All Who Wander [Chapter 2 - POTATOES]

[Chapter 1]


Izuku woke up with an indent in his cheek, where the edge of a book pressed into it. His mother would lecture him if she found out he fell asleep with his nose in a book again, but he just couldn’t help it – especially in the dead of winter, when there was little else to do. The lantern Mei had built for him years ago still held plenty of charge from the sunlight they got during the day, more than enough to get him through a night of reading, so he just lay under his pile of thick blankets, keeping in all the body heat he could produce, with his eyes trained on faded letters under the comfortable glow of the lamp.

With his mother already pottering around in the next room, Izuku yawned and sat up, taking a moment to stretch and rub his eyes to help wake himself up a little. He switched off his lantern first, setting it on the windowsill to recharge when the sun broke through the morning clouds, then bundled up in a warm sweater to head out to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Izuku!” Inko said brightly, the moment he emerged from his room. “Breakfast is almost ready!”

“Thanks, Mom.”

He sat down at the table, watching as she flipped hash browns out of her favourite frying pan. She set the plate in front of him with a big smile, and he did his best to manage one of his own in return.

As much as he loved his mother’s hash browns – and all her cooking, honestly – he couldn’t help but wish, just once, they could have something... different. They had their big bottles of oil and salt and pepper from the trader who came by twice a year, herbs and potatoes scavenged from the forest surrounding them, and when they were lucky, some wild mushrooms.

That was it.

It was all so predictable, all so the same. For most of his life he’d been okay with that, had been used to it, but ever since he'd found the old book his father had left behind in his death, he’d wanted more.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if we had fruit trees in the forest?” he mused quietly, as his mother joined him at the table. “Fresh, sweet fruit to go with our hash browns, it would be such a good combination.”

“That sounds lovely,” Inko agreed, though her tone betrayed her a little. “Maybe one day the trader will find one and we can try to grow it here.”

“Maybe,” Izuku hummed.

According to his dad’s old book, there had once been hundreds of different fruits and vegetables to choose from. But over time, as the weather changed and the cities grew, the food and variety had begun to dwindle. That was when his grandparents had moved away from the cities, Inko had once told him. Cities had died off, replaced by smaller towns and communities who traded with each other regularly, and then less regularly, until it was just a few families travelling back and forth to facilitate it all. Now, it was potatoes as far as the eye could see – hardy and abundant. No matter how many they took, more seemed to sprout in just a few weeks, leaving them a continuous crop to sustain themselves on.

“Good morning!” Mei called, barging in through the front door and barely stopping to brush the snow off her jacket on the way. “I need more firewood today!”

“I’ll help,” Izuku said needlessly – they always helped each other, after all. “Just let me finish eating first.”

Inko slid another plate across the table, always ready and waiting, and Mei grinned as she sat down to dig in. Her parents were late risers, still a few hours away from crawling out of bed, but Mei was always up at the crack of dawn to head to her workshop – also known as the small shed between their houses, but she punched him any time he called it that.

“When the snow melts,” Izuku said quietly. “I want to see the next town over.”

Mei blinked at him, stunned, but Inko seemed entirely unsurprised by the words.

“Chimura,” she said slowly. “It’s been a while since I visited, but you’re young and healthy, you can walk there without too much issue, I should think.”

“How long will it take me?”

“A day or two. You’ll have to find somewhere sheltered to sleep for the night, then continue on in the morning. Getting back takes much longer, getting back up the mountain.”

Izuku nodded. His mind was officially made up, and he was determined; even if it was only once, he would see the town, he would meet the people and see if they had anything to eat that wasn’t a potato. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could even bring some back for his mother and Mei’s family to try.

“I’ll make sure she stays fed and warm!” Mei assured him. “But if you find any new foods, bring me back some!”

“You know I would!” Izuku laughed. “I’m glad I have your support!”

“You’re eighteen now,” Inko smiled softly. “I knew this day would come. I’ll still be here when you get back, but you’re young and full of dreams, I can’t stop you from setting out on your own journey.”

“Thank you, Mom, I’m so glad.”

“You’ve got a few more weeks before the snow melts, we’d better start preparing! You can take some potatoes with you to boil over your fire at night, in case you don’t find any food on the way. And I’ll find you some extra blankets to take!”

“I’ll build you a good tent,” Mei promised. “I have the perfect materials for it, just sitting in my workshop waiting for a purpose. It’s fate!”

“You’re both too good to me,” Izuku smiled softly, his eyes a little watery. “I’m so lucky to have you both in my life!”

“Just make sure you come back and visit,” Inko insisted.

“Swear it on your life!”

“I promise,” Izuku laughed. “How could I ever stay away?”

“We’ll see about that,” Mei grinned. “You’ll probably meet some sweet person to settle down with, and never give us another thought.”

“I would never!”

“We’ll see,” Mei grinned, glancing over when Inko giggled behind her hand. “I give it two weeks.”


[Chapter 3]