Shortly after internships were over it was time for everyone to take their midterm exams. There had a been a lot of excitement in their first two months of school, and between one hero course distraction after another, not a lot of material had actually been covered in class. Aizawa mentioned that the teachers were having to rewrite significant portions of the exams to go more in-depth into what they're learned, because the breadth of what they'd touched on was smaller than expected, and many of the previously agreed upon questions were for things they hadn't learned yet.
Izuku studied like he usually did for big exams, but he was . . . distracted.
All for One had apparently taken his bold declaration for a challenge rather than a chance to open a dialogue, and there had been no reply to Izuku's message. Sir Nighteye also had not contacted him, though whether that was because he couldn't without being observed, or because he saw no need, Izuku didn't know. Over and over again Izuku ran through the facts in his mind. He was sure he'd done the right thing. It just would have been nice for someone to acknowledge him.
Izuku barely slept for the first three nights after he sent the message. No attack came at home, either while Izuku was asleep or while he was at school and his mother was there alone. He deliberately left things in All Might's car to make him return to the apartment once or twice, but whether this had any affect he had no idea. Eventually, with no attack coming and no change in his routine, his nerves settled enough that he completely forgot when the results of the midterm exams would be announced.
"Here are you rankings for how you scored on the midterms," Aizawa said, clicking his little remote so that a list of all the class in order was displayed. "Thankfully none of you failed, but some of you performed significantly lower than the standard to which we hold UA students. I'd say anyone below 14th rank had better get their act together."
Across the room Izuku heard Uraraka let out a little squeak of fear. She was ranked 13th.
Izuku glanced over at the rest of the room, to see those that had ranked lower than 14th in various states of discomfort. Kirishima was frowning at the board in obvious discontent, and Hagakure's uniform was vibrating slightly as she trembled. Sero had closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair as though in exhaustion, Aoyama was stiff as a board, and Ashido looked embarrassed. Kaminari, who had placed last in the entire class, just had his head down on his desk.
Looking back at the board, Izuku was pleased to see that his own rank was third in the class, and that Shouto and then Hitoshi were directly after him, at fourth and fifth respectively. Yaoyorozu and Iida were higher than him, but he wasn't surprised by that. A few of his classmates were though, and he noticed Ojiro, Jirou and Yaoyorozu herself looking at him curiously.
Aizawa chose that moment to begin class however, so it wasn't until the lunch bell rang that Izuku found himself cornered.
"So what gives Midoriya?" Ashido asked, leaning over Izuku's desk and trapping him in his seat before he could get up. "Why'd you only get third? You're like the smartest person I know!"
"Your primary strength does seem to be your intelligence," a mouth on the end of one of Shouji's dupli-arms said. "I'm surprised you didn't get first."
"I'm a little surprised as well," Yaoyorozu said from behind him, making him turn away from the crowd of students surrounding his desk and crane his neck to look at her. "Your plan for the sports festival was excellent, and not something I would have come up with, even though I hypothetically had a higher stake in it than you."
"Well, I mean," Izuku fidgeted under the eyes of all his classmates. "There are different types of intelligence, and you can be strong in one while being weak in another. Tests like these tend to focus on crystallized intelligence, concrete information and facts stored in the memory. Planning and strategizing are more about fluid intelligence, your ability to reason and solve problems in new situations. It's not really a matter of which one of us is smarter, its more that we're good at different things."
"Also you went to private school," Hitoshi said dully.
The crowd went quiet, and Izuku suppressed a groan. He didn't disagree with that assessment, but Hitoshi's bluntness was bound to be taken as confrontational.
"I'm sure Midoriya could have gotten into Somei Private Academy if he'd chosen to apply!" Iida insisted. "There were several scholarship positions, and I'm certain someone with his grades could have passed the entrance exam!"
Izuku winced, regretting that Iida had to mention Somei by name. "Actually, I couldn't have. It wouldn't be allowed."
"What?!" Iida looked alarmed. "Why not?"
"I'm quirkless," Izuku reminded him, looking down at his desk. "Somei has a rule that quirkless students can pay tuition, but they can't apply for the scholarship program. A lot of private schools have rules like that."
"Really?" Yaoyorozu asked, voice high with shock. "How is that allowed?"
"Quirk discrimination laws were written when quirks weren't the norm yet," Izuku explained reluctantly. "The people writing them never envisioned a world where someone might be discriminated against for not having a quirk. The police academy and most accredited medical schools deny quirkless students entry, either by a rule or a selection process that requires disclosing your quirk. UA used to have a rule like that, but they got rid of it last year."
This speech was followed by silence. Izuku had lowered himself into his seat to avoid the eyes of his classmates as he spoke, and now he screwed his eyes shut tight, waiting for their appraisal. He didn't like 'playing the quirkless card' as so many of his middle school teachers had said when he'd tried to tell them about Bakugou's behavior, but this was the reality. He had applied to Somei, hoping to get away from the bullies, and been denied. His quirk status had even been mentioned as the deciding factor in his rejection letter.
"That's so unfair," Uraraka's voice said softly.
Izuku looked up at her, startled, to find her staring back at him with wet, shining eyes. Before Izuku could think of a reply someone else said "Yeah!" and then all of them were talking over each other,
clamoring to express their disapproval at the state of the world. Izuku looked around at his furious classmates in wonderment. He had never seen such righteous indignation, and to have it be over something that had been done to him . . .
"Midoriya!" Iida spoke up, louder than the others so that they quieted around him. "Let me say, as a graduate of Somei Private Academy, I am ashamed of my school's deplorable behavior! It's disgraceful that they would have turned away a student like you because of your quirk status! I'm deeply sorry!"
He bowed, torso and legs at a right angle with each other, then had to hurriedly put a hand to his face to stop his glasses from sliding off his nose.
"It's OK Iida!" Izuku assured him hurriedly. "I know you would never consider a thing like that reasonable, but . . . that's part of why I want to become a hero, you know? Our society has kind of written off quirkless people as an insignificant minority that will eventually die out, but both my parents are fourth generation quirk users and I still ended up quirkless. Quirkless children are still being born, even to parents who have quirks, and as long as they are then the world needs to have a place for them. I want to make sure they have someone to look up to, even when it seems like the whole world is against them."
"Midoriya!" cried Kirishima, and Izuku peered between Ashido and Asui to see him standing near the back of the group, tears flowing freely down his face. "That's so manly!"
"Yeah, that's really awesome of you Midoriya!" Hagakure chimed in.
"A worthy dream for a life filled with hardship," Tokoyami agreed.
The others all hastened to agree, and Izuku felt the lump forming in his throat even before he felt the tears in his eyes. He blinked rapidly as he tried to stem the tide of well wishes, and he was so focused on the rest of the class that he jolted when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. He glanced behind him, to see Hitoshi giving him a small smile.
"What was that you were saying about private schools earlier?" Shouto asked once they were out by their usual tree eating lunch.
Shouto had been eating by himself in the cafeteria before the sports festival, but now he had joined Izuku and Hitoshi for their usual lunch group. If Hatsume felt weird suddenly hanging out with three hero students instead of two Gen Ed students she didn't show it, and merely continued to toss ideas around for weapons and occasionally scribble notes in her notebook. She been disappointed that Hitoshi had gone with a capture scarf during his internship, but had reluctantly shelved her Killer Yo-Yo project to focus on his voice modulator. She also had some ideas about smoke bombs, and something else she wasn't ready to tell them about.
Hitoshi looked over at Shouto and swallowed his mouthful of rice. "Huh?"
"Earlier, just after class, you were saying something," Shouto reminded him. "You said that Yaoyorozu and Iida scored higher than Izuku because they went to private school. The conversation went in a different direction, but it seemed like you had a point to make."
Hitoshi shrugged. "Just that private schools are an unfair advantage. I'm sure its nothing they haven't heard before."
"Private schools do have higher overall test scores," Shouto admitted, "but I don't see how that's
unfair. If they're better schools it's because they have better students, right?"
"Yeah," Hitoshi snorted, "and they have better students because they have better resources and can hire better teachers. Plus the higher their scores are, the higher they can charge for tuition, so they teach to the test."
"Teach to the test?" Shouto stared at Hitoshi, head tilting in confusion.
"Rather than teaching their students actual knowledge, they just teach them how to do well on exams," Hitoshi explained. "They only teach the types of information that will be on a test, rather than a thorough understanding of the subject. They force all their students to write a certain way, not to be understood better but to get maximum points. They basically produce test-takers rather than informed citizens."
"I see," said Shouto, after considering this for a moment. "I had private tutors as a child, but I took standardized tests, and I remember them as being fairly straightforward and very similar to what I'd been taught. I never did much studying outside of class. There wasn't time."
"Private school, private tutors." Hitoshi took another bite, then swallowed. "Same difference." "Is that why you placed third Izuku?" Shouto asked.
"Well it does have a lot to do with fluid and crystallized intelligence," Izuku tried, but Hitoshi cleared his throat loudly and pointedly, and Izuku had to stop pretending. "Although, yeah, I went to public school. I probably could have put more effort into learning how to take tests better, but I was doing well enough and I wanted to focus on hero analysis instead."
Shouto made a small noise of acknowledgement and went back to his food.
"You're all boring!" Hatsume complained loudly. "Someone ask me about my new exo-suit!"
By day's end everyone was still chatting about midterms, but Izuku was feeling much better. It wasn't like he hadn't already known the class had his back, or that they accepted him despite being quirkless. But to know they were with him even to the point of standing opposed to the rules, even someone like Iida, who despite recent events was still the most conformist in class . . . that was something different altogether.
"That's it for class today," Aizawa said, tapping his notes on the table so they formed a neat pile. "There's just one more thing I need to discuss with you all before you head home."
"Is something the matter Aizawa-sensei?" Asui asked.
"Yes," Aizawa said bluntly, then sighed. "This class has gotten into an unprecedented amount of trouble this year. Not all of it was your fault, like the attack on the USJ, but a few of you have gone a little more public than the school is used to dealing with. Principal Nezu wants to take precautions."
"Precautions?" Kaminari and Kirishima asked at the same time. Izuku was inclined to share their concern.
"Correct," Aizawa told them, "which is why this weekend you'll all be moving into our new dormitories."
"Dorms?!" Ashido screamed in obvious delight. "We're gonna live on campus?" asked Sero excitedly.
"Together?!" demanded Uraraka, looking more frightened than enthused. "Will we all have our own rooms or will we have to double up? How much is this gonna cost? What-"
"Enough!" Aizawa snapped, hair flying up around his head as he activated his quirk, and everyone stopped talking. "Yes, we will be taking the next week to construct dorms for all of our students. Each class will have its own dorm, and all of you will have your own rooms. You will be permitted passes to leave campus on weekends, but otherwise you will remain on campus at all times so that we teachers can keep an eye on you."
Uraraka raised her hand.
"There will be no extra cost to the students' families," Aizawa said. Uraraka put her hand down, looking deeply relieved.
"Living in the dorm is mandatory for continued enrollment at UA," Aizawa told them. "We're sending information and permission slips home with you today-" he dropped a stack of forms on Aoyama's desk so they could take one as they left, "-so make sure you get them signed by the end of the week. Class dismissed."
Aizawa left, and the moment the door was closed behind him the room exploded with conversation. Everyone was talking about the dorms, wondering what they would be like and how best to approach their parents with the request. Izuku looked at Hitoshi and Shouto, and immediately the three of them got up and went to grab their forms. They left the classroom first, eager to talk away from the noise.
As soon as they were outside and walking towards the gym, Izuku pumped a fist into the air. "Yes! I can't believe this is happening!"
"Yeah it does seem kinda sudden," Hitoshi said, looking at his form in bemusement.
"Don't you get it though?" Izuku demanded, then when the other two gave him blank looks he went on. "This is Principal Nezu's short term solution! This is how we get Shouto away from Endeavor until we can take him down!"
"Will that work though?" Hitoshi asked dubiously. "Will he allow it?"
"My old man won't like it," Shouto conceded, "but he won't do anything to jeopardize my future as a hero. Aizawa said living in the dorms was mandatory for enrollment. He won't pull me out of the top hero school."
"Principal Nezu is so cool!" Izuku gushed. "He's a complete genius, a master of unconventional strategy! What an impressive plan!"
"It's worthy of you Izuku," Hitoshi said, with a sly smile.
"I couldn't come up with anything this brilliant!" Izuku said, holding up his hands to ward off the idea. "Even my plan for the sports festival was mostly just a couple lucky breaks and a little inspiration!"
"You're used to working with less resources," Shouto told him. "When you have as much influence
as Nezu, you'll be coming up with elegant solutions like this too."
Izuku felt his face heating up, and his reply dried up in his mouth. He ended up staring down at his red shoes, unable to look the other two in the face. He heard Hitoshi chuckle softly, and blushed even deeper.
"More importantly," Shouto went on, apparently taking pity on him, "will both of your parents agree to this?"
"My mom won't have a problem with it," Hitoshi said confidently. "She likes Aizawa, and knowing he's keeping an even closer eye on me will just make her feel better."
"Yeah, mine too," Izuku said, nodding. "Anything that makes me safer, she'll be all for it."
And this will make her safer too, Izuku thought to himself. If I'm at school, then All for One will come looking for me here. I'll be protected, and mom will be out of the line of fire. This is the best solution, in more ways than one.
Hizashi drummed his fingers on his desk, glaring at the stack of papers on the next desk over. It was Shouta's desk, and the papers were the completed forms giving consent for students to move into dormitories. Shouta had read and dutifully logged them all, with Hizashi hanging over his shoulder the whole time. Each new signature he had documented had been a special kind of torture, waiting for the one he was most eager to have confirmed. Out of the hero course first years, 39 had turned theirs in.
The missing form was Izuku's.
"You're not going to make the form appear by glaring Hizashi," Shouta said, returning to his desk from getting coffee and nudging the stack of forms aside to set down his mug.
"It's the end of the week," Hizashi said petulantly. "He should have turned it in by now." "He might have forgotten about it," Shouta suggested dully. "I'll ask him before he leaves."
"Izuku's a bright kid," Hizashi argued. "He wouldn't put a thing like this off. He knows how important this is!"
"Young Midoriya?" piped up All Might, approaching their conversation with his own mug of coffee in hand. He had a habit of floating vaguely around the staff rooms when he wasn't working. "He should be eager to hand in his paperwork, he's been so excited about the dormitories all week!"
"He was," Hizashi agreed, "until today. He was subdued in my class. It's not like him."
"It's not the end of the day yet," Shouta said, not really gently but soothing in a gruff way. "I'm sure he'll give it to me before final bell."
"Don't be so sure about that," said Ken from across the room.
Hizashi and Shouta both looked over at him, to see him at his computer with the school's official email up on the screen. He shifted so that they could see, and Hizashi rolled his chair closer so that he could read the message being displayed.
To whom it may concern,
I am Inko Midoriya, the mother of Izuku Midoriya, and I would like to formally withdraw my son from school. I cannot allow him to move into a dormitory, and if this is required for enrollment then he can no longer attend UA High School. With recent events I believe this is for the best. Please send me any paperwork I need to withdraw him.
Thank you,
Inko Midoriya.
"What!?" Hizashi shouted. "But Izuku's been doing so well!"
"Midoriya may be doing well, but she clearly doesn't think we are," Ken replied.
"It certainly reads like a protective parent," Shouta concurred. "It seems like she doesn't think we've been doing a good enough job of keeping him safe."
"She can't do this!" Hizashi protested. "Izuku's been thriving here! He's doing well in all his classes, he's had no major injuries Dr. Chiyo had any problems with, and there's been no incidents with the press! We're taking every precaution!"
"She doesn't like the dorms," Ken shrugged.
"That's an additional precaution!"
"Calm down," Shouta said, but Hizashi was already on his feet.
"I'm going to go talk to her," he announced, shoving his chair in the direction of his desk and making for the door. "I'm going to-"
He was cut off when All Might stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop short or bowl the skinny man over. All Might put a hand on Hizashi's shoulder, holding him still more tokenly than with any real display of strength.
"Calm down Yamada," All Might said firmly. "I'll go talk to Midoriya-san."
"No, it should be me," Hizashi insisted, trying to brush past All Might, but the hand on his shoulder tightened.
"Midoriya-san's already familiar with me," All Might said, obnoxiously placid and reasonable. "This request should come from someone she trusts."
"I'm Izuku's teacher," Hizashi retorted. "He was with me for his internship, and I-"
Hizashi paused, not sure how to say it. He knew he had a special relationship with Izuku, but he wasn't sure how to frame it in terms that a parent would understand. The others all knew Izuku was his problem child, but that simple truth wouldn't carry over.
"It's not a matter of who knows young Midoriya better, but of who will make Midoriya-san most comfortable," All Might said, still infuriatingly calm. "She knows me to be a representative of the school and she has . . . some pity on me, for my emaciated state. She'll be more likely to respond if the request comes from me."
"The fact that you were his internship supervisor may even work against you after what happened," Shouta pointed out. "Better to let him handle it."
Hizashi took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. The idea that Izuku might not be able to continue school at UA, that he might not be able to pursue his dream, had him in a panic. It was heartbreaking to think that not only would all that potential go to waste, but Izuku would live his life knowing that his dream was within reach and he had still been denied. He couldn't let this happen. He wanted to fix it himself, wanted to fling himself at the problem and solve it, but he knew he had to be strategic about this. All Might's points were valid. It would be better to send him.
He took a step back, and All Might released his shoulder. "If you don't get her to agree," Hizashi said, "I'm going myself. Fix this."
All Might nodded solemnly. "I will."
Toshinori drove Izuku home that day, like he had every day since the internships. The original idea had been for the teachers to alternate, but Toshinori was invariably the one with the free time thanks to his his quirk's time limit, so it had become his duty alone. Not that he minded so much, in fact it was quickly becoming the most pleasant part of his day, but he couldn't help but feel that Izuku would have preferred to have the time alone with Yamada, with whom he shared a special bond.
He wasn't entirely sure when he had shifted to calling the boy 'Izuku' in his mind -- probably around the time the magnificent little chaos agent had threated to turn himself into bait for All for One -- but he didn't feel entitled to say it out loud just yet.
There was no question that Izuku was subdued though. Toshinori wasn't sure how much he knew of the situation, but he certainly knew enough that it was affecting his mood. Toshinori had a hard time imagining Midoriya-san keeping such a thing from her son, but the email had been short and clipped, and come in the middle of the day, almost as though it were a spur of the moment decision. Izuku seemed almost too calm for a kid who was being pulled out of school.
"So," Toshinori began awkwardly, "I'm going to come up with you and talk to your mom about the dorms."
"She'll agree," Izuku said, glancing over at Toshinori from where he'd been gazing out the window. "She just needs more time. I didn't think she'd take this much time, but she won't-"
"Young Midoriya," Toshinori interrupted. "Your mother withdrew you from school."
"What!?" Izuku cried, clearly shocked by the announcement. "She can't do that! We didn't talk about that! Please, whatever she said, she didn't mean it-"
"We're not putting it into effect yet," Toshinori assured him. "That's why I'm going to talk with her. Hopefully I can get this sorted out."
"She didn't even tell me," Izuku whispered, slumping in his seat with wide eyes staring straight ahead.
"She's nervous," Toshinori said gently. "I'll see what I can do to make her less nervous."
They reached the apartment a few minutes later, and when the door opened Midoriya-san didn't seem surprised to see Toshinori there with him. Her deep green eyes were tired as she looked up at him, but she managed a small smile that made Toshinori's heart do funny little flips. She stood aside for them to come in, and only when the door was closed and their shoes were off did Izuku
round on his mother.
"How could you!" he demanded, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. "All I've ever wanted was to go to UA and become a hero! How could you!"
"Izuku not right now," Midoriya-san said firmly. "Yagi-san, please come in and sit down. We all need to discuss this."
Toshinori and Izuku both obeyed, and Midoriya-san went to make tea. Izuku impatiently drummed his fingers on the table nearly the whole time she was gone, and even to Toshinori it seemed to take a long time. Finally Midoriya-san returned with three cups of tea, licorice root for the two adults and some darker tea for her son, and she sat at the table beside Izuku.
"I will explain my reasoning to the two of you," she said, soft hands clasped around her mug. "Izuku has admired heroes for so long, it's little wonder to me that he jumped at the chance to transfer into the hero course. I allowed it. That was my mistake."
"It wasn't a mistake mom!" Izuku interrupted passionately, but Toshinori held up a hand and he quieted, looking at his mother.
"Izuku has always been one to push himself," Midoriya-san went on, not looking at either of them but rather down at her mug. "In many ways your school's determination for their students to 'go beyond' was a good fit for him. But I'm concerned that it might be working too well. That he might be pushing himself too hard. I scoured the news, and no other UA students even merited a second glance during their internships, but Izuku was all over TV. Whether that's because of his actions or simply the internship he chose, I don't know. I do know recklessness, his own or someone else's, played a part."
Izuku was quiet at this, his lip trembling. He couldn't very well deny that he had acted rashly, or that he had a tendency to push himself too far and put himself at too much risk. Even his mother didn't know the half of it. Toshinori thought back on their discussion at the Nighteye Agency, and had no reply for the worried woman who had shown him such kindness.
"I'm sorry Izuku, and I hope you can forgive me," she said, bowing her head over her cup. "You seemed like you had settled a little when you only applied for the General Education course. Maybe it would be better if no one had ever seen your notebooks and-"
"That's not true!" Izuku burst out, rising from his chair in agitation. "You know its not true! Those months when I gave up, I was the saddest I'd ever been in my life! I felt empty inside, and I was drifting through every day, completely lost! Don't tell me you didn't notice!"
Midoriya-san sobbed, and there was a little drip sound as one of her tears fell into her tea.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I just, I can't do it. I don't want to steal my son's dream away from him,
but a hero needs to be a specific type of person."
"Someone with a quirk?!" Izuku challenged, fists clenched at his sides in anger. "You can't be-"
"Someone who knows their limits," Midoriya-san said sharply, and at this point she raised her head. She wasn't looking at Toshinori, but rather off into the distance, but their was an obstinate gleam in her eyes. "Heroes can be selfless, should be selfless, but they can't be self-sacrificing. They can't be reckless. They can't throw themselves heedlessly into danger with no plan."
Toshinori suppressed a wince. He knew she was referring to the sludge villain incident, with no idea how well he knew what she was talking about. She was right to be concerned.
"I'm sorry," she said, for the third time, and her eyes refocused on Toshinori. "I can't allow this to go any further."
"Mom!" Izuku shouted. "Please, don't-"
"Midoriya-san," Toshinori interjected, causing Izuku to quiet once more. "I understand your fears. However, I think you misunderstand what UA is trying to teach young Izuku."
Midoriya-san looked at him in surprise, eyes still shining with tears. "What?"
Toshinori bowed his head. "The kind of caution you speak of, the understanding and respect of one's limits, is precisely what he will learn at UA. His potential and ambition must be tempered, so that he knows how to achieve his goals with the capabilities he has, instead of pushing himself to grasp blindly in the dark. He has come a long way, and I doubt he is even capable of stopping, but without teachers to guide him he will spin off course. He must be fostered and cared for by those who acknowledge him so that he will learn to value himself as he is, rather than fighting for an unattainable dream."
"So, you think UA can help Izuku become a hero . . . while learning to value himself?" Midoriya- san asked.
Toshinori looked into her eyes, at the fragile hope shining from within, and nodded. Midoriya-san put a hand to her mouth, tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes. It was clear that she had seen how unhappy being quirkless had made Izuku, and how little he had thought of his own worth as a result. To know that his dream of being a hero wasn't a desperate leap at being enough, but rather an acknowledgement that he was enough, had to be a wonderful revelation for her.
"I have seen for myself that young Izuku is an exceptional child," Toshinori told her solemnly, "and I have faith that he will grow into an exceptional hero. A quirkless hero, who stands in defense and solidarity with those among us who hold the least power in our society. A hero for those who have no heroes, and a symbol for those even All Might cannot reach. That is a hero that the world needs."
Midoriya-san closed her eyes, forcing out a splash of shining tears that glimmered in the light. Toshinori had never been one to think the sight of anyone crying beautiful, but somehow the way her tears sparkled made her face seem all the more lovely.
Finally, Midoriya-san opened her eyes. "Give me the form," she said.
Toshinori took the consent form out of his jacket and passed it to her, along with a pen. She signed it as though she were signing away her soul and her firstborn both, quickly and before she could think any more about it. She slid the paper back to him and he took it and put it away, but then he reached out again across the table and let his hand rest halfway between them, fingers outstretched toward her. She looked at his hand, perplexed, then looked back up into his face, and in the thrall of her viridian gaze Toshinori found himself bold enough to say something completely out of line.
"If you'd like, I'll make regular visits to tell you about young Izuku's progress," he told her quietly. "Just because he won't be living with you doesn't mean you'll be left out of this process. I can keep you in the loop."
"I'd like that," she said, and the corners of her mouth tilted upwards.
She stared up at him, with her tiny little smile, and Toshinori felt as though he could drown in the way she was looking at him now. Then Izuku coughed slightly, and Midoriya-san turned back to
her son. He sat back down next to her and she pulled him into her arms, kissing the top of his head as he held her in return. Toshinori felt strangely cold watching them.
"I'll let the two of you discuss this further," he said, standing up. "Nonsense," said Midoriya-san firmly. "Finish your tea." Toshinori returned to his seat, feeling warmed through.
Eventually they all finished their tea, and there had been no coughing of blood, so there was no more reason for him to stay. Toshinori noticed he always coughed less in the Midoriya house, although whether it was the tea or something else he didn't know. He went to the door and put on his shoes, but turned to face her again once he was outside.
"Thank you, Yagi-san," she said quietly, and Toshinori's heart ached sweetly. "Of course, Midoriya-san," he said, nodding to her.
"Inko," she said suddenly.
"What?" he asked, caught off guard by the correction.
"It's Inko," she told him. "Please."
"Of course," he repeated, then bowed his head so he couldn't see her face. He had no idea what expression he was wearing, but it seemed imperative that he hide it from her. "And you can call me Toshinori."
"Thank you, Toshinori," she said.
Toshinori nodded mutely, then fled back to his car, leaving Inko alone with her son.