Chapter 14: A Hell Of A Tongue Lashing
William was through with it! That woman was driving him mad! The brat has been trying to get through to her for two months! Izuku was almost inconsolable these days. William was officially ticked the hell off, and Spring is at the point that he's planning murder. If Zuku couldn't get through to her, he will.
He planned his attack for two weeks. He studied her habits and emotional responses to various stimuli. He made sure to take everything into account. He even roped Spring into his plan, not that it took much to do. All he had to say was that he was going to give her a verbal beat down.
Now, he was waiting for her in the living room with the lights off. She's been waiting for Izuku to go to bed to come home for the past couple weeks. A growl stuck in the back of his throat at the thought.
It didn't take him long to hear the click of the lock and quiet footsteps around around the room.
"Going somewhere," he asked with a bored drawl.
Inko jumped at the unexpected noise as she spun around.
"You," she said as he flipped on the light and leaned backed in his chair; legs crossed.
"Me," William drawled, and his ice blue eyes flashed with his hidden anger.
"What do you want," she snapped. "You already stole my son!"
William froze as anger boiled under his skin and a deep, dark growl reverberated from deep in his chest at her words.
"What," he hissed.
Inko flinched, but she stood her ground.
William laughed, but it was a dark laugh; one that reminded him of when Glitch made him kill those poor kids.
Inko shivered in fear at this man using her son's body. There was no way her Izuku would ever be this.
"Listen here, sweetheart," William drawled with a false honey voice. "I'm done with your crap."
"Give me Izuku back," Inko yelled, crying, and William snapped."
"I am Izuku," he yelled. "Izuku's me! We're the same. Dang. Person! And, you're hurting him!"
"You are not my son," she yelled.
"Well, you certainly remind me of my mother," William hissed. "Are you going to start popping pills? You certainly have the neglect down!"
Inko stepped back as if she had been slapped.
"What," she asked, faint.
"Or are you going to be like 'dear ol' dad' and smack the brat around," William said pressing his advantage when he saw the crack in her armor.
"No," she yelled. "I would never do that! I love him!"
"Than act like it," William yelled as he stood up and slammed his hand down against the table. "Izuku thinks you hate him!"
"What," she asked with tears in her eyes.
"He thinks that you believe that we're a freak," William hissed. "He thinks you've abandoned us! You treat us like parasites! Get it through your thick skull before you lose your son! We. Are. The. Same. Person! We're just different part of of one whole! We share the same body! We share the same soul! If you reject me and Spring, you're also rejecting Izuku!"
William stopped to breathe and looked at the woman, panting. She stood there shell shocked. Tears were in her eyes, and she was shaking. William refused to feel any pity for her until Izuku forgave her.
"Well," William drawled in impatience.
"Does he really think that," she asked, and William sneered.
"Of course he does, idiot," William snapped at her. "How would you feel in our situation?!"
Inko flinched and looked down, her tears finally falling.
"I don't want to lose my son," she cried.
"Then tell him that," William snarled. "Tell him you love him before you lose him! Don't let him become me!"
Inko looked up in shock at that. He didn't want her baby to be like him?
"What," she asked weakly.
William sighed as he ran his hand though his long purple streaked hair. Inko gasped at the sight of his scars and ran to grab his arm. William jerk back with a hiss.
"Don't hiss at me, young man," she snapped, now in full 'mother-hen' mode. "Let me see your arm!"
William raised his eyebrow with a derisive snort, but he let her see anyway. Maybe it would help him get his point across.
Inko raised his sleeve and gasped in horror. The scars were much worse than she first thought, and she gently traced them, taking notice of his tensing.
"How," she asked, her heart aching.
"I was springlocked," William said, his voice rough with sadness.
She looked up at him in confusion, and she saw the pain that was hidden behind his eyes. How broken he was. It broke her heart, and she instantly felt so guilty. She couldn't look at him in the eye anymore, so she looked down, and froze. Her breath caught in her throat, and then she started to sob.
William looked at her in confusion for a moment, but the she grabbed his wrist and in broken sobs and he understood.
"Don't worry," William said gently. "Zuku's not suicidal."
"Then why," she asked brokenly.
"I did that," William said. "I was in a really bad place...I lost my kids."
Inko's eyes shot up in surprise.
"You had kids," she asked in disblief.
"Three," William said with a sad nod. "Chris was six. His brother Michael and his friends used to bully him. One day, they went to far with a prank, and Chris died."
Inko's eyes welled with tears once again and her grip on his wrist tightened.
"Lizzy was eight, it was barely a month after Chris' death," William continued. "My wife went out and I had to take Liz to work with me. My business partner, Henry, pulled me into a mandatory meeting and she went missing. She was presumed dead."
Inko's kneed bulked and she ended up leaning on William.
"I was next," William said. "I was springlocked by my own suit. But, I lost Mikey before that, I think. I found out Clara, my wife, cheated on me. Then she died in a car accident. This was a couple weeks after Lizzy went missing. It was too much, too fast. Mikey blamed himself for Chris' death. I couldn't help because I was too depressed. I ended up doing stupid things like drinking and cutting. I was lost in my own mind... I bet he hates me... Inko, don't be me. Don't let Izuku become me."
"Y-You're William...right," She asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yeah...," William asked confused.
"Can I...," She asked stuttering nervously, just like Izuku used to. "Can I...give you a hug?"
William's eyes widened as he was thrown threw a loop.
"You...want to...hug me," he asked confused.
I know you probably don't trust me after...well," she said nervously as she wrung her hands. "But...But, you just...just seem so...sad."
William shook his head in disbelief, and she let go of his wrist.
"You two are too kind," William muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me," Inko asked confused, not really hearing him.
"You hear my sob story, and immediately want to hug me," William said chuckling brokenly. "I wish...Hmph. Wishes are useless now."
Inko was amazed that tears were actually pooling in his eyes. Inko's poor heart couldn't take it anymore, and she immediately pulled him into a hug.
"William," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I misjudged you."
"In all honesty, ma'am," he said. "Probably not."
She hugged him harder at that, and William gently pat her shoulder.
"Tell your son you love him," he whispered, and he let of control.
This time, she watched in fascination as the change took place. How the black faded to green, how blue eyes bleed into green, and those familiar freckles dotted round cheeks.
"Mom," Izuku asked warily, and Inko pulled him into a tight hug.
"I'm so sorry, Izuku," Inko yelled. "I love you no matter what! I didn't mean to hurt you!"
Izuku's eyes widened in surprise.
"What did William do," Izuku asked in complete amazement.
Inko blushed deeply embarrassed.
"He gave me a tongue lashing," she admitted.
"What did he say...," Izuku asked suspiciously.
William had a mouth on him when he had the mind to use it.
"Exactly what I need to hear," she said as she brushed stray looks out of his face. "He's not just an alter is he?"
Izuku couldn't hide a slight flinch and Inko closed her eyes in pain and regret.
"Tell him I'm sorry," she said. "Both of them."
Tears pooled in Izuku's eyes as he nodded.
"I love you mom," he said in choked sobs.
"I love you too, Izuku," she said.
That morning, Inko made sure to make all of the three's favorites, and packed their lunch too. When Izuku left for school, she made sure to hug all three of them before they left.
It confused the hell out of Spring until everything was explained to him.
"Hell, Will," he said with a low whistle. "You don't pull punches do you?"
William shrugged, and looked nervously at Izuku.
"I want to be mad right now," Izuku said with a sigh. "I really do...,but thank you."
"Really," William asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Izuku said with a dry chuckle. "I got my mom back. Plus, it seems like she needed to hear it."
William nodded his head in understanding.
"Just...don't do it again," Izuku begged. "Or ask before you make a plan like that."
"Alright," William agreed.
