Darkside (BkDK)

~~** Put up or shut up. **~~

"I almost sold our house when you boys were in middle school just so Izuku could go to a different school. Twice. Did you know that? I discussed it with Mitsuki a few times. I don't know if she ever told you, or if you would have cared at the time. Even though my baby never once said a negative thing about you, never once told me who it was that was hurting him, I knew it was you. No one else in his life had that kind of power over him. Not me, not even his father. Only you. The last straw for me was after you burned his notebook and he came home soaking wet. I told him we needed to move and tell his father everything. I picked up the phone to call Hisashi, but in the end I didn't tell him about the bullying. Do you know why I didn't?" A somber head shake was the blonde's only reply.

"Izuku begged me not to. He chose to cry himself to sleep rather than leave your side. He CHOSE to take the names and the ridicule. HE was the one who was stronger all these years. HE was the one who showed the character of a true Hero. Even though I failed him as his mother and couldn't be there to support his only dream: he never gave up. Even though his best friend who he always idolized turned on him, he couldn't bear to be away from you. It was like he valued being near you more than he valued himself and it killed me every day. However-" Reaching across the small table, Inko took the blonde's tightly clenched hand in her own.

"-I understand people can change. My baby has told me so much about how you have changed in his emails and calls. I know you are not the same boy you were back then. Even now, I can see it. If this were three years ago there is no way we would be having this conversation like we are now. I know you would have sat quietly with me but you surely would not have listened. You may not be completely different but I don't think that would be a realistic expectation of anyone. You ARE Mitsuki's child after all." Both let out a slight chuckle at the thought of where the boy's feisty attitude came from.

"I acknowledge that you are no longer the bully you once were. But that does not mean I am ready to entrust my son to you again without knowing for sure he is safe with you. Emotionally. Physically I know he can handle himself now so at least that worry is lifted from my shoulders. That said, I do WANT to trust you." The sigh of relief from her captive audience did not go unnoticed by the older woman.

"So, I will give you the chance to show me. You two are home for a week and I will be off work for the last few days of that time. If you can show me you have sincerely changed and will not hurt him like that again I will agree to not stand in the way of your partnership. But if you hurt my baby again you will not need to worry about what Hisashi might do, do you hear me Kauski Bakugo?"

Looking one another in the eye both knew how serious the implications of this conversation were. Inko may not be aware that her son was far more than just friends with the boy in front of her, but that didn't make it any less significant. If he could prove himself a worthy partner to her boy then maybe she would be okay with them being more.

Nodding and taking the woman's small hands in his own Dynamight squeezed them tightly before releasing them. After smiling softly, class 2A's Blasty stood slowly and took a few steps towards the front door. Tuning to look over his shoulder as he slipped his shoes back on he addressed his boyfriend's mother with all the sincerity he could muster. "I promise Auntie Inko. I will show you how serious I am about never hurting him like that ever again. I still call him Nerd and Deku, but they don't mean the same thing to either of us anymore. I won't ask you to believe me. I'll show you, just like you asked."

Without another word the blonde left and headed home. He would show the women he once considered a second mother that she could trust him with her son. He had to. He may love the idiot but if she didn't approve of them being together he knew they would never make it. Izuku could never go against his mother's wishes. I'll show Auntie. I'll fucking prove he's safe with me and she'll have no choice but to let us be together.

Moments after the feisty teen left, the subject of the impromptu morning conference made his presence known to his somewhat somber mother. Usually the freckled youth wouldn't be up for at least a few more hours, but the opening of the front door had woken him and he was too happy hearing his partner's voice to go back to sleep afterward. However, before he could make it down to the kitchen the pair had started talking. Immediately recognizing the seriousness of this meeting he chose to stay out of sight and listen. He didn't realize how much his own behavior had affected his mother back then.

Something the pair of boys had in common.

Before the two finished talking, he quietly returned to his room so he wouldn't be discovered. Now it was time to face his mother. Taking a fortifying breath, the greenette descended the stairs once more and entered the kitchen with a bright smile determined to act as if he heard nothing. "Morning mom. Do you have work today?"

"Yes, but I don't have to leave for another two hours. Since you are up before I have to go, which I wasn't expecting, why don't I make you breakfast?" An equally bright smile lit up the older woman's face as she looked at her messy haired son.

"YAY! Thanks mom, I've missed your cooking. I mean Lunch Rush's food is amazing, and Kacchan cooks for me a lot too but I'm still hopeless. He's been trying to teach me little by little though! I can make simple broths and eggs now. But I'm not allowed to make rice." Crossing his arms with an adorable pout on his freckled face, Izuku leaned against the door frame.

Giggling at the probable reasons why her only child would be banned from such a simple task, the levitation quirk user went to ask what the younger wanted to eat but was caught by an unexpected observation. Taking a closer look she couldn't help but inquire as to her son's seemingly odd wardrobe. "Izuku, honey. Why is your shirt so big on you?"

"Huh?" Looking down and gripping the front of said shirt, Deku's face began to slowly turn pink as he saw the AJI -FRY logo of a shirt that was most definitely not his own. FUUUUUUCK!!

The rest of the day and all of the next the boys kept their contact limited to texting only as they thought of ways to show that they were indeed on good terms. Eventually on the morning of the fourth day home they agreed they didn't need some grand plan. They just need to act like themselves and that alone would show their families how well they got along. Hopefully without giving away too much.

And so, on Tuesday evening the two found themselves in the Bakugo kitchen working together to make dinner for the blonde's family. Inko would be working late again and wouldn't be home until well into the evening so it was decided that Izuku would eat with his friend's family. Masaru was home but was reading in the living room while the boys were in the kitchen bickering good naturedly. Misuki wasn't due home for another hour, so their plan was to have the meal ready when she arrived.

"Idiot! How the hell are they supposed to cook at the same time if half of them are twice as big as the others? How can you be so damn smart and still not be able to cut vegetables evenly? I swear Deku, you are hopeless." Taking the knife from the smaller boy the irritated teen began fixing the mutilated carrots. "No sane person would ever believe you could almost single handedly take down Villains that give Pros a hard time if they ever saw how pathetic you are in the kitchen."

"I get it Kacchan, I suck at cooking. But I'm better than I used to be. I get credit for that!"

"Yeah, I'll give you that much Nerd. After all, we haven't had to completely throw out any pans lately." The soft chuckles from the pair covered the sound of the home's resident mom entering the genkan far earlier than expected. Interested in the magical and rare sound of her son's laughter, the only female Bakugo made her way to the kitchen but chose to not make her presence known as she watched the pair interact.

In a caring motherly way. Not a suspicious noise possibly interfering way. Certainly not.