Izuku helped his mother set the table and all the while, Inko hummed merrily. Izuku knew she was itching to ask, but she didn't and Izuku was grateful for that at least.
She made, funnily enough without Izuku's prompts, some stir fry with some spicy tofu. At exactly 5 pm, the doorbell rang and Izuku stood straight up like he was zapped in the spine, and Inko grinned brightly at her son.
"Well go on then. Don't leave the man waiting." She said after Izuku's face had transformed into a strawberry. He slapped his cheeks and opened the door…to see Katsuki walking away from the door, his hand in his hair.
"Kacchan?" Izuku called after him. Katsuki paused. Izuku thought he heard him swear. "Where are you going?" Izuku asked, knowing very well he was about to leave.
"Uh." Katsuki turned around slowly, his eyes to the hedges and hand still roughly passing through his hair. "I thought I had the wrong house."
"Nope! It's the right one." Izuku stepped aside and after hesitating for a painful two seconds, Katsuki walked back up the pathway and past Izuku. He paused in the foyer, not kicking off his shoes just yet and Izuku's stomach twisted in uneasiness. "You don't have to come-"
"No I want to, it's just, I was never the best-" Katsuki could hardly meet Izuku's eyes and Izuku wanted to take his face in his palms and squish them to force him to look at him.
"Katsuki!" Inko barged into the foyer corridor area and pulled Katsuki into a hug, which is a feat considering Inko was a foot shorter than he was. "So glad you can join us. I haven't seen you since you were a baby!"
"Mom." Izuku groaned, turning alarmingly like a strawberry again, "You've seen him as a teenager, he hasn't changed that much."
"Are you kidding?" Inko pinched one of Katsuki's cheeks and Katsuki literally looked stunned, frozen in place like Inko's hug was laced with paralyzer. She, to Izuku's embarrassment, pinched an unyielding bicep and smiled warmly up at him, "He didn't have these, such a hard working young man!"
And without getting to finish what he was saying, they were both ushered - after he removed his shoes- into the dining room set for four people. Izuku hadn't set it for four people.
"Mom? Who's coming?" Izuku looked pointedly at the vacant seat and Katsuki, still stunned, watched them both without any real acknowledgement of hearing what was happening.
"Oh, just Mitsuki." Inko said happily as she disappeared into the kitchen and brought the food out with an expertise Izuku wished he could acquire sometime in his lifetime. "Sit, sit, what are you boys waiting for."
"Did you just say…?" Katsuki finally blinked slowly as his eyes refocused. "Mitsuki…as in my mother?"
Inko nodded, then the doorbell rang and she shimmied and squeaked before going to the door. Their voices were loud and somehow indistinguishable as words, Izuku just sat, staring at beautiful Katsuki, an adult Katsuki, in his living room, preparing to eat dinner.
"You little shit." Mitsuki said as soon as she flopped down opposite Izuku, beside Katsuki. "Don't you know how to call your mother and tell her you're alive?"
"You know I'm fine, ma." Katsuki grumbled, having gone completely still. "You read the stories and text me about them all the time."
"Well that's not the same as hearing from you, is it?" Mitsuku was pinching his face and they began a halfhearted wrestling match while Inko ignored them and began to put food onto her plate. She looked at Izuku.
"Dear, aren't you hungry?" Inko nudged him and he tore his eyes away from Katsuki in a headlock and dumped food into his plate as well. Everything smelled amazing, and the faint smell of nitroglycerin tinted the space of the small room; Izuku figured it was both the Bakugous as they worked themselves up. Eventually, Katsuki was, what seemed to be against his wishes, kissing his mother on the cheek and taking her food out for her.
"Thank you darling," she said satisfied, then turning to Inko she beamed like she hadn't just tussled with her son for five minutes, "And thank you Inko! I'd have never seen my son if you hadn't invited me to dinner, it was very thoughtful of you."
"My pleasure," Inko simply beamed, her cheeks round with her smile.
"Thank you for the food," Everyone said and they ate. Izuku because he felt awkward and had no idea what to say or do, Katsuki because he wanted to avoid answering his mother's thousands of questions, and Mitsuki because Katsuki wouldn't answer her. Inko looked quite content indeed.
With dinner wrapped up, Inko brought out some sake and Mitsuku looked absolutely delighted. "Oh yes, some adult time at last."
"Ma, I'm not 4 years old." Katsuki grumbled, eyeing the sake warily. "Am I gonna have to get y'home after this?"
"Don't worry dear, she can stay in Izuku's old room until she's ready to go home, it's not a problem." Inko poured the sake into the cups and looked expectantly at Izuku and Katsuki, both of whom just returned from the kitchen after washing up the dishes without brushing shoulders or looking at each other. Not even a word. Izuku felt like it was back in middle school again, when teachers were around but Katsuki just oozed hate for him and his shoulders slumped inward protectively.
"Izuku dear, could you and Katsuki be so kind as to get your room ready in the event Mitsuki is a lightweight?" Inko's eyes were sparkling with mischief and Izuku had never seen his mother like this before. Either she was looking forward very much to drinking with a friend, or she had ulterior motives, and his mother was never an ulterior motives kind of woman.
"Uh, I can't- he can't see my room-" Izuku blustered, remembering how he had left it plastered with All Might everything and shrivelling inwardly of embarrassment.
"What you got in there, huh nerd?" Katsuki finally seemed more of himself again, even though he remained wary of his mother. He leaned in while the ladies weren't paying attention and whispered in Izuku's ear so they wouldn't hear, "Any toys?"
Izuku did have toys, but they were just figurines; he blushed full bodied anyway and he could feel his pulse in his fingertips with how his heart began to hammer at Katsuki's closeness and invasion of his space for the first time of the night.
"Was it this way? I think I remember…" Katsuki disappeared and Izuku yelped, trotting after him knowing he would never be able to stop him. Katsuki slid open the door, rather aggressively Izuku noticed but Katsuki apologised by way of breathing an indistinguishable word and then he laughed. He flicked the dim light on, and Izuku felt his entire face flame with embarrassment.
"It's like I'm seven again and sleeping over so mom and dad can play footsie." Katsuki spun to look at Izuku who wanted to disappear into the floor and die.
"I moved out three years ago and never packed anything up." Izuku said lamely, then for the first time since Katsuki made his dramatic entrance, Izuku peered around his room with perturbation of having to see it through Katsuki's eyes.
It was yellow and blue and red all over. The room itself smelled slightly stale, like his mother had been airing it out but not frequently enough to diminish it completely. But it was unmistakably very Izuku by the drapes and bed sheets, posters and even his rug, plus the shelf he upgraded to to fit all his figurines on. Katsuki followed his eyes and then he grinned happily.
"Oh shit, you do have toys." Katsuki didn't touch anything but peered very closely. "Just not the kinds I was asking about." His back was to Izuku so he didn't see him blush. By his desk in the corner, there were a few green drawings and he scrambled over to hide them; his old costume design he had feverishly tweaked until he couldn't get into UA and never had the heart to throw away, perfectly content to ignore having ever done it.
"What you hidin' over there?" Katsuki walked up to him, invading his personal space again and Izuku felt himself shrink both toward Katsuki and into the floor hoping either thing would swallow him whole to put him out of his misery.
"Uh, my drawings, it's nothing." Izuku stood aside and he broke out into a cold sweat because this felt like exposing something so intimate about himself to the boy he had a crush on, hated, then crushed on again.
"You drew this?" Katsuki asked as he carefully pulled the paper from its thumb tack and studied it with a little crease between his eyebrows. "Oh yea, you tried out for UA."
"I mean," Izuku was stammering and Katsuki was still too close and he couldn't move. "I did yea but I couldn't get past the practical."
"Why didn't ya apply for the business class, or support or somethin'? He placed the drawings back and Izuku almost could breathe again except Katsuki hadn't moved.
"I didn't want to be in your shadow anymore." Izuku swallowed thickly, "You got in, and I didn't and you always said I wouldn't."
"Who gives a fuck what I thought or said, didn't you want to be a hero?" Katsuki was suddenly furious but not at Izuku, it wasn't directed at Izuku.
"I'm quirkless, Kacchan. I would've just gotten in the way." Izuku dropped his head and half-sidled away from Katsuki to put some distance between them.
"I kind of thought you'd have been an amazing support team member." Katsuki said to the room and not Izuku in particular, because Izuku had looked up to find Katsuki staring out the window as the first stars began to pierce the darkening dusky sky. Katsuki had paid him a compliment.
"What?" Was all Izuku's stupid mouth could muster.
"Well you had those stupid- not stupid, sorry- those journals where you analyzed everyone, and it was useful as fuck." Katsuki rubbed the back of his neck, scratching at the spiky hair there and still speaking to the window.
"You thought they were useful?" Izuku couldn't get a handle on his chest and he was beginning to want to run away instead of hoping the bedroom floor would open up.
"Yea, I was jealous." Katsuki muttered so low Izuku's ears strained to hear it. His face stretched into a smile and he couldn't help it, he laughed, but the smile remained.
"You were jealous," Izuku said slowly, incredulously, "Of me?"
"Come on, nerd." Katsuki finally looked at him. "Everyone kept telling me how amazin' I was an' shit. And that got to my head real early on. Got my ass whooped so many times, and I remembered your journals and how you broke down heroes and all that. It," Katsuki blushed, even in the now dimming light in the bedroom, Izuku could see it blotchy on his neck, "It saved my neck in the end. I beat everyone because I used your brain? Your thought process I guess."
"I hope this is happening and it isn't all in my head." Izuku mumbled, Katsuki's eyes locked onto him and he half smiled.
"It's happenin'." Katsuki reassured him, "Just about I don't know, what is it? Six Years? Seven? Too late, and you don't have to forgive me or whatever, or do me anymore favours." Katsuki was beginning to ramble and Izuku was grinning instead of smiling now. Katsuki didn't know what to do with his hands and they were everywhere and nowhere in repeated nervous gestures as he continued, "I mean, I'll get you the All Might meeting, and it was nice of you to let me come here for dinner, your mom's amazin', I mean she has to be, she raised you, but that's not the point-"
"Kacchan, calm down." Izuku stepped toward him and grabbed his wrist from making another pass at the back of his head. Katsuki looked at him and he was breathing hard, Izuku could feel the breath on his face, tickling his cheeks.
"Sorry, I'm just not used to facing the people I bullied for no good reason." Katsuki looked abashed and shy and Izuku felt a squirm of delight for a new face on his crush he should definitely not be crushing on right now.
"It's fine, look." Izuku turned to his bed in All Might bedding, and he gestured lamely, "I clearly was asking for it." He laughed. Katsuki didn't. "That was a joke, Kacchan."
Katsuki's shoulders slumped. "I know, but, you shouldn't have to make me feel better about being a shitty human."
"You're literally out there saving lives, and I don't care about the past so much anymore because I'm happy with what I'm doing." Izuku realised he had Katsuki's wrist still in his palm and he released it like it had burned him; now it was his turn to nervously pass his hand through his hair. "Can you help me with the bed?"
And Katsuki did without complaint, and all throughout, peppered with curious glances at Izuku that Izuku couldn't decipher.
"You're too nice, Izuku." Katsuki said so softly, Izuku thought he made it up.
"Sorry?" Izuku asked politely while he studiously tucked the new, All Might-less sheets into the frame.
"You should've-" Katsuki started tentatively.
"Boys!" Mitsuki was bellowing and Katsuki winced. "You better not be doing anything in that room! Unless you come out here and tell your mommies you're both finally dating-"
"Don't listen to her," Katsuki said loudly to cover the rest of her sentence.
"What does she mean, finally ?" Izuku asked the room and no one in particular. "She knows we haven't seen each other since we were 14 right?"
Katsuki was already out of the room. Izuku followed.
"Ah, there's my explosive piece of-" Mitsuki's eyes were a little hazy and she was grinning in a manner greatly resembling Dynamight after a victory.
"Ma!" Katsuki cut her off.
"Can you walk me home, my beautiful boy?" Mitsuki stood unsteadily and Izuku assumed the sake was finished.
"Sure, ma." Katsuki muttered something about making the bed for no reason, then turned to Izuku and kind of toward Inko, his face full of apologies, but Inko looked absolutely content and a little wobbly where she sat.
"Such a lovely boy, Katsuki." Inko said. "Can you see them to the door, Izuku, honey?"
Izuku hovered awkwardly as Katsuki balanced his mother and walked with her to the front door, slipped her shoes on, and opened the door.
"Thanks for having us, Izuku." Katsuki's eyes met Izuku in a steady stare and Izuku couldn't blink for fear of missing his intensity. Katsuki glanced over Izuku's shoulder and tiptoed a little, "Thank you Mrs Midoriya! The food was wonderful!"
"This was nice, Kacchan." Izuku said to his back because he had already turned to walk away with Mitsuki gripping his forearm.
"Yea, Izuku. It was." Katsuki called over his shoulder. Izuku stared at him as he disappeared behind the greenery at the corner of his street.