Shoko groaned as she rolled out of bed; she felt like shit.
"Fucking Komori needs to learn that poisonous mushrooms are way too dangerous for training exercises," she thought through her lethargy and aching joints.
At least she'd stopped vomiting; that had been a bad experience four mornings in a row since their joint exercise on Monday.
Her groan woke Izuku up, too, and he sat up immediately, eyes flashing with concern.
He asked, "Shoko, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, "just a little queasy from the damn mushroom girl."
Izuku smiled gently, putting his arms around Shoko and letting her lean against him.
"Okay," he said, "if you don't feel better soon, though, I think you should go to Recovery Girl."
She shook her head as she got up to dress, answering, "I said that I'm fine. Besides, you know I don't want to miss the visit today."
Izuku's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yeah, I can't believe Mirio is bringing Eri here to meet the class!"
Shoko replied, "You do know that this probably means she'll be staying with us for third year, right?"
Izuku nodded. The thought seemed to intimidate him.
"I know," he said, "it's just...kind of crazy to think about, you know? As much as it feels otherwise sometimes, we are just a bunch of students, and now we have to help take care of her? I'm worried we're going to screw it up."
Shoko snorted; the thought of Izuku being bad with Eri was silly, and they both knew it.
She assured him, "It will be fine, Izuku. As much as we make fun of each other, this class is more than responsible enough. And even if some of us aren't, together, we'll figure it out. We have all the teachers behind us, too. We'll make it work."
He nodded slowly. "You're talking about something other than Eri, too, aren't you?" he asked.
Shoko grinned sheepishly. "Maaaaybe," she responded, "but in my defense, seeing you playing with kids always reminds me of how good of a father you'll be."
Izuku sighed. "You are ridiculous, you know that?" he said.
Standing up, Shoko put her hands on her hips, which seemed to affect Izuku more than it should have.
Admittedly, that was probably because she was still as naked as he was.
"I don't hear you complaining," Shoko replied. She advanced on him, creeping up beside him as he stood up as well.
"No," Izuku whispered as he held her by her waist, "I'm not."
Then Shoko felt his hands slip down her body, and they were distracted again.
At last, the afternoon arrived, and Class A arranged themselves in the common room.
They'd all met Eri before, of course, but they'd been threatened with severe bodily harm by Izuku, Shoko, and Uraraka if they misbehaved.
When Shoko asked Uraraka why the brown-haired girl had joined in, Uraraka had said, "Eri is precious, and anyone who makes her cry deserves to be destroyed."
Shoko liked Uraraka.
When the door creaked open to reveal Aizawa, Mirio, and Eri, everyone waited for her to see them before saying hello. Even after two years, the young girl could still be jumpy when surprised.
Some scars don't heal completely, Shoko knew.
Eri smiled happily as people greeted her, until her eyes found Shoko, who was sitting at the end of one of the long couches, next to Izuku.
The white-haired girl beamed, running over to her. As she did, she yelled, "Mama Shoko!"
Eri jumped into Shoko's lap, hugging her tightly as Shoko got the wind knocked out of her briefly.
Aizawa turned right around and walked out, saying, "Nope, I'm not dealing with whatever the hell is happening there. Have fun, people."
Shoko could feel people staring at her in confusion, but she just hugged the girl back and said, "Hey, Eri! It's so great to see you!"
When Eri finally let go, she started bouncing up and down on Shoko's lap in happiness.
"Did you marry Deku yet?" she asked, not even realizing how she had made Izuku splutter and several people start choking in surprise.
Shoko laughed, "Not quite yet, Eri, but I'm working on it!"
"Yay! Hurry up and marry him so I can call him Papa Deku!" Eri said excitedly.
Shoko was pretty sure Izuku was dying next to her, but she couldn't stop looking at the blinding smile on Eri's face.
"Eri," Shoko asked, "why can't you call him Papa until I marry him? Couldn't you just call him that like you do with me?"
Eri looked at Shoko like the dual-colored girl was stupid. "Mama, don't be silly! That's how it works, I can't call Deku "Papa" until you marry him!" Eri said.
"But why do you call me Mama then?" Shoko replied.
Eri's smile got even wider as she answered, "Because I want you to be my Mama! Is...is that okay?"
Shoko could feel her heart melting from the adorable, hopeful face Eri was making.
Shoko said, "Of course it is, Eri. I'd love to be your Mama for real someday."
Eri just hugged her again, then noticed Izuku sitting next to them.
In the most authoritative voice she could manage, Eri said, "Deku, you'd better marry Mama Shoko soon, okay?"
Izuku nodded dumbly, which satisfied Eri.
Then, Eri started running to different people, asking about them or just being adorable.
Instantly, she became the mascot of Class A.
Sero let her play with his tape dispensers, something he almost never let anyone do, while Koda brought out his bunny, who took an immediate liking to Eri.
Then, Eri came to Mina.
With wide eyes, Eri said, "You look so cool!"
Mina grinned brightly as she replied, "Thanks!"
Mina leaned down a little, and Eri saw her horns.
The white-haired girl said, "Whoa, are those horns?"
Mina nodded. "They sure are!" she answered, "and your horn is really cool too!"
Eri reached up to touch her own horn, disbelief on her face. "You...you think it's cool?" she whispered to Mina.
The pink girl told her, "Yeah, it's super awesome!"
Eri asked, "You're Mina, right? Can...can we be friends? I've never seen anyone else with horns before…"
Mina replied, "I would love to be your friend, Eri! Hey, do you know what a horn buddy is?"
Eri shook her head.
Mina started to explain, making Eri's eyes get wide and hopeful. By the time the pink girl was done, Eri was jumping in excitement; naturally, Mina started to do the same, and before long they were dancing.
Shoko and Izuku watched with silly grins; it was adorable to watch.
But Shoko kept thinking that Eri's questions and excitement felt awfully familiar.
As Eri kept running from person to person, Shoko asked her boyfriend, "Doesn't she remind you of someone right now?"
Izuku furrowed his brow. Finally, he saw it.
"She's...acting a lot like Nejire, isn't she?" he said.
Shoko nodded. "I guess she's been helping watch Eri, huh?" she mused.
Then, Eri finally convinced Shoji to pick her up. The enormous man put Eri on his shoulders, and happily let her direct him to run around the room, a giant, intense smile on her face.
"Now that," Shoko told Izuku, "is all Mirio."
"What about me?" came a voice from behind them.
Looking up, Izuku and Shoko saw the blonde man himself looming over them, the exact same mischievous grin on his face.
"I see you two are still doing well," he observed, "looking forward to your last year of UA?"
Izuku and Shoko shrugged.
"We haven't really thought about it like that, I guess," Shoko said.
"Yeah," Izuku agreed, "we're just...taking each day as it comes. I think that by the time UA ends, we'll be ready for the next step, however that happens."
"Why do I get the feeling that next step involves a white dress and a long aisle?" Mirio teased.
Before Shoko or Izuku could even blush, though, Mirio laughed and continued, "Really, though, I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you guys enough for this."
"It's the least we could do," Izuku replied.
Mirio smiled. "Maybe, but it means so much to me," he told them.
Shoko asked, "So, what's the plan? Are you going to go to Tokyo and get your quirk back? Will you still become a hero?"
The blonde man nodded. "After everything I've done since I lost it, it still hasn't sunk in yet, I think," he admitted, "but I'll finally reach my dream. I've already got an agreement with Tamaki's agency, I'll be working alongside him as soon as I'm cleared for duty."
"That's great!" Izuku said.
Mirio wasn't done, though. He said, "There is another issue, though...You see, Nezu offered me a job at UA."
Izuku and Shoko were silent, letting Mirio continue.
He explained, "I turned him down for the moment. I still want to be a full-time hero, help people like I've always wanted to. This year has helped me realize something, you see. I don't just want to save a million people; I want to teach them as well. Maybe I can pass on some of what Sir taught me; I guess it's my way of honoring what he did for me."
Izuku nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense. So, what will you do?" he asked.
Mirio finally sat down next to them; most of the class had shifted to surround Eri by now, who was eagerly reading one of her other storybooks aloud, making the whole class nod along with her like a group of kindergarteners and their beloved teacher.
The blonde man said, "Well, I'm going to be a hero for a while, of course. I want to make my hero name mean what I always dreamed it would, of course. But after that...I think I'll accept Nezu's offer. He made it clear it would always be open."
Shoko smirked. "That sounds like a plan, Professor Togata," she teased.
Mirio winced. "Oh god, I just realized how old that makes me feel," he muttered.
Izuku just laughed, and soon Shoko and Mirio had joined.
Watching Kirishima keep one hand firmly over Bakugo's mouth as Eri told him to "stop interrupting the story!" only made it better.
Eventually, Eri and Mirio had to leave again, and it was with heavy hearts that Class A waved them goodbye.
As soon as they were out the door, however, Shoko found herself pulled back to the lounge by an amused Mina.
"So," her best friend asked, "care to explain why that precious child is calling you Mama?"
Shoko gulped when she saw Mina's face.
That was the look when she smelled juicy gossip.
Honestly, Shoko didn't think it was that big a deal, but judging from the fact that more and more of the Class A girls were joining them, they disagreed.
"Yeah, Shoko," Uraraka added, "I would like to know as well."
Shoko shrugged. "I met her at Izuku's place a few months ago, and we hit it off," she replied, "I've been going with him to see her every other week for a little while now."
Mina demanded, "Then why is she telling you to hurry up and marry Midoriya so you can adopt her? That's pretty serious stuff, Shoko."
Shoko said evenly, "She really likes me. We have some things in common."
Mina's eyes went wide as she finally understood. She shut her mouth, and instead her expression softened as she imagined how Eri and Shoko must have bonded.
Uraraka, though, said, "What do you mean? What do you have in common?"
"Yes, that is strange, Todoroki," Yaoyorozu added, "after all, wasn't Eri abused and used for her quirk?"
"Well, shit," Shoko thought.
Now, she had to figure things out here.
Even though Shoko has no reason to hide her past anymore, she didn't just want to go around sharing it, either.
Besides, she didn't want to ruin the mood right after Eri had made everyone so happy.
She would tell them, she promised herself. Just not today.
Mina's expression suggested the same thing.
Shoko had to change the subject, and fast.
Luckily, she had the perfect thing to do that.
"Here, I'll show you a video," she declared.
Fishing out her phone, Shoko found what she was looking for quickly.
She turned the phone around, and the girls clustered tightly around it as the short recording began.
It started in a small room, which Shoko knew was at Izuku's childhood apartment, with Izuku pretending to hide under a blanket, his back to a door.
"Oh no, I'm trapped! Help, please!" he said, a smile on his face as Shoko, behind the camera, shook with laughter.
"Don't worry, I am here!" called a voice, which people recognized as Eri almost immediately.
The door swung open to reveal Eri, standing proudly in a costume so cute that the girls couldn't help but coo.
It was a homemade Deku onesie, complete with the green jumpsuit, red shoes, and white gloves. Over her head was the green rabbit-looking hood Izuku rarely wore, but still had for whatever reason.
"My hero!" Izuku cried, throwing the blanket off to wrap a squealing Eri in a bear hug, lifting her up as they both laughed.
The video started shaking, probably because Shoko was crying with laughter as she watched the scene, just like Mina, Tooru, Uraraka, and Jirou were doing at that moment.
Yaoyorozu looked like she wanted to join in, and Tsu was just ribbiting softly as she watched the adorable scene.
Finally, the video ended, and Shoko put away her phone.
Uraraka cackled, "Shoko, that was fucking adorable. Why does Deku radiate such powerful fatherly energy?"
Shoko just replied, "Do you see why I want to adopt Eri once we graduate? If Izuku's her dad, I get to see that every day!"
Mina's eyes glinted, and Shoko could already tell what she was going to say even as the pink girl opened her mouth.
"Of course, if you get knocked up before you even graduate, then you can make Izuku a father even quicker," she pointed out.
The other girls laughed or looked shocked, but Shoko just smiled.
"Oh, I know," she said.
Mina threw her head back as she kept laughing, rocking back and forth in her chair. The other girls, not aware of Shoko's...preferences, looked shocked or scandalized, or in Uraraka's case, understanding.
The brown-haired girl said, "As long as I get to be the cool aunt, I'm fine with that."
"Hey," Mina said, "I called dibs on that title a long time ago, sister."
Uraraka's eyes glinted as she replied, "I'll fight you for it."
Mina smirked. "You're on," she retorted.
They glared at each other like they were actually about to start a duel in the middle of the common room.
Jirou asked, "Uh, Shoko, aren't you going to, y'know, stop them?"
Shoko shrugged. "Why should I?" she answered, "it would be really funny to watch."
Everyone agreed that it would be, but they'd like to still have a school by the end of it.
Besides, Shoko pointed out, she planned to have plenty of children, so they could both be the cool aunt.
Mina and Uraraka both decided that that was good enough.