'I never thought I'd be back here. Hi... dad.' Izuku stood on the rooftop of the hospital his late father used to work at. The wind blowed in his hair as he stared at nothing. It took a surprising amount of effort for him to fly all the way up to the roof, something that was child's play for him when he had his full power. But getting up there was the easy part, now he has to face his demons.

He didn't pray. He didn't know what to say to his old man. After all the years of promising to be a hero, he becomes the worst terror this country has ever known. He can't face him, in this life or the next. But he should at least be commended for choosing to come to his place to mourn Hisashi. After several minutes of motionlessness and no interruptions, Izuku jumped down. He wasn't at all tempted to fall to his death, as he abruptly stopped himself just above the ground.

"You know, we could've taken the stairs." Midni- no, Nemuri Kayama said, dressed in civilian attire. She was chaperoning Izuku on his visit to one of the mental patients at this hospital. How could she not? She read his notebook and saw that the only memories of having a mother figure came from Rei. He needed this. Also, she woke up and found him sitting against the foot of her bed while reading half a dozen books. Apparently, a nightmare woke him up and he refused to go into detail. Yeah, he needed this desperately.

Izuku and Nemuri walked through the hospital lobby to the front desk. While Izuku's face didn't show much emotion, his heart was pounding. He was going to get to see Rei after all this time. That's exactly what he's afraid of.

Rei's Hospital Room

The time of the Green Devil had profound effects. People couldn't just accept he's dead and move on. The terror and panic he spread was jarring, so much so that it caused many mental patients to regress. Years of progress came undone, some even had to be put in straight jackets. Not to mention a flood of new patients to deal with. But of all these mentally broken souls, one had regressed the least: Rei Todoroki.

The ice woman was in a state of depression and emptiness. Her eyes had a hollow look to them, and she barely said a word to anyone for days. She didn't eat unless prompted, sometimes she didn't sleep and just stared at the ceiling or out the window for hours. Whenever the doctors asked her what was wrong, she would only say, "Zu". He was on her mind 24/7. She had been missing and worrying about him for months, ever since he disappeared after Teleki injured her.

The day she found him, he was already injured and alone. She shuddered to think about what could've happened to him. It's not as though she didn't care about her other kids, she just knew they were okay. If Endeavor is half the great hero he claims to be, he made sure they were kept safe in his agency. But Zu didn't have that protection. He didn't even have a family. Matter of fact, his family is the reason he needed protecting. And when the situation got so dire that citizens were put into shelters, her mind came to the worst.

She believed Zu was dead. It was like Toya all over again. That loss shattered her mind. In the case of another, she doesn't believe she can recover.

knock knock*

Rei didn't move a muscle as her door was opened and her nurse walked in. "Rei? You've got a visitor." A visitor? Probably Fuyumi or Natsuo. Perhaps even Shoto, despite not seeing him since she burned him. These thoughts did nothing to invigorate her as she slowly turned her baggy eyes to the door.

"Hi... Rei." a familiar voice said. Rei could've sworn her heart stopped beating at that. She turned her head at break-neck speed. Her eyes widened, and light returned to them when she saw who was standing in her doorway. The green and black hair, the freckles, some new scars, those emerald green eyes. She didn't even hear his slow footsteps into her room, too busy internally praying for this not to be a dream.

Izuku was more nervous than he expected, and the look of shock on Rei's face didn't help. He balled his hands into fists at his sides and looked down at his feet. "I, uh, there's a lot I want to-" Izuku was cut off by a body slamming into him.

In the blink of an eye, Rei went from sitting on the bed to almost tackling Izuku in a tight hug. She did it because it was the only way to confirm he was really there. And when she felt his warmth, she realized it was real and cried into his shoulder. The woman released choked sobs, and held Izuku tighter, afraid that if she let go she would lose him again. Izuku slowly raised his arms to wrap around her back. He released a single tear himself.

"Let's give them some time." Nemuri said while closing the door. Thankfully, neither Izuku nor Rei noticed her. The nurse, however, had a daunting question she needed answered. "Was that Midoriya's son?" she asked the purple-haired woman. Midnight scratched her cheek. "There's a lot to unpack, and I can only share so much."

A Few Minutes Later

Rei was still crying and holding onto Izuku tightly. She eventually pulled back, and Izuku saw her face desecrated by tears. It was heartbreaking. "Z-Zu..." she had a small hiccup after saying his fake name, reminding Izuku what he was here for. "I-I've been... so worried!"

Izuku reached up a hand to wipe the tears from her left eye, and Rei saw the countless scars covering his hand and fingers. She noticed his other hand was in the same state. It scared her to see the boy so wounded, and she couldn't help but grab his hands and inspect them herself. They felt more bumpy and crooked than any other pair of hands she's felt, and she noticed something metalic beneath his sleeves.

Izuku pulled them back and showed her his inhibitor gauntlets. "These were made because my quirk is too strong." he said, confusing Rei. Back then, he gave her the story that he was picked on for being weak. Her confusion turned into shock when a green flame appeared in his right hand.

"Rei... We need to talk."

Another Few Minutes Later

Izuku explained everything. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Nothing vague, just clear and direct. His quirk, his family's identities, his origin, how he became the Green Devil. Why her getting hurt was his fault. Rei was completely silent as he gave her his life's story, including its "end". "-And now, I'm living at U.A. in some kind of rehabilitation program."

It is done. Izuku told her everything, and he couldn't bear to look at Rei's face. It was his nightmare come to life. Once he told her everything, all the lives he took, the destruction he wrought, what reasonable human being wouldn't come to hate him? "For what it's worth," Izuku stood up and turned to the door. "I'm sorry for everything." As he walked, a single tear escaped him. He didn't know why he was crying. He had been preparing himself for this and he knew how it would end. With Rei never wanting to see him again, except unlike his last mom, it was fair.

Before he reached the door, a pair of hands grasped his wrist and stopped him. He looked back, and saw Rei looking down and with her hair covering her eyes. "How is it there?" she asked, confusing Izuku. His stunned silence prompted her to ask again. "U.A., are they... treating you well? Not screaming at you, not threatening you, n-not hurting y-you..." Rei's voice trembled at the end, and fresh tears ran down her cheeks and past her quivering lips. Izuku's heart clenched when Rei looked him in the eye, hers flooded with tears.

"Izuku..." Rei said his real name for the first time, and it felt better than Izuku imagined it would. "B-Before you came, I-I was alone and miserable. I wasn't well enough to see my kids. B-But when I met you, things got so much better. A-And when you left... At some point, I thought, *sniff* I-I thought you died... It killed me inside, t-the thought of l-losing another son..."

The greenette's eyes began filling with water at that, but Rei wasn't done yet. "I don't hate you... H-How could I for terrible things you never w-wanted to do? Y-You reached your breakdown, y-you did things you can't move on from. I-I'm the last person who could hate you for that. Just please... don't leave me again!"

Izuku was at a loss for words. He had just confessed to being the mass murder responsible for a lot of her recent stress. Yet, despite that, all Rei cared about was... if he was in a better place than what molded him into a monster. His wellbeing was her primary concern. In an emotional response, Izuku wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his head in the crook of her neck and crying into her shoulder. It was the most he's cried in a long time. "I won't... I promise...! I'm sorry!"

...

After several minutes of crying and hugging, the two of them needed to get on a more positive topic. Izuku went into detail about whatever positives he could think of. He talked about how his time in prison wasn't nearly as bad as middle school. The heroes looking after him, him getting an education, he's still adjusting to it all but it's all exponentially better than his life before. Rei was much happier to hear that. For the first time in ages, the two of them had smiles on their faces.

Eventually, the weight of their respective burdens was lightened to the degree that they noticed how tired they truly were. They had been deprived of sleep for similar reasons. Fortunately, there was a bed.

knock knock*

"Rei?" the nurse asked as she came back in the room. "Izuku?" Nemuri asked, following the nurse closely. The two of them were rendered silent by the first thing they saw. Izuku and Rei fast asleep in her bed. The white-haired woman held Izuku closely to her, an arm over his abdomen and the other under his neck and a hand cradling his soft, fluffy hair. Izuku had both arms around Rei's back and waist. The two of them looked so at peace.

It was worth noting to Midnight that his jacket was off and the scars on his arms were on display, as well as his inhibitor gauntlets. She could only smile and wipe the tears from her eyes at the heartwarming sight. She and the nurse decided to give them a bit more time.

...

"And he's missed curfew." Mirko grumbled. It was just her in the house-sized dorm room. Hawks was with Lady Nagant to keep her from murdering Snipe as she was informed of her duties as a teacher. Mt Lady was out using her quirk to help a construction crew with moving heavy materials. The Urarakas, or something? Midnight was supposed to be responsible for getting Izuku home, but she was running late. "Ah well, I was gettin bored anyway." Mirko stretched before bouncing out of the building.

She decided not to go in her hero outfit as that would attract unwanted attention. She was going to a psychiatric hospital ward, not a hero convention. She called Midnight on the way, and the purple-haired woman sounded slightly worried.

...

And that's what led two pros and a nurse staring at Izuku and Rei sleeping together. "You seriously can't get them apart?" Mirko deadpanned. "We tried." Midnight said with a pout. "I'll go see if we have a crowbar." the nurse said as she left.

Mirko shook her head. All of this because Midnight didn't have the heart to pull Izuku away from his mother figure. 'You're so weak.' Mirko thought as she reached out a hand to grab Izuku's shoulder. However, the instant she made direct contact with the boy...

Fwoosh!*

"Urgh!" Mirko pulled her hand back before it was engulfed in green fire. "Seriously!?" She tried again, but the flames rose before she could even make contact that time. She repeated this process of trying to grab him and wake him up, still with no success. Eventually, Mirko agitated Izuku enough that his flames didn't dissipate. The room temperature spiked to a dangerous degree.

"God dammit! Get the fire extinguisher!" Mirko shouted.

Before the room could burn down, Rei groaned at the rising heat and peaked her eyes open. She moved her hand into the emerald blaze and didn't even flinch. Her frost-covered hand put out the flames on Izuku's back with a hiss, and the boy opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Rei smiling at him. "You're guardians are here." Rei said, and Izuku turned over to see Midnight and Mirko's surprised faces.

'We fought tooth and nail to stop him, but Ice Queen here does it in just one touch!' Mirko thought in shock.

Izuku stretched as he got out of bed, already missing Rei's presence. The same went for her as she missed Izuku's warmth. "Alright, I got the crowbar." the nurse said as she walked back into the room and saw the greenette and white-haired woman finally separated. "Oh, nevermind."

Mirko and Midnight moved that it was time to take Izuku back to U.A., and walked out the door with a goodbye to Rei. Izuku wordlessly put his jacket back on and followed them. Before reaching the door, Rei hugged him from behind, her forehead resting on his shoulder and her arms over his chest. Izuku melted into the touch and placed his hands on her forearms.

"Come back, okay?" Rei pleaded. "I will, I promise. I'll never abandon you again."

After shedding a few more tears, Rei let go of Izuku, and he walked out of the room. Before turning the corner, he had some parting words. He looked back at her over his shoulder with a small smile.

"Bye, Mom."

Rei's eyes widened, and her mouth gaped slightly. Izuku left with a small wave, and the white-haired mother sat down on her bed as his words echoed in her brain.

Outside the hospital

"Never woulda thought the big bad devil would be a momma's boy in the end!" Mirko teased.

"You called her 'Mom'! It was adorable!" Midnight squealed.

Izuku paid them practically no mind and just kept a few steps ahead of them. There was little point to this, however, Midnight and Mirko knew he was smiling.

Meanwhile

"He called me 'Mom'..." Rei said to herself while clutching her chest and crying tears of joy.

"I heard, and I'm glad your visitor got you to cheer up." The nurse said. "I think it did wonders for him as well."

"He called me 'Mom'..." Rei said again.

"I heard. So I was talking to his caretaker/teacher, we discussed a visiting schedule if today went well."

"He called me 'Mom'..." Rei said again. This prompted the nurse to really take a look at her.

"Rei?" she asked, but Rei just kept repeating those words, completely unresponsive to the world around her. "Oh no."