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”Mommy! Kei keeps staring at me!”
“Well, stare back then,” Katsuki muttered.
“No! Make him stop!”
“Haru, your brother is only a little pup. He’s learning about the world through looking and listening. His eyes are still developing, but he can focus on things now,” Shouto explained calmly as Kei kept staring at his big brother over the breakfast table, looking a bit cross-eyed. “He finds you fascinating.”
“I don’t wanna be fashion!” Haru complained. “Why can’t he sit with you, Daddy? Then I can sit with Mommy.”
“Kei can’t sit on his own yet, Haru, but you’re a big boy capable of sitting on your own chair,” Shouto reasoned.
“Tch!” Haru clicked his tongue, in the way of his mother, before shovelling some food into his mouth, chewing it while grumbling to himself.
Shouto looked over to meet Katsuki’s tired gaze. His mate only rolled his eyes slightly as he bent down to sniff Kei’s white hair. He had been the same with Haru. He had always been smelling him.
It was all in all a normal morning.
After they had cleaned the table once they had finished their breakfast, Shouto took Haru into the bathroom to help him brush his teeth while Katsuki tended to Kei.
“Daddy?” Haru asked, mouth all full of toothpaste.
“Yes?”
“Is another seed gonna grow in Mommy’s tummy?”
Shouto blinked at that. Haru always found a way of surprising him in one form or another.
“I don’t think so, but I can’t say for sure,” he answered carefully. He and Katsuki had not discussed the topic of having another pup down the line. Kei was only a few months old.
“Well, I don’t want Mommy’s tummy to get big again,” Haru stated firmly. “So, you can’t love Mommy anymore, Daddy. Only I can love Mommy.”
After Haru had become convinced that he had been the one who had made Kei grow inside his mother, Katsuki had managed to explain to Haru that only Shouto could make a seed grow, and that there were different kinds of love. Haru still did not know exactly how a pup was created, and Shouto did not feel that now was the time to have that type of conversation.
“I can love Mommy without making a seed grow,” was what he ended up saying.
Haru narrowed his eyes, looking anything but convinced.
“Spit out the toothpaste now before you accidentally swallow it,” Shouto told him. “Then we can go help Mommy and Kei.”
They found the pair in the bedroom where Katsuki was busy trying to wrestle Kei into a clean onesie. Kei had begun to flail his arms and kick with his chubby little legs though, so it was not always easy. Shouto was feeling better seeing Kei grow stouter, however. When the pups had been completely newborn, Shouto had always been afraid that he would accidentally hurt them.
“I’ve laid out Haru’s clothes over there,” Katsuki pointed towards the end of the bed where some clothes were draped over the wall of the nest, which covered the whole bed now.
Shouto went to get them, but Haru was apparently in quite a contrarian mood that morning.
“I wanna wear my turtle shirt!”
“Your turtle shirt’s in the laundry,” Katsuki mumbled, smiling down at Kei who was staring up at his mother with wide, red eyes, giving him a toothless grin of his own.
Haru did not take the news well and began whining, which caused Katsuki to look up and frown.
“Don’t whine, Haru! Tell us what you want instead! You got a mouth to speak with!”
“I’ll finish dressing Kei and you can help Haru,” Shouto quickly said and leaned down to whisper in his mate’s ear. “I think Haru’s being a bit jealous again. He wants your attention.”
Katsuki glanced up at him with a searching look before sighing and nodding, accepting the fact that Shouto could read their alpha sons quite well.
“Alright, you wanna have a look through the wardrobe then?” Katsuki asked Haru who wiped his red face before nodding, immediately latching onto his mother’s hand.
Katsuki had been proven quite wrong when he had assumed that having two pups would make things easier. It was all good though. They did eventually manage to get both of them dressed and ready to go.
”Let’s go see the old folks then,” Katsuki said with a bit of a sigh as they made their way out of the house.
Katsuki’s parents had helped them a lot, despite Katsuki’s protests, when Haru had arrived, so early in their lives, and unplanned. That had been back when Shouto and his own father had cut each other out of their lives. Mitsuki and Masaru had been there though, and Shouto would forever remain grateful for that.
Mitsuki was the one opening the door when they arrived and immediately gave Shouto a warm smile. ”Come in, come in. Don’t just stand there,” she said before looking down at her son, her smile changing into a critical look. ”Katsuki, haven’t you brushed your hair?!”
”It just looks like this, okay?!” Katsuki immediately hissed, frown firmly in place. ”Yours looks the same!”
Shouto did not quite understand the relationship between mother and son, but he had learnt not to try and interfere. In the beginning he had thought that they had had a very fractious relationship, but he had soon seen that that was not the case. They just had their own way of interacting.
He reckoned that it must have been very hard for Mitsuki as an alpha to have an omegan pup. It was quite unusual. He therefore had a lot of respect for how much freedom she had given Katsuki. Shouto had to admit that he was not quite sure he would have been able to do the same in her position without constantly worrying.
”Where’s grandpa?” Haru asked, knowing that Masaru always had some type of sweet ready for him.
”He’s in the kitchen,” Mitsuki answered. ”Take off your shoes and go find him.”
Haru quickly kicked off his shoes and went searching for his favourite grandfather.
”Your dad and his darned bribes,” Mitsuki rolled her eyes at Katsuki, who shrugged before taking off his own shoes. Kei, who was firmly strapped to his mother’s chest made a small grunting sound.
”Is the little chubster alright?” Mitsuki asked, peering down at her youngest grandpup.
”Yep,” Katsuki answered without elaborating.
”There hasn’t been anymore issues since Katsuki stopped eating anything containing egg,” Shouto said.
”Masaru has checked all the ingredients for lunch four times over I think to make sure there’s no egg,” Mitsuki sighed.
”Mommy, look!” Haru announced, peeking out of the kitchen and holding up a lollypop triumphantly. ”Grandpa said not to tell you I got this!”
”I can see that mission failed,” Mitsuki laughed.
There were no secrets safe with Haru.
As it was not time for lunch yet, they gathered in the living room where Masaru crawled around on the floor, letting Haru tell him exactly what to do as they played together.
Shouto was not always sure how to play with his son. He had no real experience from his own childhood, so he carefully observed Masaru, whom he thought of his father-in-law, even though Shouto and Katsuki were not married. Masaru was always so gentle with Haru. Katsuki usually complained that he was spoiling him.
When Mitsuki excused herself to go to the bathroom, Shouto turned to Katsuki, who was stroking Kei’s wispy hair with a soft look on his face. Shouto supposed that he could let his guard down with the pups.
Suddenly reminded of his earlier conversation with Haru, Shouto leaned forward and spoke into his mate’s ear.
”Do you think you would like another pup when Kei is older?”
Katsuki whipped his head around and gave Shouto a questioning stare, his soft expression hardening.
”Hah?! What’re you on about?!”
”Haru asked me-”
”Mommy! Mommy! Look! I’m standing on my hands!” Haru shouted, giving them an upside-down grin as Masaru held his feet up.
”I can see that,” Katsuki answered. ”Just don’t go blowing a hole through the floor.”
”You know, we had a kid who once blew the bathroom door of its hinges when he didn’t want to take a bath,” Mitsuki muttered as she returned, grinning as Katsuki gave her a scowl.
”I think it’s time for lunch, or what do you say?” Masaru said, setting Haru down.
Shouto was about to nod when his phone rang. Looking down at the screen, he could see that it was work.
”Something happen?” Katsuki asked him, peering down at the screen as well.
”I don’t know.”
”Well, answer it then!”
Shouto excused himself and went into the hall. The conversation did not take long, and he quickly returned to the living room.
”I’m sorry, but there’s been a major accident. They need more people at the scene.”
Katsuki just nodded at him, accepting it fully.
”Oh, that’s a pity,” Masaru said as he climbed to his feet. ”Do you want something to eat on the way?”
”No thank you. I’m fine, but I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
”I’ll take the kids home later if it takes too long,” Katsuki told him. ”Go quickly now! Dad, turn on the news!”
Shouto hesitated for a moment before bowing slightly to his in-laws.
”I apologise.”
”Don’t be silly. Go now,” Mitsuki said. ”We can butt heads on our own.”
”Don’t worry, Daddy! I’ll protect Mommy when you’re gone!” Haru exclaimed, puffing himself up while Katsuki rolled his eyes.
Giving everyone a final glance, Shouto left.
It was not often that he was called out like that, but it did turn out to be quite a large incident. A villain had managed to derail a train while it was travelling across a skyway, high up. The train had come crashing down into an industrial area and when Shouto arrived, several heroes and rescue workers were doing their best to tend to the passengers. Most fortunately, a civilian on the train had used her quirk which had turned the hard metal of the carriages into a soft bouncy material, which had protected everyone inside. There had still been injuries, but no casualties, which was a huge relief. That was not why Shouto had been called though. He was there because of the particular area where the train had landed.
He was told that there was a great risk of fire as one of the buildings impacted was a factory which produced high-powered batteries. The firefighters at the scene had requested back-up from a hero with a suitable quirk, and Shouto had been the first to pick up when they had started calling.
He stood ready to instantly use his ice should something happen, but as it turned out, him being there ended up just being a precaution as no fire erupted. That had also been lucky. Still, it was already dark by the time he made it home.
As he stepped into the house, he could hear the muffled sounds of the TV. He found his family in the living room. Katsuki was sprawled on the floor, propped up by some pillows while Kei slept on top of him. Haru was sitting beside his mother, fiddling with Katsuki’s hair, though his attention was fully on the cartoon he was watching.
“Hi,” Shouto said with a smile. It always felt warm coming home. Like it never had in the house he had grown up in.
“Hey, dinner’s in the fridge,” Katsuki muttered with a sigh.
“Did everything go alright?” Shouto asked.
“Shh, Daddy!” Haru gave him a quick scowl. “They are gonna kiss and make up!”
Shouto looked over at the screen where two characters were arguing with each other. It was one of Haru’s favourite movies and he knew it all by heart, though that did not stop his anticipation.
“Okay, I will go and eat some dinner,” Shouto said, leaving his family alone. Katsuki did not say anything. He had not even asked Shouto about the emergency, which was a bit odd. He was always very interested in anything work-related.
After eating, he joined his family to watch the end of the movie. Haru spoke several lines before they were said. There was no other talking though and when the movie was over, Katsuki slowly got up, holding Kei gently.
“Time to go to bed,” he mumbled to Haru who began trying to argue.
“Can’t we watch it again?!”
“No, once is enough. Come on now. I can read you something in bed, or… I can just read to Kei,” Katsuki said with a small smirk.
“No! You can read to me! Kei doesn’t even understand!” Haru bounced up, handing his mother the win.
“Alright, go brush your teeth with Daddy while I get your brother ready,” Katsuki told him, giving Shouto a quick glance before walking out the room.
Shouto got up to help his son who was keen on not letting his little brother experience anything when he was not there.
“Did you have a good day with your grandparents today?” Shouto asked him as he helped his son in the bathroom.
“Yeah! Me and Grandpa played heroes, and grandma yelled at Mommy. I didn’t like that, so I told her she can’t do that to Mommy,” Haru nodded to himself.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there,” Shouto said as he helped Haru wipe himself.
“It’s okay, Daddy! I kept Mommy safe the whole time!” Haru smiled proudly, pulling up his pyjama pants, giving himself a wedgie.
“I’m sure you did,” Shouto chuckled.
“Ah, Mommy said that I wasn’t to tell you that he’s gonna leave tomorrow,” Haru suddenly shared.
”I’m sorry?” Shouto blinked down at his son.
”Don’t be sorry, Daddy. He’s gonna take me with him, and he said we can’t leave Kei behind,” Haru frowned before shrugging and running out the door before Shouto could ask him anything else.
Leave… What… What did that mean?
Shouto suddenly felt clammy. Had he done something wrong? Why would Katsuki leave him? Shouto had not noticed anything which would indicate that Katsuki no longer loved him or did not want to be with him. What could have happened?
While racking his brain, he found a possible answer. Was it what he had asked Katsuki earlier in the day? Was that it?
He had to wait to ask though as Katsuki had already gone into the bedroom with the boys and was busy reading to Haru.
Shouto was left alone, staring out the living room window, becoming more and more miserable by the minute. He could not imagine it. A life without Katsuki and his sons. He had faced the reality of losing Katsuki once, but Katsuki had come back to him. Was he really going to leave…?
By the time Katsuki finally emerged from the bedroom, Shouto had a pounding headache and was feeling so very lost.
”Hey, what’s up? You’re stinking up the whole place,” Katsuki muttered, walking up to him with a wrinkled nose.
Shouto took a deep breath and tried to reel in the pheromones he had not been aware of releasing.
”I’m sorry,” he said, staring down at his mate who had become a part of Shouto himself. ”I only asked about another pup because Haru asked me if you were going to get pregnant again. I did not mean anything serious with it.”
Katsuki just raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
”I did not mean for it to come across as me wanting to keep you at home all the time. I will always worry about you. I can’t help that, but I would never try to keep you from doing what you want. You know that, right? You can choose to return to work tomorrow should you like. We can find a daycare for Kei and-”
”What the hell are you on about?!” Katsuki snapped, interrupting him.
”Just… Please don’t leave me,” Shouto begged. ”I mean, it is your choice. I will not take that away from you, but I… I don’t want you to.”
”Why would I leave?! What’s gotten into you all of sudden?!” Katsuki scowled, seemingly annoyed.
”Haru said that you were going to leave tomorrow and take the boys with you.”
”What?!” Katsuki looked incredulous before sighing and pinching his nose. ”Haru…” he mumbled, shaking his head. ”I shouldn’t have told him anything, the little snitch!”
Shouto’s heart was hammering hard as he let it sink in. He was losing them. He was going to lose them. It was not the nightmare he had had, but it also was.
”I told him that we’re gonna go in secret tomorrow,” Katsuki muttered. ”We were gonna go and get something for our damned anniversary.”
”Anniversary?” Shouto blinked.
”Yeah! Remember? You were the one who insisted on a date to call our anniversary, or whatever, of us getting together.”
Yes, of course, Shouto remembered. It was the date of when Katsuki had allowed him to bite him, claiming him.
Staring down at the scar in the crook of his mate’s neck, Shouto suddenly felt a bit derailed.
”You’re always the one giving me something on that day,” Katsuki mumbled grumpily. ”I thought I’d be the one for once…”
”I have already bought something,” Shouto confessed.
”I know! Haru’s already told me,” Katsuki rolled his eyes. ”I can give you something as well, can’t I?! It was supposed to be a surprise or something though. He’s hopeless, isn’t he?”
”So you’re not leaving me then?” Shouto asked, his breathing becoming more even.
”You’re hopeless too,” Katsuki muttered, glaring up at him. ”But you’re my kind of hopeless I guess,” he shrugged. ”We said we’re in it together, and I fucking meant it, you idiot.”
”So, you’re not upset?”
”I am now!” Katsuki huffed. ”What was all that about another pup and stuff?”
”I thought that maybe you took it as me wanting to keep you at home.”
”You think I’d be with you if I suspected you thought stupid shit like that?” Katsuki clicked his tongue. ”You’re sometimes more foolish than I think is possible.”
”I misunderstood,” Shouto said slowly, feeling almost a bit tired all of a sudden. ”You seemed a bit distant when I got home, and then Haru told me that.”
”I was fucking half-asleep when you got home,” Katsuki frowned. ”I’ve seen that damned movie more times than I can count so I just started to drift off. Don’t overthink everything all the time.”
”I see,” Shouto sighed. ”You’re right.”
”Of course I am! Now give me a damned kiss and tell me about that train accident. Did they catch the villain responsible? It wasn’t very clear on the news.”
Bending down, Shouto gave his mate a soft kiss, after which they sat down together on the sofa.
It had started as a normal day, and it ended like one. The middle had been shaky, but it was alright. Together they always managed to straighten things out.