COLLIDE. // Bakudeku

When.

Unedited.

IZUKU MISSED KATSUKI a lot more than he was willing to acknowledge. But he loved him just as much, so he pushed those needy thoughts to the back of his mind for now.

It'd been months since he'd last spoken to Katsuki in person.

During that time, Izuku visited his mother, hoping to gather his thoughts and open up to her about his feelings for his deceased father.

"Tenata told me about what happened."

Izuku stiffened. She's gonna be angry with me.

"I can't believe you ran out in the middle of the service after being called up. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Izuku."

Izuku blinked. Did Tenata alter the truth on his behalf?

Inko shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. Izuku's chest ached. "I should've considered your feelings more. But I thought getting to know him better would be a good thing, regardless of the circumstances. I'm such a terrible parent."

"Stop." Izuku's voice was soft yet stern. "You're the best mother I could ever ask for."

His expression softened a little. "And it's fine, now that I can clear this up with you. It's been hard to deal with, but that's not because you're a bad parent. It's because he was."

Inko pursed her lips, eyeing Izuku in deep thought. "I'm still sorry. For trying to coerce you into forgiving him."

"You're the one who was most affected, but you're apologizing." Izuku laughed a little. "Even though it felt pressuring, there's no way you or Tenata could coerce me into doing anything. I hate him because of what I know, after all."

The day carried on leisurely, and Izuku spent his time with Inko by helping her cook, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and listening to her as she ranted about her job.

He also came out to her.

Inko was surprised, to say the least. She cried, her face red with embarrassment as she praised Izuku for finding himself.

"I'm happy that you feel comfortable enough to tell me, Izuku. I'm so proud of you," she sniffled, wrapping Izuku in a warm hug.

Izuku was extremely relieved that she accepted him, and since he hadn't felt warmth in a while, he naturally began to cry too.

And eventually, he told her everything about his college experience so far. At least, most of it.

About the friends he made. About his classes. About what happened with Toga.

That... was the hardest part. Izuku hated to open up to his mother about what he'd been dealing with since he hated worrying her, but he hated lying to her even more.

As expected, that's how Katsuki became the topic of the conversation.

"But, I met this guy."

Inko's brows were raised, her lips wobbly as she tried not to cry. "Really now?"

Izuku smiled a little. "Yeah. We began dating in early November, last year. He was my poetry partner for class, so that's how we met."

Inko smiled a little. "That's sweet. What's his name?"

"Katsuki. I call him Kacchan, though."

"Ooo, nicknames!"

Izuku's face reddened. "Well, I called him that by accident and he liked it, so it kind of stuck."