Work Text:
The chicken cooked slowly on the tray as the oven did its work, baking it to a nice, golden hue that steamed when she reached inside the open stove with her blue mitts. The kitchen filled with a pleasant smell of cured bird as it was set aside on the counter to cool.
The time was about half past six and she was alone in her task, not that she minded too much. After all, it was one of the few times she was actually able to use the kitchen since Izuku always made the food. Though it had been at least a half hour since she sent Ishiki to go find him, yet they were likely just taking their time.
Both of them loved the outdoors and it wasn’t rare for the two to vanish for a day or more to train up in the mountains and come back with bruised knuckles or black eyes. She hated seeing them hurt like that, but it was simply part of them being men. A smile crept towards her face while she opened a few cans of vegetables and continued to make the rest of the meal. She remembered the times when Ishiki was just a little boy and would run around with his quirk, making little sparks as he darted around the front yard with Izuku, right as she’d jump in and pick him up.
It warmed her heart with those memories and she was honestly glad he was a part of their lives, that he was her son even if they weren’t biologically related. It gave her such joy to watch him grow and be considered his mother. However it still irked her how much he also looked like that bitch.
When Izuku first showed up with him after he was taken by those monsters again, she was just glad he was alive. When the fog cleared and they all had to come to terms with the consequences that cunt’s actions brought, she was actually scared the boy would be like that sadist. It was one of the few times she was glad to be wrong, since he took after his father immensely.
Every bit the heroic and noble soul that brought a light to the world wherever he went. She knew that was true of Izuku, after all she married the man while knowing the dangerous things he could do. He hadn’t chosen that life of madness, it was forced upon him by those bastards and he genuinely wanted to change, otherwise he never would have tried to live a normal life.
Setting the table she found her old thoughts coming back again. It was strange to think about it but Izuku was infamous to say the least, he was still a wanted man from what he did in the past. Now he would barely raise his voice unless it was absolutely necessary and spent most of his time helping his family, yet she had seen that side of him only once and it was something that would stay with her until she died.
Then there was the matter of his mask which he refused to get rid of, along with that metal pipe. He still clung to them after all these years. He wouldn't move on throwing them away and he was unusually stubborn about it. To add to it, he still had those episodes where he'd wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night from whatever nightmares were plaguing him.
With that were the countless grisly scars on his body which were a constant reminder of his past and all the horror it had. As much as she loved the man, it was hard to not see how some of him was tainted by the trauma and there were even times where she had her quiet regrets about having to deal with it. But in another way she flourished and adored the fact she could help him and see him smile in a way that was free of worry and trouble.
Izuku was complicated like all people and to her he was an adoring, gentle soul who had boundless love for her and their family. Yet to everyone else who saw him wear that mask, he was a monster who nearly overtook the entire world. In a way she was ashamed of that and even second guessed herself mentally, but not once was she scared of him.
He never lord himself over her or any of the family, even when he had the skills to end them without his insane quirk. She could talk to him as an equal and give advice and be heard, he loved unconditionally and freely as best he could. He tended to her when she was sick and gave her a security she never knew in youth. Izuku was everything she wanted out of a partner and moreso. Granted he was her first and only, but that was fine by her.
They had labored for years to scrounge a life from the very bottom, partly due to both their respective tragedies and through it all she only fell deeper and deeper in love with him. Yes, at first the thrill of knowing the man she watched smash a tower of solid ice with a literal flick of his finger and give a speech worthy of a hero was great, but over time that wore away and she was left to stare at the person underneath. What she found was a damaged, sensitive yet powerful soul with a love of creativity and the world which had been jaded by horror.
She had found a friend, then a lover in him and the beauty of his soul ignited around her for all the rough edges and pain inside it. Then there was Manami and Danjuro, the two closest things she had left to relatives. They were good people despite the ridiculous antics that colored the early years before she fell in with them. Danjuro was the only father figure she had now and the same applied to Izuku, which the older man wore with dignity. Manami had lost some of her luster and charm with age, but given what they went through it wasn't surprising. Though she still madly loved Danjuro and was an even better mother figure to Ishiki then her some times.
It was...nice living here on the edge of society, nestled away in the woods surrounded by nothing but peace and quiet and the beauty of nature. Here they had safety and comfort and anonymity, but despite it all she still worried. Be it the few bills they had or the townsfolk getting too nosey or Ishiki asking too many questions or god forbid his quirk evolves. Yet the one thing which nagged at her brain like a tick was the fact that monster was out there somewhere.
She had met the bitch before in her youth, they even went to the same middle school. The signs were already there that something wasn't right with her, no matter how well she wore that mask. It fooled most people, but not her. She could smell danger from a mile and from the start she noticed the monster lingering beneath that well behaved disguise, all it took was noticing how much she focused on the scalpel and the way she would study people from the corner of her eye.
The guess had been proven right when that cunt finally snapped and attacked Saito, a guy whose only sin was defending himself during a fight and arousing the vampire's insanity. Hana gripped her hands until the knuckles popped, still feeling how light the textbook felt when she smashed it into that disgusting grin, only to get stabbed in the chest for her trouble. Saito was still alive thanks to her, but if she had known what would happen because she didn't tackle the bitch when she had the chance, none of this insanity would have happened.
But she supposed that didn't matter now. Most of those people who ruined everything were dead, Izuku and Ishiki were safe and with her, the house was paid for, nobody bothered them and that crazy slasher would get caught eventually. So all that was left was to simply enjoy the moment and nothing did that better than perfecting the table spread. The chicken in the center, the rice cooker to the side, the vegetables on the other and a warm kettle on the far end. This was a presentation Izuku could be jealous of.
Which so happened to be the exact moment the front door swung open and his loud, jolly voice echoed from the mud room with his son. From up stairs Danjuro and Mamami gazed down as they emerged from their room at the noise and it was then she decided to cut in.
"Suppers ready everyone."
All heads turned towards her and she watched as Ishiki actually pouted at the news when they entered the living room, likely because he wanted to sneak upstairs and read for a while. Izuku on the other hand seemed genuinely pleased with what she made as he approached the table.
"Well I'll be damned, you outdid yourself."
She smiled and eyed him sharply as she handed him a plate.
"What can I say? I learned from the best."
A creak came from the stairs as Danjuro and Mamami came down, the older man smiled warmly at his adoptive nephew with a jovial disposition while his wife glowered with sympathy for the hard work she put in. They had all sat down, said a prayer before eating and dug it. As she ate and watched the people she loved fill with joy at what she made, Hana couldn't help but drown in the warmest of contentment. She could stay like this forever with her family, but she knew in good or bad times, she'd stick by them like they would for her.
And God help anyone or anything who got between them and threatened that peace.