Tenko stepped into the lamplit bedroom and closed the door behind him. He looked up and wasn't surprised to see Izuku sitting on one side of Tenko's bed, his hero analysis notebook open to a page.

The boy didn't seem to have realized Tenko was there yet, so the older boy snuck over behind him and leaned over his shoulder.

The book was open to one of the very first pages that Izuku wrote in, the one about Katsuki. Crayon was scribbled around the page in hardly intelligible writing and hero stickers were stuck all over it. There was a picture of Izuku and Katsuki pasted in the corner.

Tenko had been exasperated but not surprised when he had realized that Izuku wrote about Katsuki in his hero notebook only after All Might.

The boy was hardly four when his quirk developed, but Izuku had been so excited, that's when he'd first decided to start researching quirks. Tenko had helped him look things up on the computer, and Izuku had him read every page he wrote, even though he could hardly read it. It was honestly adorable.

Tenko stepped back. "Not even gonna try sleeping in your own bed this time, green bean?"

Izuku jumped and his notebook went flying in his surprise. "T-Tenko!"

Tenko chuckled and went to retrieve the notebook, picking it up off the ground and only then realizing that the page had a few wet spots on it. He looked up to see Izuku scrubbing his cheeks and eyes with his hands in an attempt to wipe the tears, but struggling with the eye patch.

Tenko's face fell. "Zuku? Hey, what's wrong?"

When Izuku responded with nothing more then a sniffle, Tenko set the notebook on the nightstand and sat next to him, rubbing circles in his back.

"Izuku?"

Izuku stilled, resting his hands in his lap and looking down. Tenko stayed quiet, just rubbing his back, waiting for his little brother to gather his thoughts or words.

Finally he spoke, barely loud enough for Tenko to hear. "I-I... I think K-Kacchan doesn't l-like me any-anymore."

Tenko paused for a long moment before letting out a frustrated sigh that he had to strain to not turn into a growl.

He'd never liked Katsuki much. The kid was a brat, he always had an attitude and was always yelling. His first word was "die!" And he was throwing insults at Tenko before he even knew what insults were. He was a nasty little punk.

And on top of it all, he was terrible to Izuku, even though they were supposedly best friends. Inko and Mitsuki might not notice, or just wont do much about it, but he knows how that brat treats his brother. He'll push him to the ground, make fun of him, refuse to play with him.

He'd even taken to calling Izuku Deku! And Tenko knew Katsuki knew what that meant.

But Izuku still adored the boy, he'd do anything just to be around Katsuki. He believed wholeheartedly that Katsuki would be the greatest hero, and he just wanted to be a hero with him.

It was heartbreaking, because that devil child did not deserve someone so caring as Izuku.

A part of him hoped that Katsuki would be better then this, but he is in no way surprised of the boys reaction to Izuku's lack of a quirk. He was angry about it though. Izuku didn't need his little heart broken anymore.

"What makes you think that?" Tenko manages to bite out, hoping he doesn't sound as upset as he feels, and having bite back pointing out that the boy didn't seem to like Izuku very much before.

Izuku sniffed and wiped his free eye again, still looking down. "H-he yelled at me. A-and p-pushed me. He said some- some really m-mean things."

Oh, Tenko could imagine.

Izuku sniffed again then looked up at him with red cheeks and wet eyes. "A-am I really use- useless?"

And time to pack away the anger, save that for the next time he sees the little brat. Right now, his heart is breaking into too many pieces.

"Oh, Izuku, no," Tenko wraps his arms around him and pulls him into a hug. "No, no, of course not!"

Izuku wipes his nose and looks up at him. "Really?"

"Yes, really. There's tons of things you can do that are useful, you could even do things to help people, like heroes do. You could be a doctor, a police officer, oh! A detective! Or..."

Tenko trails off as he notices Izuku looking down again. He huffs out a sigh. He knows that's not what Izuku was looking for, he's still hooked up on the whole hero thing.

He glanced around, trying to think of what he could say to help when his eyes caught on Izuku's hero analysis notebook, still sitting on the table.

"You know," he starts, "you could do a lot of good with that analysis thing you've got going."

Izuku looked up, giving him a questioning look. "W-what? How? I-it's just a h-hobby."

Tenko huffs. He might not be able to read the boys writing, but the boy was also four years old. He had heard what the boy will mutter about while he's writing, and for being as young as he is, he's got a knack for picking out the details and noticing things others don't. When he gets older, that whole analysis hobby could turn into something people would pay real money for. Especially heroes.

"Instead of being a hero, you could help the heroes." Izuku seems more interested at this. "You could write in your notebooks about villains, you can study their quirks and stuff. And the information you gather you can give to heroes, and they can use it to take down the villains. Or you can write ways the heroes can improve or use their quirks better. You'd be like a behind the scenes hero."

And although he hated the thought of using Izuku for anything that could get him in trouble, he couldn't help but think about how he and dad could also use his hero analysis information if they needed to.

Izuku looked back down to the ground, but he seemed more thoughtful now. Like he was thinking hard about it.

Tenko, satisfied that he might've said the right thing, stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna get ready for bed. Just, think about it, ok?"

Then Tenko walked out of the room, silently praying that Izuku would at least consider it. It seemed like the best option for everyone.

Before he could shut the door behind him, Izuku's voice called out. "Tenko?"

Tenko peeked back in at him.

"C-could you not t-tell mommy and daddy ab-about what Kacchan d-did?"

Tenko frowned and stepped further in, not liking this. "Why not, bean? They can help, and they would want to know if someone was mean to you."

Izuku fidgeted with his notebook that was now in his hands and looked down nervously. "I-it's just, they already have e-enough to worry about. I d-don't want them to worry about me more, too. And- and mommy will tell auntie. I don't want Kacchan to get in trouble."

Tenko let out an exasperated breath, but couldn't help but smile fondly. Izuku really was too nice for his own good.

But Tenko couldn't just not tell them that Katsuki was being mean to Izuku, could he?

Probably sensing his hesitation, Izuku looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Tenko?"

Man, Tenko couldn't say no to this kid. He sighed and relented. "Fine, but if things get too bad I'm gonna tell them, ok? And you have to always tell me if things like this happen."

Izuku smiled at him gratefully and nodded. "Thank you."

Tenko smiled and stepped outside, closing the door.

Why did he feel like he was going to regret agreeing to that?

Hisashi was still seething.

It had been almost half an hour since the whole 'Izuku got punched by a kid for being quirkless' revelation, and he still couldn't focus on the papers spread across the table in front of him.

"Stop pouting over there," Inko called from the kitchen sink where she was doing the dishes.

Hisashi frowns and looks up at her. "I am not pouting."

"Yes you are," Inko smirked. "Your pouting cause you can't go kill a child."

Hisashi huffed. "I'm just frustrated." 'Cause I should be able to help' goes unsaid, but is heard clear as day.

Inko steps over and rubs his back comfortingly, looking over his should at the papers and choosing to change the topic after a moment. "Picked out a school yet?"

Hisashi sighed. "No. I don't know, I just..." he paused. "Are you sure it's a good idea to send either of them to public school?"

Inko looked at him questioningly. "Do you think it's not?"

Hisashi looks back down at the papers. "It's just- I'm worried. Tenko is already not great with people he doesn't know. And even without his past, his quirk could easily be seen as a villains quirk or dangerous. And then there's Izuku..."

Inko rested a hand on his shoulder and spoke quietly. "Your worried about how the other kids will treat them."

Hisashi nodded slowly. "I just hate that neither of us will be around to protect them."

Inko was quiet for a long moment, and Hisashi's eyes trail down onto the paper directly in front of him. Aldera Elementary. It was the school where Mitsuki would be sending Katsuki, and the closest to them, as well as the cheapest.

Sure, as All For One he had plenty of money to send them to a much better school, but Hisashi was supposed to be a business man and Inko didn't have a job. They weren't supposed to have so much money, and if they went around spending it like that, people would eventually get suspicious.

"And you don't think they can handle themselves?"

Hisashi looks back up at Inko. She didn't look in any way upset, just contemplative and curious.

"What?" He asked, surprised by her question.

"The boys. You don't think they'd be able to take care of themselves?"

Hisashi gives her a slightly exasperated expression, and sighs when her expression shows know sign of this being any sort of joke. "Inko, they're- it's just, Izuku, he's... and Tenko, what if...?"

Hisashi silently begged for Inko to understand without him having to say the words, but she just tilted her head at him questioningly. Something in her eyes made him fear this might be a trap, but he really had no way out of this.

"It's just, they can't fight, they'll get in trouble, obviously. Izuku- Izuku's only five, and he's too nice to even try standing up for himself. And he's, you know. And Tenko, what if he gets too mad? What if he...?"

Inko finally seems to decide to show him mercy and doesn't make him continue. "All good points. But the thing is, we can't say for certain if anything like that will happen. We won't know how the kids will treat them if we never give it a chance.

"Kids Izuku's age aren't usually gonna bully anyone yet, and Tenko's smart enough to defend himself without getting into trouble. Besides, for this year they'll be in elementary school together so Tenko could help Izuku. Put a little faith in our kids, they'll come to us if they need help. They trust us, and we'll pull them out as soon as anything seems off."

Hisashi was still hesitant, thrumming his fingers against the paper. Inko must notice, because she sighs.

"Look, Hisashi, I cant keep up with homeschooling both of them. And neither of them know any kids their age except for Katsuki. They need social lives, and friends. Sure there are risks, but we can't just keep them locked up in the house their whole lives. At least let them try it."

Hisashi let his hand fall against the table with a thud and rubbed his temples for a minute. But after some contemplation, he sat up and grabbed the paper, spinning around and holding to out towards Inko. "Alright. Let's try Aldera then. I think that Izuku would do well to have Katsuki with him."

Inko took the paper and scanned over it before smiling at him over the top. "We do still need to actually talk to them about it too."

Hisashi huffed. "Of course."

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his head. "They'll be fine."

Inko walked back into the kitchen, and Hisashi turned as he heard the boy's bedroom door close and watched Tenko glanced up at him. Hisashi shot him a smile and Tenko's jaw clenched for a second before he wiped it clear and smiled back.

Hisashi frowned as the boy hurried down the hall to the bathroom to get ready for bed, then he rested his head on his palm and sighed.

He needed some sleep.