Chapter 49

The dreadful sound of the heart monitor, beeping every second, reminded them that they were still alive. A sound they had hoped they wouldn't have to hear again for a long, long time. The doctors granted their mother's wishes to have them both in the same room, beds next to each other. Mitsuki didn't want a repeat of Katsuki's outburst once he woke up, and Inko knew how they needed each other's presence as they healed. Izuku had just gotten out of surgery, his body in a delicate yet stable condition.

Katsuki was in a much better shape than Izuku, his body resting on the hospital bed as it had been forced to go through such changes because of Eri's quirk. He looked calm, the usual crease between his brows gone as he slept. It was a rare sight, but it sure brought immense relief to their parents. Being able to witness such a huge weight being lifted off both teen's shoulders was something they had longed for. And now, with Inko back in the picture, it was the best thing ever.

A knock on the door had all three parents turn to the sound, All Might silently opened the door and set foot inside. "I apologize for interrupting, but I'm afraid the police would like to interrogate you, Inko."

The greenette gave an understanding nod, reluctantly stepping away from her place beside Izuku's bed. She gave a concerned look to Mitsuki, the blonde immediately understanding what that look meant. "Don't worry. I'll go get you the second he awakes. Ain't nobody stopping me."

That earned a small chuckle from the greenette, who gave her a grateful nod and stepped outside with Toshinori. Masaru placed a comforting hand on Mitsuki's shoulder, gazing at the door for a minute after Inko disappeared from view. It felt so surreal, every single event that transcended in the span of 48 hours, making him wonder just how their kids could handle it. He was genuinely concerned for the boy's mental health once they woke up. Especially Izuku's.

"How do you think Izuku will take everything? The poor boy has so many things to confront once he opens his eyes. How are we going to explain everything to him?" the male asked, squeezing Mitsuki's shoulders gently. The blonde placed a hand atop his, intertwining their fingers as she took a deep breath. Everyone was worried about Izuku's well-being and overall mental health. The poor teen had gone through so, so much in less than a year, and all they wanted to do was to shield him from any further danger.

"I don't know. I just hope that his mind will be able to process all this information. If not, then I'm afraid of what might happen to his mental health. It will be too much for him," Mitsuki frowned, blinking back tears. If the news fell on her like a brick wall, she couldn't even begin to imagine how it must be for him. Not only the news of his mother actually being alive but the fact that he also had to fight his father, who turned out to be All for One. And not only that but the dreaded fact that he might be quirkless again. It will be way too much for his mind to handle.

Another gentle knock on the door caught their attention, Recovery Girl now being the one to open the door and peek in. She then walked inside the room, closing the door behind her and silently walking towards the two teens. She read over each of their charts, giving a few small nods and looking over them. Her gaze lingered on Izuku for a bit, brows creasing in concern as she bit the inside of her cheek. She then turned her gaze to the concerned parents, who silently watched her do her job.

"They both seem to be recovering fairly well and should be able to go home in the next few days. Bakugo earlier than Izuku, of course. But we all know that they are joined to the hip, and Bakugo will throw a tantrum if you try to separate him from his beloved," she mocked, a pillow suddenly hitting the back of her head which had both parents snickering.

"Shut the fuck up, old lady," Katsuki croaked out, a wheeze leaving his mouth right after the moment Recovery Girl's walking stick hit him in the stomach.

"Watch your mouth, young man. Unless you want to stay in that hospital bed for an extra week," the lady warned, raising an eyebrow in defiance. Katsuki grumbled a few things under his breath, wincing a little as he straightened up and stretched his muscles. His eyes immediately went to the greenette lying on the bed next to his, IVs sticking out of his arms and bandages covering half of his body. It reminded him of the time they were in the hospital because of the bullet wound, but this time was different. He didn't look dead. His hair was in its usual authentic fluff, his skin didn't have that sickly pale shade, and he looked entirely healthy despite his appearance.

Katsuki let out a breath of relief, shoulders sagging as he let his body fall back on the bed. Unauthorized tears welled up in his eyes, and he immediately brought his hands up to quickly wipe them away. He still hated showing his vulnerable side in front of others, but damn could he not hold back his tears when it came to Izuku's well-being. Knowing that he would finally be able to rest after going through so much lifted such a heavy weight off his shoulders. His parents exchanged a look, each of them sitting at his side and comforting him.

"It's all good, Katsuki," Masaru spoke, ruffling his hair a little bit. "It was thanks to you that our Izuku is safe. If you hadn't been there for him, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to pull through. You're amazing, kid."

Masaru's words finally broke the dam, and a sob escaped Katsuki's mouth. His shoulders shook as he covered his mouth with one hand, trying to hold back the sound, and yet failing. Arms surrounded him in a tight embrace, his parents holding him tenderly and affectionately. The door to the room opened and through his blurry sight, he could see Inko walking inside the room and making her way to them. 

She noticed the state he was in, and offered his a reassuring, grateful smile, extending her arm to place a hand over his disheveled hair.  "I could never thank you enough for what you did for my Izu."

They all stepped back to allow Katsuki to wipe his tears, Masaru handing him a tissue to clean his face. Once he was done, he gave the adults a small glare and scowled, "If any one of you tell him I cried, I'll deny it."

His comment made everyone laugh, even a previously unconscious greenette who had groggily witnessed Katsuki's breakdown. With a scratchy voice, he spoke, "I'm afraid I won't be convinced after witnessing it."

Inko gasped, and rushed over to his side, immediately checking him over and inspecting all of his injuries. Izuku gave a small smile at this, not once protesting as he enjoyed the nostalgic feeling of his mother's gentle hands on his face. Katsuki watched from behind her, lowkey embarrassed that Izuku had seen him vulnerable in front of their parents. But no matter how embarrassed he was, it didn't outweigh the relief he felt seeing Izuku awake. 

"You weren't supposed to wake up yet, how are you feeling?" Mitsuki questioned, Masaru stepping outside to call for a doctor. Izuku's mind felt fuzzy, his body ached as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The beeping of the heart rate monitor was enough to let him know that he was in the hospital, but other than that he could barely comprehend anything.

"I...don't know. My mind is all...fuzzy," he admitted, moving slightly to try and sit up when a jolt of pain had him groaning in discomfort. Inko immediately pushed him back down, making him look up at her and suck in a breath of shock. "M-Mom?"

"Hi, Izu," Inko whispered, eyes welling up with tears as she tried not to sob right there and then. "There is a lot going on and there is so much that you have to learn, but I promise I will tell you everything you need to know once you're rested enough." 

"B-But, how? Y-You were— I saw it with my own two eyes," the greenette stammered, his eyes shifting between everyone in the room in disbelief. He tried to sit up again, but this time Mitsuki held him down.

"Let's trust your mother's words right now. Nobody knows what's going on, but what matters is that she's alive, and so are you after defeating Hisashi. You need to rest up, Izu." 

"H-Hisashi...I succeeded?" Izuku whispered, eyes wide as he hesitantly let Mitsuki push him back down gently. His mother gave him a sympathetic smile, eyes tearing up as she sat down next to his bed and grabbed his hand.

"You did...you saved me. You saved us all, Izu," Inko assured, grip on his hand tightening in the slightest and she brought his hand up to her forehead and closed her eyes. Her body shook as she cried silently, emotions taking the best of her. "That man can't terrorize anyone now."

The doors to the hospital room opened up and a doctor walked in, followed by Aizawa and Toshinori. The doctor seemed quite shocked to see the greenette awake, and immediately went to check his vitals. Katsuki's parents stepped back to give him room to do his job. Toshinori stepped over to Inko, placing a hand on her shoulder so that she could step back. 

Inko reluctantly let go of Izuku's hand and gave room to the doctor, turning to Toshinori and wiping away her tears. After inspecting his vitals and clearing him up, the doctor injected morphine to his IV to help with the pain and cleaned his wounds, changing bandages and making sure his stitches were in place.

"How are you feeling, Midoriya?" the doctor asked, noting things down on his clipboard. 

"Brand new," Izuku joked, a hint of sarcasm behind his tired voice. It was obvious that the poor boy has seen better days, and the fact that he had yet to be interrogated was weighing down on everyone. Even so, the ray of sunshine always tried to lighten up the mood, even if he was the one suffering the most among everyone. His mind was a jumbled mess, trying to make sense of everything as he also fought to stay awake.

Katsuki clicked his tongue on the bed next to him, catching Izuku's attention. "I didn't know you were able to crack jokes at a time like this."

Izuku chuckled lightly, wincing in pain as his abdomen throbbed in protest to the action. "I didn't know you could cry like you did earlier either, Kacchan," the greenette smirked in protest, enjoying the way the blond's face heated up and he grabbed his pillow, ready to throw it at him.

"If that pillow leaves your hand I will make sure that you stay holed up here an extra week, you brat," Mitsuki grumbled out, raising her fist ready to beat some sense into her son. Masaru was quick to hold her back, the doctor eyeing them both with a raised eyebrow as Katsuki grumbled a few things under his breath. Inko watched their exchange, nostalgia flooding her senses as she turned to look at Izuku. 

After the doctor did a few tests on both teens, he took his leave after giving their parents a few instructions to follow. 

The rest of the day went by in a breeze, and so did the weeks. The police interrogated the boys and parents, and Inko was finally able to reveal the truth behind her fake death. All for One had one of his goons copy her DNA the day he attacked her. Apparently, this villain had an ability similar to Toga's and Bubaigawara's. They could make a clone out of someone by copying their DNA, but their lifespan was no longer than one hour. Once the clone's lifespan ran out, it wouldn't disintegrate, but keep the human's features and DNA as it no longer had vitals.

Quite a disturbing quirk, but perfect enough for Hisashi's plan. Mr. Compress had kidnapped Inko after Hisashi had beaten her unconscious, replacing her body with the clone and dumping it on the bathtub. He made sure to splatter the clone's blood everywhere, slicing its wrists open to make for the perfect suicide scene. The only reason she knew about it was because Mr. Compress had filled her in on the situation after he had released her of the tiny ball.

Relief flooded everybody as Izuku held on to her tightly once she was done giving her explanation. For the first time in his life, he felt grateful to the League of Villains for taking care of his mom, for keeping her alive. He was grateful to Katsuki for being there with him despite their rocky start. He had his mom back. He had his life back, even if he had lost his quirk.

Toshinori had talked to him about One for All. About how he had fulfilled One for All's sole purpose and defeated the greatest of evils, therefore putting the souls of the vestiges at rest and concluding the quirk's necessity. Izuku would now be remembered as Japan's number one hero, the new symbol of peace. It brought tears to his eyes, knowing that he would go back to his quirkless self, but he wasn't alone anymore.

He would continue his studies at the—still under construction—renovated UA Academy. Although he would have to step out of the hero course, Nezu offered him a spot on the support department, given his great observation skills and ability to quickly adapt to things and solve problems. The class of 1A was sad at the news, but they promised they would visit him all the time and that he was always welcome to their training sessions. 

To his surprise, Aizawa let him keep his dorm at the Heights Alliance despite him not being part of the hero course anymore. It was an exception Nezu approved of, given the fact of how close he was to his classmates. He would be able to go back to his friends after his classes and follow up on his usual afternoon routine. It would take time to adjust to his new classmates, but he had everyone's support, and that was enough to give him confidence. 

Eri had gone to visit them a few times. Katsuki had grown fonder of the little girl after her act of bravery when she used her quirk on him. They owed part of their victory to her. Her horn had shrunk down considerably, but thankfully, she was doing fine, and her body hadn't suffered any side effects. 

Katsuki's recovery went considerably faster than Izuku's, having been discharged after a week. Even so, he would often stay with Izuku and fill in for Inko when she needed to wash up or rest. Recovery Girl would come in once a day to help with his treatment, his recovery going slow but steady. Thankfully, having Katsuki, his mom, and friends helped make the process much easier, and the time goes faster. 

Even though Izuku doesn't know what the future holds, he was ready to face it. And Katsuki would make sure to be next to him through it all. 

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(Don't worry guys. There is still one chapter left <3 Thank you all for getting me to this point and for sticking around despite my slow updates. It means a lot to me.)