Chapter 21

The two teenagers stood shaking in front of the front door of Katsuki's house. They were completely soaked and the rain still hadn't let up, the wind as chilly as ever. Katsuki fiddled with the keys in his hand, trying to find the one that opened the door. It was a surprisingly difficult task considering the constant shivering that made his hands shake.

The door in front of them opened, making them both look up to a serious Mitsuki holding some folded towels in one hand. "And where the hell did the two of you run off to? I've been trying to call you for the past five minutes!"

"S-Sorry Auntie," Izuku apologized, hugging his body tightly trying to get some warmth. Mitsuki pulled the two of them inside and closed the door, throwing a towel over their heads.

"I don't mind you guys going out, but at least pick up the damn phone," she scolded, crossing her arms with a frown. Katsuki fished for his phone from his back pocket and held it up, watching as it dripped with water. It was definitely drenched and not functional. Same thing with Izuku's phone.

"We went to visit Auntie Inko, we didn't know there would be a god damn storm," Katsuki mumbled, putting the phone back in his pocket and ruffling his hair with the towel to get it dry. He and his mother haven't really talked since the lunch incident, and it didn't seem like any of them would bring up the topic.

Mitsuki simply nodded her head slowly and narrowed her eyes, telling them to get a warm shower before either of them got sick. The two boys hurriedly took their soaked shoes and socks off, leaving them by the entrance and rushed up the stairs, heading to Katsuki's bedroom after grabbing their bags they had left on the ground.

"I'm surprised she didn't scold us further," Izuku chuckled, having his towel wrapped around his shoulders. Katsuki shrugged, the two of them rummaging through their bags for clean clothes.

"It's probably because we went to visit Auntie. She wouldn't get mad about that," Katsuki explained. "Go ahead and take a shower first. I don't wanna deal with your whiny ass if you get sick."

"Me?" Izuku snorted, raising an eyebrow at the blond. "You're the one that acts so tough and mighty but can't even stand up when you get a mild fever. I rarely get sick."

"Oi!" Katsuki frowned, throwing his towel at Izuku. "That was only once and I had the damn flu."

"Oh really?" Izuku teased with a playful smirk. Katsuki sent him a deathly glare, making him chuckle and raise his arms up. "Whatever you say, big guy."

"Tch, whatever, you stupid nerd," Katsuki grumbled. "I'll take the damn shower since you fucking insist. Don't be whining if I take long."

"I won't," Izuku said with a sheepish smile. Huffing, Katsuki stomped out of the bedroom and went to take his shower. The greenette looked around the blond's room, noticing how ordinary it looked. Most of his things had been moved to the dorms, the only things left behind being his bed, two All Might posters, and a few figurines. The closet barely had any clothes in it, just old ones that probably didn't fit Katsuki anymore.

Izuku wandered around the room absentmindedly, running his fingers on every surface and trying to find something interesting. The last time he had been inside that room was the night of the incident, and although it had been a few months ago, he felt nostalgic. He had always admired how the blond kept his room so tidy, whereas his was All Might forward and not-so-tidy most of the time. Katsuki would make fun of him for it, but would always help him clean up afterwards.

A yawn escaped Izuku's lips as he sat down on the floor in front of the bed. The sun was starting to set and he felt exhausted from the day he had. He couldn't help the small silly smile that overtook his features as he recalled the day. What Katsuki did for him was so thoughtful on his part and he had so much fun on the way back to the house. Hell, he so desperately wanted to believe that what happened at the ice cream parlor was a date. That would certainly be a wish come—

"Now why are you smiling like a starstruck boy who just had his first kiss?"

Izuku almost jumped ten feet in the air by Mitsuki's sudden appearance. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a sly smirk on her face. Izuku blushed madly, trying to cover his face from utter embarrassment. "A-Auntie, h-hi!"

"Spill," Mitsuki ordered, walking inside the room and sitting next to him on the floor, giving him her upmost attention.

"I-It was nothing," Izuku said, scratching the back of his neck. No matter how hard the poor greenette tried to stop blushing, his cheeks kept burning. How did he get himself in that situation? If only he had Hagakure's quirk and just be invisible to avoid such embarrassment...

"Izuku, honey, that smile can't be nothing," Mitsuki chuckled, leaning closer to him with a wide, excited smile. "Who is it?"

Was it possible to blush even harder? The answer was: yes, absolutely.

"No one!" Izuku squeaked, hiding his face behind his hands. He had not admitted his feelings for Katsuki to anyone other than Uraraka. There was no way in hell that he would admit those feelings to Katsuki's own mother.

What if she reacted the same way his mother did?

"So there is someone," Mitsuki smirked. "Who is it? A girl? Or perhaps...a boy?"

Izuku's eyes widened at the implication, his entire face and neck flushing a furious red. He could even feel the tip of his ears burning in mortification. If one thing was worse than those questions, it was the fact that Mitsuki was as perceptive as Katsuki. Katsuki was pretty much the perfect clone to his mother. That was terrifying.

"Oh my God," Mitsuki gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Izuku flinched unconsciously, already waiting for the woman to unleash her wrath upon him. Surprisingly enough, warmth surrounded him as Mitsuki embraced him in a tight hug. "I can't believe it! This is great!"

"W-What...?" Izuku trailed off, face still burning as he let her squeeze the living daylights out of him. Was she excited? Why? What was going on?

"It's a boy, isn't it?" She squeaked, more than eager to know.

Katsuki had been leaning against the wall next to his doorframe for about a minute or two, shamefully eavesdropping on their conversation. Initially, he was going to barge in and kick the old hag out of his room. He hated when she went in uninvited whenever he was home. But, the moment he heard what they were talking about, he held himself back and listened in.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard his mother imply that Izuku liked a boy. If he did, that would mean that Katsuki had a chance. But, who did the nerd like? What kind of person were they? He would make sure to blast them off the surface of the earth. He wanted the greenette to himself.

"U-Uh, I, uh—" Izuku stuttered, not knowing what to say. When he noticed the hopeful look Mitsuki was giving him, he cleared his throat and looked away nervously. "Y-Yeah...i-it's a boy."

"Who is it?!"

"You're gay?!"

Mitsuki and Katsuki both exclaimed at the same time, Katsuki finally making an appearance. Izuku tensed as he saw the blond standing by the doorframe, looking utterly dumbfounded.

Shit! No, no, no! How much did he hear?!

He stared at Katsuki wide-eyed, heart beating frantically. It was already bad enough that Mitsuki was questioning him! Now when he finally revealed to the woman that he liked a boy, the boy himself randomly shows up?! Not only that, but now said boy also found out that Izuku was gay?! That's exactly the least he wanted to happen! They were finally on good terms with each other!

What would Katsuki think of him now?

"What's with that, you brat?!" Mitsuki scoffed. "It's fucking rude to listen in on other people's conversations."

"This is my room you're chatting in," Katsuki scowled, turning to the greenette who wouldn't meet his eyes. Izuku was beyond mortified. The day was going on so well! "Oi, nerd, answer me."

"I-I-I'm going t-to shower," Izuku managed to say, grabbing his clothes and standing up in a hurry. He needed to get out of that suffocating room. There was no way in hell that he would look at the blond in the eye. Katsuki could read him like an open book by his actions alone, imagine if he got a look into his eyes. It would be like Izuku was giving him access to look into the depths of his soul.

He couldn't have that.

"You scared him off, you stupid ass!" Mitsuki scolded as Izuku pushed his way past Katsuki. The blond thought about stopping him, but it was his own fault for suddenly barging in. If only he were a little more patient then he could've had a clear answer. Who could blame him for being a little too excited, though? He literally just heard his crush confess that he liked a boy, so he most likely had a chance, right?

Now he only needed to know if the greenette was straight up gay or if he was bisexual. Katsuki would have an even bigger chance if Izuku was straight up gay.

Man, was he getting his hopes up.

"Oi, quit daydreaming. You look creepy as fuck," Mitsuki said while smacking the back of his head. Katsuki immediately scowled at his mother, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"You're annoying, old hag," Katsuki rolled his eyes, sitting on top of his bed.

"And you're a brat, but I still love you," Mitsuki said pinching one of his cheeks a little too forcefully. Katsuki slapped her hand away, sending her a glare.

"Why were you having that conversation with Deku anyway?" Katsuki asked, mildly curious.

"I came in to check on him and he had this cute little smile on him," Mitsuki said with a small smile. "With all that's been going on, I didn't expect him to have much reason for such smile. That's how I knew that little Izu is in love."

Katsuki blushed as he took in his mother's words, but he made sure to not let her notice. "And how can you be so sure?"

"Because," Mitsuki started, sitting down next to him on the bed. "When you're at your worst, you feel alone in this overpopulated world. You feel hopeless, useless, and powerless. But you see, love is such a powerful weapon, that when you're in love, you forget about all those things. You could have the most crappiest day of your life, but one good moment with that person could change your day entirely."

"You're such a poet," Katsuki snorted sarcastically, earning a laugh from his mother. His mother's words carved themselves inside his mind, and it had him thinking about his day with Izuku. He would never admit it out loud, but she was most definitely right.

"I try to be sometimes," Mitsuki joked. "I'm just glad that Izuku is allowing himself to love someone even when his whole world is crashing down around him. I'm pretty sure that he's been miserable enough. I just hope that whoever this boy is cherishes him with all his heart and treats him with care. He surely deserves it."

"You don't seem to mind that he likes boys," Katsuki noted, glancing at her through the corner of his eye. Should he come out to her too?

"Emotions can't be controlled. You can't force yourself to like something you don't, or hate something you like. Who am I to judge him?" Mitsuki explained, ruffling his son's hair and standing up. "Why do you think I still love you even though you're an asshole who also likes boys?"

"Haah?!" Katsuki exclaimed loudly, looking at his mother incredulously. Mitsuki cackled at his son's bewildered expression, sending a wink his way. "How the fu—"

"You're my son, Katsuki. I know you," was Mitsuki's vague answer and she headed out the room. Katsuki was blushing madly in astonishment, wondering just how the fuck his mother knew. There he was mustering up enough courage to tell her, yet she dropped that bomb on him. How long has she known?

His mind was whirring with overflowing thoughts and questions. He couldn't decide which was more important. If finding out who this mystery guy was, or if interrogating his mother about how she knew and why she didn't tell him anything before.

For some reason, Katsuki couldn't wipe off the grin that was plastered on his face. If anyone saw him, they would probably think that he was up to something. But, how could he not be happy? Sure, the boy he liked already had a crush on someone else, but that wouldn't stop him from getting what he wanted.

Now, all he had to do was try to find a way for Izuku fall for him.

Ah, how frustratingly oblivious he was.