Chapter 46: Meet the Parent
"I've been trying to stop using the 'Kacchan' nickname for Bakugo like you advised, even just in my head," Izuku said. "It's pretty difficult, just because it's such a habit. But it also feels kind of...right, I guess, when I do it."
"I'm not surprised," Mogo responded. "After all, I'm sure you realized he wasn't behaving as a real friend would, even if you were loathe to admit your relationship with him had changed."
"Yeah," Izuku replied, looking down at his hands. "But the fact that it seems right also makes me feel sort of bad."
"That's entirely understandable," Mogo replied. "From what you've told me, it sounds like you and Bakugo were friends when you were young children. However, until recently you didn't acknowledge the loss of that friendship, so you never completely mourned that before."
"I guess that makes sense," Izuku said. He had often lamented that things between himself and the explosive blonde weren't how they had once been, but he hadn't started to really accept the idea that things would never go back to anything resembling that old status quo until Mogo had started to nudge him in that direction.
"And to be clear, you're allowed to mourn that loss," Mogo said. "It's healthy to do that, rather than pretending it doesn't hurt. But what you shouldn't do is respond to that pain by trying to salvage an already ruined relationship. Someone who would tell you that you should kill yourself is a toxic person that you're better off without."
"Yeah," Izuku said. "You're right."
It hurt to acknowledge that, but he couldn't come up with even a half-decent argument against it. Indeed, thanks to the friends he'd made since starting at UA, he had gotten to see the massive difference between the interactions he had with his friends there and what it was like whenever he came into the contact with Kach...Bakugo.
"Have you been doing the affirmations I suggested?" Mogo asked.
"Yes, every morning," Izuku nodded.
He'd felt extremely silly doing them at first, and to an extent he still did, but he had to admit they were helping him feel a little bit better about himself.
Mogo grunted approvingly. It was amazing how much nuance the sentient planet could express through the featureless construct avatar he used when they had these sessions. "You seem to be taking my advice with more enthusiasm than before. I'm not complaining, of course, but mind if I ask if there's a reason for it?"
"Oh, well," Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, "I told you how Momo and me are dating now. She deserves a boyfriend who has his head on straight."
Izuku still had to pause in wonderment whenever he spoke or even thought about that. Not only did he have a girlfriend, but Momo Yaoyorozu was that girlfriend. It still felt like some amazing, crazy fantasy.
Mogo's avatar didn't have a face, but something in its body language suggested a smile. "I see," he remarked. "You should tell her."
"What?" Izuku made a face. "No, I couldn't do that."
It felt like it would be a bizarre form of bragging, telling her he was essentially getting therapy, as though he expected some kind of reward for working on his myriad of issues, when in reality she could easily get someone who didn't have such problems to begin with.
"As you wish," Mogo replied. "But I think she would likely be flattered to learn that being with her makes you want to be a better man."
Izuku's face flushed. "Uh, I mean...that feels a little...we've only been dating for a short time, and...uh..."
He was saved by his ring releasing a chime, ending his stammering. "Excuse me, I have to get back to Earth."
"Of course," Mogo replied. "I'll see you for your next session."
Izuku bid the planet goodbye and made good his escape.
Since starting at UA High, Momo had been confronted with some terrifying situations where she'd found herself pitted against far more formidable foes than a first year hero student would normally have to face. Indeed, between the USJ and Hosu, she had already seen more A-class villains than most second year students.
Yet the challenge ahead of her now made her more nervous than either of those.
She was about to meet her new boyfriend's mother.
She and Izuku had had a wonderful time together on I-Island after confessing to one another. While they had both agreed that they couldn't abandon their friends for the remainder of the trip so they could be alone, especially since Momo was the one who'd invited the other Class 1-A girls, they had still found time here and there for just the two of them. Whether they had been having a meal, seeing some of the many exhibits of the Expo, or simply taking a walk through one of I-Islands elaborate public parks and gardens, she had treasured every moment with her new boyfriend.
It was during their last day on I-Island that Izuku had mentioned that his mother had been pressing him to invite Momo over to dinner for some time now and would certainly insist on it once she found out that he and Momo were now dating.
Momo had agreed without much thought, and now with the start of UA's summer camp imminent, she found herself at the apartment building where Izuku and his family lived, carrying a small potted plant and feeling very nervous.
What if Izuku's mother didn't like her? What if Eri didn't like her?
She suddenly envied Izuku; he wouldn't be meeting her parents until after the summer camp, thanks to business trips ensuring the two wouldn't be in Japan at the same time until after they returned.
Come now, this is unbecoming of you, she chided herself. Izuku assured you that his mother is perfectly nice, and that both she and Eri will like you.
Mustering her courage, she rang the buzzer.
Almost immediately, the door opened, revealing a pleasantly plump woman who was significantly shorter than Momo, with her dark green hair done in a spiky ponytail.
A lifetime of high society social engagements allowed her to expertly hide her nerves, and Momo gave the older woman a polite smile. "Hello, Mrs. Midoriya, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, giving her a small bow. "Thank you for inviting me to your home. This is for you." she added, holding the potted plant forward.
The green haired woman briefly looked her up and down, an expression that might've been quiet shock on her face, then promptly burst into tears.
"Mrs. Midoriya, are you all right?!" Momo asked in alarm.
"Mom!" a familiar voice from inside the apartment exclaimed, and suddenly Izuku was behind his mother, rubbing her back. He turned to the heiress. "Sorry about that. We can be, um, an emotional family sometimes." He said, taking the potted plant from her.
"Ah, yes," the older woman agreed, calming down a bit and wiping at her still streaming eyes with a forest green handkerchief she pulled from her pocket. "Sorry about, dear. I'm just so happy. It's just been so long since Izuku's brought anyonehome, and now his lovely new girlfriend is visiting."
"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Midoriya," Momo said, feeling a mild heat rising in her face.
"Call me Inko, dear," the older woman said. "Please, come inside, and thank you for the plant. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Can I help you with that?" Momo asked. She generally let the household staff handle the cooking at home, but she did know her way around a kitchen a little bit, if only because she'd one tried to create herself snacks to help fuel her Quirk.
"Oh no, you're the guest. Besides, I'm almost done," Inko said. "Why don't you go have a seat with Izuku in the living room until everything's ready?"
Momo agreed, following her boyfriend deeper into the apartment and trying not to be too blatant in examining everything. The Midoriya apartment was so different from her family's sprawling estate, and she was secretly very eager to get a peek into how a family of more modest wealth lived.
A tiny, white-haired girl in a pink dress was sitting on the couch in the living room, an assortment of toys scattered on the coffee table.
"Hi, Eri," Izuku greeted her. "This is Momo Yaoyorozu. Momo, this is Eri."
Momo summoned up her friendliest smile. "Hello, Eri, it's nice to finally meet you," she said. "Izuku talks about you a lot."
"Hello," Eri said. "Big brother talks about you a lot, too. He's right. You are really pretty."
Izuku chuckled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.
Momo giggled. Since he'd confessed to her, Izuku had told her she was beautiful many times, so Eri had hardly spilled some big secret or revealed something he had been reluctant to admit. Still, she supposed having a child repeat your opinion of a person to that person was unavoidably awkward despite that.
"Thank you, Eri. You're very pretty, too," she said.
Big ruby eyes blinked up at her. "Thank you," Eri said softly, but the words came out as more of a question. She looked like she couldn't quite process the compliment.
Momo's heart twinged, suddenly recalling all too well about how badly mistreated Eri had been before Izuku had rescued her from that yakuza boss.
The green-haired young man cleared his throat, interrupting the awkward moment. "Um, please have a seat," he said.
Nodding, Momo sat down on the love seat, while Izuku plopped down on the couch across from her. Eri immediately climbed into the young man's lap, and Izuku gently wrapped his arms around the little girl, the gesture seemingly automatic. Eri leaned against him, looking completely content, as though all was right with the world.
The sight invoked two very different thoughts in the heiress, both of which left her feeling flustered in equal measure.
She wouldn't mind sitting in Izuku's lap herself.
Izuku would probably make a wonderful father someday.
"Are you okay, Momo?" he asked. "You look a little red. Should I ask Mom to turn up the AC a bit?"
"N-no, I'm fine, thank you," the raven-haired girl answered, not quite able to keep the slight stammer out of her voice.
"If you're sure," Izuku said.
She nodded, quickly changing the topic, and the couple chatted amicably for a few minutes.
The whole time, Eri was playing with the toys that were spread out on the coffee table: some slightly worn hero action figures that had almost certainly once belonged to Izuku, along with newer looking girl dolls.
"Do you like heroes, Eri?" Momo asked her eventually.
"Big brother likes them a lot, and he wants to be a hero," the little girl said. "I asked him if there were dolls of him, but he said no. I don't know why."
"Eri, I told you, I'm still in school. I don't even have my provisional license yet," Izuku explained gently. "You need to be a real pro hero and be pretty popular on top of that before getting any merchandising deals."
"But you are a real hero," Eri protested.
"Yes, he certainly is," Momo smiled warmly.
She activated Creation from her hands, the familiar pinkish glow bursting to life, and suddenly she was holding a plastic figure of Izuku in his hero costume in one hand, and a smaller figure of Eri in the other.
The little girl looked at her with huge, amazed eyes.
"Would you like these, Eri?" Momo asked.
"Y-Yes, please," the white-haired girl said, voice barely above a whisper.
Momo handed them to her, and Eri accepted the dolls reverently.
Izuku smiled at her. "Not worried about the economy?" he teased gently.
She smiled back. "It can take a tiny hit in the name of me making a good impression on my boyfriend's family," she said. "Besides, you said yourself that no one will be making merchandise of you while we're still in school, so I'm not competing against anyone."
Izuku nodded. "What kind of merch would you want to have of you?" he asked her. "Looking forward to seeing a Creati doll on the shelves someday?"
"I hadn't given it too much thought," Momo said. "So long as it's not like the kind of things Midnight has." She added, making a face.
"I think she made a point of going after..." he paused and looked down at Eri, "grown-up merchandising deals."
"Dinner's ready," Inko called.
The meal was much simpler than a typical fare at the Yaoyorozu manor, but the food was good despite that, and after a few awkward false starts, the conversation flowed easily enough. Apparently, Izuku had significantly downplayed his role in saving her at Hosu, and Momo was quick to inform Inko of how grateful she still was for his rescue then, even as she herself downplayed the level of danger they'd been in at the time.
"Goodness, I don't think I could endure the kind of excitement pro heroes have to deal with, especially if it's only going to ramp up for you two once you get your provisional licenses," Inko remarked after they had finished the main meal and were sitting at the kitchen table with tea.
"It takes more than pro heroes to make the world go around," Momo replied.
"Yeah," Izuku was quick to agree. "The things other people do are important, too. After all, you're not a pro hero, but you're just as responsible for Eri having a home where she's cared for as I am." He added, glancing at the little girl in question. Inko had excused her from the table after the meal had been done, and she was now back in the living room, playing with her new dolls.
"How's she doing with controlling her Quirk?" Momo asked softly.
"Much better than she was," Inko answered. "Izuku helps her practice often, and her knowing he can protect himself from it does a lot to help her stay calm while they're at it. But I know she's still afraid of losing control of it when he's not here and harming me."
"Is there anything you can do if her Quirk activates when you're alone with her, other than to avoid touching her?" Momo asked quietly, not wanting Eri to overhear.
"Majestic's agency gave me a small tranquilizer gun, but I don't want to use that on her," Inko replied. "It seems so cruel to shoot a child with a tranquilizer dart, especially one like Eri who's already been through so much."
"Perhaps I can help with that," Momo said, activating her Quirk again.
Inko watched as a device that looked like a small gun of some kind with an oblong metal container emerged from the raven-haired girl's arm.
"What is that?" she asked.
"It's basically just a fancy spray gun," Momo answered. "But I've loaded it with a small amount of Somnambulist gas. You can use it to painlessly knock Eri out in case of an emergency with her Quirk. I can provide new gas cartridges whenever you need them."
"Oh, thank you so much!" Inko said, accepting the item gratefully.
Momo remained at the apartment for another hour or so before saying goodbye to Inko and Eri and thanking Inko for having her over.
"Thanks for coming over," Izuku said as he walked out into the hallway outside the apartment with her. "And...sorry about the way she went to pieces before."
"It's really fine, Izuku," she assured him. "I just hope they liked me."
"I'm sure they love you. How could anyone not?" he asked with a chuckle.
The raven-haired girl felt heat rising in her cheeks. Izuku being smooth was something she still wasn't prepared for.
"Thanks," she said. "I'll let you know when my parents are both in town at once. They're very curious to meet you, too."
He swallowed. "I'll do my best to make a good impression on them when that comes."
She smiled. "I'm sure they'll love you. How could anyone not?"
He chuckled.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said. "Hopefully UA won't keep us so busy at the camp that we can't spend any time together there."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Until tomorrow."
They kissed, gentle and loving, and then Momo made her way to the stairs.
Back in the apartment, Inko watched from the window as Momo slipped inside a stretch limousine that pulled away once she was inside.
Wow, she thought.
As Izuku's mother, she would never think anyone was too good for her son, Quirk or not, but she wasn't so blinded by maternal love that she failed to recognize how much of a catch her son's beautiful, wealthy girlfriend was.
He re-entered the apartment a moment later. "Well, she's on her way back home now," he announced, looking at her expectantly.
"That's good to know," she replied. "I'm glad you finally brought her over. She's lovely."
Privately, Inko was still curious what the young woman would be like when she relaxed a bit and wasn't as concerned with making a good impression, but she wasn't about to tell her son that. In any case, she took it as a good sign that Momo wasconcerned about that; clearly she wanted the relationship to work, rather than viewing it as just a game or pleasant distraction.
Izuku relaxed at once. Clearly, he'd been waiting to know whether she approved of his new girlfriend or not.
"Yeah, she is," he agreed with a dreamy look.
Inko smiled, mentally comparing her son now to him only about a year ago. The idea of him venturing light years away to combat extraterrestrial criminals who might have abilities and weapons unlike anything ever seen on Earth still filled her with quiet terror, but there was no denying how much better he was doing now. The difference between the cheerful young man who'd just introduced her to his new girlfriend and the sad, lonely boy from back then was like night and day.
That ring coming from out of the sky and choosing Izuku might as well have been divine intervention. Thank goodness these Guardians of the Universe had seen his potential and told him what she should've but never had.
Inko almost didn't immediately realize it when she burst into tears.
"Mom, are you okay?!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Yes!" she sobbed. "I'm just so overjoyed to see you so happy and thriving like this!"
"Oh, Mom..." Izuku said, gently hugging her.
"I do wish I could accompany them," All Might remarked, standing at the window of one of the teacher conference rooms as he watched the bus with Class 1-A pulling away from the UA campus.
"You know that's impossible, All Might," Nezu chided him. "There's no way you could possibly maintain your muscle form for that long."
"Believe me, I'm painfully aware of that," the number one hero replied. "But it feels increasingly pointless to keep my weak form a secret from the students."
"I understand how it might feel that way, but it's essential that we keep the news that your power is fading under wraps for as long as possible," Nezu said. "The public's reaction to the news will not be good, especially if your successor hasn't gained any significant recognition by then."
The towering hero grunted. He couldn't argue the point, even though he may not like it. He found that many of his conversations with the principal were like that, and he wasn't sure if that said more about him or about Nezu.
"I know," All Might said with a sigh. "Still, those kids have been attacked by villains once already, and now they're venturing so far away from the defenses here at campus. All the rational arguments in the world won't change the fact that I feel like I should be there to protect them."
"Come now, you make it sound like there's every reason to expect a villain attack," Nezu chided. "The League hasn't targeted the school or the students since the USJ incident. Indeed, by all reports, Shigaraki has instead been focusing on assaulting random pros. In any case, the Pussycats will be there, along with Kan and Aizawa."
All Might didn't bother pointing out that the Wild, Wild Pussycats specialized in wilderness rescue operations, not counter-villain combat.
"Yes," he said instead. "I suppose it's all just the worries of an old pro who can't protect people like he used to anymore."
There was, Izuku mused as he sat next to Momo on the bus that was taking them to the summer camp, something positively addictive about touching his girlfriend. It didn't even need to be anything remotely naughty or sexual, either; contact as chaste as the handclasp that he and Momo were currently sharing was simply so nice that he felt like he couldn't get enough.
He briefly wondered if he was touch starved to some extent before mentally shrugging the issue off.
"A whole week of training," Momo mused aloud next to him.
Izuku nodded. "Knowing UA, it'll probably be pretty intense."
"Mm," she hummed in agreement. "I doubt we'll manage to get much time alone in the coming week, either."
He smiled. "Well, school doesn't start up again the day after the camp ends," he pointed out. "Maybe we can head to the beach for a day before then?"
He left unsaid that he was thinking of a beach on a pristine alien world, rather than one more local. If the two of them did a little hero work on a planet in the same solar system, they could easily stop there "on the way back" and have one of the most beautiful spots in the entire sector to themselves for the rest of the day...
"Izuku, are you trying to get me into a bikini?" Momo asked with a little smile.
Izuku immediately went crimson and had to clamp down on the immediate impulse to start stammering out denials and apologies.
The concept of friendly teasing—and now flirtatious teasing—was something Izuku still had a little trouble with, after ten years when it was pretty much always safe to assume that any critical or accusatory remark from his peers was meant maliciously.
"Um, I can neither confirm nor deny that," he said.
It was fun when he managed to roll with it, though.
"Hey, guys?" Jirou said from one of the seats behind them, one of her jacks reaching forward to tap Momo on the shoulder. "I really don't mind, but you should know I can hear every word you're saying."
Izuku was suddenly especially glad he hadn't mentioned the prospect of an interstellar beach trip a moment ago, even as his cheeks colored.
"Thanks," Momo said, a dusting of red on her own face.
Izuku was actually glad that Momo had told the other girls that they were dating now and that Ashido and Hagakure had told seemingly everyone else at UA. For one, it removed any temptation to keep their relationship a secret; it was something he might've wanted to do, in order to avoid the attention from their classmates, but he doubted the secrecy would make for the healthiest relationship. For another, it removed the need for them to do it themselves.
Still, neither he nor Momo were ones for ostentatious public displays of affection, and certainly not for their own sake.
"Maybe we should talk about something else for now?" he suggested.
She nodded in agreement. "I have been having some trouble with a new application of Creation I've been trying out and wanted your input."
"Sure!" he said eagerly. "Tell me all about it."
An hour later, Mr. Aizawa announced they were going to visit a rest stop briefly, and the bus pulled off the main road. The students disembarked from the vehicle, Izuku and several other stretching, grateful for the chance to move around after being stuck in a seat for so long.
"Where's the bathroom?" Mineta asked, dancing around in place. "I had way too much coffee this morning!"
"Hang on...what kind of a rest area is this?" Momo asked, frowning suspiciously as she looked at the viewing area before them. The forest and mountains before them were breathtaking, but aside from the ability to stretch their legs, the area offered nothing to travelers taking a break from driving. It was essentially just a viewing platform. "Why would we stop here if there aren't even any toilets?"
"We stopped here for a reason," Mr. Aizawa said cryptically, which hardly did anything for the way Momo's "logical ruse" sense was going off. He approached a pair of women in frilly hero costumes who had already been there when the bus had arrived. "Sorry to make you wait."
"Who are...?" Ashido frowned.
"Rock on with these sparkling gazes!" one of them proclaimed.
"Strikingly cute and feline!" the second picked up.
"We are..." the first said.
"The Wild, Wild Pussycats!" the second completed, as both posed dramatically.
"Meowth, that's right!" Sero snarked quietly, causing several of his fellow UA students to snicker.
"These are some of the pro heroes who'll be helping us at the training camp," Mr. Aizawa said, ignoring the display the two heroines were putting on.
"Whoa!" Izuku exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "The Pussycats! They're a veteran, four-person team that works under one agency! They've been doing rescue operations for 12 years now..."
The blond Pussycat immediately charged forward, and Izuku was too surprised to react as she covered his face with one over-sized mitt. "We're 18 at heart!"
Momo immediately activated Creation. "Stop that!" she snapped, pulling the trigger on the spray bottle filled with water she'd made and squirting the blond heroine. "He didn't do anything except recite some publicly available information!"
Part of her could barely believe that she was speaking to a pro hero like this, but that woman's behavior was beyond the pale!
The feline heroine hissed, releasing Izuku and turned to look at Momo with a long of mingled shock and offense.
The raven-haired hero student spritzed her again.
The blond Pussycat hissed and bared her teeth but withdrew.
Ignoring her teammate, the brunette of the pair turned to regard the countryside. "This land is all owned by UA. We usually operate in a different area, but it's very similar, so we're right at home here," she said. "You're going to be staying at a facility at the foot of that mountain there!" she added, pointing.
"If it's still so far away, why did we stop?" Uraraka asked.
"It's 9AM right now," the Pussycat who hadn't just made a fool of herself observed. "I'm thinking...hmm, noon at the earliest."
"Aw, dang, no way," Kirishima muttered.
Momo ran a hand down her face in exasperation. "Here we go..."
"Sorry, kids," Aizawa said, not sounding sorry at all. "The training begins now."
The blond member of the Pussycats slammed her hands to the ground, and suddenly the earth came alive. The UA students cried out as they were abruptly swept up in a tsunami of dirt and mud that sent them crashing down from the observation platform to the wilderness below.
"Feel free to use your Quirks here, kids!" the other Pussycat shouted. "You've got three hours to reach the camp, or no lunch!"
Halos of green light appeared around the students, causing their descents to slow and gently depositing them on the ground.
"Let me go, Deku!" Bakugo shouted, thrashing about wildly in midair. "I didn't ask for your useless help!"
"Okay," Izuku agreed.
The explosive blonde crashed to the ground as the green light vanished. Momo covered her mouth to hold back a snicker.
"If he wanted us to cross half the distance on foot, why couldn't he have just told us to do that?" Ashido moaned.
Momo had no good answer for her, largely because she suspected there wasn't one.
"Never mind that," she said instead. "The distance isn't that far. We should be able to beat that heroine's estimate of noon quite easily."
As if on cue, they all heard the sound of something large stomping through the forest.
"I think there may be something more to this test," Izuku said, a corona of green light appearing around him.
A huge, four-legged creature with huge teeth suddenly crashed through the underbrush, roaring at them.
"What the hell is that?!" Kaminari exclaimed in horror.
"Please, creature, calm yourself!" Koda said, rushing forward.
The quiet student's ability to control animals proved useless here, as the beast let out another roar and reared back as if to attack.
A blast of emerald light crashed into the beast, cleaving right through it. The creature suddenly collapsed into a pile of dirt.
"Pixie-Bob's Quirk," Izuku said. "I guess Mr. Aizawa never intended for us to just take a simple hike to the camp."
"We should assume these things will harass us the entire way there," Momo said. "I'd still like to arrive before noon if possible, though."
Izuku nodded, and green light pulsed around him.
Suddenly, several viridian vehicles had appeared before him. They looked similar to standard ATVs, except every one of them had an imposing gun mounted on it, as well as a second seat for whoever manned the weapon.
"Whoa, awesome!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"Dibs on being gunner!" Sato said.
"This seems like an excessive amount of firepower," Iida said, studying one of the constructs dubiously.
A roar from the distance shook the leaves on the nearby trees.
"I'll be a driver," Iida said.
"Then let's go," Momo said. "The longer we stay here, the longer more of those creatures have to find us."
"Fuck you! You're not the boss of me! And I'm not going to use anything created by that shitty Deku!" Bakugo snarled.
Momo wasn't terribly inclined to fight him on the issue, but even if she had been, she wouldn't have had the chance. The explosive blonde fired off his Quirk, propelling himself off into the distance and away from the rest of the group.
Despite herself, she was impressed with how he could avoid crashing into a tree while rocketing himself forwards.
"I'll also get there under my own power," Todoroki spoke up.
"Wait!" Momo tried to stop her fellow recommended student.
Todoroki summoned a wave of ice and skated away on it.
Momo shook her head. She didn't expect any better from a hothead like Bakugo, but she would've thought Todoroki would've had enough sense not to strike out on his own in this situation.
There was nothing for it, though. She took the gunner's position on the ATV where Izuku had gotten into the driver's seat while the rest of the class also selected a vehicle.
"Let's go."