Chapter Text
Inko is rightfully pissed off.
She is a sweet woman, a kind woman, a loving woman, nobody will contest this. Her greatest friends have called her sweet, gentle, docile. She is like a swan, they say, the purest white of swans.
But swans are mean. Swans are angry. They are territorial. They hurt people who get too close. They hide their babies in their feathers until they are ready to fly.
And gods above, did Inko want to hide her baby away in her feathers. The only difference is, he wouldn't ever be ready to fly.
Her baby was Quirkless. She had known since he was 4 years old. Extra toe joint and everything.
Her Izuku would never be ready to leave the nest. She wanted him to have a Quirk, she wanted him to go and fly, it was all she ever wanted for him.
She settled for protecting him, nurturing him, setting him up to do well.
If he could not fly, he could at least bite.
She gave him self-defense classes, she paid for personal trainers, even if it cost her money.
It didn't matter. Her son's safety mattered more than anything to her.
But today, her son had not been safe. She thought he would be safe with Katsuki, she thought that he was Izuku's friend and that he wasn't like the other kids who called him dirty names. Inko wished she could wash their mouths out with soap every day of her life.
But Katsuki? Katsuki was like them?
Katsuki was hurting her baby?
Inko washed Izuku's burns ever-so-gently, he hadn't even stopped to see the villain fight on his way home. He'd been that hurt by what Katsuki did.
Inko had a feeling that more had happened, that Izuku wouldn't tell her about, but that didn't matter.
"Does it hurt any less, Izu? Are the painkillers working yet?"
She asked it softly- even if she was angry, even if what happened had burned her to the core- she had been leaving her son alone with that boy for so long, so so long, how could she not see- she could never sound angry when she spoke to Izuku.
Never when she spoke to her baby.
He looked distraught.
"I'm okay."
He smiled up at her, but it didn't reach those hollow green eyes.
That stung. How could Katsuki hurt her baby boy like this? He was supposed to keep Izuku safe. Not hurt him.
Inko didn't return the smile at first, but she did after a moment. What her son said next shocked her. Broke her a little.
"I don't want to be a hero anymore."
Inko's eyes snapped wide open. What? What could Katsuki possibly have done to her baby, said to her baby?
Inko shoved down the anger- after all, what if her Izuku thought she was mad at him? She could never be mad at him.
"I'm so sorry."
That was all she could muster when she spoke, feeling a tear run down her cheek.
She and her son went to bed in near silence, ate only a small dinner beforehand, and Izuku did not sleep in his room that night. He stayed in his mother's arms, on the couch, watching a movie together. A pre-Quirk film, with no superheroes in it, with nothing to stimulate the memory of today. Inko woke, said a quick goodbye to her son, and requested that he stay home from school today. He didn't even protest. It made Inko sad, but she carried on, and had to act like it didn't hurt her.
Things carried on like this for weeks, weeks upon weeks upon weeks.
Work was a bitch.
As a nurse, Inko was on her feet all day, giving injections, treating wounds, measuring out pill dosages, putting patient info in logs.
One day, after her shift ended, she took the shorter way home to her baby. To Izuku. He needed her right now.
Walking through an alleyway, she spotted a door, a small illuminated sign overhead reading 'Twilight Bar.' A young girl hung out the door, a sweet-looking girl around her son's age with blonde hair in twin messy buns, yellow cat-like eyes, and a wide smile with tiny sharp canine teeth. It made Inko smile, and think to herself what a wonderful opportunity this was. Her Izuku needed friends his age after....after Katsuki.
She walked up to the girl, tapping her on the shoulder to gain her attention. The girl whirled around, and Inko was met with a wide grin.
"Hello miss! Is there something you wanted?"
She cocks her head like a confused puppy, her smile wide and eyes bright. It made Inko think of Izuku when he was younger. Happier.
She cleared her throat, and nodded.
"Hello there sweetheart. I know this must be all-so-sudden, but I have a son around your own age, a 14-year-old boy. He's just gone through a horrible period in his life, and as a mother should be I'm concerned. I was wondering if you'd at all be willing to maybe meet up with him at the mall some time?"
The girl looked downright shocked- maybe she was right to look like that.
The attack on USJ had been 2 mere months ago, and here she was in a dark alley, in the middle of the night, asking a young girl to come meet her son.
Inko for a moment hesitated, but the girl broke out into a wide grin of absolute glee.
"Yes! Of course I will, that sounds so fun! Is he cute?"
Inko was surprised at this, but she laughed, and shrugged.
"I suppose so. My Izuku has never earned much interest from girls. Oh- that's his name. Midoriya Izuku. I'm Midoriya Inko. What's your name, dear?"
The girl looks ecstatic- she probably doesn't have many friends either. What a shame, she seems so sweet.
"I'm Toga Himiko! But you can call me Himiko, all my friends do! Ooh, or Himi-chan!"
Inko smiles sweetly- oh, this darling girl.
"It's very nice to meet you, Himi-chan. You can call me Inko."
She gasped with delight as if she'd been given the greatest gift known to man.
"Thank you, Miss Inko! Here's my phone- you can put your number in!"
The girl handed over a sparkly pink cellphone, with a pink kitchen knife charm hanging from the corner. Inko smiled at the sheer childishness of it- she appreciated it, and the girl, and her undeniable ability to cheer people up. She had such a sweet demeanor, why did she seem so alone? Inko put her son's number in the phone as well as her own, and she handed it back to Himiko with a smile. The girl beamed, spinning on one foot before pocketing her phone.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you so much, Miss Inko!"
She ran off into the building, presumably the Twilight Bar, with a happy squeal. Probably her family's business.
Inko sighed at the sweet girl's antics, and continued walking home with a smile.
She had no idea how this would end.
Opening the door to her apartment and walking in, she was met with Izuku trying to prepare dinner. He nearly dropped the wooden spoon he was using to mix the broth upon hearing her but relaxed with a sigh once he turned to face her.
"Oh- okaasan, it's you. I was scared for a minute, haha!"
Izuku had been steadily improving- Inko had enrolled him in a new school, he would start there next week. But he still had no friends, so Inko was sure that he would be pleased that his mother had found him one. He had never been like other children in the way that his mother didn't embarrass him in the slightest- he viewed her love as his luck in life, not something to be ashamed of, even in his teenage years. Inko had always been grateful for it.
"I found you a little friend while I was on my way home, Izuku!"
At this he looked surprised, and slightly abashed.
"O-oh, you didn't need to do that! I appreciate the effort though..."
"No, I mean it, Izu. This sweet girl I met was so eager to have a friend, she didn't even ask the details! She just gave me her phone and asked me to put your number in, as well as mine."
Izuku blushed at this.
"A girl? But I've never even talked to a girl before..."
"She's the sweetest thing, Izu, you'll see."
Izuku just sighed, unwilling to upset his mother.
"When am I meeting with her?"
"This weekend at the local mall."
"Did you even give her a time?"
"Not yet, but I will."
Izuku nodded, and went back to what he'd been doing, before Inko took over for him.
"It was very nice of you to make dinner, Izuku, but I have this from here."
Izuku smiled at her softly.
"Thanks, okaasan. I love you."
Inko smiled widely at her son's words, as she always did.
"I love you too."
They fell asleep on the couch again that night, after Inko told her son all about the nice girl in the alleyway, and peace settled over the Midoriya residence.
Tomura almost spit out his drink at Himiko's words.
"You what?! You just- some lady? And you gave her your number?!"
Himiko frowned at him, and Tomura hated how bad that made him feel.
"But she was so nice to me! She said I was sweet, and she asked me to be friends with her son, Izuku!"
Dabi sighed from across the room.
"This will be one hell of a shitshow, if nothing else."
Himiko huffed, as Twice piped up from across the room.
"Hey, maybe Himi-chan can convert the other kid to villainy too! No she can't, that's dumb."
Tomura tilted his head, and gave a slight nod. "....ok. Fine. But if he's some hero brat I'm dusting him!"
He wasn't gonna do that. He hated that he wasn't gonna do that. It would make Himiko sad. Why does he care??
Kurogiri set a glass down from across the room.
"Tomura, please stop scratching at your neck."
Was he doing that? Shit.
"Sorry."
He answered noncommittally, reabsorbing himself in the act of fishing in Stardew Valley.
Wordlessly, Spinner entered the room and Tomura instinctively made space for the scaly man as he picked up a game controller.
Himiko giggled at them from across the room.
"You're in loveeeeee."
In unison, with the same exact sarcastic tone, both Tomura and Spinner answered, elongating their words just as Himiko had done.
"No we're nottttttt."
The rest of the night went somewhere along these lines, just as it normally did, and it stayed just as loud as it normally did.
It was never quiet in the base of the League of Villains, not since the new members they'd picked up.
And Tomura would never, ever admit it, but....
That was how he wanted it to be from now on.