Inko had been up since 4:30 in the morning preparing for dinner. Hisashi had gotten up around the same time, reassuring her that everything would go well. He left to meet with the rest of the League and left her to make lists and go shopping for ingredients.

Izuku had passed her on the way, kissed her on the cheek, and asked to go too, but one mention of Tomura had him agreeing to stay.

"The poor boy is probably very overwhelmed right now," she stated with a sigh, glancing towards the stairs. "I don't know how well he would take to waking up alone in the house."

While she was at the store, Izuku found himself sitting in his room staring at the boxes still left in his closet. The bulkiest ones still hadn't been emptied yet, and thus the door was stuck ajar.

He knew one of them was the box. Did he want to confront the memories this soon?

"It was a harmless activity, Aizawa-sensei," he'd protested tearfully. "I didn't mean… I was just trying to help!"

"Help who? Yourself, or Shigaraki?" His teacher's cold voice still stung, and as he closed his eyes he could still see the man's stern expression in his mind's eye.

"Can I…" He trailed off, his words hanging in the air like a cloud.

Clenching his eyes shut, he felt them prickle with hot tears.

Could he?

It had only been twenty-eight days. Four whole weeks since that fateful morning. Though it felt longer, he knew this wound was still fresh.

Still, he reasoned with himself, it's better to face it now than to avoid it.

Taking a deep breath, Izuku slowly stood from his bed. His heart pulsed with anxiety in his chest as one foot went forward, then the other. One foot, then the other.

Five small strides and he was at his closet. The gaping doors felt like he was staring into the maw of a beast, waiting to swallow him whole. His very own Cave of Wonders stared back, though he knew this didn't contain any magic lamp. Rather, memories he wished he could forget forever.

Swallowing harshly past the lump in his throat, he collapsed to his knees before one of the boxes. 'Izuku's Room - Books' was its caption.

He hardly remembered packing this one. That night had gone by in a blur of tears and regret, and even as he stared at its retaped top he couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity as to what was in there.

You already know, his mind reminded.

He ignored it.

Slowly, he grabbed one flap and pried. Calling flickers of One For All to the surface, he heard the tape rip apart and the flaps flew open, revealing-

Izuku clenched his eyes shut.

Notebook number thirteen greeted him tauntingly, its charred and water-damaged cover bringing back more despair.

Can I do this?

You can, another whisper, one he couldn't quite place, entered his mind.

A warm fluttering of his heart, something akin to feeling his mother kiss his forehead, made his eyes jolt open.

Gingerly clasping one hand over his chest, he took a deep breath - and reached for the box.

"Inko," Hisashi called, and she paused from where she was portioning the rice. "The League is here."

"Oh!" She gasped, shrugging off her apron and hurrying from the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the hall, she stopped short, noticing the group by the doorway. Kurogiri stood behind the rest, offering her a polite nod.

"Welcome, welcome!" She greeted with a bow, smiling as she gestured to the kitchen. "Thank you for agreeing to come. I appreciate it."

"What a lovely home you have, ma'am," Atsuhiro spoke first, bowing back. His smiling mask was all she could see of his face as he looked about. "What shall we call you?"

"Oh, whatever you want - Mrs. Midoriya, Inko, whatever." She waved it off and stepped back so that they could file past.

She couldn't help but fidget with her hands as Dabi - as her husband had told her his name - walked past her with nary a glance back.

"Wooow," she turned to see a teenage girl with a middle-school uniform clasp her hands together. The smile she got was wide - almost unnervingly so, and she could hardly react in time as she reached for her hands. "You're Izukun's mom?"

"I am," she clarified. "You are…?"

"Toga Himiko!" The girl responded, and bared her - surprisingly sharp - teeth. "You look just like Izukun!"

"Oh, why thank you." Her cheeks flared pink and she chuckled. "I hope you enjoy dinner, dear."

"Toga," Hisashi spoke up, and both looked up at where he was shaking his head in amusement. "If you don't hurry, I fear the boys will have eaten all the food."

"Oh!" Himiko giggled and let go of her hands. "Twice, Dabi, wait for me!"

Inko watched her go with a soft smile before turning to him. "Why didn't you tell me Toga was going to be the cutest thing I've ever seen?"

"I wanted to surprise you," he teased, placing a hand atop her shoulder as they walked into the kitchen. "Oh - and before I forget, Shuichi is, ah, a bit sensitive about being a mutant."

"Shuichi is…?"

"The gecko." He leaned in close and whispered, "Whatever you do, don't call him a lizard."

"Oh, that's him?" She answered, shocked. "When you said mutant , I was picturing… something more… unusual?"

Hisashi looked at her for several long seconds before chuckling, patting her head and taking one tray of food. "I think you'll get along," was all he said as he went to the dinner table.

"Where's Tomura?" He asked, upon seeing two chairs empty. "And Izuku?"

"Oh, they said they'll be down in a minute," Inko responded.

"What a spread," Atsuhiro marveled.

"Looks great!" Jin added, and a second later in rougher tones, " I'm gonna be sick !"

Inko stopped for a moment, blinking in confusion.

"Don't worry about him," Dabi spoke up quietly, icy eyes flickering to hers for the briefest of seconds. "He doesn't think your food is gross."

"Jin is the one I told you about," Hisashi told her in hushed tones. "You'll learn to decipher what he means."

"Thank you," she replied with a short laugh. "I apologize. It will take me a little bit to get used to such… robust personalities."

Shuichi glanced up as she sat down at the table. His face was indecipherable, but when she gave him a warm smile, he looked away almost bashfully.

Hisashi clucked his tongue and excused himself from the kitchen. "Boys!"

"Coming!" Izuku answered, and Inko stifled a giggle when she noticed Himiko start wiggling about in her seat with excitement.

Izuku came power walking into the kitchen, followed by Tomura slinking in behind. The white-haired young man's eyes seemed to brighten a fraction when he saw who was at the table, yet he said nothing and slotted in next to Dabi while Izuku slid next to his mother.

"Took you long enough," Dabi snarked, eyes flickering towards Tomura. "What were you doing, greasing yourself up with butter?"

"Sounds like something you'd do, Barbecue," he retorted, bumping him with his elbow.

Inko remained quiet, a smile frozen on her face. Do they always act like this…? Should I say something?

"Thank you for agreeing to come," she said instead. "I appreciate you taking time out of your day. I wanted to properly thank you for saving my life."

"It was nothing, Madam," Kurogiri answered.

"It was fun!" Himiko cheered.

"Had you not been kidnapped, there would have been another trafficking branch to deal with," Atsuhiro added, finally taking off the mask to reveal a black balaclava underneath.

He's quite a handsome young man, she noted with a petal-pink blush as he gave her a charming grin.

"Well then," Hisashi began. "Let's eat."

Upon taking the first bite, Himiko cupped her cheek with a happy sigh. "Thish ish sho good," she mumbled.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's gross." Dabi reprimanded, casting her a heatless glare.

"This is quite good," Kurogiri noted. "I had no idea you were so adept."

"Well, I've had lots of time to practice!" She laughed lightly.

"It's good," Tomura noted quietly.

"I'm glad, thank you." She beamed before turning to Dabi. "Did yours turn out alright? I made sure to use milder spices."

The young man paused, as if slowly realizing she was speaking to him. After a moment's pause, he replied, "It tastes fine."

"I'm glad," she repeated. "And you, Shuichi?"

The mutant seemed to flinch a bit, as if not expecting to be addressed. After looking at Tomura (and seeing him gesture with his chin in her direction), he quietly cleared his throat and said, "Uh, yes, yeah, it tastes really good."

"Thank you. I'm happy you like it." She returned to her own food with a content expression.

Izuku glanced from face to face as he ate. It was strange to have them all sitting in a group and eating together, but as long as Hisashi and Kurogiri were there to keep them in line, he could only be wary.

As long as they don't try anything, he told himself. I don't know about Tomura, but… Kurogiri wouldn't let them touch Mom or me, right?

"I could not help but notice you put up photos in the hall," Kurogiri started politely.

"Oh, yes!" Inko brightened up. "I was finally able to spend some time cleaning out some boxes. I haven't seen our wedding photo for…" she trailed off, her smile dimming a bit.

The table fell silent after that. Izuku glanced over at his mother to see her lost in thought, chewing slowly on a piece of fish.

"It is… good that we're able to be together for dinner," Hisashi spoke up, breaking the uneasy atmosphere. He flashed a smile at Tomura. "You've all truly become a team. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Sensei," the young man replied, straightening up with new light in his eyes.

"Whew," Twice huffed, patting his stomach as he leaned back in the chair. "I'm stuffed."

"Absolutely wonderful," Atsuhiro nodded, replacing his smiling mask.

"That was so good!" Himiko agreed with a toothy grin. "Thank you, Mrs. Sensei!"

Hisashi and Inko turned to each other for a moment in surprise before laughing.

"Any family of Hisashi's is a family of mine too," she responded after a moment, giving the girl a soft smile of her own. "I'm glad you enjoyed the meal, Himiko."

"I hope everyone is okay with leftovers." Hisashi stood from the table, tray in hand. "Here, allow me."

Izuku followed his mother to the sink as she began to wash up, putting her apron back on.

"Thank you, Izuku," she murmured fondly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Ah," Hisashi muttered to himself behind them, pulling the fridge door open. "So they were packed ahead of time…"

"All to save myself the work, dear," she answered.

"Thank you, love." He kissed the top of her head as he passed, patting Izuku's with his elbow.

Izuku rubbed the top of his head, watching him go with a blank stare before turning back to the sink.

"The one with the different color is Dabi's," She called. "I made sure to portion yours first."

Dabi took a moment when Hisashi handed him the bento. Looking up, he grunted, "Thanks."

"Everyone gets a bento," The man said pleasantly, handing each member a box.

Shuichi looked at his with surprise. Then, looking over at where the older man was moving to Kurogiri, he asked, "This is… mine?"

"I packed some for everyone, dear," Inko answered, making him turn to look at her. Her polite smile made him look back down at the box. "Do you not want it?"

"N- no, no, I do!" Shuichi exclaimed, covering his face with embarrassment as several League members looked over. "I'm… not used to this kind of treatment."

"You'll get used to it," Hisashi chuckled as he picked up the last of the tableware and headed for the kitchen sink.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal, Madam," Kurogiri intoned with a slight bow. "Is everyone ready to leave?"

"Yep!" Himiko nodded, then gasped. Setting her bento on the table, she skipped over to Izuku and pulled him back for a hug, making him choke in surprise.

"It was nice to see you again, Izukun!" She chirped, nuzzling into his back.

Inko stifled a giggle behind her hand at her son's utterly red face and wide eyes, hands twitching halfway to the next bowl.

"Well," Inko began as soon as Kurogiri warped the last of the League away, making her husband turn to her. "That went better than I thought it would."

"How did you like them?" He asked, closing the cupboard.

"They were… quite pleasant, actually." She smiled to herself as she pushed in a dining chair, running her fingers over the top of the wood. "You were right, Himiko is such a cutie! I can only hope she and Izuku can get along."

"Such an excitable girl," he fondly chuckled. "Reminds me of our boys."

"Tomura was…?"

"Oh yes. When he was a child he was so eager to please." Hisashi shook his head with amusement at the memories. "Even after his… accident, some of his original personality remained. He was like a puppy."

"The poor boy," she sighed solemnly. "I only wish you could have brought him home instead of disappearing for a decade."

"Inko," he began.

"No, no, I know," she interjected, tugging at the tied back of her apron to loosen the bow and slip it from her shoulders. With a harsh breath out from her nose, she carried it out of the kitchen.

Hisashi followed her out, a frown on his face. "I thought we had moved past this."

"You have," she corrected. "I haven't."

"What will it take me to get you to forgive me for that?" He questioned, stepping in front of her to block her path.

Inko didn't waste a moment, turning to step around him. "I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

"Honey…"

"I'm still trying to accept the fact that you wouldn't come to me for his sake, what do you want?" She hotly demanded, casting a withering glance over her shoulder. "Give me a chance, Hisashi. I need a chance to heal."

Silence hung between them, heavy and uncomfortable, as he followed her to the laundry room. As soon as she dropped the apron into the washing machine, he quietly asked, "What did you think of Shuichi?"

Inko's tight shoulders bled some of their tension as she thought for a second. "He's quite the shy one," she finally admitted, turning to him with a thin-lipped smile. "He seems like such a kind young man - I just hope he can get used to... this arrangement."

Hisashi hummed with a nod. "Dabi was less, ah, hotheaded tonight. Perhaps he's taken to you."

"More like we had Tomura there to keep him quiet," she disagreed with a sigh. "I… I still remember the training camp incident. It's hard to see him as anything other than… well, than the man who burnt down half the forest just to get to my son's class."

"Give him time," he encouraged, laying a hand on her shoulder. "He's rough around the edges, but... all of them are in one way or another. He'll come to respect you in time."

A/N: More League! I've missed them, not gonna lie.

Please tell me what you thought!