Apology
(Gift-fic for songdreamer, peccolia)
There was a bouquet of flowers on her doorstep.
Inko looked down the street, even though she knew she wouldn't find the culprit.
She leant down and picked the bright blue flowers up (Irises, how nice), noting a bright flash of yellow amongst the flowers. Picking it out from the blooms, she found a little handwritten note on a yellow post-it-note.
'I'm sorry I didn't tell you. - T'
Inko felt her heart loosen a little, feel a little lighter; the edges of her mouth quirked up in a semi-smile.
'That man,' she thought with a smile and a small shake of her head. 'He didn't need to go this far.'
Her eyebrows came together into a small frown when she realized her own response, and she turned back to the house wondering about the involuntary smiles and fondness she felt from the little note. Since when had she appreciated the man's little affectionate gestures?
Inko carefully placed the flowers into a vase, pondering the reason for her cheer. A quick check at the clock reminded her of the chores she still needed to do, so she put aside her musings for later. There was always time enough to think over a cup of coffee.
However, throughout her chores around the house, her eyes irresistibly turned towards the unfamiliar snatch of blue in her kitchen, reminding her of the man who sent them and sending a little trill of happiness that put a little bounce in her step.
Washing the dishes, doing the laundry, sweeping the floor - one glimpse of the blue flowers seemed to change the mundane tasks into something enjoyable, bringing a brightness into the house and adding another layer of shine to the room on top of the bright morning sunlight from the windows.
Inko finished her sweeping and put everything away and turned on her coffee machine; as she waited for the coffee to drip, she went up to the flowers and sniffed them, touching the soft blossoms carefully. Absentmindedly caressing the flowers with one hand, she traced the post-it-note with the other, her thoughts leading back to Toshinori.
A beep brought Inko back from her short reminiscing, and she quickly got a mug and poured out the fresh brew, humming a toneless melody as she mixed the cup just the way she liked it. She paused as she turned to the sofa, glancing at the flowers at the kitchen counter. With a smile, she relocated the vase to the coffee table, then settled back with her coffee and a contented sigh.
She had first met Yagi-san when Izuku had fallen while training, and the man helped him home. At the time she wasn't aware that the man had been anything other than Toshinori Yagi, who she had suspected to be a retired hero with an injury. After the first dinner invitation, he had consistently turned down further invitations, until Inko had found out through her son that Yagi-san had no stomach.
At her blanch, her son had finally realized that something was wrong, only understanding what the implications having no stomach meant for Yagi-san's diet after her long explanation and reminder of the function of the stomach. The poor man had to suffer eating her food with such a condition! Izuku was horrified, and promised to tell her anything else that needed to be said about Yagi-san's health concerns.
The very next day when Yagi-san came by to drop Izuku off from his training, she apologized for her ignorance and offered dinner again, cautiously mentioning that she had been researching the diets for people like him. He had been embarrassed by his condition and was about to decline her offer, but she had pulled out her most pleading eyes and insisted, putting a little disapproval in her gaze for not telling her about it. He reluctantly yielded to her suggestion of dinner, though she suspected that Izuku's puppy eyes behind her was doing more to convince the skeletal man than her own.
Dinner that night went quite well, with Yagi-san enjoying dinner immensely judging from the effusive compliments he was piling Inko with. ("Delicious, Midoriya-san!"/ "It's Inko, you foolish man! You call Izuku 'young Midoriya', and that's already one too many 'Midoriya's in this house!"/ "Then I insist, call me 'Toshinori', Inko-san!")
And from that day onwards until the end of summer, the three of them had dinner together, Inko changing up her normal menus at home to include easily digestible and highly nutritious foods for both Toshinori and Izuku. Izuku, bless the boy, did not say a word about the change except to give her eyes full of clear appreciation and adoration that he generally reserved for everything related to All Might. She just smiled at her lovable son, giving him a secretive wink from time to time when their eyes met over the dinner that Toshinori visibly enjoyed.
What naturally followed was her asking after Toshinori's other meals of the day and being appropriately horrified when she found that he kept to his three-meals-a-day lifestyle, when it should have changed to six to eight meals a day, according to several well-known medical journals online. The day after, she packed an extra bento for him when giving Izuku his lunch bento for the day, quietly reminding him to remind the man to eat more frequently.
[She found herself spending her free time looking at the more personal blogs of people who had to remove their stomaches (due to cancer and other health concerns - it was called gastronomy), trying out some of the recipes they shared with the world. Her cooking abilities were tested to the limit as she tried out various recipes for traditional Japanese dishes, as most of the online recipes were focused on western food.
Not even a month later, after a small prod from a friend on facebook (after she posted several pictures of the bentos she made), she had ended up starting her own blog, posting the nutritious and healthy recipes that she came up with while trying to incorporate Toshinori's dietary needs. She had a very small following, but it was steadily increasing with flattering comments that encouraged her to continue.]
By the end of the summer, it was quite normal for Toshinori, Inko and Izuku to eat dinner together. But after school began for Izuku, Toshinori didn't show up at all, during which Inko found herself fretting. Was the man eating properly? Did he forget to eat more than three meals? Had something happened?
Izuku insisted that everything was fine and brought him for dinner again a few days later, at her insistence. After a gentle scolding at the man for looking more haggard in the few weeks she didn't see him, Inko extended a permanent invitation for the man to visit, if only for the peace of her mind. Every Thursday dinner for sure, and other dinners if he could make it. Soon, Toshinori became a near-permanent fixture to the Midoriya household, Inko habitually making dinner for three every night and piling leftovers for Toshinori to take whenever he came by.
Shaking away the vestiges of the memories and quickly finishing up the few sips of her coffee, Inko checked the clock and began making her way outside to tend to her garden before the sun rose too high.
She headed outside, fiddling with her straw hat when she noticed a flash of yellow on the glass door that led outside to the yard. There was another little post-it-note on the glass door, stuck on the outside of the veranda door. She stepped up to the note to read:
'I didn't want you to worry. - T'
There was a little sad face next to the signature, and Inko felt the corners of her mouth twisting again into a smile. Didn't that man know that hiding something big like this made her worry more?
Shaking her head at the stubborn man, Inko opened the glass door to pluck the note off the door and begin her gardening. She was about to remove the note when she saw a little arrow on the back of the post-it, pointing down. She followed the arrow to find a box-like shape hidden under an All Might handkerchief.
It was a box of her favorite chocolate truffles.
A blush began to make its way across her cheeks as Inko remembered the last time she had these chocolates - Toshinori had found her staring longingly at the chocolates in the supermarket, deliberating whether to get them or not. He hadn't said anything, but offered to help her with her groceries back home. Later, when she turned to him at the front door to thank him, she was surprised and embarrassed when Toshinori held out the same chocolate box with a sheepish smile.
Slowly picking up the box of chocolates and handkerchief, Inko headed back inside, a foolish grin on her face. She would never stop worrying over the people she cared about, especially the two most important men in her life -
Inko came to a sudden stop and blushed. She considered Toshinori to be one of the men in her life? Looking around in a daze, she looked down at the flowers on the coffee table and at the box of chocolates in her hands and blushed even harder.
Inko had not expected Toshinori to be a teacher at UA.
Yes, the times he got off work always suggested that he was one of the many who worked during the day, which suggested some sort of company job; she never asked, as she herself worked from the comforts of home, sewing her latest commissions and personal projects.
Izuku, or even Toshinori, should have told her much earlier, but the she found out quite by accident, during one of their dinners halfway through Izuku's first semester.
Izuku had asked Toshinori about some hero history or another, and Inko had been surprised by the very in-depth answer the older man gave in response. She stayed quiet throughout the conversation, wordlessly adding a second helping of oyakodon to both their rice bowls.
Inko would have wondered at the familiar way Toshinori was at teaching Izuku, and left it at that. Then Izuku absentmindedly thanked the emaciated man with a 'thank you for your help, sensei', and Inko had to ask.
She had looked over questioningly at Toshinori, wondering when the man had taught her son so much for such an honorific; at her questioning look and a few seconds of thinking, Toshinori appeared to realize something and became quite flustered, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly.
"...Ah, I may have forgotten to mention... UA hired me recently, and I see young Midoriya often..."
At that reveal, Inko may or may not have given a little noise of surprise - Izuku snapped out of his deep thinking at the sound, wondering what he had missed.
"Toshinori-san!" Inko exclaimed, scandalized at the news. "All this time, and you've never mentioned that you were a teacher at Izuku's school?" She immediately turned to Izuku.
"And young man, you didn't tell me yourself...?"
Izuku froze in surprise, then began apologizing profusely. "Oh no! Sorry Kaa-san, I totally forgot, and I just assumed you knew, since you asked about his health everyday..." (Izuku flailed and missed the blush in Inko's cheeks) "All Mi - I mean, Toshinori-sensei is teaching at UA and giving me tips on my quirk - j-just like summer! - right Toshinori-san?"
Inko noted her son turning to Toshinori in near panic, eyes flickering with insecurity. Didn't her son know that he had a very noticeable tic whenever he lied? But before she could really ask what was going on, Toshinori cleared his throat.
"I am sorry, Inko-san. I assumed young Midoriya had already told you. Please let me apologize for not letting you know sooner."
At his sincere apology, Inko couldn't help but softening her disapproval at the other two. "V-very well, Toshinori-san," she murmured. "I accept your apology."
"Kaa-san, I'm so, so sorry! I thought you knewandIamanidiotfornotremembering -"
Inko gave a huff of laughter at her son's murmurings. "I forgive you, Izuku. Finish your food," she said, cutting off his words by pushing the plate of grilled vegetables towards him. She glanced at Toshinori, who had remained quiet. "Y-you too, Toshinori-san, before the food gets cold."
The emaciated man gave her an appreciating smile, then went back to his food.
Several minutes were spent in a companionable air with only the sound of cutlery - until Inko blinked and turned to Toshinori with a smile. "U-um, this means you will join us for dinner m-more than once a week?"
The poor man began to cough, his stomach acting up again. It took several worrying moments for his coughing to die down, and Inko put her foot down when Toshinori-san tried to decline her offer again ("N-no more excuses!"). She passed him a napkin and lightly scolded the man for his much more haggard appearance ("W-what are you doing to your health, Toshinori-san!").
A few weeks before, Inko had been horrified that a he was not eating very well-balanced, healthy meals ("Convenience store meals are not healthy!") and so gave him a reproachful look, but the stubborn man had insisted on not imposing on them.
Inko waited out his coughing fit, pouring him a cup of water, waiting for his response with another disapproving look. Eating unhealthy (even if convenient) meals and skipping meals because of schedule was not a way to get better.
"Mom's right, sensei!" Izuku agreed on the side with vigorous nods that looked like he might get a concussion. "You have to come eat with us more often!"
Toshinori had waved a flag of defeat at their twofold attack, and agreed to come every dinnertime, if he was able.
Inko couldn't help sharing another secret wink with her son, whose eyes were twinkling with awe and affection at his mother.
When Toshinori smiled ruefully at both of them, chuckling about how he was outsmarted and outnumbered, Inko convinced herself that the heat she felt on her cheeks was from the hot soup.
Shaking off the memories, Inko placed the box of chocolates next to the flowers, putting the yellow post-it-note next to the first one. She went back outside to her garden, humming a little tune as she watered her flowers.
Later that morning, after Inko finished her gardening and moved to put away her tools, another snatch of yellow caused her to freeze in place and glance up at the innocent yellow post it on the clothes line.
Just how many of them did that man manage to hide? Inko wondered, a niggling bout of intuition telling her of more surprises later. She plucked the yellow post-it-note from the clothing line, bringing it closer to scrutinize the third handwritten note.
'Though I'd never purposely hide things, it was dangerous for you to know. Sorry. - T'
Inko read and re-read the little note, remembering the awkward interaction with her son that morning. Where usually Izuku would have been full of smiles and easy conversation about their plans for the day, there was only stilted words and empty silence - which grated all the more for it.
It all started with their argument from yesterday.
"Kaa-san, you can't make me stop going to UA just from a few injuries from training!"
Inko frowned, pulling Izuku's arm back to finish wrapping new bandages. "Izuku, you have gotten hurt because you are in UA! I have never heard any other schools with students getting injuries like you!"
"It's something all heroes must face one day!"
"Both of your hands are in casts, and you've been injured all over your torso. That is not an injury all heroes get, much less a hero-in-training!"
"But Kaa-san -"
"- And maybe, just maybe, I don't want you to become a hero!"
Izuku was struck silent, his mouth gaping open in surprise and hurt.
Inko sighed as she finished tucking in the last of the bandages. Tiredly, she softly pet her son's unruly hair, tucking in a stray hair in place. "Izuku, I didn't mean that. I still want you to do what you want to do, it's just... you get hurt so much! I can't just watch as you get hurt."
When her son did not reply, Inko tried to give him a hug, only to feel him stiff and not returning it. She pushed down the hurt, and allowed him to pull away, gently murmuring a 'we'll talk about it later, okay?'.
And Inko watched her son plod up the stairs, looking as if he was carrying a heavy weight. She turned back to dinner preparations, sighing heavily.
When had her son grown up so much?
(0)
That afternoon was spent in a lot of awkward silence where there usually was companionable quiet. Inko chose to concentrate on her most recent commission in her workroom and Izuku his homework in his room, both avoiding the living room, their normal work-space. By the time evening came around, it seemed as if the silence would continue through the entirety of the meal, but Toshinori showed up in the middle of the meal.
He apologized for being late, and sat down to eat - he noted the quiet atmosphere immediately. When Izuku excused himself early from the dinner table, he carefully broached the topic with a concerned glance towards Izuku's room.
"Inko-san, did something happen? Izuku has been quiet all day."
She sighed, and explained the disagreement from that afternoon, trying to give both sides of the argument. It soon devolved into a monologue of questioning herself for doing the right thing, as parents were supposed to help their children, right? Did that mean letting them make their own choices and face consequences, or protecting them from harm?
Toshinori listened quietly, only moving to put on a kettle and prepare some tea, making sounds of agreement here and there.
Inko thanked him when Toshinori handed her a hot cup of tea, miserably murmuring that she just wanted her son to be happy.
"Well, Inko-san, I have never been a parent, so I don't know what the right answer is," Toshinori started after a long bit of silence, sipping at his own cup. "But it seems like you are on the right track, thinking both about Izuku's future as well as your desire for him to be safe."
Inko hummed in thanks and slowly sipped at her own tea, wondering what else Toshinori wanted to say. She had noticed Toshinori looking conflicted during some parts of her spiel, stopping himself from speaking up so to not interrupt. Toshinori opened and closed his mouth several times, and Inko looked questioningly towards the man, waiting for him to break the silence.
"Would it help if... I promised to protect him at UA?"
Inko stared at the man, who was looking more and more uncomfortable under her scrutiny. She put her cup down, and placed both hands on top of his fidgeting ones, looking earnestly up at the man sitting across from her on the table.
"T-toshinori-san, you can't promise that," Inko said emphatically. "Y-you're - you're a veteran, with injuries that will get worse if you p-push yourself," She waved off Toshinori before he could respond, gaining strength in her voice as she explained her disagreement. "A-and you are responsible for a class full of students - more than just Izuku. I can't ask you to push yourself and get yourself hurt for Izuku's sake."
There was a pause while the two adults stared at each other's eyes seriously, until Toshinori looked away.
"No, Toshinori-san," Inko repeated, picking up her cup again. "Izuku can be a hero; it's been his dream since he saw All Might in a video at four years old, you know. And maybe that's why he is insisting on staying at UA - for All Might."
She resignedly sighed, and murmured to herself. "That's why Izuku's getting hurt so much more too - everyone is focusing on UA, where All Might is teaching. More media and more villain attacks."
Inko cupped her hands around the lukewarm mug. "...What kind of a mother am I, standing around watching my baby get hurt..."
"A protective one," Toshinori intoned, and Inko realized that she had forgotten his presence. She softened and gave Toshinori a wan smile, patting the near-skeletal hand in front of her in thanks. She pulled away to pour herself a refill of the tea, thoughts heavy.
Toshinori stood abruptly, looking determined about something; he startled Inko so much into almost spilling her drink.
"Inko-san," Toshinori said with a sudden, low bow. "I have kept a very big secret from you."
Before she had a chance to respond to that, there was a sudden poof of displaced air and white smoke, and a large silhouette took place of the emaciated man.
When the smoke cleared, there stood All Might in all his glory, filling in the loosely hanging clothing with muscle. Inko gaped for a few seconds, her cup tipping precariously in her hands.
"A-A-All M-Might...?" she stuttered, heart pounding as she shakily puts her cup down.
"Yes, Inko-san. I apologize for the deception, but this form is one of the greatest secrets of mine, so it was necessary."
Toshinori - All Might! - sat back down and took back his cup, as if to give his hands something to do under her incredulous gaze.
"First, I want to say that I promise to protect Izuku to the best of my abilities. These past few weeks... it was my fault for most of his injuries. I was lacking in my teaching, and didn't teach Izuku enough how to control his quirk -"
"That's not true!" came a sudden shout from the stairwell.
Both Toshinori and Inko turned to see Izuku rushing down the steps.
"Izuku -" Toshinori began, to be cut off again by Izuku.
"Kaa-san, it was my fault! All Might sensei and the other sensei at school kept telling me to limit myself, but I didn't! It was my responsibility for not listening to their advice!"
Inko did not reply, still shocked at the fact that Toshinori, the emaciated man who she motherhenned constantly, was All Might, the number one hero of Japan. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the two men in front of her, Toshinori still in his All Might form and Izuku with balled fists and pleading with his eyes. She had no idea how to deal with this... development.
Izuku took a deep breath, then spoke up as calmly as possible, though there still was some trembling in his voice. "Kaa-san, I think I am old enough to know what I want and the risks that go with it. I really want to learn to be the best hero - I love learning from All Might sensei at UA! Even - even if that means I have to get hurt sometimes!"
Inko looked at her son, fired up and passionate; she looked at Toshinori, who had looked on Izuku's outburst with surprise (and was that pride?). They both waited for her answer with earnest eyes, and Inko couldn't help feel a little like this was something she couldn't interfere with.
"Izuku... Will you let me think about it?"
"Kaa-san -"
"Izuku, I think we - we all need to - to talk about this. And before I make a d-decision, Toshi - A-All Might-san needs to explain some things," she said, a clear sharp undertone that came through the stammering. Turning to All Might, Inko lifted a brow. "I h-hope that is alright with you?"
Even though her tone was polite, Toshinori couldn't help but quail. "O-of course, Inko-san."
"Izuku, m-make us another pot of tea, please?"
Pale at the tone, Izuku quickly scurried for the kitchen, recognizing the signs of his mother on the warpath.
(0)
"I have seen all that Young Izuku can do, and I believe he can be my successor to be the next symbol of peace," Toshinori offered, his hands gripping his second cup of tea. "I am a teacher, and Izuku has so much potential. Please let me teach him by my side."
Inko looked thoughtfully into her tea cup as if it held all the answers. Izuku fidgeted with his own cup, staying quiet throughout Toshinori's explanation with only a few interjections.
"...Izuku."
The boy in question sat up to attention. "Yes!"
Inko resignedly sighed. "You promise me to be more careful in training?"
"Yes, Kaa-san. I promise."
Inko turned to Toshinori, who looked as relieved, if not more, as Izuku.
"Toshi - A-All Might-san, y-you - you're going to do your best to teach Izuku to be the best Hero he can be."
"Of course," Toshinori agreed. "I will protect and nurture him even if it costs me my life."
"T-toshinori-san!" "Sensei!"
Toshinori flinched at the dually appalled and indignant responses that came after his declaration. Did he say something wrong?
Inko kneaded her forehead, then took his hands with both of hers, patting it gently for emphasis.
"T - A-All Might-san. You - you must not throw away your life. You can protect and nurture Izuku to your best ability while living." She gave him a wavering smile, trying to reassure his hesitance. She glanced at her son. "Right, Izuku?"
"Yes, sensei! You have to live long and watch me become the next symbol of peace!"
The older man flushed at the two looks of sincere appeal, quickly looking away from embarrassment. Izuku began to list all the reasons why All Might had to be healthy and available for many more years, devolving into mutters of the obstacles and solutions to them, and Inko chuckled as she watched All Might turning steadily more red.
And she watched the two men at her table (and yes, Izuku was a man now, even if he was forever her little boy) noting the much lighter mood in both Izuku and All Might. At one of Izuku's more heartfelt remarks, All Might began to clutch at his chest, coughing in discomfort. Inko hurriedly patted him in the back, deciding to save the man before he began coughing up blood.
"A-ano," She said, disrupting her son's mutterings. "Both of you should have told me."
When the two turned to her, she pouted dramatically, painting exaggerated disappointment in her eyes. "All t-these secrets! I could have stayed quiet about Toshinori-san being All Might..."
She turned to the hero. "...Were we really f-friends?"
Toshinori began to sputter, attempting to stammer out his protests and apologies through his coughing fit.
At Izuku's snicker, Inko turned her exaggerated disappointment towards her son as well.
"You don't have much to say either, Izuku! I really thought you got a new quirk!" At that, her son began to stutter nervously, but she winked at him before he got too nervous. "I expect a lot of apology gifts!"
Inko hid a small smile behind a hand as they both spluttered indignantly.
And if she thought Toshinori looked adorable when flustered, no one had to know.
Inko startled from her thoughts of yesterday at the sound of the front door opening with a faint 'tadaima'.
"Okaeri, Izuku!"
"Kaa-san, sensei is here too!" She heard him yell as he ran upstairs. There certainly was not a skip in her heartbeat.
"O-oh, is he? Bring him to the kitchen, dear," Inko called back, glancing at the nearby window to quickly check her hair before she headed towards the front door. Yesterday she had come to see exactly how much she valued her friendship with Toshinori, and she hadn't finished figuring out what it meant - was Toshinori showing interest, or was this normal between friends?
Toshinori was standing at the doorway with his shoes still on, not coming inside like he usually did.
"A-All Might-sensei," Inko said as she straightened her apron. "Thank you for the f-flowers and chocolate. They were... very nice."
"I'm glad you liked them," he answered (was that a faint blush?). "The flower shop lady recommended irises."
"O-oh, y-yes. Um. It was very nice of you...?"
"You're welcome."
When the silence was beginning to get awkward, Izuku came to the door in his casual clothes and backpack.
"Kaa-san, I need to go meet Uraraka-san and Iida-kun. I told you about it, right?"
"O-oh, alright, but be back for dinner!"
"Sorry Kaa-san, we're working on a big project so we're eating together too!" Izuku answered with a wave, giving her a mischievous smile as he closed the door behind him. There was another moment of awkward silence as the two adults stood at the doorway.
"W-would you like to come in, sensei?"
"Uh, no... I have to..." Toshinori trailed off, clear discomfort in every line of his body language. "...A-actually, Inko-san?"
"Y-yes?"
"Would - would you like to go out for dinner tonight?" He peered down at her, then quickly stuttered, "Of course, this is all to apologize for - for everything."
"O-oh," Inko murmured, feeling her cheeks burn.
"It's - it's just a dinner between friends. It doesn't have to mean any -"
"O-of course, All Might-san."
"- thing... oh." Both Toshinori and Inko looked away, unable to meet each other's eyes.
"U-uh, I'll pick you up at six?" He asked her, embarrassedly touching his neck.
"That - that would be fine, All Might-san."
There was another pause of silence.
"Um, Inko-san?"
"Y-yes?"
"C-can you call me Toshinori?" He peered down at her, then quickly looked away. "I-I mean, secret identity... you don't have to - you can still call me All -"
"T-Toshinori," she interjected softly. Toshinori immediately stopped his rambling, realizing that she had dropped the honorific entirely. She looked away, face flushed.
"Y-you can call me Inko."
They shared another quick glance, both blushing brightly when their eyes met.
"...Then I'll - I'll pick you up at six, Inko-sa - Inko."
Suddenly, Inko felt his hand picking her hand up and tugged forward. Before she had a chance to realize what was happening, she saw a mess of yellow hair in front of her, and she felt a soft warmth on the back of her hand that left just as quickly as it came.
A plume of smoke was followed by the snap of a door closing.
A very scarlet Inko stared at the closed door for a long time, unknowing of the equally scarlet emaciated man on the other side of the wooden partition, holding his face in his hands in embarrassment.
Inko stood still, until it suddenly all clicked - she had been kissed on the hand!
Letting out a soft gurgle of incomprehensible words, Inko curled up in a fetal position right there in the doorway of her house, feeling as if every part of her body was flushing in embarrassment.
Just remembering the feeling on her hand moments before -
A girlish squeal came from her mouth, and Inko quickly covered up her mouth with her hands, which proved to be counterproductive, as she remembered the kiss again.
A few minutes of some calming breaths, Inko touched her hand and unconsciously smiled.
"...Toshinori," she whispered to herself -
- then fell back to giggling like a teenage girl for the next ten minutes, crouching at the front door.