Chapter Summary: Izuku has something to get off his chest.

Izuku's feet were heavy when he managed to make it back to the door to his family's apartment. He had braved a smile for All Might and Nedzu as he waved goodbye, but the moment his back was turned towards them, a frown settled across his features for the remainder of his journey home. His mother's lunch was still in his hands, though while light in his grasp, it weighed even heavier on his heart.

Meeting All Might had been a dream for him. Then, when his idol offered him the chance to be mentored by him and gain his Quirk to become a hero, it was far beyond anything he could ever hope for. He could still recall how light his heart felt on his way back home as he played over All Might's words over and over again: "You can become a hero."

Then, it all came crashing down when he opened the door to his house and his mother crushed him in a hug. She had just arrived home and caught the news that he had been involved in a villain attack, her words overtaken by sobs as she held him close. All Izuku could do was hug her back and tell her that he was fine while she cried into his shoulder, his heart dropping as reality came crashing down on him.

It would be a stretch to say he told her everything going on in his life. She knew he wasn't popular at school and that he didn't have many friends, but she didn't know about the extent of the bullying. He had never wanted to worry her, not when she had bigger things to worry about, like her job and paying bills. Still, whenever she held onto him and checked him for any injuries, Izuku couldn't shake the way his heart clenched anytime he found himself biting his tongue.

'What's worse?' he thought, his stomach churning. 'Lying to my mom or betraying All Might's trust?'

Both were terrible, Izuku knew. Still, keeping All Might's secret was for the good of everyone, wasn't it? If word got out about his condition and the fact that he could pass on his Quirk, it would be disastrous. Still, he hated lying to his mother, and while he hadn't always been truthful, All Might's secret was far bigger than just a white lie about how his notebook ended up in such a state by claiming he had been clumsy. He wanted to tell her the truth, but at what cost?

By the time he reached the doorway to his apartment, he felt ill. His mother was inside, he knew, and she was definitely going to ask him why he was back so soon when he was usually gone for the full day with All Might. Would he have it in him to make another excuse?

'Don't think too hard about it,' Izuku told himself, 'just stay vague and you'll be fine.'

Then, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Just as he predicted, his mother was home, seated in the living room. She was reading a book, a romance novel, judging from the cover, with a coffee mug resting on a coaster on the table. Izuku quietly closed the door behind him in hopes that she was too engrossed in her novel to pay him any mind, but the moment the door clicked close, her eyes flitted up to glance at him. She did a double take and jumped, nearly dropping her book in the process before pressing it to her chest.

"Oh, Izuku!" she exclaimed, breathing in a bit sharply. His mother chuckled nervously and set her book down. "You startled me."

"Sorry," Izuku murmured, though he wondered just how much he was apologizing for when he said it.

Her expression shifted to worry. "You're back earlier than usual… Is everything alright?"

"I need to tell you something," Izuku blurted out. His hand slapped over his mouth the moment he said it and he stared straight ahead, unable to meet her gaze. Well, so much for staying vague.

"Did something happen?" his mother questioned. She was off the couch in an instant and she took his things from him, setting them aside to better inspect him. "Are you hurt? Was there another villain attack? Izuku, I told you to be more careful after what happened with the sludge villain—"

"I'm sorry," he repeated, cutting his mother off, "I'm sorry…"

The sludge villain. That had been what started it all. Now, he was stuck standing in his living room with a lie caught in his throat and the truth weighing heavy on his heart. Of course he had said yes to All Might's offer, why wouldn't he have? It was like a dream come true to him to become a protege to the man whose very existence inspired him to become a hero, too. There was nothing else for him to think about; not even his own mother. It didn't hit him until he felt her arms come around him when he got home that afternoon all those months ago that he had made such a big decision without her involvement. His eyes trailed down to the lunch that his mother had set aside and his hand clenched into a tight fist.

She brought a hand to his face, causing him to look at her worry-stricken face. "Izuku, what's the matter? You can tell me."

"I know," Izuku whispered, his voice ragged, "I know I can tell you… But… I don't know if I should ."

"Izuku, did someone hurt you?" she questioned. When he didn't answer, her grip on his shoulders tightened. "Did someone threaten to hurt you? Oh, Izuku, honey, please, don't hide something like this from me if it puts you in danger! We can go to the police and they'll—"

Izuku shook his head. "It's not that. No one… No one threatened me." It wasn't a lie; Kacchan had backed off from the most part and without him to lead the others, most of his peers left Izuku be. Still, even if they hadn't, it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. "I'm OK, Mom, I promise."

"Then what's wrong, sweetheart?" his mother asked.

He couldn't help but chuckle, albeit a bit humorlessly. "That's just it, Mom… nothing is really wrong. Everything is… great , actually." A frown settled onto his features and he looked away from her. "But you might not think so."

She squeezed his shoulders. "Let's take a seat, sweetheart."

Helpless to do otherwise, Izuku did as his mother suggested and took a seat beside her on the couch. He couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze and stared down at his hands that had grown so worn from his training. How long was he going to keep this from her? It was only going to get harder to do so the longer time went on and by the time he received All Might's Quirk, it was going to become practically, if not outright impossible. Still, he knew that All Might's safety would be put in jeopardy if he told her about his condition, which made things only more complicated.

"Izuku?" his mother asked, her voice gentle. When he managed to bring his gaze up to meet hers, her eyes were soft and he could feel his resolve start to shake. "Talk to me, honey."

Izuku swallowed. "You… You know how All Might saved me from the sludge villain all those months ago?"

"Of course I do," his mother replied, a laugh in her voice, "you were so excited when you came home. You even showed me his autograph."

He had, hadn't he? "Well… I… I actually got to talk to him after everything calmed down."

His mother's eyes widened. "Really? Izuku, that's wonderful, what did you two talk about?" Then, her face dropped. "Oh, no, honey, did something bad happen?"

"No!" Izuku exclaimed, far louder than he meant to. He looked down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry… No, nothing… nothing bad happened… The opposite, actually." He clasped his hands in front of him tightly. "I… I actually ran into him earlier that day. He saved me from the sludge villain while I was walking home alone."

"You mean that wasn't the first time you were attacked?!" his mother shouted. She grabbed a hold of his hands. "Izuku, why didn't you tell me?"

"It… was kinda the last thing on my mind, to be honest," he answered, though her grip didn't loosen, "I… I thought no one was going to save me and then… He saved me, Mom. And then I followed him and I got to talk to him, Mom. I told him I was Quirkless and that I wanted to be a hero one day, and he…" He swallowed hard. "He told me it was dangerous to be a Pro and that… without a Quirk, I couldn't be one."

His mother's knuckles turned white. "He said what to you?"

"It wasn't anything I didn't already know," Izuku replied, and the fury dropped from her face, "but… then, when I was walking home, I saw the sludge villain again and…" He hunched over, unable to meet her gaze. "It's my fault it got out again… I distracted All Might and the sludge villain got free because of me… And then it attacked Kacchan ."

"Oh, Izuku ," his mother lamented, "you didn't mean to—"

"I know I didn't," he interjected, his voice weak. His eyes began to sting and he clenched his fists with frustration. "I know I didn't mean to, but… Kacchan got attacked because of me and…" His vision began to blur. "And he looked so scared , Mom… I've never seen him like that . But none of the Pros could help because their Quirks weren't suited to help and I…" He choked out a sob. "I ran out before I knew what I was doing and I… I threw my notebag at it, but it did nothing . I could barely even slow it down ."

Izuku would never admit it to anyone, but he had multiple fantasies not unlike that fateful day. Kacchan, his childhood friend and tormentor, left prone in the hands of a villain while countless Pros were left helpless to stop him. He would imagine that his Quirklessness would grant him an advantage of sorts that allowed him to swoop in and knock the villain back, rescuing Kacchan from its clutches. He would be greeted by cheers from Pros and Kacchan would tearfully admit he had been wrong about him being a worthless Deku, making the world become much brighter than it had been before.

But that hadn't been what happened. If anything, all that fight with the sludge villain did was show just what a Deku he was in the first place.

"Then…" he croaked, sniffling a bit, "All Might came in… And it was just over . He saved me and Kacchan like it was nothing and…" His cheeks grew wet. "The Pros all yelled at me for being so reckless and Kacchan got told he was brave . One of them even asked if he would intern with him if he was going into the hero course."

"Idiots," his mother muttered, and Izuku was so startled he looked up at her to blink. She seemed to realize what she said and shook her head. "Sorry… It just bothers me that a child was attacked by a villain and their first thought was to ask him if he was going to become a hero . I thought Pros were supposed to be personable . None of them must have kids."

Izuku couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, you're not wrong about that."

His mother smiled, but then it faded. "Izuku, I'm so sorry that you were scared and that you had to see Katsuki like that… But please don't blame yourself for what happened." Her hand still clutched his. "There's no sense in going over the 'what if's and 'what might be's. You'll only drive yourself mad."

"I know," Izuku acknowledged, sniffling again, "but… that's not the only thing I wanted to tell you."

She blinked. "Did something else happen?"

"Yes," Izuku answered, and he felt her tense up, "but it's nothing bad , I promise." He faltered. "Well, actually… you might not agree, but…" He swallowed. "I ran into All Might again, after the villain was put into custody. I was walking home and then he stopped me to tell me that… I had been brave for doing what I did and that… That a true hero's feet carried them before they knew it and that…" His eyes grew misty and he knew his voice was about to break. "Seeing someone like me inspired him ."

His mother's breath hitched. "He said that?"

Izuku nodded and the tears started to run freely. "He told me that… that I could be a hero , Mom. And that he wanted to train me."

"He wanted to do what?! " she exclaimed. His mother grabbed him by the shoulders and stared deep into his teary eyes. "He wanted to train you?! Izuku, what was he—" She sputtered for a moment before she could bring herself to continue. "How is he supposed to train you?"

"That's… part of why I didn't tell you sooner," Izuku admitted, causing her to blink, "he… told me something about himself. Something that he doesn't want people to know. And I don't know how much I should tell you because it could be dangerous for him." He held up a hand to silence her. "It doesn't put me in danger, Mom. It's just… he's the Number One Hero . It's a huge secret."

Her gaze didn't lose its resolve. "What did he tell you?"

Izuku inhaled sharply. "Mom, I—"

"I know you don't want to betray his trust," she interjected, squeezing his shoulders a bit, "but I need to know what he told you, Izuku." She sighed. "Look, if there's a way for you to tell me without betraying his confidence, then that's alright. But if it puts you in danger—"

"It doesn't," he told her firmly.

"If it does," she stressed, holding him tightly, "then I would really rather know about it."

Izuku let out a deep breath. "Alright… I'll tell you about how he plans on training me since… Well, it was gonna be hard to hide it when…"

"When what?" she questioned.

"He's going to give me his Quirk," Izuku blurted out before he could stop himself.

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "What?!"

"Listen, it's hard to explain, but—" Izuku swallowed. "Apparently he inherited his Quirk from someone else and it's been passed down for generations. He said he wants to pass it down to me, Mom."

"How," his mother began, her voice small, "is that possible?"

"I have no idea," Izuku answered truthfully. When she stared him down, he frowned. "I really don't! He just told me that it got stronger with each person it was passed down to and that if I was going to inherit it, I needed to train for it."

Her stare didn't break. "Is that where you've been going? You've been training with him? "

Izuku looked down. "Yes… And all those meals I asked you to make for me were part of his diet plan."

"Izuku!" she breathed.

"I know!" he exclaimed. "Trust me, I know! I felt… horrible keeping it from you, but I didn't want to tell you because it wasn't my secret to tell!"

"Izuku," his mother repeated, and he didn't even have to look at her to know she was about to cry, "you can't keep something like this from me. Not something this big. You should have told me before you agreed to do anything like that."

"You weren't there to tell," Izuku said quietly.

"You're fourteen ," she stressed, and his heart ached at her tone, "you're so young to be making this sort of decision. Do you even know the full weight of what he has planned for you?"

Izuku finally brought himself to face her. "He made a training plan and has even asked for outside help to make sure that we're doing the best training for me possible." He unclasped his hands and brought them to the hands on his shoulders, slipping them off of him. Gently, he held her hands in between them both and looked her in the eye. "And all I know is… this is my only chance of becoming a hero."

"You don't know that—" she tried to say.

"You told me you wish things could be different for me!" he exclaimed, causing her to jump. "You said that you wished that things weren't… like this ." His eyes started to burn and he had to choke back a sob. "But now, they won't be. All Might is training me and…" He swallowed hard. "I know if I back out of it now, I'll always regret it."

He could already see his mother's resolve start to crack, even as she matched his stare. "You might get hurt."

"That's true regardless," he told her, and she bit her lower lip, "I'm always at risk of getting hurt, Mom. But, with his training and his Quirk… I'll actually be able to do something about it." He thought back to Kacchan, eyes wide as he tried desperately to scream while the sludge wrapped itself around him. "I know what it's like to feel helpless, Mom. That's why I want to make sure no one else feels that way, either."

His mother pursed her lips as tears sprang to her eyes. "Sweetheart… I'm so sorry that you were scared and I'm so sorry you couldn't help Katsuki when he was in danger." She pulled him into a hug and he buried himself in her embrace. "I just... I don't want you to feel less than, alright? I know how much All Might means to you, but I don't ever want you to think that him choosing you is the only thing that makes you special."

"I know," he replied, though he wasn't sure if he believed it. It was so easy to say that everyone was special in their own way and had a role to play in the world, but it was so much harder to believe it when everyone else seemed so much luckier. Kacchan had been blessed from birth and knew his worth; Izuku wasn't sure what his worth was at all.

"I know you want to do this," his mother continued, "and I know you want to be a hero… But I can't help but be worried for you Izuku." Her arms tightened around him. "But… I also know that this is a rare chance and that it means the world to you. And I know if I stop you, I might never forgive myself for it."

Izuku blinked and pulled away to look at her. "You mean…?"

"I want you to be safe ," she told him firmly, still holding him. Then, her gaze softened. "But I know you, Izuku. You're stubborn and where there's a will, there's a way. I'm sure that even without a Quirk, you would have found a way to try to be a hero." She offered up a warbly smile. "At least with All Might, you're less likely to go vigilante and end up getting arrested."

"You know, technically , the vigilante laws only apply to people with Quirks—" Izuku began.

"Izuku Midoriya," she cut in, and Izuku went still at her gaze.

"Sorry," he murmured, his eyes falling from hers.

His mother sighed. "I know how dangerous Pro Hero work is, Izuku… And I really want you to be safe." She squeezed his biceps gently. "But, I also want you to be happy . So… As long as you keep me in the loop and I know that you're alright… I'll help you."

"Help?" Izuku repeated.

She smiled at him. "You're going to need someone to keep you on task when All Might's not around, you know. He may be your mentor, but I'm your mother , Izuku."

Izuku brightened. "You mean you'll—"

"Yes," she cut in, making him Izuku beam. Then, she held up a hand. "But, no more secrets! I know you don't want to betray All Might's trust, but I'm your mother. I have a right to know what's going on with my son. If the Symbol of Peace has a problem with that, tell him to take it up with me ."

Izuku snorted at the image of his 5'3'' mother scolding All Might, who easily had two feet on her. "I'll be sure to."

"I'm not kidding!" she stressed, and he couldn't help but snicker. "Izuku, I'm serious , if that man tries anything , I will not hesitate to give him a talking to! I don't care if he's the Number One Hero, he's still a man ."

"OK, Mom," he laughed, though he tried to cover it with a hand, "I promise I'll send you his way if he does anything, alright?"

Her expression softened. "So… has he given you his Quirk yet?"

"No," Izuku answered, "he hasn't. He wants to make sure my body can handle it before he does."

She blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It gets stronger each time it's passed down," Izuku reminded her, "and he's had it for a long time, so when he passes it down to me, it's probably going to be stronger than it was when he got it."

"Oh, dear," his mother said, "that… is a bit worrisome, Izuku."

"That's why he's been training me these past couple months," Izuku told her, though her expression didn't change, "and he's seeking out help to make sure that I'm getting the right amount of training so I can handle it when I do."

"Do they know that he's going to pass it down to you?" she asked.

Izuku shook his head. "No. They just think I'm a late bloomer whose Quirk didn't manifest until now and the reason I can't use it is because my body didn't develop with a Quirk." When she stared at him, he held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not the one who came up with it! I just went along with what he said! That's what he said we should say when I try out for U.A."

His mother's eyes practically bugged out of her head. "You're trying out for U.A.?!"

"Uh…" Izuku drawled out. He awkwardly shook his hands in what he hoped came across as a festive manner. "Surprise?"

"Oh my, God," his mother whispered, her eyes still wide, "oh my, God, you're trying out for the same school as Katsuki."

Izuku faltered a bit. "Yeah… I am, aren't I?"

"Izuku, if you're going to get into U.A., you're gonna have to work really hard to get there," she told him. Then, a determined look settled across his mother's face that rivalled that of All Might's. "That's why I'm going to help you as best I can."

He blinked. "Wait… really? How?"

"Give me All Might's meal plan," she told him, "and whatever exercises he has planned for you when you're not training together. I'm going to make sure you aren't overworking yourself so that you're ready for when you test for U.A." She squeezed his arms again. "You are going to get into that school, Izuku. I'll help make sure of it."

Izuku chuckled. "Geez, Mom, I didn't know you could be so intense."

"Where do you think you get it from?" she teased, reaching over to tickle his chin and make him laugh. As soon as he settled down, she pulled him into another hug, holding him close to her. "I just want you to know that you're not alone in this, Izuku. You never are, not as long as I'm here. And you can always come to me about anything. Alright?"

The twisted scar that marred All Might's torso jumped to the forefront of Izuku's mind. He hated that he didn't tell her about it, but he figured that would be too much of a risk on top of everything else he told her. Instead, he opted to hold her closer.

"Alright," he answered finally, burying his face in her shoulder.

Then, she pulled back to look at him. "So… Where exactly have you been going to train?"

Izuku offered her a smile. "Want me to show you after lunch?"

Inko wasn't sure what she was expecting when Izuku took her down to the Takoba Municipal Beach Park, but it certainly wasn't heaps of trash. She stared in absolute wonder at the sheer amount of junk that littered the sands and stopped to wonder just how long this had been going on for it to have gotten to this point. How had no one done anything about it sooner?

"You weren't kidding about it being a trash heap," she said finally, not taking her eyes off the beach.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh a bit as she stared at the littered sand. "All Might says that heroes' origins lie in doing volunteer work and community service. He wanted me to clear up this section of the beach to restore the horizon."

Inko turned towards him. "He's not asking you to do the whole thing?"

"No," Izuku answered, gesturing down to the rest of the beach, "he said it would be too much work before the exam. He doesn't want to push me beyond my limits."

"Well, that's good, at least," she told him. Inko grimaced when she took a step and heard glass shift. "Heavens above, this place is a mess! Who's in charge of cleaning this place?"

Izuku shrugged. "I dunno. But, at least I'll be able to clear some of it when I'm down here with All Might. It might not be much, but it'll be better than nothing."

"Well, I wish there were more people who were willing to help," Inko admitted, staring down at the beach. She looked at the piles and piles of trash with a heavy heart. "Sometimes I wonder if there's any good people left in the world."

Then, her son gave her a smile, that same smile that seemed to brighten even her hardest days. At first, she simply thought his smile to be a reflection of his love for All Might, but now that he was older, she knew better than that. While All Might's smile may have been as bright as the sun, her son's smile was her North Star and source of light in its own right, completely original.

"Of course there are good people in the world," he said, still smiling softly. Then, he turned to the horizon before them both, watching as the sun began to dip down. "We just have to be them, is all."

Inko's hand went to her heart without thought as she looked at him. He seemed to be off in his own world, and for a moment, she wondered what he saw through those eyes of his. Instead of voicing her question, though, she simply smiled.

'You picked a good one, All Might,' she thought, watching her son, 'you better take good care of him.'

Then, Izuku turned back to her and blinked. "Mom, are you crying? "

Inko touched her cheek and was greeted with wetness. "Maybe a bit."

"Aw, Mom ." He walked over and slipped an arm around her shoulder. "C'mon, don't do that, you'll start making me cry, too."

She chuckled and wiped away a tear. "Can't help it. I'm just… really proud of what you're doing, you know?"

"What we're doing," he told her, and she blinked, "you said I wasn't doing this alone, remember? You're a part of this now, too, Mom." Izuku laid his head on her shoulder. "Though, I don't know if All Might is gonna be cool with you picking up anything from my section, so if you pick anything up, maybe stay out of there.

Inko laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him closer. "I'll be sure to, Izuku."

Izuku pulled away from her. "Are you ready to head back to the house? It's getting kinda hot and I'm pretty sure All Might will get mad if I do anything after he gave me the day off."

"Sounds like a plan," Inko replied. She gave his arm a squeeze and started leading him back to the steps. As the both of them started their way back to the house, Izuku's words kept replaying in her mind and her eyes threatened to turn misty again.

'There are good people in this world,' she thought, 'you're proof of that, Izuku. That's why he chose you.'

A/N: Y'all know I couldn't leave Inko completely out of the loop here. I mean, this is her boy we're talking about. Deku may be All Might's boy, but Inko had him first, so she gets One For All privileges.

And no, I didn't have Izuku tell her about All Might's condition because I still wanted some drama.