Chapter Text
"With His Dying Will"
Chapter 02: The New Boss of Yuuei.
Midoriya picks up his phone from where he dropped it during the explosion, redialing and turning to the rest of the occupants in the room as he waits for the other person to pick up. "What? Go already!"
"We're not leaving you here," Shouto stares him down, hoping to get through.
He doesn't.
"I don't have time to mess around with you people," Midoriya warns him with a glare. "This is the last time I'm asking you to leave."
He doesn't get through either.
"We're staying with you." Shouto grounds, finality in his voice.
Midoriya sighs, the call still not connecting. "Do you really think I would trust you?"
Shouto blinks, slowly frowning. He could feel the rest of his team watching them, Shinsou stumbling back into the room with a wincing Kaminari. He dreads what they're all about to hear.
"You're a Todoroki." Midoriya starts, doesn't disappoint. "If I die, your father will become the next Boss of Yuuei. How am I supposed to think my death isn't in your best interest? For all I don't know, you set up those people who attacked me! And now you're leading those people into my house! Why shouldn't I think you're only trying to get me killed?!"
"Because that's not true. That isn't my intention. I am not here for my father," Shouto tries to say as calmly as he could. He swallows, "you don't have to trust us, that's not what we're asking for. We just need you to let us protect you. Please."
Midoriya stares at him, but when Shouto doesn't look away, he redirects his gaze to the rest of them. "Give me your names."
The spiky blond guy goes first, huffing and then giving him a nasty smirk. "Bakugou Katsuki, I'm your Storm Guardian."
"I'm Kirishima Eijirou, I'm your Sun Guardian!" The redhead he pepper-sprayed grins, surprisingly cheerful.
"Iida Tenya, the Rain Guardian." The bluenette guy with broken glasses bows solemnly to him.
"Kaminari Denki, Thunder Guardian." The blond he knocked out smiles sheepishly.
"Shinsou Hitoshi, I'm your Mist Guardian." The violent-haired man he hit with his shoe nodded slightly. [1]
Midoriya turns away from them, "did you get all that? They're all from the Yuuei mafia famiglia," he was talking to his phone, the call finally connected apparently. "Please proceed with a background check, I'll take it no later than this evening." He rearranges the phone, holding it with his shoulder while connecting it to an earpiece and a smartwatch. "Also, send me back-up and give me vision, I'm going in blind."
It was unnerving to hear their own Boss suspect them, but it can't be helped. They all patiently wait for him to turn back to them.
Midoriya wears the earpiece and pockets his phone, "I assume all of you have quirks and are capable of fighting?"
They all respond with a variety of affirmation.
"Good, you guys can go fight downstairs or whatever. I don't really care, just go." He picks his gun up and loads it.
"I'll stay with you, you need to let at least one of us stay with you." Shouto explains and volunteers.
Midoriya just blinks at him, but he doesn't deem him an answer, walking past and out the apartment unit. Shouto follows after him while the rest of the guardians run out to do as they please.
"What are you planning?" Shouto couldn't help asking as he watched his Boss sit near the door of the fire exit, attaching a silencer on the gun.
"They blew up the car to smoke us out, that means they don't plan on entering the building. If they did, they could've just as easily blown us up from the start." Midoriya opens the door slightly and peaks below them. "They probably want to make sure they get the target, or it's a preparation for a quick escape." He points his gun out and closes one eye. "Either way, they aren't getting away."
Shouto watches with narrowed eyes how his Boss pulls the trigger followed by a man suddenly running away clutching his arm. "That barely does the job," he comments offhandedly. "You should just go down there and use your quirk to fight."
"Well, I don't have a quirk." Midoriya answers casually, looking at a map on his smartwatch.
Shouto's eyes slowly widen, "what?" He asks, breathless, mind running a thousand miles per hour.
"I don't have a quirk," Midoriya repeats, frowning at him this time. "But if you didn't know that I seriously question everything you think you know about me." He moves to the opposite side of the door, shooting another man.
Shouto watches mindlessly as the man he just shot tries to look for where the bullet came from, but then Bakugou explodes on him. The rest of the guardians seem to be doing a good job. After all, the only reason they fell into a disadvantage earlier was that they weren't expecting their own Boss to attack them.
Midoriya stands and walks across the hallway, positioning himself on the other end of the building. He shoots at least four people this time before moving inside his apartment and shooting another two from the window opposite his room.
Shouto observes him quietly, this person was supposed to be the same helpless kid from the funeral. But now that doesn't seem to be the case, he wonders vaguely if he had made any misconceptions due to first impressions. Or perhaps this was just another side of his Boss he has yet to be familiar with. He watches the green-haired man check the map on his watch again, before moving to the master bedroom's veranda.
Midoriya has fired at least a dozen rounds by the time they hear sirens and see three police cars parking in front of the building. They head out and his Boss greets the police officers with too much familiarity, if the hugs were anything to go by. The rest of the guardians regrouped with Shouto behind him, some of them restraining the enemy mafia famiglia members they captured.
Midoriya borrows a megaphone from the middle police car, clearing his throat to speak. "Hello, mafiosi! Welcome to Japan!" He starts, suddenly all smiles. "My name is Midoriya Izuku, 18-years-old! I'm the new Boss of the Yuuei Famiglia!"
Shouto frowns, the rest of the guardians look at one another questioningly from behind him.
"I just figured you all needed an introduction, what with how obvious you've made it that you don't know who you're dealing with!" Midoriya's smile starts morphing into an uncharacteristic smirk. "After all, I'm sure that by now you've already figured out I shot you with a very special bullet, right? A bullet that nullifies quirks and erases them completely."
Shouto distractedly hears Kaminari gasp behind him, he belatedly realizes he also held his breath.
"I was wondering why the wounded ones weren't using their quirks," Iida whispers. He was looking down at one of the restrained enemies.
"Oh, shoot! Katsuki, that's the same gun he pointed at you," Kirishima notes.
"We don't know if those were the same bullets though," Bakugou answers, voice sounding grim.
In his defense, a quirk-nullifying bullet was a serious source of concern, the underworld especially has great interest in the subject.
"Don't worry! I can give you your quirks back!" Midoriya laughs like he was telling a funny joke, then his smile turns sinister. "That is, if you can grovel to my feet faster than your families can deem you worthless enough to kill you first."
Kaminari audibly gasps again, Shouto could just imagine the blond's open mouth hanging.
"That's all! Have a good day, gentlemen!" Midoriya abruptly turns back to them, handing the megaphone back to one of the police officers. "I want them all behind bars by the time I arrive at the station later."
"Of course," the middle-aged police officer nods solemnly at their Boss.
"Did Sir Nighteye say something?" Midoriya asks in a whisper within their earshot.
"No, but he'd probably speak with you when you get there," the same officer replies.
"Okay, thank you so much." Midoriya smiles slightly, looking resigned. "Sorry about this."
The police officer just shakes his head and they start rounding up the enemy mafia members, putting each on handcuffs. The guardians surrender their catch, but when it was Iida's turn the man he had in his hold started struggling. He broke out of line, pulling away before dropping to his knees.
"Wait! Wait! Boss! Please, I'm begging you!" He held his hands together in front of him in a semblance of prayer, bowing his head to the ground. "I'm nothing without my quirk! They would kill me! Please!"
That certainly got everyone's attention, and they all watch apprehensively as their Boss slowly approaches the man. But before Midoriya could say anything, a loud bang echoed through the street.
Shouto wasn't even able to move, things happened too fast and before he realized it, Midoriya was bleeding on his left forearm. He had outstretched his arm, shielding the man from a bullet fired from somewhere behind them, probably aimed at the man.
"Congratulations, you're faster!" Midoriya smiles before turning to his back and shooting the person who shot him. The police officers immediately gave chase and captured the shooter.
Midoriya is suddenly turning to Shouto. "And you're slow. You said you would protect me."
Shouto opens his mouth to respond, but his Boss is already turning away from him as if in immediate dismissal.
Midoriya kneels in front of the man he protected, reaches out and gently pats him on the head with a bloody hand. A stray drop of blood lands on the man's horrified face, but their Boss was smiling the kindest smile Shouto has ever seen. "Don't worry, everything will be okay. I'm here now."
And all of a sudden, Shouto is seeing his fallen Boss again. Hisashi was patting a child on the head the same way, making promises with the same words. Shouto was only about ten-years-old then, when he met the Godfather for the first time.
He belatedly realizes the mistake of doubting the man in front of him, Midoriya is truly the new Boss of Yuuei.
After Midoriya got his wound patched up, they followed him to the police station, intent on assisting with the investigation and giving statements. Shouto joined Midoriya in riding a police car, while the five other guardians squeezed themselves in their remaining car, after a police check if it was bugged or planted with a bomb.
As soon as they all got to their destination though, Kaminari and Kirishima couldn't stop gushing over their new Boss. The two were excitedly talking about how cool and manly and brave Midoriya was, despite not seeing him in action. They only knew the green-haired man was sniping enemies from the inside of the building. But perhaps his little challenge and introduction helped in that. Shouto quietly admits to himself both instances were sort of impressive. He presses his lips in a tight line, suddenly feeling the need to prove his worth and loyalty. If their Boss could just accept him, that would be one less thing to think about.
"But really! That was the most mafia boss thing I have ever seen!" Kaminari is the first person to follow Midoriya inside an unoccupied office. Shouto notes the name on the desk reads, 'Sir Nighteye'.
"I'm not a mafia boss," Midoriya replies, lying on his stomach on the sofa and hugging a throw pillow to his face. All the tension seems to have left his body through the car ride.
"But you're our Boss," Kaminari insisted weakly.
"No, I'm not your Boss," Midoriya opens one eye to look at him. "Go back home to Italy where you came from."
"But you said-"
"Okay, first off," Midoriya raises a finger and lifts himself to his elbows. "That was a bluff. That's what you do when you want to get results at a time you want to get them. The best weapon out there is striking fear, all you have to do is make the right prodding and people will fill in the blanks themselves. It's a strategy the police use for criminals, and I'm surprised you people don't realize what that was considering you're in the mafia."
"We're newbloods, most of us anyway." Kaminari shrugs lamely.
"Whatever, I don't care," Midoriya shakes his head,disbelieving. "I still don't know if you're not just here to kill me anyway."
"For the last time, I'm telling you I'm not working for my father." Shouto tried to keep his voice as level as he could, but he just couldn't help the outburst anymore.
"Whatever happened to 'not needing my trust'?"
Shouto bit his tongue.
Midoriya sat up to properly address him, "remember? Just a little less than an hour ago, you said you didn't need my trust as long as I allowed you to protect me. And I did allow you to protect me," he raised his bandaged left arm that was previously shot. "But that didn't exactly work for me, did it? So why should trusting you make any difference? When I can't even trust your capabilities, much less you yourself."
Shouto bowed his head and numbly stared at his feet. He didn't want to make the excuse he was distracted, even if it was the truth. He didn't want to admit it, and certainly not to the subject of his thoughts. He just got too caught up in the scenario at the time, it really looked like nothing bad could happen because Midoriya was there. And the knowledge that the green-haired man managed to do all that, from the moment he single-handedly fought back against them and until his ultimatum, all the while not having a quirk was just entrancing. Shouto felt too relaxed he didn't think he had to move, the entire time he was just following after his Boss. Which was a misjudgment in hindsight, considering how he failed to protect the man. Now he thinks that although Midoriya made him feel safe, the other probably didn't feel the same.
"Now wait a fucking second, that's not fair," Bakugou suddenly interrupts, surprisingly defending him. "You weren't in danger back there, you just deliberately put yourself in the fucking way."
"And I was hit by that bullet still. It doesn't matter if I wasn't the target, I was obviously within range. Which means they could've just as easily killed me back there if they wanted to. Besides, how do you know that man wasn't just leading me in the right spot to be shot? Didn't he surrender too soon? Didn't it look like a trap?" Midoriya didn't lose his reasoning. "And this isn't a testament of my recklessness, I knew someone was going to try taking a shot. But he didn't, which is a testament to his incapabilities despite begging so much to protect me."
"I'm sorry," Shouto blurts out before Bakugou could argue for him further. Then he moves to sit on his knees, resting both hands open on his lap. It looked like a posture of absolute surrender. He finally lifts his gaze back up and straight to their Boss. "Please shoot me as punishment."
He didn't know what he was doing, or why he was doing it, but he knew he had to prove himself somehow and the only thing he could offer was the power to have his quirk taken away from him. Midoriya doesn't have a quirk so he should recognize the importance of one. He absent-mindedly thinks about how harder this would make living the rest of his life if he really did lose his quirk. Then again, it doesn't sound too bad knowing it will probably be the biggest show of spite to his father. Also, he could be freed.
Suddenly, he hears Midoriya laughing. "That bullet was just a bluff too, you know," he waves them off. "The effects aren't permanent. The longest it could last is a week, depending on the person's constitution."
Shouto might have looked a little bit dumbfounded at that.
"What?!" Bakugou bursts.
"I know, I know," Midoriya nods to himself. "It's funny how you could actually get people to grovel to your feet for nothing. And trust me, I've made many people beg for their lives for things even lesser."
"You son of a..." Bakugou growls but he was smiling.
"Don't you dare finish that, my mom has nothing to do with this. And I can still shoot you in the head with normal bullets, and you can die from that." Midoriya glares challengingly, but he was also smiling.
They hear a knock before Bakugou could retaliate further, and the door opens to a young Lady with red hair and pigtails. "You're here early, Nighteye is in a meeting with the Chief."
"La Brava! Thanks for everything! You're the best!" Midoriya suddenly beams. "Sorry about that, and yeah, I guess I'm still supposed to be in school at this time."
"How many bullets did you use?" La Brava doesn't beat around the bush. [2]
"About a dozen?" Midoriya scratches his cheek, smiling sheepishly.
"Midoriya, you know those bullets are-" she immediately stops herself, seeing as they weren't alone. She raises an eyebrow when she sees Shouto still sitting on his knees, but she pushes on. "Never mind, you already know."
"Can I get some antidote?" Midoriya suddenly asks.
"Why? You're not just gonna wait?" Her eyebrows slowly rose as she was finishing the question, glancing at Shouto again before breaking into a lazy smile. "You made them 'grovel to your feet' again, didn't you?"
Midoriya bit his lower lip, trying to stop himself from smiling too much, "maybe."
La Brava sighs and shakes her head, but she was still smiling. "Go ask Overhaul yourself."
"Oh, man... I don't really want to talk to him, guess they'll just have to wait." Midoriya shrugs.
"You're the worst." She turns to her back, intent on leaving. "I'll see you later, I'm still working on the reports."
"Yeah, thanks for that by the way! I owe you!" Midoriya hurries to say before the door closes. And when he was sure she was out of earshot he explains. "She was the one I was talking to on the phone earlier. She's a gifted hacker, and an ex-convict. We met about a year ago when I arrested her."
"Does this mean, you're also planning to recruit that man you saved?" Iida connects the dots.
Midoriya frowns, "absolutely not! I'm not interested in people who only have their quirks to their name."
Shouto suddenly remembers the man saying he is nothing without his quirk, and what his Boss said about being quirkless. He vaguely wonders what Midoriya thinks of him now, after he asked to be shot, while not knowing the effects wouldn't be permanent anyway and it's not like he actually thought he was going to be shot. He allows himself to feel a little semblance of hope, at the very least it puts him on the good book.
"Anyway, it looks like my mentor isn't gonna be available for a while. Maybe, I should just come back later?" Midoriya wonders aloud and looks around at the six guardians, he doesn't know why they followed him here. He manages to take one step towards the door before his phone rings. He picks it up with one look at the caller ID.
"Kouta-kun! What's up? Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
Izuku runs as fast as he could, fearing the worst. He doesn't know why all of this is happening to him right now, and he really doesn't want to believe it. It feels just like yesterday when he was living a relatively normal life and now everything's like a nightmare. He turns a corner and sprints, all six of his guardians hot on his heels. He doesn't think about them, or if they know something about this. He doesn't have the time.
The first thing he notices were the sirens, flashes of red and blue as police cars come into view. There were at least five, but he's not sure. He doesn't have the patience to count them. They were all parked near the gates, with police officers milling about, assisting children and their parents. Of course, they were. After all, this was a primary school. And coincidentally, the institution where his mother worked.
His breath hitched, coming to a stop in front of the police line as he takes in the damage done. Windows smashed and rubble everywhere, he vaguely notices an ambulance rushing out of the scene. He breathes in hard, scanning through the people. There were meatballs everywhere, a testament of Shishikura's quirk, one of his colleagues. Most of them contained in a distinct cloth of black and white. He doesn't need time to come to that conclusion. The enemy mafia famiglia must've come here after failing to capture him.
Izuku curses inside his mind, he got distracted showing off. He should've known that just because he won his own fight, doesn't mean that was the end of it. Of course none of them played fair, they were the mafia after all. He suddenly feels stupid. He isn't sure if they allowed some to get away, or if this was a different group. Either way, they were probably from the same famiglia. But it doesn't matter even if they weren't, he needs to find his mother.
"Midoriya!"
Izuku turns at the call of his name and sees a familiar figure. "Sempai!"
"What are you doing here? You should go to the hospital!" Mirio runs up to him.
"The hospital?" Izuku felt his heart stop, he was too late.
"I'm sorry, we did our best but she still got wounded-"
Izuku didn't hear anymore what else he had to say, the next thing he knew he was at the hospital and he could barely feel his legs. He approached the nurses' station but nothing came out from his mouth.
"We're looking for Midoriya Inko, his mother. She's as a teacher from Musutafu Primary?" He heard Todoroki say from somewhere behind him, a strong arm finding its way around him, keeping him upright.
They were given the room number and Todoroki led him to where it was, opening a door to the sight of his wounded mother lying unconscious on the bed.
Izuku felt all of his remaining strength leave him then, falling to his knees he finally cried.
Shouto always thought he's learned how to better handle things having lived his entire life in the mafia. He knew he couldn't be easily attached, the people around him could die anytime, but that doesn't mean he could help it. Still, he strives to at least be capable of action when need be, suppressing his emotions in favor of efficiency. Not that either could help him right now.
His boss is crying on the floor, he looks very much like the same person he met the first time. Weak and powerless, shaking to the core with every sob. It was heartbreaking. And though Shouto wishes he could offer assurance, he knows that was the last thing he could give, Midoriya doesn't trust him after all. But what he can offer is a shoulder to cry on, if his boss wanted one. He was the first guardian Midoriya met, so it's not like the other's would try to get near him. And he's sure the green-haired man needed someone, anyone would do right now.
That's how he found himself awkwardly hugging his Boss on the floor. He supported him earlier so they were sitting sideways, bodies now turned slightly to face each other. Like this, Shouto wishes he was at least a source of comfort. He'd take Midoriya not pushing him away as a good sign.
Until the green-haired man managed to get his voice back. "P-please don't kill her, she's the o-only family I have."
His voice sounds so little and broken, something wrenches in Shouto's gut. He also realizes his Boss still suspects him to have something to do with it, but before he could refute Midoriya continues.
"Kill me instead, it was m-my fault! She has nothing to do with any of this," Midoriya continues to cry, tears falling like a waterfall. "I was j-just trying to defend myself, I'm sorry."
Hearing his Boss apologize to him like this struck a chord deep within him. It's not like he took the initial aggression personally, Shouto knows Midoriya doesn't trust him. Besides, it's not like the green-haired man dealt him actual harm. He was just fighting back, for his own sake. And he had to admit, the man was good at it. Midoriya was strategic, calm and efficient, brave and relentless. Shouto was actually a bit impressed. But now, he's seeing the most vulnerable side of him, he doesn't think anything he could say would help.
"It's not your fault, don't be stupid," surprisingly, it was Bakugou who tries to knock some sense into him. "You did what you had to do. Now we just have to pay those fuckers back."
Shouto knew the words were meant for their Boss, but honestly, he must've needed to hear them as well.
Midoriya falls silent after that, reduced to hiccups and sniffles until eventually falling asleep. Shouto gently rests him on a nearby couch, careful not to wake him. He spares Midoriya's mother one glance before motioning for the rest of the guardians to move out. And as soon as the door closes, he hears Bakugou open his mouth again.
"What the hell was that back there, you dumbass?"
Shouto sighs, he doesn't want to look at him so he just focuses on a couch at the lobby, walking and sitting himself. "He still thinks my father sent me."
"So what? You both said it already, that he doesn't need to trust us. We just need to protect him because it's our job." Bakugou stands in front of him, arms crossed.
"But he's our Boss." Shouto stares at the blond's shoes, still avoiding his gaze.
"But he's not his father, our loyalty doesn't matter anymore. Come on, let's get over this already. This is fucking ridiculous."
"I just want him to accept me," Shouto looks up at him then, but immediately regrets it.
"Why? Because he's your 'only hope'? Do you seriously believe that? He wants to be a police officer, that means we're everything he's against." Bakugou huffs, looking out the window. "I admit he's passable, at least now we have less to worry about. But even if he does stay with us, things are going to take its fucking time."
"And time is something we don't have, with lives on the line." Shinsou was the one who interrupts this time, looking at something on his phone.
"That's right, we need to move too." Iida agrees, looking back to the room where Midoriya was. "Unfortunately our Boss is not yet well-versed on how our world works, so we'll have to take action in his stead for now. We'll decide everything based on what we think is his best interest," the bluenette then looks back at Shouto. "Are you going to stay here?"
Shouto nods numbly, remembering the promise never to let their Boss out of his sight again.
"And you, Bakugou?" Iida turns to the blond.
"No way am I gonna babysit! I'm gonna off some fuckers!" Bakugou walks out.
"I guess I'll go with him for now?" Kirishima turns to the side and points at the blond's direction. "You know, just to make sure he doesn't get himself killed or get into too much trouble." He grins and mock salutes them before jogging off.
Iida nods to the redhead before turning back to the remaining guardians. "I'll go back to Yagi-san to report and see if we can delegate some of the other tasks."
"I'll go with you," Shinsou says before turning to Kaminari, silently asking about him.
Kaminari doesn't answer and turns to Shouto instead. He offers, "I can stay with you if you want, Todoroki? Buddy system, you know."
Shouto shakes his head, but gives a slight smile. "It's fine, you can go. I think I still need to have a word with the Boss by myself, but thanks."
"If you're sure," Kaminari gives him a sheepish smile.
"We'll be a phone call away, if anything happens," Iida bids him goodbye and the three are off, leaving Shouto to his thoughts.
Izuku wakes up when he hears a scuffle from outside the door, it sounds like some people were fighting with shouts and loud stomps. He jolts up on his feet, his mother was still unconscious and he needed to protect her if they were being attacked here. It dawns him then that he was all by himself, he grinds his teeth thinking about the people who promised to protect him. He reached for the gun behind him as the voices grew louder and closer, pointing the weapon at the door just as someone starts pounding and then it suddenly opens to reveal a white-haired young woman falling face first.
"Onii-chan!" It was Eri, a 13-year-old girl he helped rescue three years ago.
"Aniki!" Then he saw Kouta wrestling with Todoroki in the hallway, pushing and pulling at each other.
"I'm sorry! I told them to come back tomorrow but they wouldn't listen," Todoroki struggles to keep his hold on Kouta's waist, his other hand was gripping on Eri's ankle.
Izuku sighs exasperatedly, lowering his gun and shoulders. "You guys are too noisy, this is a hospital!" He whispers in a shout, walking over to help Eri get up from the floor. "Let them go, Todoroki-kun. It's okay."
As soon as Todoroki relaxes his hold, Kouta elbows him in the chin.
"Who the hell is that scarface?!" Kouta points at him while clutching at the bottom of Izuku's shirt.
"He's just, uhmm..." Izuku bites the inside of his cheek, before lamely finishing, "a friend."
"Some friend!" Kouta glares at Todoroki, "don't you know we're family?!"
"My apologies," Todoroki rubs at his jaw, glaring back.
"It's fine, Todoroki-kun. Come inside and close the door," Izuku says before tipping his head to the younger girl. "This is Eri-chan, by the way, my daughter." Then he tips his head to the younger boy, "and this is Kouta-kun, my son."
"You're too young to have children," Todoroki comments lamely as Kouta sticks a tongue out at him.
Izuku rolls his eyes, "of course not biologically, but we're family." He agrees to the earlier statement, and smiles fondly before squeezing the two in a tight hug, "you guys didn't have to come, you know. We're fine."
"But we were worried!" Eri whined, eyes already glassy.
"Togata-san said Auntie Inko got injured!" Kouta breaks away from the hug and turns to face the bed. "That's why I brought Eri-chan here!"
"She's going to be fine, don't worry," Izuku tries to calm the two down, even though he wasn't sure about things himself. He wasn't able to talk to any Doctor since coming here because he became hysterical, he doesn't even know the extent of her injuries.
"But I can heal her! I've been training!" Eri pleaded, holding his hand.
"Eri-chan, you know you aren't allowed to use your quirk carelessly," Izuku tries to be the voice of reason, despite not being convinced himself.
"I won't be careless, I'll do my best!" Eri bites her lower lip. "Please, I won't hurt her."
Izuku curses inside his mind, whenever Eri says that it means she thinks he doesn't believe in her.
"Why don't you let her do it?" Todoroki's voice breaks him out of his thoughts, the bi-haired man explains. "The doctors told me your mother was shot, but they already managed to take the bullet out so I think any kind of healing can help."
"You don't know what you're talking about Todoroki-kun," Izuku starts, glaring hard at the floor because he's relenting. "But I guess we can just explain," he turns to Eri and gives her a nod. "Fine, show him."
"Are you sure?" Kouta suddenly asks from his other side.
Izuku nods, "yeah, he's safe." He says even though again, he isn't sure.
Kouta glares at Todoroki again, as if in warning. Eri then approaches Inko's bedside, looking apprehensive. Todoroki takes his place beside Izuku where he could see what she was doing.
"Eri-chan doesn't actually heal, it's not a regeneration quirk." Izuku whispers to his cloud guardian.
Eri raises her right forefinger, and sparks surround her body before she slowly and gently pokes Inko on the cheek. It was a long poke, like she was trying to wake her up. Inko then visibly starts getting some color back on her face, they couldn't see the rest of the process but Izuku is sure she's getting healed.
"Her quirk turns back a person's time, back to before they gained injuries." Izuku continues to explain, waiting for his mother to wake up. "One millisecond is worth at least an hour, depending on her concentration and the expanse of the touch."
As if on cue, Inko opens her eyes then.
"Mama Inko!" Eri cries and hugs her.
"Auntie!" Kouta runs to her other side.
"Oh, you two! I'm glad you're both safe," she hugs each child before turning to her son.
"Mom, we're all fine, but how about you? How do you feel?" Izuku walks to give her a hug as well.
"I'm perfectly fine, it just feels like I woke up from a long slumber!" She laughs and then turns to the little girl, knowing too well. "Thank you, Eri-chan." When she receives a proud smile, she turns to the boy on her other side. "Thanks to you too, Kouta-kun. I know you were the one who called Izuku."
"No problem!" Kouta sniffles and huffs.
Inko nods, smiling before tilting her head as she notices an unknown man behind her son. "And who might you be?"
"Oh! That's Todoroki-kun!" Izuku moves to wave him over, "he works for Yagi-san. He also helped us."
"Oh, I see," her tone noticeably changed. Whether that was because of the mention of the older man's name or knowing the implications of working for him, Izuku couldn't tell.
"I'm glad you're all right, Midoriya-san," Todoroki bows lowly before turning to Izuku. "I'll stay outside, call me if you need anything."
"That won't be necessary," Inko cuts him off before Izuku could respond. "Take Izuku home, he looks like a mess."
"Mom!" Izuku looks incredulous.
"You're still wearing your uniform, that means you rushed here, didn't you?" Inko looks concerned. "Besides, you were waiting for me to wake up, right? To make sure I'm okay? Well, as you can see, I'm fine. Go home and rest, I'll check myself out as soon as I talk to the doctor. I'll have Eri-chan and Kouta-kun with me so it'll be okay. You can order take-out for dinner and wait for me at home, okay?"
Izuku sighs, relenting and helplessly nodding his head. "Okay, but I get to choose the place this time. And also!" He looks at the two children, pretending to be stern. "You two have curfew and it's a weekday, so no sleepovers."
"Aww!" Eri and Kouta chorused. "But Onii-chan/Aniki!"
"No butts!" Izuku huffs, resting both hands on each side of his waist. "You need to let me and my mom rest, but tomorrow we'll see each other again, okay?" He still breaks into a smile at the end.
"Fine, geez," Kouta sighs and Eri just laughs sheepishly.
"Okay! Group hug!" Izuku pulls Eri and Kouta with him to hug his mother, before he leaves.
"Join us, Todoroki-kun," Inko suddenly calls for the bi-haired guardian.
"Ah, no. It's okay, but thank you." Todoroki nods and politely refuses before taking a step back.
"Oh, come on already, geez!" Izuku grabs him by the wrist and hugs him by the waist, pushing him into the circle with his head in between Inko and Kouta.
"Don't worry, we're family now." Inko whispers with the gentlest voice before they all squeeze and pull away, the circle breaking off too quickly.
Izuku catches the sad smile flashing on Todoroki's face at the words, he doesn't know what to think about this.