Izuku nervously paced about the Beacon airdock, walking back and forth along with the concrete that made up the platform as he waited patiently. his mother had been busy the past couple of weeks getting ready for her vacation, making plans and charting out destinations and hotels to stay at that would allow her and Mitsuki to take a tour of Mistral and be back in time for the Winter Holidays. It'd been busy for her and her work and so he hadn't heard from his mother for a while. So he'd been pretty happy to hear from his mom again when the most he'd gotten from here were a few short messages here and there giving him status updates and, of course, telling him she loved him, as always.
It was hard for him to imagine how that happiness turned to surprise and nervous energy when she said that she wanted to come to Beacon to meet the rest of his friends before she went off on vacation. He'd been stunned but, as his mom explained, after having met his team and seeing how they were such good people, his mom wanted to get to know the rest of his friends and see how he was doing outside of the team he'd been assigned to. She also wanted to see Beacon itself, after all, so far she'd only seen snippets of it while on calls with Izuku and it was the place that was, ostensibly, his 'home' for the next few years. The point being she wanted to see everything... but his mom still had the good graces to not just barge in without asking. She wanted his permission to come and see Beacon and meet his friends.
Of course, like the good son Izuku was, or at least tried to be, he said yes. After all, he had great friends and he'd be happy to show them off to his mom... if a little embarrassed, of course. It was a bit of a tough sell trying to show his team off to his mom and making sure they made a good impression... an effort that had been all but sunk when his mom sent him off to do some shopping. Still, despite that, his team had done a good job of making a good impression on their own so hey, what did he have to worry about?
Izuku stopped pacing as that thought hit his mind; yeah, what did he have to worry about? His mom already knew Bakugo, so she'd already had an in with Team RSBR... admittedly Bakugo was a strong personality at the best of times, but hey there was Shoto and Ren! Sure they could be a bit quiet sometimes they were good, responsible, respectful people. There's no way they'd make a bad impression... I mean, unless they just flat out didn't make an impression because of their usually reserved way of speaking. Ruby? His mom would probably love Ruby just out of her attitude and how kind a person she was generally. Admittedly Ruby could be nervous around strangers and if that nervousness man-aged to bounce off his mom... no, it'd all be fine! Team RSBR would be fine!
Team TABY was a home run too... okay, maybe his mom would be a little spooked by Yang and how she could be sometimes but it wasn't like Yang lacked self-control when it came to her jokes, jabs and puns, right? All the time she spent with Tsuyu had to stick somewhere and, speaking of, Tsu's... well, it'd be hard to say. Her blunt, forward nature might either endear her to Izuku's mom or it might make his mom a bit uncomfortable. It was a bit of a thing for him to get used to, after all. Blake's quiet nature would all but ensure she couldn't make a bad impression on his mom while Tenya... heck, his mom would probably think Tenya would be a great influence on Izuku. Unless he overwhelmed her in his usual, Tenya-ish way.
Gods, why was he even second-guessing it! They guys were his friends and close ones at that! He had absolutely nothing to worry about! Everything was going to be fine! Totally fine! It'd be fine! Yeah! Totally... he wasn't nervous about potentially introducing his mom to all these people at all...
All that being said, his mom did have to get back to Mountain Glenn after an hour or two; she did still have a job and it was important she hit these last couple shifts so that she could go on vacation with a clear conscience and with the confidence of her superiors in check, no point in making it seem like she was skipping out now, so he'd have to mull over the agenda he wanted to set for his mom's visit.
'So who should we try and see…'
xXxXxXxXxXx
"I'd heard from Mitsuki that Katsuki hadn't managed to become his own team's leader and... well, I suppose I'm not 'too' surprised. He is a little hot behind the ears sometimes. Still, after all the times you and your little friends went off following behind him and how well he performed in school I figured he would've been a shoo-in. His team's leader must be something else." Izuku nodded as he and his mom talked on their way to the dorm
"Yeah, she is. Ruby's pretty amazingly gifted from her age... she's even managed to beat Kacchan in a spar on her own." His mother seemed quite genuinely surprised by that as she looked forward.
"Gosh, she must be a pretty amazing Huntress in her own right..." Imagining someone who could take on Bakugo who, in his own right, was pretty terrifying must've spooked his mom a bit as once they arrived at Team RSBR's dorm she did seem a bit nervous.
"Don't worry about it mom, Ruby's great. Trust me, I think you'll like her."
'I hope' Izuku hated the thought that his Mom might not like one of his friends. So, crossing his fingers and hoping it'd go well, he went ahead and knocked on the door to Team RSBR's room.
"Hey guys, it's me! Uh, are you guys busy?" Izuku called out through the door, not wanting to put any undue stress on them if they did have their hands full with something. There was a slight clatter as it sounds like someone fell off of a bed or something, causing both he and his mom to blink as the door was thrown open, revealing-
"Oh we're not busy at all Deku, we were just hanging out! What's up Deku and... lady Deku?" Ruby's silver eyes blinked as she took in the sight of Inko. Given that he wasn't all that much taller than his mom and that, aside from his freckles and his mom's weight, the two did bear a striking similarity in appearance, it was easy to see why Ruby might be taken a bit aback at first.
"Uh... actually this is my mom, Inko." Izuku heard an aggravated grumble from inside the room, presumably from Bakugo once he heard this. "Mom this is Ruby Rose, the friend I was telling you about." Izuku's mom just stared at Ruby for a moment, her eyes slightly widening as Ruby gasped.
"Your mom? Neato... wait... OH NO! HOLD ON ONE SECOND!" Immediately Ruby closed the door and, from within the dorm room, Izuku heard a whirlwind of objects being moved and feet slamming across wood, as Bakugo, Ren and Shoto started crying out in some surprise. Inko just blinked a couple more times before she looked over at Izuku.
"... That was Katsuki's team leader?" Izuku blinked as he nodded; Knowing that Ruby might not have seemed impressive at first blush, being that she was actually around his mom's height and was one of the few girls in the school even shorter than Izuku, but still.
"Yeah, that was her. Trust me, she's pretty great at this whole Huntress thing mom, I know-"
"Goodness Izuku... but she looks so precious!" Izuku chuckled, his mom's words honestly surprising him, though Izuku supposed he could see her point... "I mean, she was wearing a cape and everything! That just takes me back to when you were a little boy running around in those Toshinori jammies!" Izuku blushed as his childhood apparel was brought up, causing him to scratch his cheek.
"M-Maybe don't say something like that to Ruby. It'd probably be a little embarrassing mom." Before the two of them could keep up that track of conversation the door opened up again, the half-burnt face of Shoto Todoroki peeking through as he looked out at the two of them.
"Come in, please. Sorry for keeping you waiting." At that Shoto opened up the door for the both of them and...
'Wow this room looks spotless,' He thought, 'Sure, some things are a little more off than others... namely the makeshift bunk beds that the four of them had managed to make by... stacking books and tying the beds to the ceiling.'
'...That can't be safe.'
'But otherwise, the room looks great!' he moved his eyes over the rest of the room, 'even Weiss would have been pretty impressed if she was here,' For a moment he wondered just how a group that managed to include Bakugo and Ruby kept a room looking so good...
Up until Izuku saw Ruby shove her shoulder against the room's closet door, forcing it to click shut and lock before giving a slight sigh of relief. After Ruby stepped away from the door it bulged dangerously, causing Ruby to glance at it nervously before the door managed to stay still and not bust down. Izuku and his mom blanched a bit at that, though his mom had a somewhat amused smile on her face. Finally Ruby heaved a sigh of relief before she turned to face his mom, a triumphant smile on her face.
"Hello there Mrs. Midoriya! Welcome to Team RSBR's Dorm Room... a room run and operated by totally responsible Hunters-in-Training!" Ruby declared triumphantly, though to little fanfare as Ren just looked amused, Shoto shut the door behind Izuku and his mother and Bakugo just seemed to be doing his best to avoid the entire situation. "So uh, Izuku already introduced me, Ruby Rose, I'm, uh, the leader of this team of Hunters! That over there is Lie Ren, he's Shoto's, uh that's Shoto Todoroki behind you-"
"Hello," Shoto remarked in his usual even tone, taking a moment to look both guests over before walking over to another seat.
"-yeah so that's Shoto, and he's Ren's partner and Ren's kind of like the smarts of the Team."
"I'd argue we're all pretty intelligent but I'll take it," Ren remarked with a slight smile as he gave Izuku's mother a respectful nod of his head. "How do you do, Mrs. Midoriya."
"Oh, well, I'm doing alright, thank you." His mom seemed rather pleased by Ren's manners at least as Ruby chuckled.
"Really polite too... and uh, I assume you already know Kacchan."
"I said to stop calling me that, R-"
"Of course I know Katsuki. I'm good friends with his mother so I saw him quite a bit while he was growing up. It's good to see you Katsuki! Your mother says you're doing well these days... though she wishes you'd call home more often like Izuku." Bakugo's words somewhat died as he turned to look over at the both of them. While he seemed irritated with Izuku, Bakugo seemed more interested in just not getting mixed up with it as he scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, yeah." Given the direct pipeline between his mom and Mitsuki Bakugo, he was not surprised when Kacchan seemed to do his best to subdue himself. He probably didn't want to hear an earful from his mother later after she and his mom talked.
Izuku smiled slightly; if nothing else introductions seemed to have gone on well enough so far! He then saw his mother move forward, and then look more closely at Ruby.
"Oh my, I guess I was wrong from my first impression of it; it is more of a cloak than a cape, isn't it?" After a while of some idle chatter, Inko finally got around to taking a closer look at Ruby's red cloak, the young teenage girl just smiling a little as she shrugged, showing her garment off.
"Well, cloak, cape, if you ask me both sound equally cool and descriptive of it!" Ruby chirped as she gave a quick flourish of her cape, causing Inko to just laugh slightly, a nostalgic look in her eyes.
"Well, it is very cool." Ruby puffed up in some pride at that. "I also think it's 'very' adorable." At that Ruby's cheeks puffed up slightly. "I'm sorry, I know young people your age don't like to be called adorable, especially when you're being Hunters, but it's true! It does look precious on you! Like I was saying earlier, it reminded me of when Izuku would dress up-"
"Uh, hey mom, could we not-"
"Yeah, could we not? Rather not hear about crap Deku did when he was a kid." Bakugo spoke from the other side of the room, Ruby frowning as she turned to face her partner.
"Oh come on, it sounded like it was going to be fun!" Ruby called out to Bakugo, while Ren and Shoto took one look at Izuku, took notice of the embarrassed expression on his face, and looked over at Ruby.
"Maybe we could talk about something else involving your cape Ruby? You know, maybe tell Mrs. Midoriya where you got it?" Ren spoke suggestively, nodding over their way as he did. Ruby frowned slightly, glancing over at Izuku and, upon noticing the slight tinge of crimson on his cheek, gave a quick 'oh'.
"Well that would've been what I would've asked about next, but-"
"Oh then let me just tell you, it's a really short story!" Ruby remarked with a smile as she moved to get away from the other topic at hand. "It was actually a gift from my mom; she used to wear a cloak like this, except it was all white and pretty neato. I guess my mom noticed how much I liked hers and she gave it to me... I'm really glad she did too because it just kinda helps me be more like her." Ruby gave the cloak a quick turn as she spoke, Inko's eyes shining slightly as she smiled.
"Oh my Goodness, that just sounds so wonderful. Your mother must be a dear!" Ruby smiled softly at that, offering a short nod.
"Yeah, she was." There was no awkward hesitation, no stammer or stutter of mournful regret. Just the statement of fact; she was. Izuku's mom being as sharp as she was, seemed to catch on almost immediately, giving a short 'oh' as she nodded.
"I see... sorry dear, I didn't mean to dredge up something like that. Do forgive me, please." Ruby, however, just smiled as she shook her head.
"No, it's okay! I like talking about her! She's why I'm here in Beacon in the first place; my mom was an amazing Huntress and, even from back when I was little, I remember her coming and going to and from missions! She was a great mom too; she always made time for me and my sister growing up in between missions and made just the best cookies ever. She always seemed happy and fulfilled helping to save people and keeping them safe and, eventually, I decided that I wanted that too! So, I mean, thanks for saying nice things about my mom! I want to do her proud by being as great a Huntress as she was and... uh... Mrs. Midoriya?"
Tears had welled up in his mother's eyes as Ruby spoke about her mother, the amount of love the silver-eyed girl had for her having been clearly communicated in the tone of her voice. It was like a flash of lightning as Inko reached forward, grabbed Ruby and pulled the young woman into a bear hug, his mother's tears immediately gushing forth as she sobbed.
"Oh my gosh, you poor little thing! You are just so precious! Any mother would be so proud to hear you talk about them like that!" Ruby's face was a cracked mirror of shock, embarrassment and an odd bit of comfort, the latter of which did nothing to help Ruby's usual nervousness as she looked over at Izuku with pleading eyes.
"Deku, help me! I think she's gonna suffocate me..." She quietly gasped out... while Izuku himself flicked away at some tears in the corner of his eyes. "... Right, wrong person to ask..." She looked to Bakugo, Ren and Shoto afterward, all of whom seemed to be doing their best attempt to look the other way. Ruby sighed to herself, giving her team a soft glare as she resigned herself to being squeezed.
'Traitors.'
xXxXxXxXxXx
"I'm sorry dear, am I making you uncomfortable?"
Shoto seemed to jump a little in surprise as his mom directly addressed him, turning his gaze her way to meet her emerald eyes. The conversation had been going on between most of Izuku, Bakugo very determinedly sitting on his bed and just hanging out, only occasionally answering when directly addressed. Shoto, somehow, had been even more withdrawn from the conversation, staying off to the side and keeping his head facing away, only speaking when spoken to. Now however he seemed a little shocked as Inko looked apologetically at him.
"I'm sorry, I know how it can be with some boys your age. Izuku's usually pretty nervous around strangers too. I know it might seem a bit intrusive but I was just interested in getting to know my son's friends is all." At that Shoto blinked for a moment, shaking his head slightly as he turned to fully face her.
"No, it's not that. Honestly, I've had a bit of practice talking with people recently, in part thanks to your son." Izuku nodded at that before Shoto continued. "To be perfectly honest... I was thinking that I might make you uncomfortable." Inko blinked a couple of times, looking a bit surprised as Shoto's eyes glanced up toward the left side of his face.
"Oh!" Inko intoned, slightly embarrassed as she scratched her head. "I do apologize! I've been doing my best to not look so I wouldn't make you uncomfortable dear! If you've caught me seeing it and I looked uncomfortable, I do apologize. I didn't mean anything by it." Shoto blinked again, opening and closing his mouth before shaking his head.
"No, it's quite alright. Understandable even. A burn scar like this... it's not pleasant for anyone to look at. Honestly, I imagine everyone in here has only been so comfortable with it because we've seen worse during our training."
"Yep." Bakugo intoned casually.
"... Well, even before that, honestly," Ren remarked, rubbing his hands together slightly.
"You'd be surprised how much Yang could get beat up when she was training her Semblance," Ruby remarked afterward while Izuku just awkwardly chuckled.
"Y-Yeah, it can be pretty gnarly sometimes..." Izuku said as casually as he could, to not draw his mom's attention. The longer he could hold off exactly how bad his broken limbs looked when using his Semblance, the better. Bad enough that she saw how badly he could get hurt back at Combat School or that she knew they could get broken by his Semblance in the first place.
"Right. So the fact that you're a civilian-"
"Dear, please, I work in a hospital in Mountain Glenn. This isn't exactly the worst thing I've ever seen." Inko intoned lightly as she looked Shoto in the eye.
"... Still, it-"
"Shoto, right?" Shoto nodded, Inko nodding to herself in some triumph as she recalled his name. "Your scar is noticeable of course but, well, it isn't even that bad. You're not as handsome as my little boy of course-"
"Mom..."
"-but I honestly don't think it's as bad as you might think it is, Shoto." Izuku's mother said very earnestly, very honestly, and Shoto's eyes widened just ever so slightly, blinking in surprise before they went back to their usual expression, the young man nodding.
"I see..." With that Shoto stood up, causing everyone to look at him. "I'm going to go get us some drinks, I'll be right back." As Shoto walked past his mom and toward the door his path had lead him somewhat close to him. Before he left, Shoto turned his head to look at Izuku, giving the shorter boy a slight nod. "It seems my estimation was right; your mother is quite kind, Izuku." Izuku just gave a nod at that, Shoto having spoken a bit quietly before he left the room. It didn't take long for him to return with drinks, as said, and from that point on in the conversation, Shoto kept in with the conversation going on.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Well, it was wonderful meeting you three and it was a treat to see you again, Katsuki! Thank you for entertaining an old woman and letting her get to know her son's friends." Inko offered a slight bow of her head, the other members of Team RSBR, sans Bakugo, giving her a nod in return.
"Oh think nothing of it Mrs. Midoriya, it was great to get to meet you too! Also, come on, you're not that old!" Ruby chirped, causing Inko to just blush and laugh as she waved them off.
"Oh... well, you four enjoy yourselves! Izuku and I will get out of your hair now." With that Team RSBR closed the door to their dorm while he and his mother walke-
*CRASHBANGBOOMBLAP*
They flinched for a moment as, not long after, sounds of chaos immediately erupted from Team RSBR's room...
'And...there went the closet.'
"... Well it was nice she put in the effort to make her room look nice for us," Inko remarked with a smile, though a little shaken, as they both nodded in agreement and continued to walk off. "So Izuku, who will you be introducing me to next? We still have... gosh, an hour and twenty minutes, I'd say, so we still have some time." Izuku nodded at that as he brought his hand up to tap his chin, thinking somewhat earnestly on it. Well... there was still Team TABY as the other team of his friends from his year...
...
The prospect of introducing his mom to them still made Izuku nervous though.
"Hey Slugger, man, we went long last night hu-whose the lady that just fainted? We were just talking about sparring."
'Maybe later…'
Maybe it was better he stick with something or someone else for now. Like maybe-
"Hey, Deku! Good to see you!"
'OH!'
Izuku and his mom turned to look down a hallway perpendicular to their own and, lo and behold, Coco and Velvet were walking their way down it, waving at them as they both smiled... though Velvet seemed far more nervous than usual around them as she took notice of his mom.
"Hey, Coco, Velvet, what's up?" Izuku asked both his seniors.
"Ah, we were just having a bit of a walk, discussing a few plans we've been making for after our mission coming up. You know, second-year stuff." Izuku nodded understandingly as Coco turned to Inko, lowering her glasses slightly to get a better look at his mother. "More important, who do we have here?" Inko, seeming less nervous than Velvet, though only by so much, just gave a small smile as she waved.
"Ah, hello. I'm Inko Midoriya, Izuku's mother. You both... know my baby?" Izuku blushed at being referred to as such by his mom, especially in front of Coco, but he also sensed how nervous his mom sounded in the moment, face to face with the 'older women' she'd been so nervous about.
Coco just smiled brilliantly as she reached over and pet the top of his head.
"Oh cool, you're Deku's mom! Yeah, we know Deku, he's actually been a really big help to Velvet here with her studies... ah crud, introduction. The name's Coco Adel, this is Velvet Scarlatina." Inko nodded at that as both just smiled nervously.
"Yes, I know. Izuku has brought you up before... he said he had a couple of older classmates as friends." Coco's eyes shined a bit at that as she grinned.
"Heck yeah, he does! Good to know Deku's showin' us off a bit like that! Gotta say, Mrs. M, you got one cool kid here!" Izuku blushed as Coco spoke so forthrightly about him, Inko seeming just as surprised as she nodded.
"O-Oh, thank you, it was nothing though. Izuku is just a sweet boy all on his own, so I can't take too much credit." Coco just smiled and nodded at that.
"I feel ya, I feel ya. The little guy is just the sweetest, ain'tcha Deku?" Coco rubbed at the top of his hair again, clearly partially teasing him in her usual, 'senior Huntress' way as he continued to blush under the assault.
"... So what brings you around Mrs. Midoriya? A meeting with Izuku's teachers perhaps?" Velvet asked, her gaze momentarily meeting Inko's as his mother shook her head.
"Oh, well, not especially. I was coming by to meet my son's friends, make sure he's doing well in that regard. Call me a worrywart but... well, I do worry about him. This has been his first time away from home and he's had such a hard time making friends before."
"I can see that," Coco said, nodding sagely as Izuku blanched a bit.
'That easy to see that, huh?'
Despite that Coco just grinned as she lifted her hand off of his head. "Still, that's great then! We can totally talk and let you get to know us! We're Deku's friends, so we'd be happy to introduce ourselves, right Vel?" Coco asked, Velvet just nodding ever so slightly as his mother smiled at Coco's forthright nature.
'Oh, I hope this goes okay…'
"U-Um... excuse me, Miss Adel?"
"Hmmm, sup Mrs. Midoriya?" Coco asked as she glanced over at his mother who just seemed to be placing her full attention on the young woman. His mother seemed quite nervous at first, her eyes glancing about for a moment as she fiddled with her hands as if trying to get over her embarrassment over the question. Izuku couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his gut as his mother's eyes scanned about. That... that was bound to be bad. If his mother was having such a hard time even gaining the nerve to talk, then it must've been a doozy of a question. One that spelled guaranteed embarrassment for him and, likely, for everyone else. Finally, his mother took a deep breath as she looked Coco in the eyes.
"Well... it's just that I've noticed that you're quite... affectionate with Izuku. The way that you pat his head or refer to him as Deku... I was just wondering about that... because, you know, I am his mother and..."
Both Izuku and Velvet immediately went beet red in the face as they both quickly caught on to what Izuku's mother was talking about, his throat bone dry as she broached the question.
'She's not honestly asking Coco if she's into me, right?! Oh Gods, what?!' He choked a little as he looked up at Coco, the young woman's eyes hidden by her shades as her lips stretch into a somewhat thin line. For a moment he honestly thought Coco herself was stunned into silence, utterly embarrassed at being asked such a thing...
Until Coco laughed aloud, a wide smile on the girl's face as she reached over and pulled him in, ruffling his hair as she did so.
"Oh, this? Don't worry Mrs. Midoriya, I'm not doin' anything with your son! Trust me, I know Deku's a very sensitive little guy, he gets so flustered easily that if I did ever actually put the moves on him he'd probably faint."
"... Okay, yeah that's probably true..." Izuku muttered to himself, willingly acknowledging that fact, as his mother still looked on, somewhat unconvinced.
"If that's the case then why?"
"Mrs. Midoriya... your son's friggin' adorable." Izuku blanched at that, looking to protest before Coco slapped him on the back. "I mean look at the little guy! You should've seen him when I first met him; he was puffing himself up and trying to look serious so he could help Velvet out but, as soon as he didn't need to do that anymore, he just deflated into this pure little cinnamon bun! He just gets so bashful and it's endearing to know that one of my cute little juniors responds that way to his senior."
"C-Could you please stop calling me cute, Coco?" Izuku said with a slight whine as Coco fussed with him, the older girl just chuckling as she did so. Inko's frown melted away somewhat as Coco continued to just mess with him, looking over her shades back at Inko as she gave her a wink.
"Come on Mrs. Midoriya, you probably had some cute juniors running around back when you were in school right?" Inko chuckled a little at that, placing her hands on her cheeks as she looked to the side.
"Well..."
"Ooooh sounds like Mrs. Midoriya has some stories! Come on, you gotta give us the skinny!" Coco grinned as she and Inko continued to chat, Izuku feeling all the more embarrassed as it went on. Still, the entire display was kind of interesting; as his mom continued to watch his interactions with Coco like a hawk, it did seem like she was getting less and less agitated, gradually cooling down to Coco and being more amused when Coco messed with him than anything. Like she didn't feel like Coco was trying anything with him or something like that...
Hell, he could've told his mom that himself. But seeing was probably much more convincing for her than anything. Coco did just kind of treat him like a kid brother or something... and as frustrating as that could be, it was clear she didn't disrespect him or think little of him because of it if all her shows of gratitude for the help he'd given Velvet was any indication. It was just her way of showing her 'junior' appreciation...
...
'Girls are weird…'
xXxXxXxXxXx
"-he'salwaysbeenveryattentiveandisquitefranklyoneofthebrighteststudentsofhisyearintermsofstudying. IfIhadtoreallyputafingeronwherehewasweakrightnowandcouldusesomeencouragement, I'dprobablysayit's-"
...
"Izuku, honey, I can barely understand a word he's saying..."
"Yeah, he gets like this sometimes..."
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Well, Mrs. Midoriya I do have to say that I've been quite pleased by young Midoriya's progress in class! He's shown to be an A-class combatant, having wrestled a few Grimm when instructed and having shown a good mind for taking in my stories and understanding the weaknesses of the Grimm. Why-"
"I'm... sorry, did you just say you had my boy wrestle Grimm?"
"Yes! It's part of the practical part of the class to help students learn some basic self-defense and how to pin Grimm for easy capture and or killing in-"
"And... how safe is this?"
"... I don't follow?"
"I mean, how do you arrange this? Surely they're collared or something right?"
...
"Well, I just generally let them out in a cage in front of the entire class..."
...
"WHAT?!" Her hands slammed the desk. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU PUT MY BABY BOY THROUGH LIVE EXERCISES WITH THOSE WILD MONSTERS THAT YOU JUST LET LOOSE AND HAVE AT IT, IN FRONT OF OTHER STUDENTS TOO?! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!"
"U-U-Uh, madame, please, I assure you that I am on standby just in case a student gets injured during the exercise, and-"
"IN CASE THEY GET INJURED, YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T STOP IT BEFORE THEY GET SERIOUSLY HURT?!"
"M-Mom this is a school for killing Grimm-"
"IZUKU THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU JUST THROW A HORDE OF GRIMM OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CLASSROOM! YOU COULD SERIOUSLY HURT YOUR STUDENTS! HOW BADLY HAS MY BABY BEEN INJURED?!"
"AAAH, MADAME PLEASE, I PROMISE HE'S BEEN ALRIGHT, JUST STOP CRYING AND STOP SHAKING ME, I'M GOING TO BE SICK!"
It was an odd thing for Izuku to see his mother bodily shake Professor Port, proclaimed manly Huntsman extraordinaire, like he was a rag doll...
...then again, maybe not that surprising.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Oh yes, Izuku~ is a 'very' fine student. Out of all the young men in my classes, I'd say he's easily one of the most virile seeming; the very picture of youthful energy and constitution~!"
...
"Let's go Izuku."
...
'Holy cow the room got cold,' Izuku got a feeling that his mom 'really' didn't like Professor Kayama.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Honestly with how often I've seen him outside of class and in the nurse's office, I feel like I should be having two of these sorts of meetings with you Mrs. Midoriya."
...
"I-I-Izuku? Baby?! You've been to the nurse's office that often!?"
"N-No! Not that often! I mean sure there was the first day... and then this one spar... and then for some broken fingers here and there that we had trouble fixing back up without own first aid kit, but-"
"AAAAAAH! IZUKU, MY BABY!"
'Why Professor Peach, why?'
xXxXxXxXxXx
"-furthermore, Mr. Midoriya has come up with a wide range of creative solutions to the various exercises I've presented his year with that one might not expect a young man of his age and experience to have come up with. He's looking at an excellent grade come the end of the semester, to be sure."
"I see... and these exercises. Are they... very dangerous? I've been to... Mr. Port, and I-"
"Don't worry, I'm not off my rocker. While my exercises do have some physical bents to them in terms of searching out objects and trying to find targets, I try my best to not construct them in such a way where my students would be in significant danger or without the proper oversight necessary to ensure their safety. Do you have any other questions, Mrs. Midoriya?"
"... No actually, that's all of them. Thank you, Mr. Aizawa." Huh, surprise surprise, Professor Aizawa seemed to make a good impression on his mother.
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to my nap." Just like that, Aizawa picked up his sleeping bag and walked off.
...
"Izuku your teachers are very strange."
"I know…"
xXxXxXxXxXx
Izuku sighed slightly as he and his mom continued to walk along. After having run into Coco and Velvet, where his mom got to speak with them for a while, he decided to go about continuing to show his mom around... but he decided against going to Team TABY's dorm. It wasn't that he didn't think much of his friends... he was just worried about showing them to his mom was all and for various reasons. He decided to sidetrack his mom's attention from that by doing something she may have found equally important; meeting his teachers for this semester...
Thankfully it did seem to distract her.
If only because his teachers were such a weird and eclectic group that his mother immediately latched onto it all. Honestly, he hadn't given much thought to how weird his teachers could be up until now but, looking at it from his mom's perspective, it really must've been a huge shock.
"So Izuku, we don't have much time left. Do we have any of your teachers to go through... are they even worse than some of the others?" Izuku's mother asked, sounding worried, as he shook his head.
"No mom, they aren't. Not by a long shot... and there's only two of them left so we're almost done." Inko sighed as she looked back forward and down, distracted as they both prepared to round a corner.
"That's a relief... I don't know if I can handle another big surprise or shock from one of your teacher's Izuku. It's just been so much-AGH!"
Distracted as she was his mom ended up walking past the corner of a hall and running into someone who had just come out from it. His mother stumbled back, deeply embarrassed as she immediately went about bowing her head slightly.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so terribly sorry! I didn't realize that... that... oh... oh my Gods..." Izuku's mother's eyes went wide while he just smiled, seeing who they had run into. He knew where they were usually around during that time of the week. Izuku'd figured he'd find them one at a time but it was good to catch them out and about together.
Glynda was, of course, watching in interest as she readjusted her glasses... though Izuku suspected that she wasn't the one that had his mother so surprised.
No, that honor went to Toshinori, in full-on hero mode, as he laughed exuberantly.
"AH-HAHAHAHAAAA! Nothing to worry about madame! I really should've kept my own eyes open! A Huntsman should always be aware of his surroundings, after all!" Izuku's mother just continued to gape for a moment as Toshinori turned his gaze his way. "Ah! Young Midoriya! It is good to see you here young man... I take it this is your mother, then?" Toshinori had already known who his mother was from when he was training him, of course, but it was good that he pretended not to know for the sake of keeping that little nugget a secret.
"A-A-Ah! You're him! Toshinori Yagi, the All Mighty Huntsman!"
"He is indeed. I'm Glynda Goodwitch, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Midoriya. Are you here to discuss your son's progress in class with us? We'd be happy to share what we can."
...
"They're your teachers?!" Izuku's mother asked, somewhat stunned, as he just nodded.
"Yeah... I could barely believe it myself."
Still couldn't, to be honest. It was good to know that his mom would be rounding off her impressions of his teachers based on the best ones, to be sure.
"Mrs. Midoriya, if I may?" Izuku's mom blinked as she looked over at Toshinori, the woman still absolutely stunned at being in the presence of the Greatest Huntsman in the world. The entire time his mom had spent essentially spellbound by the presence of Glynda Goodwitch and Toshinori Yagi, two of the most well-known Hunters in Mountain Glenn. Heck, his mom had been in Mountain Glenn that day of the attack so long ago, so Toshinori had very directly saved her life. It was all understandable that his mom was so shocked but it was also funny to see her acting that way, so much like Izuku in a way.
"Of course! Please, feel free Mr. Yagi!" His mother nodded at Toshinori's question, causing Izuku's mentor to laugh slightly.
"Please Mrs. Midoriya, call me Toshinori. I ask all my students to, after all." Izuku's mom just nodded at that, even as Toshinori's grin spread a bit. "Now then Mrs. Midoriya, I do have to give you kudos for having raised such a fine young man as young Midoriya here." Izuku's mother's eyes went wide at the heartfelt tone in Toshinori's voice. "Izuku Midoriya works just about the hardest I've ever seen any young man or woman in Beacon work to accomplish their goal of being a Hunter. His resolute spirit and strength of will have been a source of inspiration not just for his own team but for his fellow classmates! The boy's reputation for good judgment and honest dealing has been passing among the student body, especially after a few incidents involving another team this year!"
"It truly has been a great privilege and pleasure to have gotten the opportunity to teach such a promising young pupil as Mr. Midoriya, and I have you to thank for that Mrs. Midoriya! It's beyond clear to me that a mother who cares deeply enough for her son to come out here to make sure he's doing alright, to be so supportive of him and his studies, was the one who would've instilled the great qualities in such a fine young man! I make no bones about it: this school, and I along with it, am in your debt for having brought up such a fine candidate for a Hunter's profession."
Izuku knew some of the other reasons why Toshinori was so grateful that he wasn't bringing up, of course. Yeah, of course, Toshinori would be glad to have him around; he wasn't just a student, he was his successor. In that way, his mom did end up doing Toshinori a service like that. Izuku smiled at his mentor's words as he looked over at his mom, unsurprisingly finding tears in her eyes as she listened to all of that. The woman smiled a bit as she wiped at them.
"Thank you Toshinori... but I'm afraid you're wrong."
...
All three hunters were a little surprised at that. Izuku's mother, however, didn't seem to take notice, instead turning to look at him with a deeply loving expression.
"My little Izuku... he didn't need my help to be the way he is. Ever since he could think big enough to have a dream, he's wanted to be a Hunter. To be a Hero just like you. He watched the video of your rescue of Mountain Glenn almost every day and, sure enough, we never missed a Hunter's Day festival while he was growing up! He's always been so caring about people who need help, so kind and honest... he was such a good boy without me even having to try..."
"... That I tried to convince him to give up on his dreams shows that I wasn't all that great as you might've said too if we're being honest."
"I'm sorry Izuku! I wish things were different..."
Those words rang in his head as his mom spoke, a slight frown on his face as his mother just continued to smile.
"Even when I didn't support him, even when I said that wished things wouldn't have been like they were... my boy stayed determined. He continued to chase his dream of saving people and... well, in the end, his determination paid off. Not mine. As much credit as he might give for me helping him, I can't take that away from him; he was the one who found the will and the way to get into Beacon." His mom turned away from him, giving a slight bow to Toshinori as she did so.
"So while I appreciate the kind words, Toshinori... please, don't give me too much credit. Being kind, being determined, being a hero... that's just who my baby is. It's what he's always wanted to be. I can't take credit for something that's just come so naturally to him." Izuku's mother finished with a firm look, one of clear love and pride, as she looked from Izuku back to his two teachers. He felt his lips quiver slightly as he stood there, having listened to both his hero and his mother speak so highly of him, to hear how they felt. While Glynda seemed a bit surprised still, Toshinori couldn't help but smile and laugh as he looked down at Izuku and his mother, a wide grin on his face.
"Well now, you know, I always wondered where Young Midoriya got his spirit from. I think I can safely say that my curiosity's been sated." Izuku's mother couldn't help but just smile and laugh, waving off the giant of a man before looking back at Izuku. He was still on the verge of letting a few tears slip himself, reaching up an arm to wipe at his eyes, when his mom wrapped an arm around his shoulder, a warm smile on her face as she looked at her son.
"Maybe... but in any case... thank you for saying such kind things about Izuku. I know he appreciates it coming from you and, well, it does make me feel very proud of him."
At that point, Izuku really couldn't help himself. His tears end up finishing up the conversation between his mother, his mentor and Professor Goodwitch as the latter two slowly wandered off to finish off their business, just leaving mother and son to chat for a while. Eventually, the time came where his mother needed to head back to Mountain Glenn to finish up her work before her big vacation. Before the two parted ways, his mother gave him a big old bear hug the likes of which he knew she'd always been great at giving and a final declaration of how proud she was of him...
Honestly, it was the best thing she could have possibly given to him.