crossposting this from my account over on AO3 under the name name! I'll possibly be moving some of my other works over, as well.

the coding here is a bit different, so this took me a while to set up. this fic is still a work in progress! feel free to leave reviews if you like it so far, and I hope to update very soon!

Izuku Midoriya would consider himself to be lucky. As it stood right now, he was living his dream, what he had envisioned for years, unable to comprehend that it would all come true. He was currently a student at the prestigious U.A, one of the top hero schools within Japan. He had received a quirk- which he'd recently gotten a handle on, and could now control up to 5% of his current power output.

One For All had been a gift that he would treasure for many years to come; all thanks to All Might, the current Symbol of Peace. Izuku had been by a weak, Quirkless child...and Japan's greatest hero had given him a quirk, one of the strongest quirks...

He felt bad, having to lie to his mother about it. Inko Midoriya was a natural worry-wart; and whilst she had been surprised that her son had 'miraculously' manifested such a strong, and literal bone-breaking quirk...he could tell how much she feared for him.

He didn't blame her.

Being a Pro Hero came with many, many risks; heroes often got injured badly enough, that the amount that retired ten-twelve years into their careers was staggering. And any heroes that did make it past that mark...they were subjected to mental illnesses, depression, PTSD...many things they had to face were horrendous.

Many things that children, fifteen to sixteen years of age, had to prepare themselves for in the future.

Inko Midoriya wanted to protect her son, Izuku knew that; and he knew, even as he grew older, even when he eventually came to debut...she would worry. She would fear for his life, she would fear that one day, she would get a call to say her son had died during duty.

With all the villain attacks he had experienced in just this year, too, didn't help her frayed nerves at all.

So Izuku considered himself lucky, that he was able to go home every day after a tiring day at school. He considered himself lucky to have his mother anxiously awaiting for his return.

Sure- he could admit that sometimes, her 'coddling' of him whilst at home was a bit much. Sometimes, like any teenage boy, Izuku would prefer to have his own space...

But he wasn't willing to push his mother away, either. She was just as anxious as he was, maybe even worse. If she wanted to spend the afternoon with him, making sure her only son, her only family, was still in one piece...then he'd give that to her.

Inko had already sacrificed so much for her only child; she had raised him as best she could, being a single mother with her husband supporting them from overseas.

So Izuku would give back. If being around her helped settle her nerves, then he'd do it. Because that's what a hero would do, wasn't it?

That day was no different...

"Izuku, are you ready to go?"

"Coming, mum!" Izuku called out from his bedroom, hurriedly closing his notebook and pushing back from his desk, the boy almost tripping over his chair in haste to go meet his mother at the front door of their small, homely apartment.

The greenette paused, pushing his desk chair back into place and taking a final glance around his All Might-ridden room. His idol grinned down at every corner and crevice at him, and despite knowing the man, and having so for the past year...seeing him even on a poster filled the boy with delight. Filled him with he power to grin and smile through all his problems.

He reached a scarred hand out, brushing down one of the figurines that littered his desk and getting rid of all the dust that had collected...hm, perhaps he should invest in some sort of protector. He didn't want the colours to fade, after all...

"Izuku?"

The boy was shaken from his stupor as his mother called for him once more, and after checking everything was in its correct place, the teenage boy scurried out of his room, closing the door behind him as his All Might nameplate clacked against the wood.

Inko watched in amusement at seeing her frazzled son appear, his green eyes meeting hers as she stood by the front door. "Is everything alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Izuku chirped happily, smiling as he stepped to where they kept their shoes, reaching for his iconic red sneakers. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Oh, its nothing," his mother begins to unlock the front door as Izuku slips his sneakers on, hurriedly tying them as to not make her wait any longer. "You know how much I worry."

Izuku tugs on the tied knots to make sure they won't untie easily before standing up, nodding with a smile. He did know how much she worried he'd garnered the same trait from her. "Everything's fine, I promise." he tries to assure his mother, and she lets it go.

The two step out of the apartment, into the bright, sunny Sunday morning Japan has to offer. As his mother locks the apartment door behind them, Izuku messes with the hem of his Edgeshot-themed shirt, waiting for Inko to be done before the two walk along, heading towards the stairs that will take them down to ground level.

"Do you have your list, mum?"

"Of course; I didn't forget it this time, Izuku." Inko chides gently, a smile on her portly features. The two of them wave to the elderly couple that live at the end of the hall before descending down the steps.

Sunday was always a shopping day, the two heading to the outdoor market in order to grab ingredients and food for the following week; as well as some snacks and, if they were lucky, any cheap deals.

They weren't exactly short on money - Hisashi, Izuku's absentee father, always sent enough money that the two could afford to save some with every payment. But Inko always kept an eye out for any small decorations she could use to put up in their apartment. Hell, they probably had enough that if they wanted, they could probably move into a proper-sized house.

But neither of the Midoriya's saw the need. Their apartment was just enough.

As the two drew closer to the market, the sidewalk got busier and busier; many families only had Sunday's free to enjoy the day together, and it appeared that several were taking advantage of the good weather, too.

Inko hummed a small tune to herself as the two finally arrived, opening her purse in order to take out the list she had written back at the apartment. But the outdoor market was vast, and Izuku could already see the worry creasing on his mothers face about how they could get all the shopping done in a timely matter.

Before she could work herself over her anxiety, Izuku gently plucked the list from her hands. "We can split it up."

"Oh Izuku, you don't-"

"I want to," the greenette insisted, resting a warm hand over his mothers for a moment before carefully tearing the piece of paper in half. (If he happened to make his half a little bigger, neither said anything.)

He handed back the other half to his mother with a grin. "I should have enough yen on me - we can split up and have it done in half the time."

A small frown had pulled at Inko's face, he knew she wanted to protest. It wasn't suppose to be a chore, after all. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Izuku spoke firmly, before patting his pants pocket to make sure that he had brought his cell along, "I have my phone on me. If I need you, I'll call."

"I...alright..." Inko murmurs, looking at her list. "Be safe."

Izuku almost laughs; its not like villains would attack in the middle of the day, during some of the busiest hours.

"I'll be fine."

If he could do even just this to help out his mother's load, even if it was only the smallest bit, he would do it again and again.

If only either of them knew how that day would end...

"Eggs...flour...natto, that's almost everything." Izuku hums to himself, scratching out yet another item he had gotten off his list, and looking at what remained. Three plastic bags were clasped in one hand as he put the list back in his pocket, looking and trying to see around the people hurrying past.

All he had left to find was the rice; a staple food in the Midoriya household.

The boy taps his finger against his bottom lip idly, trying to remember where he had seen the rice; he knew he'd already gone past the booth that sold rice. But since they usually got a fair amount of it, he had decided to leave it to last.

"I guess I'll just have to...retrace my footsteps? But I've been all over the market...it'll take me another hour almost...and I don't know when mum will be done, either. She had the smaller list, after all..."

The curly-haired boy mumbled to himself before abruptly pausing, biting his bottom lip. Standing around and talking wasn't going to do much for him, after all...maybe he could ask someone for directions?

But...he didn't want to bother anyone...

Even after having entered UA, and becoming much more confident with himself...he didn't want to have the chance of annoying someone. Or getting recognized for his performance during the Sports Festival.

Izuku shakes his head, and contemplates on calling his mother, like he had said he would before they parted. She'd been to this outdoor market much more than he had.

He couldn't help getting a little lost, with all the different booths and their wears. It was difficult to keep his mind on the one track.

He decides against it, a moment later. Perhaps if he went back to where he'd purchased the flour; last he recalled, the rice shouldn't be far from there...

The teen turns, one foot in front of the other as he begins to head back the way he came...but then he stops, something moving in the corner of his eye.

The greenette turns his head...

...and lets out a sigh when he sees its just an elderly lady, struggling to fit the packaged fish she had purchased neatly into her bags. Izuku is quick to pad over, being careful not to startle the woman when he speaks.

"Would you like some help, ma'am?"

It startles her regardless- but seeing as its just a teenager offering his help, instead of some lowly scum possibly trying to rob her, she smiles with sharp teeth. "That would be a delight, young man."

Izuku's cheeks flush at that, and the freckled boy quickly sets to re-arranging her bags, with it not taking long at all to fit the packaged fish in, all the while the woman watches him with a sharp gaze...

...he didn't know why he felt so unsettled...

...a cold breeze blew over, and Izuku shivered slightly. It was sunny out...yet why did he feel so cold?

"You're a UA student, ain'tcha dearie? I saw you during the Sports Festival! What a strong lad..."

"A-ah, yeah." Izuku nods, and he nearly drops the bags as he hands them over. He avoids direct eye contact. "Here you go!"

He just wanted to get away. The elderly woman takes the bags thankfully, and the boy turns to leave.

But her hand snakes around his wrist before he can move, an iron grip.

"Why not stay around and show us how much UA students have been taught..."

Her tone causes his heart to sink, her hand icy on his skin as his wide green eyes find her own deep onyx-coloured ones.

"What?"

He can barely get the word out before the ground begins to tremble and shift underneath their feet...all before a resounding boom shakes the earth.

The woman in front of Izuku bursts into flickering onyx flames, and a startled yelp was unable to escape the students throat as a new body emerges from the blistering flames, charging into him.

Sharp teeth glint down at him as a heavy, deep voice speaks, people turn in horror as civilians further down the market begin to scream.

"Show us what heroes are made of, eh?"