Disclaimer: I own nothing
Izuku spent the whole night sitting in a comfy arm chair next to his bed researching ways he could help a traumatized child. He got some helpful tips about dealing with panic attacks but it was nothing he didn't already know how to take care of. Before he knew it, it was morning and Eri was starting to wake up. When she was awake she shot up and looked around frantically, she was clearly terrified. As if last night were a dream.
"Hey hey, it's okay. You're here. You're safe. They won't hurt you again." says Izuku.
While Eri still looks distressed she visibly relaxes and brings a smile to Izuku's face. Izuku was going to ask Eri if she was hungry and wanted anything to eat but was cut short as Eri's stomach growled.
"Let's get some food in you, what's your favorite?" asks Izuku.
"I like apples." says Eri softly.
"I'll be right back. Unless you'd like to come with me?" asks Izuku.
Eri shakes her head no.
"I could carry you." says Izuku.
Eri looks thoughtful before nodding yes.
Izuku pulls Eri into his chest and firmly yet softly holds her so she can see over his shoulder. Izuku walks down stairs and sees dabi and Toga talking softly. They both turned to look at him, they both open their mouths to say something but Izuku cuts them off by tightening the muscles on his face and gently shaking his head. He finishes walking to the kitchen and opens the fridge with his free arm and pulls out a bag of apples.
"Do you want to eat here or in my room?" asks Izuku.
"Your room, please." says Eri.
"Sure, let's go." says Izuku as he carries Eri back to his room.
Izuku sets Eri down on his bed and sits down next to her with a deep sigh.
"Are you okay?" asks Eri.
"It's been a long couple a days. I'd like to take a lil break but I know that I still got shit to do." says Izuku.
"Like what?" asks Eri.
"Well for starters, I've got some calls to make where I explain I ain't gonna head out hunting villains, I got to by more food because we don't have enough, and I need to buy some clothes and other shit that ya need." says Izuku.
"You don't have to do that." says Eri.
"No, I don't but I want to. It would be a lot more fun if you came with me." says Izuku.
Eri looks unsure before nodding apprehensively.
"Cool, wanna get started or do ya wanna wait for a half hour." says Izuku.
"I wanna wait." says Eri.
"Cool, lets chill out." says Izuku says before lying back and closing his eyes.
Izuku and Eri lay down for a while. Izuku isn't asleep but Eri thinks he is. Izuku doesn't say anything when he feels a little extra weight press against his side. Roughly thirty minutes later, he waited a little longer than thirty minutes, Izuku pretended to wake up. Eri rolled off of him.
"Hey Eri. Ya wanna go shopping for some cool clothes?" asks Izuku.
Eri nods.
"When we buy food, I'll get you an apple pie." says Izuku.
Eri smiles and says, "Thank you."
"S'no biggie." says Izuku.
Izuku gets up and mutters 'shit' under his breath.
"Ya mind if I bring the crew along?" asks Izuku.
Eri looks away and seems a little scared about the idea.
"They're strong and I trust em with my life. Should anything go wrong the three of us will keep you safe." says Izuku.
Eri looks back at him and nods.
"Do ya want me to carry you?" asks Izuku.
Eri nods again.
"Alright but I have to change first. I'm gonna step into the bathroom. I'll be right back." says Izuku.
Izuku comes back wearing blue jeans and a tight black shirt he also has his bandana hidden under his shirt, it's one of his favorite outfits to wear.
"Are ya ready to go?" asks Izuku.
Eri nods and Izuku scoops her into his arms and walks down stairs. Izuku finds Dabi and Toga on the couch.
"Get up. We're going shopping for clothes and groceries." says Izuku.
Dabi groans as he lifts himself from the soft couch. In minute or so everybody is in the car. Izuku's driving, Dabi is riding shotgun, Toga and Eri are in the back. Dabi and Toga both notice Izuku isn't speeding like he usually does. When they get to the mall they go straight to a thrift shop. They couldn't afford anything nicer.
"Sorry, I can't take you to a nicer store. I don't have the money." says Izuku.
"It's okay." whispers Eri.
They look around the store for a while and find things that Eri likes. Izuku found a plague mask near the back of the shop and hid it where Eri couldn't see it. By the time they were done Eri had lots of new, nice-ish clothes. Some didn't fit her perfectly but were close enough and cheap enough. They began to make their way to one of the cheaper grocery stores. They bought the essentials and never bought any name brands. Izuku loved watching the way Eri lit up when he grabbed a couple of bothered him that it wasn't exactly a smile but it made her happy either way. He'd make sure to keep the fridge stocked just for her. Once they finished buying groceries they went back to the house and put everything in the fridge or the freezer.
"Eri, if you'd like I can take you to a bakery to try an apple pie. It used to be one of my favorite foods." says Izuku.
"Yes, please." says Eri.
"Ya want the others to come with us?" asks Izuku.
"I think they should." says Eri.
"Ya know if they come back I can take care of em. I'll keep you safe. But yeah, you are probably right about that. I'll ask em to come along." says Izuku.
"Thank you." says Eri.
"Ya don't have to thank me." says Izuku as he steps out of the kitchen and into the living room, "You guys wanna come to a bakery with me and Eri so I can get her an apple pie."
"Can we get pie?" asks Toga.
Izuku takes his wallet out of his pocket and looks into it. He makes a slightly pained face. "I'd have to dig into our emergency money."
"We'll come with you. We don't need pie." says Dabi.
"Thank you." says Izuku before stepping back into the kitchen, "Ya wanna change into some new clothes before we go." asks Izuku.
Eri nods and heads up to Izuku's room to change.
"So she's staying with us?" asks Dabi.
"Yeah, she deserves to have someone that can look after her." says Izuku, "Even if I'm probably… no, definitely not good for it. She asked if she could stay here. She can stay as long as she likes."
"Are we gonna be okay with money?" asks Dabi.
"Yeah, ya wouldn't mind doing some work for Giran here and there. Would you?" asks Izuku.
"I don't mind. I heard his last lone shark overdosed. Maybe I could pick up there." says Dabi.
"Ah geez, an overdose. Poor guy." says Izuku.
"Most people who come into contact with Giran are poor guys, to some degree." says Dabi.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Toga would you mind looking after Eri when I'm out doing my thing?" asks Izuku.
"Nah, I can take care of her. I promise I won't cut her. She's cute enough as it is." says Toga.
"Sometimes I forget you're so crazy." says Izuku.
"She's calmed down a lot after she met you." says Dabi.
"That's great. Keep up the good work." says Izuku
Eri comes down the stairs with a small pair of black sweats and a white t shirt that says Tater tot.
'That's adorable.' thinks Izuku, Toga, and Dabi.
"Ya ready to head out?" asks Izuku to which Eri nods, "Great let's get going."
They don't talk much as they go to the car and start the drive over. Izuku decides to speak up.
"I don't think I've introduced you. Eri this guy next to me is Dabi. He's real scary looking but he's super nice and down to earth. The girl next to you is Toga. She's crazy but she's real fun and has a heart of gold for people she cares about." says Izuku, " I hope you can learn to trust them, like I have."
Nobody really says anything after that. They're all still adjusting. The four of them pull into a bakery . It is a nice little place that doesn't get too much business but is always really good.
Izuku walks up to the man behind the counter, "We'll have an apple pie" He looks back at Eri, "The biggest you got."
"You got it." says the cashier.
The four of them take a seat outside. Izuku makes an attempt to bond with Eri by asking her simple questions like favorite color and favorite animal. Eri likes purple and penguins. The pie gets delivered to them and Eri looks at the pie and back to Izuku. He nods and she starts digging in. She's really just going at it. Izuku wonders when the last time she ate ,before they met, was.
"Ya enjoying the pie, Eri?" asks Izuku.
Eri's mouth was full so she nodded and kept eating.
"I'm glad ya like it." says Izuku.
Eri looked up at him and froze suddenly. Her eyes widened. Izuku didn't know what was going on. Had he done something wrong. He barely hears someone say Eri. He turns his head slightly. He sees why Eri is so scared. There are two men wearing plague masks. One of them is huge and covered in muscles. The other is smaller but seems sharper. Izuku feels tense, he feels sick. His ribs are still broken but he didn't want to make Eri worry so he never made any indication of pain. He still had a hole in his stomach. He can't fight like this. Izuku turns his head back to look at Eri. Dabi and Toga haven't noticed they are still on their phones. He taps his claws against the table and clears his throat. Toga doesn't look up but Dabi does. When Dabi looks at him he pulls his mask from under his shirt and over his face. Dabi looks on edge but still looks confused. Izuku rotates his eyes in the Direction Dabi needs to look to find the villains. When Dabi sees them his eyes widen. He kicks Toga under the table.
"Ow, what the heck Dabi." says Toga.
"SHH!" says Izuku.
She turns to look at him she notices his mask and the two masked men. Eri makes herself smaller and sinks into her chair.
"Tracker says she's over there." says the big one, "Should we ask those fells?"
"Maybe they might be hiding her. The one with his back to us has green hair. Like the vigilante. It might be him, we should be careful." says the smaller one.
"If it's him I'll just kick his ass. I've wanted to go toe to toe with him for a while." says the big one
Nobody but Izuku could hear this conversation. He knew they were in for a fight.
"When I give my signal. You two take Eri and run. We'll meet back here if I can beat em." says Izuku.
"Are you still hurt?" asks dabi.
Izuku considered telling him the truth but ultimately decides not to, "No. Hyper regeneration is back up. I can take em."
"I should stay with you." says Dabi.
"You can't leave Eri with just one person." says Izuku.
Dabi looked like he wanted to argue but said, "Fine, just be careful and try not to rely on regen too much."
"I won't." says Izuku.
The villains started to make their way over to Izuku who got up threw out the trash while keeping his back away from the villains. On his way back to the table. He looked at the big one and said, "Uncle! I didn't expect to see ya here. How've ya been?"
He walks over to the two of them and pretends to trip so he can land on the smaller guy and knock him over. The big guy picks him up and tosses him off to the side. He notices Dabi carrying Eri and running across the street towards a back alley with Toga following closely behind them.
"Come on nephew." the big guy says mockingly, "We know who you are. It was a nice little trick but we saw right through it. Ya ain't getting out of this fight, and when we're done with you we'll be looking for your friends."
'Ah shit.' thinks Izuku again.
authors note
Once again I'm sorry it's a late chapter. The only reason I was able to get it out today is because I'm home, sick. I don't want to change my update to every two weeks. Although I might just have to. About this chapter, Izuku really just can't catch a break. He always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But for the most part I don't think he'd change that for the world. I recently read a story that dives into Dabi and his character and I'm thinking about going into Dabi's past and stuff like chapter he's gonna fight Kendo Rappa and Hekiji Tengai and Dabi Eri and Toga are gonna have to wonder whether they should or shouldn't have left Izuku there alone. Also I'm so hyped for tomorrow' episode. I've been loving season four so far. I think the current story arc and the anime going over the same thing is gonna help me write. Has the anime been living up to your expectations or do you think that the manga is way better?
Lightning blade 49: I plan on having Izuku get even ballsier around Nezu. I was thinking of the U.A. teachers ambushing Izuku and Izuku barely escaping. After that Izuku is gonna start sending some sort of threats or insults to Nezu via carrier bat.
Necrogod: Thank you for the wonderful comment. I'll try to keep up the good work.
Dear Death father dearest: I'm really glad you like the story. And I know what you mean about seeing a story and never opening it. Then one day you think 'why not' and it turns out to be a really good story. Cuz' it's super nice to finally find but it leaves you with a feeling that you should have clicked a while ago.
Atomic Dragon 59: A catholic priest and vampire hunter walks up to Izuku.
"Well if it isn't the catholic church, and no little timmy glued to your crotch. Progress." says Izuku.
Or in Nezu's office.
"What's good ya rat bastard?" asks Izuku.
Iida violently sputters out of his mouth and engines at the same time.
Also I'm gonna use the quote "Fuck mothering Vampire" at some point in the story.
Rice cake plays:I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Eri, because she will be an important character in the story. She's actually one of my favorite characters to see in stories. I love reading Izuku teach Eri to smile again. I think it's gonna be one of the highlights of their relation ship. I really hope I can write Eri in a way you can enjoy.
Amadeus Amadeus: I imagine it would be hard to care a lot about what you're doing when you died not thirty minutes earlier. The thing with him whipping out a pistol in front of the symbol of peace might come back to bite him, or All Might will just assume it's a prop of some kind. I am going to frequently reference the rat movie and the rat movie 2 while having Izuku talk with Nezu. I think Izuku losing his arm and strolling back into his house only to casually ask Dabi to cauterize the bloody stump of an arm while Toga is both panicking and super excited and Dabi just says something along the lines of, "What the hell?" has some serious humorous potential. Also the run away technique got sent to the discord. That was actually one of the funniest things I've seen out of an anime. I can see why everyone though I was referencing that. Thank you for explaining what, "Everyone is jesus in purgatory" means. It definitely applies to Overhaul in my story and the cannon story. For the fight against the giant I was thinking Izuku could take a ranged approach and throw things at him. Or have Dabi distract him while he caves in the back of his knee so he can aim for his head. I was looking over the Original Goku vs. Piccolo fight for ideas on how to fight a giant. I'll still look into strawhats fight vs. Ozars / Oz. I like the idea about him getting figured out at the concert but I already have Inko finding out about Izuku being a vigilante planned out.