Homophobic (BakuDeku)

16: Regrets

Izuku whined, pulling away the cigarette from his lips. 

"I can't believe it ended that way. Things are so awkward now. It's been over a week and nothing's happened. He's just been avoiding me." He explained, shifting in his position to face the two teenage girls. Unfortunately, most of the gang wasn't available to go hang out tonight. Which left Ochako and Ashido alone. That's why Izuku decided to sneak out and come take a joint behind Marnie's. Somehow, they had managed to find themselves walking through the streets of Hosu.

"But you've been avoiding him too, yeah?" Mina spoke, playing with a strand of her curly, dyed hair. Midoriya frowned, looking down. Ever since the dance on Valentine's night, he and Katsuki hadn't spoken at all, despite having shared a few kisses. Things had gotten awkward, very quickly. And Izuku simply wanted things to go back to the way they were, where they could get along and hang out without any tension between them whatsoever. 

"Yeah, but I don't want to confront him." He admitted. 

"No balls." Ochako muttered, exhaling a cloud of smoke. A silence roamed as Izuku's brows furrowed, taking another puff from the cigarette he was holding. He didn't smoke often. Just- whenever his friends would, he would too. Emerald eyes trailed off to his left, where a flashy piece of yellow and blue caught his attention. He recognized the pattern all too well; an All Might hoodie. His eyes widened at the sight, knowing damn well he'd be able to fit in it. Usually, All Might merchandise is designed for little kids, which is why Izuku didn't own any cartoon-themed clothes. "You want it?" Ochako's voice was what sent him flying out of his trance, blushing madly. 

"Wha- No. It's childish." He spat, looking back towards the piece of clothing, sitting on a mannequin inside the store. "Why would I want that?" 

"Because you were staring at it, like you wanted it." Mina cackled, approaching the window. "Ooh, Ocha, look! A Hello Kitty bag. Dope." She giggled, pointing at a pink bag, patterned with small white cats. "Remember when we used to watch it, like, all the time? I want it." The pink-haired teen continued, looking inside her purse for some money. Before Midoriya could even speak up, he was forced to follow his chattering friends inside the small store. Once inside, he was hit with a bunch of different themed shirts, and baggy pants. Street wear, almost. 

The greenette followed his friends as the girls gathered a basket of clothing and items they wanted, all while eyeballing the hoodie he loved. Though he didn't have any money, he still wanted the hoodie, more than he could imagine. 

"Just buy it." Uraraka spoke, clutching onto her friend's arm. Izuku sighed, shaking his head. 

"No, it's far too expensive. And, I busted my only loose change on the flower I got for Katsuki on Valentine's day. Other than that, all my money's in the bank. And my mom doesn't let me use my card that much." The greenette explained. A silence roamed as Mina seemed to think, looking through the basket which was filled with merchandise the girls were planning on buying. 

"Go grab one, Izu. Make sure it's your size, too." The pink-haired teen winked, twirling a curl with her fingers. Izuku looked over, wincing. 

"Wha- Don't buy anything for me, I don't want to own anybody money." He muttered. He watched as his girl friends giggled. 

"No, silly. We won't buy it for you. Go! Go get one." Ashido hushed, waving her hands towards the greenette before returning to the rack of clothing she was looking through. Midoriya hesitated, scooting closer to the mannequin wearing the colorful sweatshirt. He eventually found a pile of identical hoodies, sitting on a bench next to the human figure. Looking through them, he eventually found one of his size, and brought it back to his friends to place it in Ashido's basket. 

"What're you going to do with it?" The curly-haired teen asked, seeing a large smile plant itself on Mina's lips.

"On the count of three." She muttered, glancing at the cashier. Ochako giggled, leaving the freckled male in confusion. 

"On the count of three, what?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side. 

"One, two, three!" Mina quickly blurted, bolting for the front door of the shop. Izuku's eyes widened in shock, seeing Ochako laugh as she ran to follow her. He could hear the cashier panic, calling after the two teens before turning his attention to a shocked greenette. And, as his reflex, Midoriya began laughing and followed them too. 

Inko sighed, fixing her night gown as she prepared to get a couple of hours of sleep, before midnight. Unlike other nights, she was set to work for 1AM, instead of 9PM. It wasn't exactly her cup of tea, but she had to do what she had to do to make sure Izuku was happy and had a roof over his head. 

Before stepping into bed, the short woman was stopped by a loud ringing, from her desk. She hurried over, glancing at her phone to see an unknown number appear. She hesitated a moment, eventually picking up to hear an unfamiliar woman's voice on the other end. 

"Hello, is this Miss... Inko Midoriya?" 

Inko frowned, unsure as she sat on the edge of her bed. 

"Yes, it's me." She replied, nervously twirling a strand of her loose hair. 

"Ah, good. Hello, this is Liza, the principal of Yueii high. I'm calling in regards to your son, Izuku Midoriya. I've been advised by his homeroom teacher that he's been skipping out on multiple classes, for the past two months, and his grades are dangerously close to failing notes. I was calling to confirm that you were aware of this... Correct?" The woman's voice resonated. Inko's heart dropped, taking a deep breath. 

"U-Um, no. I wasn't aware of this. Skipping out on classes...?" She asked, making sure she had understood correctly. 

"Yes, mostly the afternoon classes. His teachers thought he was simply absent in afternoons, but we've come to find out that he actually hides in the restrooms with a few other of his friends, then takes the bus on the way home. We haven't talked to him about this, as we know he's got amazing potential and is a very smart kid. I was just wondering if something is going on at home, to cause him to be acting this way?" Liza asked, earning a silence from the other end. "I'm currently looking at his files, from his other school in Tokyo. His grades were all amazing, perfect. But now... Did something happen, maybe a loss in the family?" 

Inko's brows furrowed, her heart aching in her chest. She knew her son wasn't happy with moving here with her, but she thought he was actually enjoying himself, lately. Would this behavior be simply to get back at her?

"Uhm... Well... We've recently moved here from Tokyo, and he wanted to stay with his father and older sister instead of coming with me. I..." She trailed off, tears welling in her eyes. This wasn't like Izuku at all. Why on earth would he be doing this? Why would he have lied to her? 

The greenette sniffed, holding the phone closely to her ear before continuing her final sentence.
"I'll talk to him."