TIME TRAVEL - I ADOPT A BUNCH OF BRATS

CHAPTER 3 - LATE NIGHT CONVERSATIONS

It's been a few months since he'd taken Tenko in and the boy has stuck to him like glue. Whenever he was in the cafe, Tenko would be standing right behind him, often with a hand clutching onto some part of his clothing. At first, his customers had joked about how he had adopted a little bird who imprinted on him but now it was a regular occurrence. Tenko was a small child with light blue hair and red eyes that he often used to glare at anyone who tried to ask for Touya's number. Their attempt would be immediately halted because as young as the kid was, he knew how to intimidate. Not that it wasn't adorable but Touya was starting to get concerned that Tenko was growing an unhealthy attachment to him. As much as he loved the kid and cared for him like his own child, he understood that obsession to this degree never went well. His previous life was a prime example. He had been obsessed with getting his father's attention and ended up burning himself out. He didn't want that for Tenko.

He had tried to distance himself from Tenko little by little slowly but it was like the kid had a sixth sense for whenever Touya would leave the room. When Touya was in the kitchen baking more goods for the cafe, Tenko would be sitting at the bench handing him the ingredients or standing by him, watching Touya cook. As sweet as that was, Touya knew that sending him to school would be an uphill battle.

Touya was right. The moment he had told Tenko of his plans to send him to school, it was like all hell broke loose. "But I want to stay with you! No one will accept me! I don't need anyone else but you!" Touya's heart broke at the heartwrenching pleas of his kid. Tenko was scared about how people would react to him and to a certain extent, Touya could see why. A kid who has a destructive quirk but is unable to fully switch it off would be prime pickings by other kids to be a villain. Hell, this was probably how Tenko became Shigaraki before. Steeling himself, Touya knelt down until he was eye to eye with Tenko.

"Tenko. I understand why you're upset but this is for your own good. You need an education so you can support yourself and do great things in your life. Don't you want to be a hero?" The words were bitter in his mouth. Touya had wanted to be a hero once but failed. Tenko at this age would undoubtedly be one of those kids with the same hopes.

"No. I don't want to be a hero. Heroes are useless. Heroes didn't save me when I needed them. You did." Tenko rushed out. He spat that out so fast that Touya almost missed the wistfulness in his voice. Tenko still wanted to be a hero, clearly it was a dream that had not yet died. Taking in a breath, Touya looked into Tenko's eyes as he continued.

"Tenko. I understand you have some complicated feelings about heroism. You want to be a hero but heroes weren't there to save you. It's wrong for kid your age to already be aware of the world like this but you're smart. I'm just going to be honest with you." Pausing again to gauge Tenko's reaction, Touya was pleased to see the boy looking at him with a serious expression on his face. He would listen and take whatever Touya said to heart.

"Heroism is a job that often equates power and public opinion into money. Heroes are put on a pedestal so the government can claim that they're supporting the people and making sure that everyone is safe. Whilst that is true sometimes, people often forget that heroes are human too. They're like you and me, they can get hurt, they can bleed and make mistakes. Heroes aren't perfect, most of the time they try to help when they can but there are those that they miss."

"Like me. The heroes missed me." Tenko's voice was monotone, his face blank as if just stating a fact.

"Yes. Yes, they did." Touya brought Tenko into a hug.

"Heroes are people paid to help others, but don't forget that everyone can help someone." Poking the boy on the nose, Touya smiled when Tenko gave a short giggle at his action.

"Heroes may have failed you, but you can be the one to bring attention to others who heroes have failed. I won't force you to be a hero. I won't force you to be anything you don't want to be. But going to school is the first step to make sure you have options later, ok?"