How are you? Were you working today?”

“Not working, but I was up late so I slept until like lunchtime and I've been playing catch-up since, trying to fit in everything I normally do in the morning. Kacchan was amazing though, he took care of... Of everything, while I slept.”

“He's a good boy,” Inko said fondly. “I'm glad I can always trust him to look after my son.”

“Yeah,” Izuku laughed, raising his hand and staring at his golden ring. “He's amazing, I'm so happy.”

“Even though you're tired?”

“Yeah! I've been super busy with some stuff, and like we said when you were here, we've been working on something big, but it's made me so happy, it's worth the sleepless nights.”

“I have a confession,” Inko said softly, a hint of fondness in her tone. “When we were over to see the house, I happened to see something in your car as I walked past.”

Izuku's brain immediately began flipping through all the awkward pieces of stupid lingerie they owned, the toys they had bought, the-

“Izuku?”

“Huh? Yeah, Mom, I'm here. Um, what did you see exactly?”

“Well, unless I’m sorely mistaken, it looked like a booster seat in your back seat. My mind jumped to Eri-chan, but she must be beyond old enough to go without one by now, so of course I got to thinking...”

“Oh,” Izuku sighed, smiling. “Um, yeah, I guess it's fair to tell you now. Um, Kacchan and I have started the process to adopt two kids. It's been a long wait to get approval, but everything went through this week, and they’re gonna be staying with us every weekend just to kind of prove it’ll all go okay.”

“That's amazing news, Izuku!”

“I'm sorry we didn't say anything before, it's just that... Well, they're kids, not babies, you know? We didn't want to overwhelm them with grandparents just yet.”

“Grandparents!” Inko squeaked. “I'm a grandmother!”

“Yeah, congratulations,” he laughed. “You can meet them really soon, I promise, but if you wouldn't mind not telling the Bakugous just yet...?”

“Of course, I know what Mitsuki is like! You wouldn't even get a moment of warning before she was on your doorstep!”

“Exactly,” Izuku grinned. “Thanks, Mom. You're gonna love them, I promise.”

“I know I will. I'd better start thinking about what I want them to call me! I wonder what Mitsuki and Masaru will ask to be called?”

“Mom,” Izuku cut her off quickly. “Um, it's not like they call us Dad and stuff, okay? Not yet, maybe not ever. Please don't get your heart set on being Grandma.”

“Oh, of course! Silly me, I didn't even think! Tell me about them, anyway! How old are they? What are their names?”

Izuku sat down on the bed, leaning into his pillow and pulling Katsuki's into his lap to hug, settling in to tell her the whole story. Every detail about meeting the kids and falling in love and rushing out to buy a house for them to live in, about taking them out for food and their trips to the zoo and the beach, and finally, about the weekend visits, about the letter from the adoption agency saying they could begin the official process. He could practically hear her smiling on the other end, as she asked questions and fawned over the answers, but when he glanced at the clock on the wall he cringed a little.

“That's about it,” he finished. “I should probably go, sorry, Kacchan will be cooking dinner now so I should go help out. Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

“Are you happy?”

“Happier than I think I've ever been. I hope you were this happy the day I was born.”

“I was. I'm glad you understand it now.”

“I love you, Mom. I couldn't have asked for anyone better.”

“I love you too.”

With a last goodbye he disconnected the call, staring at the phone for a second as a smile crept across his face again, then he set the pillow aside to skip back down the stairs. He threw his arms around Katsuki's waist, snuggling into his back as he searched the fridge for inspiration, and Katsuki put up a weak protest.

“I love you so much,” he explained, his voice a little muffled by Katsuki's shirt. “Thank you for marrying me.”

“Stupid nerd,” Katsuki answered fondly, dragging him around to his side so he could drape an arm around his shoulders, the other hand still rummaging through their food. “What brought this shit on?”

“I had to tell my mother,” he explained with a sheepish smile. “She saw the car seats when they were here, but she said she'll wait as long as necessary! She's not gonna break down the door tomorrow to meet them.”

“Not like my mother,” Katsuki finished knowingly, scoffing a little. “It's fine. I might tell my old man and see what he thinks.”

“I feel bad telling mine and not yours,” Izuku acknowledged. “Do you think we could explain it in a way that they'd take it calmly?”

“I'll give it my best shot, hopefully the old man can control her.”

“Let me know if I can help at all.”

“Thanks. Can I cook now?”

“Uh-huh! I'll go check on the kids! Unless you need any help?”

“From you? Yeah right. Go on, get out of my kitchen.”

“Going!”

Katsuki patted his butt firmly as they parted, making Izuku giggle, and Katsuki cracked a little smile of his own as he glanced over at the freckled face, glowing with his excitement.

“Idiot,” he said fondly, shaking his head. “Stew sound good? It's kind of chilly today, thought it might be nice.”

“Sounds perfect! I'll leave you to it. Do your best, Kacchan!”

“Dork.”

He glanced back as Izuku started across the hall, pausing for a moment before he sighed fondly.

“Oi, nerd.”

“Huh?”

“I love you too.”

─────

Mitsuki reacted just as they'd predicted, when Katsuki phoned his parents later that night. Her indignant squawk and yelling could be heard from all the way down in the living room, even though he'd closed the bedroom door behind him. Izuku just smiled, though, when Yoshiki looked up from the little coloured bricks they were building with, shaking his head faintly.

“He's talking to his Mom,” he explained. “They both yell a lot, it's normal, nothing is wrong.”

He nodded faintly, returning to his task, and Izuku smiled as he reached for the instruction book, glancing at the last page.

“I think that's everything!” he declared. “We just slot them together!”

Izuku handed over the pieces he'd been working on, and with an incredible amount of care and focus, Yoshiki fixed them all together securely. He grinned when he saw the finished project, a massive treehouse complete with spiral staircase winding around the trunk, and Izuku watched with a smile of his own as Yoshiki surveyed it from every angle.

“I never got to finish a big one before,” he explained, when he caught Izuku watching him. “People always take pieces or kick things before I get done.”

“You can build as many as you want, here. They'll be safe. Can I join you again?”

“Uh-huh!”

For the first time since they'd met, Izuku saw trust in Yoshiki's eyes. The wall he'd built up so long ago had come right back down so easily – Izuku had expected it to take years, and he knew there would still be plenty of obstacles to come their way, but in that one moment, Yoshiki trusted his word, and nothing could ever be sweeter.

“I have to go to work tomorrow,” Izuku told him, as they cleared a spot on the bookshelf for their creation and carefully transported it over. “So I might not be here when you wake up, but I'll be back some time in the afternoon.”

“Okay.”

“I thought maybe we'd go find a good park to play at,” Izuku continued. “Our backyard is kind of bare right now, there's not much we can do out there, so we should find somewhere to climb and play.”

Yoshiki nodded, turning the treehouse a little more and apparently deciding he was satisfied.

“I like climbing,” he agreed. “Koharu likes swings.”

“We'll make sure we find one with swings and things to climb, then.”

“Won't you need to sleep, though?”

“No, not right away. I'll be home about nine, we can definitely play for a few hours before I get tired.”

“Okay,” Yoshiki nodded, smiling a little. “I'd like that.”

“Good. But now it's time you get to bed, Mister. Brushed your teeth?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on, then, before the scary one sees that we're still out of bed.”

Koharu had long since fallen asleep in her little pink room, but with their project underway, Izuku had granted Yoshiki an extra hour – which had turned into more like two, by the end. They sneaked past the door where they could hear Katsuki arguing with his mother still, into the dark bedroom where Yoshiki slept. Izuku flicked on the bedside lamp to get him settled in, making sure he was warm and snuggly in his blankets, and gently brushed dark hair out of his eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Yoshiki. I hope you sleep well, this time.”

“I will,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

“If you need anything at all, I'm just across the hall, okay? I promise I'll never ever be mad if you wake me up, even if it's just because you can't sleep and you're lonely.”

“Thank you.”

With a last little smile, Izuku crept out of the room, letting Yoshiki flick the light off before he pulled the door to. He didn't quite close it, just in case he needed to hear the little voice call out again, but made sure it was close enough that he wouldn't be disturbed by lights and noises when Izuku headed out for his patrol.

Katsuki joined him downstairs just as he began clearing dishes, settling in to rinse things and hand them across while Izuku loaded them into the dishwasher.

“They're gonna be patient,” Katsuki told him, “on the condition that we send photos.”

“I'm sure that can be arranged.”

─────

Izuku didn't hesitate, rolling up his sleeves as he stepped forward. He didn't say a word, just braced himself and focussed, feeling the energy burning beneath his skin. Orange lights erupted across his body, and he looked back, giving Yoshiki a thumbs-up when he saw the terrified eyes staring at him.

“Stand back, Yoshiki,” he smiled. “This won't take long.”

Katsuki grabbed the little hand, dragging him away, and a flash of green lit up the evening sky. Still Yoshiki's eyes remained on the glowing lights, letting Katsuki guide him as they moved.

“We'll stay here,” Koharu whispered into Katsuki's shoulder. “You can go help.”

“He doesn't need me,” Katsuki snorted. “You heard him, easy. He'll be done before dinner.”

Other heroes were flying in overhead, and for a moment he locked eyes with a familiar figure in pink, getting a grin and a thumbs-up as she shot by to clear rubble. He wasn't sure if she'd picked up the gesture from Izuku, or vice versa, but either way it was oddly comforting. Familiar. The day he didn't get that smiling gesture would be the day he worried about any of his friends.

Ugh, friends. He was glad he didn't say that one out loud.

He led the kids well away from the scene, down to a train station where everything was peaceful, where no one was screaming or fleeing or trapped. In silence they walked into a train car, Koharu still clinging to his side, Yoshiki's hand cold against his own warmth. It was all strangely calm, considering the number of lives on the line just five minutes down the street.

They were home for all of two minutes when the door opened, Izuku covered in blood that Katsuki couldn't immediately tell the source of, and he swore under his breath as he set Koharu on the couch.

“What the hell, asshole?” he demanded. “How much of this is yours?”

“Only about half,” Izuku laughed shakily, fighting his shoes off in the doorway. “I think I'm gonna need some new clothes.”

“Sit down.”

“I'll get blood on the furn-”

“Sit. Down.”

He laughed again, but pulled a chair out from the table all the same, sinking into it as Katsuki carefully tore away the remnants of his t-shirt. There was a wide gash along his chest that seemed to be the worst of them, and Katsuki handed the rags over, letting Izuku hold pressure on it as he retrieved a first aid kit from the kitchen.

“Would just shove you in the damn bath if I didn't think you'd bleed out in there,” he grumbled. “Any other big ones I need to worry about if I clean you up?”

“There's one on my thigh, but I think my upper body is okay.”

“Idiot. Let me go get a towel.”

“I'll do it,” Koharu insisted, scrubbing away her tears. “The ones from the bottom?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Probably need a wet one too,” Yoshiki mumbled, following her to help. “Get two, Koharu.”

Izuku grinned up at Katsuki's scowl, a rough hand shoving his head back down in response. He giggled, and Katsuki growled at him, inspecting a few scratches on his ribs.

“Deku is really strong,” Yoshiki mumbled, as he handed over a damp towel for Katsuki to mop up the blood and dirt. “I haven't seen it for real before.”

“Yeah,” Izuku grinned, “I'm pretty strong, and my Quirk makes me even stronger when I need it.”

“Is that why you could lift me before? You were using your Quirk?”

“Haah?” Katsuki frowned down at him. “Are you seriously asking that?”

“Have you been worried about that?” Izuku asked, wide-eyed. “I don't need my Quirk to pick you up, dummy.”

He shoved Katsuki aside, gripping either side of Yoshiki's waist and lifting, holding the nervous boy up above his head. Koharu giggled, watching from Katsuki's side, but Katsuki was still dumb-founded by the question.

“Is this why you flinch when we touch you sometimes?”

Yoshiki nodded, cheeks burning red, and Izuku smiled slightly as he pulled the boy down for a hug.

“Sorry, I'm probably getting you dirty,” he laughed, holding him tight all the same. “We're both real strong, okay? We're heroes. I'll still carry you even when you're all grown up, if you want me to. I promise.”

Yoshiki nodded, tears forming in his eyes, and when Katsuki grumbled again Izuku finally set him down, wiping a smudge of dirt from a flushed cheek.

“Just let me get cleaned up first, okay?” he grinned. “Before I get yelled at.”

He sat down again, letting Katsuki go back to cleaning and bandaging, muttering under his breath the whole way through. The thigh one was deeper than he'd expected, and he grimaced when he saw it, taking a huge wad of gauze from the first aid kit to cover it.

“Maybe you should have gone to the hospital on your way home,” he complained, as he wound bandages tightly around the covering. “This one might need stitching.”

“No one takes care of me better than my Kacchan.”

Koharu giggled, covering her mouth with both hands, and even Yoshiki smiled a little, but it took a moment for Izuku to catch on.

“Have you never heard me call him that?” he asked in disbelief. “That's all I ever call him.”

“It's a good name,” Koharu grinned. “I like it.”

“You can finally stop calling him by his hero name, then.”

“God damn it, I fuckin' hate you,” Katsuki scowled, scrubbing blood from Izuku's shin a little more roughly than necessary. “You and your shitty nickname, this is like that fuckin' electrodolt all over again.”

“Don't whine, Kacchan, they don't know you don't mean it.”

He growled a little but ceased his protests, and Koharu smiled as she leaned her head against Katsuki's leg. Her fingers tangled in his trousers, holding on lightly, and she giggled again to herself.

“Kacchan,” she said softly, testing it out. “It suits you.”

“Shut up, damn kid,” Katsuki grumbled, ruffling her hair stubbornly. “It does not.”

“It does! It's nice like you are and it kinda sounds like the noise an explosion makes. Kaboom! Kabang! Dokan! Kacchan!”

“Idiot.”

Koharu grinned. She'd spent more than enough time with Katsuki to know when she'd won.

“You never did tell us what to call you, though,” Yoshiki mumbled, scratching at the back of his head nervously. “You said you don't like Bakugou-san.”

“Well duh, you think anyone else in my family calls me by last name?” he snorted. “It doesn't matter, whatever you want. The nerd calls me Kacchan, my parents call me Katsuki, my asshole friends call me insults. Just make something up if you want, names are names.”

“First names are okay?” he asked, still blushing. “I just... You're an adult, I mean.”

“You're allowed to call adults by their first names if they tell you to,” Izuku assured him. “You can call me Izuku if you want, too. I know Kacchan calls me Deku, but that's because he did it before it was my hero name. Either is fine.”

“Or just save some time and start calling him Papa now,” Katsuki teased, ruffling Koharu's hair again when she giggled. “He's a big squishy father-figure.”

“Don't tease them, Kacchan.”

“Try to stop me,” he retorted, taping a gauze pad over the last wound on Izuku's throat. “All sorted. Let me know if the bandages start getting wet.”

“Thanks Kacchan. I love you.”

“Love you too, nerd. Let me go find you some clothes.”

Izuku smiled down at the little figures as Katsuki thumped up the stairs, reaching out to tug at Koharu's messy ponytail lightly.

“Sorry about the swings,” he said softly. “We'll try again another day, okay?”

“I'm just happy you're safe,” she murmured, falling into his side for a hug. “Does this hurt?”

“Nuh-uh. In fact, I think it's making me heal faster! You must have magic hugs!”

She grinned up at him, and he couldn't help but smile back, swiping a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb.

“This is my job, you know that,” he reminded her. “I always come back safe, though.”

Katsuki returned with clean clothes, dressing him with a practiced roughness – stubborn, to make his point, but secretly gentle beneath the disguise of his sharp motions, to keep from aggravating his wounds.

“Better?” he asked.

“Hmmm, I think it needs kisses,” Izuku grinned, holding his arms out pointedly. “Pretty please?”

Katsuki obediently leaned down, planting a kiss on his thigh, then his chest, and finally his lips as he accepted the hug.

“There we go, all better,” Izuku laughed. “I'm fit as a fiddle, ready to go fight again!”

“Dumb nerd,” Katsuki sighed fondly. “I'm taking your patrol tonight.”

“You don't have to!”

“I'm going to.”

“Okay,” Izuku smiled warmly. “We'll have lots of fun while you're not around to complain, then.”

“Just don't burn the house down.”

“No promises!”

[Chapter 13]