My Father's Son - Chapter 58

Izuku watched in disbelief as Katsuki hurried toward their table, one hand pressed to his chest and a frantic look on his face.

[Previous]

Izuku watched in disbelief as Katsuki hurried toward their table, one hand pressed to his chest and a frantic look on his face. He hadn’t even gotten close yet, but his eyes were locked on them, and Izuku, frankly, was terrified.

“Do you know CPR?” he asked, glancing over at Mirio and Tamaki.

“CPR?” Tamaki asked, blinking at him. “Why do you-”

“I need your pen,” Katsuki demanded, his voice oddly quiet as he jammed his hand out toward Mirio. “I didn’t bring mine.”

Izuku felt a wave of relief rush through him immediately. It wasn’t a heart attack, then; that was a good sign. He probably should still take a First Aid course again at some point, though, he thought. The last one he’d done was in university.

“Really?” Mirio asked, reaching for his pocket. “That’s not like you.”

Izuku’s mind was blank. He had no idea what was going on, even though everyone else seemed to understand, but all he could do was watch with wide eyes and a voice that didn’t seem to work anymore.

“He always has a marker for autographs,” Mirio explained. “He talks a big game about hating it when people stop him in the street, then carries a marker around because he doesn’t want any little kids to miss out, like he did once.”

“Shut up,” Katsuki grumbled, snatching the pen Mirio produced for him. “You do it, too.”

“Because of what you said!” Mirio insisted, laughing at him, though his eyes were strangely fond when he looked over at Izuku again. “Apparently he had something he wanted All Might to sign, but he never—wait. What are you holding?”

Katsuki ran off without another word, and for a moment Mirio was silent as he watched him go, before his expression softened considerably. It was the same kind of look that Katsuki got on his face when he held one of the boys in his arms, like he’d finally let his guard down, after having to keep up an act for longer than Izuku could even imagine.

“He doesn’t want any kids to miss out on an autograph if they run into him unexpectedly,” Mirio explained, still watching Katsuki’s back as he hurried away. “We were walking together one day, not even in costume or anything, and this little kid started bawling because he was so excited to meet Downfall and wanted his autograph, but he didn’t have a pen. Katsuki just pulled one out of his pocket like it was no big deal, and crouched down to sign his bag and his shirt.”

“He has two,” Tamaki corrected him quietly. “A black one and a silver one, in case they want him to sign something black.”

“Does he really?” Mirio asked, smiling fondly rather than laugh like Izuku expected. “I’m not even surprised anymore, to be entirely honest.”

“Do all heroes do that?”

“A few of us do now,” Mirio confirmed. “But only because of him.”

“Do you think he’s finally getting his All Might autograph?”

“Maybe,” Mirio said, nodding faintly. “He said it didn’t matter anymore, that he couldn’t get the autograph he wanted.”

“Maybe he changed his mind.”

Izuku just stared after Katsuki in silence, unable to even come up with a response. All of that panic in Katsuki’s face, all the genuine fear that Izuku had never seen him show before, had been over missing out on an autograph because he forgot his marker? For an All Might autograph? Just like the one he’d gifted to Izuku himself, what seemed like so long ago now?

“Sorry, I think I need some air,” Izuku said, when Mirio and Tamaki gave him concerned looks. “It’s a little humid in here.”

“I’ll come with you,” Tamaki offered.

“No, no, I’m good,” Izuku assured him, forcing a little smile. “I’ll be back soon, keep an eye on the kids for me?”

“Of course. Just call if you need anything, we’ll be here.”

“Thank you.”

He headed for the doors they’d come in, pushing them open and shivering in the cool night air – despite creeping ever closer to summer, the nights had still been chilly, and it always took Izuku a moment to adjust. He took in a deep breath, relishing the change against his flushed skin.

“Midoriya.”

Izuku jumped, head darting from side to side in search of the voice, before he finally looked down, at the man sitting on the front steps, a tiny smile tugging at his lips over Izuku’s brief panic.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Izuku said quickly, taking a step back toward the door.

“Come sit,” Shouto offered, shuffling over a little to make room, even though there was already plenty of space. “You’re not interrupting.”

As much as Izuku wanted to run away, he really did need a moment away from the crowd, and Shouto had always seemed so calm and collected; maybe he’d be a good influence on Izuku’s stupid heart that wouldn’t stop pounding.

“Is this about your crush on Bakugou?”

Izuku squeaked, his entire face burning bright red, and he flung his arms up to hide it, hoping Shouto might not have noticed.

“W-What are you talking about?” Izuku stumbled out, his voice annoyingly high.

“It’s okay,” Shouto assured him. “Hiro told me.”

“What?!”

“I think this is the part where I reassure you I won’t say a word to anyone. Well, I’ll probably say a lot of words, to a lot of people, but not about your feelings for him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Izuku insisted. “Hiroki told you what?! About me?! He’s just a kid! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”

Shouto didn’t argue with him, but his smile got a little clearer, and Izuku continued to stumble over half-baked words, until the door behind them opened again.

“Ochako is the expert on this stuff,” Shouto offered, when two more equally-intimidating figures sat down with them. “I’m not much use.”

“What?! What stuff?!”

“It’s okay,” Ochako assured him with a giggle, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “If you want to talk about... anything, I promise none of us will repeat it!”

“Especially to Bakugou,” Shouto finished for her, getting a glare in return.

“There’s nothing to talk about!” Izuku insisted, even knowing his burning cheeks made it crystal clear that he was lying. “I don’t know what you mean!”

“He wouldn’t hate you for it, you know,” Tenya offered, leaning forward a little to see past Ochako. “I know it might feel like you’ll ruin your friendship, I felt that way too. But even if he doesn’t share the feelings, he’s mature enough to realise that things happen between two people who become as close as you are, he won’t let that come between you.”

Ochako rolled her eyes, Shouto just raising an impassive eyebrow, and Izuku made a noise that barely sounded human, as he leaned forward to hide his face in his knees.

“He got excited about an All Might autograph!” he whined. “He’s the number one hero, and he got excited over an All Might autograph!”

“For himself?” Shouto asked, surprise clear in his tone, only getting another glare for it that Izuku could feel even without lifting his head.

“Katsuki is a good man, you know that,” Ochako said softly. “I think we’ve all had a little crush on him, at some point in our lives.”

Tenya cleared his throat, and Ochako just laughed at him for it.

“I know, I know, you’re straight,” she humoured him. “But you can’t tell me you never thought about it.”

“That is a very different thing! A man is allowed to be curious for a moment!”

“He was a jerk in school,” Shouto offered. “Once we graduated he got a little nicer and a lot hotter, so that contributed a lot.”

“Right?” Ochako asked, sighing. “He was already a good-looking dude, but that weird end-of-puberty growth spurt or whatever did so much for him.”

“Why are we talking about this?” Izuku grumbled into his knees. “Obviously he’s attractive, I’m not blind, but that’s... different.”

“You make him really happy,” Ochako assured him. “I’ve never seen him more mellow than he has been since you arrived.”

“He’s accepting help, for the first time in his life,” Tenya added. “And maybe it’s just a passing fancy, you might get used to his company a bit more and decide that friends is the best option, but don’t you owe it to yourselves to at least be honest about your feelings? To yourselves, if not to each other?”

“I’m kinda past that,” Izuku admitted, his voice so faint that anyone but a pro-hero probably wouldn’t have heard him. “It’s too late.”

“We know,” Shouto said, quickly followed by a surprised grunt when Ochako leaned over Izuku’s back to thump him for it.

“I’m sorry to drag you all into this,” Izuku said, turning his head slightly to see the soft smiles on Ochako’s and Tenya’s faces. “I’m okay, really, I just needed some air after all of that.”

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Ochako assured him.

“We’re here for you,” Tenya agreed. “You deserve to be happy. You both do.”

It was Tenya’s turn to get thumped this time, and Izuku couldn’t help but crack a smile at the offended look he gave Ochako for it.

“Call me, if you want to talk about it, okay?” Ochako offered. “I’ve kept plenty of secrets from Katsuki in my life, one more is no big deal.”

“How is it a secret if Hiro knows?” Shouto asked, flinching away from the next punch aimed his way. “What? It’s a good question!”

“Stop asking questions,” she demanded. “Just tell him you’re here for him and leave it at that.”

“Oh. Of course. Midoriya, I am here for you. If you’d like me to tell him for you, I’m happy to- Ow! I did what you said!”

“Just... close your mouth,” Ochako sighed, giving Izuku an apologetic smile. “Sorry about him, he’s not good at this. We’ve always said he should come with a warning.”

“I warned him,” Shouto said proudly.

“He did,” Izuku said, his chest a little lighter when a chuckle came out. “Thank you. All of you.”

“Our pleasure.”

───

As they drove home, Izuku just kept staring at the little piece of cardboard, with the design so nostalgic and familiar to him. He’d had one of his own, as a kid – a rare prize from a bag of chips, if he had his cards straight in his head. On the front, an autograph was carefully inked, and Katsuki glanced over at it at least once every ten seconds, to reassure himself it was still there. Part of Izuku wanted to offer to hold it, to make sure it wouldn’t slide off the dashboard or something, but he had a feeling his touch was not wanted, on that card.

The boys had fallen asleep the moment they hit the car, worn out by all the sugary drinks and playground time, so Katsuki pulled Hiroki out first, holding him against a shoulder as he headed inside and made his way upstairs. Before long, he was back again, scooping up Yuuto with much more care and tenderness, to keep from waking him up. But when he returned for a third time, to grab his belongings, and found Izuku still sitting in that same seat, right where he’d left him, Katsuki paused.

“I have some spare cases,” Izuku managed to force out. “They make sturdier ones, you could get one of those to really protect it, but I have some of the more basic kind, if you want something to hold you over.”

Katsuki didn’t answer, but Izuku finally found his feet, sliding out of the car to let Katsuki lock it up behind them. He went straight to his bedroom, retrieving one of the plastic cases that suddenly felt far too flimsy in his hand, and offering it to Katsuki when he made it out. Katsuki accepted with a grateful nod, tucking the card inside like it was the most precious thing in the world, before their eyes finally met.

“You can ask,” Katsuki said. “You don’t have to be... delicate.”

“I’m not gonna ask,” Izuku told him, his voice a little wobbly. “If you... want to share, I’ll gladly hear about it, but I’m not going to make you feel obligated.”

Katsuki paused, mulling over his words, but Izuku just waited. If Katsuki decided against talking, he’d retreat to his room on his own, like he’d always planned. But if Katsuki wanted to share, wanted to let him in, he’d wait for as long as it took, to let him make that decision.

“I carried it right through high school,” Katsuki admitted quietly. “Every single day, it was in my pocket.”

Izuku didn’t speak.

“I wanted All Might to sign it,” he continued. “But I was too damn- ugh. I was too... embarrassed. I thought it was stupid, at that age.”

Izuku stayed quiet.

“After graduation, I guess I’d just gotten used to having it with me. Every day, every fight, it was always in my pocket.”

Izuku’s chest felt like it might burst, again, but he forced his mouth to stay closed.

“There was a massive fight. Mirio almost lost his quirk, I almost died, other people did die. And as they carried me to an ambulance, I reached for it, and it was gone.”

“That must have been so hard and I can’t imagine how heartbroken you must have been after having it so long and it’s definitely not weird to want an autograph as a teenager I still want them as an adult as you well know but I understand how being a teenager makes you extra self-conscious so it must have had you really torn and that makes total sense and I’m so glad it found its way back to you! Eep, sorry, um, carry on.”

“It’s okay,” Katsuki assured him, smiling surprisingly genuinely. “I knew it wouldn’t last.”

“I’m trying my best!”

“Don’t.” Katsuki blushed faintly, avoiding Izuku’s eyes when they widened at him. “You don’t... have to stay quiet. It’s fine.”

“Okay,” Izuku said breathlessly. “But... carry on? If you want?”

Katsuki huffed a little laugh, but he didn’t object, and Izuku held his breath.

“I never asked for an autograph after that. It didn’t feel the same anymore; I wanted it to be that card. This card. I was... distraught. I can’t describe to you how stupid and angry and upset and... just overwhelmed I was, without it. Mina nagged and nagged until I caved and told her what was going on, and she told me it had done its job. My card was a good luck charm, and it kept me alive and fighting, it took the beating so I didn’t have to.”

“I like that thought.”

“Me too. I found it so comforting, thinking it protected me. I thanked it, like a big idiot, and I thanked it again when I got number one, right after that fight.”

“So did... All Might get you a new one? For your birthday?”

“It’s the same one,” Katsuki whispered, pressing the card to his chest again, just like when he’d come searching for a marker. “It was still there, buried at that site, and they’ve only just started clearing out all the mess. With all the radioactivity and shit, it’s been cordoned off for years, but they finally started digging, and one of them found the card and sent All Might a photo, laughing about finding him in there.”

“And he knew who it belonged to,” Izuku finished, smiling softly. “And he brought it back to you.”

Katsuki nodded, and Izuku pretended not to notice the tears that filled his eyes, occasionally spilling over and running down a rosy cheek.

“So can you finally understand, now, that you got there on your own merits?” Izuku asked. “You deserved that spot, it wasn’t some magic lucky charm that got you there, it was you.”

“Only you could make it into something so sappy,” Katsuki snorted, subtly lifting an arm to wipe his tears away. “You big nerd.”

“Sorry,” Izuku said, chuckling to himself. “I’m really happy it came back to you, Kacchan. And that you were able to get it signed. I know how much that must have meant to you.”

“And of course I forgot my stupid pen,” Katsuki laughed weakly. “Mirio came in useful, for once.”

“For once?” Izuku laughed, getting a little smile from Katsuki when it came out so brightly. “You’re allowed to have friends, Kacchan, you don’t have to pretend you hate them all.”

“Who says I’m pretending?” Katsuki asked, straightening up with a little yawn. “Sorry, didn’t mean to trauma dump on you.”

“Don’t be sorry. I like to hear about the things that are important to you.”

Katsuki paused, then slowly reached out, gently resting his hand on Izuku’s head.

“Thanks for listening,” he said finally, ruffling Izuku’s hair lightly. “I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Goodnight, Kacchan,” Izuku answered, reaching up to touch the hand gently, before they parted. “Happy Birthday.”

[Next]