Love Like You

I Always Thought

A/N: not gonna lie, retrograde has had me in a mood lately so this is probably garbage. Sorry.

Izuku was hoping he could introduce Eijirou as his boyfriend to his mother over dinner. Somewhere nice but not too fancy so she doesn't worry about his spending, right in the open so that she and Eijirou both would know how much he means to Izuku.

Instead, he's just had to come out of the closet to his mother in an airport lobby.

"This young man is your...boyfriend?"

She seems utterly confused and Izuku feels so terrible to have kept it a secret for so long. He just didn't know how she'd feel and...well...his mother is really all he has. What if she didn't accept him? What if she didn't approve?

"Y-Yes, mama. Eijirou and I have been together for quite some time now and I love him very much. I...I'd hope that someday you'd grow to love him, too."

She doesn't say anything for a long while and Izuku feels sick to his stomach, like he's going to drop like a fly right then and there. Inko eyes All Might and the lanky man looks away sheepishly, not even trying to hide how guilty he felt.

"And you knew, Toshinori?"

He flinches. "I did."

"I see. I'm always going to be the last to know everything, aren't I?"

She's hurt.

This is the last thing Izuku wanted, and most definitely wasn't something he was looking forward to having brew in his conscience for the next few months.

"Mom, it's not---I just---"

"That's enough, Izuku. I can't believe my own son would do this to me."

He's gonna cry. He doesn't want to but he can't help the burning feeling in his throat and in his chest, so overwhelmingly strong.

"It's not fair! How come everyone else gets to be happy but me? Mom, I love you so much but I can't pretend to stop loving Eijirou just so it makes you feel better. I thought I could handle this. I thought you'd understand and that me liking men  wouldn't matter because we've always had an unbreakable bond but...was I wrong? Are you really going to be disappointed in me because of who I love? I'd never...I'd never have expected that from you."

Eijirou does his best to comfort Izuku in the most appropriate way that he can. It breaks his heart, knowing he's the reason why Inko and Izuku have become so different with each other but Izuku told him to stay quiet and let him handle it on his own. Even if he hadn't told him to do so, what would Eijirou even say?

Inko breaths out a long, suffering sigh after what seems like an eternity of staring right through Izuku's core. The freckled teen is visibly shaking; whether it's from anger or the immense willpower it takes for him to not break down into tears, Eijirou isn't sure.

"Izuku, I'm not upset about you being gay. For Christ's sake, I've known you were gay since you were a toddler."

...Huh?

"Excuse me?"

The snort she let's out sends a wave of relief crashing down over him and as his mother begins to bubble into laughter, he releases a breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding.

"You honestly thought you could hide being attracted to boys from me? You once told me you wanted to marry Katsuki, Izuku, be serious!"

Izuku is sputtering as Eijirou turns to him with a raised brow, unsure of whether or not he should defend himself because if he said it didn't happen, it'd be a lie.