Relax (Part 4)

"I never should've been born. My mom tried to keep it from me, but even as a kid, I knew that I wasn't the product of a happy relationship, or even a consensual one." Jason took a shaky breath before continuing, finally uttering the words. "...I was a rape baby…" The friends looked at each other, not sure if they would be able to deal with this already depressing story. Chris nodded and they all looked back at Jason, who hadn't even noticed. "...My mother still raised me with love and kindness… she never once treated me badly… despite her never wanting me in the first place…" Jason clenched his fists. "... then… then…" His eyes began to water. Shoto, who was sitting next to him, held her boyfriend's hands. Jason found the strength to continue. "...then he… my father… came back… I was only seven at the time… but I still remember it like it was yesterday… he kicked down our door and threw her across the room like she was nothing… I remember him screaming about how I was quirkless… how he wanted her power…" Chris perked up. "...are you telling us that All for One is your dad…?" Jason shook his head. "Definitely not. All for One looked and sounded nothing like my monstrous dad." Chris relaxed slightly in his chair.

"...My dad went into a rage. He broke through walls as my mother screamed. Her last words to me were for me to run. I ran. The house was up in flames, and I think my arm got burned a little, but I kept running. I… I looked over my shoulder… and…" Jason looked fearful as he continued. "...I saw him… standing in the doorway… watching me run… he just walked into our home… murdered my mom… burned the place down… and then watched me run away… I didn't go to the cops… I didn't go get help… because… because I was afraid he would come after me next… especially since my quirk came in only a few days later…" Kirishima thought for a second before looking at Jason. "He was upset that you didn't have a quirk?" Jason sighed. "...I guess…" Mina leaned forward a bit. "Did you ever find out why he wanted you to have Inner Strength?" Jason shook his head. Momo put her drink down. "So that explains why you pretended to be quirkless. You were afraid of showing it off and leading to him finding you." Jason nodded. Mina thought for a bit. "...and you hid the fact that you were homeless because of… pride?" Jason looked away. "...yea…" Shoto hugged her boyfriend. Kirishima hugged Jason as well. Everyone stood up and wrapped Jason in a group hug. After a few minutes, Jason opened his eyes. "...are you going to let go…?" Mina smiled as she closed her eyes. "Nope. We're not letting go until you feel better." Jason sighed again, but with a smile this time. Momo looked at Jason. "Are you feeling better?" "No. I still need the group hug." They all shared a laugh.

Itsuka filled up a plate with a variety of meat before walking away from the patio table. She smiled a little as she approached Iida. "Hey Tenya." Iida tensed up a little bit as he turned to her. "Oh, hello Ms. Kendo." She giggled. "Please call me Itsuka. If I may ask, why do you prefer your last name?" "...oh… well… my parents grew up in Japan before moving here, so I grew up with first names being reserved for those close to you." Itsuka lost her smile. "Oh, I didn't realize. I'm sorry, Iida." Iida turned his head away to hide his blush. "...you can address me by my first name, if you prefer…" Itsuka smiled again with a slight blush. "I brought some food." Iida smiled. "Thank you. Would you care to eat with me?" Itsuka blushed a little. "Of course."

The pair sat down on one of the benches. "So Itsuka, I remember you were the Class President in your class last year. Why didn't you want the position this year?" Itsuka swallowed her food before answering. "Oh, we both know that the position is just a glorified babysitting role. Also, it looked like you really liked having the position last year, so I figured it would be better if someone who wanted the job had it. I would've been the vice president, but Momo seemed to be comfortable with the position." Iida nodded. Itsuka looked at Iida. "Why do you like being in charge?" Iida put his food down on the plate. "...at first, it was because I always watched my brother lead his sidekicks and fellow heroes. I wanted to be just like him. But then I met Jason. You weren't there to see it for yourself, but at the USJ, he jumped right into danger alongside Kirishima without any hesitation. Then he was the first to jump into action when we were all attacked in the forest. He taught me in a way that the teachers had yet to do: teaching through actions rather than words. He was the one who taught me that leadership is more than just giving orders. It's about leading by example. I never got to see my brother behind the scenes, so I only ever saw a part of what it means to be a good leader. Ms. Yaoyorozu learned faster than I did. I heard about how she led the Fatgum Agency when Jason was kidnapped." Itsuka looked up at Iida. "And then it was Denki who rallied us together to help out those six crazy bastards." "Language." Itsuka giggled. "I forgot that you're a stickler about that kind of talk." Iida smiled as he visibly relaxed. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Beverly and Rei sat across from each other. They had tried to help out in the kitchen, but had been forced out by both Natsuo and Fuyumi, so now they were sitting in the living room. Rei smiled at Beverly. "Chris is your biological son, right?" "Oh, yes he is, but Jason is just as much my son as Chris is. Those two were inseparable growing up." Rei giggled. "You must be a fantastic mother. You raised your children well and now they're going to become professional heroes." Beverly looked down at the carpet with a sad smile. "...no need to remind me…" Rei lost her smile. "...you don't want them to be heroes, do you?" Beverly laughed a little, not even trying to hide her real feelings in front of a fellow mother. "It's selfish, isn't it? They both wanted to become professional heroes. Ever since they were children, they wanted to go and become the next All Might. However, I never thought in a million years that they'd be able to do it. Now Chris magically receives a quirk after all this time, and Jason finally came out and told the world about his quirk. Even though Jason lost his quirk, he still insists on becoming a hero." Rei leaned forward a little bit. "And what is the issue?" Beverly looked up at Rei, nearly in tears. "...I want them to fail…" Rei was shocked. Beverly continued. "I'm a horrible mother. I want them to fail so that they won't become heroes, which means they won't be in such danger. My heart stopped when I watched my boys fight each other in the most recent Sports Festival, and I don't even want to describe how I felt when I watched Chris fight that thug in Los Angeles. I don't even remember the villain's name." "...Overhaul." Beverly stopped for a moment. Rei smiled a little bit. "Shoto told me her friends were on the news, so I saw the same fight." Beverly nodded before looking down at the floor again. Rei got up and sat next toBeverly. She hugged the crying woman. "These feelings are normal, hun. You're a mother, so you'll always be worried. But there's one thing you don't need to worry about: your sons won't be alone. They have great friends and powerful allies who are inspired by their actions." Beverly gave a genuine smile. "...thanks…" All Might entered and lightly knocked on the doorway. "Excuse me, ladies. We're ready for dessert. Would you care to join us?" The mothers both smiled at All Might before standing up and following him outside.