The sounds of faint chatter from far away and the muffled chirping of birds were the first sounds to greet the woman as she began to awaken, followed by the soft, tickling brush of someone's hand against the side of her cheek.

Inko's eyes slowly cracked open, her brow furrowed in sleepy confusion as the world came into focus before her.

She wasn't in a dingy, cold cell anymore, but rather lying in a comfortable bed in a small, yet cozy-looking room with soft white curtains framing the windows, sunlight streaming through and warming her even through the comforter. The faint smell of cardboard boxes and the mouthwatering smoky scent of hash browns caught her attention, and for a moment, she felt like she could melt in absolute comfort.

Then there came a sigh from above her, and the hand paused, cupping her cheek. "Thank the gods you've come to, Inko."

The small woman looked up into the concerned visage of her husband, and Hisashi's lips curled into a soft smile.

"Hisashi…" her voice was raspy with little water, and as she blinked, she attempted to sit up. "What… happened…?"

"Tomura and Dabi rescued you," he explained gently, taking a cloth from her forehead and dipping it into a small basin of water. As he wrung out the excess and replaced it, he continued, "You've been gone for days. I was so worried… Izuku was about ready to tear up the entire city until we found you."

The thought of her son made her smile, and a weak chuckle escaped her at that.

"I took the liberty of moving us into a more permanent residence," Hisashi said, gesturing around him. "Remember that little home we were looking at? The three-bedroom one near the academy? I bought it, just for us. The boys should be about done unpacking the essentials as we speak."

Inko blinked feverishly, even as he gently lay a hand across her forehead. "Is… is Tomura alright? Did he make it back… without many injuries?"

"He's just fine," her husband reassured her with a twinkle in his eyes. "In fact, I think he was more worried about you than you might think."

She sagged against the pillow, and the sheer relief she felt in her heart simultaneously confused and elated her. "Oh, thank the gods," she murmured, her voice choked from the sudden ball of emotion she felt lodged in her throat. "I was… I was so scared, Hisashi…"

"I know, I know," he soothed, running his fingers through her greasy hair. "You're okay now, love. I would never let anything happen to you, you know that? No matter how far you go, I will be there to catch you."

"I… I want to see him," she said shakily, blinking through the tears. "Would he be okay with that?"

At this, the man hesitated. His thumb paused in its journey to brush the tears away from her eyelashes, and he answered, "I… I don't know. After his little nightmare while he was sick… I don't believe he trusts himself not to hurt you."

"Wh… what?" Inko tried to sit up again, even though he gently guided her back down. "What nightmare?"

"He dreamt that he used his Quirk," he softly replied.

It was all she needed to know.

Her throat continued to close, and she sniffled, nodding. "Hisashi… I'm… I'm so sorry, I… I thought, for all this time, that you-"

A knock at the door interrupted whatever she was about to say, and both adults turned as the door cracked open and a familiar head popped in.

"Um, hi," Tomura awkwardly greeted, looking away from the scene. "I… wanted to check in…"

"Tomura," her voice was so full of concern and - dare he believe it - love, that it only served to embarrass him further. "Come in, please, come in."

He looked to Sensei, who nodded encouragingly. "Come in, son."

Slowly, he stepped inside and shut the door behind himself, careful not to dust it.

As he came closer, he sat on the edge of the bed and folded his hands in his lap.

"Thank you," she spoke up, and as he looked over, she beamed at him with teary eyes and a splotchy red face. "I know it's… a bit much, to do what you did, but… from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tomura."

"I only did it because…" he seemed to fumble for words, pale skin flushing an embarrassed hue as he looked away and began to scratch at his neck. "Because… because Sensei cares about you, it's not like I…"

"I… you…" he finally looked up and admitted, "You… you reminded me… of my mother."

"I do…?" Jade eyes widened, but after a moment, she gave him a warm look. "That's awfully sweet of you. I can only hope she loved you as much as she could."

The guilt began to rise in his chest once more, and he had to look away as the scratching intensified.

Her hand curling around his made him stop, and when he looked at her again she wore a stern face.

"Hey," she chided, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. "I thought you were trying to stop scratching. Have you been using the ointment I recommended?"

Blinking, he slowly nodded.

"Good." She let go of him and wagged a finger. "We're going to try and heal you up, Tomura - okay? No more scratching, if you can help it. We're gonna try together."

Bowing his head so that his eyes were covered by his bangs, he muttered, "... yes ma'am."

"You two are getting on quite well now, aren't you?" Hisashi's voice chimed in, pleased and warm. "Inko, would you be adverse to taking in a stray?"

Huh? Tomura looked up to see the two adults looking into each other's faces, as if exchanging words only they were privy to.

The tiny woman seemed to think for a moment, but as she caught the young man's eye, she smiled. "At first I was wary, but… after what you did for me, I believe that this little arrangement will work."

"What do you say?" Hisashi caught his student's attention next. "Would you like to have a real mother again?"

His eyes widened a fraction, and he looked from them to his hands and back again. "I…"

"Let him have some time to think about it, for heaven's sake," Inko scolded, patting her husband's arm firmly. "I just came back home. This is going to be an adjustment period."

She looked at the young man before looking back to Hisashi. "For all of us."

Then she yawned, and her husband patted her cheek before standing up straight.

"Well, I'd better let you rest," he said with a sigh. "You've been through quite an ordeal."

He turned to his protégé. "Tomura?"

"He can stay if he wants," she piped up sleepily as she settled into the blankets. "I don't mind."

"Okay," the tall man answered as he gave both a soft smile. "Sleep well, Inko. I love you."

Her brow furrowed as he turned to leave the room. As she stared at his back in contemplation, she shook her head and finally closed her eyes.

The next moment Tomura looked up, she was asleep. Her face was totally relaxed, her lips parted as soft, even breaths escaped. She'd dozed off with one arm under the pillow and the other resting by the edge of the bedding.

Tomura stared at her tiny hand, flexing his own as he watched her sleep.

Nao appeared once more in his mind's eye, her eyes kind and her smile sweet as she beckoned to him with that same hand.

Silently, he reached for it-

-and then images flashed before him, images that haunted his worst nightmares and made him flinch away as if burned.

Swallowing hard, trying to stamp back down the guilt and memories of his past, Tomura stood from the bed, turned, and left the room.

A/N: Sneaky sneaky, shoving that L-bomb in there, huh? If you're rooting for Dad For One, rest assured - she just needs some time to reconcile Shigaraki Hisashi with the Midoriya Hisashi she married. We've still got a long road ahead of us before we get to the beginning of Did My Time.

Please tell me what you thought.