Eri jumped a bit and looked at Izuku and Tsuyu, both looking at her expectantly, almost waiting for a response, making her blush and play with her hair.
Eri: Sorry I didn't hear what you said.
Tsuyu: It's fine, honey. I asked, How about we go out? The laundry is done, the dishes are cleaned, and I checked your homework for you; it's done perfectly, so what do you say? I know this lovely lake that's secluded from everyone. We could make a day of it as a family. Kero
*Tsuyu said, smiling, trying her best to make Eri feel comfortable, but it just made Eri feel angry; in her anger, her thoughts slipped out.*
Eri: You're not my mother! You're not my family, so stop acting like it!!
Izuku:Eri!
*Izuku said she was shocked, but that shock turned into anger and disappointment. Tsuyu put her hand on Izuku's shoulder to calm him down.*
Tsuyu: You're right. I'm not, and I'm not trying to be; I'm not going to replace Momo Eri; she's your mother, but I do want to be part of your life; I want to get to know you; I want you to see me as someone you can trust and love just the same. Kero
Eri didn't say anything; she just walked fast into her room, looking down. Once she was gone, Izuku sighed loudly while Tsuyu looked at him, smiling, but like always, Izuku could see the sadness behind her eyes.
Izuku:tsuyu....
Tsuyu:it's fine Izuku Kero... she just needs time to get used to all of this. We need to be patient with her.
Izuku: That doesn't make your feelings any less important, Tsu.
*Izuku said softly as he hugged her. It hurt. Izuku heard Tsuyu cry. It hurt a lot more because Eri was the one who caused it. The three of them had a shaky ride ahead of them, but Izuku and Tsuyu were going to face it together.
Meanwhile, with Eri
*We see her in the room they gave her. She was hugging her legs, hiding her face. She just felt awful. She didn't mean to say those things. She didn't mean to snap at her. She just wanted to apologize to Tsuyu, but she couldn't. Part of her wouldn't let her make Eri feel like she had no control over her own life, leading to what she's about to do now.
*Eri got up and walked to her backpack, opening it. She took out her special book. She opened the book and grabbed the box cutter, looking at it as if it held the solution to all her problems. Slowly, she put it in her arms and stared, cutting over and over again until she felt satisfied, until the anger, the self-hatred, the loathing, and the numbness all faded away, leaving only the pain—the pain that she caused, the pain that made her feel in control.
*Eri heard the door opening and closing; she didn't move, still hugging her legs; her cuts had long since been rewinded; and a box cutter was placed inside the book under the bed. * Eri heard shuffling, getting closer to her, and a grunting sound as her father sat in front of her.
Eri:I'm sorry....
Eri mumbled softly, making Izuku give a small chuckle.
Izuku: It's not me who you should be apologizing to.
Eri:...i know...
Izuku: Want to talk about it?
Eri:no...
Zuku just moved to sit next to Eri, putting his arm on her shoulder. Eri stopped hugging herself and cuddled closer to him, still looking at the ground.
Izuku: You know when you were so young, remember? You were in the hospital, and I would sneak in to your room to make sure you weren't alone.
*Eri giggled at the memory since it cemented in her mind that Izuku was her father.*
Eri: Yeah, Mr. Aizawa and Nezu would be so mad the next day seeing you there with me sleeping on your chest, but every time you had to leave...
Izuku: I would look at you, kiss your little horn with a smile, and say, "Don't listen, do them. I'll be back tonight no matter what." I got in so much trouble doing that every night until they just gave up on me visiting you and me adopting you. Boy, that was a whole other battle.
Eri: You've never told me about that.
Izuku: not much to tell, you wanna hear it?
Eri:please...
Izuku: Well, it was after classes ended that me and your mother went to Nezu's office and...
Flashback
Nezu:no.
Izuku: I'm not taking no for an answer.
Nezu: Well, I'm not going to give you anything else. Mr. Midoriya, you are far too young to raise a child, not to mention it will affect your studies.
Izuku: Pardon my French, but bullshit, I'm a top A student in every subject, I'm ranked number 2 behind Momo Yaoyorozu, even if it does affect my studies, I would still be in the top 5, which I couldn't give less of a fuck about my rank.
Nezu: Still, no, you don't have any way of taking care of her.
Momo:. You do realize I'm Momo Yaoyorozu, right? Like the richest family in Japan? I have more than enough money to take care of her.
Aizawa: Still no, not only no, but absolutely no.
Zuku and Momo turned around and saw his homeroom teacher, Aizawa, leaning against the doorframe.
Aizawa: She needs to be placed...
Izuku: with you? Nezu sir, you can't possibly think that's a good idea; the man can barely take care of himself!
Nezu:. . . He's got a point there. I've seen days where your lunch is just cereal.
Izuku:unlike me, who makes every day homemade bento boxes for me and Momo so I can cook
Momo, it's true, and he makes sure they're nutritious.
Izuku: We have the financial capacity, and we know for a fact that you can make my room big enough for 3 people. You did it when Momo "convinced" you to make us live in the same room.
Momo:very true Eri needs a loving family, not to be treated as if she's some dangerous super weapon.
Nezu: You have a lot of good arguments, and my answer remains the same: no. If her quirk gets out of control,
Izuku: Oh, don't give me that crap; her quirk only goes out of control when she is stressed and scared. She will be if she lives with sensei Aizawa. I mean look at him and tell me there's a god.
Momo: And that he is a loving god to make a man like sensei Aizawa.
Aizawa:uncalled for
Momo: I would say having the whole class and your husband's professor mic. We had to chase you down just to give you a bath and wash your clothes, which was uncalled for, and yet we were forced to do it.
Izuku: Again, he can take care of himself; he is in no way fit to be a parent.
Nezu: Maybe, but this isn't about parenting; Eri is dangerous, and she will stay with Aizawa to neutralize that threat.
Izuku: dangerous; she's fucking 5!!
*Izuku stood up, slamming his fist to the table, breaking it. He never looked away from Nezu, giving him a hateful glare.*
Nezu:and with an uncontrollable quirk
Izuku:listen you...
Nezu: This conversation is over, Midoriya. Yaoyorozu, please leave my office.
Momo was about to protest, but Izuku put his hand on her shoulder.
Izuku, honey, wait for me outside for a moment. Trust me.
*Momo looked at Izuku for a moment before kissing him for good luck and leaving the room. Izuku gave a cold glare at Nezu. Playing nice was over; it was time to go for the jugular.*
Izuku: Answer me one more question before I go.
Nezu:very well
Izuku: You say she's dangerous, but tell me what's more dangerous, Eri or Japan and possibly the world going into mass panic.
The room got tense as Nezu kept his neutral smile while drinking his tea.
Nezu:oh? Could you elaborate?
Izuku; I'll spell it out for you: either give me the papers to make Eri my daughter or I will tell the world the secret only a select few know. You're smart enough to know the chaos that will bring, so what's it going to be?
Present
Eri: You were willing to tell the world about OFA and be my father?
Izuku: I was willing to watch the world burn to be your father. Eri, the moment I saved you, I knew you were my child and I would do anything for you. I would sacrifice anything for you. So would Momo and so would Tsuyu. She wants to be part of your life. She wants to be there for you, but you need to meet her halfway. I'm not forcing you; I'm just asking you to have a bit of an open mind.
Eri let those words sit inside her brain for a bit. She knew her father spoke the truth, but that doesn't make things any easier. Eri sighed softly.
Eri:I have to apologize to him, don't I?
Izuku: Yes, you do...
Eri:dad, do you remember the song?
*Izuku didn't need any more explanation; whenever Eri was scared or stressed at night, he would sing to her a very special song that his father Chizome sang to him, and the melody never left his mind when he was a baby. Later on in life, he found the song and used it for Eri. Izuku started humming the melody as Eri closed her eyes. Even if Izuku was singing Acapella, she could almost hear the music with the song as she slowly left this world and into the world of dreams.
Inside Eri's dreams
Izuku:Dancing Bears, Painted Wings.
Eri opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in the hospital, back to her small self from 10 years ago, only wearing a dress.
Izuku:Things I almost remember.
And a song someone sings
Eri looked up, and there he was, her father smiling brightly at her, giving her his hand, which Eri took.
Izuku:Once upon a December. Someone keeps me safe and warm.
Eri hopes her little foot is on top of Izuku's feet as they start having a father-daughter dance.
Izuku:Horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully across my memory...
*The dream fades to black as Izuku disappears and Eri starts falling into the abyss; she could still hear Izuku's singing as flashes of her memory flew by her.*
Izuku:Far away,
Long ago,
Memories of Eri hating Izuku and burning everything he gave her
Izuku:Glowing dim as an ember,
Things my heart
*Memories of Eri warming up to Shoto Todoroki as he trains her to be a hero*
Izuku:Used to know
Once upon a December...
Eri finally reached the ground, and as she slowly got up, she was horrified at the memory that lay before her, one of the memories that filled her with guilt. A memory that breaks her heart. the memory of herself calling Shoto Todoroki "dad" while she hugged him. Eri screams, but no sound comes out as tears start falling from her face and she closes her eyes tightly.
Izuku:Someone holds me safe and warm.
Eri felt someone holding her in a hug, making her feel warm.
Izuku:Horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully across my memory.
*Izuku's voice was but a whisper as Eri looked up and saw the current Izuku holding her.*
Izuku:Far away,
Long ago, glowing dim as an ember,
Zuku smiled at her, not as brightly as all those years ago. Time took away that brightness from him, but it didn't take away the lovingness she felt.
Izuku:Things my heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember
Eri hugs Izuku back, hiding her face from the world, hiding from the memory that fills her with guilt and disgust as she feels Izuku rubbing her back.
Real world
*We see Izuku holding Eri's sleeping form and putting her in the bed, covering her up with a blanket.*
Izuku:And a song someone sings...
Zuku kissed her little horn as he turned on the a/c and walked away.
Izuku:Once upon a December...
Zuku softly closed the door. Walking to the table, he saw Tsuyu setting the table.
Tsuyu: Is Eri going to join us? Kero
Izuku: Nah, she just fell asleep. She's going to need a big breakfast tomorrow.
Tsuyu: I cooked today; tomorrow's your turn, honey Kero.
Izuku: I know, i know Still, it's a shame what you made today smells like heavenly love.
Tsuyu: You say that every time Kero
Izuku: Want me to stop saying it?
Tsuyu: Not in your life, Kero
*Izuku chuckled, giving Tsuyu a peck on the cheek as they sat down and enjoyed their dinner while having a light conversation and enjoying each other's company.*
To be continued on Patreon
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Ben knight
Fateee
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Abdalali
Sarudark
nT_wolf 0
Nuker2025
Ayham Alqaissi
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George Alves
Thai Nguyen
Trevor Ferguson
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Osbaldo
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Hunters4life
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