Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnggggg!

Izuku walked out of his school building with the rest of his classmates. No new scars were on his body, much to his relief, and after a quick glance to his side, he saw Bakugo wasn't even looking his way.

'He hasn't even looked at me once today… What happened?' he thought to himself with a slight frown.

"Izuku!"

His gaze quickly snapped to the front gate of his school and his eyes widened. Just outside of the gate was his mother, the green haired woman smiling happily as she waved at him.

Izuku increased his pace to a jog and stopped in front of his mother, the Midoriya matriarch spending no time in pulling her son into a tight hug. After a few moments, the pair pulled away slightly.

"Were there any incidents with anybody today?" Inko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I-incidents? Um… No, no I don't think… So?" Izuku replied, a confused look on his face.

"Good!" Inko smiled once more. "Let's get started heading over to the park. I'd like to meet your… Your friend if he's there."

"Okay!" Izuku smiled brightly.

"So how was your day?" Inko asked.

The pair were walking down the sidewalk, a short distance away from the park and getting closer with each step.

"It was alright…" Izuku replied with a nod. "Nothing really interesting happened."

"Well, at least it wasn't a bad day," Inko replied. "Which reminds me, I am considering enrolling you in a different school."

"W-what-?!"

CRASH!

Izuku and Inko's gazes snapped to a trio of trash cans that were near the entrance to the park, all of which were tipped over with a man under them. As the man got out from under the trash cans and stood up, it was revealed to be the pale blue haired man he met the previous day.

"Danjiro!" Izuku exclaimed.

Inko immediately put herself between her son and the man, a defensive glint in her eye as she looked him up and down.

"Midoriya! We meet again," Danjiro replied with a smile and nod. "And I suspect this is your mother, is that correct?"

'So this is the man he met. I suppose on the surface he looks like a gentleman… But looks can be deceiving…' Inko thought.

"Inko Midoriya," she introduced herself.

"A pleasure to meet you, madam. I am Danjuro Tobita. You've raised a kindhearted son, madam."

"Thank you," she replied, her expression unchanging. "That looked like it hurt. Are you okay?"

Danjuro nodded with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, I am. I was just not looking where I was walking."

"My son does that sometimes, too."

"Hey!" Izuku shouted, earning a chuckle from Danjuro.

"You seem to be in higher spirits today," he said with a kind smile. "I take it your friend didn't do anything today?"

Izuku shook his head.

"No, he didn't."

"How do you know about that?" Inko asked with a frown.

"Yesterday, he told me about the source of the injury he had gained. I suggested he tell you about it when he went home," Danjuro replied.

"Well… Thank you for convincing him to tell me."

"I'm happy to help."

Inko nodded a couple times.

"So what do you do, Mister Tobita?"

"Please, just call me Danjuro," he replied, bowing his head slightly. "I'm a café waiter."

"Oh really? Where do you work?"

"The Sayama Café," he answered with a smile. "I frequented that place quite a lot before becoming a waiter there. It became a… Sort of home away from home..."

"He was thrown out because he was kicked out of hero school," Izuku explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Inko said with a mixture of hesitance and worry on her face. "Why did that happen?"

"While I may have been eager to become a hero… My grades didn't reflect that. My headmaster advised me to quit, but I didn't want to. Unfortunately, I caused an accident that resulted in the injury of a few civilians later that day… That was the last straw for him and he kicked me out," Danjuro explained, a somber look on his face. "It wasn't a day later that my parents threw me out…"

"That was wrong! Parents are supposed to take care of their kids, not throw them out!" Izuku exclaimed with a frown.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Inko said with a more sorrowful frown.

"No apologies necessary. I'm doing better now than I was when I first got kicked out," Danjuro replied. "And your son really lifted my spirits yesterday. So I suppose I should thank the fates for aligning and letting me meet such a kind young man."

"I'm happy to help!" Izuku grinned.

Danjuro chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I should let you go on your way. I probably held you up long enough."

"Actually," Inko started. "I was actually wanting to meet and talk with you. My son told me about meeting you and I wanted to get to know you."

"Oh really? Well in that case, shall we find a place to sit in the park?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Izuku exclaimed.

A couple hours later…

"It was very nice meeting you, Inko. I only wished I could stay longer," Danjuro said with a bow.

"I have to leave as well, but it was nice getting to know you. To be honest with you, I was worried you were after my son for… Less than good reasons."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Danjuro shook his head.

"Good. Have a good rest of your day," Inko said with a nod.

"And to both of you as well."

Mother and son left the park one direction while Danjuro left in the opposite direction.

"He's quite a nice man," Inko said.

"Mhm! I told you," Izuku replied.

"Yes you did." She smiled softly. "Now, when we get home, what do you think of katsudon for dinner?"

"REALLY?! YEAH!"

Inko entered her home first, followed by her son. Once they took off their shoes, Izuku bolted into the kitchen, drawing a giggle from his mother.

"Remember to change out of your clothes!" she called.

"I will!" he replied.

Another set of footsteps echoed through her home after he replied, bringing out another bout of laughter from the green-haired mother. Walking over to the kitchen, she started taking out supplies from the cupboard, pantry, and fridge.

Izuku walked into the kitchen once she had all her ingredients in a pot on the stove. Looking down at him, he had a slight frown on his face.

"What is it, dear?"

"What did you mean earlier today? About me going to a different school?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Well, it's nearing the end of the school year," she began, glancing towards the pot for a couple moments before looking back at her son. "And from what I've been told, you've been suffering the entire school year."

Izuku flinched slightly, glancing away in shame as he held his scarred arm.

"So to prevent that from even happening again, I'm going to enroll you in a school that's better. One that the staff won't hesitate to punish students for bullying behavior, nor encourage it."

'How does she know that?' Izuku thought as he flinched again.

"My son doesn't deserve to be treated like dirt. So I have made my decision and that's final," Inko finished.

"O-okay…"

Inko kneeled down, gently cupping her son's cheek and bringing his gaze back towards her.

"I know this is a sudden shock for you… But this is a good thing," she said softly, her thumb gently brushing over his cheek.

"I guess…"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Oh, it looks like the katsudon's ready," Inko said, lowering her hand to his shoulder and squeezing once before standing up and releasing him. "Go sit down at the table while I dish it out."

"Okay," Izuku nodded, brightening up slightly.

Inko smiled softly as she watched her son jog out of the kitchen. Releasing a soft sigh, she turned to the stove and turned off the burner and alarm. Putting the contents of the pot into two bowls, she carried the food out into the dining room.

Seeing Izuku's face brighten up at the table as he saw her approach warmed her heart to the very core, her smile softening as she approached the table and set the bowls on it. Izuku almost instantly dug into his food while Inko took her time eating. After every bite, she glanced over at Izuku, smiling at the look of pure joy he had on his face as he ate his favorite food.

'That's the kind of smile I always want to see on my son's face… Hopefully a new school will bring that back…'

Izuku, dressed in his All Might pajamas, laid down in his bed, looking up at his mother sitting at his bedside. She smiled softly as she looked down at her son.

"Goodnight, sweetie," she said softly.

"Goodnight, Mom," Izuku replied. "Sweet dreams."

"You too, dear."

Inko leaned forward and kissed his forehead before reaching over and turning off the All Might lamp on his nightstand. The room's lighting dimmed, only being illuminated by the light coming in the doorway. After running her hand through his hair once, she stood up and left the room, blowing a kiss to her son at the door before closing it.

Izuku twisted to his right side after a moment of silence, sighing softly.

'Hopefully things will get better now…'

Three months later…

Izuku walked down the sidewalk in the afternoon sun, holding his bag over his shoulder. Pep was in his step as he smiled to himself.

'Just another month and I'll be changing schools. I wonder what it'll be like-'

"Deku!"

Izuku flinched and stopped in his tracks. Slowly turning around, he saw Katsuki Bakugo sneering at him.

"H-hey… Kacchan…" Izuku greeted with a shaky voice. "W-what is it?"

Danjuro sat in the park, reading a book he had open in his hand in silence. Aside from the sound of the breeze hitting the trees, there was silence all around him, giving him a peaceful atmosphere to read his book. That was until-

KABOOOOOM!

Startled, Danjuro's head snapped up and looked around for the source of the explosive noise. A second explosion accompanied the first a few moments later, bringing his gaze in the direction of the sound.

Closing his book and standing, he ran closer to the noise. His eyes widened when he saw Izuku on the ground and staring up at a blond boy in the same school clothes as he was wearing.

"You are so worthless! Not even being able to man up to me yourself, you squeal on me to Auntie Inko! You know how much scolding I had to go through from the old hag?!"

'It's Izuku!' Danjuro stared at the sight with wide eyes. 'I need to help!'

He frowned slightly as he glanced away.

'But… What if I hurt him like I did those civilians?' he thought with a hesitant glint in his eyes.

"Gahhaahhh!" Izuku yelped out after another explosion connected with his body.

Hearing his cry of pain made Danjuro's chest clench as he looked back at the scene with a determined frown on his face.

'I don't care about the possibility of hurting him. I must help him however I can!'

Danjuro rushed forward, catching the blonde before he could deal another explosion. Using his quirk, he created a wall of elastic air between him and Izuku, allowing the man to scoop the injured boy into his arms without fear of the blond's explosion damaging him. When the blond did use his quirk, he was blasted backwards thanks to Danjuro's quirk.

As the blonde was properly distracted, he used the opportunity to sprint away as fast as he could. Danjuro's pace slowed to a brisk walk once he was far enough away from the park, allowing him to glance down at the boy in his arms.

"Are you okay, Izuku?"

The boy had a few explosive scars on his torso, clearly shown by the holes in his gakuen. Izuku shook his head a couple times.

"N-not really…"

Danjuro shook his head.

"Don't worry, we're almost to your house."

"Th-thank you…"

Danjuro smiled softly.

"I'm just happy I could help you," he replied with a sigh of relief. "Now let's get you home."

Danjuro walked up the steps of Izuku's home, the boy still held in his arms.

"Are you able to walk?"

"I think so…" Izuku replied with a nod.

The man carrying Izuku kneeled down and set the boy on his feet. Izuku grunted as he felt his muscles contract to keep him stable while standing. Muffled footsteps directed their attention back to the front door, which swung open a couple moments later.

What was once a smile on Inko's face instantly turned to a bone-chilling grimace, the protective glare sending a shiver down Danjuro's spine. Inko remained quiet as she looked from her injured son to his friend.

Danjuro gulped as he was glared at, feeling the urge to take a step back under the Midoriya matriarch's glare.

'She's… Terrifying right now…'

Finally, Inko took a short breath and opened her mouth, venom practically dripping from her lips as she spoke her first question.

"What… Happened?"

AN: So, it's been a while, hasn't it.

A lot of you are likely wondering what happened, to be honest, real life basically dogpiled me with various things from family matters, friends, getting screwed over by a couple of games and working my ass off at work at the most ridiculous hours possible. But with recent events and changes, I've been able to come back to looking over my fics and thanks to my buddy Raider867 who wrote this great chapter, I hope this is the start of me coming back to updating, atm I'm working with another friend to get Izumi updated as well as good Endeavour.

I hope to see you soon, have a great day and stay safe.

Raider867: /users/Raider867/pseuds/Raider867

Please check out his stuff, it's great, eri is always adorable, ships are great and he recently posted two one shots I ordered and helped plan.

Actually I'm curious, who do you think Izuku will befriend next?