Beyond the Stars (BNHA!Various x Genius!Reader) INDEFINITE HIATUS

13: His Side: IZUKU MIDORIYA

Inko Midoriya spent the entire afternoon grocery shopping and preparing the ingredients for tonight's dinner. Today is her Izuku's big day and she's certain that he must be tired.

By the time the sun rolled down, she already set everything up.

She hung a yellow banner on the dining room wall with the words "CONGRATS ON YOUR FIRST DAY, HERO!" written in glittering blue.

On the table is a steaming tureen of hot miso soup, a leafy salad topped with olives, tomatoes and her homemade vinaigrette, her son's favorite pork cutlet with extra pork, extra sauce and extra rice, and of course, an All Might-styled chocolate mango cake.

The front door clicks open and Inko hides.

"Mom, I'm home," Izuku calls out, setting down his shoes.

When he doesn't hear his mother reply, he furrows his brows and starts down the hallway. "Mom?"

As he steps inside the dining room, he screams as blue and yellow confetti explodes in his face.

"Welcome home!" His mom greets him with the biggest grin ever.

Izuku bends over, fist clenched over his chest as he forces himself to breathe. His heart recovers and he shoots back a smile. "Thanks, mom."

"I made your favorite, come on, let's eat before the food gets cold. I want to hear everything about your day," she says, ushering him to his chair.

Originally, Izuku wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and sleep until morning, but seeing his mother's efforts, he forces down his exhaustion, picks up his chopsticks and tells her about the physical exams (leaving out the part where he injured himself). He then describes his homeroom teacher, the perpetually tired but amazing Mr. Aizawa, who can disable quirks. Then about his new friends, Tenya Ida and Ochaco Uraraka.

As the mention of "friends," Inko's eyes flooded with tears.

"M-mom? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just ... " She wipes her cheeks and gives him an even brighter smile. "I'm so proud of you, Izuku."

Izuku looks at his mom. Then he burst into tears. "Thank you, mom."

Inko bit down on her trembling lip and nodded. She quickly adds more cutlets into his bowl. "Everything here is for you so eat a lot, okay?"

Izuku's chopsticks freezes in mid-air, his jaw hangs open as those words echo in his ears.

At first he hears them in his mother's voice: "Eat a lot"

Eat a lot.

Eat a lot ...

Finally, he hears it, the voice he accidentally left in the back of his mind, your voice: "You should eat a lot today, and tomorrow."

He doesn't hear his mother say his name as more memories battered his brain. The feeling of your fingers against his lips, the taste of kiwi, a tiny smile. And lastly, he remembers the feeling of your chest pressed against him from when you saved him during the entrance exams.

A high-pitched "EEEEEK" escapes his mouth as blood rushes to his cheeks.

Inko yells too, "Izuku, what's wrong?!"

He can't answer, he can't even hear her at this point. Izuku wraps his arms around his face, disoriented.

How many times has he humiliated himself in front of you?

The more he avoids thinking about it, the more vivid the memories return.

His eye twitches and he blacks out.