Tenko stares at himself in the mirror. His red eyes stared back at him, but they had regained a life to them that he thought he had lost since that day. Mr. Touya had taken him back to his home and cleaned him up. Tenko was now wearing an oversized shirt and shorts tied at the waist. Mr. Touya had been apologetic that he didn't have anything in Tenko's size but... Tenko was happy. This was far more than what he had dared to hope. He had a roof over his head and there was an adult that promised he would protect Tenko. Tenko smiled to himself. He was safe.
The shirt was soft against his skin as he lay in the bed that Mr. Touya gave him. The room was bare, it was a guest room but there was comfort in the cream walls and wooden furniture. His old home had been black and white and modern but the people inside were cold to his suffering. When father beat him his mother would yell but never lift a hand to help him. His sister was willing to frame him to get out of trouble, even though she knew that the man would only hurt him more. There was a knock on the door and Tenko scrambled to stand up from the bed. Mr. Touya entered the room with a gentle smile on his face. Mr. Touya was the prettiest person Tenko had ever met. If angels were real, Tenko thinks that they would look like Mr. Touya. His blue eyes burned with warmth as he approached Tenko.
"Hey kid, are you hungry? I've made dinner." Tenko didn't need to open his mouth to answer the man because right at that moment, his stomach rumbled loudly.
Mr. Touya started laughing but it wasn't malicious. Tenko didn't feel like Mr. Touya was making fun of him. After a moment Tenko started laughing along with him. The two laughed for what felt like forever until the laughter quieted to giggles between them. Mr. Touya stood up, offering a hand to Tenko that he was shy to accept. Mr. Touya's hand was warm, just like his smile.
Mr. Touya pulled him to the kitchen where a hot meal was arranged on the dining table. The meal smelled heavenly and Tenko almost choked in his haste to eat. "No one's going to take the food away from you Tenko. Slow down so you don't choke." A comforting hand was placed on his head and Tenko felt himself blush as he slowed his pace. He could get used to this.
After dinner, Mr. Touya told him to wash up and go to bed. Laying in the dark room, Tenko struggled to fall asleep. His hands were encased in artists' gloves so he knew he could grip the sheets and not worry about disintegrating the room around him but every time he closed his eyes, he could see them. He could see the fear in their eyes as they crumbled to dust, the panic in his father's eyes as he swung the pipe on his head. Anything to kill Tenko so that he couldn't cause more damage. Tenko was a villain. He should've been the one to die that night. Not Hana. Not mum. Not Grandma and Grandpa. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he choked down a sob. He didn't deserve all this.
Tenko cried himself to sleep but he didn't get rest. All throughout the night he tossed and turned as nightmares plagued him. The souls of his family tugged at him and screamed accusingly whenever they got close. "MURDERER!" "VILLAIN!" "YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!" "HEROES ARE SELFISH BUT YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A MONSTER!" Their abuse rained down on him like sharp knives as he curled further and further into himself. He could feel the ground rising up around him, ready to bury him in an avalanche when he was shaken awake.
Worried blue eyes looked down at him. The lights were on in the room and Mr. Touya sat next to him on the bed. Arms wrapped around him in a comforting hug. Tenko couldn't hold in his tears as he buried his face into the warm chest, he was heaving as sobs broke from his small frame. "I'M A MONSTER! I DON'T DESERVE YOUR KINDNESS! I'M SORRY FOR CAUSING YOU ALL THIS TROUBLE MR TOUYA!!" He continued to cry even as a large hand rubbed small circles on his back.
—-------
Touya hummed as he held Tenko tighter to himself. The self-deprecating words that escaped the boy's mouth were similar to the thoughts that often plagued his own mind. He understood where Tenko could have gotten that idea. Hell, he thought the same about himself sometimes. He knew it was self-destructive and wouldn't help him so he pushed those emotions aside in favor of working towards his goals. In this new life, it was running his cafe.
—-------
Tenko relaxed in Mr. Touya's hold as he felt himself calm down. Mr. Touya was holding him now. He was safe. Mr. Touya wouldn't hurt him. Mr. Touya cared about him. Or at least he thinks so. Tenko closed his eyes, finally finding peace as his mind slipped to oblivion.
The next morning, Tenko awoke in his room alone. He remembered waking up in the middle of the night and being held by Mr. Touya. Mr. Touya was gone. Tenko must've killed him. Panic seized his throat as hot tears pricked at his eyes again. He wasn't a baby dammit. Why is he crying so much?! Despite his thoughts, Tenko couldn't help the wobble in his lips as he imagined what could have happened. His gloves must've slipped off in his sleep and he killed Mr. Touya. Or he took them off in his sleep and murdered Mr. Touya like the monster that he was. Pulling his slippers on, Tenko stumbled around the apartment before finally managing to reach the kitchen.
There, standing by the stove was Mr. Touya. His white hair was messy as if he had just rolled out of bed and his shirt was wrinkled from where he lay on it. Mr. Touya didn't look as neat and tidy as he had the previous day but Tenko had never been so relieved to see someone before. Running over to the man, he wrapped his arms around his waist and clung to him, unwilling to let him go. "You're alive." He muttered in wonder. He was happy that he hadn't killed Mr. Touya. Mr. Touya was nice to him. He actually helped him when no one else would. Mr. Touya was Tenko's savior.
—-------
Touya felt small arms wrap around his waist as he was preparing breakfast for the two of them. It was 8 in the morning and he had already dealt with the morning wave. It was lucky that the store that he bought had an apartment above it, otherwise, he didn't know what he'd do. He wanted to make a filling breakfast for Tenko. The kid looked like he'd been starved when they had eaten dinner the previous night, so Touya wanted to make sure he got all the food he needed to grow. When he felt the small face press up against the small of his back, Touya smiled and tried to speak as softly as possible to calm the kid. "I'm here buddy. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe." Touya felt Tenko shift as he gripped tighter onto him. What Tenko said next would shock him.
"I was afraid that I hurt you... dad."
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AN: This will primarily be posted on AO3 so for early updates, please check out my story at https://archiveofourown.org/works/40816449/chapters/102274380
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TIME TRAVEL - I ADOPT A BUNCH OF BRATS
FanfictionDabi didn't think that getting hit with a quirk in the middle of a battle against the heroes would bring him back in time. He didn't think it would restore his old looks either but here he is. When he looked at his reflection in the glass of a nearb...
