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The room was filled with laughter and music, each person with some sort of beverage in hand. The bar was as lively as ever.
Izuku surveyed the place, searching for his friends, he found the back head of some spiky red hair, smiling to himself, he approached.
“Ay! Midoriya! What’s up man!” Shouted the man in front of the redhead, prompting for him to turn around.
“Hey Kaminari, Kirishima,” Izuku chuckled as he shook both their hands, “Nothing much, glad we could finally meet up again,” he said as he ordered the bartender to get him a drink.
Kirishima slapped the green haired man's back, “You got that right!” He took a swig of beer, “How's the new neighborhood?” He asked.
Midoriya scratched the back of his head, “Eh, it’s nice enough, we didn’t get to properly introduce ourselves since it was on such a short notice, but we’ve settled in,” he shrugged, picking up the mug from the counter.
“Hows the little rascal doing? Been ages since I’ve last seen her,” Kaminari joked, letting out a loud belch shortly after.
Izuku smiled at his friends thoughtfulness, “Eris doing great, getting her to school is much less of a pain now since we live right next to it, but it had to be done,” he took a sip of his alcohol.
“Man, I can only imagine how hard it would be to drive a whole hour for her to get to school for 2 whole months! Props to you man!” Kirishima bumped the guys shoulder. Izuku muttered out a thanks.
“So what about you guys? How’s life?” Izuku put the attention on both of them.
Kaminari chugged down the rest of his drink and slammed the mug onto the counter, “Eh it’s been alright, works been keeping me busy, being so close to wires all day and everything,” he waved off.
“The lads at the gym have been working amazingly! Makes me feel great!” Kirishima pumped his fist upwards.
Kaminari laughed while slapping his knee, “He forgot to tell you he hooked up with his student,” the blonde waved for another beer.
Izuku went wide eyed and grew a grin, “Really?!” he scoffed.
Kirishima faltered and put his hands up in defense, “Hey hey, we didn’t hook up! We just went out, besides she’s only a year younger! It's not like she’s a minor!” He sputtered, “I may be a gym trainer, but I have a personal life!”
Izuku smiled fondly at his friend, he took his free hand and slapped his back, “Good for you Kiri! What’s her name?” He asked while shaking the mans shoulder.
The redheads face turned pink as he scratched his cheek, “Her names Mina, she’s really cute,” he said dreamily.
Audible ‘Ooh’-s could be heard from the other two friends, “Looks like someone’s in love,” Kaminari teased.
“H-Hey! What about you, huh?” Kirishima retorted.
“Uhhh I got a wife remember? Kyoka?” Kaminari deadpanned, showing off his engagement ring.
Kirishima stuttered, “U-Uh, then how about Mido!” He shot his head to the man in question, who’s face instantly lit up.
“A-Ah! N-No I D-Don’t have anyone! I’m not really interested i-in anybody at the moment,” Now it was Izuku’s time to stutter.
Kaminari laughed, “Oh bullshit! You’re still stuck up from your old highschool girlfriend!” He accused.
“Wha?” Izuku tried to fake his confusion, but failed horribly.
“Y’know, I never really understand why you two cut ties,” Kirishima wondered.
“Ah, well, after high school we started getting really busy with life, college and everything, we tried a long distance but it really didn’t work, so we ended it there,” Izuku reminisced sadly.
The other two were left in silence at the mans announcement, “She was hot,” Kaminari spoke up.
Izuku spit out his drink as Eijirou slapped the back of the blondes head, “Whos the one with the wife dunceface!?” He jokingly scolded.
Kaminari shooed away the redheads hand and looked at Izuku seriously, “For real man, she was good to look at,” he blocked another slap from Kirishima, “She probably has a boyfriend by now, it's been 5 years! Just try something out aigh?” He gave a warm smile.
Izuku smiled back, “I will,” he looked down into his beer. What Kaminari said was true, Izuku was stuck up on his ex, they had been together since the start of highschool. They did everything together from playing video games to studying for tests, they were inseparable. Down the line Izuku had created the childish fantasy of them having children in the future and living together, but reality hit as they entered the final year. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but their time was coming to an end soon, and when the time finally came, Izuku was beyond heartbroken.
It had been 5 years since they broke up and a lot had happened, he adopted his baby girl Eri, who had always put a smile on his face whenever he came home. Being a single dad was hard, but he made it work for himself and his 4 year old girl. He had always wanted to start dating again, but he never got around to find the right one, he came with a plus one now anyways.
Izuku arrived home to hear soft snoring throughout the apartment, he smiled as he walked upstairs into the guestroom, he found his mother sleeping soundly on the bed. He was about to close the door but was stopped by the sounds of movement from inside, “Papa?” He heard the soft voice of his daughter.
Izuku opened the door again to see the small figure on top of the guest rooms bed, beside his mother. She clutched a Deku Rabbit plush to her chest and she rubbed her eyes, “Is that you?” She asked.
“Yeah it's me snowball,” Izuku whispered back, moving into the room to pick her up, “Let’s get you to your own bed now,” he gently stroked the tired girls hair.
“Can I sleep with you?” She asked innocently.
Izuku chuckled softly as he tightened his hold on the girl, “Of course you can,” he lightly kicked open the door of his own room and laid the small girl onto his bed, he climbed onto the other side and got under the covers. Eri instantly made her way to him and snuggled into his chest. Izuku sighed contently as he slowly let his drowsiness overtake him.
“Papa?” Asked Eri from inside his chest.
Izuku jolted slightly and looked down, “Hmm?” He asked.
Eri looked into his green eyes as she clutched the Deku Rabbit bunny to her chest a little tighter, “A-Am I ever going to have a real mom?” she looked like she was about to start crying.
At the sight of her tears, Izuku instantly sat up, moving the girl into his lap to hug her, “Aw Eri baby what happened?” he asked smoothly.
Eri started hiccuping softly as she wept into his chest, “T-The kids at school told me that my mom left me to the-,” she gasped and tightened her hold on his chest, “The bird people because I was a bad girl!” she sobbed.
Izuku first felt anger, anger towards the kids in his girls class. The feeling was overrun by guilt, he was away from home for the whole day, his mother had told him to take a day off from moving the new stuff to his apartment, and he reluctantly left her to pick up and take care of Eri. He wasn’t there after school and she had been carrying the pain for the whole day.
“Why didn’t you tell this to gramma?” Izuku looked at her in concern.
Eri rubbed her eyes, “Because- *hic* I wanted to talk to you, since- *hic* you could tell me if I was getting a mom,” she sniffed.
Izuku’s hard face softened, “You aren’t a bad girl Eri, you are an amazing one, and the best kid I could ever ask for,” he stroked the girls hair rhythmically, “You may not have a mom, but you have me! And I’ll try my best to act like a mom and a dad at the same time!” He stuck out his tongue, triggering a giggle from the girl. “I promise soon I will find a perfect mom for you, deal?” He put out his hand for a handshake.
Eri shot into his arms again, hugging him tightly, “Don’t worry papa,” she sighed into the mans shirt, “I already have someone who acts like a mama for right now!” She explained.
Izuku’s smile faltered a little as he raised his eyebrows, “And who may that be?” He asked.
Eri beamed at him, “Ms. Raka!” She exclaimed.
Izuku gave her a blank stare, “Who?” He asked.
Eri puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, “Papa I’ve told you so many times! Ms. Raka! My teacher, we’re meeting her tomorrow!” she clapped her hands onto Izuku’s cheeks.
“W-We are?!” He gasped. Izuku took out his phone and went to his reminders app, and sure enough, parent-teacher interviews were tomorrow, “Well I guess I’ll have to thank Ms. Raka myself tomorrow!” He grinned at his daughter.
Eri cheered as Izuku lifted her into the air and lightly threw her back onto the mattress, “But now we have to sleep!” He exclaimed.
Eri giggled, turning into a yawn halfway, “G’night papa,” she muttered lazily and she drifted to sleep.
“Good night princess,” The two snuggled into their blankets once again, Izuku with the girl tucked snugly into his chest, Ms. Raka… That sounds almost familiar.
The next day Izuku dropped Eri off to Kindergarten as he was on the way to his job. Izuku worked as a pediatrician at a local clinic, he took care of many kids daily. He would usually work until the end of Eris school day to pick her up, but today he would end his shift a little earlier to catch Eri and their interview.
He entered the clinic and was warmly welcomed by the woman at the front desk, “Hello Dr. Midoriya, good morning!” she greeted.
“Morning Melissa,” he nodded as he went into his office, he noticed a sticky note on his laptop, he plucked it off and read it.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Give me a call tonight! We should go out for a drink!
-Melissa
He looked at the note blankly, contemplating whether to keep it or throw it away, he opted to stuff it in it's pocket for the time being and get to work, he’d think about his personal life later.
Izuku became a pediatrician mainly to help children, he loved working with them and he almost never hated his job. He loved making them happy with his little gags, and also comforting them after he’d administered a shot, he just loved being around kids.
His job also lead him to Eri, a little girl rescued from a drug cartel, he had seen her scars, and her state of being. He was truly horrified at first and felt the most sympathy, it eventually lead him to adopting her. The girl warmed up to him very quickly, due to his easy going and warm nature, or so he was told by his colleagues.
He smiled warmly at the thought, to think without this job he would have never met his daughter. Izuku shook his head as he occupied himself by prepping for oncoming patients.
The day was short due to Izuku getting off work early, he hopped into his car and started the engine. He looked at the integrated clock and gulped, I’m gonna be late! He screamed to himself as he reversed out of his parking space and sped towards his daughters school.
He was honked at more than a couple times, but he had to make it there quickly or her daughter would be left waiting. Izuku arrived at the school just in time and parked his car.
He hopped out and shoved his keys into his pocket after locking the vehicle, he made it to the front door and hit the buzzer.
“Here for class K-A’s parent-teacher interviews?” Said a voice from the speakers.
“Uhh yep! Izuku Midoriya here for Eri Midoriya,” he stated.
Shuffling of papers could be heard from the opposite side of the line, seemingly searching for the name, “Ah yes, please come in Mr. Midoriya, your daughter is waiting at room 101,” the lady spoke.
Izuku thanked her quickly before entering the now unlocked door, he realized that this was the first time he was actually in Eri’s school, he looked around to see many happy paintings over the walls and cheerful messages displayed on the doors. He stopped at the one labelled 101, he entered.
“Papa!” Yelled an all too familiar voice from across the room, he shot his head towards the girl and froze.
Behind his daughter stood a petite woman with chocolate brown hair, Is that? Her locks framed her face, highlighting the permanent blushes on her cheeks, It can't be. Standing behind her daughter, was the woman Izuku believed to be the prettiest in the world, the one who Izuku dreamed to be with, the one who Izuku called his ex, Ochaco Uraraka.
“Y-Yeah, hey s-snowball,” he muttered out, staring wide eyed at the woman, who was staring back at him in the same manner.
Eri skipped her dad happily, not picking up on the tension that filled the room. She trapped the man's legs in a bear hug, “You’re on time!” She exclaimed.
Izuku snapped out of his stare and turned red, “Y-Yeah! I am!” Was all he could say.
Eri giggled as she pulled her hand towards her teacher, “Papa! This is Ms. Raka, Ms. Raka, my papa!” Eri introduced.
Both adults cooed at the girls innocence inwardly, they were too red on the outside to gush, “H-Hey Och-Uraraka,” Izuku waved.
“H-Hello, Izuk-Midoriya,” she said back, the two laughed at each others antics.
“No please, call me Izuku, i-it's fine,” he blushed.
Ochaco eased up a little, “Well then don’t call me Uraraka! Ochaco’s fine too,” she smiled.
Eri looked at the interaction intently as she pushed her father down into the small seat they had put out for the children, the girl herself hopped onto the big one.
“Hey now, I think that's a little unfair!” Izuku teased the girl. Picking her up and carried her in the air like she were All Might.
Ochaco giggled at the two, “Wow what a daughter-daddy duo!” She clapped as Izuku finally landed the girl.
“That’s us! Right snowball?” Izuku tickled Eri, who giggled and let out a ‘Yup!’ He looked at the woman in front of him, “Wow Ochaco, uhh, you look great!” He complimented.
The woman blushed, “Ahh it's nothing! Taking care of kids all day puts in a workout! You look great too,” she reciprocated.
Now it was the boys turn to turn red, “T-Thanks,” he scratched the back of his head, “So, is Eri behaving?” He asked, changing the subject.
Ochaco scoffed and waved her hand, “Oh, she’s an absolute treasure, you and her mother should be really proud!” She felt a sting in her heart as the words left her mouth.
Izuku looked away, “Ah, it’s only me,” he whispered.
Uraraka blinked once and gave off an ‘Ah’, “S-Sorry, I forgot I had a single parent in my class,” she snapped, “Silly me!” She played off the awkward tension she created, even though the stinging in her heart had abruptly stopped.
“Don’t worry about it,” Izuku smiled, “Eri tells me you act like a mom to her, right snowball?” He looked down at the girl, failing to notice the woman's pink face turn ever pinker.
Eri nodded playfully, being extremely attentive to the conversation the adults were having.
Ochaco gave another noise of approval before leaving the room in complete and awkward silence. “I uhh, didn’t believe it when the name Midoriya popped up on my attendance sheet, when I saw Eri though, I didn't think she was yours since, you don't really look alike, adoption flew straight over my head,” she waved her hand over her hair to illustrate.
Izuku chuckled, “Yeah, we get that a lot,” he scratched the hair of the girl sitting on his lap.
“Papa saved me! He helped me feel better so it doesn’t matter if we don't look alike, he’s still me papa!” Eri exclaimed.
Ochaco gave him a confused look while chuckling at the girls declaration, Izuku bent down to his daughters ear, “Do you mind if I tell Ms. Raka about how you were saved?” he asked.
Eri nodded wearily, she trusts her a lot, Izuku thought.
Izuku kissed her cheek before facing Ochaco, “Eri was the daughter of a drug lord, he was abusive and only kept Eri around to smuggle drugs in and out of places,” he explained, “Authorities managed to bust the trade operation and recovered her,” he tightened his hold on the girl and rested his chin on her head, “One second I was just working a regular day at the clinic, the next I’m tending to some of the nastiest child scars I’ve ever seen,” he sighed, kissing the top of Eri’s head.
The woman on the other side of the table was shocked, “I-I don’t know what to say, I’m so sorry! I should have known!” She went to search Eri’s student profile for anything that told her about her past.
“No it's my fault,” Izuku interrupted with his hand, “I didn’t fill out the part of the sheet when signing Eri up to this school, it felt too personal, you guys didn’t know,” he looked down guiltily. “Though I think I can trust you,” he muttered out.
Ochaco smiled warmly, He trusts me! She celebrated in her mind.
“Also, thank you,” Izuku said.
“Huh? What for?”
“It means a lot that my baby girl sees someone else as a parental figure like me, it helps make her feel proper, even though I tell her nobodies perfect, it’s what she thinks,” he gave a warm smile to the woman, one Ochaco hadn’t seen in years, she was glad she saw it again.
“It’s no problem, I treat all my students as if they were my own, it's a teacher's job after all!” She cheered, Eri cheering with her.
The rest of the 10 minute interview went splendid, Eri showed her artwork to her father, Izuku made sure to take pictures of every last one. In one moment Izuku went to reach for a picture Eri drew, only to have his hand land on Ochaco’s, the two lingered their touches on each other while their eyes were lost in the others, they retracted right after, muttering a thousand apologies while Eri looked on in confusion.
The time had finally come for Izuku to leave, he really wanted to stay and chat more, but dinner had to be made and the woman had to do more interviews.
“Well, I guess this is it,” Izuku awkwardly shifted in place as one hand was locked in Eris.
Ochaco bowed, “Y-Yeah, it was great seeing you again Izuku,” she moved forwards, Izuku half expected a kiss, but he came back to his senses as Ochaco bent down to give Eri a hug, on which she happily returned.
Izuku was a little disappointed, but sucked it up and began turning around, “I-I’ll see ya around Ochaco,” he waved.
“I’m counting on it!” She said back, much happier than she was a few moments earlier. Izuku found it weird but welcoming, he truly had missed seeing the girl of his dreams, but now she would slip away yet again.
Eri walked hand in hand with her dad towards their car, “Papa?” She asked while holding a slip of paper.
“Yes snowball?” Izuku replied nonchalantly
“How come Ms. Raka knows your name before you intro- intruds- before you told her,” she said.
Izuku sighed dreamily, “Well, me and Ms. Raka, met in high school, she was my best friend!” He exclaimed while looking down at her, he noticed the slip of paper in her hand, “Whatchya go there?” He asked.
Eri handed him the paper, “Ms. Raka told me to give this to you when got in the car, but you can have it now,” she said innocently. Izuku snatched the paper out of her hand and unraveled it. His smile split his face as he read what was written.
Hey Izu, never thought I’d see you again!
Could we maybe go out for dinner sometime? I wanna catch up! Maybe we could start over?
I don’t know, but I still wanna grab a bite! Call me! xoxo
XXX-XXX-XXXX
-Ocha <3
This time he didn’t crumple the paper, he held it tightly to his chest, as if it would disappear if he didn't hold it close. Tears threatened to leak through his eyes as he gave a breathy sigh of relief, he would give her that second chance.
It would be the only chance he needed.