Goblins Smile
Izuku watched intently as his mother shut the door, walked up to him, and kissed him on the forehead before turning to sit on the other side of the couch.
the room was silent, except for Katsuki's gentle snoring. "We'll talk about this with both of you," she says. "But know your winter break is over, and you're both grounded."
Izuku's tears blurred his vision. His ears were ringing, and he heard cars in the distance. He had never been grounded before.
He gently closed his eyes as he sat in silence, and the warm air tickled at his skin. A small breeze ruffled his hair and wafted the scent of spring flowers through the window into his nose. He knew they were waiting for Kacchan’s mom to arrive. The birds were singing in their little treehouse out on the lawn – or maybe it was a neighbor’s yard; Izuku had never seen that birdhouse before.
things had happened rather quickly, Mitsuki arrived frantic, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she saw Katsuki lying there, his skin pale against the white sheets. Mitsuki had been sure that he was dying. Quickly, she had called for an ambulance and watched as they whisked him away to the nearest hospital.
Izuku ended up in his room. His mother had suddenly received an urgent call, and she rushed him away. He sat there, contemplating what to do.
—
After a few hours, Izuku was still in his room, slumped over with his head in his hands. He looked up just as he remembered that he needed to give back the comfy clothes given to him by his many somethings great-grandpa(?).
he changed into some of his favorite clothes and removed the unclean set of clothes from the leather pouch, leaving it in the dirty bin for laundry day. He folded the warm clothes inside of the leather pouch.
He hesitated for a moment before taking the golden knob he’d left on his bed, wondering if it would be okay to give them to his grandpa and come right back.
After much thought, he figured his mother would understand that he didn’t want to accidentally steal from his grandfather, so he went to his bedroom door and looked at the golden knob.
Izuku pressed the doorknob hard, praying that it would stay tight. It turned out to be alright, as it stood firmly in place.
taking a few deep breaths, Izuku knocked softly on the door. “Come on in!” Said a familiar voice in the other side.
Izuku felt a smile quirk his lips as the door opened, he felt as if he entered into a beautifully colored painting.
"Ah, Izuku, you're back already. What brings you here?" Izuku handed him a small pouch with the clothes inside. "I just wanted to return this to you," he said quietly.
His grandpa looked at the clothes before looking back at Izuku. "Is everything okay? You seem troubled."
“My mom grounded me…” he mumbled, and indeed, he was rather sad about it.
“She shouldn’t ground grandsons who are so good!” He teased Izuku, making him giggle. Izuku was still sad he had worried his mom so much. “She was really worried after we didn’t arrive for dinner…”
”Bah, when I was your age, I was already smithing armors that could withstand a dragon attack!” The Grandpa laughed in good humor, Izuku was amazed that an armor could endure an attack from someone like Ryuku.
“Say Izuku” the old man looked at Izuku, quizzically. “how old are you?”
“I’ll be six in a couple of weeks!” Izuku told Brungott with pride, “I’ll finally get my quirk! We’ll go to the quirk doctor and know what it’ll be!”
“Ah, then we have no time to lose!” The man stood up from his chair. A book fell off the bookshelf, and a pile of papers slid towards the floor. “We need to start work on your family's gemstone right now!”
The man guided Izuku down the corridor, towards a different door than the one he’d just come through. Izuku could hardly stop his movement before reaching that door.
”Sorry mister,” Izuku stammered. “Call me grandpa Brungott!” The man laughed, nonchalantly.
“Sorry grandpa Brungott… but I only came here to give back the clothes. Then I’d have to go home. My mother would get angry if I left the house without permission.”
Izuku felt conflicted because he really wanted to make a family gemstone, and yet being grounded he couldn’t agree to it.
“It is a matter of consent…” The short man began writing in one of the parchments still on the table. “We could just ask your father, right?”
”My dad?!” Izuku gasped in alarm, his father called him somewhat often to talk to him, but it was strange for him to be a primary factor of his life.
But he didn't even have time to make a sound before Brungott had already attached the paper on the ankle of a strange bird that was somehow inside the cupboard of his desk.
“We’ll have this all sorted out in no time at all, let’s get going aye?” As Brungott opened the door, a strong gust of cold air blew through the room and he attempted to hide behind Brungott's form, but he wasn't sure it was possible at all.
“I don’t think your current clothes will be of much use while we do lapidary, boy! Get changed, fast!” Izuku quickly changed into the previous set of clothes, when he was done, he said “Ah— I’m done.” And left the room.
He stepped into the darkness and only his thick work boots were visible. He became aware of a strange, continuous clanging echoing from somewhere nearby. He waited to see if the noise would reappear.
He squinted his eyes against the blackness and tried to see what exactly was behind that doorway. It didn't look like a door. Was he standing in an archway, or in a cave? After all, it was pitch-black, so perhaps this place was actually underground.
Brungott stepped to the side, his arm sweeping out in a V shape, inviting him to proceed. "Ah, do you want to try open the door boy?" he said with a sly grin. His voice carried a hint of amusement. Izuku gulped and stepped forward. He tried to pull the door open, but it was firmly shut. "It won't budge," Izuku said, frustrated.
Brungott looked up, but Izuku was in the doorway with his hand on the doorknob. “I got it!” he announced after a few seconds.
The lock fell to the ground, but when Izuku gave it a hard yank, it still wouldn't budge. He spun the doorknob, pounded on the door, but nothing worked.
”Grandpa Brungott, I think this door is broken” Izuku said firmly. The old man laughed and wiped a tear from his eye, seemingly amused. “You did well my boy, I’m proud that you figured it out this far.”
Brungott lifted his left arm, his hand was stretched above his head as if he were reaching to touch an invisible ceiling. “Here we go” and the metal door opened.
Behind it were several train-tracks, or at least he thought they were. To his left, more tunnels stretched on into the distance. Each appeared different in design, some contained nothing but sheet metal, while others were dry and dusty. He looked at the ceiling, barely visible through the gaps between the rusting beams, he couldn’t help but gasp.
“What is this place?!” fear and curiosity mingled as he wondered around the gigantic pillars, under the swaying limbs of metallic artifacts that he couldn’t figure out a purpose for.
“Welcome home, Izuku!”Brungott bounded aboard the blacked out trolley, Izuku’s heart was pounding so hard he thought it was trying to break through his chest. Izuku followed him, inhaling deeply but also choking on the smell of rotten eggs that became stronger under cover of darkness.
The trolley jolted forward, the sudden rush of speed throwing Izuku off balance. He stumbled to the side, grasping at anything he could reach to steady himself as his heart raced in his chest. There were no seatbelts on this machine - just him and the roaring wind trying to pry him loose. With each passing second, the trolley picked up more speed, hurtling around corners and racing across tracks that seemed barely big enough to hold them., every door that came before him disappeared before he could get a good look at it. The laughter from Brungott echoed through the vacuum chamber, bouncing off different surfaces and making it hard to tell where it was coming from.
Suddenly, the trolley lurched again, flinging Izuku sideways until he was nearly airborne. For a moment, time seemed to slow down as he careened towards the edge of the car - and then it stopped.
“We’ve arrived, let’s go!” Brungott jumped out of the trolley without much grace. Izuku still felt dizzy after the ride, but he regained his composure in a panic and stumbled away from the trolley.
The vault had tall, white-tiled walls with intricate metal doors separated by massive ivory columns. When the doors opened up, it felt like entering a giant cathedral.
Izuku felt like a tiny bug inside an enormous space, and before his eyes all the building's parts twirled in space, coming together to form walls, floors, and ceilings.
“Is this your first time mining, boy?” Brungott asked after he took something out of the box. “Y-yes sir! I mean grandpa!” Izuku stammered back, taking on a hesitant tone in his voice upon hearing the old man. “Then let’s get to work.”
Brungott throws the item at Izuku not even looking back, missing his face and head by inches. Izuku leapt backwards just before the pickaxe embedded itself in his skull.
“That’s not it”
Grungott reached deeper into the box and looked at it, moving it around as if he was trying to find something. He threw it behind him. “That’s not it either”
The clang of metal on tile reverberated throughout the floor as Izuku stumbled blindly. Izuku concentrated on dodging the objects ricocheting his way,frantically dodging objects as he ran. All of a sudden, he felt a thud against his shoulder and was thrown backwards. Thankfully, he was able to catch himself before hitting the ground.
the blunt end of a pickaxe came whizzing towards his skull, he desperately tried to get up to avoid it, but his legs and arms struggled to cooperate.
he threw his hand into the air, trying to block it.
”Ah, that’s the one” Brungott finally turned to him, “A carbon steel with a thunderbird’s bone as a core, not bad kid”
Izuku took a moment to notice that somehow, his hand hadn’t been hurt, and he was holding the pickaxe by its handle. He idly wondered how he’d managed to catch it.
“Both the clothes and the pickaxe. A gift from me until you make your own,” The man followed the sound of a bubbling stream, and he came to a narrow passageway with water flowing along the center. From one fountain, the water rushed right into his path; it surged straight at him and then shot out again, creating a small waterfall just before hitting another barrier. He stepped into this cascade and looked down to see that the floor below was covered in shattered glass, creating a pattern of candy-colored mosaics on the ground. “I look forward to that”
Izuku gingerly followed behind him, unable to make much out of the situation at all.
They walked down a tunnel until they reached an opening in the cliff face, and there was a great waterfall. It looked like it might plunge right over them to the sea below. They walked around on the slippery stone until they came across another opening. This one led down to a crack in the floor of rocks, and there was a smooth flat area covered in cracked rock, wet and mossy. “I couldn’t believe Hisashi never took you to a mine, children belong in the mines!”
Izuku stared at the rock wall, looking for a crack or crevice where he might find a gemstone. He lifted his foot to put it against one of the curved stones, flinching as if expecting it to give way. But nothing happened.
Izuku gestured a thumbs up at his grandpa Brungott. The grandfather nodded, smiled, and raised his arm. He held it out in front of him as if to say, “Go!”
Izuku decided that the best way to try and mine was by hitting the walls as hard as he could with the pickaxe. He was sure that even if he smashed his pickaxe against the wall, no rock would break no matter how hard he socked it. But after a few tries, he noticed a spiderweb crack spreading through the rock.
Izuku hit the wall with his pickaxe, he gasped midswing and then paused to catch his breath, he regretted his earlier enthusiasm to make this family gemstone all of the sudden.
Just as he gave up, the wall suddenly fell over him, too tired to fight it. He allowed himself to be carried off under the dark depths of the rock.
In the darkness, Izuku felt cold hands grab him by the shoulders and lift him from the piles of stone. “A decent batch lad, let’s get these washing, aye?”
Izuku looked like he'd just been through Hell. His arms were sore and dug into the sides of his shoulders, and his knees ached as they stood alongside one another.
“The first day will always be the hardest, fret not as I predicted this outcome.” Brungott carried Izuku, who was sound asleep nestled close to him the moment he felt himself being picked up.
—
Izuku slowly awoke from his slumber, stretching tiredly out of the couch. He was about to call out for his grandpa when he saw that something new had been added to the guest room, or rather, someone.
“Uncle, you just can’t— why on earth do you think this is reasonable?!” A man with a strangely familiar voice sad in a chastising tone. “All the way to the states?! No matter what happened back home, I can’t believe this is legal, even with my signature!”
Izuku was annoyed when adults screamed so he pretended to still be asleep. But he couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t just talked like they taught him in school.
”How could you keep him from me, have I not supported you enough? Has the business not flourished as I said?”
“You never asked about my family before! Why would you even care about—“
”Why would I care?! He’s my grandson! He’s the spitting image of Victor’s mother, how could you abandon su—“
”I never abandoned him! I went to work on the family business! The family business YOU told me I should directly oversee!”
”Don’t try to shift the blame here, you were the one who decided that business came before family— and now see what happened, a boy, almost half dead by my door!”
The conversation continued, but Izuku's eyes drooped and the words started to run together. He could feel himself drifting off.
—
“Come on. Get up, get up! No rest for the weary,” his grandpa said as he shook Izuku like a rag doll.
Izuku slowly came to his senses; he was groggy as he slowly got up, he also realized that his muscles ached from being cramped in the awkward sleeping position for so long. But soon enough, he was sitting up, feeling somewhat clearer and ready for action.
”Who was that person from before?” Izuku asked, wiping some sleep sand from his eyes.
“A job associate, no need to worry about it”
“Oh” Izuku stared at the wall he guessed the stranger was sitting at. He offered a half-hearted shrug and looked at his grandpa.
“I collected the rock pieces you mined and brought them to be watered. They’re barely even chipped, want to go see what they became?” At this point, Izuku realized that he had absolutely forgotten the reason he stayed for in the first place.
”They became gemstones?!”Izuku jumped off of the couch, landing right on his great-grandpa’s table, which was laden papers and parchment. His eyes were wide with excitement.
The older man laughed, and Izuku followed him. The door closed behind them and clicked loudly. “I’m sure you can handle it now”
they were back in front of the metal gate, but this time they were standing a little closer to it.
Izuku rapped his knuckles on the door. The metal pushed open and with a loud clanging, the lock fell to the floor again. Izuku tried to imitate the hand movements his grandpa made. It had been too long since he last opened this door, and Izuku's memories of the action were foggy at best.
Izuku raised his hand, mimicking the inquisitive gesture of his grandpa. He heard a soft click, and then nothing. Again he tried to open the door, but it still would not move. The handle was cold to the touch.
"Easy there young one," Brungott said, his voice tremulous with age. "Just close your eyes and appreciate the sound of steel."
Izuku shut his peepers, lifted his mitt and heard the clickety-click once more. He tried to imagine the sound as a shiny dot, a silvery speck in his head surrounded by eerie darkness.
Izuku asked as he kept his eyes closed, holding his hand out in the air to keep it floating. “What should I do with it?”
”Move that rock about and fret about what happens”, he crowed with a glee, exclaiming with delight over the boy’s accomplishment of getting the first click. “—ok”
He was not sure what to do, so he tried pushing in one way and then the other. Izuku could scarcely tell the dot was moving. It seemed to be stuck in one position.
Izuku was growing increasingly frustrated, but he strained and thought hard. Eventually his hands moved as if to push the dot, and to his surprise— it complied. Several clicks clang at the same time, but Izuku kept his eyes tightly closed, as the dot could still move.
Izuku moved his hand down in a steady, methodical manner, but it felt as if he was pushing against tire-thick molasses. He resisted the urge to increase the speed of his downward motion. He repeated the gesture multiple times.
The noise stopped, and Izuku slowly opened his eyes. He smiled broadly at the expansive gates as the cool breeze blew into his face.
“I’m so unbelievably proud of you my boy” He beamed while approaching him in a jovial manner. “This, for your first experience clavering with metal!” He grinned and handed his grandson a shining coin.
”It’s the strangest thing, but to believe I’m the one to give you your first galleon.” Grandpa spoke in awe, as if considering such a thing was impossible.
Izuku studied the coin, his eyes trailing along the edge to the side with the mint date. Memories flooded back to him, of seeing All Might for the first time standing tall and heroic in blue spandex, a blue cape behind him. The man had been lit from behind by a blinding light like a blazing sun, and Izuku felt as if his lungs would give out.
”But enough of me getting emotional, we’ll go see your first gemstone!” The man woke Izuku from his stupor, reminding him that the world was bigger than this coin, and engraving in his memory that this specific coin would be his forever.
Izuku jumped in the wagon, arms spread wide to grasp the handles as the wagon picked up speed, this time ready and expecting the high speeds as he clung desperately to the side.
“—huh?” Izuku said, eloquently.
”We’re not going to the deepest part of the cavern boy, the refinery is right there” Brungott helped Izuku while he climbed out of the trolley, and they hopped along side by side.
Izuku clenched his fists as he stared at the imposing metal gate. It was grander than any entrance he had seen before, except maybe for the ones deep in the cavern.
”To withdraw or to appraise?” A voice, coming from the door. Izuku spun around and his eyes widened in shock - standing there was a person, with the same build as him, wearing the same pristine garments his grandpa had donned. “We’re here to appraise the emeralds”
The guard's eyebrow twitched as his grandpa spoke, but his face remained impassive. The man slowly reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a gleaming golden coin that shone in the torchlight. "Ah, then I must pay my due," he said.
Izuku's eyes widened in confusion as he beheld the mysterious figure before him, who outstretched his hand with a galleon. He had no idea what this person wanted from him, and so hesitantly he reached into his pocket and pulled out his galleon, offering it instead.
The man's eyes widened as he glanced at Izuku’s galleon. Then his gaze settled on Izuku, and he began to laugh - an infectious, deep-throated chortle that filled the air with joviality. “Very good, the coin must move after all!”
The man happily exchanged Izuku's galleon for the one he held in his hand. His smile widened as he expertly opened the door with a complicated pattern of motions. “Verily thee hast acquired a right proper youth, Brungott! Best be taking good care of him.”
Brungott chuckled jovially with the man and enthusiastically nodded, He burst into the room and Izuku scampered after him, feeling bummed about losing his coin but also curious about what he got instead.
Izuku had all but forgotten what his grandpa said about ‘goblins’, believing that it was just the result of a quirk. But when Izuku stepped into this room, he realized it could be something more than that… hundreds of silhouettes glided like ghosts between the towering tables; Izuku had to squint to make out who they were, all of them had the same features his grandpa had.
Izuku shrank back into his grandpa's side, his heart racing at the sight of all these unknown faces. He wanted to be brave, but his body was shaking from fear. “Grandpa…” Izuku whispered, barely finding the strength to get the words out, “What happened in the entrance?”
”Ah that!” Brungott replied, still in his jovial mood. He didn't seem to notice Izuku's worried query. “When you meet a goblin for the first time, it's customary to perform a quick exchange of coin, which is used to purchase each other's family gemstones as a formality. It's much simpler than having a lengthy introduction in any case”
Izuku was totally confused. He had no idea what this was all about, but he knew his dad sent money home to mom every month - so it had to be kinda like that!
”But why?” Izuku puzzled, “If that's the case, then why did he look so shocked?”
”Young ones aren't expected to give a coin when meeting someone, it's the elder goblins who usually offer their wealth as a way of forming a bond. The young one will return the favor eventually and continue the stone exchange every couple of years " Brungott gave Izuku a warm smile.
They strode to the stately desk in the center of the chamber, and Izuku got on his tiptoes for a better view of its occupant. “Ah, yes, the emeralds; this must be Mr. Izuku then”
“Ah!—“ Izuku's round eyes widened as he gazed at the little lady sitting at her desk. She looked like a no-nonsense school teacher, ready to give out homework and scold students for not paying attention in class. “Yes ma’m”
She gazed at him intently, her eyes fixed on his as if she wanted to remember every detail of his face. A smile spread across her lips as she flicked a coin with her thumb and forefinger, watching it spin gracefully before settling in his hair. “You reminded me of someone so incredibly special, please take this and treat yourself to something lovely.”
Izuku eagerly handed the lady one of his galleons, standing tall on his toes in order to reach the top of the table. She smiled fondly at him and let out a merry laugh. “You’re way too cute to be dabbling with coinage like this, but come back when you're ready to run a business and we'll see!”
A loud guffaw echoed around the room, and Izuku felt his face flush with embarrassment. He had no idea why everyone was finding something so amusing and he quickly hid himself behind grandpa Brungott, hoping to avoid their scrutiny.
“Alright, you guys! Let's get back to it!" The woman said with a smile in her voice, a few chuckles echoed around the room as everyone resumed their tasks.
”Yeah, here you go.” The woman muttered without glancing up from her writing. “Whatever you make, I'm sure it'll be fine.”
“You won’t be able to pry it out of my cold, dead hands!” Grungott exclaimed while ruffling Izuku’s hair aggressively. “We must away madam! Until we meet again!” he declared as they hurried away. Grungott grabbed his beloved box and sprinted off without a second thought, leaving poor Izuku behind in a state of embarrassment. Just as he was about to leave, however, he bowed graciously— if not a bit awkwardly — to her before scurrying off with a bashful blush on his cheeks.
As they scampered back to the guest quarters, Izuku's eyes glowed with anticipation as they settled around the table. He imagined how those dull rocks could transform into breathtaking gems.
With a resounding boom, the box opened to unveil a bundle of surprises beneath an exquisite cloth. His grandpa beamed with joy and said to Izuku, “Go ahead, lift the veil and see what awaits!”
Without a second thought, Izuku sprang to the closest bump and tore off the fabric, revealing—
“Wha—“ Izuku peered at the unremarkable green stones, disgust writ large on his face. He had anticipated something magnificent and brilliant, but Brungott had handed him a handful of worthless mud clumps that looked like they belonged in a garden bed rather than as treasured heirlooms. The gems were dull as dishwater and completely unimpressive, Izuku was thoroughly disappointed. It occurred to him that perhaps his expectations had been too high, but he couldn't help the feeling of dissatisfaction washing over him.
“Cheer up, my child. The most beautiful jewels can only be revealed with proper polishing.” He placed a bottle of eerie blue polish in Izuku’s hands. “These are the Oracle’s Tears, they will help you discover truths hidden beneath ordinary appearances.”
Izuku noticed his grandfather's preference for grandeur, so he picked up the container with little thought.
He'd tap-tapped paint on the canvas before, and his mama had said she liked the portrait he made of her. So, with a smile, he grabbed the brush and gave it a whirl!
Nothing incredible happened when he started painting the stones, it did slightly brighten them, but not by much. “They will take a while to set, I’ll be sure to owl them to you when they’re done”
Izuku's head gave a slight tilt in acknowledgement, his gaze not leaving the glimmering gems in front of him. “Ah, that reminds me, I’ve got something to show you” Brungott said, slowly making his way towards his cabinet. Izuku raised an eyebrow in curiosity but stayed silent as he watched the old man open the door. “What is it?” He uttered at last.
Brungott twisted around, and with a flick of his wrist a huge metal vault slid out from the depths of the cabinet. The clang of it meeting the floor echoed throughout the hall as he said in hushed tones, “This is yours.”
Izuku's eyes widened as he surveyed the object before him. It was large, far too heavy to take home. He ran his fingers along it, wondering what could possibly be inside. His curiosity piqued, he spoke aloud, his voice barely above a whisper, "What's inside?”
Grandpa's whisper seemed to echo through the walls of the dimly lit room. As he took a step closer, he could sense a hidden, unknown power that lay dormant within the vault. "Ah, inside?" Grandpa asked, a mysterious glint in his eye. “That's a secret I'm not telling you—you'll have to find out on your own!”
Izuku was just drawing in a breath to object when he heard a deep pounding on the entrance.
”Ah, that must be your mother” Said Brungott with an icy voice. Izuku felt a chill run down his spine as he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be grounded and supposed to be in his room waiting for news about Kacchan. “Worry not boy, I did notify her you were with me”
That gave Izuku a sense of relief, but he still dreaded facing his mother’s reprimand as soon as he returned home.
Grandpa trudged to the entrance and opened it just enough to reveal a figure outside. "Ah, Inko," he uttered. Izuku was unable to discern his mother due to the door not being fully open.
“Mama, look what Grandpa Brungott gave me!” Izuku exclaimed with enthusiasm as he raced to the door, spinning around so Mama could see the pickaxe that was in his hands. “It's shiny and sturdy! I can't wait to show Kacchan!” His eyes sparkled with excitement at the new treasures Grandpa had given him.
Grandpa Brungott beamed with joy, clapping his hands resoundingly. His booming laughter filled the room. “My goodness! What a wonderful demonstration!” He radiated happiness as he smiled widely at Izuku.
”Izuku dear,” Inko said as she approached her son, her smile forced. “It's quite lovely of course, but I'm worried it could be quite dangerous. Don't you see how sharp it is? What if you hurt yourself?” Inko put her hand on his son’s shoulder.
“If he wants to have his fun, then let him be,” Grandpa Brungott remarked with a sharp edge in his voice, “I was given my own pickaxe when I was that age. We must uphold family tradition.”
”Truly?” Izuku's eyes widened in anticipation as he gazed into Grandpa Brungott's face, “How was it like, Grandpa? Tell me more!”
”I would love to, but...” Brungott peered at Inko with a disapproving glance, “I can tell your mother is in a rush. Perhaps another day?”
Izuku turned to face his mother with an earnest plea in his eyes, desperately hoping she would listen to his request and let him stay a while longer, if only to hear the end of the story.
Inko did not respond, but Izuku could feel the weight of her hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle yet firm tug forward, one that silently urged him onwards. “Maybe later”
Izuku was abruptly pushed out the door, but he quickly halted, his mind scrambling as he realized he needed to lug the heavy metal vault with him.
As if reading his mind, Brungott said with a smile, "Let me!" With a twirl of his fingers, the heavy vault was gone from the desk and suddenly his bag felt surprisingly heavier.
Izuku attempted to thank grandpa Brungott, but Inko had already stationed herself by the door, ready for his exit.
It was a peculiar energy in the air, Izuku couldn't quite figure out where to turn. His mother's face seemed strange, almost daunting. “Let’s go Izuku”
He wondered if his mother was tired.
Izuku bolted towards the door with his mother, hastily blasting a stream of goodbyes to his grandpa, "See you later grandpa!”
“I assure you we will, Izuku. Just remember... keep your tools in the pouch at all times.”
With that, Inko closed the door.