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“Papa, can you tell me a story? Please?”
Izuku turned to his daughter and pretended to give it some thought. Of course he would tell her a story. He just needed to think of which story he’d be telling. As he thought, he remembered one story he came across many years ago when he was trying to learn everything he could about America due to his idolization of All Might.
“Okay, Eri. How about I tell you the story of Johnny Appleseed?” asked Izuku as he sat on the edge of the bed, giving Eri a smile.
The little unicorn’s eyes widen slightly at the mention of the word “apple.” “Who is that, Papa?”
“Johnny Appleseed was a folk hero from a long, long, long time ago. Wearing a cooking pot for a hat, he would travel across America, planting apple seeds wherever he went so people all over could enjoy fresh apples,” said Izuku.
“Didn’t people already have apples to eat?” questioned Eri with a furrowed brow. The thought of there being no apples to eat confused her.
“Back in Johnny-san’s time, apples were hard to come by, Eri. Johnny-san made sure that everyone had apples to eat.”
“Did he bring apples over here?” came the next question as Eri snuggling into her blankets.
Izuku reached over and lightly patted her on the head, getting a small, happy smile from the little one. “Unfortunately, no, Eri. Johnny-san never had a chance to come to Japan, but his story spread all over as time went on and people saw just how important apples are.”
“Apples are yummy,” said Eri, starting to get drowsy.
“Yes they are and I know your Fumi-ojichan would agree,” replied Izuku. This earned him a little giggle from Eri before she let out a small yawn. “Time for sleep now, Eri.”
“I want to hear more about Johnny-san and the apples,” mumbled out Eri, sleepiness really starting to take hold.
“I’ll tell you more tomorrow night. I promise, okay, Eri?”
“…Okay, Papa.”
With that, Izuku leaned down to place a soft kiss on his daughter’s head, getting a content smile in return. It didn’t take long for Eri to be out like a light, now dreaming of apple trees as far as the eye could see. With Eri now asleep, Izuku turned on the baby monitor and then left, heading back down to the commons room until it was time for him to head to bed himself.
-:-
The next morning, Eri rushed into the kitchen where most of Class 1-A were. Those watching knew she would retrieve an apple from the fridge, but what they didn’t expect was for her to grab as many apples as she could and stuff them in her little bag. After she filled her bag with apples, she went over to one of the cabinets, opened it up, and took out one of the cooking pots and put it on her head like a hat, much to everyone’s confusion.
“Eri, sweetie, what are you doing?” asked Kyouka, getting the child’s attention.
“I’m going to travel and plant apples like Johnny-san did, Mama!” squeaked the baby unicorn, holding up an apple to get her point across.
“…And who is Johnny-san?” came the next question from Kyouka, even more confused now.
“He’s the hero from the story Papa told me!”
As if being summoned, Izuku entered the commons room, going through one of his notebooks. Kyouka turned to him with a narrowed look.
“Izu-kun, what sort of ideas are you putting into Eri’s head?” questioned the shy rocker, gaining the greenie’s attention.
The boy was confused at first but then looked at Eri and it all clicked into place when he noticed the pot on her head and apples in her bag.
“All I did was tell her the story of Johnny Appleseed. I didn’t expect her to want to do what he did, though,” replied Izuku, rubbing the back of his head.
“Who is Johnny Appleseed?” questioned Kirishima, he and the rest of the class having never heard of him.
“He was an American folk hero from the distant Pre-Quirk Era past who traveled the country and planted apple seeds. He’s pretty much the reason why apples became abundant in America,” explained Izuku.
“Sounds like someone we could get along with. Don’t you think, Fumikage?” stated Dark Shadow, coming out into the open.
Tokoyami just rolled his eyes at his brother. “Hush, Dark Shadow. There are more important things going on right now.”
Izuku then knelt before Eri and tried to take the pot off her head. “Eri, you know you can’t do what Johnny-san did, right?”
“Why not?” asked Eri with a slight pout as she grabbed hold of her pot hat to keep it on.
Letting out a slight chuckle, Izuku explained. “For one thing, you’re too small. You might get lost or hurt out there. And that would make Mama and I worry about you a whole bunch.”
Eri became visibly upset at the thought of making Mama and Papa worry. “I don’t want to make Mama and Papa sad.”
“I know, Eri,” replied Izuku as he took the pot off of Eri’s head and then lifted her into his arms.
“Can I still plant apple seeds, Papa?” asked the child, snuggling into Izuku’s hold.
“Of course you can, sweetie,” said Kyouka, walking over to them. “We can plant them right behind the dorms, okay?”
Eri looked excited, but Izuku was a little hesitant.
“I…don’t think we’ll be able to do that, Kyouka,” replied Izuku.
But Kyouka looked at him confusion. “What do you mean, Izu-kun?”
Adjusting Eri to hold her with one arm, Izuku took out his notebook again and opened it to the marked page before handing it to Kyouka. “I had a feeling Eri would want to plant her own apple tree after I told her about Johnny Appleseed, although I did think she’d go to this extent. Anyway, I was researching apple trees to see how to take care of them and it’s a good thing I did.”
Kyouka read the notes Izuku had made and her eyes widened slightly at what she was seeing. “Are you serious, Izu-kun?”
Izuku nodded. “Unfortunately. Apparently growing apple trees straight from the seed results in inedible apples that are only good for making hard cider and the only way to get edible apples is to graft the saplings together. Not only that, but it usually takes somewhere between two to ten years for trees to fully grow and bear fruit.”
This of course surprised the rest of Class 1-A, although some seemed to be excited by the first part of Izuku’s explanation.
“Dude! We could still plant those seeds for ourselves for the cider!” exclaimed Kaminari, only to get jabbed by an earphone jack. “Gah!”
“Shut up, Jamming Yay,” growled out Kyouka, glaring at the electric blond. She then turned back to Izuku while Iida started to reprimand Kaminari and anyone else who planned on making their own alcohol. “So what do we do, Izu-kun? There’s no way we’d be able to grow our own apple tree if it’s going to take that long.”
“But I want apples, Mama,” replied Eri, saddened at not being able to grow her own apple tree.
Kyouka ran her hand through Eri’s hair to try and calm her down. “I know, sweetie. We’ll figure something out.”
“Well, I did come up with one idea that I think Eri will really like,” said Izuku, getting Eri’s attention.
The rest of Class 1-A were also curious as to what Izuku came up with to make the little unicorn happy.
-:-
Sunday came and a familiar white pickup rolled up onto the lot of Nakagomi Orchards in Yamanashi Prefecture. Once properly parked, the doors opened up and out from the backseats came Izuku and Kyouka, while Toshinori and Inko stepped out from the front.
“You didn’t have to do this, All Might. I could have drove us here,” said Izuku as Kyouka unbuckled Eri from her car seat.
“Nonsense, my boy! Besides, your mother made a good point. This was a good opportunity to spend time together as a family,” replied Toshinori with a grin as he ruffled his boy’s hair.
“Well that explains why my folks came along,” replied Kyouka, with Eri in her arms, as she watched her parents pull up and park next the All Might’s truck. She then scowled as she saw a UA bus pull up with her classmates plus one exiting it. “That doesn’t explain why everyone else had to come, though!”
“Midori says he’s taking Eri-chan apple picking and you expect the rest of us not to come? You should know better than that, Kyouka-chan~” replied Mina with a smirk, causing Kyouka’s eye to twitch.
“Technically, Ashido-san, Eri was the one to invite only me from our class on this little trip,” stated Tokoyami, walking pass a now pouting fluffy alien.
“In my defense, the chibi invited me to come apple picking, too,” squeaked out the equestrian girl of Class 1-B who tagged along.
It was true. After Izuku had told Eri that he would take her apple picking to make up for the fact that growing her own apple tree would take too long, the little one wanted to invite her fellow apple lovers to come with them, with the rest of Class 1-A (i.e. Mina) essentially inviting themselves.
The last one to get off of the bus was Aizawa, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else right now, but being the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, he had no choice but to be here. He then turned to the extra student he apparently gained, already dreading the answer he was going to receive.
“Tsunotori, does your class know that you’re here?”
“…I knew I forgot to do something,” replied Pony, confirming Aizawa’s dread. “I was just so excited to go apple picking!”
“Pony-chan, make sure you call your class to let them know where you are,” said Inko in that way only a caring mother can.
“Right, Ms. Inko!” Pony squeaked as she pulled out her phone.
“Make sure you tell them that Aizawa-sensei didn’t even know you were on the bus until we got here. I’m sure Kan-sensei will get a kick out of that,” said Kyouka with a smirk, ignoring the glare Aizawa was giving her.
Pony let out a few giggles before stepping away to make her call.
All the while, Eri’s eyes were locked on the numerous amount of apple trees. All of those tasty, juicy, red fruits called to the little one, causing her to drool a little.
“Looks like someone is ready to start apple picking,” said Izuku with a slight laugh, having noticed Eri’s trance.
Kyouka let out a giggle as she got Eri’s attention. “Ready to pick as many apples as you can, sweetie?”
“Hai! I want to pick a lot of apples and then Papa can make them into candied apples!” squeaked out Eri, her big, red eyes shining at the thought of candied apples.
Kyouka and the rest of the girls let out more giggles at how cute Eri was. “Don’t forget that there’s also apple pies to be made, sweetie.”
“There’s also a lot of other things you can make with apples, Eri,” added Izuku, giving the child a few head pats. “I’m sure Tsunotori-san even knows some that she can show us.”
“Of course I do!” declared Pony, having just finished her call with her class. She immediately hung up the moment Monoma started ranting. Making her way over to Izuku and Kyouka, the equestrian girl smiled at Eri. “So how about, chibi? Let’s pick the most apples and I’ll show you all the tasty treats you can make once we get home!”
“Yay!” cheered the baby unicorn, with most of Class 1-A cheering as well.
Once all of the teens had been given their baskets, they set out into the orchard and started picking apples, although some, mainly Bakugou and Mineta, would rather be doing anything else right now. Izuku and Kyouka, along with Tokoyami and Pony, were busy helping an excited Eri pick as many apples as they could, with Dark Shadow helping by picking the apples that were higher up on the tree. All the while, Inko and Mika did what any mother would do; take pictures of their respective children and granddaughter, much to Izuku and Kyouka’s embarrassment.
Time went on and after filling up quite a few baskets, it was soon time to go.
“Look at this haul! Who knew we’d pick so many apples!” chirped Mina as the baskets full of apples were loaded up onto All Might’s truck. “Even if half of these baskets are going to Class 1-B, we still have a lot!”
“I know!” squeaked Ochaco. She then turned to Class 1-A’s baker. “Sato-kun, you think you could bake some things with these apples once we get back?”
“I don’t know about using all of these apples, Uraraka-san, but I could definitely bake up a few treats if you want,” replied Satou with a nod.
This caused Ochaco to drool a little at the thought of all of those delicious baked goods.
“Remember what happened last time you indulged too much on sweets, Ochaco-chan, gero,” stated Tsuyu, interrupting Ochaco’s daydream and causing her to blush at the memory of gaining a few too many pounds due to her sweet tooth.
Mina let out a giggle before turning to talk to Pony. “How about you, Pony-chan? You going to make some apple sweets for you class?”
“Yeah, but I already promised I’d show the chibi first,” replied Pony with a smile.
“You might have to take a raincheck on that, Pony,” said Kyouka, making her way over with a sleeping Eri in her arms. “All of the excitement today really tuckered her out.”
It was Pony’s turn to giggle now. “Aw, she’s so cute!”
A soft smile appeared on Kyouka’s face as she held Eri close.
“Okay, I think that’s all of them,” said Izuku as he, Tokoyami, Kirishima, and Shouji finished loading up the apples.
“Yeah, that’s all of them, Midori-bro!” replied Kirishima, double checking if there were any missing baskets. “Time to head back!”
With everyone in agreement, the students started to board the bus, ready to relax on the ride home. Izuku and Kyouka were making their way back to All Might’s truck before Mika stopped them.
“Kyouka, Izuku, you’ll be riding with us for the ride home,” stated the Jirou matriarch as Kyoutoku had finished strapping Eri’s car seat into the car.
“Wait, what?” questioned Kyouka, her and Izuku now confused.
“Your father and I already discussed it with Inko and Toshinori. Since you rode with them here, it’s only fair that you ride with us on the way back.”
The shy couple glanced at each other, knowing full well that there was no arguing on this. They made their way to the Jirou family car, but before getting in, they had to get Eri into her car seat. The little one let out a small whine when she was shifted away from Mama and lost some of her warmth.
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetie. We’re going to be going home now,” explained Kyouka in a hushed tone as to not fully wake Eri.
Hearing the voice of Mama, Eri calmed down and allowed Kyouka to finish buckle her in. Once Eri was secured, Kyouka placed a loving kiss on Eri’s head before she and Izuku got into the car, ready for the trip home. The drive back to UA was peaceful, with conversations in the Jirou car spoken in hushed tones as to let Eri continue sleeping. All the while, Eri had returned to dream land where she dreamt of what started all of this.
Apple trees as far as the eye could see, all planted by one Eri Appleseed.
FIN