Chapter 11: Mom Reaction!

"Bummer, it was really convenient not having one of those. But they're not going to find shit if that's who they are looking for."

Shigaraki had a malicious grin, "You know what this means. You're officially a criminal like the rest of us. Took you long enough."

"-He's also been known to use the alias 'The Analyst'

Izuku smiled, he hadn't picked the name, but it grew on him. "Well, now that I have a code name and everything, I guess that makes me a villain."

"I don't know short stuff, criminal yes, but I don't know if you're a full villain," Shigaraki teased.

-You gotta kill to be a real villain, and I'm pretty sure this kid is happy not getting his hands too dirty-

"Is that so, I didn't realize there was a murder requirement, not all of us are dps types like you." Izuku was proud of himself for using a video game term even if he wasn't completely confident he used it right, but Shigaraki seemed pleased at the attempt.

He was more nervous than usual as Kurogiri dropped him off at his mother's house for lunch on Sunday. She'd probably seen the news and knew that he was working with villains.

"Izuku, I'm glad you came. I was awfully worried when I saw that report on the news."

"Yeah… I thought you might have seen that."

"I'm not going to yell at you or call the police, but I need a proper explanation this time."

-I don't know if I can keep letting him come and go if what he's doing is so bad he can't tell me-

The fear of his mother rejecting him because of his secrets is what finally broke him down.

He told her everything through a haze of tears and hugs. How the villains had contacted him, why he agreed, how he was given quirks, how he was selling analysis and stealing information, and finally, how that analysis and information was being sold.

When he finally finished talking and sobbing his mom wiped away her own tears as well, because there was no way one of them could cry without the other joining in.

"Well, it sounds to me like you're trying to do the right thing, even if you're going about it in an… interesting way." She paused for a moment as she considered something.

"Wait! Does this mean you've been able to hear my thoughts every time you've visited?"

"Yeah… It was a little alarming how sure you were I was in a cult."

"Oh dear, well I suppose this is at least a little better than a cult. And you got two quirks out of it, which is definitely a plus."

-I'm really trying to find the silver lining here, but he's not making it easy on me-

Izuku smiled and decided to play along. "And Kurogiri, the man who warps me here, is an excellent cook and super nice, so that's pretty great."

Inko laughed softly, "The pay seems pretty good too, maybe you could get your own fancy place now."

"That's a pretty good idea mom, maybe we can look at places together."

She smiled and hugged him again before sighing, "I think you took the phrase 'if you can't beat them, join them' a bit more seriously than most. I need you to answer me honestly Izuku, is it worth it? Is the chance of controlling criminals worth becoming one yourself?"

"Yes." There wasn't a doubt in his mind at this point.

"Then I guess I'll just have to trust and support you."

———

With the League growing and preparing to act once the school year began, Izuku began his most strenuous training so far.

He went out for coffee. Izuku sat in a busy coffee shop and tried not to let the waves of thoughts distract or overwhelm him.

But instead of just shutting it out like he normally did, he focused on taking in as much information as he could and spreading his reach as far as he could.

He was breaking out in a cold sweat as he stared at a newspaper, trying not to draw attention to himself.

So far he could only manage it for about half an hour without feeling on the verge of passing out. Izuku always had a bag to his side during these training sessions.

It carried his laptop, a handful of empty flash drives, his favorite handgun and an extra clip of ammo.

He sat in a booth near the back of the coffee shop getting work done. He was learning about support equipment, he read through the manuals of the most popular pieces of support equipment.

Making sure he knew how they worked, what the strengths and weaknesses were of each piece.

He wanted to be able to recommend equipment to his customers, and he figured Giran would appreciate it too.

Plus, the more successful his customers the more his name and business would get around.

Among the waves of pointless thoughts he heard one that caught his attention

-I think that's the guy who was on the news. He looks a lot like the recent photo they'd shown of him. Should I call the police? What if I'm wrong about who it is?-

Fuck.

Izuku saw her look down at her phone, looking at a photo of him.

-Yeah, that's definitely him, ok, I won't call here, but I think I should step into the bathroom or something-

Izuku grabbed a pen and a napkin and wrote a quick note on it, 'Make the call and you're dead'.

He felt that it was best to get straight to the point, even if he was greatly exaggerating what he would do. He didn't want to bother Kurogiri with an immediate evacuation so decided he'd see if he could persuade her not to out him.

As she walked past him towards the bathrooms he dropped the napkin then picked it up, leaning over to her, "Excuse me miss, I think you dropped this." It wasn't the most smooth plan, but it's the best he could think up on the spot.

-Oh no, he's talking to me. Just stay calm, he has no reason to suspect anything. Just. Stay. Calm-

Then she looked down at the note he handed her.

~~~~~

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