Chapter Text
Tenko had never liked his father.
He loved him, of course. He was the man who created him, after all. It was his duty to love him.
But, no matter how hard he tried, he could never understand why his sister had looked up to him so much.
So, that night, with that photo, he was almost surprised to see her sneak into his office. It felt too good to be true. Had she finally realized who he truly was ? Had she finally realized he would never change ?
Had she finally chosen him ?
Of course, that had to be wishful thinking, too.
“Tenko Shimura !” His father's voice echoed through the night like a gunshot piercing his skin. “I know you went through my office !”
“N-no ! Dad, I—” Tenko’s words were cut off by his father gripping his shirt, leaning down to pull their faces close as he continued to shout.
“What were you doing in there ?! Trying to play hero again ?!” He shook his child, “Answer me !”
“I …” Tenko felt frozen. No matter how angry his father had always gotten, it had never looked like this. “Dad ! I didn't—”
A loud slap echoed across the backyard. His mother, sister, and grandparents stood in the backdoorway, completely still.
... Was no one going to help him ?
“That's enough !” His father continued to scream, “I'm done with your lies, Tenko !”
“Kotaro, stop !” His mother finally yelled, pushing past her own fear. “You can't just—!”
“He has to learn, Nao !” He shouted back at her, turning his head just barely enough to see her, then looking back to his son. “He can't be a hero. This is the only way he'll understand !”
His sister remained crying, a clear look of guilt across her face, but she stayed perfectly still, like a statue.
His mind flashed back to when they had played hero together, pretending to save ‘innocents’ modeled by toys. Was he not worth saving, too ?
That was the last thought to cross his mind before his father finally let go, following his mother inside to continue arguing.
He stood in silence for a moment, tears slowly welling in his eyes, falling into the concrete patio of their backyard. He then ran off to a dark corner of their yard, his grandparents remaining inside to calm the feud, sister hiding from the shouting.
Soon, their dog found him, a small orange and white corgi. Mon, the dog, licked his owner's arms as he sobbed into them, trying to help comfort the small child.
Finally, Tenko sat up, his neck and face feeling even itchier than they had before. It was as if his building emotions were making it worse.
“Why does dad hate me ?” He cried, practically clawing at his skin with one hand. The other was placed on the dog, gently petting his head. “And why won't this itching stop ?!” He scratched harder, nearly tearing his own skin open in the process. It felt like there were thousands of ants biting his neck, irritating his skin until he had no choice but to try to claw them off.
“Mon, why is everything so—”
The corgi's body began to melt before him, and all he could do was watch. It was almost as if the dog was trying to hold itself together as it whined in agony, pieces falling to the floor in bloody piles of flesh and organs. Its ears went limp, eyes left wide open from fear as its head fell directly in front of him.
“Mon !?” Tenko gasped, frozen again. What happened to—?!
“Hey, Tenko …” Suddenly, his sister's voice rang through the backyard. “I'm sorry I blamed finding the photo on you to dad …” She walked a bit closer, eyes still trained to the ground below her. “If I had known he—” She finally looked up, stiffening at the sight in front of her. She began to scream, Tenko quickly getting up and trying to reach her. “Hana, wait !” He tried to grab her, barely missing her arm as she pulled away, turning to run back inside.
He reached again, but the second his hand touched her back …
Parts of his sister's body fell to the floor, just as Mon's had. Flesh oozed blood, pooling into the grass like a steady stream. “Hana ?!”
No matter how much he didn't understand her, he had never wanted this.
“Tenko—?” His mother finally came to the backyard, finding the sight in front of her.
And yet, she stepped forward anyway. Despite having put the pieces together long before he had.
She took another step as he sobbed into the dirt, one hand placed in the grass for support.
And that's when the ground began to shake.
She took another step, the ground below her beginning to waver. Cracks formed all around, before shattering the earth into nothing but dust. This spread up his mother's right leg.
And yet, she took another step with her left.
She reached out her arms, as if trying to welcome him into a hug. As she did so, her past words echoed in his mind.
”Do you still want to become a hero, Tenko ?”
Just as she was about to reach him, she, too, crumbled away into the dead of night.
“Mom …” He couldn’t find any power left in his voice, all he could muster being a low mumble.
“Tenko—” His father immediately froze at the sight around him. The shaking dirt, the dust and blood swirling together in the liquid that was once their home's yard. “What have you done ?! You .. you—!”
And, at that moment, Tenko didn't care. He lungs straight towards his father, only one goal in sight.
This is his fault, his mind echoed. He needs to die !
They both fell to the concrete patio, his father quickly dissolving below him into nothing. A raging fire in his body flickered out at that final act, and he huffed in exhaustion. He felt almost ready to collapse.
Yet, a small voice echoed in his head, telling him to move.
And so, he did.
He left that cursed house behind, wandering the streets with blood-soaked hands. Strangers passed him by without a second thought. Anyone who got too close immediately left him, until he found himself sitting outside an apartment building, sliding down the wall. He kept his hands up, away from anything he could touch besides himself.
“Hello ?” A voice rang out. It couldn't possibly be for him. Could it ?
“Child, are you alright ?” A short woman with dark green hair approached him, “Are you lost ?” She moved closer, despite the blood she could clearly see.
He looked up at her, unable to muster any words. He soon began to cough, extremely dehydrated due to walking for so long alone.
“Oh, hold on,” She reached into her bag, pulled out a clear water bottle, and offered it to him. “Here. It's just water, but I understand if you don't—”
Tenko reached for it immediately, the pair watching as it crumbled to dust in front of them.
The green-haired woman, in retrospect, seemed to piece together the situation at that moment, eyes widening in shock before she quickly reached into her bag again. After a moment, she offered him a pair of gloves. “They're gonna be a little big on you, but …” She trailed off, sweeping a strand of hair from her face and smiling sweetly. “It's the best I have.”
He gave her a beaming look before softly grabbing the gloves, making sure to hold it with only two fingers. She seemed to sigh in relief when they didn't dissolve immediately.
As expected, they were too big on him. But, they didn't seem to be dissolving. She reached into her bag, grabbing her personal water bottle, opaquely colored black. “I always bring a spare incase I run out !” She hummed to herself. “It's ok for you to drink, really.”
Shaky hands reached for the second bottle, and as soon as he saw it didn't crumble, he opened it as quickly as possible. He chugged half of the bottle straight before moving it to breathe, only to repeat the same process with the other half. He closed the bottle slowly now, offering it back to her.
“What's your name ?” She asked calmly, putting the water bottle back into her purse.
He hesitated to answer. Would she turn him in to the police if she knew ? But, what would that matter now ?
Finally, he said, “T.. Tenko. Tenko Shimura.”
“Nice to meet you, Tenko.” She offered a hand to him, reaching slowly to make sure he wasn't alarmed by the movement. “I'm Inko Midoriya. Why don't you come with me, and we can get you cleaned up, ok ?”
“... Ok.”
Her apartment was small compared to his father's house, but in contrast, it felt .. welcoming. He felt invited, felt like he wasn't a stranger… Even if he was.
“I'll set up the bath for you, ok ?” Inko smiled softly, turning towards the direction of what must have been the bathroom. “You can sit anywhere you'd like.”
He silently moved to the couch, all words failing him at that moment. He observed the space, making note of everything in the room. He did his best to crawl up as small as possible, taking up as little space as he could manage himself to.
After a few minutes, Inko came back to the living room with a shirt in her arms. “I don't have much for you to change into while I wash your clothes, so I hope this is ok until then.”
Tenko simply nodded, moving with her into the bathroom.
“My husband is busy with work right now,” Inko sighed. “Always working …” She then opened the door, handing him the shirt and allowing him to enter the room alone. “Don't hesitate to call for me if you need anything, ok Tenko ? There's body wash and shampoo right on the side of the tub.” And with that, she closed the door.
Tenko looked around the small space, just wide enough to hold a bathtub. He sighed, placing the shirt in his hands on the floor before undressing himself from everything but his gloves and entering the warm water.
He sat down, holding his hands above the water like they were active wires. It felt like his hands were bombs, waiting to detonate at any moment. How can I …
That's when he thought back to when he held the gloves. Holding them with only two fingers seemed to keep the gloves intact …
He slid one off carefully, hands beginning to shake more as his blood-soaked palm was revealed. He then moved to slip the other off with two fingers, both hands being revealed. He kept them above the water, staying still for a long time before moving again.
He reached for the bottle of body wash slowly, grabbing with only four fingers instead of five. He winced as soon as the cold bottle touched his hand, somewhat dried blood smearing against it, expecting it to crumble.
And yet, it didn't.
He pulled it towards himself slowly, surprised to see it still in his hands. He carefully opened the cap with two fingers, then poured some into his palm. He carefully set the bottle back onto the edge of the tub before scrubbing his hands clean. The water turned a pale shade of pink, mixing with the suds of the soap covering his hands. Slowly, he lowered his hands into the water, hoping it wouldn't dissolve simply from being in contact with his hands. And to his luck, it didn't.
He continued to clean himself in slow motions, careful not to destroy any of the objects in the kind woman's bathroom. He finally slid out of the tub, drying himself carefully and putting on the shirt that was only just small enough to cover his whole body without sagging against the floor.
He moved to put the gloves on, only to realize the inside was still covered in dried blood.
That's when Inko knocked on the door. “Tenko ?” She called to him, careful to open the door slowly. “Are you alri— oh !” She smiled at the sight of him, now clean with damp hair. She noticed the gloves and his clothes on the floor, grabbing them slowly to put in the washer. “Let me get these clean for you, I made dinner ! Feel free to eat whatever you see ! You must be hungry, no ?”
He nodded slowly, already fantasizing about food as soon as the words left her mouth.
“Go on ahead, I'll be there in a moment.” She kept up that same kind, genuine smile. She radiated warmth, like a fireplace on a winter night.
He stepped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, climbing up into a seat, careful to keep one finger closed into his palm as he did. He sat up, only to immediately be so engrossed at the sight of food he grabbed the chopsticks with all five fingers, watching as it dissipated in his hands.
Just as this happened, Inko walked back in, simply letting out a short breath, “It's alright Tenko, we have more in the kitchen !”
He let out a small sigh of relief, terrified of the possibility of being thrown out for destroying her property. She had been so kind to him, and all he had done was destroy her stuff …
She set the new pair down next to him, not even flinching as her hand brushed his. “There. Be careful, some of the food is still a bit hot !”
He looked up to her, tears beginning to form in his eyes. Why was she being so kind to him ? Shouldn't she hate him, just like his father did ?
She smiled just the same, taking a seat close to him. Only then did she notice the tears across his face. “Are you alright, Tenko ?”
“.. Thank you.” He mumbled, wiping the tears from his face. “Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya.”
Her face fell to something far softer, heart melting at the sight of a crying child. A few tears edged her eyes as well, “It's not a problem, hun.”
After giving him a moment to collect himself, she helped plate the food in front of him, and he quickly grew excited at the sight of one dish.
It was ohagi, his favorite. And it looked homemade, too.
She seemed to notice his change in expression as she plated the ohagi, but kept her words to herself.
He then looked to her, as if asking for permission to start eating.
“Eat as much as you want to, Tenko. No use going hungry, is there ?” She began plating her own food as she said this.
He took that as his yes.
After dinner, a knock was heard on her apartment door, startling Tenko in his seat. She moved quickly, saying, “Oh, they're here !” While a more static expression spread across her face.
Tenko's eyes widened as she opened the door. The police ?!
“Tenko,” Inko started, allowing the officers to come in. “These nice men have a few questions for you. Is that alright ?”
He gave a look of terror, like he had been caught straight in the act of a heinous crime. He began shaking in his seat, unable to move from fear.
“Tenko ?” She offered a hand, slowly putting it on his shoulder, making sure to keep her hands visible to him as she did in assurance she had no intention of hurting him. “It's alright, you're not in any trouble. They just want to help you find your family—”
“No !” He shouted on instinct, pulling away from her. He didn't understand. Why would he want to go back there ? She didn't know, did she ? She couldn't have. So …
“Hey, kid.” One police officer with a cat face stepped forward a little, “It's alright, we're not going to hurt you. We just—”
“You can't take me back there ! Can't I live here instead ?!” He slid off the chair, backing himself into the wall. He pulled his hair a little with one hand, scratching his neck with the other hand as his emotions surged forward again, adrenaline rising higher. “She's been so nice to me .. she—”
“We just want to take you back to your family, kid.” The other officer spoke, then turned to Inko. “It's Shimura, right ?”
“That's what he told me, sir.” Inko answered, giving a guilty look to Tenko. She mouthed ‘I'm sorry’, tears again welling in her eyes.
At the end of it all, they took him back home, only to find the very scene he had created. They assumed it was some sort of villain attack, Tenko now being clean of any evidence they could have used against him, and Inko remaining silent on the blood she had seen.
He was meant to enter the foster system. To bounce back and forth between homes until he was an adult, like most children in his case.
That is, until Inko Midoriya herself fought for him. Being a married woman whose husband was wealthy enough to afford them a liveable space made for 3 people, it was easier to win her case.
And so, Tenko Shimura moved into the Midoriya household.
“Hey mom !” An excited 15 year old Tenko Midoriya called from his room, “Guess who's on the news !”
“Let me guess,” She called from the kitchen, walking down the hallway to his shared room. “Eraserhead ?” She leaned against the doorframe, smiling at the sight of her child. Mostly fan-made Eraserhead merchandise was plastered along his half of the bedroom, officially made All Might posters plastered across the other half above a bed next to him and his brother's shared desk.
“Yeah !” He smiled, eyes trained on the computer screen. “He's so cool ..” He mumbled under his breath, watching him beat up a few somewhat-high ranking villains as he detained them with his scarf / capture weapon.
“You know your brother's gonna be home soon, right ? I don't want you boys fighting over the computer again …” Inko grimaced at the memory.
“I'll get off in a moment,” He waved his hand at her dismissively, “Just wanna finish this !”
Inko rolled her eyes, walking back into the kitchen to continue the dishes.
Tenko spent the next hour watching the news, watching as the press attempted to catch the elusive Eraserhead in action on camera.
With that, he was too distracted to hear his brother approaching …
“Surprise !” A green-haired boy with freckles pounced the white haired teenager at the computer, tackling him into a hug onto the floor.
“Hey— !” Tenko overpowered the 10 year old, pushing him off. “What the hell !” He teased his brother, standing up.
“Got ya, didn't I !” Izuku Midoriya giggled, brushing himself off as he stood up fully.
“Uh, nuhuh.” Tenko shoved him, “You just surprised me. There's a difference.”
“You're just a sore loser !” Izuku teased his older brother. “I can't believe you get to get out of school a whole week earlier than me. Just because you graduated middle school !” Izuku shoved him back, “No fair !”
“Yeah, well,” Tenko sighed, “That's what it means to be the older one, isn't it ?”
“Frick off,” Izuku threw his bag off of himself and next to the bed, picking the computer chair up off the floor. “It's my turn on the computer. You got your phone. Shoo !” He waved him off playfully.
“Yeah yeah,” Tenko, with a glove covering two fingers, grabbed his phone from his pocket. “I get the drill.” He fell back onto his bed, grabbing his earbuds from his other pocket and plugging them into his phone. He turned on his own playlist, laying back with his long white hair scattered under him.
It had been almost 9 years since that day. Yet, even if it wasn't perfect, this was home. This is where he was welcomed, where he belonged.
That is, besides his other home of choice.