Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA or Harry Potter and any of its characters.
AN: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE POSITIVE REVIEWS! I'm genuinely shocked? Really, this idea came to me in the shower and I just assumed it'd just float around the feed hahahah.
LadyPhoenix68: Yes, the Harry Potter Crossover is considering the Thestral as they're not from the BNHA Universe. Inko sees Izuku like she does a normal Thestral- as in, a bony, bat-winged foal (because Izuku's still young).
Ever since getting his Quirk, Inko notices that Izuku starts to become more and more partial to meat in his diet. Sure, he still eats his vegetables like a good boy wanting to please his mother and grow strong like All Might (his mother's words also), but then Inko really takes the time to consider how her son acts around raw meat.
The signs are surely there, much to her dismay.
It starts off like this-
The mother and son duo leave for the market one crisp morning when the skies are still a palate of pinks and pale oranges. With recycle bags on their arms, it will be Izuku's first trip to the market in general.
Gone are the days where Inko leaves Izuku with a trusted babysitter while she goes out for groceries. She's been wanting to go out with her son like this for a while.
Inko aims a soft smile at the boy's restlessness; Izuku hasn't been out this far ever since he's gotten his Quirk. Nevertheless, only a week has gone by and as far as Inko is aware of, there hasn't been much change in their lifestyles even if her son can turn into a spooky looking foal now.
Izuku jumps up and down with excitement as he holds her hand while they walk down the hard pavement. They haven't gone to the Quirk registration building to list down Izuku's Quirk yet, but the due's 3 months away; Inko can afford to wait while her intelligent son figures the ins and outs of his Quirk.
So far, the green haired boy has discovered that he can somehow summon some of his Quirk's features on his human body. It's tiring, but practice makes perfect, or so his mom says. Izuku is determined to be able to fly bipedal by the end of his discoveries.
They don't exactly know what he is. Inko has an inkling of what he might be, though, but even the word is an itch at the back of her head. She feels like she should know what her son can transform into, but it slips her mind oh so easily.
It doesn't help that the internet has been down for a while either. Maybe she'll bring her son to the library? He hasn't ever been there before.
She's sure that Izuku will adore the place. The boy is always hungry for information ever since he's learned to read. Thus far, Inko has done her best in teaching Izuku on her own, she gives him books and teaches the alphabets and numbers to him. And now that the boy's turned 4, with an excuse when it comes his emaciated appearance by his side, Izuku will start to attend proper schooling once the next spring arrives.
Inko knows better than to think she can teach Izuku everything he needs to know on her own.
They're almost at the market when Izuku tells her that he wants to grow out his hair. Inko gives a questioning noise and her son lights up when he elaborates, "Ne, kaa-san, my Quirk is me right? So, I thought that if I grow out my hair, my mane will grow too; and since I'm gonna start school next year, it means I'm gonna make plenty o' friends. We'll have so much fun and I'll show em my Quirk and they can braid my mane while I'm a horse and, and, and- Wouldn't that be SO COOL?!"
Inko smiles widely at her son, her cheeks practically aching. At this rate, she will spontaneously combust and evaporate at how cute her adorable son is being. The mother ruffles her son's soft green locks, "That's wonderful, Izuku. I'm sure that your friends will be very happy to braid your lovely mane and hair!"
The happiness Izuku radiates is priceless.
When they arrive at their destination, the green-haired boy's pale eyes dart around frantically. It's not obvious- considering his pupils are usually quite faint- but Inko understand how the new sights and scents is making the trip as interesting and stimulating as visiting Universal Studios Japan for the first time.
Her boy's gleeful squeals are loud and high pitched when he points at some Pro Hero's brand on one of the vegetable stalls.
Holding on to Izuku's hand firmly, she bends down to remind him not to let go or stray too far from her side in the event he does let go. Her son nods, heading bopping like a small chick pecking at grain.
People stare when they walk past; their eyes are an endless row of sharp piercing looks that Inko wants to shield her son from.
It's not that bad, considering they weren't openly whispering. Yet, Inko inwardly berates herself for forgetting this particular issue in her excitement. Children, or any human being actually, don't normally look like they physically deserve to be in a hospital.
Izuku is worth more than this; her sweet child deserves better. Inko wants to see anything but the cowed posture in his body language. She decidedly hates the way he clenches her skirt like a lifeline while pressing himself into her leg as though hoping it'll merge with his physical body. It doesn't take a child psychologist to recognise that he feels afraid, eyes wet and soft lips trembling.
"Kaa-san… why are they looking at us like that?" Like we're different? Like I'm something scary? Izuku's voice is weak, seconds away from tears. Inko desperately scrambles to search for an answer, only to fail in her findings.
Within their area, where neighbours are plentiful, Izuku hasn't ever had the chance to experience the judgmental stares before. Inko has already diffused the situation there, slowly explaining to every passer-by why she's not a negligent mother.
Yes, he is as healthy as can be. No, please don't call the police. Heroes have better things to do than save a boy that doesn't need saving. Your nose in our business is appreciated, thank you very much.
There are always the one or two that voice their scepticism anyway; Inko's learnt to tune them out if their accusations come forth illogical. Honestly, the mother welcomes all forms of genuine concern and helpful advice, not baseless scorn.
Here's new territory, however, and Inko panics briefly. She steels her expression and straightens her back. "It's going to be okay, Izuku." She soothes, "They're just curious. Don't pay them any mind."
Her son whimpers- honest to Kami-sama whimpers- Inko is about ready to gauge out the eyes of some impolite folks. She's never tried attracting eyeballs with her Quirk before, but there'll always be a first for everything.
It only gets worse when another mother is passing by with her own child, a girl about Izuku's age with dark eyes and darker hair. The daughter points innocently, colour-blind and ignorant of the world's obsession with putting people in little boxes.
"Kaa-san, why does he look like that?" she inquires. It is shocking to see the other mother cover her daughter's eyes with a well-manicured hand.
Excuse you?! Inko wants to screech.
"Don't look at them, baby." The flat-nosed lady answers and underneath her breath, Inko hears the unsubtle click of a tongue and a quiet mumble of "If you can't take care of your kid, don't get one."
Izuku, with the sharp hearing of his equestrian Quirk, surprises Inko with an outburst of angry tears. "DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT MY KAA-SAN!" He cries. "SHE'S THE BEST MOM ANYONE CAN HAVE YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! Kaa-san takes care of me and loves me more than anything in the world so why… why are you being so mean?"
Izuku's voice breaks a little at the end before he is sobbing into Inko's skirt. In the midst of her own shocked silence, Inko barely realizes that her son is beginning to shift from the stress and immediately carries him into her arms.
She turns the opposite direction and leaves with hurried urgency.
Inko finds that she doesn't really know what to feel about what happened.
On one hand, she wants to be proud of Izuku for defending her, but not at the price of his own tears. It's kind of unfair that Inko's used to it, the rude words of people don't cut her as much as it used to, but Izuku doesn't know that. In his eyes, his Kaa-san is the best and it had hurt to see her slandered like that.
On the other hand, Inko is…
There isn't anything other. Bluntly put, the mother's heart is full of sad regret and pride. No one's there to change that or input something else. Hisashi is off earning money overseas, non-existent in the art of parenting made for two.
Her darling son trembles.
"Shh… shh… Izuku, look at me. Please look at me. I'm so sorry you had to hear that. Kaa-san loves you, you know that right? I'm so proud of you, my brave, brave boy. Thank you so much for defending your Kaa-san. You are the best son anyone can ask for."
Izuku's shoulder make ripples underneath his skin and Inko is greeted by huge wings like a bat's ripping through Izuku's clothes. They stretch out with dissonance, stretching and flattening wildly; later beating the air at a breakneck speed, it's an unanswered plea to carry the two of them away from this horrid place as soon as possible.
Wind is in Inko's face, making her forest green hair flutter about from the gust. Barely wincing, she presses Izuku's wet face into her neck, later caressing his soft hair and murmuring sweet words to calm him down.
Before she knows it, Inko is with two armfuls of a chortling foal. Someone calls her by her name, Inko turns around to see one of the elderly lady vendors chasing after them. She waves, a plastic bag at hand. Inko recognises her, it is one of the friendlier people in the market.
Nakamura-san has 2 sons who work in the city, her husband's passed years back and the meats she sells are as fresh as it gets. "Nakamura-san?" Inko squints.
"Hold it, dearie." The old lady huffs, patting down her undoubtedly aching bad. "Can't run as I used to no more."
"Nakamura-san?! What're you doing here?" the young mother gasps. Izuku is still wheezing; although his wings are thankfully tucked back close as the staccato breaths grow softer. Despite the shut eyes, Izuku's ears twitch to face the newest stranger. Inko barely manages to rub soothing circles on his sides while balancing the foal she carries.
She's unprepared when Izuku's entire body tenses, seemingly alert to something. Inko sees her son's nostrils flare for a second before relaxing, resulting in a sigh of relief escaping her lips.
"I'm sorry ya had ta hear that, dearie. But here, I got yer usual. On the house.
Don't be afraid ta come back hrm? The others have all chased away tha' bitch from earlier." Nakamura-san grins, full of teeth.
"You're a good girl, Inko-chan, an' everyone knows ya ain't the type to abuse yer kid. Ya speak about em all the time."
Inko flushes. "Thank you." she nods gratefully.
"Is that yer son?" Nakamura-san then asks, tone curious.
"A-ah… Yes! His name is Izuku. He isn't really in any state to meet anyone though. I'm really grateful for your help, Nakamura-san, but I'm afraid we have to go. Please understand."
"Sure thing, dearie." Comes the casual wave of Nakamura-san's hand. While the elderly passes on the plastic bag, her light brown eyes sharpen. Taking a full look at Izuku nearly gives her poor religious heart a heart attack.
Scanning him up and down, an expression of shock slaps across her wrinkled face. It stays for a good while before something reverent replaces it. Inko, unaware for she busily attends to her son, hastily thanks the kind old lady and eagerly speed walks back home.
That went well, Inko sighs internally.
It's pretty quiet on their way home; Izuku has stopped crying, although strangely enough, his attention has been reverted to the plastic bag she's hung on her wrist. Her son stares at it with unparalleled attention- like the All Might video he so adores. There's something predatory about it, Inko brushes it off when a kiss to his cute little beak snaps him out of it.
"You are Kaa-san's world, Izuku."
Izuku hums; body warm as he presses deeper into the crevice of his mother's neck. They both go home smiling.
"Izuku?" Inko calls out to her son whose head pops up from over the living room at the sound of his name; his ears are up and alert, flicking towards his mother's voice like a pair of space dishes.
They've returned from the market; It's early in the evening when Izuku is lying down sideways by the couch in his equine form, resting on the seat of the couch as an All Might movie plays (sideways, from his point of view).
Sometimes, the woman wonders how her son doesn't get headaches that way. She takes a mental note to getting Izuku into dropping the habit soon; it wouldn't do any good to harm his eyes at such a young age.
Attention away from the chopping board, she hears Izuku give an answering whinny. "In proper words, Izuku." She gently reminds and the boy is shifting back in the blink of an eye. "Yes, mom." He says, trotting up to her in an oversized All Might T-shirt and grabbing the hem of her apron.
(It had taken forever to find one that fit his other form when he transformed. Izuku cried- shrieked- like never before when the Present Mic one tore beyond repair. From then on, Inko had begun to seriously consider thorough research when it came to clothing brands before purchasing any shirts, pants, or underwear. If dragon Quirk folks could live with proper clothing, why couldn't her son do too?)
Inko places a palm on her cheek, "I noticed you paying attention to the beef at the market today. Did you want that for dinner instead?"
"U-um, no… not really." Izuku shakes his head from side to side. His expression is troubled, like he doesn't know how to put what he wants to say into a sentence; Inko waits patiently, they have time to spare. "I just thought that the meat looked really good like that that's all." Comes the rapid fire of words.
Humming, Inko processes his words and a light bulb brightens up above her head. "Izuku, you mean that it looks tasty uncooked?"
Fiddling with his fingers, "Is that weird?" Izuku tilts his head cutely. "It just smelled really good."
It isn't like Inko to deny her son much, because what if it's his Quirk at play? Will she be deriving her precious Izuku of something essential in his growth? The mother worries, however, only Kami-sama knows what kind of diseases Izuku can get. Like what about Salmonella, or some kind of life-threatening virus?
And wasn't Izuku a supposed herbivore? He has a beak, but Inko doesn't want to assume. The horrors are all there, it'll be a disaster for both her mental wellbeing and her son's general one if anything bad ever happens to Izuku under her watch.
Cold sweat rolling down her temples in a comically slow manner, Inko coughs into her fist. "I-It's not weird, Izuku. But people normally don't like the smell of raw meat. Ah! don't cry, baby. It's probably your Quirk, okay? There's nothing to be ashamed of. Sit down at the dining table first, please. I'll let you try a bit of chicken after cleaning it."
(Very thoroughly for an hour.)
(Make that two actually.)
Inko honestly has no tears left to cry at this point. Equal parts horrified and worried for her son, she prays that whatever she's about to do will not make either of them regret it.
One small chunk of chicken (half the size of a baby's hand) later, Inko learns that Izuku loves the taste of uncooked meat more than Katsudon and she becomes a bundle of mixed feelings. Morbid nervous anticipation fills her veins as she waits day by day, monitoring Izuku for any sign of illness. It doesn't come.
Izuku is as lively and vocal as ever, prancing about as he learns the joys of hoof painting rather than the typical finger kind. They hang up one of his better masterpieces on the corridor walls- a work of pretty greens, stark reds and bright yellows.
By the next month, there's news on a new neighbour moving in and Inko finally allows her anxious nerves to rest. Her son is as healthy and can be and maybe- just maybe- she'll let him snack on some mince pork balls on special occasions from now on. A mortal can only take so much of Izuku's baby horse(?) eyes after all.
The Bakugous, it seems, will replace the diseased old lady Anko from a few blocks away. She catches wind of the neighbours saying they have a son around Izuku's age, Inko idly wishes that he and Izuku will get along once they settle down.