Still Falling... [BNHA Fanfic]

Chapter Three

 When Izuku woke up, he found himself in a very unfamiliar situation. Leaning against a woman who was still fast asleep on the stoop of her apartment. Now, he didn't find it unpleasant. Far from it. It was like the rest of the world he'd found himself in. Strange, foreign, and an idea he'd definitely like to get used to.

He'd learned a lot about this woman -- Midorima Inko-- over the course of the night. He hadn't really contributed much to the conversation. Really he just listened to her idle ramblings. She had a husband, Hisashi, who was meant to be getting home in the morning. He was probably the one who draped the blanket over them. She had always wanted children, but had never been able to have one.

She was neighbors with her best friend, Mitsuki Bakugou, who had a family of her own. They had a boy around Izuku's age. At least, what appeared to be his age. He attended a local school and was planning on getting into a prestigious high school for heroics.

Izuku hadn't been too keen on owing this woman another question. So instead, he merely prompted her into telling him more about the concept of heroes. With the rise of powers, or "quirks" as they called them, there had been a rise in criminal activity. Subsequently, a force was created to combat the rising crime rates. Criminals who used their quirks to wreak havoc eventually became known as villains, and the ones who faced them became known as heroes.

It wasn't that hard an idea for Izuku to accept, in theory. He still found it odd, to refer to people as heroes for their profession. In his own world, no such career existed. It only made sense, considering powers there had never become widespread. Even so, the term "heroes" had always had a different meaning. Not one that Izuku despised, but one he certainly wasn't fond of.

"I can tell you're awake," someone said from behind him. Izuku refrained from turning around too quickly. He didn't want to disturb Ms. Midorima. "I'm Midorima Hisashi. Inko's husband. I'm not sure if she mentioned me." Izuku looked the man over carefully. He was dressed in slightly disheveled business attire. Ms. Midorima had said he'd been on a trip.

"You probably find it... disconcerting to find your wife sleeping on the doorstep with a strange kid," Izuku mused. He knew he would. Especially one like him. "I'll be on my way then, if you don't want me here." He was a bit afraid to meet the man's eyes. Disapproval? Anger? He wasn't sure what he'd find there.

"No worries. Inko pulls these kinds of things all the time," the man said with a smile, waving a hand dismissively. He was fairly tall, or at least he appeared that way, as he towered over Izuku. His hair was a messy brown and his eyes were so dark they almost appeared black. "Why don't you come on in? I can make breakfast. I'll need help putting Inko to bed, anyways." With that, the man pushed the door open and left it that way, gesturing for Izuku to go on ahead.

Izuku was a bit hesitant at first. Considering how he'd felt when he'd last gone inside, he wasn't sure it was a good idea. But in the daytime the apartment was a lot less intimidating. It was bright and well lit, making it seem larger than it was. He didn't think it would be so bad. So pushing off the weight of the blanket and standing, he climbed to his feet. He stopped to glance back at Inko.

"Go on in. I'll handle her. You can just sit on the couch for now," Mr. Midorima said, jerking his head towards the doorway. Izuku knew he should have felt uneasy about this. He shouldn't be trusting these people. But Mr. Midorima was such an easy man to trust. "I'll be over in a minute."

As Izuku sat there, on the couch, a lot of thoughts were passing through his head. He didn't think these people had any ill intentions. But his gut had been wrong before. It had been wrong many, many times before. At this point, there wasn't much else for him to do other than go along with it. What's the worst that could happen? He died?