Chapter Text
Tenko’s breath catches in his throat.
He can feel the eyes of All Might and his family focused on him, all of them waiting to see his reaction, but all he can think of is the little old man standing in front of him.
His family.
It’s been so long since he’s had family of any kind, and he’s so desperate to have that kind of connection, to finally belong somewhere.
He doesn’t even care that they’re not, technically, related.
Because once upon a time, this man had loved his grandmother, had possibly even helped raise Tenko’s father.
And he wouldn’t be here, with All Might, in this hospital room, if he didn’t at least care about Tenko’s well-being in some small way, right?
Tenko wants to step forward, to reach out, but he’s been pushed away so many times in his short life, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to stand it if this last small ray of hope is ripped away from him as well.
But Gran Torino smiles at him, just a slight upwards tilt of his lips, and his entire countenance changes.
“It’s good to meet you, Tenko-kun,” he says in a gruff voice that might be hiding tears.
Tenko can’t stop the sob that escapes his throat then, can’t stop himself from closing those last few steps between them and wrapping his arms around Gran Torino.
There’s a moment of hesitation, so brief Tenko almost doesn’t notice it, but then the hero’s arms come up around him, and there’s a small, distant part of Tenko that’s surprised at the strength in them.
But mostly, he’s focused on trying not to cry too loudly, lest he wake up Himiko-chan.
“There, there,” says Gran Torino awkwardly, as if he’s unused to comforting crying children. “It must have been very hard for you.”
He pauses again, then, after a few moments of deliberation, he says, “I am sorry, for not being there for you all this time,” and it rings truer than his previous platitudes.
Tenko shakes his head, still not letting go of the older man.
“You’re here now,” he sobs, and in that moment, that’s all that really matters.
There’s a soft exhale, and a tension he hadn’t even noticed loosens in Gran Torino.
When Himiko wakes up and finds herself alone in her hospital bed, she can’t help but panic.
Because she distinctly remembers falling asleep with Tenko-kun next to her, and even though she’s still in her own familiar hospital bed, she can’t help but think back to when she had been kidnapped by those scary men who had kept her in a dark room and hadn’t given her enough food or water.
Her breath is coming hard and fast, and she doesn’t notice the sound of the murmured conversation happening on the other side of her hospital room until she throws open her privacy curtain, and suddenly finds five pairs of eyes focused on her.
She stops short when she notices that one of them belongs to Tenko, and feels the worried knot in her chest loosen greatly. He’s sitting next to an older gentleman, and the skin around his eyes is red and raw from crying, and Himiko is so worried at the sight of it that she doesn’t notice the reactions of the others in the room when they see her face.
She doesn’t notice the way Izuku’s brilliant green eyes widen in alarm, the way his skin goes white as a sheet, the way his hand tightens around his mother’s arm. Inko’s brows knit together in confusion as she notices her son’s discomfort, but before she can ask him what’s wrong, All Might rises from his seat and steps in front of Izuku, using all seven feet of his considerable bulk to cut off his line of sight.
This, Himiko does notice.
And when she turns to see All Might standing only a stone’s throw away, she lets out a shriek of delight, and starts bouncing in excitement. Izuku flinches violently at the sound, his breath coming faster. Neither Tenko nor Himiko notice his reaction, hidden as he is behind All Might, but Gran Torino shoots him a concerned look.
“Oh my gosh, it’s All Might!” Himiko exclaims in her bubbly voice. “Look, Tenko-kun! All Might is in our room!”
All Might laughs, bold and bright, and only Gran Torino notices the stiffness of it.
“It’s good to see you recovering so well, young one!” All Might exclaims, moving forward to pat her on the head. “Has everything been okay with your stay so far?”
“Uh huh!” Himiko answers brightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Sometimes, I have nightmares, but Tenko-kun helps me out with them! He’s my best friend in the whole wide world!”
“Is that so?” asks All Might, beaming a happy smile at Tenko. “That’s very nice of you, Tenko-kun!”
Tenko ducks his head to hide the way his face flushes with pleasure.
With Himiko so busy babbling about how amazing her new friend is, and Tenko trying (unsuccessfully) to deflect all the praise, neither of them notice as Inko surreptitiously leads a very shaken up Izuku out of the room.
Gran Torino watches the two go, his gaze troubled.
Before he can think too long on it however, Tenko is introducing him to Himiko, and he has to pull his attention back to the conversation at hand.
And that’s the situation Present Mic stumbles into only a minute later.
The shy, withdrawn little girl that the nurses had described to him over the phone is nowhere to be seen, and in her place is a bubbly little blonde with doll-like features, giggling and bouncing all over the place as she talks to All Might and an older hero.
Mic adores her instantly.
Shouta is twenty-five years old, a grown adult long out of high school and a respectable hero in his own right.
No matter how old he gets though, being back in Principal Nedzu’s office and sitting across from him at his desk, he can’t help but feel like a student again, trying desperately to please the man he respects so much.
“Are you unhappy with your job?” asks Nedzu. He holds Shouta’s gaze with unblinking eyes and his voice is free of judgement.
“Not at all,” Shouta answers honestly. “It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding. It’s what I was born to do.”
Nedzu nods but doesn’t say anything, waiting for him to continue.
Shouta shrugs. “I wouldn’t give it up for the world,” he says. “But at the same time, I feel like I could be doing more. I…I want to help children, the same way you and all the other teachers at UA helped me. I want to give them the experience and training they need to be the heroes of tomorrow…I want to be a role model for kids who maybe don’t have flashy physical enhancement quirks, but want to be heroes anyways.”
‘Like me,’ he doesn’t say.
Nedzu smiles in approval.
“It won’t be easy,” he warns. “Especially if you want to keep being a hero.”
Shouta nods in acknowledgement. “I’m prepared.”
“You will have to earn your teaching license if your goal is to work at UA.”
Shouta nods again. “I am aware.”
Nedzu’s smile widens. “Well, as long as you’re ready to put in the hard work, I don’t see why this can’t work out. Seeing as you’re planning on becoming a heroics teacher, it should be a snap to get you on an accelerated three-year course, thanks to your extensive experience as a hero.”
Shouta’s eyes light up, and he bows his head in gratitude.
“I appreciate your help in this matter, Nedzu-sensei.”
Nedzu just laughs in response. “Don’t thank me just yet,” he says, leaning back in his chair and joining his hands in front of him. “There is one thing I’d like to ask of you in return.”
“Of course,” Shouta replies quickly. “If it’s within my power, I would be happy to help you out, sensei.”
“Well, a certain someone recently approached me, looking for a tutor for his son,” Nedzu explains, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “The child is being homeschooled, you see. He already has teachers for his regular lessons, but his father would like him to start learning the basics of heroics as well, to prepare him to attend UA in the future. The child is still young, so it would only be for a few hours a week.”