Chapter Text
“Kid, I really hate to say this but…”
Tomura glanced down at the boy, his body strewn across the grass while small pants left his lips. He looked horrible, his baggy tracksuit damp with sweat and his soaked hair glued to his forehead.
It made no sense, they’d only gone for a run! Of course they’d ran 3 miles but the boy was in school, he should’ve been on the track every day. It wasn’t like he was chubby, save for the baby fat that refused to leave his face.
Haaa… Training someone was difficult, especially a little kid like this. Had his master felt the same way while raising him? He should apologize to the man, being with Midoriya had shown him how bothersome it was to handle children.
“Are you sure you can keep up with training? We’ve barely-“ “I can do it!”
‘Ah-‘
It took everything inside of Tomura to not attack the boy at his interruption. Yes, the boy was amusing, a small break in his days filled with scheming. But, he meant nothing to him.
His gloved hands twitched at his side, the urge to dissolve the boy coursing through his veins.
Midoriya sat up quietly, trembling softly. His head was lowered, like he was refusing to look at Tomura. Though it fit the situation, it felt like the boy was aware of Tomura’s inner turmoil.
Yeah, this kid’s definitely weird.
It had only been their second week training. They had decided to only do physical training on Saturdays while discussing more at the cafe after school.
It was shocking for everyone when he said he’d spend more time outside. But he was a villain; he didn't need to spend time outside doing useless things. Midoriya was just a small thing he was working on.
He wanted the boy; he would make a great villain. He was incredibly intelligent and his lack of a quirk could be ignored. The boy had so much information on heroes, it would be a shame to let him get away. He had so much potential. He could just assign the boy a nomu and call it a day.
But he’d known the boy for about a month now, there was one thing he was sure about.
‘The boy definitely was… intense.’
“Tenko-San, I can’t. I can't give up this early, I can't give up at all… Please, please keep training me!”
The determined yell surprised Tomura, what the hell was this kid on? No one was giving up on him, especially not Tomura. He would use the boy thoroughly. It would be great if he was an Alpha, it would help things flow smoothly.
It was after this thought that Midoriya lifted his head, allowing Tomura to get a good look at his face.
He swallowed thickly, the boy’s eyes were wide. Thick tears were leaking out the corners of his eyes and his lips were in a small pout. He looked awful and a small part of Tomura wondered how he’d started crying so quickly.
Though it wasn’t the steady tears, shaky parted lips, or the low sobs that caught Tomura’s attention.
It was his eyes, eyes that seemed to carry a thousand messages. Eyes that longed for a meaning, a mission, something to establish his worth. Desperation, fear, distress, so many intense emotions haunting a dark forest.
It shocked him still, he felt frozen in place. They were his eyes. Eyes that despite being broken down and beaten still glowed, the only small difference.
It made him wonder how a sweet and naive kid like Midoriya could have eyes like his own…
He walked towards the boy, reaching out a hand. He paused his motion when the boy flinched away. That was another thing that worried him, but he’d barely known the boy for a month, he couldn’t just outright ask him about it.
(He’d also hated that it worried him. He couldn’t care less about the boy, so why was he worried? Why were there flashes of concern when the boy jerked away from touch. Why, why did he care?)
He resumed his action when the boy leaned his head forward, a silent ‘okay’. He planted his hand in sweaty, unruly verdant hair. He watched silently as Midoriya leaned into his touch, a thousand thoughts were speeding through his head.
He licked his lips slightly before speaking.
“I’m not saying we’re going to stop. We’re just going to make it easier for you, mkay? I’m not gonna give up on you…”
Before Tomura could even cringe at his words, he felt small arms wrap around his torso.
“Thank you, Tenko-San…”
Yeah, this kid was going to be a big problem. How could he hug him so freely? The motion surprised Tomura, how long had it been since he was last hugged? When was the last time someone dared to show him affection?
(No, more importantly, when had he been willing to return it? When did a small part of him decide that this was okay? Okay for someone like him? )
He pushed the boy back with his hand that was still resting in his hair, bringing it back to his side once the boy was an arms length away.
“Ugh- Stop being so mushy! Get up, we’re going again.”
“Waa? But Tenko-San, you said you were gonna go easy on me?”
Tomura ignored the boys pouting, opting to pick up the towel next to him. He threw the towel at Midoriya’s still teary face. He was kinda ugly when he cried like that….
“Clean yourself up then let’s spar for a bit before leaving.”
Tomura ignored the boy’s offended gasps.
‘This boy would definitely become a nuisance.’
2.
All Might! He had met All Might today! He couldn’t believe it…
Even though he and Katsuki had been attacked by the sludge villain his day couldn’t have been better! Of course All Might’s words had been disconcerting, but he'd agreed to train him!
He was going to be able to catch up with his classmates now. He was getting trained by two very strong people. With the help of Tenko-San and All Might his body would be ready for the quirk in no time!
‘If only I could tell Tenko-San, he’d be so happy!’, Midoriya thought silently as he trudged into the cafe. After he had left All Might he had immediately texted Tenko, begging him to meet him at the cafe.
He greeted the owner with a curt nod, smiling at the older man. He looked towards their table, pleasantly surprised that Tenko had made it here before him. It seemed like the man never had anything to do.
Of course, he wasn’t judging, that just meant that he could spend more time with him. Although this small fact did make Midoriya’s “stranger danger” alarms go off, it was probably too late for that.
He walked towards the table quickly, pulling out the chair opposite to the man.
“Oh c'mon kid, you’re gonna make me spill my tea..”
Midoriya flushed at Tenko’s words, he was too focused on digging his notebook out of his bag to look up at the man.
“Sorry about that, Tenko-San! But, just wait a second, I’ve got something to show you!”, Midoriya spoke excitedly.
He fished the damp notebook out of his bag, grimacing at the burns on it. Once again he was reminded of what Katsuki had done. A grimace formed on his face as he thought about the boy, why couldn’t he just let Midoriya be his friend? And why did he try so hard when the boy obviously didn’t like him…
His thoughts were interrupted by a small cough, effectively bringing him back to the task at hand. He placed the notebook in front of the man, bouncing in his seat slightly.
“Look, look! Open it quickly!”
He ignored Tenko’s unimpressed stare, silently urging the man to read the notebook. Now that he thought about it, Tenko was a bit of a dork. He was sure the man would love his surprise.
“Okay, okay, I’ll read it.” Tenko picked up the notebook carefully. He couldn’t help but notice the man’s raised pinky, despite the Artist gloves snapped carefully onto his wrist, though his attention left the man’s hand when he saw his sour expression. His frown seemed to grow deeper as he touched it. “Why the hell is it so beat up? And wet…”
“Tenko-San just open it!”
He was getting impatient, he really wanted to show the man All Might’s signature. The slightly, yes slightly , beat up image wasn’t what Tenko-San should’ve been worried about…
He watched as Tenko flipped through the pages, his eyes widening slightly the more he read.
“Did you write all this?”
Tenko spoke calmly, his eyes brightening at Midoriya's writings.
“Yes, but that’s not really-“ “Oh? You’ve even got me in here? Kid, I’m not some loser npc, I’m more like a hidden boss.”
Midoriya flushed at Tenko’s words before snatching the notebook out of his hands and flipping to the page with All Might’s signature. He also decided to pointedly ignore the man’s corny language, justifying it by saying it was something a NEET like him would do.
“You kinda are… but that’s not important! Look at what I’ve got!”
He slid the notebook back to Tenko, his smile wide. He watched Tenko silently, his eyebrows furrowing at the man’s lack of excitement.
How could he not be excited? This was the signature of the Symbol of Peace! He was sure he’d like it, was he one of those people that preferred the number two?
“Oh, you’ve got All Might’s signature,” Tenko coughed slightly, as if the words he was about to say were physically hurting him. “That’s super… cool…”
Midoriya blanched at Tenko’s words.
“Cool? This is more than cool! I met the Symbol of Peace and he signed my notebook! It’s amazing! He looks way better in person! He’s also an omegean hero!!”
He watched Tenko as he spoke, the man looked so uninterested. He had even rolled his eyes!
“What do you have against All Might?”
Bingo. His words had finally caught the alpha’s attention. The man leaned forward, his hands crossed in front of him.
“I just… I don’t care for heroes .”
What? Huh? How could someone not like heroes? They were all selfless people who sacrificed their lives for others every day! Midoriya didn’t think he’d have survived this far if it weren’t for the heroes.
(Once again, he ignored the alarms ringing in his head.)
“What do you mean? How could you not like them?”
Tenko’s expression seemed to turn sour at his words. This was driving him insane, why didn’t he like heroes?
“Well, I like the concept of heroes… not so much how they executed it…”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not necessarily something I’d like to get you involved with. What’s more important is that lame ass drawing of me you did.”
“What?! The drawing is accurate!”
Midoriya stifled a laugh at Tenko’s expression, his face stricken with pure betrayal.
He could excuse the man’s dislike of heroes, there was probably some reason why. He wasn’t going to pry though, he barely knew him.
(He should have been getting major bad vibes by now.)
“How can it be accurate? My hair isn’t that wild!”
“Maybe you need a mirror, your hair is more unruly than mine!”
“At Least my hair isn’t filled to the brim with knots!”
“What?! It is not!”
“Once again, I am not a NEET!”
“Well…”
Midoriya paused at the fast approaching fist, his mind had gone blank. He was there again. Even while using All Might and Tenko as a distraction, Katsuki, his classmates, wouldn't stop worming back into his mind.
He was no longer in a plains training with Tenko, he was being cornered in the back of his school. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t fight back?! He couldn’t, not against them… against Katsuki.
He did the only thing he knew how to. He sunk towards the ground quickly, his hand covering his head to ensure no lasting damage. He cowered, his eyes closed shut as he waited for the resounding explosion.
“Kid, what the hell are you doing? Get up.”
Midoriya lifted his head at the man’s words, his eyes widening as he realized what was going on. He was on the ground, his suit littered in dirt. He groaned softly, a small ‘Again?’ leaving his lips.
He took the hand that was reaching toward him, pulling himself up quickly. He dusted himself off while avoiding Tenko’s eyes. This was the fourth time and it was only their sixth time sparring. He waited, waited for the annoyed or angry yell despite knowing that Tenko wouldn’t… He wouldn’t yell at him, wouldn’t call him useless and hit him, or worse; use his quirk on him.
He looked upwards, hoping to find the man’s eyes and understand the reason for his quietness. It was somewhat shocking when he looked up at the man, only now hearing the telltale music of Angry Birds.
“Mhm, kid you’re awfully weird. So jittery,” It was then that Tenko slipped his phone into his pocket, his face coming close to Midoriya’s. “Do ya’ think ‘m gonna hurt ya? You scared of me? Of my quirk?”
Midoriya huffed at the man’s words, a frown etching onto his face at the sight of the man’s taunting grin. He had only known the man for about two months now, yet he knew the man was, annoying, for lack of better words.
Though, it wasn’t an annoying annoying, per se, more like an endearing annoying.
Whenever Midoriya froze or went stiff Tenko always found a way to change the subject or lighten the mood. He never pried, never asked why he was so jittery. Never batted an eye at the bruises littering his skin despite having week long breaks between their sparring.
It was… nice. It was like how he felt with his mom. No matter what happened at school, he could come home and spend time with her. They didn’t talk about the marks that covered his body under his shirt, the deep, discolored bruises. But, it wasn’t as if she knew they were there.
(Though he was fairly sure she would have raised hell if she’d found out about them. He vaguely remembered the way she’d had to be held back during an argument with a woman who had made some questionable comments about him.
Though, he knew deep down that he wanted someone to ask about it. Even if he would just lie and say it was nothing.)
“No,” Midoriya spoke with an edge in his voice. He could be bratty with Tenko and he was definitely abusing that fact. “You wouldn’t kill me, you’re too much of a softy! And… you’re a bit of a loser, I don’t think you could kill anyone.”
Midoriya held in a chuckle at Tenko’s expression. He had to hand it to him, he made some pretty funny faces. Maybe he’d needed this, needed the silent acknowledgment of what he was going through.
The silent agreement to see and not ask, that was enough. That would get him to tomorrow.
“What? Kid, you barely know me. I could be a serial killer! Also, I’m not going to address you calling me a loser.”
Tomura grimaced at the boy’s unbelieving look. What was so unbelievable about that? It was the truth. He didn’t know who Tomura was and likewise he didn’t know who Midoriya was.
The boy placed his hand on Tomura’s face, pushing his head away. There was an easy smile on his face, it were moments like these that made Tomura look at the kid.
Like really look at him. Look at his eyes, those eyes that Tomura had grown to… enjoy having look at him. Eyes so full with wonder and awe. It was awfully cute and funny.
The first thing he had noticed when he’d first met the boy were his eyes. Now, those eyes seemed to be all he could focus on.
He removed the boy’s lingering hand from his face, a slightly annoyed expression melding onto his face when he realized the boy’s hand was still there.
“Let’s just finish.”
Maybe if Tomura had been looking at where Midoriya was looking instead of at how pretty his eyes were; he would’ve noticed that the boy was gazing into his own too.
The greenette was also captured by Tomura’s soul, his body lost in the endless sea of blood.
4.
“Midoriya.”
Midoriya hummed at Tenko’s words, the man taking it as a sign to continue.
They were strewn across the grass after an exceptionally rigorous spar. He honestly didn’t know why he had tried as hard as he did, but, it felt amazing. Of course other than the fact that his entire body was sore…
His attention was brought back to the man next to him at the sound of soft ruffling next to him. Tenko was shifting himself up on his arms, opting to support himself on his hands. He leaned his head over him, pastel hair framing his face as it fell with him.
He couldn’t hold in the smile that erupted at the ticklish feeling of Tenko’s hair against his cheek. He smiled widely, his gums showing and his eyes crinkled.
Tenko was no better. His eyes were low and relaxed, a soft smirk playing on his lips.
“You wanna go somewhere with me?”
Midoriya perked at the man’s words, lifting himself up on his elbows so that their faces were only a few inches away.
He enjoyed hanging out with Tenko. He wasn’t being forced or teased into hanging out with him… it was nice. Fresh. New. They had known each other for more than two months, yet they’d only ever sparred and hung out at the cafe.
Of course he’d be excited to go somewhere with the man, especially since he’d been the one to suggest it.
“Y-Yeah! Though, do we need to change?”
Tenko shook his head at the boy’s question, his hairs motion made it impossible to take him seriously.
The man huffed at Midoriya’s soft laughter, a flame igniting in his cheeks.
Cute . The only word Tomura could use to describe Midoriya at the moment was ‘cute’. It fit him too well, as if this was a photo in a yearbook and the caption was ‘cutest person ever’.
It surprised Tomura, the fact that he could think that someone was cute, without the urge to kill them that is. But right now, leaning over Midoriya and watching how his lips parted slightly and his breath tried its best to even out, he could only think about how cute he was.
It wasn’t just surprising, it was startling. For a moment it felt like Tomura couldn’t move. He was paralyzed and it was quiet, so quiet. There weren't any lingering sounds of happy pups laughing as they ran around. No silent whispers as friends gathered for an early escape.
It felt like it was just Tomura and Midoriya. They were alone . Only the cold winds accompany them, cradling their faces and leaving crimson blooming in its wake.
“Ah- Tenko-San… stop looking at me like that…”
Tomura quickly pushed himself out of the boys face at his words, ignoring how flustered just looking at him left him feeling.
“Mm, yeah sorry. Anyways, it’s just a small place. It’s not too far from here and the animals won’t mind how bad you stink- Ow…”
Midoriya watched Tomura feign injury, clutching his side. He scowled at the man, his arm still in the chopping position.
“I do not stink, you should be worried about yourself! You reek !”
“You’ve got quite a mouth on you, punk. I should give you another good beating!”
There was a beat of silence before a chuckle slipped from Tomura’s throat, the sound hearty and soft. It caused Midoriya to double over, their combined laughter echoing through the clearing.
It was nice . Fun, even.
Tomura would have to spend more time with the boy.