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Things have always been delicate within the Shimura household. Well, delicate would be putting it nicely. Tenko knew it was a balancing act and he was only six. He had rules, and he had to obey them or he’d be left outside.
Outside in the garden, the place he was allergic to.
Tenko had broken that balance by looking at Grandma, Tenko had broken his rules by following his big sister and then being blamed for it. Tenko had reacted as any child would, had begged and cried but that had only made father angrier.
It wasn’t the first time father had hit him, but it would be the last.
Tenko hadn’t wanted to kill Mimi, Hana or his mother. He was unsure if his grandparents had been in an accident in the decaying house or not. But father had been intentional, had been almost gleeful.
But that now left him on the streets. Walking barefoot passed people who took one look at his dirty, bloody self and turned the other way. Now, Tenko was sure someone would help. Someone would reach out…right?
But no, it was day four and his stomach hurt. He was tired, hurting and done. It was then he heard the whispers, whispers of Anomaly. A villain, a murderer who prowled the streets. Tenko lulled in his limbo to these stories, slipped through the cracks and tried not to cry.
Day six was when it stopped, he was sitting under a bridge. He had eaten finally, though it made him feel sick. When a pair of legs entered his vision. Looking up, he came face to face with a man.
He looked nothing like his father. Nor anything like the hypocrites that walked the daylight. No, this man was green. Green curls, scars that seemed to mark pale skin. Tenko noted freckles, muscles that seemed to strain the dress shirt he was wearing and black shoes that really shouldn’t be treading the dirt.
“Shimura,” the man stated, before crouching down and looking eye to eye. Red to Green. This man wasn’t delicate, no, there was an edge to him that made his palms itch and his throat burn. “I’ve been looking for you, about time someone saved you, yeah?” the man asked, a smirk dancing his lips.
“Why?” Tenko felt himself ask, Why was he offering to help? Why was he doing anything? Why him?
“Mmm, My father wants you and I am going to do anything and everything to make sure that does not happen,” the man replied, hands clasped together as he stayed in the position. Didn’t that hurt? Tenko thought back on fathers and felt the flicker of hope and trust, even if it felted double-edged.
“So where are you going to take me?” Tenko asked, he was so…so…tired.
“Leave that to me, just know that it’ll be warm and safe,” Tenko flinched as the greenette reached out, stopping a breath away. Like he was waiting for Tenko to give the okay. The powdered blue-haired boy nodded and then fell into the greenette. Sleep took him easily as Tenko finally felt warmth.
Izuku looked down at the skinny boy, a fucking child, and felt his hate for society burn. He had been walking for a week at most, feet cut up and bruised, and he hated how the child had ended up here. How had no one seen this?? He pulled the child up, careful of the boy’s hands (and his quirk) before heading off into the darkness.
Tenko woke up in a sweet-smelling softness, almost like a cloud, and felt himself burrow into the cotton more. He could hear slight murmurs and what sounded like more than one person moving around.
Escaping what he now knew as blankets, the 6-year-old silently walked to the door to listen, he had learned to be silent. Silent meant no punishment.
“You can’t just turn up at my apartment at 11pm with a child and not expect me to ask questions, Anomaly,” came a gruff voice, it sounded angry but also worried. Weird.
“I know, Eraser, but I can’t tell you, at least until he is dealt with. Tenko needs to be safe and you are the only one I know can help. Isn’t it your job?” the voice was the same from the man. So the green man was Anomaly? The green man was a villain and murderer…
“You only use that when things are bad, I am a Pro Anomaly, I can help!” the gruff voice hissed, anger flaring at the other. Tenko frowned at that. Why was a Pro hero talking to a villain?
“Not with this, not with him, God Sho, I wish you could. Your quirk would fix so much. But I can’t lose you, not to that man,” the green voice sounded strained and it was so surreal…
Tenko pushed the door and walked out, coming to see the green man sat with a mug of coffee and a hobo-looking man pacing. Green eyes were on him immediately which was slightly scary, he was being silent. Green man should not have seen or heard him.
“So you are just going back there? Alone?” the hobo asked, looking downright murderous, “I haven’t known you long, Anomaly, but you are not this reckless!” the hero (HERO!) snapped, which caused Tenko to retreat slightly.
“Hello Tenko, did you sleep well?” Anomaly asked, eyes moving from Eraser (Or Sho?) and back to him.
“W-where are we?” the boy asked, red eyes not moving off the black-haired man.
“Tenko, this is Aizawa he is…a dear friend of mine, he’ll be looking after you for now,” Green man stood and put the mug down, the look he gave Hobo was a mix between sorrow and guilt, before walking to Tenko. “Is that okay?” he was kneeling now, in front of the child like it was normal, like getting down to his level was basic level.
“…He’s a hero?” Tenko whispered, red eyes not moving off the other man. Who seemed furious but also…afraid?
“Mmhmm, Aizawa here is an underground hero. He can tell you all about it, if you want?” Anomaly asked, with a sweet smile that didn’t reach the viridian pools, “He will protect you until I…fix the problem I told you about,” Tenko nodded and fiddled with his shirt. It had been changed.
“With…father?” Tenko whimpered slightly, the idea of a man just like his dad being out there hunting him was terrifying, Tenko watched a dark look pass the man’s face before he was pulled into a hug. Tenko felt tears, this was too warm.
“Yes,” came a whisper and then a promise, he would be protected while with Aizawa and he would remain protected. Then the green man was gone, like dust in the wind, and Tenko was left with the hero.
Aizawa was different. Tenko had been with the man for months and still couldn’t figure him out. He was firm, strict but also kind. His quirk was Erasure and was perfect in helping Tenko gain control.
They had gotten him gloves, special gloves, and he was allowed to go to school! And the more time he spent with Aizawa, the more he learned about underground heroics. The more he learned about Anomaly.
Anomaly was just that, an Anomaly.
Not quite a hero, not quite a villain. Green hadn’t come around again, hadn’t appeared again to check on him. But Aizawa had told the boy that the other was still alive, if not spiralling a little. It was 7 months later when Anomaly turned up in the middle of the night, slightly deranged and hysterical.
Anomaly had killed his father too. Anomaly had destroyed the delicate balance of the underworld and claimed the ‘cursed throne’ for himself. Tenko watched from the crack of his bedroom door as the man who seemed so strong months ago broke down to Aizawa. How he had cried, pulled at the green curls and dug nails into his arms.
Tenko knew that feeling. Aizawa had put him into therapy shortly after he arrived there, and as he watched Anomaly, he wondered if the greenette had someone to talk to…And then he realised that Aizawa was that someone.
When his caretaker had disappeared, Tenko approached the man with a frown and stood before him. Green eyes looked up into red ones and Tenko felt a piece of himself cry at the sad smile.
“Hello Tenko, how have you been?” the man asked, voice scratchy and trying not to tremble.
“I am happy here, you chose good,” Tenko nodded and then shuffled faintly, “I heard…we have t-that in common,” he said softly, looking at the ground instead of those green eyes.
“Oh Tenko, I am sorry,” the man sighed and leaned down. Head in his hands, with a fresh set of tears already pooling in his eyes. “If you are feeling what I am, god, you are too young for this, I am too young for this,” Tenko snorted at that, but was glad to see a smile on the villain’s face. Because Anomaly was his hero.
“I was happy when…when it happened, but that made me f-feel guilty, like I was broken, but Miss Yuri says that’s normal. Because he hurt me, and I am a-allowed to feel relief…so are y-you, Anomaly,” Tenko bit his lip and looked up to such a soft look it made Tenko gulp.
“Thank you, Tenko, but you can call me Izuku, okay?” he asked and glanced back towards the other male in the apartment.
“So, the big bad was your father?” Aizawa asked, Tenko jumped at his voice and then turned to his caretaker.
“Mmm, among other things,” Izuku replied and sighed, “it’s a long and not pleasant story. Not for young ears,” Izuku smirked at Tenko who frowned.
“I am nearly Seven!” Tenko huffed and folded his arms with a pout,
Both men chuckled and the rest of the night was spent just enjoying the calm. Tenko wouldn’t admit he cared for the two now, nor would he admit that he was getting attached. But he was, and he was safe here.
The years passed and Tenko stayed with Aizawa, was soon adopted and spent every weekend training for Heroics’. It was during his second year at UA when he learned the true depth of Anomaly and his crimes. From All Might. All Might who had been trained by his grandmother.
And Tenko was furious.
Sure, Aizawa (dad by this time) had explained that Anomaly had a hero license, but ignored the HPSC. Had gone through the crimes with a pinch of salt, considering most of the murders were of killers, traffickers and others.
But that led to learning that Anomaly still ruled the Underworld and he did so firmly, with no other option. He was conflicted and with not being able to meet with the greenette, that festered. (Part of him wondered why All Might seemed so keen to keep that fury going, but he ignored that).
When Tenko graduated as the Underground Hero: Wither, he used everything to find information on Anomaly. The Commission hated him, All Might seemed afraid of the supposed shadow behind Anomaly (This is what made Tenko pause in his crusade because he knew the shadow behind the man. The now dead shadow). Aizawa tried to talk logically, but Tenko had recalled the soft looks and how deep both men were in this.
Emotions made everything weird.
But then the USJ and learning that Izuku had just happened to attack UA (was it really an attack if all that happened was coffee?) and Tenko learned about the history between Bakugo and Izuku. More things he hadn’t known but wanted to know. This fuelled something, but he wasn’t sure what.
Tenko hadn’t expected Izuku to turn up a few weeks later with a proposal. A fucking proposal! He had wanted to stab the man, really, or decay some part of him (a very specific part) but Aizawa was dying. Izuku was so much like that first day, so much like that man he remembered under a bridge that Tenko had simply clammed up.
He often forgot how dangerous Izuku could actually be, the running joke he had been hunting him was completely forgotten at the sight of those burning eyes. Plus, Tenko knew that his new dad wouldn't say no. Not if it was the green idiot.
So he agreed, allowed the three idioteers to basically marry Japan's crime boss to a Pro hero and that somehow led to Anomaly being his…step-father? God, this was weird. And when dad had woke up, All Might started acting weird too. The blonde hero seemed almost always distracted, dazed and a little green around the gills. Tenko packed his crusade in completely and focused on being the best hero he could be.
Which is how he met Dabi, and Himiko, and Twice. And somehow made a band of kind-of criminals and villains into a spy network. This had led to Anomaly appearing now and again while on patrol, with snarky comments about the ‘magic of friendship’ and yes, Izuku kept his deal at the end of the day and let Tenko stab him. Izuku had given him full choice and Tenko had simply grinned.
Tenko chose a sharp pencil, and stabbed him, full force, in the arm. Izuku had yelped and played it fully to Aizawa. Who had looked so done with the both of them.
Even now, as Tenko sat on the couch watching his dad make food while Izuku ranted on and on about some idiotic criminal who wanted to be a villain, but all he ever did was steal people’s left shoes. He wondered if this was what having a family felt like.
The first time he accidentally called Izuku Pops, the greenette had choked on his drink and went flying headfirst into the pavement. Dad had nearly died laughing while Tenko stood there mortified, with a deep blush on his cheeks. Both older men refused to let it go, so Tenko just accepted his fate…
Even if he didn’t fully understand what was happening.