A/N: So...been a while hasn't it?
This is going to be a shorter chapter than usual, only around 6k or so words. Baby steps, people. Baby steps. I just needed to remind you all that this story wasn't dead in the water, simply floating with the current.
Honestly, with how writing this played out, where I ended it was where I wanted to end it. I didn't want to talk about the Cultural Festival just yet, and this is about as far as I can go without doing so.
But, anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Don't expect constant updates again (when have I ever constantly updated), especially since I'm back at college and my freetime is me procrastinating to pretend that I have freetime.
(Later That Night: Eri's Room)
Izuku peeked an eye open, very slowly lifting his face up from the wooden floor. The only source of light in the room was the bathroom light, which was left on much to the insistence of Eri. Nightlights were now on their list of items to buy later. Moving his gaze over to Eri, Izuku found her completely down for the count.
She seemed to be sleeping soundly, with zero signs of discomfort or of a nightmare. It was his chance to get back to his bed. The floor was killing him. He had tried sleeping on blankets and pillows, but nothing worked.
When he told Momo that he thought he wouldn't be able to sleep anywhere else but in her bed, he was joking...Or, at least he thought he was. It was becoming increasingly apparent that he was dead serious.
Slowly easing his way up off the floor, Izuku carefully backed his way towards the door, slipping out into the hallway silently. Sighing in relief, Izuku walked over to Momo's door and headed inside.
Momo lifted her head from her pillow, raising a brow as Izuku slowly walked his way into the room. "Are you alright?"
Izuku groaned, crawling into bed with a crack of his spine. "Sleeping on the floor killed my back...again, but worse this time." He sighed, easing onto his back. Momo pulled the covers out from underneath his body, and threw them over him. "Thanks."
Momo kissed his forehead, "I told you I could do it tonight."
"No, i-it's fine. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
Shaking her head, Momo sighed, "Well, you think I want you to hurt yourself?"
"Well, this is me we're talking about."
Momo blew a raspberry, "I fear she sadly would much prefer you over me being there."
"What do you mean?"
"It's nothing. I just know how slow this process is going to be."
Izuku shook his head with a frown, "She likes you, Momo. There's no doubt about that."
"I know, but there's definitely still a line drawn in the sand of where I stand."
"...You'll see. You're going to have your moment with Eri, and you'll see just how much she likes you."
Momo smiled, placing her head on Izuku's chest and wrapping her arms around his torso. "I hope so. Now, is this better?"
The inheritor buried his nose into Momo's hair, "Much."
"Perhaps sleeping in my bed has made you too soft. Some people like sleeping on the floor."
"Some people are psychopaths, Momo."
Momo chuckled, nuzzling further into Izuku as his breathing began to slow. "I'm getting close to perfecting that little project I started this morning. I think that should help Eri. I also need to visit Hatsume."
Izuku furrowed his brow, "Why do you need to see Hatsume? Honestly, I think she would scare Eri if anything."
"I want to get Eri a blanket of the same material as your cape...Well, without all of the combat-ready things, but you get my point."
"Mm, good idea. But, are we going overboard?" Izuku said, his voice becoming weaker as sleep began to overtake him.
"We have little room for mistakes here, especially with the Aizawa and child services constantly on our backs. Part of this deal was proving we can help Eri better than a foster home would."
Izuku nodded, giving Momo a little squeeze, "Thank you for sticking by me through this."
Momo leaned up, pecking Izuku's lips, "Always. This is you and I. We always pull through. Granted, a good portion of the time it's through dumb luck and being, as Kaminari would call it, 'OP as hell'. But, one can't deny our success. What's raising a child compared to fighting a villain?"
"...We're done for."
"Yes, probably. But, we've completed step one: Rescuing Eri. The hardest part is over now."
…..
(The Next Afternoon: Eri's Room)
It turns out fighting Overhaul was the easy part.
With only a few more days until the raid group would have to return to regularly scheduled classes, Izuku and Momo's time was completely filled with trying to cover all their bases when it came to Eri.
However, even after the seemingly great first impression with Inko, Eri was...hesitant, to say the least.
"Okay, Eri, Momo and I are going to leave you with my mom for a few minu-" Eri's eyes suddenly grew wide, causing Izuku to immediately backtrack. "O-Okay, not ready for that just yet. One of us will just stay here for a bit off to the side while you and my mom sit over the-." The girl's eyes grew wide once more. "...You can sit in my lap while we talk to her?"
Finally, Eri found that option agreeable, allowing Izuku to take her hand and walk to the kotatsu they had bought for Eri's room.
Toshinori crossed his arms, leaning against the wall by Momo near the door. "This is definitely going to be a long process. We can't just have one of you staying here the entire time. That would completely destroy half of the arguments we gave to convince Aizawa...Granted, they still didn't persuade him, but he's still putting his trust in us."
"And Izuku can't keep sleeping on the floor."
"He slept on the floor again?"
"I'm working on something that will hopefully fix that, but yes. I even offered Eri to sleep in ou-...I mean, my bed with me. But, while she's comfortable around me for the most part, I'm not sure she's ready for that. Togata is a close second, while I seem to be lagging behind in third."
What Momo said was mostly true. It was more like even though Izuku would also be in the bed, Momo's presence was just one person too many for Eri. For the time being, that is. With any luck that would change quickly, but all they could do was hope.
"Well, we can focus on that later. We have only a few days to make Eri comfortable being here without you and Young Izuku for more than ten seconds."
Momo shook her head, "They can't expect us to cure years of trauma in a few days."
"They didn't, but we were the ones who were adamant on going this route. You and Young Izuku's studies were not to be tampered with in any way because of this. So we don't particularly have a choice if we want Eri to stay. Crap, and now that you mention it, sleeping on the floor could actually be bad, too. Sleeping like that could hinder his physical training."
"This house of cards we've made for ourselves is beginning to teeter."
"When does it not?" Toshinori rubbed his chin in thought, trying to find a solution of his own. "Hm...Maybe after Inko gains her full attention, Izuku simply slips away. Then, she realizes she's been alone with Inko and learns she'd be safe with her."
"Or Eri panics because Izuku is gone, making her believe something bad happened, making her attachment grow even more once he comes back. Or, worse case scenario, she activates her power in panic."
"...Damn it. Well, we've gotta do something."
"Well...Perhaps we just need the direct approach."
Toshinori raised a brow, "Pretty sure Young Izuku just tried that, and it didn't work."
"I mean we've done everything to keep her the most comfortable, but isn't the entire point of this breaking her out of her comfort zone. If we continue to tiptoe around this, no progress will be made. Maybe time limits?"
"Like leaving her with Inko for five minutes alone, slowly working up to longer amounts of time. That's still a lot to ask for in only three days."
"We don't really have any other option besides asking Aizawa to extend Izuku and I's leave of absence, which like you said, will go against the deal we made with him."
Toshinori nodded his head, "I guess you're right. But, just to be safe, maybe we should keep the door open and have you two walk by every so often. She'll be alone in the room with Inko, but she can understand you're around and she's safe."
"I should also crack down on my mini projects for her. Children always cling to special, personal objects for comfort, so hopefully that will help. The best we can hope for is Eri at least being able to be alone with Inko for the amount of time we're in class, barring lunch, and her growing used to it as time goes on. We just need a solid base."
Toshinori nodded in agreement, "So...Who has to convince Eri to go along with it?"
"You ask that like you were even an option."
"I at least like to have the illusion of being involved."
Momo chuckled, rolling her eyes as she walked over to the table. Crouching down, Momo stroked Eri's hair. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think we need to talk to Eri for a second." Izuku looked at Momo questioningly, but decided to go along with it. "Eri, you're not going to like hearing this, but...I think it would be best if Izuku and I stand over there while you learn with Inko."
Eri quickly became concerned, uneasiness in her eyes. "But...B-But, I...Um…"
"I know it's scary, and I know you only just met Inko yesterday. But, you two got off on the right foot, didn't you?" Eri furrowed her brow in confusion, looking down at her feet. "Right, you don't know idioms. Uh, what I meant was she was nice when you first met, correct?"
"...Mhm."
"You trust Izuku, and Inko is the woman who raised him, cared for him, and loved him. All we want, all Inko wants, is for you to have those same privileges. We're not going to leave you here alone, not now. Izuku and I are just going to sit over there and watch." Momo could still see worry on Eri's face, which was expected. The poor girl was being forced to speed through a stage of mental development, but Inko was the key to Eri's mental growth. At least when it came to schooling. It needed to be done.
Izuku hugged Eri a little tighter as he himself became worried, "Ah, Momo I'm sure we can figure something ou-"
Momo placed a hand on his, shaking her head. "I've got this." Looking back to Eri, Momo got on her knees and held her hands. "Eri, do you know how brave you are? You've faced so much in your life. You've even faced down Chisaki of all people. You escaped that life so you can live your own happy one with us. You can do this. Can you be brave? Just for a few minutes. I swear, we won't be far. We'll just be right over there, you can call for us and we'll be there instantly. All we ask is that you try. We want you to see that Inko is here to take care of you, just like Izuku and I are."
Izuku and Inko sat in silence, awaiting an answer from Eri. Izuku was about to interject, fearing that this would accidentally send Eri on a further down spiral into herself, but then Eri lifted her head back up. "...Okay."
"A-Are you sure?" Izuku asked.
"Um...I-I'll try."
Momo and Izuku both looked at each other in surprise, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and roll with the punches. Izuku lifted Eri out of his lap as he stood up, placing her back down on the seat. "Alright, we'll be right over there, okay?" Eri nodded, watching as they both walked to the other side of the room towards Eri's bed. Thankfully, that seemed to be an acceptable enough distance for Eri at the moment. Inko quickly opened up her binder and began her first lesson.
Momo sat down on the bed, a scoff of surprise escaping her lips as she whispered, "I won't lie, I can't believe that worked."
"We should just be happy that it did." Izuku looked over to All Might, "When is the Child Protective Services official coming again?"
"We still have a couple of weeks," Toshinori replied, "but Aizawa will file it in his report if you miss any days of school for reasons related to Eri outside of emergencies. So, don't worry about the official yet. Just stay focused on getting Eri comfortable here."
Momo blew her bang out of her face as she stood up, "We'll have to repeat this process over the next few days, gradually staying out longer. I'll start first. I need to run to the Support Studio and see Mei about our little surprise for Eri."
Izuku asked, "It's Sunday, are you sure she's there?"
"..."
"I realized how stupid of a question that was the moment it left my mouth." Momo giggled, kissing the top of Izuku's head before making her exit. Eri turned her head at the sound of the door opening, but Izuku motioned for her to turn back to Inko and pay attention. As Inko continued to teach Eri the basics of reading and writing hiragana, Izuku slowly stood up and made his way towards the bathroom. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use the restroom. I'll be just on the other side of the door, Eri. Will you be okay?"
Eri looked back and forth between Izuku and Inko before giving a hesitant nod. Izuku slipped inside and closed the door. He leaned against the wall and checked the time, making a note to go back out in a few minutes.
…..
(Two Hours Later)
For the next couple of hours, the process repeated. Eri continued her lesson, and Izuku would make up excuses to step out of the room for a bit every fifteen minutes or so. All Might had left a while back to go get other work done at the school. Momo was still gone, but she had texted that she would be gone for a while. It took half-an-hour of Mei presenting her new "babies" before she was even able to pitch the idea of the blanket to her. Izuku finally got back from a "phone call" to see Inko close her binder and smile.
"You're doing even better than expected, Eri. You'll be reading and writing with ease in no time."
Izuku walked over to the table, hoisting Eri up into his arms, "And, you did so well on your own. Did you have fun?" Eri nodded, but her face remained blank. Izuku was still waiting for the day Eri smiled, but he remained patient. He looked over to Inko, "Thanks, Mom."
"Of course, sweetheart." She gathered her things, kissing Izuku on the forehead. "I have plans tonight, so I should be heading home, but I'll see you both tomorrow." Inko repeated her actions from last night, reaching out a single finger to Eri, with the little girl returning the action. They followed her out, heading towards the stairs.
Izuku raised a brow, his eyes shifting towards his mother, "What plans?"
"Unlike you, my child is out of the house. I get to go on dates with my partner."
Izuku chuckled, "Fair enough." They hit the bottom floor, walking through the common area. "Have a good time, mom. I'm going to get Eri some apples for doing such a good job." Both Midoriya's laughed when they saw Eri perk up at the mention of her favorite snack.
Inko smiled as she watched them go, disappearing around the corner and into the kitchen. She took her leave, heading towards the door. But, she froze when she saw who was on the other side.
…..
(Shouta Aizawa's Teacher's Lodgings)
*Knock Knock*
Shouta opened his eyes with a groan, taking his arm out of his sleeping bag to throw off the covers as he rolled out of bed. Shuffling over to his door, he looked through the peephole to find a confusing sight. He opened the door with a raised brow, "You're one of the last people I expected to ever show up at my door for personal reasons."
"...May I come in?" Katsuki asked.
Shouta examined him for a moment before nodding his head back, motioning for the teen to enter. Katsuki walked over to the small living room area and sat down, his eyes flicking over to a picture on Aizawa's desk of Ms. Joke holding a cat. Shouta quickly flipped the picture down, "I don't wanna talk about it."
"Wasn't gonna ask." Katsuki's eyes then turned to a kitten covered, baby-blue shirt on the floor.
"Or that!" Shouta picked it up, throwing it across the room before taking a seat across from his student. "Now, I'm sure you have a reason for coming to see me over your counselor. Speaking of which, is that going well?"
Katsuki shrugged, "It's going alright." He had lived up to the promise he had made to his mom and went to his sessions. Being a school for heroes who had the possibility of seeing some terrible things in the work they do, along with going through the difficulties of being a teenager, UA had multiple licenced therapists for both students and teachers at the ready.
Sometimes it infuriated Katsuki. It was hard enough having to force out all of the things he had done, but for his counselor to just sit there and act like she wasn't judging him. He was waiting for her to just tell him he's a bad person and move on, but she just listened and tried to help him sort out how he felt about it all.
He felt awful! What else was he supposed to think?!
...He was even worse at accepting help than he thought.
Katsuki cleared his throat before speaking, "I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not here to explain what that fight was about."
"Hm…" Shouta took a deep breath, looking at Katsuki directly. "Listen, I know there's far more going on than I've been told. You and Midoriya have known one another for years, but it seems both of you are adamant on never sharing a single detail about your past. Which is strange coming from you. I figured with how prideful you are, you'd be boasting about your incredible backstory. Yet, you remain silent. Not just on that topic, but about the fight as well. Yaoyorozu was adamant on keeping the subject of that brawl under lock and thrown away key. All I know is Problem Child snapped, and somehow seems a bit better. And you, of all people, are suddenly quiet, reserved, and...dare I say it? Mature."
Katsuki sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall. "I wouldn't say that, but...I dunno. Screamin' just isn't coming as natural to me anymore."
"Again, something I didn't expect. What the hell happened to you?"
"I didn't talk before. You think that's gonna change? Yaoyorozu and I don't see eye-to-eye, but I can say we definitely agree on one thing." He looked up at Aizawa, a slight smirk on his lips, "It's none of your business."
"Hm, good on you for using her actual name. If you're not here to explain yourself, then why are you here?"
Katsuki took a deep breath, standing up straight, and bowing down. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior last month...and for the entire year."
"Well that's...Wait. Y-...You just apologized?"
"Yeah, I-"
"You?"
"Yes! For fuck's sake I-...Sorry. Sorry, I just...I know you don't trust me. Hell, I know you don't like me right now. If I were you, I wouldn't either. Scratch that, I don't like me either. If I were anyone, I wouldn't. And I don't really have any way to convince you that I'm being serious. So all I'll say is I'll do my best to do better." Katsuki swiveled around, making his way towards the door.
"Hold on." Katsuki stopped, turning back around to face his teacher. "...You're serious?"
"Yeah."
Shouta furrowed his brow, "And even if I don't understand it fully, do you regret that fight?"
Katsuki opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. Of course he regretted what the fight was about. But, did he regret the fight in general? That fight was what opened his eyes to what he was, it wouldn't have set him down the path he was on without it, so…
"...I don't know."
Shouta squinted, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I regret that fight in a lot of ways, but...without it I wouldn't have begun to change. So...Yes and no. The fight should've never happened to begin with, but I can't change the past. So I guess I'm just happy something happened to open my eyes."
"Open your eyes to what?"
Katsuki dryly chuckled, "I'm a fucking asshole."
"Huh…" Shouta scoffed as he gazed at Katsuki, trying to process everything the blonde had confessed. "Tell me something." Shouta opened up his desk, pulled out a paper, and raised it to Katsuki. "Do you think you're ready for this?"
The blonde's eyes widened, he knew what it was. It was a licensing exam form. He could retake the test. Katsuki reached his hand out, but stopped himself. He thought back to all those he hadn't apologized to yet, all he still had to make up for. "...No. No, I haven't earned that yet. I'm not ready."
Shouta raised a brow, but then smirked, taking the paper back. "Good. Now I'm certain you're being genuine." He turned back around, once again working on his computer. "Don't disappoint."
Katsuki nodded, pocketing his hands, "You have high fucking standards, but I'll try."
"I mean don't disappoint yourself. Don't just be sorry. Be better."
"...Understood."
Katsuki left, leaving another situation at least partially resolved. Once his feet his the sidewalk, his body finally relaxed again. All of the apologies were stressful, but necessary.
He still had a few left to go, but at least his pace was steady.
Making his way to the 1-A dorm building, Katsuki rolled his shoulders as he stepped up onto the front steps of the dorm building. It sucked that his chances of getting his hero license that year was completely diminished, but he felt the right choice had been made. Which was more than he could say for most of his choices over the last decade. True, Aizawa didn't intend on giving him another chance anyway, but he made his choice without that knowledge. He reached for the doorknob, but it opened before he could grab it.
Katsuki froze as he came face to face with Inko, seemingly leaving for the day.
Both stood there, eyes wide and bodies unmoving. Katsuki never thought he would say it, but he was legitimately scared of Inko. He would rather try and face Izuku a million times over facing Inko once.
How do you do it?
How do you apologize to a mother for all the things you did to her son?
How do you apologize for almost leading her son to death by his own hands?
...You can't.
Katsuki stepped to the side, allowing Inko to move past him. "Excuse me." Inko still didn't move for a few seconds, but finally stepped past the teen silently, making her way down the steps.
You can't apologize for something like that. Nothing you could ever say would make up for even the smallest ounce of harm you caused.
...But, you should always at least try.
"...There are no words." Inko stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around to look at Katsuki. Katsuki didn't turn around either, not yet. "There are no words to...to even begin making up for everything I've done to him, and consequently you." Katsuki turned around, facing Inko who still had his back to him. "I...I know this will sound strange, but...I need you to look at me. I need to look you in the eyes while I'm saying this, so I can have a complete understanding of just exactly what I've done to you...Or, you can walk away. I'll understand. I don't even deserve to be speaking to you."
Inko stood still for what seemed like an eternity. Katsuki nearly apologized and left, but she finally turned around and looked Katsuki in the eyes, tears in her own. To call the feeling Katsuki felt after seeing that a gut punch was a massive understatement. It felt like All Might himself slammed his fist right through him.
...Which Katuski then realized was a possibility when he eventually apologized to All Might.
"All I can say is...I'm...I'm changing. I don't know why I got here after everything, I don't even know what I deserve, but...I'm going to make sure no one else turns out like me. No one else does the things I did; becomes the person I was. I'm not looking for forgiveness, even if I get it someday I don't think I'll be able to accept it. I'm...I'm just looking for peace for those I've hurt, because I think at this point it's the only way I'll be able to find peace for myself." Katsuki got onto his knees, bowing his head to the ground. "Telling you just how sorry I am, and disgusted with myself that I am, would mean nothing to you. So, I'll express it with my actions for the rest of my life. I don't deserve to be a hero, but I'll be damned if I don't take this opportunity to at least attempt to right my countless wrongs." He stood back up, clearing his throat. "Goodbye, Mrs. Midoriya. Thank you for your time."
Katsuki stepped inside the dorms, knowing that Inko had no intention of speaking any time soon. He ran a hand through his hair as his heart stopped beating in his chest. It was almost comical thinking about how his past self would have been disgusted with him for being afraid of a middle-aged woman.
And, now his present self was disgusted with him.
Katsuki walked past the common area, a dour expression on his face. Kirishima, who was on the nearby couch, sat up straight with concern on his face, "You okay, man?"
Katsuki waved him off, heading towards the steps, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just...Just not now. I'll tell you later. I gotta be by myself for a while."
Eijirou, while confused, nodded and watched Katsuki descend up the steps in silence. He turned back around on the couch, his eyebrows raising as he saw Sero and Kaminari sit there with wide eyes.
Denki motioned towards the steps, "What the hell was that!?"
…..
(Evening)
Momo walked back to the dorms with Mei in tow, a small gift bag she had created in hand. "Okay, do you remember what I told you, Hatsume?"
"Wait for your signal, and then BOOM! I make my grand entrance through the door to show off my new babies for the actual baby."
"No! No boom!" Momo exclaimed, turning around to Mei just as they reached the door. "Eri, who is not a baby, is very skittish and untrusting of strangers. I need to introduce you first and prepare her for someone new before you come in. The last thing we need is to jumpscare her."
Mei pointed behind Momo, "Like that?"
Momo tilted her head in confusion, turning around to come face-to-face with Mirio's head popping through the wall. "Ah! Why!?"
"...I just wanted to say hi."
Momo sighed, opening the door and walking through to find the rest of Mirio's body on the other side. "Good afternoon, Togata."
He popped out of the wall, rubbing his neck, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Especially with you so wound up with everything going on."
"Tell me about it. Are they in Eri's room?"
"Yep! Last I checked they were practicing her reading." Momo thanked him, heading towards the step with her friends following her up the steps. Mirio waved to Hatsume, "I'm Mirio Togata! You're a friend of these guys, too?"
"Mei Hatsume, at your service! Do you wanna see all the babies I keep in my backpack?"
"...I...I don't know how to answer that."
"It's not what you think," Momo explained as they reached the second floor and headed down the hallway. She motioned for Mei to wait outside with her and Mirio entering the room.
Izuku smiled when he saw them enter. He had Eri on his lap with one of his journals in front of them. He set the journal to the side and set Eri on the ground. "You're back!"
"And we come bearing gifts!" Mirio said excitedly.
Momo kissed both Izuku and Eri on the head, and gave an amused smirk at Izuku's choice of reading practice. "One of your journals?"
"You never know when this stuff will come in handy."
Momo chuckled, "I guess I can't deny that. Now, for the gifts. Eri, I made something for you. And, I think this will help you sleep better at night, and help you feel better when Izuku and I have to go to school." Momo kneeled down, opening up the small bag to reveal a small plush doll of Izuku in his hero outfit. "I thought this would help you feel close to Izuku even when he's not here." She handed the plushie to her and Eri carefully reached up, taking the Deku doll in her hands and looking it over, feeling the soft texture, squeezing it, and rubbing the ears (that Izuku insisted were All Might's bangs).
Izuku mumbled under his breath, "I see learning to make those pillows paid off in the end."
Momo heavily blushed, not wanting Eri to ask any questions about that. "Shush!"
Mirio squinted curiously, "What pillo-...Ooooh, that one."
"He knows?!"
Izuku's eyes widened, quickly deflecting the topic of conversation back to Eri. "S-So, Eri, do you like it?"
After continuing to look it over for a few moments, Eri hugged the doll to her chest, nodding at Momo. "Mhm."
Momo sighed in relief, a bright smile blooming on her face. "I'm glad, but I actually have something else for you, too. This time, however, I needed a little help from a really good friend of ours. She's a little...explosive...but she's responsible for all of the things that protect Izuku when he's being a hero. Hatsume? You can come in now, just keep it quie-"
Mei swung the door wide open, her usual crazy smile plastered on her face, "Hiya, kiddo! You wanna see an explosion?!"
"No!" Momo exclaimed as Eri quickly hid behind her legs.
"...A tiny one?"
Momo deadpanned, "What's your definition of tiny?"
"Only the room blows up."
"Still no."
"A very tiny on-"
"No explosions!"
"Ugh, fine." Mei opened up her backpack, revealing a folded red blanket. "Your 'cape', as requested. And, yes, I left off my advertisement this time." She turned to Izuku, "That offer to wear my face and phone number on your next costume is still on the table, right?"
Izuku waved his hands, shaking his head. "I told you that I was exaggerating."
"Even though you basically owe me your life multiple times over?"
"I-...Wow, I didn't expect you to pull that card."
"I'll send you the designs next week. Anyway, I'm off! More things to invent!" Mei walked over to Momo, handing her the cape. Then she made her grand exit by pulling a cord on her backpack, activating two rocket thrusters and flying out the window.
Mirio smiled, "I like her."
Momo sighed as she kneeled back down, holding out the blanket to Eri. "I'm sorry about that. Like I said, she has an explosive personality, but she's a good person. She helped me make this for you."
Eri put her hand on the blanket, feeling the material. She tilted her head in confusion, "Is this…?"
Izuku nodded, moving to sit down on the floor next to them. "It's the same as my cape. We just had all of the tactical elements taken out?"
"Ta-...Tactical?"
"O-Oh, uh, the things that help me fight. And, we've essentially enlarged it a bit to make it more of a blanket for you."
Eri nodded in understanding, taking the blanket and bringing it to her chest with the doll. She was instantly brought back to being wrapped up in Izuku's cape during the Raid. Despite all of the destruction and mayhem, she had never felt safer. It was the cape that held her to Izuku's back as he fought tooth and nail for her freedom, and when he showed her that her curse was actually a blessing when it helped save his friends.
And, now, it was one of the first gifts she had ever received.
After nearly half a minute of silence as everyone awaited Eri's reaction, they all panicked when she looked down at both of the items in her hands and began to cry.
Mirio sucked in through his teeth, "Ooooh no."
Momo looked back at Izuku with wide eyes in hopes of some assistance or even just an answer to Eri's sudden outburst, but Izuku was just as panicked and confused as she was. "E-Eri, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
She was stopped as Eri leaped forward into Momo's arms, hugging her as tight as she could. "...Th-Thank you."
Momo froze, looking back at Izuku again. He motioned for her to go with it, this being the moment she was looking for. Momo carefully put her arms around Eri, hugging her back and stroking her hair. "Of course, Eri." Izuku smiled warmly as he took in the sight in front of him.
It was his future.
"...Snff…" Izuku looked over to Mirio, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes as he sucked in his lips to hold back his sobs. "...I'm not crying because it's so beautiful and touching...but, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go call my mom." He rushed out of the room, throwing his arm over his eyes as he ran down the hallway.
Izuku chuckled, looking at the clock on Eri's bedside table, "Well, Eri it's time to get you ready for bed, but…" He looked down at Eri and Momo, who were still hugging. "...I think you've got this, Momo." Izuku stepped out, heading over to Momo's room to get ready for bed himself.
…..
After going through his nightly routine, he headed back to check on them. As he got to the door, Momo stepped out as she turned off the light. "So…" Izuku put his hand on Momo's lower back, a smile creeping on his face, "...would you say that was the moment you were looking for?"
Momo looked at him, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his lips, "Yes. Yes, it was."
"How is she?"
"Sleeping soundly. As soon as I put her new blanket over her, she was out like a light."
"Thank goodness," Izuku sighed. "Just in time, too." They both peeked inside again, watching Eri sleep soundly under her new blanket and hugging her doll. Izuku took a deep breath, "We got this?"
Momo sighed in relief and nodded, "We got this." She closed the door, letting Eri sleep in peace. "Now, about Togata knowing about the pillow I gave you…"
...
A/N: By the way, I promised I would do this. The BokuNoShipAcademia subreddit has been doing brackets for best ship...and has surprisingly been very civil. I'm legit surprised.
But, IzuMomo sadly already lost.
However, I know a lot of you read AIV and other IzuJirou (my favorite) stuff, too. And they made it past the first few rounds. However, this round we're against KiriBaku. So, you can see our chances. But it's actually been civil and kinda interesting to see all these different ships get representation. So if you want to support your favorites you can vote.
r/BokuNoShipAcademia/comments/q2d7tb/ship_madness_4_round_2d_voting_ends_108/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
...But, you know, you can vote for IzuJirou.
...Or don't, whatever. This is Reddit we're talking about. Not like it matters.
But, you wanna know what does matter!? The IzuJirou subreddit that I keep advertising and I'm so sorry.
/mhFJTW4JkJ
...Anyway, AIV is next. Then I'm going to update a bunch of my Persona stuff, because I still have a blast writing it. That Ohya fic was so much fun to do, I'm happy the niche audience I have for those fics are enjoying them.