an: this was so fun to make! also please feel free to keep giving requests, i need more inspo and motivation ^^ (to the ones i didn’t answer yet, which is like 2, pls give me time! i want all my writings to be good and not forced out! i like making sure i give people quality!!)
summary: another year, another christmas with your family. but this year, you have backup. | hurt/comfort, your family is mean, cursing.
pairing: tomura shigaraki (tenko shimura) x gn!reader
a/n: i know :0 two posts in one week? what’s going on? lmao i kid i kid. this is my christmas present for @redr0sewrites and @unlovablelover !! sorry for ooc i’ve never written for my shiggy before :’(
YOU WERE STRESSED.
nothing was fitting right. this shirt’s fabric was too scratchy, that one was too slippery, that one was too warm - your mom always blasted the heat in her house - that one was too thin, and that one-
“love?” came a familiar, gravelly voice from the doorway of your shared room. you froze where you’d been tossing another shirt to the floor, as if you’d just been caught doing something you shouldn’t be. “are you.. okay?”
after a beat, you straightened, still holding the shirt you’d been about to discard as another reject for the night. “.. yeah,” you mumbled, rolling your shoulders back to loosen them. “just, uh.. trying to get dressed.”
you heard him hum in acknowledgement. you didn’t look up at him; he knew you too well. one look in your eyes and he’d have you figured out.
“i’ll be a few minutes,” you continued, all-too-aware of his footsteps in the carpet as he approached. “if you want to wait in the car, i’ll be out-”
his hand came up to trace the line of your jaw, and you - momentarily - forgot how to form words. he was gentle, so gentle, in the way his fingertips brushed over your skin, coming up to lift your chin so you’d meet his gaze.
at first, you pointedly kept your gaze on his neck. there was a dot of moisturizer he must’ve forgotten to smooth out, which you now wanted to rub into his skin. but then he brushed his thumb over your cheek, and your eyes snapped to his.
tomura shigaraki was not known to be a patient person. not by his friends, and definitely not by his estranged father. but with you? he’d wait forever.
so, he waited for you to explain. the way your gaze kept dipping from his told him you didn’t want him to know, and the mess of clothes on the floor and the bed said enough about your nerves for this dinner. one that you’d warned tomura about a good six times already.
“need help?” he murmured, a slight rasp accompanying his words. he was already dressed; dark slacks, a light blue sweater, and a black jacket he’d probably end up discarding as the night progressed.
you jerked your head to the side. “no,” you muttered. you could at least dress yourself. this wasn’t even the hardest part of the night; if you couldn’t pick out your own shirt, how would dinner go?
tomura hummed, raising his other hand to take the shirt you’d been gripping from you. “well, i think you should wear the blue sweater i got you,” he said. “so we can match.”
you huffed a short laugh. “thought i just said i didn’t need help,” you said, shutting your eyes so you wouldn’t have to meet his. “.. where’s the sweater?”
you knew he was smirking just by the sound of how his lips curved around his words. “under the tree,” he said, pulling one of your eyes open like he knew it’d piss you off. “want to open a few gifts early?”
an hour an a half later, after opening a few more presents than strictly necessary, a mug of hot chocolate, a few too many pictures taken on tomura’s cracked iphone, and a car ride of cheesy christmas carols, you were on the doorstep to your parent’s house. snow drifted down lazily, blanketing the ground and catching in yours and tomura’s hair.
he rang the doorbell, since both of your hands were occupied with the cake you’d made together. inside, you heard music and voices overlapping, which were only amplified as your cousin opened the door, offering a smile and gesturing you both inside.
general chaos ensued once you had entered. from setting the cake down, finding a spot to put both your shoes and coats, finding a spot to sit only to get up immediately to help set the table, following your grandmother’s directions for a few last-minute dishes, and to finally collapsing into your seat at the table beside tomura, who was already watching you with those worried eyes.
beneath the table, his hand found yours, interlacing your fingers. internally, you thanked every deity there was for his presence beside you; it was like his existence just fixed things for you. even the headache that had begun to build behind your eyes was starting to abate. or maybe it’s because dinner had finally begun, and you were free to eat.
which more than a few people took note of.
“my, are you really going to finish all that?” asked your aunt, sitting three seats over from tomura on your left. “leave some for us!”
you felt your cheeks heat as laughter echoed around the room. you dropped the serving spoon back into the pan, suddenly feeling your appetite vanish into the air. you knew she meant it as a “joke”, but really? she had double on her plate!
“you seem to have more than enough already,” came a cool voice to your left, making your attention snap to your boyfriend. his red eyes seemed almost on fire as he glared at your aunt, daring her to drop another comment. “i’m sure half the dish is on your plate.”
silence ensued for more than a brief moment. “tomura!” you hissed, all-too-aware of the looks your parents shared; disapproval. “i’m sorry, he didn’t-”
“i meant it,” he cut in, reaching under the table to set his hand on your thigh, his thumb rubbing into the fabric of your pants. “don’t comment on their food when you’re stuffing your face.”
your aunt’s face was a beautiful shade of cherry red. her mouth opened and closed just like a fish as she tried to find a rebuttal. she was saved by her husband, who asked somebody how their college courses were going, and the spell of silence was broken.
“tomura,” you immediately whispered now that the attention was off the pair of you. “what was-”
“she was insulting you,” he said, the fire gone from his eyes, instead replaced by confusion. “you didn’t notice?”
your heart seized in your chest. he was so wonderful that it hurt. “i- i did, i just mean- we normally just let her say what she wants,” you clarified. hints of that fire began to creep back in, and you quickly turned back to your plate. “this is.. uh.. normal.”
tomura’s hand squeezed your thigh reassuringly. “doesn’t make it right,” he grumbled, lifting a spoon of mashed potatoes to his lips with his unoccupied hand. he grimaced at the taste. “what is this?”
you bit your lip to stifle a giggle. “mashed potatoes, hun,” you said, well-aware your youngest cousin had been in charge of that dish.
“this is a crime against potatoes.”
“a nine-year-old made it.”
“and you didn’t tell me?”
but, of course, your laughter wasn’t meant to last. your and tomura’s smiles caught the attention of your uncle; not your aunt’s wife, but your father’s brother, who’d had six kids from five different one-night-stands, and who all never made it to christmas dinner.
“so!” your uncle said, dropping his fork on his napkin and smiling - falsely - at you and tomura. “how did the two of you meet? i’m assuming at work, since they never go out,” he chortled. his current girlfriend (of three weeks) sat on his right and giggled along.
you would’ve mumbled a half-hearted response if you could’ve, but suddenly everyone’s attention was on you and tomura again. really? and you knew they wouldn’t approve of how you two had actually met.
(you had logged onto fortnite for the first time in years. some of your coworkers had been raving about the new update, but they were still highschoolers, so you’d dismissed it at first. but it’d begun to pique your curiosity, so here you were.
you’d never been a duos player, but you wanted to try it for once. was it easier to win this way?
you matched with some player with the tag kittenlitteryum and classified him as either a middle schooler or a highschooler. but when you joined the voice chat with him, you were pleasantly surprised to hear a much more mature voice than you were expecting.
for the next several weeks, every day after work, you logged into fortnite and played a few rounds with kittenlitteryum. the two of you got to chatting, and you realized you didn’t live all too far from each other.
so, like any self-respecting adult, you set up a day to meet your online friend.
you’d met in a coffee shop a few blocks over from your apartment, just in case he turned out to be a psycho. but, he turned out to be quite normal. and sweet. and kind.
before you knew it, you were crushing on your duos partner. who, as it turned out, was also crushing on you. however, neither of you had the balls to ask each other out, and it wasn’t until you met some of his friends that anything really happened.
“how do you know tomura?” you asked, accepting the mug of mint tea mister compress offered you. he didn’t give a hint about his first name, so you just assumed maybe the mister part was his first name.
he shared a look with a scarred man who’d introduced himself as dabi. “school,” said dabi plainly. “worked on a humanities project in sophomore year and we’ve stuck together since.”
“cool,” you murmured, severely out of practice with making new friends. you’d had your coworkers and your old friends from school for years, never bothering to inch out of your comfort zone. “.. does he only play fortnite?”
dabi laughed. “nah, man’s obsessed with gaming in general. so, are you his fortnite spouse?” he asked, shooting you a smirk. “he never shuts up about you.”
heat rushed to your cheeks. “w-what?” you asked. “that’s- he’s called me his fortnite spouse?”
tomura, who’d been about to enter the room, slammed the door open before dabi could say anything else. “out,” he grumbled to his two friends. “there’s a cat in the alley for you to feed.”
dabi, smirking all the while, sauntered out the door, followed closely by mister compress, who fanned his cheeks as if he were flustered and then pointed to tomura - who slammed the door behind them as they left.
“.. ignore them,” he said after a few beats of silence. “that’s not- i- i wanted to ask you properly, but of course dabi’s dumbass had to go and fuck it up-”
“ask me what?”)
“we met at my work,” tomura said, responding so you wouldn’t have to. “i’m a coffee shop barista. they were in my line, and i thought they were cute, so i gave them my number and we started talking.”
beneath the table, he continued rubbing small circles into the fabric of your pants, soothing your nerves without needing to be asked. you reached down to interlace your fingers with his, thankful for his presence.
“you work at a coffee shop?” asked your uncle’s girlfriend. “in this economy? don’t tell me you’re on foodstamps, too.”
anger boiled in your stomach. “shut up,” you snapped at her. “at least he doesn’t live off of daddy’s money, like someone else.”
“that was rude,” interjected your aunt, who then turned to your parents. “where did we go wrong? i swear they weren’t like this before they moved out.”
“not a clue,” said your father, who was glaring at you. your stomach turned. “they used to be such a good kid.”
before anybody else could add or take from the - incredibly pointless - argument, tomura’s warmth vanished from your thigh as he shot up and slammed his hands down on the table, rattling the dishes.
nobody said anything. his shoulders raised and lowered as he fought to calm his breath, gripping the wood of the table like he’d snap it in two again.
“say another word about my partner again,” he began, his voice low but the threat obvious, “i’ll do a lot more than ruin your precious christmas dinner.”
he shoved his chair out and offered his hand to you. “come on, time to go.”
you hesitated. as much as you loved him, as much as you hated your family, you still felt.. tied here. they were your blood.
“love,” tomura insisted quietly, and you had all the convincing you needed. you hurried to your feet and accepted his hand, and he tugged you closer to him.
“merry christmas,” tomura grunted to your family, leading you out of the dining room by your hand.
the next thing you knew, he was buckling you into the passenger seat of your car. you had no recollection of putting your boots back on, or your jacket, or bringing your cake back, which you saw in the backseat.
“tomura, i can drive,” you protested, knowing he hated driving. especially in the snow.
“shush,” he said, kissing your cheek and shutting the passenger-side door. you watched him as he walked around the front of the car to the driver-side door and climbed inside, adjusting the seat before he started the car.
the christmas carols you’d been playing on the drive over started as the car turned on. they felt unbearably cheerful in comparison to your tumultuous feelings after that dinner party. thankfully, tomura took notice, and he turned the radio off.
“.. thank you,” you murmured. he hadn’t pulled away from the curb yet; his eyes were on you. the fire from earlier had dimmed, and worry was all that you saw. “we can, uh, start heading home now.”
“are you sure?” he asked, reaching across the console to take one of your hands in his. “do you want to talk about it?”
you pursed your lips. “not, uh.. not really,” you mumbled.
tomura squeezed your hand, dropped it to shift the car into drive, and then reclaimed it just as quick.
after you’d gotten home and put the - untouched - cake away, tomura busied himself with cozying up the living room. the unopened presents were set on the coffee table for ease of access, a few candles were lit and filling the room with the smell of cinnamon and peppermint, some cheesy feel-good christmas movies had been queued on the tv, and the blanket collection had been broken out, covering the couch.
he sat you down on your preferred side and wrapped you in two blankets before he left your side, only to return a few minutes later carrying a tray he set on the table; two mugs of something steaming, two plates of leftovers from your christmas eve dinner the night before, and two slices of the cake you’d made together.
“eat,” he said simply, handing you your plate and a fork. his eyes stayed on you as you pushed your food around. “babe.”
“i’m not hungry.”
“your aunt’s a piece of shit. eat,” he insisted. when you still didn’t, he took your fork from you and scooped some (edible) mashed potatoes off your plate. “open.”
you frowned at him. “i’m not a toddler,” you said, jerking your chin away as he tried to force the fork into your mouth.
“you can feed yourself,” he grunted as he caught your face, prying your lips apart with his thumb and forefinger as he tried to force the potatoes into your mouth, “or you can let me feed you.”
you grunted as he pried your mouth open, the pair of you stubborn as a pair of rocks, but he ultimately won.
once tomura had satisfied himself with feeding you, he pulled you into his lap and played the first movie in the queue.
thirty minutes in, tomura finally said something.
“no offense,” he began, which meant he was about to say something offensive, “your family sucks ass. i dunno how you put up with them so long.”
you snorted. “that’s supposed to be not offensive?”
he hummed. “not to you. your uncle’s girlfriend’s a dick. and your aunt. and the rest of your family.”
another laugh squeezed its way out of your throat. “you’re ridiculous,” you muttered shaking your head and cosying into tomura. “.. thanks. for getting me outta there.”
you felt your boyfriend stiffen beneath you. his hand came up to cradle your head, rubbing the pads of his fingers into your scalp.
“never thank me for that,” he whispered into your temple. “also, we’re not doing that again. i’ll change your number if you need me to. you don’t deserve that bullshit.”
your heart squeezed. you had no idea what you’d done to deserve this blessing of a boyfriend, but you were glad you did it.
“okay,” you whispered, hiding your smile in his sweater. “.. merry christmas, tomura.”
a soft kiss was pressed to your temple. “merry christmas, my love.”
please forgive the wall of tags lmao but MERRY CHRISTMAS GANG
A douchey frat guy tries to hit on Y/N, only for her to shoot him down. But he’s PERSISTENT. Y/N tries to avoid him until she meets up with Tenko. Ylthe frat guy is SHOCKED that a babe like Y/N is with a ‘creep’ like Tenko Shimura! He tries to convince her to ditch him, until she finally snaps. Instead of tearing the douche a new asshole, she makes her point by aggressively making out with Tenko instead
“Well aren’t you a pretty little thing?” Some frat idiot slurred into your ear, way too close for comfort. You jerked back, turning around in an instant and seeing this guy who’s obviously trying to look sexy. He had a toothpick in his mouth, a surprisingly well maintained soul patch and some messy slicked back hair.
If you were any other girl, you’re sure you’d be at least a little intrigued. Maybe even attracted. But nah, he picked the worst target for flirts at the party.
“Thanks.” You replied apathetically, pointedly looking away from him and back at the busy bartender of the frat house. Your face was blank, your eyes wandering far from him, obviously not interested. Regardless, he persevered.
“S’ anyways, the other day I saw the stupid retro arcade game in the common area. I don’t usually play that stuff, y’know, it’s kinda for nerds. But-“ he glanced down at your phone, seeing the background having the same characters from the game. “Something tells me you dabble in it.” He continued.
“Anyways I got like, 20,000 points or whatever on my first try.” He boasted, and you had to stop yourself from laughing. Seriously? 20k? This guys trying to brag about a measly 20k? Tenko could get that with his eyes closed. Speaking of which…
“Hey y/n?!” You turned your head, searching for the speaker before your eyes landed on the makeshift bouncer at the door. Behind him, a disgruntled Tenko with his arms crossed. “He-yeah, Shimura over here says you invited him?” He chuckled in disbelief.
You held your forehead, shaking your head in dismay. Of course he wouldn’t be let in, damn it, why didn’t you think of that? He must’ve been waiting for you there for ages. Poor baby, you can’t believe you were so careless after all you’re begging for him to come.
Taking your head shaking as an answer, the bouncer turned back to Tenko, crossing his arms as well. “Alright, nice try man. Go home and… sniff panties or something I don’t know, pervert.” Even from the distance, you could see the hurt in tenkos eyes as he stared at you, utterly betrayed.
No. NO! You didn’t mean that-
“Ugh, what’s that guy doing here? Saying he knows you? What a creep. What say you I go over there and-“
The show-off next to you proposed, but you were already gone, hopped off your seat and dashing towards your sweet baby before the door closed. You yanked it open just in time and cried “Yes! Yes oh my god yes I invited him here babe I’m so sorry!”
Tenko let out a sigh of relief, smiling a little as you pulled him inside gently by the arm. You guided him to the bar where you were originally sitting, all the while gushing apologies.
“I promise babe I’ll make it up to you. Here, I got us some drinks coming it should only be a little bit.” You told him, taking your seat as Tenko took his. He just grunted in response, returning to the aloof brick wall he always became in public. (It just made the intimate moments with him in private where he practically melts under your praise all the sweeter)
The frat guy cleared his breath, taken off guard a bit, then after clearing his throat awkwardly, continued. “Yeah, uh, nice friend there, heh. Um… so, anyways, you wanna make my night and come to my place after this for some “coffee”.” He actually did air quotes for the ‘coffee’, being so unbelievably subtle.
Tenko stiffened at this, staring at you in an almost begging way as his tear-jerkingly vulnerable eyes just dared you to pretend you didn’t know him again. They dared you to confirm his insecurities.
You scoffed, taking Tenkos hand in yours and showing it to the guy. “Yeah, no thanks. I’m taken.” In synchronize, the man frowned as Tenko smiled, his fears put to rest as you pressed a kiss to his forehead.
The man guffawed un-genuinely. “What? This creep? Seriously? You know he steals girls underwear right?-“
“not proven” Tenko grumbled.
“-right, sure, “not proven”. Seriously doll, what’s he got that I don’t!”
“Well, for one thing, deodorant.” You snapped.
Tenko cackled at that, and the guy fumed. Before losing his cool, he calmed himself under a blanket of delusion. “Whatever. Y’know what? ‘Bet this is all a set up. Yeah, bet you paid him or something so you could play hard to get. The bits over babe, heh, you can’t seriously believe someone like you, would be hanging around with someone like that instead of me.”
Now it was your turn to fume. You saw Tenkos lean muscles tense under his shirt, and his mouth opening as he was about to defend your relationship, but you beat him to the punch. In one swift movement, you made the other man speechless as when you grabbed Tenko by the back of his head and pulled him to you, messily colliding your lips.
He let out a muffled yelp of surprise, grabbing onto your shoulders instinctively as you moved into his lap for better access. You sucked on his tongue before infiltrating his mouth with yours, making him moan and his eye lids droop in pleasure.
The rude fellows jaw dropped, along with those around him at the scene. You were sure to go the extra mile in showing them just how much you loved your Ten-ten, theatrically grabbing his hair and pulling his head back, showing off the fresh hickies on his neck amongst all the scars. The deep purple bruises stuck out like a sore thumb.
“Holy shit!” One of the spectators hollered. “Fucking Shimuras getting more action than Davis!”
Ah, so thats his name. Davis. You could tell it was the sleaze-bags name by the way his face flushed red in embarrassment. He grumbled something before distancing himself from the both of you for the rest of the night lest he humiliate himself further.
Tenko had bit of a quiet night after that while you party-hardyied, opting to chill on the couch for a while playing Pokémon Black 2 while nursing on his whiskey. Every so often he’d glance in your direction, making sure you’re not doing something TOO stupid.
And when it was over, he carried you home bridal style. You weren’t so drunk that you couldn’t walk, but you were drunk enough to whine about wanting to be carried home. He didn’t really mind, it was a good workout anyways.
And when you both made it home, he tucked you into bed, kissing your forehead and placing a glass of water along with an Advil for when you woke up. Then, he grabbed his lock picking kit and made his way to the old flirty merty’s house. Davis, right? Yeah, that’s the one.
But don’t worry. He just put an old dog turd on his pillow. A petty, jealous revenge sure, but none the less effective. After all,
warnings ↬ mentions of child abuse/neglect, all for one does not exist in this universe, reader makes references to "maternal/motherly" behavior although it’s gender neutral, mention of death
pairings ↬ young!tenko x parental figure!gn!reader (platonic!parent-son/teacher-student)
word count ↬ 4.9k i'm so sorry
a/n; this came to me after watching his origin story and seeing all those people ignore a helpless child...
A cold gust of wind caused a shiver to run through your spine as you briskly walked towards your destination. Taking care of the students at your elementary school drained your energy for the day; you barely had enough strength to walk. You thought about going home — everything you needed for your quirk was located there — but a loud grumble from your stomach ushered you to find food. As your shoes clicked against the sidewalk pavement, you watched as some students ran toward their parents, grandparents, or guardians.
A warm smile spread across your lips while you watched, reminding you why you loved your job. Overwhelming maternal instincts urged you to care for children, but the work of finding a suitable partner never seemed to end well. You had many offers and confessions, most of which you turned down. The ones you called your 'lover' showed their true sides eventually, and those relationships soon ended. You had a longing desire for a companion, someone that would stay by your side since it was rather lonely. Your work as a teacher seemed to fill that void for a while until you noticed your yearning started to grow.
While walking down the path to the nearest coffee shop, you notice a small figure. The person was a long distance away, and it would take a couple minutes for you to reach them. They seemed so small compared to the adults walking near them. Hunching their back as they stared at the ground, something wasn't right. You wondered if it had been one of your students and quickened your pace toward the mysterious person upon realizing it was a child. Pedestrians stared down at the boy, observing in horror before choosing to ignore him.
An older woman approached the child, whispering something to him before turning around and scurrying away. It was a confusing and strange sight. You couldn't fathom why civilians were ignoring him. Some completely turned around and moved in the opposite direction as the boy watched, stunned and unable to move. Others glanced at him, only to distance themselves and quickly move away as if he carried the plague. A few closed their eyes and pretended that the boy didn't exist.
As a few people walk and clear the street, you see an empty circle surrounding the child. Soon, you two are the only ones on the sidewalk. You can overhear a few loud chatters amongst a group of girls watching the boy and keeping their distance. It doesn't bother you one bit. You've grown accustomed to the whispers of others. The boy looks down the street with his back turned to you as he watches others turn away from him while intensely scratching his neck. Before you know it, you're standing directly behind him, but he doesn't seem to notice — as if he's lost in a trance.
By now, you're the only adult left on the street. You could sense something was wrong as you examined the boy's demeanor. He looked like he could be a student from your school, around five years old. His hair was a faded grayish-blue color. His clothing seemed tattered and dirty as if he had been wandering for a long time before you found him. The pitiful scene reminded you of your childhood traumas; memories of your parents and the orphanages returned after being suppressed for years. The excruciating feeling of abandonment caused you to feel a sense of pain as you watched the boy.
"Excuse me? Little boy..?" You call him in a soft tone. It was the same voice you used to console your students. Welcoming and warm, you tried not to scare the boy.
His head slowly turns around to the voice behind him. Although his expression was blank, you noticed his face contorted oddly at your tone. You reminded him of his mother, who turned to stone before disintegrating into dust before his eyes. He's unsure whether he should smile and seem friendly since it only made the older woman run away.
Still scratching at his neck, you can see dry pink wounds. No blood pours from his skin, although his flesh is nearly visible. The soles of his feet were calloused and covered in soot. He'd been walking alone for what seemed to be days or possibly weeks. His hands were bloody, but you presumed it wasn't his own blood. As he stared up at you, his scratching seemed to slow down.
"Are you okay? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" You inquired to the boy as he stared speechlessly. His expression was still blank. Blinking a few times, he was still too stunned to speak. In your experience, personally and as a teacher, you would've guessed the boy went through something traumatic.
"I... I..." The boy tried to speak, but he didn't know what to say. You watched as his mouth moved to form words. He wanted to say something, anything. The boy was too scared that another person would abandon him again.
His voice was low. You could barely hear his words with the noise of cars passing by. It was dry and hoarse like he hadn't used it in a long time. Maybe he's thirsty, you thought before digging through your purse and taking out a half-empty water bottle. He certainly looked like he needed more than only water. After screwing off the cap, you give it to the boy, whose eyes widen brightly at the gesture. The first sign of help he receives in a long time.
"I'm sorry, it's a bit warm and I drank some on the way here." Shyly smiling down at him, you watched as he carefully held the bottle with only four bloody fingers. The boy grasps the bottle and glances between you and the water in his hands. His expression seems a cross between perplexed and grateful. "Aren't you thirsty? It's okay, you can drink it."
He eagerly sips the water, drinking it until all the contents are gone — down to the last drop. The boy stares at you and the empty bottle as if he expects more of your gifts. Unfortunately, you didn't have anything else for him.
"My name is (Y/N), can you tell me your name?" You say while kneeling down at the boy until you're at eye level with him.
"S- Shim- Shimura... Ten- Tenko." Tenko's voice trembles as he speaks. Another chilly breeze causes the boy to quiver as you watch him. It's getting colder, and the sun is setting faster. You need to hurry.
"Tenko! What a wonderful name..!" Smiling affectionately at the boy, you try to get him to trust you before helping him — which proved easier than you thought. "Tenko, do you know where your parents are? Mama? Papa?"
He knows. The place where he killed them. A pile of stone and ash under the rubble of their home. Tenko's eyes start to water, and soon, tears pour from his dry eyes as his face distorts in a pained expression. He's tired of crying. Memories from that night started to flood his mind. He didn't mean to do it...
"I... ki- killed... them..." He stays silent. Only the sound of his crying comes out of his chest. Tenko expects you to run away, abandon him like everyone else has been doing. As you remain speechless, he feels a burst of guilt through his body. He waits for you to leave him. Your stillness doesn't even give him anxiety.
At first, you thought he was lying, but Tenko wished it was all just a bad dream. Maybe they abandoned him, or he was lost. A small child that seemed too weak to protect himself, could kill his own parents? He stares down at his bloody hands. You were right. It's not his blood. In a world full of people with powerful quirks, children would inevitably hurt themselves or their loved ones. As time passes, his cries become louder and hysterical. His mouth opens as if he wants to scream, but only weak noises and unintelligible words come out of his mouth.
"Tenko..." You whisper to the child to try and soothe him before reaching out to hold his hand. The dried blood sticks to your skin for a brief moment, but you don't mind — after all, it's not the first time. His hysterical crying stops shortly as the flashbacks of his parents' death stop. Tenko's hands recoil from yours, dropping the empty bottle to the concrete as he stares at you in horror.
The tips of your fingers begin to crumble, turning into a lifeless gray color before becoming dust and sprinkling the ground. Suddenly, all his itching comes back. Worsening to nearly every inch of skin on his body. He did it again. All he can do is destroy. The only person that offered to help him would turn to dust, just like his family. He was useless, only harming people close to him. Unworthy and undeserving of love. You weren’t fazed compared to the boy whose traumas were reawakened.
Tenko collapses backward before landing on his bum, scratching his neck as he watches intently. He thinks you'll start screaming, running away, or lifting your hand to strike him, but you don't. You aren't moving, only watching and completely unbothered. Perhaps you are already dead and lifeless. Everything he touches dies. Why did it hurt to see you crumble?
Then, as if it's magic, the decaying stops. Skin and bones that were once gray and hard returned to their original color. The flesh in your hand grows back to normal like nothing happened.
"Is this your quirk, Tenko?" His scratching stops. He stares dumbfoundedly at your hand in disbelief. Although he is still a bit shaken, he answers.
"Y- Yes..." Tenko isn't quite sure what a quirk is, but, after being alone for a few days, he learns about his destructiveness.
You give Tenko a warm smile and offer the boy a helping hand. He's too scared to hold it, afraid he'll kill the only person that has treated him nicely. Upon noticing his demeanor, you decide to reassure him.
"I should've asked about it before scaring you, honey. I'm sorry, don't worry. My quirk is immunity. After I come in contact with a quirk, I am immune to it." Your quirk wasn't the most intriguing, but it came in handy when dealing with children whose quirks were still hard to control. Tenko seemed confused as you spoke, so you changed your wording until he understood. "If you touch me again, I'll be fine." You explained while beaming down at the boy.
Your immunity quirk always seemed difficult to explain to people. It was complex. It only worked with quirk-types that were close-range and didn't cause much damage. To use it, you need the life source from a living being such as plants, animals, and humans. Taking a being's energy usually resulted in their death. You learned this the hard way. It would become lifeless; the last time you used it on a human, they looked almost mummified — dried up like a raisin in the sun. Eventually, they would turn to dust as all the life drained from their bodies. Perhaps you weren't scared of Tenko's quirk because yours was more or less the same.
After taking energy, you could use it for your immunity and even healing. You can regrow limbs and other wounds, just like now with Tenko. When your energy was full, you could even use it on others to heal them, something you did with your students almost every day. However, you could never use it on humans or animals, not anymore. In the past, you would only use it to defend yourself but the overwhelming feeling of guilt eroded your morality as you watched your victims turn to dust.
The boy's trembling hands hold yours, half expecting you to turn into stone like his family and half elated that you were still intact.
"See? I'm okay... You won't hurt me. Don't be scared..." You hold his other hand and lift him up, he stumbles a bit before finding his balance.
Tenko's legs weakly support him from falling, he seems extremely malnourished and weak. His diet consisted of random trash and unfinished food from the garbage of local restaurants. Some days, he would sleep in alleys hungry as his stomach would painfully rumble. His limbs are so frail; without his quirk, he would be utterly defenseless. Another cold gust of wind causes him to shiver, and you realize that the sun had been setting fast. It was almost dark out, there was no way that you would leave him alone.
It would have been wiser to send him to a police station or a hero on patrol. But, if he had been walking alone for days, could you trust them to care for him? You saw them, the passersby who ignored the little boy. He must've encountered a police officer or a hero at some point, but of course, there were more things important than a missing child. What would the police do? Send him to an orphanage when he clearly seemed traumatized and had a strong quirk that could easily harm others. You experienced this first-hand.
You weren't sure why he seemed so traumatized. He didn't look like a murderer — but his bloody fingers say otherwise. He needed help and guidance. You've seen children like him before. Broken and lost souls who have endured unbearable pain and lash out at others because they're scared. Nobody is there to defend them. Nobody wants to protect them.
"W- Will you punish m- me..?" His question breaks you from your long thought. Tenko's still holding your hands and staring up at you with big doe eyes, pleading for you not to abandon him.
"And why would I do that?"
"B- Because I did a bad thing and I hur- hurt my family..." Sniffling, his head hangs low in shame and guilt. Some of his tears hit the dry concrete pavement. Your hands released his. For a second, he thinks he has scared you away. Until he notices your hand reaching for his head. As you watch him flinch, you think he's been beaten before. It was until he felt the pads of your fingers caress the pale blue locks that he finally relaxed.
"I won't punish you, Tenko," He eases into your touch as you move the hair out of his face in a motherly manner. "You must've been through a lot..." His sniffling stops as you finish your sentence. You examine his scars and terribly cracked skin. You're too weak to heal him in your current state. "Do you want to come home with me? We can have dinner and stay warm. It's getting colder now..."
Tenko shyly nodded up at you. He was extremely eager to finally receive help. A home? It's been a long time since he's seen a warm bed and eaten home-cooked meals. His stomach roared a bit, a sign that he was getting hungry. You chuckled softly before responding.
"Alright, let's go... My car should be close by here." You held his tiny hand in your palm as you escorted him to your car. He stuck close to your body like glue.
After walking for some time, you would occasionally glance down at the child who aimlessly followed you. Noticing his bare feet on the pavement of the ground, you were a bit worried that he might scratch his feet while walking on the gravel. You offered to hold him in your arms until you reached the car; you swore, for a brief moment, his eyes lit up excitedly. When you hoisted the boy into your arms bridal style, he snuggled closer to your body, desperately wanting to feel the embrace of another being.
When you reached the car, you quickly unlocked the passenger door and strapped him inside a child car seat — you figured that you needed to buy it after becoming a teacher for emergencies such as this. The drive home was quiet; you tried talking to the boy and becoming familiar with him, but it seemed he trusted you already. A few minutes passed before you noticed him sleeping. His soft snores echoed through the car quietly.
After parking near your apartment complex, you exited the car and tried waking him. After a few attempts, he finally woke up to see your figure looming over his before smiling down at him. Tenko still seemed a bit tired. It had been a long time since he finally had a comfortable place to stay. You decided to carry the child into your building, craddling him in your arms. A few of the other tenants gave you some strange glances as they saw you with the helpless child, but none of them dared to question you. It's not like you minded their behavior too much. The life in your arms was your only priority.
As you led him inside your apartment, you placed him on his feet; you didn't care about the dirt he tracked on your floors. You watched as he marveled at the various house plants that decorated your home, so green and luscious. Snake plants, pothoses, and peace lilies were only some of the greenery that filled your apartment. For as long as you remember, you've had a fondness for plants after deciding to only use your quirk for good. Placing your fingertips on some of your plants, you absorbed all of their life energy since you would need it for your quirk later. Tenko failed to see some of the plants you touched wilt as he was mesmerized by the rich and lively nature in your home.
"Tenko, let's go wash up first, okay? Then we can eat and relax." You say after gaining enough energy to heal some of his wounds and scars.
You grasp his hand and take him to your bathroom. After putting a stool under the sink, you help hoist his body to the counter. Tenko stares at himself in the mirror, not recognizing himself anymore. Cracked skin and deep scars cover his face. His pale blue hair nearly frightens him. At this moment, he realizes he's become a ghost of who he used to be.
"Everything okay, honey?" You ask while holding his shoulder and rubbing smooth circles into his back.
"My skin..." His shaky voice barely allows him to say an audible sentence. He hasn't scratched his sore body in a while, but seeing it in a mirror makes his skin itch again.
"I'll take care of it, don't worry... how about we wash our hands first?" He brings his hands to the sink while you turn on the faucet and pump drops of soap into his palms.
Your hands intertwine as you help him wash the blood until his skin is clean. The red liquid flows down the drain, and memories of his parents' death slowly vanish as well. Somehow, the feeling of sticky blood touching your skin doesn't faze you. Your hands have been soiled by the blood of your victims; it doesn't matter how often you wash them, it still lingers.
When you're done, you turn him around to face you. Your fingertips only graze his skin lightly, but soon, the dry spots on his face begin to heal. Although some of his scarrings are still visible, they begin to fade and blend in with his skin. Some of his skin retains the same texture, and his eyelids and eyebags are still cracked, although most of his face is healed. A few specks of black hair peak through his sky blue hair. Once satisfied, you turn the boy around to face the mirror.
"Do you feel any better?" Tenko's eyes widened in shock. His skin, now soft and supple, was healed. Some dryness remained in some areas and a few scars were still visible, but he didn't complain. You didn't notice the black pigment in his hair too much, he did. Giving you a joyous toothy smile, he was the complete opposite of his quiet demeanor.
"It doesn't itch anymore, y- you fixed it... Thank you..." Turning around, he gave you a big hug and nearly engulfed your body with his slender arms.
"You're welcome, Tenko." You chuckled before hugging him back warmly. When you tried to pull away, he only held you tighter.
"Come on, I'll wash you up and heal the rest of your wounds." Tenko nods as you disappear briefly to a nearby closet. You retrieve an old pajama set you intended to gift one of your students, but you figured Tenko needed it more.
He smiled brightly upon seeing you hold his pajamas, wanting to change out of his old clothes. Tenko enjoyed the warm water against his skin during his bath. His muscles eased into your hold. You needed to change the water a few times as you cleaned him since it quickly turned a murky, brown color.
He tried holding some of the toys you placed in the bath for him, but, when he wasn't careful, the toy would turn to stone before falling into the water. Every time it happened, he would become saddened; his puppy eyes always made you tear up. You would quickly distract him by giving him a few tickles on his sides until the bathroom walls filled with his laughter. After his bath, you healed his scars and itchy skin with your quirk and some moisturizer created by your friend, Mitsuki, with her Glycerin quirk.
Dinner was quite stressful when deciding what to feed the boy. You wanted to make him a big hearty meal since he desperately needed nutrition. But as you watch the hungry boy follow you closely, you decide to make a simple chicken soup. Adding carrots, onions, pasta, potatoes, and chicken to your flavorful stock, the aroma filled your apartment. After you filled his bowl with dinner, he eagerly ate and drank all of its contents; you gladly gave him more servings and observed as he indulged before eating.
After eating, you excuse yourself to clean up and let the boy explore your apartment more. However, Tenko seemed adamant about staying close to you, clinging to your legs and hips as he watched you wash the plates and stack them to dry.
"Do you... need help?" He offered while watching you meticulously clean up the mess from dinner. Of course, you declined.
"No, I'm fine, Tenko. Besides, you need to rest soon." You didn't want to tire him out, although his meal gave him more energy. You also couldn't risk him disintegrating some of your expensive porcelain plates.
As you fiddled with the plates on your counter, you felt him release his hold on your leg and move elsewhere in your kitchen. He stopped at a bouquet of red roses and eyed up the flowers. They were a gift from someone who tried to court you recently. The relationship eventually fizzled out. You completely forgot about the flowers that were surprisingly still in good shape. A brief vision of Tenko playing in a backyard crosses your mind; he's carefree, running around and smiling without worrying about his quirk.
Tenko tries to carefully pull a rose from your bouquet. He releases a wince as thorns prick his dainty fingers. Trying to feel the petals of the rose, all five of his fingers accidentally touched the rose at once. Soon, the flower begins to wilt and decay, turning into gray dust in his palms until a few petals and parts of its stem remain. His whimpers break you from your daydreams as you rush over to him and leave the rest of the plates to dry.
"Tenko... What happened?" You whisper to him after seeing the dead flower in his hands. Kneeling down and wrapping your arm around his waist, he finally responds.
"I'm sorry... I just wanted to look... I didn't mean to break it..." While he speaks, more tears swell up in his glossy eyes.
"Tenko..." You whisper while holding another rose from the bouquet. "I realized something. You and I are the same." As you touch the flower, it begins to wilt as well. You take all of its meager life energy while Tenko watches you repeat the same action he does.
"T- The same?"
"Yes, our quirks..." His gaze shifts from the dead plant in your hand to your face. "I grow flowers because I don't want to use my quirk to hurt people anymore. I know you feel guilty, but it's not your fault... I'm not mad."
Your words only cause a fraction of his pains to disappear. You notice that he still feels horrible about ruining your roses. Standing up, you reach for an old box in the corner of your kitchen. He watches you open the lid and pull out a pair of gloves and a wooden beaded necklace. You kneel down to his height before handing him the items.
"When I was your age, I used to have problems with my quirk too. These helped me." The gloves block contact with living things you didn't want to take energy from. While the necklace canceled out your quirk from appearing whenever you did not want to use it.
Tenko slips the gloves around his hands while you put the necklace around his neck. They both fit perfectly. You wonder if this encounter was fate or luck.
"They can stop you from using your quirk until you learn to control it." He tries to touch a random cup in the room and is amazed to see that the object is still intact. You decide to take the gloves from him and keep him wearing the necklace. "Look at the time... I think it's time for you to head to sleep now."
Placing the gloves on the counter, you take him to your bedroom. His eyes examined the whole apartment as you walked with him. Full of curiosity, he glanced over every detail. Once you stopped in front of your door, Tenko stopped.
"This is my room. You can come in here whenever you'd like." You say before pointing to a room adjacent to yours. You unlocked the door and tried showing him inside. "This is your room. My friends usually sleep here, but you can have it if you'd like." The boy started shaking his head and clinging to your hips again before speaking.
"N- No... Can I sleep in your bed... with you..?" He sheepishly asked while peering up at you; Tenko's eyes pleaded; he wouldn't take no for an answer.
You give in and carry him to your bedroom. Perhaps he should stay with you, just in case something happens while you're away. As you sit on the end of your bed, he climbs into your lap and refuses to move. Tenko's mouth moves as he tries to find the words to complete a sentence. You brush some of his hair away from his face while staring into his crimson eyes.
"What's wrong? Do you need something, sweetie..?"
"Why d- did you rescue me?" For a moment, his eyes become glossy again. Regardless of the happiness he's shown you today, his emotional state was as fragile as glass.
"You know... there was a time when I was scared and alone." His ears perked up as he listened. Your childhood pains flooded into your mind again. "I used my quirk for bad things. I even hurt people I cared about. I was confused and didn't have anyone to guide me..."
His head rests on your chest, just above your beating heart — a reminder that you were a living human who didn't succumb to his quirk. After pausing for a second, you continue once seeing the boy become intrigued by your story.
"You were alone for a long time, right? You thought nobody would save you and wondered why the world forgot about you? I know that feeling too..." His eyes brimmed with tears before they cascaded down his cheeks and dampened his shirt. "I'm sorry the heroes were too busy, and others ignored you..."
A few drops of his tears spilled onto your shirt, but you didn't mind too much. Deciding to let him release his emotions instead of keeping them inside, you allowed him to cry out all of his pain. While kneading his shoulder, you thought about what would happen next. Thankfully tomorrow was the weekend, but you had to call in soon and take some vacation days.
Tenko needed clothes and other things for him to use, but you two could share for the time being. Although you were a bit wary, you would have to take him to a nearby police station soon. He seemed really attached to you; sending him to an orphanage would be extremely dangerous. You were the only one who could handle his quirk.
"I can take care of you if you'd like." For a long time, you've always had a soft spot for children who endured a similar upbringing. There were always a few in the classes you taught. You couldn't help but give them extra attention. "Will you let me raise you? I can help you control your quirk and learn to master it..."
Tenko eagerly nods as he wraps his arms around your neck. You hear him mumble a few words as you gently caress his back. The boy melts into your touch; again, he doesn't want to release you from his hold.
As a few seconds pass, you feel him tug at your shirt and whisper your name.
request; Can I request Tenko with a trans s/o? Just fluff please.
warnings; dysphoria, angst at the start, then fluffffff, reader is trans, reader has no specified gender nor pronouns,
word count; 800+
note; this had deleted at 600 words, and i had to redo the entire thing from memory- ;-; please don’t let this flop, i was in literal p a i n
ALSO SORRY ABOUT THE TITLE IT JUST STUCK WITH ME EVEN THOUGH IT WASNT THAT BIG OF A PART OF THE STORYARGGHGVUVU
You sat on your bed, arms and legs spread wide across your soft sheets. Peering up at the ceiling with drowsy eyes, you focused your gaze on a dot you found on the flat surface.
The mattress seemed extremely inviting to your tired self, but you couldn’t seem to fall asleep as the running thoughts of your dysphoria kept you awake. Your body was eager to just fall asleep, but your mind was wide awake and terrorizing itself.
Every time you wore the same cursed uniform in the closet of your dorm, you died a little bit more inside. Every time you looked in the mirror, the uniform worn, you couldn’t recognize yourself each time. You didn’t know who was in the mirror, hell, you didn’t even like them.
Sighing, you let your thoughts overtake you once again, drowning you in thoughts of self-deprecation and insecurity. Sometimes, you just wished- *Ding dong!* An abrupt ringing noise echoed in your room, startling you from your zoned-state.
“S/o, if you don’t open the door now, I am going to break it.” Your mood seemed to instantly uplift as you heard that familiar cheerful voice, belonging to your girlfriend. Without noticing, a smile adorned your previously blank face as you heard the voice of whom you cherished. Before it became one of panic- “You know I don’t hesitate! Heeeeee-!” Scrambling off your bed, you stumbled over your own feet.
Falling forward onto the door handle, you saved yourself by holding onto the metal before it could hit your face. Stabilizing yourself on the handle, you swung open the door, mentally and physically preparing yourself for the incoming bear hug Tenko would soon cause.
It had become a thing; Every single time Tenko would see you(If after a long time, or just a short while), she’d give you this bone-crushing hug that would knock the air out of you. Tenko is known for always giving her 100% in aikido, but also hugs.
The last thing you saw was a blur of green and blue, before feeling her—surprisingly soft—body crashed into yours. “Oof-” You managed to let out from the impact of her hug, trying your best to reciprocate it.
“S/o is always so soft...” She hummed happily, “M-mhm..!” You strained out, wheezing for oxygen. Gasping(or what sounded like a gasp), you squirmed a bit in Tenko’s hold as she suddenly lifted you up with ease. “T-tenko wait!” Tenko laughed at your meek attempt to escape her hold,
“There is no waiting! Waiting is for cowards!” You still struggled nonetheless, finding the situation extremely embarrassing, “But it’s embarrassing-” You whined, though she quickly shushed you, setting you down on your bed as she rushed over to the doorway; where bags you didn’t notice were there, remained.
You sat on your bed crisscrossed as you waited for her to come back with the bags, “Guess what Tenko got you!” She looked proud of herself, a cheerful expression upon her face.
You couldn’t see the insides of the bag, but the first thing you thought of was, “Food!?” You beamed, trying to peek into the bags she held. “Nooooope! Clothes!” She exclaimed, throwing the material at your face.
You caught it, as a result of all those lessons with Tenko, your reflexes were incredible. Looking down at the material you had just caught, you were stunned. “Tenko…”
You felt the article of clothing, flipping it over to examine all of it better. Looking back up at her, she saw your face that had an expression of appreciation and adoration, written all over it.
“How’d you know?” You sniffed, pawing at your eyes that threatened to release joyful tears. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re happy! That’s the most important thing to me.” A pure smile broke out on Tenko’s face, making you fall harder for her. “I’m going to cry, so look away.” You croaked, hands still rubbing at the corners of your eyes.
Tenko suddenly straddled your seated lap, squishing your swollen face in her hands. “I would never look away. If I did, I would miss out on how attractive my S/o is!” She said sternly, tilting your head down for her, and smooching the top of your head promptly.
“Now come on! Tenko wants to see how cute you look in the clothes I got for you!” You smiled fondly as she tugged you to your feet. “Tenko, I love these so much—like you don’t even know how much I appreciate this but, can we cuddle first?”
“S/o, there’s no time for lazing aroun..!” She trailed off as she saw your pleading eyes, hesitating(for once) as you pulled at her hand. “S/o, you know my only weakness is your eyes.” She pouted, sighing as she surrendered and flopped down on your bed, taking you down with her.
“I’m surprised you didn’t flip me to the bed.” You snickered, resting your hands on her waist. “Would you like me to?” Tenko perked up, a bit too eager. “No! I mean, n-no thanks. Let’s stay like this.”
You hummed contently(and a bit panicked) as Tenko buried herself in you. “Humma humma..” She muttered out, fluttering her eyes closed for a moment as she grasped onto you.