Eri wondered why her father had called her up here.

Typically, it was very rare for Izuku to call anyone up to his office. And really it only ever happened to the troublemakers.

But Eri didn't do anything wrong. At least not that she could think of.

And so Eri went into Izuku's office, a bit nervous, wondering if she did something wrong by accident.

She saw Izuku sitting behind his desk, with a somber expression. There was already a chair set up on the opposite side of his desk.

Just from this setup, Eri knew that whatever was going on, was serious and that she was going to be here for a while.

"Uh...hey Eri…please take a seat," Izuku told her in a low voice. There was a hint of dread in the tone of his voice. Implying that whatever this was, was seriously unpleasant.

"Dad...what is this about?" Eri asked him as she took her seat, not beating around the bush. "Is everything ok? Did...did something go wrong the blood situation."

"No. Thank goodness." Izuku shook his head, not wanting to imagine the headaches that could come from a situation like that. "But...we need to talk about something...that happened...years ago...I've been waiting to tell you because...You weren't ready at the time. You were just a child, and it hadn't even been that long since you escaped from Overhaul."

Eri shifted uncomfortably in her seat and braced herself for whatever was coming next.

Izuku took a good look at his daughter. She knew something unpleasant was coming. But she didn't look scared...she looked determined. "I was intending to tell you this, years later...but I can tell you're ready to hear...and...you deserve to know."

"I'm ready dad," Eri said.

"I know." Izuku gave her a brief smile before his solemn look returned. "Alright. So, years ago, back when I was still recovering from collapse and 1A was still helping out for the first time. Momo alerted me of a...particular intruder. Your mother."

Eri's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, so much that Izuku was concerned they'd pop out of her head. "My...my...my mother? Y-You, don't mean Ochaco do you? You mean my...my birth mother?"

Izuku nodded. Staying silent, as to let Eri process that.

After a few minutes went by, Eri spoke up again.

"What did...what did she want." Eri was still trying to take in the fact that her mother came HERE, but she absolutely had to know why. "She… wasn't trying to get me back was she?"

"No. Thankfully she was more...self-aware than that." Izuku paused. "She came here because...because she wanted closure."

"Closure?" Eri repeated, looking extremely confused.

"Perhaps I should just tell you the full story," Izuku said. "After I saw her, I met her in the forest, and we had a talk. She just wanted to see how you were. To make sure you were...happy. When...when she all those things to you and...abandoned you...she was in a rage. Consumed by anger and pain. And so when the anger faded, she realized she'd made a mistake. She wanted to get you back, but...her father and then Overhaul after him refused to let her see you after she did. And so for years, she had to live with her mistake. Never knowing how you ended up, or being able to see you again...that was until she heard about the Yakuza's arrest. After that, she tried to figure out where you ended up, but she couldn't due to us covering up information from that incident. Until she heard about this place. Since she knew about your quirk, she figured that if you were to end up anywhere, it would be here. And so she came."

"She...regretted...what she did," Eri repeated in disbelief.

Eri hadn't thought...much about her mother since...since she got her new life with Izuku and her siblings. Mostly because it was painful, but that's not to say that she didn't think about her at all.

There are times when she'd lie awake at night, wondering where, and how she was. Wondering if she went on to live a new life, find a new family, make a new daughter. She wondered if she ever thought about her?

And she'd even wondered if she'd regretted what she did to her. Although, Eri had always thought the answer to that would be no. Considering that, even if it was an accident, she had killed her husband.

But, somehow...she had. She had regretted giving Eri away and saying all those cruel things to her. And she had tried to get her back!?

Of course, Overhaul had never told her this. In fact, he'd told her the opposite. And despite the fact that Eri had learned to trust pretty nothing Overhaul had ever said…she'd believed him.

"We continued our talk. I was...rough on her at first. Understandably so I believe. After all, even with everything she told me, it didn't justify what she did to you." Izuku continued. "But she was just so...pittyable. She'd been living the rest of her life after that incident, alone. Forced to deal with the mistakes she made, with no one around her to help her cope. So when she came to me...she wasn't in good shape. She had clear signs of intense depression, like not taking care of herself, and neglecting her own health. So even after what she did, I had to kind of...soften up on her."

It was ironic really. For years Eri had been guilting herself over what happened with her original family. Convinced that it was HER fault. And turns out her mother had been doing something similar. Maybe that's where she got it from.

Eri might have found it funny if it weren't more equal parts tragic and worrying.

"And then...she wanted to know...what Overhaul did with you." Izuku cringed as he recalled how that conversation went.

Eri felt a sense of dread fill her once he said that. If her mother had felt bad about abandoning her. Then she can only imagine what she would have felt after learning what Overhaul did to her.

It's not like Eri blamed her for what happened with Overhaul. It would have been impossible for her to predict that Overhaul would have taken over the Yakuza, let alone what he would have done to her afterward.

But Eri definitely would have blamed herself if she was in her mother's position, and she can only imagine the kind of guilt that came with that. Not to mention her mother already was neglecting her health, how would something like THIS affect her?

"I told her...and she took about as well as you'd imagine." Izuku sighed. "She just kept...crying. And crying. And crying. For a long, long time. It was a sorry sight. And I was more worried for her than I was angry at that point. So I had to give her something to help her. To at least make sure she wouldn't...do anything drastic."

Eri knew exactly what he meant by that, and it sent shivers up her spine.

There was a distinct possibility that she would have killed her other birth parent but sheer accident.

"And so we made an agreement. She would help out the house, by providing both additional funding and medical resources." Izuku explained. "As well as doing me some other favors over the years. We've...talked a lot. I've been trying to help her get in a better...mental state than she was. And I've been mostly successful. She's doing a lot better since we first met. She's gotten into therapy, she's resurrected her social life, gotten back in contact with some old friends."

"You've been in contact with my mom...for years." Eri reiterated, looking stunned.

"I'm sorry I've been doing this behind your back, I just...couldn't leave her the way she was, and I couldn't tell you because you just weren't ready," Izuku told her.

"No, I understand," Eri told him quickly. Making sure he didn't beat himself up over nothing again "It's just...a lot to take in."

"I understand. I don't want to add anything to make this harder on you but…" Izuku hesitated, before taking out a piece of paper and sliding it to Eri. "You have a decision to make."

Eri took the slip of paper, and turned it around, and found a phone number on it. She didn't need to be told whose it was.

"I told her that one day, I would tell you about this. And on that day, you would decide if you wanted to see her again. And what kind of relationship you'd build with her if you'd build a relationship at all." Izuku explained. "You could just tear this up, and never make contact with her again. She WILL respect whatever decision you make. In the end, it's all up to you."

Eri looked at the paper. It was just a piece of paper but it held so much weight.

As Izuku said, she could just discard it. Tear it up, throw it in the trash, and continue her life like nothing ever happened.

As if.

There is no way Eri could just leave this alone, and never think about what effect this would have on her mother. What she could have done if she took the opportunity. Ect.

The decision in all honestly wasn't much of a decision. She'd made up her mind rather quickly.

Now all she had to do was work up the courage to do what needed to be done.

"I'll call her." Eri decided. "I'll meet up with her and...I'll see where it goes from there."

Izuku bore a worried expression. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to feel pressured to do this for her sake."

"Then I'll do it for mine," Eri told him, standing up and looking him right in the eye. "I...this may be one of the last things I need closure for. And…I've stopped letting fear hold me back. She can't hurt me anymore, even she wanted to. So...I don't have anything to lose here."

Izuku smiled and stood up, going around his desk, and giving Eri a tight hug, which she quickly returned. "I'm so proud of Eri. I want you to know that no matter what happens. I'll support you no matter what."

Eri smiled and snuggled close to him. "I know. And you're still the one who raised me, even if it was a risk. So no matter what happens with mom. You're my dad. And I'll always love you."

"Hngh!" Izuku's face scrunched up, as he felt his heart clench, and a single tear rolled down his face.

Eri smiled for a moment, before looking at the paper in her hand, and frowning.

She would call her mother...but first she'd have to work up the nerve.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was about thirty minutes since Izuku and Eri had their talk, and all Eri had been able to do since then, was stay in her room and look at the paper. Trying to build up the courage to call her mother.

Come on. You can do this. Eri told herself, as she sat on her bed with her phone in one hand, and the slip of paper in the other.

Knock knock.

Eri let out a breath she'd been holding, as a bit of the tension left her.

She placed the phone and the paper on the bed and went to open the door.

On the other side, was Yami.

"So he told you," Yami stated bluntly, not wasting any time as per usual with him.

"Huh?" Eri was not prepared for that as soon as she opened the door. Surely he couldn't mean what she thought he meant. "T-Told me what?"

"About your mom." Yami clarified.

"You...you knew?" Eri wasn't mad. She knew why this was kept from her, but it was surprising that Yami of all people would know this.

"I saw a spike of negativity when she entered the forest, I got curious, and ended up listing to the whole thing," Yami explained with a shrug.

"Oh...I guess that makes sense. Um, thank you for keeping this to yourself." Eri told him. "I don't want to imagine what would happen if someone like Kioku heard about this."

Yami nodded, before presenting her a beige candy bar. "Calming candy. From Amai."

Eri immediately took the candy bar and took a bite out of it. Quickly feeling the nervousness melt away. Not entirely, but a lot. "Mmm. Oh, your girlfriend is a godsend Yami!"

"Not my girlfriend, and don't try and change the topic," Yami told her.

"I'm not. It's just super obvious." Eri said offhandedly.

Yami rolled his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I was more than a bit nervous before you came." Eri sighed, as she looked back at her phone. "It's just...what am I even going to say to her?"

"So you already decided to talk to her," Yami noted. "Well, my advice is don't overthink it. Given the situation, nothing you do will stop this from being, weird, and awkward, and emotionally heavy. You don't have to know what you're going to say beforehand. Just call her, and say what comes to your mind. Given the situation, nothing you say would put you in the wrong here. So just, go for it."

"I...I guess your right." Eri said, gearing up to finally make the call. "No use in prolonging this. Thanks, Yami, you and Amai are gonna make great therapists."

Yami nodded and started to take his leave. "Be strong Eri. I'm on my way to help Amai at the soup kitchen."

"Aw, a charity date!" Eri teased.

Yami rolled his eyes once more, as he walked out of sight.

Eri closed the door, and went back to her bed, picking up her phone, and looking down at the number.

"Alright, let's try this again." Eri took another bite of the calm candy.

And then she began to dial in the numbers.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been a rather dull day for Tsuma overall.

Nothing at the hospital had been so important to require her to actually do anything in person. So she was spending most of her day, behind the desk in her office, doing paperwork.

She sighed, as she put another paper in the finished pile. Which much to her frustration, was still smaller than the unfinished pile.

Ugh. Right now I wish for anything. Literally, anything would happen right now. I need a freaking excuse to get away from this crap. She thought as she went to deal with another paper.

VRRRRRRRRR!

Suddenly she felt the phone in her coat pocket vibrate.

Tsuma quickly took out her phone hoping that whatever this was would take her away from this monotonous misery.

Huh. Unknown caller. Tsuma shrugged and decided to accept it, holding the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"...Is that really you...mom?" Asked a young girl's voice.

A bolt of shock ran through Tsuma's body, which caused her to sit up before she froze.

It took her a minute to even process what just happened.

And after she processed it, she immediately went into denial.

Surely, this wasn't Eri. It was too soon. Eri was just a teenager. Surely she wasn't ready to hear about her just yet.

"Um...who is this exactly?" Tsuma said, trying to remain composed, but still coming off as a bit shaken.

"I'm...Eri Midoriya." The horned girl identified herself. "Um, I think you're my mother."

With her disbelief shattered, Tsuma was only left with shock and dread.

She wasn't ready for this! This came out of nowhere!

Honestly, Tsuma thought this day would never come. She was ready to receive a phone call from Izuku saying that Eri never wanted to see her again.

She'd been preparing for rejection for years, and now all of sudden, Eri was calling her.

Still, this could just be Eri personally coming to declare how much she hated her and didn't want to see her again.

It didn't seem like something Eri would do from what Izuku told her, but given what she did. It was possible.

"Uh...hello?" Eri called out, wondering if Tsuma was still there.

Oh god, I've been silent for too long. Say something! Tsuma told herself. "Uhhhh. Hello Eri! Yes, it's me! Um...how have you been?"

How have you been!? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HER FOR OVER A DECADE AFTER ABANDONING HER TO A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH! AND YOUR FIRST WORDS TO HER, ARE HOW HAVE YOU BEEN!? Tsuma scolded herself.

There was a long pause, Tsuma sweating nervously as she waited for Eri to respond.

After about a minute, she heard laughter.

Eri was laughing. Almost hysterically.

"H-How have you been?" Eri repeated through her laughter. "Oh god, you don't know what to say here either do you?"

"No, not at all," Tsuma admitted, flopping onto her desk as the tension was too much to bear.

"I've...been just wondering what I was gonna say to you. But I guess you were in the same boat." Eri giggled, finally calming down.

Tsuma calmed down a bit, after hearing how calm Eri was. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, she didn't hate her.

"Um...so I think...we should continue this conversation in person...there are just some things that can't be conveyed over the phone," Eri said. "...That place...I barely remember it. It was an ice cream place that we went to...whenever you guys were super happy about something and wanted to celebrate."

The memory hit her, and her eyes widened. "Yamu Yamu Parlor! I...I haven't been there in so long but...I'm sure they're still open. And I remember where they were. I can...text you the address."

"That would be great. Thank you." Eri said. "In that case, I'll meet you there tomorrow. 8:00. Please don't be late."

"I would never dream of it!" Tsuma said immediately.

"...You really do regret it...in that case. I'll meet you at the parlor," Eri said, before hanging up.

Tsuma just stayed in that position for a few moments, processing what just happened, before figuring out her next move.

And her next move was to call to Izuku.

After the phone rang for a few seconds, Izuku picked up. "So I'm guessing she called you."

"Yes, she called me! What the hell!?" Tsuma asked in outrage. "She's a teenager! How is THIS the time to tell her about this!?"

"I'm guessing she was more put together during the call than you though." Izuku assumed.

"I mean...yes! But...but...but you could have warned me!" Tsuma pouted. "That came out of nowhere for me!"

"If I warned you, you might have done something stupid. Like not pick up the phone." Izuku told her bluntly. "Besides, nothing you could have done would have prepared you for that phone call."

"I...I hate how right you are." Tsuma sighed. "She asked me to meet her at an old ice cream parlor we used to frequent. Tomorrow."

"Oh well, that's good. You do understand what happens if you blow this right?" Izuku warned her very casually.

"I am well aware!" Tsuma shouted. "I am so fucked. I am so, so fucked. What do I even do?"

"I don't know. Eri's a very tolerant person so it's not like she'll just get up and leave if you make a slip-up. But you are still on very thin ice here. So try not to freak out, but at the same time stay alert of what comes out of your mouth." Izuku told her.

"That's so vague," Tsuma complained.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. Just try your best." Izuku said. "Now if you excuse me, I have a new batch of babies coming in for the first time in a while."

"Out of context that sentence so bad." Tsuma pointed out.

"And with full context, it's even worse," Izuku added. "Well, bye."

Then without another word, Izuku hung up the phone.

Tsuma plopped her phone on her desk and took a deep breath.

She was so screwed.

XXXXXXXXX

Eri looked down at her watch, as she made her way to the ice cream parlor.

7:49.

She was a bit early, but not too early, so it wasn't too much of a surprise when she saw her mother was already there, sitting in a booth close to the window.

Even after all these years, it was impossible to not know it was her.

Was it because of the distant memories she had of her? Or perhaps it was something instinctual?

Or more likely it was because of the uncanny resemblance they shared. With her mother looking almost exactly like an older version of herself, except for the lack of a horn and ruby red eyes.

It took Eri a minute to realize she'd stopped walking, and had just been staring at her mother from outside the window like a weirdo.

Eri took a deep breath and entered the parlor.

A bell rang when she opened the door, signaling her entrance, and she immediately went to look over at her mother.

Who was looking right at her?

Their eyes met, and for a moment, they both froze.

However, not wanting to stand in the doorway like an idiot for minutes on end, Eri quickly looked away and focused her sight on the counter, and the old man working behind it.

Eri quickly walked over there and made her order. "Um, do you have anything fruity?"

"We have some warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla on top." The older man told her.

"That! I'll have that!" Eri quickly turned to look at her mother, seeing that she had nothing in front of her, before immediately turning her head back. "Make it two."

Meanwhile, in the booth, Tsuma was panicking, big time.

The last time she had seen her in person she was so tiny, so small.

And now she was here, a teenager. Looking more mature and put together than she was.

But honestly, she was just as terrifying as when she last saw her, albeit for very different reasons.

She flinched when she heard Eri's footsteps coming towards her, and she tried to prepare herself for whatever came next.

Eri came over to the booth with the plates of apple pie and ice cream, setting them on the table between them, before taking the seat opposite to her.

And the two looked at each other, face to face.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Neither of them truly knowing what to say.

Until eventually, Eri bit the bullet and started speaking.

"Do you really regret what you did back then? And what you said?" Eri asked her solemnly, looking down and taking a scoop of her pie and ice cream.

"Every day Eri. Every day of my life." Tsuma answered almost immediately. Her voice cracking as she tried to keep herself from sobbing from all the emotions she was feeling right now. "The moment I got home after I...after I gave you away. I looked at all photos we'd taken with your father, and I...I remembered that you weren't a monster...you were my daughter. My only daughter...the greatest gift my husband ever gave me...and I threw you away. I don't...I don't think I could describe what I felt when I realized that."

Eri didn't respond at first, simply continuing to eat her food, while listening to what she had to say.

"I-I'm not saying that it's worse than what you went through! Not at all!" Tsuma quickly clarified. "I-I can't even imagine the pain you went through, and what it would have been like for you. It's just...I-I-I-"

It was then that Eri placed down her spoon, and stood up.

"E-Eri...what are you-Ah!" Tsuma gasped, as Eri suddenly leaned in over the table, and brought Tsuma into a hug.

"I, forgive you," Eri said, hugging her tighter.

Tsuma was frozen for a moment, with her eyes widened and her mouth agape. Stuck in that moment of shock, for about half a minute while she processed what Eri just said.

And when she finally did process it, tears immediately started flowing from her eyes, like water through a river.

"Hagh-ahhh-mah-" Tsuma tried to get out words but it all came out as choked sobs.

"It's ok to cry," Eri told her, repeating what Izuku had told her long ago. "Just let it all out."

And so she did. Tsuma sobbed her heart out into her daughter's chest.

They stayed like this for a while, people stared but neither of them truly cared. For now, the two of them were the only thing that mattered.

"H-How...how could you possibly forgive me?" Tsuma managed to choke out between her sobs. "After all the pain I caused you?"

"I was never really one to hold a grudge in the first place," Eri said, half-jokingly before getting more serious. "And...I think...no. I believe. That if people learned to forgive each other, and help each other more. Then this world would be a much better place...so you know...practice what you preach."

"I...I still can't believe it." Tsuma cried. "I just...don't feel like I deserve it."

"That's not really up to you," Eri stated firmly. "Whether or not you deserve my forgiveness isn't up to you, or anyone else. Not even dad. It's up to me, and me alone. But...what happens after...what kind of relationship we build-"

Eri reached out and joined her hand with Tsuma's. "That's up to the two of us."

"So...where do we even go from here?" Tsuma asked.

"I...don't know," Eri admitted with a sigh. "We can't just...I'm not sure if we can be...the same if we can have that same relationship we had. I forgive you but...what happened happened, and we can't just forget it. Dad is gonna stay my dad, Ochaco's gonna become my mom eventually, and you'll be...my other mom I guess. It's...gonna hard and...complicated. But whatever happens...we'll figure it out together."

Tsuma calmed down and gently rubbed Eri's hand with her thumb. Her daughter was here. She was touching her. She was forgiving her. She still considered her, her mother to some degree.

A warmth filled her chest, and a small smile slowly formed on her face. "Izuku raised you well."

Eri smiled back. "Yeah, I know."

Please review and have a nice day.