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This is ridiculous. Pull yourself together.
Never in his life had he felt so nervous. He was fucking Katsuki Bakugo, he didn’t do nervous.
And yet.
Katsuki wiped his palms against his pants, grimacing at the amount of nitroglycerin he was producing. He would much rather face the League of Villains than this.
His heart was beating too loudly. Surely it was just acting up again.
Oh, fuck it.
Forming a fist and ignoring his once again wet palms, Katsuki knocked on the door, maybe a little too forcefully.
For a moment, there was silence. Then he heard shuffling from inside the apartment, a muffled yell, and then Inko Midoriya was opening the door, clearly surprised to see him.
“Oh, Katsuki! I wasn’t expecting you. Is Izuku with you?” She scanned the hallway, brows furrowing when she couldn’t find her son. “Is everything alright?”
“The nerd’s fine,” he assured her quickly. “He’s at the agency.”
She relaxed, but the puzzled look didn’t disappear. “Okay then, that’s good to hear.” She looked at him and it took everything in Katsuki not to squirm. It was obvious she didn’t like what she found, though, when she continued: “Are you alright, Katsuki?”
Get a grip.
“Can I come in?”
Inko immediately stepped aside, allowing him to enter the apartment. Taking his shoes off was more of an automatic process than a conscious decision, as his mind was literally anywhere else than in this situation.
He could still say it’s just a friendly visit. She wouldn’t believe him, but she wasn’t like his old hag; she wouldn’t demand answers.
He found himself standing in the living room, trying to calm down his racing heart. When did it got so hot in here?
“Would you like some tea, Ka –”
“Midoriya-san.“
Inko nearly dropped the kettle she’d been holding. Not like be could blame her. He’d never called her by her surname. Even when he was making her son’s life a living hell, she was still “aunt Inko” to him. Slowly, she put the kettle down, turning to face him.
Fuck. Fuck, what was he thinking? There was no backing away now.
His hands sparked. He shoved them inside the pockets of his pants, trying to stay calm.
“Katsuki…?”
“I – me and Deku –”
What the hell was he doing? He had it all prepared. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. He should’ve been polite and civil for once, instead of this stuttering mess. But this was important, he owed her much more than this after everything he’d put the Midoriya household through.
“I – fuck, I’m not good at this.“ Groaning, Katsuki hid his face in his palm, dryly swallowing and breathing in the scent of nitroglycerin. When he arranged his thoughts into something coherent, he looked at Inko, not at all surprised to find her waiting. Patient, but unsure.
“I know Deku deserves better than me. He deserves so much more than I can give to him, and I don’t know how he can love me after all I’ve done to him. It baffles me how someone so smart and bright and nice can be so stupid to love me when I’ve treated him like shit for half our lives. And I know that I can’t take back what I’ve done but as long as I’m alive, I’m going to do everything I can to deserve him. To stand by his side and be able to call himself his partner in all the ways that matter.“
He didn’t dare to look at her. He fumbled with the box inside his pocket, gripping it tight to remind himself that he wasn’t being vulnerable, that he was doing this for Deku.
For himself.
“And I know that it doesn’t really matter what you’re going to say because it’s all up to Izuku after all, but I…“
He couldn’t get the rest of the words out, no matter how hard he tried. So instead, he took out the small ring box that has been keeping him grounded, and hoped that Inko will understand.
If there was someone who loved Izuku as much as he did, it was his mom. Katsuki needed her to understand, and he needed her approval even more. She knew who Katsuki was, she knew what he had done, knew all his past mistakes that he will never stop regretting.
He needed her to know that he’s truly changed, that he would rather die than hurt Izuku ever again.
Katsuki was selfish like that.
He froze when he spotted the tears in the corners of her eyes. He didn’t manage to do anything, though, because in the next moment she threw himself in his arms, hugging him with so much force it took his breath away.
“Oh, Katsuki!” she sobbed, but there was joy in her voice. “He’s going to be so thrilled! I’m so happy for you two!”
Katsuki swallowed, overwhelmed. “He might not –”
“Hush, you,” she interrupted him, squeezing him even tighter. “Of course he’s going to say yes. You have my blessing and everything. I know you’ll take care of my boy – you’ve been doing so for the past few years. I haven’t seen anyone so in love than you two are!”
He looked away, trying to ignore the heat spreading both on his face and in his heart.
Inko finally let go of him. She pushed him towards to couch instead. “Go sit, I’ll make us tea. I want to hear everything you’re planning!”
Katsuki blinked, reality hitting him hard.
Inko approved. She approved of him. Him.
Small victories.
The biggest battle was yet to be won.