I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.


Mineta didn't know when, but he passed out for the rest of the forest lodge attack. The pain from his arm and the exhaustion must've caught up to him all at once. Because the next time he woke up, he was in a hospital bed. His right arm was in a cast, which made Mineta glad they didn't just heal it willy-nilly. But past that momentary relief, he began worrying over the results of last night's attack.

Were they successful in rescuing Bakugou?

And unluckily for him, Tsuyu and Shouji was the bearer of bad news when they came to visit.

Despite giving defeating a few of the Villains, Bakugou was captured by the League. Shouji described the event in horrifying detail, saying how one Villain appeared before the chaos and done the deed. And upon pursuing them, the remaining Villains eventually slipped away through a wall of black smoke. To make matters worse, Ragdoll of the Pussycats had also gone missing. The only evidence she left behind at her last known location was a massive blood stain. Even the supposed 'silver lining' was particularly bleak…

While 1A and 1B suffered no deaths, more than half of them were in critical condition. The rest simply suffered injuries of varying severities. Many were placed in intensive care, Hagakure and Jirou among them, having breathed in dangerous amounts of poisonous gas. Others like Yaoyorozu and Mineta himself had to stay overnight to allow their wounds to finish healing.

And then there was Midoriya.

According to Tsuyu, he wasn't in intensive care. But the damage his arms sustained had left him in surgery for a long while. It was worrying, not knowing what the diagnosis was or what treatment was used. But soon enough, news of Midoriya's status came through. His limbs were successfully stitched back together…

However, there were going to be complications.

"But is Midoriya out?" Mineta asked, slowly getting up from his cot.

"He is, since two hours ago." Shouji answered. Mineta was about to stand up before Tsuyu placed a hand on his chest, gently pushing him back onto the bed.

"Could you at least wait until a Doctor comes and check on you? Please?" She asked. Mineta wanted to resist… But he knew Tsuyu was right. For one thing, he wanted to make sure they knew about his right arm's complication. And then there was the fact that he still had an IV in him, something Mineta shouldn't carelessly interact with.

Tsuyu looked to Shouji and he got up with a nod, walking out for a moment. And not even two minutes later, he came back with someone. Given how this hospital had 40 students to look after, the medical staff were most definitely on high alert. The Doctor performed a standard examination before presenting Mineta his treatment options. And of course, they reassured him that they were aware of his condition and were capable of working around it.

"Okay, I'll get it healed in a bit. I've got a friend to visit first." Mineta replied as the Doctor removed the IV in his arm.

"Just try not to do anything that'll make your arm worse. Had a patient who did that…" The Doctor said before leaving the room. Mineta got out of bed and began making his way to the door, Tsuyu and Shouji following after him.

"If I remember correctly, Midoriya's room is at the end of the hall on the left." Shouji said, looking at the different room tags. Most of them belonged to someone from 1B while the others had someone from 1A in them. This made Mineta wonder how their peers were handling their first Villain attack. It took Mineta encouragement from Tsuyu and Midoriya to finally cope with the USJ attack. Here's hoping 1B is stronger than he was…

"Here we are. You ready, Mineta-chan?" Tsuyu asked, putting a hand on the door's handle.

"Not really…" Mineta replied, weakly shaking his head. The shorter boy's eyes and back told a different story however, showing the true courage buried deep within. "But he's my partner and I have to be there."

The amphibious girl nodded as she began sliding the door open. Only for her to stop when a particularly loud sob from within caused all three of them to stumble. Who was already here? But when the shorter boy heard the voice cry out Midoriya's first name, he charged in. And as he expected, at his partner's bedside, sitting on a stool, was a short chubby woman with forest green hair that just went past her shoulders.

"Mrs. Midoriya?" Mineta asked, approaching the woman. The woman perked up and turned around, the same vibrant green eyes of Midoriya Izuku making eye contact with him. Yep, this was his partner's Mom, Midoriya Inko.

"Minoru..." She said quietly.

"Hi Mrs. Midoriya… Um…" Mineta began but soon couldn't find the words to say. What could even be said about any of this? Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't stop your son from being hospitalized! But at least he's alive! Yeah, that'd cheer Inko up real well. But in all seriousness, the shorter boy was knee deep in a corner.

"Hello Mrs. Midoriya, we're Mineta-chan and Midoriya-chan's classmates. I'm Asui Tsuyu and this is Shouji Mezo." Tsuyu quickly interjected, stepping forward with her hand out. Inko, though surprised, took the amphibious girl's hand with both of hers and gave a gentle shake.

"Oh! It's nice to meet you. Let's see… You're the frog-like one, yes? Izuku often talks so much about your class that it makes my head spin." Inko replied with a gentle smile. Tsuyu returned the smile and nodded, finally understanding where Midoriya's radiance came from.

"Even his Mother can barely keep up; Midoriya's mumblings are truly something fierce." Shouji commented with a contemplative hum. Inko simply nodded to that, looking to her sleeping son with melancholic pride. The uncomfortable silence slowly filled the air again as Mineta began to panic. He looked over to Tsuyu and Shouji, but they simply stared back in uncertainty.

And the look in their eye said it all.

"You need to talk to her. We don't know her like you do."

"Don't leave me here!" Mineta mouthed. Tsuyu, unfortunately, shook her head as Shouji began addressing Inko, catching the woman's attention.

"I know we just met, but Asui and I need to check on our other friends. Apologies." He said before lowering his head

"No, no, it's okay, you don't have to apologize. With all that's happened, I'm sure you'd want to make sure your friends are recovering. Minoru and I will keep an eye on Izuku, so you can go ahead." Inko replied, frantically waving her hands in front of her. Tsuyu and Shouji bowed before leaving, casting a silent look of 'good luck' to a fearful Mineta.

The door was closed shut, leaving Midoriya's Mom and partner to sort things out.

"You have wonderful classmates, it's no wonder Izuku's always so excited to go to school." Inko commented happily, slowly running her fingers through Midoriya's hair.

"Yeah… Even for normal school stuff, Midoriya's gets into it with all his heart..." Mineta replied as he approached. He stood next to the gentle Mother and looked at his partner's face. And though he seemed to be sleeping in peace, Mineta could tell that was far from the case. The rings around his eyes, the brief flashes of despair on his lips, the way his arms twitched despite the thick casts around them…

He was no doubt reliving yesterday's attack… And the failure of preventing Bakugou's capture…

"How is he?" Mineta asked, not sure if he wanted to hear it.

"Izuku okay, but could be better. He woke up once. But it was like he wasn't here and then just went back to sleep. He has a high fever… And his arms… Minoru, what happened? One minute, Izuku's living his dream. The next, this…" Inko asked, the joy in her face disappearing.

Mineta clenched his uninjured fist. The answer to that question was so simple… And yet everything surrounding it wasn't. Even without One for All's legacy in the mix, this has just been one disaster after another. What was the League of Villains trying accomplish by terrorizing them? Why kidnap Bakugou? Why must their lives be like this RIGHT NOW?

"I don't know. We were just, training and having fun like any other forest lodge trip. But suddenly, we were fighting for our lives… This Villain we fought, he was just too strong… We had to break so many things just to beat him… I actually thought we were going to die…" Mineta replied, a shiver ripping through his body. He couldn't help but allow the battle with Muscular to resurface in his mind. And though it only happened yesterday…

The memory already felt worse than it really was.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help Midoriya more… I failed as his friend…" Mineta said, tears pouring from his face. Inko said nothing. Instead she pulled the shorter boy into a hug, her warmth warding away the cold he felt from within. And, like all the other times he received a hug from her, Mineta simply settled into it. He didn't know why, but he always liked her hugs. There was something about it that soothed a mysterious yearning from within Mineta.

Another subject to meditate on perhaps?

"Don't say that… Ever since the day you two met, Izuku became so much happier. He always smiled whenever he tells me about the adventures he had with you. And whenever you both talk about Heroes, the air felt so much lighter than when Izuku did it alone. Even when you and Izuku got all beaten up, you went with his lies so I wouldn't worry…" Inko said. Her voice's rhythm was like a calm tide, it began washing away Mineta's doubts.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Midoriya…" He muttered into her shoulder. The shorter boy always suspected Inko knew when they were lying. But like Midoriya, she kept her feelings on it to herself. To her, all that mattered was the fact that Mineta was still there for her son.

"It's okay; I was just happy that Izuku found someone who supported him, like a brother he never had. Do you know how much I cried when you two fought in the Sports Festival?" Inko asked, breaking the hug but kept her hands on Mineta's shoulders. The shorter boy allowed a smirk to break through the heavy atmosphere. If there was one thing that continues to baffle Mineta, it was the Midoriya's family intense crying.

"I imagine the apartment below complained about a leak?"

"How could they not? My son and his best friend were proving why they're the next greatest Hero duo. The way you both moved, the way you ended the fight, the way Izuku revealed the secret of his shoes… I'm ashamed to say, but that was the first time I believed you both could become Heroes." Inko answered, remorse shadowing her face. But before Mineta could reach out with a hand of reassurance, the mother turned away and gazed upon her son again.

The shadow had that ate away at Inko's hope turned to doubt.

"But now, I'm not so sure anymore…" Inko muttered, her hand carefully resting on Midoriya's cast. Mineta clenched his teeth as he knew where she was going. And how could he not? He and Midoriya had these suffered these doubts before, but had others to pull them out. Inko does not. Combined with her natural concern as a mother, Inko was suffering a more potent version of that familiar pain.

"I know getting hurt is part of being a Hero. I know that being one is both of your dreams. I know how hard you both worked to get this far… And yet I can't let either you or Izuku go on like this. UA's been attacked twice! Katsuki's been kidnapped and more than half of your peers were hospitalized! How can I, as parent, ignore any of this?" Inko asked as tears fell from her face.

"… I guess you can't. Did Dad feel the same way?" Mineta answered, unable to find a point to argue.

"Your father shared the same sentiments… But he also said something that I have mixed feelings about. 'You can't free statues without damage to the marble'." Inko quoted, the words obviously hanging on her mind. And as Mineta thought about his Dad's words, he realized the angle he wanted his son to take. So with a deep breath, he engaged in his most difficult conversation yet.

"You know he's right... Life is a road full of ordeals great, small, and all too often unexpected. We won't always be in a safe situation. We will get hurt at some point… And UA's not the only place where that'll happen." Mineta replied, taking the figurative step forward. The woman physically became more tense, but not in a nervous way. The anger and distress she kept hidden since the USJ attack was no doubt coming to a boil.

"I know that... And I know I'm trying to hold back the inevitable… But I also never wanted to see either of you lay broken like this so soon. All of you should've graduated first before having to deal with these awful things. At least by then, I know you'll be capable of handling yourselves…" Inko replied, the hand that laid on Midoriya's cast tightened its grip a little. It was as though she thought her son would slip through her fingers.

"… Given what happened, I get why you feel we're not ready to handle the world yet. We were thrown into trouble when we were least expecting it, almost dying in the process. I won't lie; it's something we could've gone without." Mineta said.

He thought back to those fights for survival they all went through. USJ, Hosu, the forest lodge… The Villains either outnumbered them or were well above their skill level. By all accounts, they should've been dead several times over. Yet, here they were. And Mineta knew what it was that got them here.

"But?" Inko asked, looking over to the shorter boy. She must've sensed where he was going for it, but wanted to hear it from Mineta's own mouth.

"When you say 'we should've graduated before dealing with this', it's implying that we're not ready now. But that's far from the truth. UA's teachers, despite what you think of them now, taught us a lot in the short time we were there. We learned how to fight… How to approach a rescue… How to use our wits on the fly… The Sports Festival should've showed you just how capable we are." Mineta answered, meeting the woman's gaze head on.

"Yes, the Sports Festival was amazing, you and Izuku especially… And I cannot begin to understand the kind of training that allowed you all to do what you did. However, there is one thing I must know…" Inko began. She then began gestures around her hands, like she was wrapping something around them. And immediately Mineta began coming up with a response.

"Why does Izuku always have bandages on him? He even had them when he fought you. Are UA's medical services inadequate? Or is your training so intense that they can't treat everything at once? Either way, it makes me think UA doesn't have the students' safety in mind."

"… It does get pretty crazy. Since we're allowed to use our Quirks, we tend to get banged up when we spar. Midoriya especially, considering he only just got his Quirk… But that's just another unavoidable part of being a Hero." Mineta admitted, looping back to his first argument. Inko let out a sigh of frustration, ruffling her hair as she turned her eyes to the floor. And as the shorter boy waited, he began thinking about things from her point of view.

Inko knows she's in a losing argument. She knows there're too many counterpoints to the problems she has with UA. But just because she is wrong about her perspective doesn't mean she FEELS wrong about it. She could've lost her son twice, three times if Stain somehow didn't deem Midoriya worthy of being a Hero. Had Mineta never learned the things he had, he would've been on her side.

But he wasn't.

"Mrs. Midoriya… I know you want to keep him safe. Before I was there for him, it was you who protected Midoriya from everything. And no matter how old he gets, he'll always be your little Izuku. But sometimes, you need to let him walk before he could run." Mineta said, reaching over to Inko again.

"That's what I'm terrified of… He's already too far out of my reach. The Quirk he miraculously developed destroys his body whenever he uses it. That's not something I can fix by putting some ointment on and tucking him into bed. And that fight with your red haired classmate... Izuku was destroying his fists and people cheered... I wanted to find a way to stop the fight, but that's not a call I could make."

Mineta frowned as his mind went back to Midoriya's brawl with Kirishima. The first thing he thought of wasn't the wild cheers or the exciting countdown… Instead, that honor went to Shinso's 'comment' on the fight. While Shinso said he personally didn't believe the slander he spouts, that doesn't mean some parts of it wasn't true.

And with Inko's confession, Mineta had to acknowledge that one comment he made. A lot of blood was shed during Midoriya and Kirishima's fight.

"Call me a helicopter parent… But I'm struggling to keep up with Izuku's growth. I should be proud, my boy finally found his wings. He's flying like he always wanted to, like the rest of you, like All Might… And yet, whenever I see him now, I can't help but wonder if he'll one day fly too close to the sun and fall. And I don't know if can catch him this time…" Inko said, tears pooling in her eyes again. Mineta allowed the poor mother to let out the tears, knowing just how bad it could get keeping it in.

But now, he finally found something he could use to win Inko over.

"I don't think you're giving your son enough credit Mrs. Midoriya. He's flying just fine. After all, he's right here… Your son is still here." Mineta said, looking over to his partner. He didn't have to look at Inko to feel her surprise. She was both gasping out an answer and keeping her tears in check. But soon enough, she entered a contemplative silence, like how Mineta does whenever Fenghuang said something wise and powerful.

And it would be best to let her consider her next response.

"Of course… I know that… I know…" Inko began, her voice barely keeping stable. Mineta turned to her and she was holding Midoriya's cast like she was clinging to a life line.

"But I'm stuck… Stuck with this sinking feeling that whatever power he has might not be enough next time. What if he's thrown against all the evil in the world? What if he's too weak to stand against them?"

"Then he won't stand alone… He has his teachers. He has his friends. He has me."

Before Inko could even breakdown, the two heard mumbling from Midoriya. They immediately snapped to the green haired boy, trying to see any signs of lucidity. But as words slipped out of his mouth, barely audible, Mineta could tell his partner was still unconscious. However, he was no doubt dreaming of things to come…

"Mineta-kun… Let's go… Kacchan's waiting… Everyone's… Waiting…"

Now that did it. Inko buried her face into her hands as a loud sob escaped her throat. Mineta placed a hand on her arm, putting the weight of his emotions into it. And for the longest time, there they were. Inko tried to speak again, but it mostly ended up being washed out by her sorrows. But like her son, she fought it to ensure her voice, her heart, was heard. Not for Mineta's sake, but for her own.

"You're right… Izuku's not alone anymore… You, Asui-chan, Shouji-kun, your classmates in 1A… He's got so many friends to rely on now..."

"That's why you don't have to worry so much... If Midoriya falls, we'll be right there to catch him. I mean, they've already done it for me." Mineta said, his mind going back to the moment 1A stepped in to fight Fenghuang. Inko wiped away at her tears, turning to face the shorter boy again. Some of her heart had been restored, which was better than what Mineta hoped for.

"Then I'll allow Izuku to continue attending UA and put my faith in the friends you've made… Though could you promise me one thing?" Inko said, her determination matching Mineta's.

"Anything."

"Could you make sure Izuku doesn't get in over his head? That's how he always gets hurt… Rushing in to protect people without hesitation…" Inko replied, looking over to her sleeping son again. Mineta pursed his lips, wondering if he could keep that promise longer than a few days. He knew his partner's heart stopped him from abandoning people in trouble.

But Midoriya never actually sought out trouble to resolve. He's only ever dealt with whatever's before him and just that. Even cases like Stain could be reasonable fitted into this.

"… It'll be hard, but I'll do my best. I'll bring him back home like I always." Mineta answered with a nod. Inko smiled, her newfound faith pouring into the shorter boy. Honestly, it was difficult not to cave to this new pressure. This was, after all, going to take Herculean effort to accomplish… But for the sake of Inko, Midoriya, and the dreams they all held, Mineta was going to fight tooth and nail to protect them.

"I'm counting on you."


And that has been Chapter 75!

Here she is, Mama Midoriya Inko! She always has been an important part of Izuku's development. However, since I set it to Mineta's perspective, we haven't seen her in person until now. And with the way I built Izuku and Mineta's relationship, she could confide in him about all the anxieties that plague her about sending her son to UA. How did I do on that by the way? I'll be looking forward to you questions, comments, and concerns about how I handled this section.

I don't have any other news, so I'm going to get right to the preview... Next time, disaster between two friends... Doesn't my opinion mean anything to you?

With all that said...

Until Next Time. T1.