Izuku Midoriya told no one about what happened that morning, and life continued on the way it had since the young villain had attacked Todoroki, Iida, and Uraraka in that alleyway.

He quickly cleaned up the mess he discovered and moved in with his life, he had more important things to do anyways.

•••••••••••••••••••

"I don't imagine living in a house by yourself is very fun. No wonder he was so grumpy." Izuku was currently helping his mother wash the dishes as they discussed the topic of Mr. Sato, the old man whose lawn Izuku recently mowed.

Inko let out a slight laugh as she dried a plate. "You're right, he can be off-putting sometimes, but he's a nice man at heart. He has had a rough life, is all. I think it changed him."

Izuku scrubbed at some leftovers stuck to the plate in front of him before humming in acknowledgment. "I guess I can understand that. I still don't like how alone he seems."

"Well, I tell you what. If you are as annoying as possible in a super nice way, he might not be alone." Inko's face was mischievous.

Izuku's eyebrows shot up. "Are you... suggesting that I harass an elderly man?" Izuku was surprised. I mean, he was planning on doing it anyways, but for his mother to suggest was something he never thought possible.

Inko paused on the plate she was drying as she thought of her reply. "Not exactly. I just know that that man needs someone to hear his story and to be friendly with. He's too alone, and you are the best person for the job."

"Why am I the one for the job?"

The laugh Inko let out felt almost like wind chimes drifting gently in the summer breeze. "Well, to begin with, your the first person Mr. Sato has spoken to in months. That gives you a distinct advantage. Also..." Inko paused, her voice now tinged with nostalgia, "you remind me of my son so much, sometimes it scares me." The mother's voice was barely a whisper. The soft spoken words echoed through the room, a stark cold reminder of everything wrong with the world.

"He was always good at that," the woman continued, "getting people to talk, I mean. He didn't have a way with words, and he certainly wasn't what I would call charming." Inko smiled, as though she was remembering something from a distant past. "He was so clumsy and he always fumbled around for words. He stuttered, he cried a lot, and he never had a girlfriend. Despite all of that, there was just something about him that made people feel open to talk.

"You remind me of my son, Suzuki. You don't speak as much as he did, and you have a hard exterior, like you've been through something terrible. But you're also kind and generous. I noticed that about you the moment I met you. Most teenagers won't visit an old lady like me every week just because she's lonely. They especially don't help her clean out her missing son's room and cry with her. Just like my son, there is just something about you that makes me feel safe talking with you."

Inko set down the plate she was drying and turned to face Izuku. "Thank you, Suzuki. Thank you so much." Inko's voice was cracking now. "I hope that wherever my Izuku is-" tears were running down her face now but Inko was determined to finish.

"I hope he is like you. I hope he pushes through no matter what battles he faces. I don't know what you've been through. I don't know if you have a family, or if something terrible has happened to make you hide yourself with that awful mask that you use. All I know is that I would be honored if you would call me family, because I certainly think of you as mine." The tears were pouring out of Inko's eyes like water spouts. The tears looked like watery sapphires because of how the florescent kitchen lighting hit them.

Izuku was trying with extreme difficulty not to cry. Not this time, not now. She didn't need someone to cry with. "Ma'am-" he began, but he was interrupted.

"Inko. Call me Inko."

"Inko, then." Izuku was overwhelmed with emotion, it was going to be difficult not to cry over his next sentence. "Every single day since I've met you, I have always thought you reminded me of my mother. I would love to call you my family."

Inko's hug was happy and sad at the same time. She was elated to have a family again, but at the same time she was sad, and understandably so. She was sad because her son was lost to her, and she never knew if she would ever see him again. She did have hope, though. Her son was a survivor, and she would be damned if she didn't believe he was out there somewhere.

Izuku's hug also held some sadness to it. He was glad to be reunited with his mother, even if it was in such an abstract way, but he was also sad. He was keeping a secret from his mother and he knew that if he could just tell her then she would be happy again.

But he couldn't.

Not if he wanted her to live.

Inko gently pulled out of the hug and placed her hands on the taller teen's shoulders. "Now," she smiled at him, "let's finish up these dishes."

"Yes ma'am." Izuku smiled down at her. Inko couldn't see it because of the mask, but she still knew it was there.

"Gosh, I can't seem to stop crying in front of you." Izuku's mother sniffed and let out a giggle.

The rest of the evening was relatively calm. There was no more crying, which was a blessing. I swear, dear reader, it is very difficult to come up with new descriptions every time these two cry. Don't get me wrong, I love them dearly, it's just a matter of my sanity.

The two of them ate dinner together as a family. It was a very nice family dinner, one that could be expected by most functional families.

Probably why I never experienced one.

The two chatted about the simple things. The weather, Izuku's job, Inko's life, normal run-of-the-mill stuff.

Until Inko popped the question.

"So..." Is how she decided to begin her query, "Is there anyone interesting in your life right now?"

Izuku didn't know what she meant.

"Yeah, I know a lot of interesting people. You, Mr. Sato, the person I live with, my old friends-"

"No. No, no, no. I meant, someone you might be interested in, romantically." The middle-aged woman smiled at Midoriya sweetly. "Now that I am a member of your family, I would like to know."

Izuku's face had turned the color of firetrucks. He pressed his lips together as he thought. Inko noticed his discomfort.

"You don't need to say anything if you don't want to. I know these things can be uncomfortable." Her smile turned gentle.

"No, it's not that- well, I mean that's part of it but- what I'm trying to say is-" The boy was confused. He didn't know how to talk about this subject at all. Especially with his mother. Especially since the person in question was also a boy. How could he bring it up?

Inko was patient, giving the teen time to gather his thoughts.

"I... There is a person with potential." Izuku said carefully.

Inko burst out laughing. "Ha! You looked like you were going to die at any second! Does romance bother you that much?" She managed to pause her laughter to shovel a spoon full of soup into her mouth.

Izuku's voice turned shrill. "No! I just, it's complicated."

Wow, how original, Izuku. Nobody ever says that.

His mother chuckled. "Well, whoever they are, I'm sure they're an amazing person if you are interested in them."

The young villain smiled in a way villains were not known to smile. He smiled fondly.

"Yeah, they really are."

______________________________________

Hi everyone! My original plan was to have this chapter be way longer but then I was overcome with guilt because it was going to take forever to finish, so I decided to just split it like I normally do.

Now that I'm back in school, life has been really hectic, so I try to write when I can, but sometimes when I get home I just need to lie down. Please know that although I may update less frequently for a bit till I'm back on track, that does not mean I have given up on this story.

I refuse to even entertain the idea.

I hope you all have an amazing day!
M_B