Unlikely As It May Seem (An Izumina Fanfiction)

Ch. 36: Inko

A/N: Well, I didn't win anything at the Watty's. Le sigh. But it was nice to have been recognized, at least. I want to thank all of you for your continued support, and your patience in waiting for the Awards to be over so you could get some more of the IzuMina goodness. For now, here's a bit of a filler chapter focusing on a beloved character to me: Inko Midoriya. I met the English VA for her, Jessica Cavanaugh, at My Hero Con in Ft Walton Beach, Fl. A very sweet woman, and every bit of the Inko we know and love. She may never read this, but this chapter is dedicated to her. Enjoy.

Inko Midoriya was many things. Of the words used to describe her, the most prevalent tended to be kind, loving, and emotional. Most people could see where Izuku got wearing his emotions on his sleeve from. However, very few people understood what had led her to the point of emotion she was to this day.

Izuku knew, and he always worried for his mother. He felt he had always been the primary source of her stress and concern. From being born Quirkless, and the kind of baggage that came with that in today's society, to suddenly obtaining one, only for it to break him over and over until he learned to control it. Then being at the center (or near the center) of most of the major events that had happened this past year with the Villains.

Inko had, in the time since Izuku had found out he was Quirkless, became a rather portly woman. Izuku blamed her weight gain on himself. He felt that he had increased her sadness, was the reason his father left shortly after the diagnosis. It wasn't until he was older that Inko had found the courage to tell him that her and Izuku's father had ended their marriage some time ago. And Izuku always felt it was his fault. No matter how many times Inko tried to tell him otherwise.

But things had changed for Inko Midoriya recently. Since Izuku had moved in to the dorms at school, and the defeat of All for One, the promise of her son's safety had been more easily fulfilled. Of course, as a Hero-in-training, he was always prone to danger, but the Raid against Overhaul and his operations had been, for the time being, the only real danger Izuku had been in since.

She wasn't stupid to believe that no more danger awaited him, as the League of Villains was still out there somewhere. But she was content with what had transpired over the last couple of months. One of the best things being her son's relationship with Mina Ashido. It truly brightened her day to see her son so happy.

His renewed friendship with Katsuki Bakugo. Surprising, to be sure, and Inko was a more than hesitant that it could all come crashing down. The boy was volatile, but he had calmed down quite a bit over the last few months. It had been a hard process, and he would fall back to old habits some times, but he bounced back, and was bettering himself as a person, and a Hero-in-training.

And then there was little Eri. At first, Inko didn't know what to think when Izuku and Mina had brought her for a family day out with Mina's parents and Inko. She calmed down once the whole situation was explained. Though Eri was technically Mr. Aizawa's ward, she was much closer to Izuku and Mina. The relationship was a little complicated, to be sure. On one degree, there were times when Izuku and MIna were older siblings for the girl. But more often then not, it seemed more like she viewed them as her parents. It would be interesting to see how that played out.

All of these things had actually done wonders for Inko. Being able to spend time with the Ashidos, as well as reconnecting with Mitsuki since their sons were friends again. The adorable Eri lighting up the room every time she managed a smile (which, at the beginning, had been a very rare case). And so much less stress allowed Inko to start flourishing.

In fact, everything that was happening, and her becoming more active and less stressed and started to get her back into the shape she was before her and Izuku's world had come crumbling down. She wasn't quite the petite form she had been when Izuku was four, but she was definitely healthier.

Of course, there was something else going on with her that made her happy. Something she would be telling Izuku about very soon. And it had started shortly after the Overhaul Raid. She just had to find the right opportunity to tell her son.

As it were, her chance came soon enough, as Izuku had made to visit her on one of his off days. He had told his mother about the 'semi-fight' he and Mina had gotten in to, but that they had made up (leaving out what happened after). But, he still wanted to see his mother, since he hadn't really had an opportunity to spend time with just her. Of course, she didn't tell him it wouldn't just be her when he showed up at the apartment.

She welcomed him in, giving him a soul-crushing hug, always excited to see her boy. He smiled in return, glad to see his mother happy. She ushered him in, telling him he was just in time for lunch, and to go ahead and sit down, that she would have the food out in a minute. He offered to help, but she politely declined.

When he got to the table, he saw something that made his eyebrows scrunch in confusion. There were three plates at the table. Mina had still been at UA when he had left. Was she coming, and they didn't tell him? Were they expecting someone else? His questions were left unanswered for the moment as his mom was in the kitchen. Nevertheless, he knew she would tell him soon, so he sat down.

He was mumbling to himself the possibilities of why there was a third setting that he didn't notice the other person enter the room. They set the plate in front of him, the steam coming from the plate, and the aroma reaching Izuku's nostrils, finally breaking him out of his muttering spell. He looked up to thank his mother for the food, but instead was met with a very different face.

"All Might?"

A/N: It's back! I really hope you enjoyed this little tidbit before we get back into some IzuMina fluffiness, and then get in to the next exciting arc, where we find out the League's plans, as well as deal with some breathtaking and game-changing revelations. Stay tuned. :)