Chapter Text
Make a living up and down the gypsy highways
Seasons that we've had to share apart
Somehow in my heart, I always keep you near me
After all these years.
Artwork/Commision by Rozelius
"She's getting progressively worse."
The words bellowed, even though he was standing silently in his small kitchen. He swallowed thickly, raising one hand to curl his unruly hair into his fingers. He let out a stuttering breath.
"How much worse?" he asks in a small voice.
A sigh followed. "They're considering hospice care if she doesn't start responding to treatment soon."
Izuku Midoriya's emerald orbs widened, his pacing coming to a halt. "What? I━I thought she was responding to the treatments. They said she was almost in remissi━"
"I am sorry, Young Midoriya," Toshinori Yagi apologizes grimly. Toshinori has been their neighbor since Izuku was born, always a constant presence in his life after his father abandoned him and his mother. He was a gentle, frail, and kind man who had his own battles with his health.
He was a captain of a police force in a neighboring city and during a raid gone wrong, he ended up stabbed multiple times in the stomach, causing many of his digestive organs to nearly shut down. He survived, luckily. But, he wasn't the same person he was back he led the force. He ended up moving to their small town━Green Haven, shortly after to make peace with his new life.
He had been a good friend to his mother, and a wonderful father figure growing up. Though Izuku could be naive in certain ways, he was certainly not naive to the fact Toshinori felt a profound love for his mother. Inko didn't act on anything, but Izuku knew since he was a teenager that she felt the same way.
Izuku felt blood roar in his ears and his mouth suddenly became dry. He held the phone closer with both hands. "I'm coming home, then."
He disconnected the call after a few minutes and leaned against the countertop, his watery eyes scanning the inside of his small apartment. It was a simple layout and honestly, it was comfortable enough for him. Izuku closed his eyes and let out one, wrecked sob. He clenched the front of his shirt and tried to take deep breaths.
Everything felt like it was spinning too fast and he was going to stumble on his feet. His mother was the only family he had left. He had wonderful and dear friends, sure. But, what was holding him here? Why did he have to rush to leave when he turned eighteen, leaving his mother behind? She had brain cancer, for God's sake.
His lips curled because he knew the answer━because he was a coward.
Musutafu was a stunning city with potential that Izuku could only dream of. He became an accountant after finishing his degree in school. He had a stable, well-earned job that he could be proud of. It wasn't his dream━not by a long shot, but it was something.
He was twenty-three now, almost twenty-four and nothing tied him to this city. No lover. No career that made his heart sing. No passions to chase. None of his accomplishments meant anything if he didn't have someone to share them with.
Furiously, Izuku wiped his eyes with his sleeve and ran a shaking hand through his hair. Ultimately, his mind was made up. Family first. Home first.
He took out his phone and began to make several calls, the first one to his landlord.
"Honey," his mother's voice began on the other end of his phone. "I don't want you to leave everything you've worked so hard for behind because of me━"
"Stop, Mom." Izuku slams the trunk shut of his car, using his cheek to hold the phone closer to his mouth. The city sky above was lit bright, concealing the stars above. "Listen, I love you, okay? I'm your son. Instead of hiding all of this from me and having me find out from Toshinori, you should have been more honest and told me how bad this was really getting. We could have done something sooner."
"I'm sorry," his mother wailed. Izuku felt his heart clench. "I just... I didn't want you to worry about me. My job was to set you out into the world, not have you take care of me."
"I'll always be here to take care of you. It works both ways, Mom. Have you talked to the Uraraka's? The Todoroki's? Anyone?"
His mother's illness wasn't a mystery in his small hometown. Many of the townsfolk came together to raise funds, help Inko with appointments and doctor visits, and even helped her maintain the garden she loved so much. As she progressed with her illness, her passions began to fade with it. It made Izuku feel even less like a son and more of someone who left her behind.
Inko's diagnosis wasn't something they learned of until Izuku was already out of town, but with assurance from doctors that it was caught early and that Inko would do well with chemotherapy and radiation, Inko encouraged Izuku to finish college and pursue his dreams.
"I've been in touch with the Bakugou's, actually." Her voice sounded so tired and far away, Izuku wasn't sure he heard right. When he did, he abruptly stopped walking with another bag of clothes in his hand.
"T-The Bakugou's? Really?" Izuku mentally chided himself for how incredibly squeaky he sounded when he asked that question. He knew since he was a child that Inko was very close to the Bakugou family.
"Yes, Mitsuki has been such a sweetheart. We see each other almost every day! She's been just as much of a help as Yagi has. Masaru is always busy working and when he's not, he comes by as well. It's nice to have another woman to talk to... especially since she's gone through some things of her own."
"Oh?" Izuku couldn't help but ask. He didn't want to talk about them, even though he knows he cares for the family as well. He calls Mistuki his aunt for the simple fact she and his mother are so close. Yet...
It always led back to him.
"They had to deal with Katsuki's assault charges. He spent a year in jail and had to go to anger management and therapy. Poor man lost his way, I guess. He's such a good boy, though. The two of you were thick as thieves growing up. You'd cry when it was time to come home!" His mother chuckled fondly at the memory.
Izuku swallowed heavily, already feeling his chest tighten. "Yeah... I remember."
How could he ever forget?
"Whatever happened to you two?" Inko asked, sounding more distant than before. Izuku assumes she had taken her nightly medication as he finishes packing up his car for the night. He had a long drive ahead of him and he was running on caffeine and anxiety.
"We'll talk about that another time, Mom. I'm almost done here and about to get on the road."
"Sweetheart..." his mother started. "What about your job? Your apartment? I don't... Honey, I'm really okay. I've got a lot of support."
"Rody took over my lease for the apartment so I'm not worried about that at all. My position with the bank is always open if I want to come back. Aizawa was more than understanding. I can always find a job over there. I'm not going to be the freeloading son," Izuku laughed lightly, trying to raise bother their spirits.
His mother still sounded unsure, and Izuku let his head fall slightly.
"I'm coming home and I'm going to make sure you get the best care and that I'm there for anything you need. I've made up my mind. You've done so much for me, Mom, and I'm begging you to not worry about my feelings on this and just let me help you. Please."
The phone is silent for several seconds before Inko sighed. "Okay, Izuku. I... I don't think I could have asked for a better son."
He can hear the tears in her voice and even though she pushed him away out of love, Izuku wasn't going to let her this time. "I'll be there in the morning. I can't wait to see you. Get some rest, okay? Call me or Toshinori if you need anything."
He disconnected the call and let his head drop against the side of his car, slowly knocking it against it over and over again. This was all too much. He worried his lower lip and closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
The crisp, fall air wrapped around his skin and chilled his bones. It had been two years since he was last home, and it made his stomach coil just thinking about it. His mother couldn't ask for a better son? A better son would have come home sooner, knowing his mother had cancer.
Green Haven was a lush and beautiful town━surrounded by gorgeous pines oaks, lakes, and winding roads. He loved growing up there as a child, running through mud puddles and wading through rivers up to his waist. He remembered how warm and whole his home was and he never went without, despite his father's absence. It's the place he met his friends and began to grow into himself with confidence. Bit by bit. It's also the place he fell in love, and how his heart ripped through his chest.
He was a coward though.
Because Katsuki Bakugou was the reason he left Green Haven.