Work Text:
izuku had always been small. too small, too thin, too short. years of neglect had visibly cost him his health.
ever since he adopted the boy, shouta had done his absolute best to get izuku up to a healthy weight. his kid’s health had always been a priority above all else and he worked hard to achieve that.
so, shouta was concerned when one night, he found izuku in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection with something akin to devastation.
“what’s wrong, zu?”
“i’m getting heavy,” the boy whispered, his voice lined with a certain grief that shouta did not understand. it was a good thing that izuku was filling out more. his cheeks fuller, his ribs less visible and his bones no longer jutting out so obviously. he was pleased to have been able to coax izuku to eat better and mend his relationship with food. he was really proud of the progress they made. he never would’ve anticipated this sort of setback.
“izuku, you’re not heavy. your body is just settling into a healthier weight remember?”
“no!” the boy hiccuped, crying in earnest now. “i’m getting heavier and heavier a-and one day, i’ll be too heavy for you!”
for him? “izuku, i don’t care about your weight-“
“well, i do!” he cried out, tears steadily running down his face. “because then you won’t be able to carry me anymore!”
the words felt like a slap to the face and shouta was immediately scooping his son into his arms, izuku’s limbs naturally koala-ing around his dad.
izuku had always been touch-starved. an effect of his past of being abandoned and having to rely on himself alone to survive for so long.
during the earlier days, shouta’s heart hurt to watch the kid so at war with himself- wary about having someone in his corner and finding it difficult to trust another person after being failed time and time again. yet, the look in his eyes screamed of his craving, yearning, wanting to love and to be loved so very badly.
still, shouta respected the boy’s boundaries and kept his distance for his comfort. he even made a point for the other kids in his class to be respectful of each other’s too.
he remembers how izuku flinched the first time he accidentally ruffled the kid’s curls thoughtlessly, being a habit of praise to his students whenever they did a good job. he immediately moved to put some distance between himself and the kid, ready to apologize when izuku snagged his hand in his smaller ones. ‘i don’t mind if its you’, he remembers the kid saying. ‘i trust you.’
slowly, he built his trust with his kid. izuku gradually allowing physical affection from head pats, to being in each other’s space comfortably, to hugs.
the first time the kid initiated a hug, shouta just about burst into tears, ready to burn the world down for this precious little human that was his son.
once izuku got out of his shell, it was very obvious he was a clingy child. he followed his dad around like a lost puppy, demanded a healthy dose of hugs from the man daily, and soon developed a habit of koala-ing onto the man like a baby sloth.
izuku absolutely adored being shouta’s baby sloth. there was absolutely no turning back. the boy had no shame in climbing his dad like a tree at any given opportunity. he did not care if he wasn’t that young of a kid, he did not care what other people thought. he simply liked being his dad’s jet pack and shouta took it all in stride because he was soft for this kid.
it was their thing, and shouta could understand why the thought of having to give that up saddened his kid.
“it’s stupid,” izuku sobbed into his shoulder, even as his smaller hands fisted his dad’s shirt so tightly, as though it were his lifeline. “it’s stupid, it’s stupid. i kn- know.”
“it’s not stupid, love,” shouta murmured into those fluffy green curls. “i like carrying you around too, you know?”
“don’t make fun of me,” izuku whined pitifully, weakly pawing at his dad in protest.
“i’m not, honey. i promise,” the man soothed, hiding his fond smile in fluffy green hair.
“you’re not too heavy for me. what’s the use of all the strength i’ve worked on for all my life, huh?” he asked teasingly as he cradled his son close.
“for hero work,” the boy deadpanned, voice muffled into shouta’s sweater. the man snorted.
“well, then surely a pro hero such as myself who accidentally signed up to a career of lugging around much bigger brutes of criminals and victims alike, even fellow coworkers unfortunately- what the hell, i actually lug around a lot of people now that i think about it,” he paused at the tiny giggle that he managed pull out of the boy, grinning victoriously at the precious sound. “having you in my arms is light work, don’t you think?”
“i guess,” izuku relented, finally peeking around to smile at his dad shyly.
“besides, you weigh only a little more than a bag of chips. if anything i gotta fatten you up more,” shouta continued with faux seriousness, smothering his smile at the offended gasp that elicited.
“i do not!”
shouta let himself laugh before settling down to give izuku a meaningful look. “you just worry about growing happy and healthy. if getting heavier is part of that, so be it. i’ll just keep working to get stronger to support you.”