Something Behind Those Eyes

Not Slow Burn, Just Slow at Getting Them in the Same Vicinity

For a moment everyone laughed and joked, and Izuku was back to three years ago.

Hitoshi fell asleep sitting upright, just like every other time.  When Denki threw himself onto the couch, he jerked awake and smacked their faces together.  By the way Hitoshi's fist was clenched, it appeared he had meant to punch his assailant, but had underestimated the distance between them.

"Geez," Denki groaned playfully.  "At least take me to dinner before you throw yourself at me."

Hitoshi rubbed at his nose, but appeared otherwise unbothered.  "I'm not about to steal someone's boyfriend."

Denki looked Eijiro in the eye and winked.  Throwing an arm across the beta's shoulders, he said, "Hey wanna go out for dinner, Hitoshi?"

Lavender eyes rolled dramatically, and he huffed a sigh.  "Sure, whatever, but you're paying."

"Did we just… get another boyfriend?" Eijiro asked, confused but not disappointed. 

"Only if you pay."

Denki whined, "No!  He's my boyfriend!  Finders keepers!"

"Pretty sure you'll have to share with hair for brains, 'cuz you sure as hell ain't paying," Kacchan said.

Denki gasped, mock offended.  "Why does everyone always say Eijiro's the one who pays just because I forgot my wallet one time on my night to pay for our dinner?"

"Uh huh, sure."

Denki sputtered indignantly.

Kacchan growled back playfully, saying nothing else.

An odd, quiet, childlike growling sound filled the room.

Izuku sharply looked down at the child in Kacchan's arms.  A look of total, absolute befuddlement clouded his face.

That's… new.  He's… never done that before.

Kacchan chuckled.  "Aye, good work, pup.  Keep it up and you can get into UA with that alone.  Not one twitch of your finger necessary."

"Congrats, that was the most 'Dad' thing I've ever heard, 'Splodey," Mina teased, clearly amused by the look on Izuku's face, if the way she kept throwing looks his way was anything to go by.

Twin growls filtered over the white noise of the room as Katsuji once again tried to copy Kacchan.  He failed, but it was cute.  Even cuter when he trailed off with a yawn.

Katsuji stretched his arms out to his mother.  "Sleepy."

Izuku took him in his arms.  "Another nap?  'Kay.  Up we go."  He hefted himself off the couch only to almost fall back.  Kacchan's hand rested on the small of his back, stabilizing him.  Izuku noticed Katsuji's grip on his alpha's shirt.

Must've been why I fell over

Izuku smiled sheepishly.  "Guess he wants you to come along?"

Kacchan locked eyes with the pup and gave in to his pleading look.  He hefted himself off the couch, one hand still on Izuku's back.  Izuku led the way into Katsuji's bedroom, awkwardly checking to see if Kacchan had gotten lost between the couch and the door within sight of it.

"Right here, nerd," Kacchan had said, and Izuku still wondered if this was all some sad little dream.

"Uh, right.  In here," Izuku gestured for Kacchan to follow him as he walked in the door.  He heard it click close.

Izuku lowered Katsuji onto the bed, pulling the blanket that was pooled on the end of it over the toddler.  He sat back on the floor and he saw Kacchan copy him out of the corner of his eye.  Kacchan's eyes never wavered from his pup resting in the bed.  Not even when Izuku twirled the pup's hair around his finger and sang him lullabies.

Once Katsuji drifted off into dreamland, Kacchan had let his eyes wander the room, stuttering to a stop at his merchandise spread throughout the room.

"You're his favorite hero," Izuku said, following his gaze.

Kacchan said nothing.

"I didn't erase you from existence, even though I ran away." 

Kacchan analyzed his own face from a poster released after his debut.

"I can't ever tell you how sorry I am.  I know it was terrible of me.  I should've told you instead of disappearing.  I ruined everything and I worried everyone.  I'm so sorry.  Everything was just going so well between us and you had your career and-"

Kacchan finally turned to him.

"You always had a habit of running headfirst into things.  I never thought it would go this far," Kacchan whispered, brushing a strand of hair from Izuku's face.

"You aren't… mad?"

"Mmm," Kacchan made a face.  "Look, I'm a little pissed," Kacchan rolled his eyes at Izuku's increasingly nervous look.  

"But that's whatever.  I'll get over it.  I understand, okay?  Maybe the shitty extras don't, but I do.  I've watched every shitty thing that's ever happened to you because of your biology.  You got something unexpected and you weren't taking any fucking chances.  You ditched real quick, probably looked back a fuck ton.  I know you.  You weren't being malicious.  You were scared and you had every fucking right to be."

Tears welled up in Izuku's eyes.  "Kacchan," Izuku whined, touched at the words.

Kacchan ran a hand through green curls, and opened his arms.  "Come here, nerd."

Izuku clung to Kacchan tightly, mimicking a koala.  Kacchan patted his back, somewhat roughly, but in a familiar way.

"I remember being in the hospital after giving birth and they would call me 'mama'.  'We're going to do this now, mama.'  And I just- I just, couldn't fathom that they weren't doing the same with you.  I would turn my head and expect to see you in the chair next to me being called 'dad'.  It- well it never happened."

He sighed, "We survived without you, but sometimes I feel that's all I did."

Kacchan moved his hand to the back of Izuku's head.  "Never again, okay?  I'm here now, so let me be here for you two."

"I want to do this," he gestured to the general area of the apartment then to Izuku and finally Katsuji.  "All of this."

After a beat he continued gently, "I'm gonna need a 'yes Kacchan', Izuku.  Or a no."

Izuku laughed, "Right, yeah."  He glanced away and chewed on his lip.  Glancing up he whispered, "Don't leave?  Please?"

"Never."

Kacchan rested his forehead against Izuku's.  A thumb brushed over Izuku's lips.  

"Can I?" Kacchan asked, whispering.

"Yes," Izuku whispered back.

Their lips came together, soft and slow.

"Mm, you taste like SweetTarts," Kacchan said, breaking away from the kiss.

"I don't have a sugar addiction!" Izuku immediately threw back reflexively.

"What the fuck?  I didn't say anything about sugar addictions!"

"It's, uhh," Izuku laughed sheepishly.  "Story for another time."

"Add it to the list," Kacchan mumbled into Izuku's hair before kissing him again.

"Guess I forgot my chapstick," Izuku joked.   "I'm definitely not immune to those lips."