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Shopping to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for two had always been difficult. The front left wheel squeaked with every rotation as Inko pushed the grocery cart down the aisle. She loved to cook, especially when her beloved son, Izuku, was able to visit home, but even though he started eating more after his quirk manifested, Thanksgiving would inevitably lead to too many leftovers that would end up spoiling.
The mother glanced wistfully into the cart that she knew had more food than it should and sighed. She couldn’t help it. Izuku had called and told her that he’d be able to go home for the holiday, and she’d gotten a little excited. Cutting through the frozen aisle to get to the registers, Inko paused when she saw a familiar face.
“All Might?” It was disconcerting, seeing the hero her son idolized appear so weak and sickly, but there was an intensity in his glowing blue eyes when he turned to look at her that attested to his heroic past.
“Mrs. Midoriya,” he greeted. If he was surprised to run into his protégé’s mother, he didn’t show it. “Shopping for the holiday?”
Inko hummed an affirmation. “And I see you are,” she observed the basket he carried, her smile dropping to a frown as she sternly glared up at the towering hero, “clearly not.” There were a few bottles of water and some fruit, but far more frozen meals than she approved of.
At least All Might had the decency to be abashed.
“Well I…” The blonde hero scratched the back of his head while scrambling for an excuse that would satisfy the disgruntled woman. The glint in her green eyes threatened consequences if he even thought about lying, and, despite towering over the small, civilian mother, he had to admit that he was a little intimidated by her. This was a woman who would do anything if it meant keeping her son safe, and it was clear she was the type to mother anyone she felt needed a dose of compassion and love. Not for the first time, he was struck by her similarities to his old master. “I-I’m sorry,” he finished lamely, unable to think of anything else to say. All Might’s head ducked into his shoulders while his gaze dropped to the floor.
It felt wrong to see someone known for his courageous smile walk around as if he had no more faith in himself. Inko’s expression softened into a sad smile.
“It can’t be helped,” she loudly stated, putting as much confidence into her words as possible. The kind, green haired woman ruffled around in her purse until she found a mini notepad and a pen. She quickly wrote something down, tore off the page, and held it out towards All Might. “Be at that address by 10 o’clock Thursday morning.”
Blue eyes widened in shock when he read the street address, not that he wasn’t already aware of where Izuku lived, but, when he glanced up, the plump woman had already started walking away. The cart squeaked with every step.
“Wait a minute,” he implored. Anything else he planned to say fell silent with a snap of his jaw when Inko stopped and turned back to face him.
“I’m sorry, do you have other plans?” she asked, genuinely curious and regretful of how forceful she had been, but the honest shaking of All Might’s head brought a sense of relief. “Then come,” she insisted. “No one should be alone on the holidays.”
“Thank you.” It was all he could say, but he meant it with all his heart.
“10 o’clock, All Might,” she reiterated, lips curling into a smug smile. “There’s a lot of cooking to be done.”
He managed to wheeze a few chuckles without falling into a coughing fit, and returned her a wide smile of his own. “My name is Toshinori.”
Something sparkled in her eyes when she replied, “And you can call me Inko.” Finished with their conversation, she turned and continued on her way to the checkout lines. Meanwhile, Toshinori reread the home address on the small scrap of paper she’d given him, eyes following the gentle curves of her handwriting.
Shoving the note into his pocket for safekeeping, the eighth user of One For All carried his basket back through the store for some extra ingredients. Nana had an amazing casserole recipe that he hoped Inko would enjoy.