RENEGADE [Izuku Midoriya x OC]

Chapter 25 - Guilt

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"Izuku! Two calls in one week? I'm the luckiest mom in the world!"

Inko Midoriya claimed the title of Guilt Queen early on in Izuku's hero trajectory, and easily applied the motherly pressure at any available opportunity. It probably didn't help that Izuku was her only child... if he had siblings, then maybe she could disperse the guilt across them.

But Izuku bore the weight alone.

"Hi mom," Izuku sighed, smiling softly at her familiar intensity as he returned home from a long night of heroism. With only a few hours until he had brunch with Noriko, he needed to find a way to kill time and keep himself awake... and calling his mom ticked both of those boxes. He flicked the lights on and kicked off his red sneakers at the closet, not bothering to put them away. "I... I wanted to ask you about something. I had an idea... a surprise for my friend. But I'd need your help to make it happen."

An excited squeal erupted from the other end of the phone, loudly enough that Izuku thrust the speaker away from his ear as he shuffled to his sterile kitchen. "I'd love to help, sweetheart! Tell me, who's this surprise for? What are we doing? Who else is in on the secret? Should I go grab Toshi?"

"Mooom, just- calm down for a second," Izuku whined, resting his head against his cool, stainless steel fridge, brain fuzzy from his exhausting day. "It's... the surprise is for Noriko."

A weighty pause fell from the other line. "The girl you mentioned the other day?"

"The one and the same, mom," Izuku said, finding the strength to pull his fridge open. He eyed the fresh groceries Nori forced him to order, and decided to doctor up some instant udon with cilantro, carrots, spring onions, and some leftover chicken. All he could hope is that it wouldn't spoil his brunch.

"I liked her," Inko said automatically, "Polite, well-dressed, and wouldn't stop talking about you..."

Grabbing the necessary ingredients from his fridge, Izuku's cheeks heated, and he sputtered a flimsy excuse. "I- well- she was there to see me! And I was her student mentor, after all-"

"Izuku, I'm just teasing," Inko laughed. "Now, tell me, what's this surprise, sweetheart?"

His heart pounded heavily against his ribs, as if it were suddenly made of bone and steel. "I was... I was kinda hoping we could have a new year's party. You know, like we used to have with the Bakugos? But small: you, All Might, me, and Noriko. She... I don't think she's had a day off in a long time. And it might be nice to treat her. You know?"

Silence came from the other end of the phone. For a moment, Izuku thought maybe his mom hung up or that the call disconnected and that his mother hadn't heard his whole explanation. "Uh... mom?"

"WHO RAISED YOU TO BE SO SWEET, IZUKU?!" Inko wailed into the phone, sniffling and sobbing away from the speaker. "Of course we can have a little get together for the new year! I'd love to meet your girlfriend officially, and I'm sure All Might-"

He nearly dropped a jar of chili sauce. "MOM! Sh-sh-she's not my girlfriend!" Izuku blurted, his entire body burning with embarrassment, "I- we- you can't just say stuff like that!"

Laughing through her tears, Inko cleared her throat and said, "Whatever you say, Izuku. Just send me a couple of recipes she likes and I'll see what I can do, okay?"

"Okay, thanks mom. You're the best," he sighed, watching his noodles as they began to boil on the stovetop.

"I know!"