Chapter Text
Izuku was gasping, trying to catch his breath and organize his sluggish thoughts. He could feel the pounding of his heart as he tried his best to calm down. Todoroki was gently shaking him, eyes wide but concerned. "Midoriya," he heard. "Midoriya, hey, can you hear me? Do I need to get Shinsou or sensei?"
He waved him off. It would take too long for his mates to get to Osaka.
There's a weight on his lap.
The omega blinked blurry eyes open, coming face to face with bluish, off-white hair. Tomura? No, this weight was much too light for it to be Tomura. The alpha also hadn't gone with them to Osaka.
He blinked again, finally focusing.
The girl. His pup. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and leaned forward, crushing her to his chest. She went willingly. Izuku wasn't sure who was crying.
Eventually, he regained his composure enough to stand. "C'mon," he said to them both, "we need to leave Osaka immediately."
Todoroki cleared his throat, and Izuku was ready to argue with the boy if he thought that taking the girl was a bad idea. "Midoriya," he started. Izuku narrowed his eyes. "We're on the roof."
Izuku frowned. What? The roof of the building next to the side street? Oh. He could see how that could potentially be an issue.
"Midoriya, we're at U.A.."
He froze, blinking rapidly. "Oh," he said. He… he hadn't realized he could do something like that. "Okay." Because what else was he supposed to say to that?
"…Mama?" The girl in his lap questioned tentatively.
Izuku's gaze snapped down. "You can call me whatever you need to. You're safe now," he told her seriously, "I promise."
He heard a sniffle as she tried to burrow herself closer. Izuku thought that she smelled like chemicals and fear. She smelled like hurt. But… but somewhere underneath all of that, she smelled like his.
He took the scarf that was wrapped around his neck and looped it around hers instead. The poor thing must be freezing, running around in clothing so light and dingy that they could be described as rags.
There was another sniffle, then a whisper. "Will I get to stay?"
Izuku cupped the back of her head and purred. "Forever, baby. You're pack now."
She squirmed to look at him again, eyes wide and hesitant. Like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Izuku smiled at her and she wrapped her bony arms around his neck and started to weep.
He held her close.
Izuku finally managed to stand without dislodging the girl. Eri, he learned, was her name. He followed behind Todoroki, who kept sending him worried glances. It would be sweet if it didn't feel like he was being judged for his pup.
Finally, Todoroki broke the silence. "Are you alright?"
Izuku narrowed his eyes, shifting Eri, "never better."
The boy had the audacity to roll his eyes at Izuku. "I'm not talking about her, Midoriya. I'm talking about us being in Osaka one minute, then back at U.A. at the next. Are. You. Okay."
Oh.
Right.
That.
"I'm fine," he said casually, "don't worry."
Todoroki didn't look convinced.
"Listen, Todoroki. We can talk about that later with Tomura if you really want, but right now there are more important things to attend to. I'm fine for now. That's all that matters."
The boy looked away, and Izuku could see him biting the inside of his cheek. "…fine," he agreed, "you're right. Let's get her settled, first."
Izuku felt a weight lift off his shoulders when the other held the door open for him. "Thank you," he murmured quietly. It wasn't meant for the door – it was meant for Todoroki solidifying himself as an ally and someone who would care for Eri.
They went their separate ways. Todoroki to his dorm, and Izuku and Eri to his own. He moved past the nest with practiced ease and brought the girl into the bathroom and gently sat her down on the countertop next to the sink.
"Hi, baby," he greeted again, eyes soft. "I'm Izuku. You can call me whatever you need to," he repeated what he said on the rooftop. Maybe Eri just didn't have anything better to call him.
She looked at him, almost desperate. Red eyes started to gather tears. "Do you not want… to be my mama?"
Do you not want me?
Izuku hurried to assure her that was not the case. She was his now. He just wanted to make her comfortable.
She refused to call Izuku anything else.
He unwrapped her bandages, and swallowed down the fury that threatened to overwhelm him when he saw the needle marks and scars and wounds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She froze under his touch.
"I'm sorry, Eri, I'm just… very sad that you had to go through all of this. Do you think you're up for a shower?" She hesitated, but then nodded. "Good girl. You're in control, alright? You tell me what's too much. Do you need help to shower?"
She bit her lip but shook her head. Izuku was tempted to press, but he had just told her that they would go at her pace. "You're safe," he assured her as he readied the shower to an appropriate temperature for her. "I'm gonna grab some clean clothes for you, okay? Then I'll come back and I'll be over there." He pointed at the closed toilet.
Eri took a deep breath and held it while squeezing her eyes shut. Izuku moved towards the door, allowing her to undress and enter the shower on her own.
He grabbed his favorite sweatshirt – the one that had become Hitoshi's favorite whenever the other omega could get his greedy little hands on it. It was large enough that it would swallow the girl whole, but it would cover her completely. Plus, if she was calling him her mother, then his scent must be soothing and wouldn't hurt to have around her. He frowned, knowing he didn't have any undergarments for her.
Izuku thought about it. Then, he messaged Yaoyorozu, asking for a favor. She was all too happy to provide, and while Izuku could see curiosity eating her up inside, she didn't question his need and created the set.
He smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you," he said, "I… I really appreciate your help, Yaomomo. I'll explain to the others soon. I just – she needed clothes immediately, and I'm gonna give her my sweatshirt to wear as a dress until we can go out to buy her new clothes." He rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarassed.
The girl cocked her head to the side. "Oh," she started, "why didn't you just say so?"
"Eh?"
"What's her size?"
"Yaomo– "
She cut him off with a raised palm. The shock of such an action stunned Izuku into silence. He would have never thought anyone outside his pack would speak over him again. He's almost… glad. It mades him feel normal for once.
"Respectfully, Wraith. I – I can't in good conscience leave without providing at least the basics. Please." Her gaze was lowered to the floor to the left of Izuku.
Izuku couldn't help it. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes as he threw himself at her in an unexpected hug. He held her tightly, hooking his chin over her shoulder. She bent a little lower to make him comfortable and wrapped hesitant arms around him.
He pulled away, a few tears falling that he quickly swiped away with the back of his hand. "She's just a pup. Maybe around seven or eight, but much smaller than she should be." Izuku grabbed her old clothes. "This is what she was wearing."
Yaoyorozu looked over the clothes, noting the size and dimensions before handing them back to Izuku. Soon enough, Izuku was being presented with a small pile of clothes from a very tired looking Yaoyorozu. "Here," she said. "That should last her a week. Let me know if she needs anything else, please."
She paused, licked her lips and reached behind her. "I also made this. I'm… perhaps it's rude of me to assume, but if she's here with you, then that means that she wasn't treated well before. I wanted her to have a small comfort."
It was a plush unicorn. It was pink and sparkly, and Izuku's face split into a wide grin. For the second time, Yaoyorozu found herself with an armful of her god. It was weird, but also… not. She gave him light pat on the back. "Thank you," he said again, putting all his emotion behind the simple words. "Um. You must be starving, right? Go find Kacchan and tell him I said to make you something."
The girl blinked at him once before her entire face lit up scarlet. "N-no, really, that's okay! You don't need to – none of your pack need to inconvenience yourselves."
Izuku frowned, hid the clothes behind him, then called out for Dabi, who shuffled out of his room with his hair a mess and still only in his sleep pants. "Wassup?" He yawned. If Izuku thought the girl was red before, she was practically glowing now.
The omega smiled slightly, "can you help Yaomomo find Kacchan? She did me a favor, but she really needs to eat something."
The older man looked between the pair. He shrugged, "sure. Let's go."
Izuku sighed, "Dabi, put a shirt on, please."
"Lots of demands today, Mama. What happened, did I do something naughty?" The man waggled his eyebrows as he teased.
"You're disgusting. Go put on a shirt." He shook his head thinking about how at least Tomura listened when Izuku asked him to do something.
Dabi lazily waved him off, "yeah, yeah, I got it."
Izuku rolled his eyes, and glanced at Yaoyorozu with a sort of what can ya do? smile. She was completely baffled by the exchange and it made Izuku giggle. Maybe he'd sit down later and have an actual conversation with her, but right now he needed to get back to Eri.
As soon as Dabi disappeared into his room to get dressed, Izuku grabbed the pile of clothing and the plush. "Thank you so, so much, Yaomomo! I'll see you later – I promise!"
With that, he hurried back into his dorm. Before entering the bathroom, he made some loud knocks. "Eri?" He called out, "can I come in, sweetie? It's just me, but I wanted to let you know I was out here."
There was silence – it seems Eri had turned the shower off. Hopefully that means she found the towel he left her. "You can… come in." She said quietly.
Izuku slowly pushed open the door and was relieved to find Eri wrapped up in the fluffy towel. "Hi, baby. I had a friend make some clothes for you. Did you want to pick what you're gonna wear or do you want me to?"
She looked at him, considering. There was assessment behind that gaze.
That was what Izuku looked like at that age.
He's starting to feel like finding Eri was more than just a coincidence.
"Can I see them first, please?"
Izuku nodded, lost in thought. He gestured for Eri to follow him out of the bathroom as he laid down each piece of clothing. She had the cutest little thinking face on as she looked at her options. She pointed at two shirts. "I like those," she said.
He wasn't surprised. Those two shirts were more like blouses. They had a peplum hem and a wide neckline. He nodded. "Which color?" Either light blue or lavender.
"That one," she pointed to the lavender. He laughed in his head. Maybe she was trying to butter up Hitoshi before she even met him. Then she pointed at a pair of black leggings. "Can I wear those, please?"
Izuku nodded rapidly, delighted at how the girl had picked out an outfit for herself. He turned around to let her get dressed and tried to make himself comfortable in the nest. When he turned back, his heart broke. She was sitting on the hard floor next to the bed and not touching the nest. "Eri?" He asked carefully, not wanting the girl to think he was upset with her.
She looked at him, face flat.
How did the world fail her this badly?
"Oh, Eri, come here, sweetheart. You can come in, you're always allowed to come into my nest."
Eri moved cautiously, like Izuku would stop her and tell her to get out. He made a show of patting the spot next to him and opening his arms.
She all but lunged into his chest, knocking him onto his back. He gave a small, soft laugh and buried his face in her hair as she stuck her nose right against his scent gland. Izuku crooned quietly, just letting his pup settle. Slowly, her trembling lessened, and soon enough, she was melted across his chest. He shifted them both so that she was pressed against his side, with her head pillowed on his chest.
Eri made a noise to catch his attention. It was a chirp that pups gave in search of their parents for comfort. Izuku turned his head look at her. Her bony chin was pressed on top of his pectoral muscle, neck outstretched. She looked adorable, even as her eyes became stormy. "What if he comes back?"
"I'll make sure he won't. No one touches what mine."
"I'm yours?"
"Eri, sweetheart, you're calling me Mama already. You're utterly adorable. Of course, you're mine."
She stared at him. "My Quirk is d-dangerous. I – I did something bad the first time it happened." Her voice was slightly panicked, but she didn't dare tear her gaze away.
Izuku shushed her. "It's okay," he told her, brushing her hair back, "it's okay. There's a few of us who have done some bad things, but we don't let that define us, alright?"
The girl settled back down against him, but not before turning her head to catch Izuku's forearm with her teeth. He watched her, amused. Did she think Izuku would get rid of her over defiance? A show of violence?
She chewed on his arm. He let her, wondering what this was about. It was… testing, he realized soon. She wasn't biting hard, but it would leave a mark the next day. His lips quirked upwards. "Making sure I'm yours, too, Eri?"
She made an affirmative noise from behind her teeth. Izuku laughed out loud this time. She released his arm and he held it up to examine. She's got sharp fangs, he noted absently. There were four indents where her canines fell, but she didn't hurt him.
Izuku hummed quietly, lost in thought. Eri was snuffling against his side before her breathing leveled out. Poor kid was probably exhausted, the day's events finally catching up to her.
When he looked down at her, he noticed a faint glow of gold on the tip of her small horn.
Oh.
She's like him.
Eri was a little godling, too, wasn't she?
Any sort of doubt or concern about raising a child went out the window. Eri was like him. She needed someone who would understand – someone who would encourage growth while still being able to handle her.
She's not just pack to him anymore.
Eri was his daughter.
When Izuku woke up, it was to casual voices outside the common room. He's surprised that his mates hadn't come to see him yet. He wondered if Todoroki had taken it upon himself to guard the door to the bedroom.
Izuku really was beginning to appreciate the boy more and more.
He turned to look at Eri, who's eyes were wide open and studying him. He wondered what she saw. Eventually, she broke the silence, giving him an unsure look. "Your flowers are pretty."
"Thank you, Eri."
She glanced towards the door. "They've been trying to get in, I think." Izuku stayed silent. "Someone won't let them."
The omega huffed. So, Todoroki had taken up position after all.
"Mm, it's probably Todoroki-kun. Do you remember the beta who was with us?"
"Oh! The one that looked like a candy cane?"
Izuku nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah. C'mon, let's get up. You should meet everyone."
"E-everyone?"
Izuku paused, cutting her a sideways glance. "Yes," he told her, "the pack. Our pack. There's… um, ten people, including us?"
Eri was wary, and she looked down at her lap. "…do I have to?"
The omega thought about it. "How about this: we go out and meet everyone, but I'll carry you. Would that be okay?" The girl bit her lip, thinking about the offer. She quietly agreed.
Izuku gathered the girl in his arms, adjusting her so that she could rest on his hip. She wrapped thin arms around his neck and moved to hide her face against him. In response, he pressed a quick kiss to her temple.
"Alright," he said, trying to be encouraging, "I'll be right here. You don't even have to say anything if you don't want to."
"Okay…"
"Good girl, there's my brave little pup."
Eri leaned forward, her face getting extremely close to Izuku's own. She squinted at him. "Are you my real mama?"
He stilled, thinking about how he wanted to answer the question. "Not the one who made you," he told her with a gentle smile, "but I'm the one who claimed you."
Eri didn't move away, her eyes flickering with hope, "so does that mean…?"
Izuku's grin brightened. "That means you're mine, baby. You're my daughter – a piece of my heart."
She was looking at him in wonder – like she couldn't believe her luck and that she would wake up soon and this would all go away. She nodded again, this time firmer. "Okay."
Izuku opened the door with one hand, startling Todoroki, who fell backwards onto Izuku's legs. He quickly righted himself, a faint pink blush on his cheeks. Izuku smiled. "Thank you, Todoroki-kun." He got a small, embarrassed nod in reply.
Then, Izuku looked up at the rest of the common room. Everyone had frozen in their spots, each one of their gazes pinned on the small girl in his arms. He cleared his throat, and everyone slowly slid their gazes to look at him instead.
"Hi," he said simply. "This is my daughter, Eri."
Everyone startled except for Todoroki.
Shouta moved towards him, voice quiet but concerned, "Izuku, we should all talk – "
He cut the alpha off. "No," he snapped. "No, you'll accept her, or you won't speak to me again." His declaration was sharp and it echoed off the walls of the common area. Hitoshi looked like he wanted to say something, but was wise to remain silent. "Eri," he murmured, "would you like to meet everyone?"
She hesitated, but then peeked out from his neck. "Hi," she said quietly, just above a whisper.
Izuku gave a small trill, nudging her forehead with his nose. "You met Todoroki-kun already."
"Candy Cane Man," she corrected immediately.
"Of course, my mistake," he laughed lightly, "over there is Dabi and Tomura. They're your big brothers." She blinked, but didn't question it. "That's Kacchan, and Hizashi," he pointed to the two blondes. He turned towards Shouta, who was staring at him completely blank, and Hitoshi, who had his arms crossed. "Those are my mates. That's Hitoshi," he gestured to the omega, "and that's Shouta." After seeing Izuku's mates, Eri let out a small eep! before hiding her face again.
He looked at his pack, a heavy feeling weighing down his heart. They didn't see it yet. They didn’t understand that Eri was one of them, but they would. She was his – and that she was theirs.
"Would you like to meet the girl who made your clothes?"
Eri's eyes went wide and her nod was so fast that he swore she turned into a bobblehead. "I want to tell her thank you…" The girl was the politest pup he'd ever met. His heart ached at the most likely reason behind her manners.
"She's going to be downstairs. There's going to be a lot of people around, but you don't have to talk to them, okay? Some of them are nice, but some of them just don't understand. They won't bother you if they know what's good for them," he added the last sentence as a mutter under his breath.
He held out his hand, leading the girl down to the first floor. He glanced around, searching for Yaoyorozu. His eyes lit up when he saw her and he leaned down next to Eri to point her out. The girl took a deep breath and dropped Izuku's hand to walk forward towards the girl.
Izuku had not been expecting Eri to make her way across a crowded common room filled with strange teenagers on her own. He expected that he'd have to walk over with her. The room quieted once they noticed the child walking across the room with a purpose. She stopped in front of Yaoyorozu and bowed forward in half. "Thank you for making my clothes!"
The omega lifted a hand to cover his mouth. It was to both hold back his laughter and to hide his grin. The older girl was flustered, floundering to find her voice. "O-oh." She stuttered, looking up at Izuku for help before realizing what she was doing and looked back down. "It was nothing, really," she insisted.
Eri shook her head. "Mama said you made them all and there were so many! And – and Mr. Unicorn. Mama said you're really nice. Thank you…" With that, the girl shot back across the room and hid herself behind Izuku. The smile he gave her was gentle, taking her hand and starting to lead her back upstairs. He threw a wave and a grin over towards Yaoyorozu, who was still blushing.
This little girl was going to be a whirlwind, wasn't she? Heavy winds and twisting tornadoes – something that would shake things to the ground and blow them over. Eri was going to be something.
Eri was going to be something like him.