Chapter Text
Oboro and Shota were on patrol again. Shota refused to leave his side after the incident. It had been roughly a month now.
Suddenly, the cloud user noticed a small pale boy with light blue hair. He looked lost and as if he was searching for help. Oboro started towards him, he'd be damned if he left even one person unhelped.
The boys made their way over, Oboro speaking first, "Hey little guy, you doing okay?" The boy looked up, astonished. His face was dry and cracked, his eyes sunken into his head with deep dark circles surrounding them, lips flaking with dried bloody sores, his skin paler than Oboro's clouds, hair matted and unruly. In short, he looked like death. Even his dull crimson pupils seemed to scream in agony. "I-i need h-h-elp.."
"Don't worry, we're heroes!" Our weather boi reassured, "What's your name?". "T-tenko.." Tenko was shivering as if he were cold, but grinning so hard up at the two hero in trainings Shouta worried about the sores on the smaller's face splitting open. "We should take him back to the agency." He informed his friend.
The walk back to the agency was a bit awkward at first. "Come on, Tenko! We're going to more heroes! Do you wanna hold my hand?" Oboro had asked, extending a limb. He didn't expect the little boy to freak out so badly. Tenko seemed to be extremely afraid of touch. So much so that Shouta was theorizing child abuse, bad allergies, a gruesome quirk, or possibly all three. The tired one took note of how he kept his hands really close to himself but didn't get anywhere near his body.
When they finally got back, after settling to have Tenko walk between them, they were relieved that Nemuri wasn't in. If she were there, she'd probably freak Tenko out more. Oboro and Shota had to give Tenko to the other heroes, but they promised him that they would wait for him to be done.
After being at the agency for a few hours, Shota had fallen asleep on the floor, snuggled in the yellow sleeping bag he always carries around with him.
The heroes finally came down the hall with a very exhausted looking Tenko-kun with them. As they came closer, Oboro could see special black gloves on his hands. "Hey buddy! How are you doing?" The cloud user asked as he knelt down in front of him. Tenko yawned as he rubbed his eyes. "I'm okay, I guess.. just really tired..". The little one had had a long day. "Aww, come here~!" Shirakumo scooped him up and held him.
Tenko's arms wrapped around his neck and his legs wrapped around his torso. This was the first time the hero in training really got to feel how malnourished the child was.
The shirt Tenko was wearing was clearly old and it practically slid off of his shoulders. Oboro swore he felt every single rib when he hugged him. 'Oh, this poor thing..'
At that moment, 10:00 at night, September 24, XXXX, Oboro Shirakumo vowed to protect the small child in his arms at all costs. He would die for Tenko-kun.