I do not own BNHA or its characters.
Enjoy part 6 of "Shoes"
The days before Saturday had come and gone in a flash. The sun rose on a warm and pleasant morning, and the day only grew more lovely with the occasional wind. Inside, the Midoriya apartment was bright, sun shining through the open glass patio door, and a summer breeze gently rustled the curtains. Outside, the noises of the distant bustling city drifted quietly in the air. Now and then, laughter and excited conversation rose above the hush. For such a calm day, Inko could not have been more nervous.
Inko stood in front of her full length mirror, adjusting her cardigan and eyeing herself with furrowed brows.
"Oh, what am I doing?" Inko sighed, placing a hand on her cheek in thought. She had dressed to impress: a loose, floral blouse, a short white cardigan, and white capris pants that hugged her wide hips in a way she hoped was flattering. She had even dug out a pair of emerald green flats she hadn't worn in years.
Inko turned from the mirror, pacing across her bedroom, avoiding the rejected outfits that littered her floor. Clasping her hands nervously, she glanced back in the mirror. A rosy blush dusted her cheeks. She looked like she was dressed for a date.
No. No no no. It was not a date. Inko was going for her son, and his teacher, Former Number 1 Hero All Might, just happened to be the one to invite her… And he liked the tea she recommended and asked her to call him by his first name. She clapped her hands over her cheeks to knock some sense into herself.
"You're being silly," she said to her flustered reflection, but despite her nerves and her doubts she braced herself and left her room. She walked down the hall to fetch her purse which she had left in the kitchen the night before - and immediately spotted Hisashi.
"Well," Hisashi said from the table, a simple sandwich for lunch in hand and half filled-out applications stacked by his plate. He looked Inko up and down. "Aren't you dressed up."
"I-it's nothing," she said with a sigh, avoiding his gaze, "Just meeting with a teacher and checking in on Izuku. "
"Is the teacher that Toshinori fellow?" Hisashi asked seriously, snorting when Inko immediately fidgeted and blushed.
Inko huffed at Hisashi's teasing, though she was happy his humor was returning. Even if it was at her expense. She picked up her purse, slipping the straps over her shoulder.
"Not sure how long I'll be away," she said, heading to the door.
"It's fine," Hisashi said, gesturing to his pile of applications, "this will keep me busy. I know how to contact you if the apartment catches fire."
Inko rolled her eyes.
"Good luck," she called behind her, leaving her apartment. The poor man looked like he needed it.
"You too!" Inko heard Hisashi call back. She pretended not to hear him.
The U.A. car arrived soon after Inko stepped out of the apartment building, perfectly punctual. It was a sleek thing, black and silver and obviously high end, as expected of U.A. The driver exited the car as she approached, tipping their hat and opening the back door for her.
"T-thank you!" Inko stuttered, feeling out of place with such lavish treatment. The inside of the vehicle was just as luxurious and had plenty of space for her stretch out her short legs and settle in for the long drive.
And a long drive it was, though it was made shorter by the driver's friendly conversation and rambling stories about escorting heroes around, some of which were incredibly funny. So many of them ended with the driver's car smashed by villains and heroes alike, but they were fortunate U.A. had its own repair shop. When Inko mentioned she would be meeting with All Might and her son, the driver laughed and told her All Might had an interesting taste in music, always requesting to listen to his own collection of 80s American music. By the time the towering heights of the U.A. High's main building came into view, Inko's anxiety had been sufficiently put to rest.
The driver let her out of the car, tipping their hat again and handing her a visitor's pass.
"Have a good visit, Ms. Midoriya," they said before slipping back into their car and driving away.
Inko waved them goodbye, then took a deep breath and turned to the front gate. Tears immediately sprung into her eyes.
Izuku and Toshinori stood at the gate. They hadn't noticed her yet, so engrossed in whatever conversation they were sharing. Izuku wore his hero costume, looking every bit the hero Inko already knew her baby boy was. Toshinori, he was dressed more casually than Inko had ever seen him, stood tall beside Izuku, smiling contently as the boy described something to him with excited gestures. He wore a simple, white t-shirt and green cargo pants, both hanging loosely from his slight form, and his usual wild mane of hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. From the look of it, his arm was healing nicely. He wore a brace rather than a sling.
Toshinori glanced up, catching her eye. He smiled and waved.
Izuku spun around and, spotting her, bolted to her faster than Inko had ever seen him run.
"Mom!" Izuku exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her and picking her up in his excitement.
"Izuku!" Inko hugged him back, laughing at how easily he seemed to hold her up, her feet dangling in the air. "How are you?"
"I'm great!" Izuku said, putting her down and wiping a happy tear from his eye, "How have you been? You look really nice!"
"Oh, I'm fine." Inko brushed her son's shoulders, straightening imagined wrinkles. She took his hand in hers, "Look at you! You look so cool! Very heroic!"
Izuku blushed, rubbing the back of his head and muttering happily about his arm supports. Inko couldn't catch what he said but smiled regardless at how happy her little boy was.
Toshinori sauntered up behind Izuku, grinning at the little mother-son moment.
"Toshinori!" Inko said happily, giving the tall man a genuine smile. "Thank you for inviting me here. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime," he replied, nodding to Izuku, "though I can't take full credit for the idea."
Izuku stiffened at Inko's side, looking between his mother and All Might with wide eyes and drawing concerned looks from both adults.
"T-Toshinori?" he finally stuttered, looking in awe at All Might.
Toshinori coughed blood with a jolt then laughed awkwardly, running his hand down the back of his neck.
"Ah ha, well, since most teachers are pro heroes, they usually prefer to go by their hero names on school grounds." Toshinori explained, his voice deep and full of mirth, "And All Might was all I ever went by before I retired…" He could see the boy's mind racing and hear him muttering about the innumerable theories and speculation on the topic of the true name of All Might. He grinned mischievously and held out his hand, "I am Toshinori Yagi, also known as All Might."
That did it.
Izuku was trembling all over, with the same expression he had the first day they met. Izuku turned beet red and took Toshinori's hand in his own. Instead of shaking it, he stared at their clasped hands, his fanboy muttering pouring out of him in a string of contiguous words.
Toshinori let out a barking laugh, ruffling Izuku's hair and successfully stopping the boy's quiet breakdown.
"Is it really that surprising?" he asked, a grin splitting his thin face.
Izuku's blush deepened in embarrassment, flailing slightly as he stammered, "N-no! I mean, yes. B-but it isn't weird! I'm just so used to knowing you as All Might and -"
Inko couldn't help it, she burst into giggles, interrupting Izuku's outburst. Izuku curled into himself a little, covering his face and shooting his mother a bashful look through his fingers.
"Ha! OK. Now that Ms. Midoriya is here, we should get to training." All Might flashed a smile and a thumbs up, "Midoriya, my boy, do you want to lead the way?"
Izuku immediately perked up.
"Yes!" He turned to Inko, an excited determination shining in his eyes, "You have to see where we are training today. It is amazing!"
"I'm sure everywhere in U.A. is amazing, Izuku," Inko said with an encouraging grin.
The U.A. campus was more impressive than Inko dreamed. The main school building was massive by itself and that was just the front of the campus. Izuku buzzed around her, pointing out his dorm, the windows outside his classrooms, and where students ate and hung out. His eyes shined with such pride, Inko had trouble keeping tears from her own. She didn't regret making a fuss about Izuku's safety at U.A. but … she had nearly taken her son from the place that made him shine. Thank goodness for All Might and his promises.
Toshinori walked beside them in comfortable silence, thumbs tucked in his pockets and standing tall in the sun. Every now and again, Inko caught him smiling fondly at Izuku's enthusiasm. It was a tender and proud look, if a bit self conscious in its fleeting nature. Regardless, it warmed Inko's heart and brought a light blush to her face. To think All Might, Izuku's childhood idol, was looking at her boy as if Izuku was his own s-
Inko stopped in her tracks, her mouth opened in a little "o" of surprise.
Toshinori was first to notice, meeting her gaze curiously.
It took a moment longer, but when Izuku found she was no longer following, he stopped.
"Everything okay?" he asked, concern leaking into his tone.
"Oh!" Inko blushed, glancing to and from All Might briefly, "Y-yes, I'm fine."
From the corner of her eye, she saw Toshinori was still looking at her with a mixture of cautious curiosity and a bit of a bashful hue to his hollow cheeks. Or perhaps it was the summer heat.
"Here we are!" Izuku said as they arrived in front of a large gymnasium, "Our class been practicing our signature moves in here. And All Might requested its use for my extra training today."
"Indeed," Toshinori grinned, "Cementoss was more than happy to help shape the landscape for today's training." He pushed the door open, beckoning in the two Midoriyas.
Inko gasped as she entered.
The cement courtyard was mainly flat aside from the randomly spaced stone spires that towered overhead at varying heights and widths. Some of the spires resembled bare trees with their stiff cement branches jutting out at odd angles.
"Welcome to the Concrete Jungle!" Toshinori exclaimed dramatically, throwing his arms out in a sweeping motion.
Izuku ran forward, craning his neck to look at all the spires, gears already turning in his head.
"Midair combat practice?" the boys asked, already shaking his legs loose and stretching his arms.
"Midair target practice," Toshinori corrected, gesturing to the machine beside him that looked like an oversized target throwing machine for trapshooting. He picked up a disk the size of a frisbee with some kind of rubber edging. "The machines will shoot these targets into the arena. The disks are designed to ricochet off of the spires but will shatter if you hit them dead center." Toshinori rapped the center of the thick clay disk with his knuckles.
Izuku looked around, there were four of the machines, one at each corner of the field.
"Are they all going to shoot at once?" he asked.
Toshinori laughed, "Not today. For now one will shoot at a time at random intervals." He waved Izuku toward the field, "Go ahead and get comfortable, my boy."
Izuku smiled brightly, excitement burning in his eyes as he glanced at his mom. In a flash, he activated One for All Full Cowl and leaped toward the first concrete tree.
Inko gasped, hands covering her mouth as she watched her boy shoot into the air.
"Oh, Izuku, be careful!" she called out instinctively.
Izuku laughed from his spot on a concrete branch.
"I will!" he called back before leaping between branches and bouncing off spires with ease.
Toshinori chuckled beside Inko.
"You are a good mother, Ms. Midoriya," he said casually, giving her a toothy grin.
Inko got the distinct feeling the retired hero was poking fun at her.
"It's my job to worry," she said with a small pout. Then she blushed slightly, not quite looking at Toshinori, "And please, call me Inko. I-it's only fair since you asked me to call you by your first name." When Toshinori did not answer right away, Inko looked at him, afraid she had insulted him somehow.
Toshinori was not looking at her, instead his eyes fixed somewhere off to the side. A small, humbled smile graced his face as he nodded.
"Inko," he said, as if testing the name. He nodded again, shooting her a friendly smile, "I think I could do that."
Inko blinked, surprised at the man's almost serene expression. He almost seemed… relieved.
"All Might!" Izuku called from a high perch, "I'm ready to start!"
Toshinori straightened, pulling what looked like a small remote from his pocket, "Alright, my boy! Here they come!"
With a mechanical snap, the machine closest to Inko and Toshinori shot a target into the concrete jungle. Izuku tensed as he watched it ricochet off two concrete spires before pushing off of his perch and smashing the clay disk with a well-placed kick. Not a moment later, the far left corner machine shot the next target. Izuku took a moment to right himself on the branch he had only just landed on before leaping at the target. Just as he was getting close, the target bounced off a spire and shot away. Izuku landed roughly against the branch, twisting around with a frown as the target finally tumbled to the ground.
"Come on," Inko heard Toshinori mutter.
She turned, surprised to see a frighteningly serious expression on All Might's face.
"Think it through, my boy," the hero's eyes never left Izuku's face, "Think it though."
Another mechanical snap echoed across the vast room. Izuku turned, watching as the target disk bounced between the spires before falling and shattering on the ground.
Izuku jolted suddenly, eyebrows raising.
Another target shot through the concrete jungle, and Izuku dashed after it, following its path from spire to spire, never stopping to land. Then he shot ahead of the target, swinging around a branch, and landed a shattering blow on the clay disk.
"Ah," Toshinori grinned fiercely, pride burning in his bright eyes, "He's got it."
"Hmm?" Inko looked between All Might and her son.
"Even though he is focusing on attacking with his legs, see how he is using his arms to change direction?" Toshinori pointed to Izuku as he jumped from one cement tree and grabbed the trunk of another. With a fluid motion, Izuku kicked outward, increasing his momentum as he swung around, and smashed the next target with a devastating kick in midair. "Rather than just using the spires as landing areas, he is utilizing his environment to adapt his attack. All the while keeping the heavy burden of attacking off of his arms. He's a quick one, that boy. Always has been."
Inko stared at Toshinori.
He caught her look, and smiled awkwardly.
"Ah, I've gone and bragged about him again," Toshinori chuckled bashfully. "If I were a truly good teacher, I would work on my favoritism. Ah, well…"
Inko smiled gently, "You are a good teacher, Toshinori."
The emaciated hero looked away, coughing against his fist, but couldn't hide his pleased smile. Inko blushed. To think All Might could be so easily pleased by such a simple observation.
Another mechanical snap rang out followed by the thumps of the target's ricochete, but something sounded off.
"Mom! All Might! Look out!" Izuku's voice echoed from above.
Both adults looked up in time to see a broken clay target flying toward them.
A few things happened very quickly. A massive shadow passed in front of Inko, between her and the flying clay shards. Strong arms wrapped around her, hands braced against her back and the back of her head, and pressed her to an equally strong chest. Something hit the person holding her, and Inko heard him grunt in pain. Then something crashed behind and off to the right of her.
"Are you okay?" Izuku's voice came from behind the massive man still holding onto Inko. "I'm sorry! I couldn't stop it! It bounced off of a branch funny and -"
"It's fine. Your mother is fine," the deep voice rumbled from the chest Inko was pressed against, "I left the remote on that machine. Turn them off for now."
"Y-yes, sir."
The grip loosened marginally as a cough racked the person holding her.
Inko looked up, "Toshinori?"
Suddenly, with a puff of hot air, Toshinori's thin form fell against Inko and she had to wrap her arms around him to keep him from falling.
"Toshinori!" Inko exclaimed, trembling with her fretting.
"Ah," Inko heard Toshinori rasp from her shoulder. He chuckled and coughed wetly, "I might have overdid it."
With a groan, the emaciated man stood up, not quite letting Inko go. He flashed a pained grin, blood still dripping from his chin and a cut on his face, "Are you okay?"
"You are ridiculous," Inko breathed, thumbing her sleeve and gently wiping blood from Toshinori's chin, ignoring his shocked expression, "Of course, I'm fine. You were here."
To be continued.