Welp, here's the new story, along with a new universe of characters to use. Hoorah.

I finished this one this morning. I'm happy it's as many words as it is, holy hell. 17 pages to the last line. Excluding this note. I add these in after all is said and done. But, anyways, welcome to my new story. The main reason I choose to write this is because I found other stories that put Eri and Izuku in a father/daughter relationship and goddammit it is adorable. Every time. I couldn't help myself to put a spin on it, combining it with another topic I wanted to use but couldn't figure out a story to write with it. So I combined them.

I am working on the second chapter to this, and after that will be one more before I put it on hold until I come to a decision on which of the two paths I can take this on, I will take. During then I'll just continue to work on the other stories and getting them an extra two to four more chapters each before the year ends. This chapter probably would have been a day earlier if A) my computer didn't break down again and B) a blackout didn't occur and mess me up. But, since those are now a thing of the past (weekend), I shall move forward and get my work done.

It was his alarm that awoke Izuku Midoriya.

He groaned and reached over to it, tapping its button to turn it off. His hand slipped off and hung loosely off the bed with his arm as he tried to force himself awake. He blinked, trying to remove the sleep from his eyes. When they persisted against his will, he tried to move his other arm to rub it away. But as he pulled it to himself, he could feel it be pulled away. So he opted and forced himself to use his lazy hand instead.

Blinking and widening his eyes to help keep himself awake, Izuku rolled his head to face the other side and smiled at the sight. Of the girl hugging his arm and snuggling it to her chest, still sound asleep.

Izuku rolled his body to face her, using the arm she held to pull her against him and rest her on his chest. He leaned his head down and plopped a soft kiss on her head, smiling as she snuggled him more.

Midoriya wondered how he got so lucky to have Eri in his life, and to be to her what she needed: a father.

It had been over a month since the heroes had raided and arrested the Eight Precepts of Death and Chisaki, along with rescuing Eri from their hold. The young girl kept herself latched to Togata Mirio when they left, and when she was forced off him to be medically treated for his wounds, she clung to Midoriya instead. She shied away from the other heroes, even Midoriya's classmates, refusing to talk to anyone.

Even doctors had a hard time treating her, with how much she would panic when they spoke or approached. It to all of Midoriya's might and soothing words to calm her enough for the doctors to drawn one small blood sample before she broke again, finding comfort and a place in Izuku's arms. And there she would stay.

A week later Izuku's mom filled out the paperwork to legally be Eri's mother and welcome her into her home, but Eri refused to be anywhere without Midoriya. While now a member of the Midoriya family, she only trusted Izuku enough to stay with him. He tried to move back home to live with his mother and Eri, but his mother told him it was no need. She didn't want him to have to cut off his friends so soon and distance himself from them more, with how happy she was that he actually had friends. So the mother and son did what they could to work out an agreement with the school that Eri would live with Izuku in his dorm.

And even though it had been a month, Eri had not really opened up to the rest of Class 1-A. Most of the time, if Izuku wasn't in class, she would stay with him in his room. She would wait there when he would go down to bring food and drinks to his, or now their, room. Or if she went down with him, she would grip his shirt and sit in his arms, refusing to look around anywhere other than his chest or shoulder. If they went out, they went alone, still together like glue. The teachers could barely get a response out of her, which was more than the students got, but she only really trusted Principal Nedzu and All-Might, if only slightly more than the rest.

Midoriya had tried to get her to open up to his classmates, to give her more friends as she could have. But sometimes too many to start to crowd around her, or they would be yelling at each other, and Eri would panic and curl up against Izuku, and then he would take her back to their room, alone, and spend an hour at the most doing everything in his power to calm her down and see her smile again.

It was her smiles that let him know everything he did now was worth it.

"Daddy." Midoriya looked down at the girl as she yawned and stretched and looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning daddy."

It had been two weeks since she started calling him that. She had done it one night, before they went to bed. Izuku had been telling her stories of his past, altering them slightly for her sake. She enjoyed their story times, curled up together on the bas as Midoriya gave to her the childhood she more than deserved. When she began yawning, Izuku smiled and told her they would continue the story the night following. Eri responded with three word before she passed out, but they were three words strong enough to get Izuku blushing like mad and almost not sleep that night.

"Thank you daddy."

It caught him off guard. Of everything he expected to hear from her, that was not it. But as he sat there, beside Eri, snuggled up in his lap for the night, his surprise turned into happiness, his gaping mouth into a smile, his wide eyes into tears, and his stomach into butterflies.

Those words dug into his heart deeper than anything All-Might has ever told him.

Blinking back into the present, Izuku smiled back. "Good morning Eri," Midoriya spoke softly. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept good." Eri let out a giggle and drew out the last word as Izuku pet her hair. "Can we continue the story now? I don't wanna wait for tonight!" Izuku's smile grew at how bright and happy she looked.

Eri was open to him. While she shied away and hid from almost the whole rest of the world, Eri would always be unrestrained when alone with her new papa, and even sometimes her uncle.

Izuku thought back to the night before, racking his brain to remember where they left off. They had already covered Izuku meeting and training with All-Might, the start of school at Yuei, the USJ attack, the sports festival, Stain, the battle at camp…

Oh, right. Just last night Izuku had given her a diluted retelling of the big fight between All-Might and All for One, ending with the torch moving onto his successor. Now, he just had to figure out how to phrase the events that followed.

"Sorry, Eri, but you'll have to wait for tonight to hear the rest." Izuku patted and ruffled Eri's hair, enticing her to giggle from the actions.

"But daddy!" She couldn't hold back the giggling in her voice. "It's Saturday!"

Izuku looked back over his shoulder at his clock, which did confirm her words. It was a Saturday.

"Then we'll just have to find something to go together. You get to have me the whole day. Just let me get dressed and I'll find something for the two of us to do today." Izuku lowered his hands to her sides and began tickling her, just to get her to laugh and smile more, before pulling himself off the bed to change.

Izuku had changed, and he realized it. He still had troubles with strangers and speaking up, his mumbling under his breath and hand never went away, and hell if he had gotten any better at talking to and being around girls. But Izuku was more open and himself when he was with Eri. He acted in a way that surprised even himself, but he took in all in stride and tried his hardest to do it all right.

And that included being a father to Eri when his had been absent from his life.

As Izuku picked out a fresh change of clothes, and Eri busied herself by playing with a doll he had gotten for her, he checked his phone. He looked at the news, at updates of heroes and their accomplishments, and he noticed a message hidden in the sea of notifications. One for his whole class.

From the principal.

-Greeting, students of 1-A!

-It is I! The one who no one knows if I'm a dog, rat, mole, or maybe even a genetically engineered human looking like an animal in disguise, your principal!

Yep, this is from him, Midoriya thought with a chuckle.

-I do not wish to alarm any of you with my announcement! I bring good news! The Hero Association is sending a representative over from the Heroes Personal Affairs Department! He or she has been given only the information we possess and what else they could find, and are coming tomorrow to meet with you all and give you pro tips to help you live and move forward as heroes!

Midoriya blinked at that, before his eyes widened and his hands shook. The Hero Association? Sending someone to meet with the students tomorrow? To discuss their futures? Midoriya knew of the department, but he had no idea they sent someone to Yuei. Was this new? Was every class getting a chat from the department? What are they going to tell and ask him when they arrive? Pushing forward, Izuku did his best to steel himself and continue reading the message, his brain still on fire.

-It is a Yuei tradition to have someone from their department come over and help our students moving into their second year with us!

Oh. So it was common.

-Pro heroes have lives outside of just being a hero, and the Hero Association brings it upon themselves to help straighten out the lives of our aspiring students and hero students all around the world! Fear not, for these men and women are here to keep the justice society together and help even those whose job it is to help! By 10 am tomorrow, their representative should arrive to give all of you helpful advice in living while being the next generation of heroes! I do hope you cooperate with them!

Izuku took long, shaking breathes, trying to calm himself as he read on. He chuckled softly as he realized the principal had ended every sentence with an exclamation point, if only to calm himself down. He closed his phone as the message ended with a sign off from their principal and quickly changed into his day clothes.

Looking back at Eri, Midoriya smiled and watched her play with the doll, reenacting the sparring match he had with Kirishima last week, which ended with an apology and a plie driver, in that order.

"Hey, Eri," Midoriya spoke, walking over to her and joining her on the bed. "Do you want to come downstairs with me and get breakfast or wait here for me?"

Eri stopped playing and looked up at Izuku for a moment, before her expression changed and she lowered her gaze. "I'll wait here…"

Izuku knew what was troubling here. It was a conversation they had before, off of what Eri had heard from Izuku when he was talking with his friends. She thought she was being a bother and getting in his way of spending time with them, and almost broke down again if it wasn't for how fast Izuku had stopped her and told her nothing was wrong. He spent a whole day telling her and proving to her that he appreciated her in his life, and even if he was spending less time with his classmates, there was nothing wrong with that when it was all to make her happy and give her a home and family.

Midoriya leaned down and planted a kiss on her head to bring the smiles and giggles back as fast as they had vanished. "That's fine, Eri. I'll make sure to be right back for you then. While I go get us our breakfast, you are going to get dressed, and while we eat we'll check in with a certain someone and see if he wants to join us for an afternoon out."

Eri's head snapped back up, her eyes meeting his, as the water that had begun to form evaporated and was replaced by blinding happiness. "You mean Uncle Mirio?" Izuku chuckled, watching her expression change from secluded to bubbly in seconds.

"Yes, Uncle Mirio. Maybe he has the time in his schedule today to join us for some fun. Does that sound good?"

"Yes yes yes yes!" Izuku laughed more as Eri fell back into the bed and bounced on the mattress, throwing her hands into the air. "Yay!"

"Good, now get dressed. I'll be back with food in a bit." Once more Izuku planted a kiss on Eri's head before heading out the room and down into the kitchen.

Izuku was surprised to find the common area and kitchen as empty as they were for a weekend morning. His classmates could usually be found chatting it up and trying to watch something on TV, or hustle around one another trying to get their food and have something to eat, but not this time. Maybe they're just asleep still, thought Midoriya. Or they're freaking out about the message Principal Nedzu sent us.

As he entered the kitchen, Midoriya dived through the pantry and fished out a loaf of bread with the sticker on it that said, in big green letter, ERI. He took out four slices and prepped them in the toaster, and stood by the sink as he waited for them to return as toast.

Labeling the food as Eri's was actually Iida's idea. Some of his classmates would 'borrow' food from one another, but he found no one would dare take anything with Eri's name on it. Not only was it a way to keep her food safe without hiding it in their room, but Iida offered the belief that it would help their class see Eri as another member of their extended family with one another, while they waited for Eri to open up to them.

Despite the struggle, albeit worth it, to get Eri to trust his classmates, Izuku was grateful for how patient they were with the two. Aside from Bakugo constantly saying he doesn't care about the girl, all of them were considerate about Eri and what she needed. The walls weren't exactly soundproof, so when Izuku and Eri were playing in their room, anyone who passed by could hear how the young girl acted when she wasn't shy.

But that also meant they could hear her when she cried. Sometimes she cried when they were outside and arguing, or sometimes it would just be because of a nightmare, and no matter what, if anyone was outside the door, all talk would cease. Some would walk away and continue their chatter somewhere else, and some would come knocking to check on the two, to no avail other than Midoriya responding on the other side that he could handle it. Which he does.

But Midoriya thinks his friends are too good for him, too kind and lax over his negligence of them ever since they returned home. They had told him already that they understood it was for the sake of Eri, what he was doing, but to him it still felt as though he was betraying the relationships he had built with his new friends. He cared for Eri more than anyone, and he was grateful to finally have friends, but now he was choosing one over the other, and the choice had become Eri. He didn't think it was something he should regret, but…

"Good morning, Midoriya." Izuku only slightly screamed and jumped in sync with the toast as Iida spoke up behind him. His engine-legged friend was dressed in his tracksuit, and judging from the sweat, towel, and water bottle, Izuku guessed he had just returned from a morning run.

"H-hey Iida," Midoriya spoke softly in response, moving back to the toaster and prepping breakfast. "I didn't hear you come over here. Y-you surprised me."

"My apologies. I had just finished my run and came over here to hear you mutter to yourself again."

Izuku blushed and nodded absentmindedly as he spread the butter on the toast. "I-I was?"

Tenya Iida nodded. "You were," the taller student confirmed. "I couldn't make out what you were saying though. Is everything alright? You looked troubled."

"Huh?" Izuku turned to face his friend, with his mouth dropping slightly. "I do? I-I's not really that troubled, though…"

"But something is troubling you?" Iida make quick work to hear what Izuku had failed to deny, causing the green haired teen to scoff at himself mentally.

"A bit," he begrudgingly admitted. Before he could give Iida more time to respond, Izuku spoke again. "Have you seen the message the principal sent us this morning?"

Iida squinted at Izuku as the shorter of the two rushed through his question. Izuku really didn't want to share his thoughts right now, or ever, and he thanked whichever god above took pity upon him and had Iida drop their first conversation and move on with the new question.

"Yes, I read it this morning before I went out. I had no idea this was something U.A. or the Hero Association did with aspiring heroes, but I am interested in hearing what they have to say."

"How do you think the conversation with them is going to go down? It's a Sunday, and they'll be coming to our dorm building specifically, which means we're either going to have a group meeting in the common lounge or they'll have us meet one-on-one privately, maybe even inside our rooms. I'm just worried about what they have to tell me…"

Izuku only jumped a few feet as Iida clapped his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You should have nothing to worry about, Midoriya." Izuku looked up to his friend to see the soft smile sent his way. "I doubt there is anything bad or troublesome they would have to tell someone like you. I assume they'll most likely give you tips and contacts that will help you grow up and be able to take care of Eri as you both grow, if she is to continue staying in your care."

Izuku nodded again, thinking over his friend's words, before lingering on Eri's name. Izuku let out a sound that he wasn't even sure of what it was, as he turned back to the counter and grabbed the plate of toast. "Sorry, Iida, but I have to hurry upstairs and give Eri her breakfast." Before Iida could assure him it was alright, Izuku had rushed past and up the stairs back to his room and his "daughter." Izuku could make out a faint chuckle and a joke about their speed as he hurried away from his friend.

Izuku chuckled as Eri sat upon his shoulders, holding onto his head gently, aweing and making cute noises (Izuku couldn't call them anything else, considering it was Eri who's making them) as they passed by shop after shop. Izuku decided to take her down a new street, treat her to some new sights and stores they haven't visited yet, which would help him know what Eri liked and what he could buy to surprise her with as presents down the line. "What do you think, Eri?" Izuku brought up a hand to hers, which were wrapped around his head and gently pressing against his forehead.

"Their signs are so bright and pretty," Izuku could hear her mutter atop his head, earning her another chuckle from him. She wasn't wrong; a lot of the stores down this road did have neon signs and creative posters to market their products, appliances, toys and such. Though he couldn't look up, he would bet there were stars in Eri's eyes to match her voice's awe and appreciation.

"Are there any you want to go into?" Izuku could look beside him, to the taller gentleman walking beside them, a hand behind Eri's back to help keep her steady as her body twisted and turned atop Izuku's. Midoriya gave a smile Togata Mirio's way, and was rewarded with one from said man. The blond was overjoyed to be invited on another stroll with the two younger figures and provide them the company and friendship that he could.

"Umm…uhhh…" Eri twisted left and right, darting her head, trying to decide on a store to go to first. "That one!" Izuku felt his body tilt as Eri threw her weight with her arm to a store on their right, and thanked Mirio for catching him before he could fall or catch himself.

Izuku followed the path of the finger barely visible in the top of his sights, pointing at the book store at the corner. "You wanna find something to add to your little collection?"

"Yes, daddy." Both the boys smiled as she did and led the way with her cheering and playing with Izuku's hair. Lucky for them the door was big enough that Eri could stay on Izuku's shoulders as they entered and walked down the aisles until they found what the young girl wanted. She acted as she did outside, looking at the covers until she found one she was interested in and would reach out for.

This was something Izuku noticed about Eri's behavior. They were in public, but even then that didn't stop Eri from being open and loud and giddy and cute. It was focus. Focus that seemed to be a trigger. Focus on her that made her uncomfortable around Izuku's class when they tried to mingle, and the lack of focus that made it easier for Eri to be out in the town alone with Izuku. It was focus of large crowds that scared her, and focus of the individual she trusted that let her feel safe and secure.

There was an exception to this rule, and outlier in the equation, and that outlier was Mirio. Only recently had he fully recovered and allowed to leave the hospital, and even more recent had he been visiting Izuku and Eri. When Izuku had to attend classes, he had a hard time finding a place for Eri to stay, so she wasn't left alone in his dorm for hours. So, while Mirio was trying to transition into a new life, with new goals and expectations, he had offered to give Eri company, and it was greatly appreciated by both Izuku and Eri that he did so.

Now that his powers were gone, Mirio could no longer pursue the life of a superhero, so he had to find something new to do with his life. The school board of Yuei was working and helping him find that something. Teaching and police work seem to be the main two attractions to the blonde teen, but he was still only in the middle of searching for a place to study them.

Izuku hefted Eri off his shoulders and lowered her onto her feet as they found her something to read, which she pulled off the shelf and began diving her nose into the second she could. Izuku crouched down beside her, and Mirio sat beside him, as the three enjoyed their time together, reading and watching the young one read.

"Mirio," Izuku began, turning his head away from Eri as she flipped through page after page, "did you get a visit from the Heroes Personal Affairs Department from the Hero Association when you were in your first year?"

"Yep!" Mirio smiled and gave Eri a small pat on the head to make her giggle. "Despite their name, they do help with some heroics work too. They helped me come up with the idea of my costume, using my hair fibers to let it move with me as I passed through surfaces, though their offer was more centric on my everyday clothes too, when I would be unable to put on the uniform or during times when I wasn't purposefully roaming as a hero. Suit application came after that."

"Really?" Izuku gave Mirio his wide eyes following that claim.

"I assure you. They were a very helpful department to help me move forward. Why do you ask? Are you expecting to meet them soon?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow, actually." Izuku scratched the back of his neck, stretching slightly to ease the tension he was feeling in it. "It's a bit short of a notice, but we were told someone would be here tomorrow."

"Well you don't have to worry. There isn't anything you need to do or know in advance. They'll do most of the talking anyways –" Mirio stopped talking as Eri walked over to him and placed the comic in his lap before moving onto another one. "If anything, they'll most likely give you ideas of work, other heroes to align with in the field, places for new internships in the future, and more likely than not, help with raising Eri."

Izuku smiled softly, turning his gaze back to the little girl as she read through another comic. "I think that last one is something I need more than anything. It's going to be tough to try and get her into a school for her age grade. She still doesn't fully trust the rest of my class, the teachers, or even my mom. I can't just risk pushing her into a new crowd of people she doesn't know before she gets comfortable with the one already around her."

"What about homeschooling?" Izuku chuckled a bit at that question, before blushing at the look Mirio was giving him.

"I tried that, or really getting what I needed to do that, but I've come up short getting it done for her. I don't have the time to balance Yuei work, hero work, and teaching her all in one day. Time table doesn't fit." The two boys sat in silence, mulling their words over as Eri moved to the third book.

"Maybe I could teach her, then." Izuku gave wide eyes to Mirio again, wincing slightly at the whiplash he gave his neck doing so. "I'm still school hunting anyways, trying to figure out what I want to do now. And since I already watch over her for you while you're in class, I could spend that time teaching her what she would have to know already for students her age until I find a new school to go to."

Izuku blinked as Mirio smiled back. The cogs in Midoriya's head slowly began to turn as he thought over Mirio's words, before smiling like a madman and tackling Mirio in a hug, almost knocking him into the shelf beside them.

"That would be great!" Midoriya kept his voice as low as he could hold it, the excitement in his words trying to raise the volume. "If you can do that, I would love for you to, Mirio."

"Thanks buddy!" Mirio gave a soft hug back, patting Izuku in the process. "Guess I gotta go out and get myself the stuff I need to teach her then."

Izuku opened his mouth to speak but cut himself off as a third body pressed against them. Izuku turned his head to see Eri smiled and laughing, trying to join the two students into a group hug, which Izuku was more than happy to pull her into the middle of. She giggled more and snuggled between the two boys. "What are we doing?"

Izuku and Mirio laughed, leaning down to press their foreheads gently against her head and together. She only smiled and laughed and let them play with her hair. "Planning with Mirio," Izuku whispered to her, doing his best to lower his voice after laughing louder than he thought he would. "He and I came up with an idea of what you two will be doing when I'm in class. He's agreed to teach you a few things and help you know more. A bit similar to what I'm taught in my classes, but more for someone of your age."

"I'll need a week to get everything I need. Then, I can get to teaching you a few things you'll need to know." Mirio gave Eri a small pat on the head. "I'll make sure we have fun doing so."

The three of them continued to talk, about what Mirio should be teaching her before moving on to the books Eri was getting that day, and bought them on their way out. Izuku pointed out a book to Mirio, one he remembered seeing with one of his teachers, and though it was meant as a joke, the once-hero bought it anyways.

Teaching for Dummies wouldn't be a bad addition to his shelf.

Eri yawned and grasped at the air towards Izuku. He smiled and picked her up, carrying her back to the room. She could have walked back to the room on her own two feet, holding Izuku's hand all the way. She'd done it before, and Izuku thought it was a good thing for her to do every now and again to feel more open and in control when moving around the dorm building like his classmates, but Izuku wouldn't turn down the offer to hold her close and help her feel safe. Whenever, wherever.

He locked the door to their room as they entered, and laid her down gently on the bed, tucking her in and getting her situated for the night. As he climbed in beside her, Eri scooted closer and snuggled against his side. "Can we continue the story, daddy?" she questioned softly, allowing another yawn to escape her lips. Izuku smiled and used his thumb to brush her hair out of her face.

"Of course Eri," he told her softly, spending a few seconds to recall where they left off. Wrapping an arm around the young girl and holding her gently beside him, he began the next chapter of the story.

"After the Hero had defeated his arch nemesis, he had confessed to the world his secrets, and then went from home to home of the arising heroes, talking with their families to reassure them that they would all be kept safe. One by one, he visited their home, their families, and them, the soon-to-be's, until finally, he visited the home of his protégée. He lived with only his mother. When the Hero and she talked, she expressed her issues and distrust immediately.

"She did not believe the Hero and those around him were fit to keep her son safe. Time and time again, there had been dangers, and her son had been thrusted into the middle of it all. The mother saw the heroes as people she could not trust to protect her son, and believed it best to move him away from the heroes, to a place where he would be safe, and still train how he had to, to become the next Hero."

Izuku stared at the ceiling, visualizing that day in his head. It hit him like a truck, or one of All-Might's punches, the words and feelings his mother expressed to both him and his idol. Her concern was something he had pushed far back in his head, never once taking it into consideration how she felt after each and every time he had hurt himself doing what he did. He never once thought of how hard it was on her, to see her son come home in bandages and cuts and bruises, to hear that his hands were broken, or his legs were, and there was a chance that one day they wouldn't be usable anymore, and that would be it.

"The son responded his mind, what he felt, what he wanted. And it did something to the Hero. Something in him clicked, and he again spoke to the family of two." Izuku rubbed Eri's back, and he could feel her nuzzle against him. "He apologized for the troubles that he and the other heroes had brought upon them, and their inability to prevent the ones that followed after the other. He expressed his thoughts and hopes for the young boy in front of him, and what he could see in the boy, what he could and will become, in the Hero's eyes.

"And he swore an oath to the family of two, begging for the mother for the permission to continue teaching him, and raising him to be the next Hero." A small sound came from Eri, and Izuku looked down to the girl nuzzling against him, asleep and breathing softly against his shirt. As he gazed upon her, he could hear All-Might's words playing out in his head, and embedding themselves in his heart.

Even if it costs my life, I will protect and nurture her.

Izuku tilted his head down and gave Eri's head a small kiss and closed his eyes with her, letting sleep overtake him and draw him into the realm of dreams.