"Have a good day!"
"Thanks, you too."
Waving goodbye at the elderly man, a young green-haired boy stepped down the steps of the niche antique shop and began making his way down the sidewalk. He had visited the place a few times in the past after learning about it. The small corner store was one of the only relics of the past that remembered a time before Heroes and Quirks ruled the world. Not a place that had initially suited the boy's tastes, but the youth had come to appreciate such quaint comic books and knickknacks after researching and witnessing the passion still held for them.
In his hands was the final installment of a series after it reached completion. It had been widely popular at the time, so the copy of the comic hadn't inflated in value much over the years. There had just been too many copies printed for it to increase significantly. Even so, the young boy had received it for free after helping the old man clean up his shop - this now being the third time the boy had helped out.
"I finally get to finish it today. Awesome..." Izuku Midoriya said to himself as he read over the printed cover again. It was of a tall, strong man garbed in a unique blue suit and a red cape flying through the air with a proud smile. The character reminded him greatly of All Might, and it was fascinating to read through his many journeys. Nerd culture had been very different back in the day, but it was cool to learn people still appreciated superheroes before they were even real.
In his past lived experience, Izuku had never once gone out of his way to read fictional heroes. He had heard of them many times, and while it peaked his interest, he never ended up venturing out to them in the end.
Why bother reading about fictional heroes when he could spent his time fawning and obsessing over Heroes in real life?
Given the amount of time at his disposal, he'd finally dipped his toes into the dying age and was happy he did. The old ideals of fictional comic books sort of aligned with his own, and it truly resonated deep within him. He adored Heroes, but not all of them could replicate those same pure goals like they did. People were flawed, so Heroes would naturally be as well. That's why these fictional comic books were so inspiring.
They were flawed heroes, and still chose to do the right thing.
He wanted to be like that. Like All Might. He still hadn't got to...
Holding the comic close to his chest, Izuku didn't let the past bring down his mood. He lamented about it every day, but sulking just wasn't acceptable. There were things he needed to do, and he needed to do them right. Sulking would only get in the way.
Feet carrying him all the way home, Izuku walked through his apartment doors. "I'm home."
He got a response quickly. "Welcome home..."
Expecting the quiet response, Izuku still couldn't help feel a twinge of sadness inside. He wasn't quite sure why his mother was like that. She wasn't depressed in the sense that she was always sad and couldn't be happy. Rather, it was like the interactions between them were...
Forced wasn't the word. Awkward... or strained?
It made him feel uncomfortable. There had always been some underlying tension between the two in his previous lifetime after he had gotten diagnosed as Quirkless. However, those interactions and feelings were different compared to this. Unlike before where everything between them was natural, this... wasn't. It was like there was some artificial barrier separating them.
He'd asked her what was wrong, but all he would get in return was the same question thrown back at him. At first, he believed maybe she had caught onto his reincarnation, or whatever it was, but that wasn't it. In the first year or so of his return, she had known something was different with him. He was able to pick up on that, but after six years she had grown used to the oddities in his behavior.
It had always been like this, though. Ever since his return, they just hadn't been able to interact on the same wavelength. She still loved him. He knew that, and of course he loved her. But no matter how many times he had tried to understand and build rapport with her, it just wasn't enough. He couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried.
But he wouldn't give up.
Spurred into action, Izuku walked deeper into his home and set his comic book down on the kitchen table. Gazing over at his mother, he noticed that she was starting to gain a little weight. He'd nearly forgotten she had been skinner in his youth, and she was slowly getting bigger over the years. He decided it was time to do something about that.
Sharply turning her direction, Izuku's shoulders squared as he stood with a fist raised. "Alright, mom. Let's go."
She jumped slightly, surprised by his outburst. "G-go? Go where...?"
"Anywhere." He gave her a brilliant smile. "Let's take a walk, or a jog. You and me right now."
"R-right now...?" She asked, perplexed by the idea as she eyed the bit of candy she were going for.
"Right now." Moving closer, he gently grabbed her shoulders and began nudging her towards the door. "It'll be fun, I promise. We haven't spent much time together lately and I want to change that."
"I-Izuku-! A-are you sure?!" Her timid demeanor appeared as her weak arms waved around frantically. "B-but what about dinner?!"
"We can pick up ingredients on the way." He urged further, eagerly pushing her out the door and closing it behind them.
He may not be able to understand his mother much this time around, but he was still going to try his best to be a good son and make her happy.