"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." — Thomas Campbell
-------------------------------------------------
As Izuku opened the door to Rumi's penthouse he could not keep a happy grin off his face.
"That carrot cake was so good!" Rumi sighed happily. "I swear, you are going to spoil me if you keep taking me to Romano's restaurant. Eating anything other than his or yours cooking is just not going to satisfy me."
Turning on the lights to the apartment, Izuku was about to suggest a more physical way of satisfying Rumi when his cell phone began to ring.
Answering the call, Izuku was surprised to hear Hawks' voice.
"Hey Midoriya." Hawks said in a friendly tone. "Sorry for calling your cell, but Miruko was not answering hers. You have a minute to talk?"
Izuku nodded as walked over to the couch. "Sure, do you want Miruko on the call as well?"
"If she is feeling well enough to do so." Hawks said considerately. "I heard how the doctors put her on mandatory sick leave so she could recover. You must have your hands full stopping her from getting into trouble."
Motioning for Rumi to join him on the couch, Izuku put his phone on speaker mode.
"Hawks wanted to talk to you about something." Izuku explained to his girlfriend as she took a seat next to him. "Alright Hawks, what do you have?"
"Okay, this happened while Miruko was in the hospital, but something about the whole thing just doesn't seem right." Hawks explained. "Did you guys hear about that big apartment building fire down on the other side of the city?"
Izuku felt a chill run down his spine as Rumi replied.
"Yeah I saw it on the news. Something about a gang dispute that got out of control." Rumi said. "Honestly I have no sympathy for those shitstains. They were doing us a favor fighting against each other."
Hawks sighed heavily before replying. "Miruko I was one of the first responders. You didn't see what I saw. It wasn't a fight at all, it was a massacre."
Feeling his heart rate begin to climb, Izuku mustered all his mental fortitude to not seem suspicious.
"The fire did a lot of damage to the bodies, but there was still enough left over to piece together what happened." Hawks said as he continued his story. "Everyone in that building was ripped to pieces, literally. If it had been a regular turf war there would have been more bullet wounds, but there were only a few bodies that had bullets in them. The thing that is really bugging me is that there was no trace of whoever...or whatever...killed all those people. Something about the whole situation stinks. The cops were no help either. They just chalked it up to gang violence and moved on. If there is something out there that could tear apart an entire building full of armed thugs the next victims could be innocent people."
Obviously intrigued, Rumi leaned a little closer to the phone in Izuku's hand.
"Okay that does sound weird." Rumi replied. "Do you have any leads at all?"
Again, the question was met with a heavy sigh.
"Not really." Hawks admitted. "One of the bodies was missing a head, and there was only one survivor. Other than that, I got squat."
Well that was definitely not good news.
Before Izuku could stop himself he reflexively blurted out his thoughts "You said there was a survivor?!"
"Yeah, but she is not talking." Hawks said disappointedly. "She was shot in the gut but managed to crawl into a bathtub to escape the flames. She is in a coma and has not woken up. If she does wake up she might give us something to work with, but right now she is unresponsive."
His anxiety increasing with every breath, Izuku tried his best to calm his voice. "So why call us? This sounds like something you should bring up with the police."
"Well they say it is always good to hear other perspectives." Hawks replied. "Plus I was going to ask if you guys could keep your ears open for any possible leads. It is a slim chance, but you guys might run across something that could help paint a clearer picture. So Miruko, what do you think of the whole thing?"
Izuku watched apprehensively as Rumi furrowed her brow in thought.
"Now that you have explained the situation it does sound pretty fishy." Rumi finally replied. "My best guess would be some kind of Nomu, but it wouldn't make sense for a Nomu to attack random criminals like that. Sorry Hawks."
Izuku could almost see Hawks waving away Rumi's apology as he spoke. "Don't worry about it Miruko. I am going to try to make use of those government resources we were given access to and see if I make any progress. If I get anything I will let you know."
Izuku struggled to keep his voice calm as he forced a friendly smile. "Good luck Hawks. I promise we will keep our eyes open for anything that might help with your investigation."
Thinking rationally, even if the girl woke up from her coma there would be no way for her to identify Izuku. He had worn a mask the entire time, had worn gloves, and had not spoken a single word.
In a way, Izuku was glad that the girl had not died. She had simply been an innocent bystander that had gotten in the way.
Ending the call, Izuku forced himself to relax before turning to look at his girlfriend. "Hey Rumi, I actually wanted to talk to you about something."
Nodding eagerly, Rumi immediately perked up. "Whatcha wanna talk about Izuku?" She said with a sultry grin. "If you wanted to try something new in the bedroom I already have several ideas."
Blushing bright red, Izuku coughed awkwardly before replying. "Umm...t-that is good to know, but not what I meant. I thought that tomorrow we could go see my mom."
The look of panic on his girlfriend's face nearly made Izuku burst into laughter.
"W-w-what?!" Rumi stuttered adorably. "I don't know Izuku. I mean I thought we were gonna keep our relationship secret. Plus your mom might not like me and I would die on the spot if she did not approve of me."
It finally clicked in Izuku's head that Rumi did not know his mom had been dead for a long time. At first, he thought about informing his girlfriend right then and there to clarify the situation, but something stopped him.
With a warm smile on his face, Izuku reached out and gently held Rumi's metallic hand. "Trust me, nothing like that will happen. Just be yourself and leave all the talking to me."
"Well...alright." Rumi said after a short pause, clearly still a little apprehensive. "But what should I wear? I mean I don't have any real fancy clothes and I want to make a good impression and-"
Izuku cut Rumi off with a soft kiss.
"Just wear your hero outfit." He whispered against her lips. "I want my mom to see you as what you truly are. A hero who saves people. Who saved me."
Pulling back, Izuku was surprised to see Rumi staring at him in shock. As tears formed in the corners of her eyes, her rabbit ears hung limply against her head.
Worried that he had said something wrong, Izuku immediately began to panic. "A-are you okay Rumi?! Did I s-say something w-weird?! I-"
Now it was Izuku's turn to be cut off as Rumi lunged forward and hugged him tightly.
"That is totally unfair." Rumi sniffled as she hugged Izuku. "You are too nice to me, after everything I have done to you. I don't deserve you."
Understanding that nothing more needed to be said, Izuku simply hugged Rumi back as she clung to him like he would disappear if she let go.
Eventually, Rumi pulled back and gave Izuku a weak smile as she wiped her puffy eyes. "I love you so much Izuku."
Brushing Rumi's snow white hair away from her face, Izuku spoke in a warm voice. "I love you just as much Rumi."
Standing up, Izuku gently pulled Rumi to her feet and guided her to the bedroom. Once in bed, the two lovers simply cuddled as they fell asleep. Their love for each other clearly evident on their happy faces as they drifted off to sleep.
---------------------------------------------
Rumi was roused from her slumber by the feeling of Izuku pulling away from her and getting out of bed. Cracking open her eyes, Rumi was content to simply admire Izuku's body as he got dressed.
God, she was so lucky to have him. To be loved by him.
It was a strange feeling, knowing that she would do absolutely anything to keep him by her side. If she was being honest, it was a little scary to be aware of how much she loved that green-haired man. If someone had told her a year ago that she would be head over heels for a quirkless man she would have called them crazy.
Rumi was broken out of her happy thoughts by the sound of Izuku's voice.
"Are you up yet Rumi?" He asked as he buttoned his white collared shirt.
Yawning softly, Rumi forced herself to sit up. "Barely, I need some coffee."
With a chuckle that made Rumi's heart skip a beat, Izuku walked over and planted a kiss on the top of her head.
"Take your time, I will get a pot ready." The handsome government agent said warmly.
As Izuku walked out of the bedroom, Rumi took a steadying breath to calm herself. Today she was going to meet Izuku's mom. From what she knew, Izuku's mother was the sole reason he had not gone off the deep end as a kid. It sounded like his father was not in the picture at all, but that was a can of worms that could be opened at a later date.
Getting out of bed, Rumi walked over to her closest and retrieved her hero outfit. If she was being honest, she was still thinking that wearing nice clothes would be a better choice. That is, if she had any nice clothes. Hell, she did not even have a single dress in her wardrobe.
"Maybe I can ask Cassandra to help me pick out some clothes..." Rumi mumbled to herself as she put on her iconic hero outfit.
Walking out into the kitchen, Rumi's nose detected the heavenly scent of fresh coffee being brewed. Seeing Izuku in his usual work clothes with two cups of coffee in hand conjured an image in Rumi's mind. A fantasy scenario where they owned a house and always had breakfast together before waking the kids up for school.
Ever since that one comment about kids back at the game center, Rumi's imagination had gone into overdrive thinking up new fantasies involving making a family with Izuku. Yes, she definitely was not opposed to the idea at all.
Pushing her daydreams to the back of her mind, Rumi accepted the cup of coffee from her boyfriend with a happy smile on her face.
After she had finished her coffee, Rumi felt she was ready to face Izuku's mom.
Or at least as ready as she would ever be.
After the usual routine of going to the parking garage and getting into Izuku's car, Rumi could not help but ask a few more questions as Izuku started the car.
"So...do you and your mom talk often?" Rumi asked awkwardly. "I don't think I have ever heard you call her or anything."
Izuku shrugged as he drove through the city streets. "I talk to her occasionally. You have just never been able to hear it. I will be honest though, it has been..." The green-haired man paused, a sad look crossing his face before being replaced by his usual warm smile. "It has been awhile since I last visited her."
Wanting to ease the mind of her troubled boyfriend, Rumi reached over and held Izuku's free hand with her metal one. It was clearly evident that this visit was very important to Izuku, and Rumi was determined not to mess it up.
The two drove out of the city and into one of the small neighboring towns that had been around long before the city had been built. The air was fresh and the sun was high in the sky, a crisp breeze whispering through the air as if to advertise the coming fall weather.
As Izuku drove through the narrow streets of his hometown, Rumi could not help but notice how unusually quiet her partner had become.
Looking around at the clusters of houses, Rumi realized that many of the memories Izuku had of his hometown were probably not pleasant ones. It was still a little jarring to look around and wonder just how much trauma Izuku had to endure before he was old enough to leave.
Stopping in the small parking lot of a convenience store, Izuku turned off the car's engine and opened his door. "We can walk from here. It is not far." He said quietly.
Not quite understanding why they could not just park in front of his mom's house, Rumi simply followed along silently.
Walking down one of the narrow side streets, Rumi desperately tried to think of something to say that would lighten the mood. However, every time she began to speak the somber look on Izuku's face made the words dry up in her mouth.
Leading Rumi down several more streets, Izuku silently gestured to a steep hill that had overgrown steps embedded in the slope. Not seeing any houses at the top of the hill, Rumi silently followed her boyfriend up the steps as she tried to figure out just where he was taking her.
Finally reaching the top of the steps, Rumi stopped in shock as she finally realized where Izuku was taking her.
To the graveyard where his mom was buried.
The graveyard itself was nothing special, just a plot of land occupied by dozens of gravestones of varying sizes.
It took Rumi a few seconds to get her legs to work as she watched Izuku slowly make his way to the graveyard, his hands in his suit pockets and his face a blank mask as he respectfully walked around the various burial plots.
Trying to think of something to say, anything to say, Rumi followed Izuku until he came to a stop at a small grave marker at the edge of the graveyard.
Walking over to stand next to her partner, Rumi read the small words etched into the gray headstone.
"Inko Midoriya"
"A loving mother"
Standing silently like a ghost looking at it's past life, Izuku just stared at the gravestone as Rumi tried to find the right words that might heal his broken heart.
"It was cancer." Izuku suddenly said softly. "Right as I started high school. One day she was fine, the next she never woke up. I spent a week in the hospital with her, hoping that she would come back and tell me everything was going to be alright. She never did..."
Rumi desperately wanted to say something, anything, that might ease Izuku's suffering, but she knew she could not. The look on Izuku's face broke her heart, it was the face of someone who had been forced to grow up too early, of someone who had been left alone in the cruel unforgiving world with nobody to rely on. It was clear that he had cried enough tears to last a lifetime, and now all he could manage to do was preserve the memories of the one person who had been with him since the very beginning.
Reaching over, Rumi hesitantly grasped Izuku's hand and leaned against him.
"I am so sorry Izuku." She said sadly. "I didn't know...I didn't mean to..."
Izuku nodded understandingly as he continued to stare at his mother's grave. "I know Rumi, it's okay." He was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "You are the only other person who has loved me for who I am. I guess I was just..." He sighed tiredly. "I was just scared of coming back here. It hurts too much..."
Letting go of Rumi's hand, Izuku knelt down and placed a hand on the soft grass in front of his mom's gravestone.
"Hey mom, it's me. Sorry for not visiting you sooner." Izuku spoke with a broken smile on his face, like he was trying his best to convince the spirit of his mother that he was alright. "I um...I met someone. Her name is Rumi, she is...an amazing woman. I love her, and she loves me. If you were still...you would like her..."
Izuku let out a weary sigh and bowed his head like a sinner asking for forgiveness. "I am weak, but I am trying to become stronger. So that one day I can come back here with my head held high, and know that you would be proud of me...you were the only person who believed in me, and I do my best to remember everything you taught me..."
Izuku paused, seemingly not knowing what else to say. Finally, he spoke with the voice of a man that had gone far too long without the warmth of love.
"I miss you every day...I love you mom."
Standing up, Izuku awkwardly put his hands back in his pockets and slowly walked away.
Not sure of what she should do, Rumi decided to simply go with what felt right. Closing her eyes, Rumi hoped that somehow Izuku's mother would hear what she was saying.
"Inko Midoriya, I promise that I will make Izuku happy. I ask for your blessing, and I swear that I will protect your son with my life."
Opening her eyes, Rumi gave the gravestone in front of her a deep bow before walking away to join the man she loved.
- A/N -
- I will admit that I shed a few tears writing the graveyard scene. A good friend of mine died from cancer years ago.
God I am a fucking mess writing this I dont know what I should write.
My friend was lucky that he had ample time to make peace with his fate and visit the people he cared about one last time. Not everyone gets that option. Life is not fair, and I guess I like writing stories because I know how they will end.
- Thank you all for your support, I can honestly say writing this story is one of the things I am most proud about. Even though I only know you all as faceless usernames I am still grateful that I could entertain you, even if it is just for a moment. I really appreciate all the kind words and often go back and read old reviews and comments when I am feeling depressed.
- Hug someone you love for me (and yes, pets count)