Spiraling back to You

Chapter 6 - Dinner with Mom

He should've invited Inko over a lot sooner. Izuku felt a lot more comfortable with her around. Less jumpy and scared, less confused when Katsuki was actually nice to him. He'd been clear with her ahead of time, informing her on all the things Izuku had forgotten, the stuff Katsuki had already shared with him, and some of the things that were better left unsaid. Inko was an amazing woman, though. Katsuki had absolutely no reason to fear she'd slip up or make her son feel bad in any way. And as he watched them interact from the kitchen while he prepared dinner, he knew he'd made the right choice in inviting her over. This familiarity was exactly what Izuku needed.

"Food is almost done," Katsuki called out.

"Oh, let me help set the table," Inko offered, already standing next to him in the kitchen before Katsuki could refuse. She didn't take out any plates or glasses, though. Instead she placed her hand over Katsuki's, taking over the cooking for a moment as she lowered her voice. "How bad are things really, Katsuki-kun?"

"I don't know what you mean," he said, opting to open up the cabinet and take out the plates himself. Inko had always been more observant than anyone gave her credit for. She must've picked up on the lingering tension, on the way Katsuki's movements were stilted and his words ever so calculated around Izuku. Holding back his feelings had been harder than he thought it would be.

"Don't lie to me," Inko demanded, stern, as always. "Izuku isn't getting better, is he?"

Katsuki swallowed the lump in his throat, quickly shooting a glance at the green head before shaking his head. No. There were no signs of improvement, no tell to know things would get better, no indication that this wouldn't end in suffering. He didn't dare look at Inko after hearing the small strangled gasp, simply focussing on setting the table as she finished up cooking their dinner. There was no point in lying to her, she deserved to know the truth. There was a chance Izuku wouldn't get any better and they needed to prepare for that possibility, how morbid it may be.

"What did you cook, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, taking over part of his job by distributing the cutlery.

"Katsudon," he said.

"That's my favorite!" he gasped, as if he couldn't believe Katsuki was capable of kind gestures. The way he reacted, always so surprised and full of shock and disbelief, made Katsuki's heart sink in his chest.

"I know," he said with a sad smile. "Some things never change, do they?"

With that he returned to the kitchen, taking over from Inko once more. There were tears shimmering in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"I see," she choked out.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, seeing her nod.

"Yes, of course," she said, clearing her throat and steadying her voice. "Promise to tell me everything after dinner."

"I promise," Katsuki nodded before bringing the food over to the table. Hopefully she'd be able to hold it together until they get a moment alone. Midoriya's weren't known to be great liars, after all. "Dig in nerd."

"This is delicious Kacchan!" Izuku exclaimed after taking only one bite.

"Tch, of course it's fucking delicious. I made it," Katsuki pointed out. Izuku nodded, stuffing his mouth while muttering and mumbling about how good it was and that everything Kacchan did was amazing and the flavor was great and- "Oi, slow down! You're gonna fucking choke yourself like this!"

"Izuku, it's not polite to talk with your mouth full," Inko pointed out. "You can compliment Katsuki-kun on his cooking after you've eaten, okay?"

"Right! Sorry, it's just- This is the best katsudon I've ever eaten in my entire life!" Izuku said, his mouth empty this time around.

"Thanks, glad you like it," Katsuki said, unable to suppress a smile from rising to his lips. At least there were some things he could still do for his boyfriend. "Make sure to eat every last bit of it. No leftovers."