Kuse sat happily on my lap, constantly fidgeting in anticipation as we waited for the next round to begin.

I shared in Kuse's excitement, ready to cheer Tenya on in the semi-finals. Even if he didn't win, he would tie with the loser of Bakugo and Tokoyami's match for third place. He's done better than me, that's for sure.

"Tora, when's it going to start?" Kuse whined.

I chuckled, patting his head softly. "I'm sure it will start soon, just be patient."

Just as I finished reassuring my younger brother that the match would begin shortly, Present Mic's voice echoed through the arena. The enthusiasm in his voice remained the same as when the festival first began. I had to commend him for not sounding tired by this point, I know I would be. Aizawa sounded tired from the very start, I can only imagine how draining it is to be stuck in a room with someone like Present Mic for a whole day.

"And for our first match of the semi-finals, we have Shoto Todoroki versus Tenya Iida! Both from class 1-A!" Present Mic sang, refocusing my attention on the field.

Tenya and Todoroki approached the raised arena from opposite ends, both wearing serious faces. Unlike some of the goofballs of our class, these two took everything and anything related to being a hero very seriously.

"Go, Tenya!" Kuse cheered, bouncing on my knees in excitement.

"I thought you were friends with Todoroki," I said, watching as Kuse turned his head to look at me. "I thought you'd cheer for him."

"I am friends with Shoto," Kuse huffed, crossing his arms as he turned to face the arena again. "But I've known Tenya for longer, so I'll cheer for him."

I shrugged. "Alright, I guess we'll cheer for him together."

Kuse nodded without turning to face me and I smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you ready, boys?" Midnight asked the two teens, her whip resting over one shoulder.

"Yes, I'm ready." Tenya answered, making his signature chopping motion with one hand.

Todoroki glanced at Tenya before silently nodding.

"Then begin!" Midnight yelled, bringing her whip down with a 'CRACK.'

Tenya wasted no time in closing the distance, his engines roaring to life as he raced towards Todoroki. He raised a leg to kick but Todoroki was quick to defend, raising a wall of ice. The force of Tenya's kick shattered the ice on impact, but slowed him down considerably, giving Todoroki time to create distance.

Tenya charged once again, but Todoroki was already working on a way to counteract his mobility.

As Tenya darted to the left, Todoroki cut him off with a wall of ice. Tenya was quick to change direction, bolting to the right instead, but once again he was cut off by Todoroki's ice. He was cornered, his only choice was to charge forwards.

Tenya crouched for a moment before springing forward, his speed having increased by at least double what it was before. He jumped over Todoroki, landing a solid kick to his back and bringing him to the ground.

While he was on the ground, Tenya quickly grabbed him by the back of his shirt, sprinting towards the edge of the arena. He was aiming to force Todoroki out of bounds.

Then began the countdown in Tenya's head.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6-

Suddenly, Tenya froze, his legs refusing to move. He quickly turned to look at his engines, eyes widening when he saw that his mufflers were plugged with ice.

Todoroki raised his head, his hand clamping down on the arm that was holding him. Ice began to creep up Tenya's arm, spreading to the rest of his body until he was almost completely encased. Tenya strained his muscles to try and break free, but it was to no avail, the match was over.

Midnight raised her whip and Present Mic began.

"Tenya Iida is immobilized!" Present Mic announced. "The winner is Shoto Todoroki!"

Tenya couldn't help but clench his jaw, overcome with frustration.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Kuse, can you stay here for a moment?" I asked, turning my attention away from Tenya and towards my little brother.

Kuse slid off my lap, nodding. "Sure, I'll save your seat!"

"Thanks," I smiled, patting his head. "I'll be right back."

I turned to leave, taking the stairs two at a time before hurrying down the hallway, heading towards the entrance to the field below. My throat became dry and my chest heaved, but I continued, pushed forward by a sense of urgency that had been gnawing at me all day.

I rounded a corner, barely managing to stop myself from colliding with the person I was looking for.

"You shouldn't run in the halls," Tenya said, his tone not as teasing as usual. "I've lost count of how many times I've told you that."

"Just give up on making me a law abiding citizen," I shrugged. "What was that saying? You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

"Tora, you're 15," Tenya chuckled, beginning to sound more like himself. "That isn't old."

"I feel old." I sighed.

"That's because you have the lungs of a 60 year old chainsmoker." Tenya replied.

"Touché." The two of us fell into silence for a moment before I spoke up. "You did well."

"I still lost." Tenya argued.

"I know you lost dumbass, I'm not denying the truth." I barked back at him. "I just wanted to tell you that you did good. You made it to the semi-finals, which is more than I can say for myself."

Tenya smiled a little, placing one of his hands on top of my head. I felt embarrassed, wondering if Kuse felt this way when I patted his head.

Suddenly, a phone rang, causing me to jump in surprise. Tenya quickly moved his hand away, his ears flushing red as he searched his pockets for his phone.

"Is it Tensei?" I asked quietly as he answered the call.

He shook his head 'no.'

"Hello, mom?" Tenya said into his phone.

They exchanged some words over the phone, but I couldn't make it out. I watched Tenya's face for a reaction and when his face paled, my heart sank into my stomach.

He hung up quickly. "I need to go, now."

He turned to leave, his steps quick and urgent. I ran after him, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Hold on a second," I pleaded with him. "I can tell you didn't get good news, but please don't go by yourself, I don't think being alone is a good idea."

Tenya brought a hand to his eyes, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead and covering his eyes. He didn't say anything, but he nodded.

I grabbed his hand with both of mine, squeezing it tightly. "I need you to stay right here, okay? I'm going to go talk to Kuse."

Tenya didn't visibly respond, so I squeezed his hand harder.

"Let me put this in a way you will understand," I said, my tone threatening. "If you aren't here when I get back, your ass will be getting real familiar with my boot."

I waited for a response, and to my relief, he nodded. I dropped his hand, racing away at full speed.

My heart pounded in my chest, but not because of the exercise. My breath came out in gasps, but I kept pushing until I made it back to my seat.

"Tora, you're back," Kuse smiled. "I saved your seat!"

"Kuse... Listen... Closely..." I gasped, hunched over with my hands on my knees. "I need... To go... With Tenya, for... A bit... Can you stay... With Todoroki..?"

Kuse's smile fell, but he nodded, wearing an expression I hadn't ever seen on another 6 year old. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

I nodded, smiling sadly for a moment before I darted off again, dashing up the steps and into the hallway. I could see Todoroki walking in my direction, so I waved as I ran by.

"Thanks in advance, Todoroki!" I yelled as I darted past him.

"Tora, wait! What?!" I heard him yell after me.

But I ignored him. I think Todoroki has siblings, Kuse should be fine. He can always ask Midoriya and Uraraka for help.

I ran back to where I left Tenya, praying he was still there. Thankfully, he was right where I left him, anxiously pacing back and forth.

"I'm... Back!" I huffed, grabbing his arm. "Let's go!"

I was only running for a few seconds before I was swept off my feet, quite literally. Tenya had picked me up, holding me in his arms like some damsel in distress. But now wasn't the time to feel embarrassed. I gave up on the thought of telling him to put me down, focusing on the more important matter at hand.

"So where exactly are we headed?" I asked, hooking my arms around Tenya's neck as he sped up.

Tenya gave me a short answer. "Hospital."

I grimaced, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. His older brother is a hero, he was working today, and he hadn't responded to any of Tenya's calls or texts.

The strange sense of anxiety and nervousness that had been eating at me all day finally made sense, but I hated that my bad feeling was right.

The ride to the hospital was bumpy, but Tenya held me carefully, and I wasn't letting go of him anytime soon. I squeezed my arms around his neck securely, resting my head on his shoulders.

Was Tenya breaking the law? Most definitely; he was using his quirk in public. Was my back becoming wet from tears? Also yes, but if Tenya needed a human tissue, then I'd be his human tissue.

I cried on him once before, so now we're even.

A/N

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I know I liked how it turned out. Anyway, I recently reached 800 followers, so thank you all for enjoying my fanfics! No idea when next chapter will be done since I'm busy with school, but look forward to Todoroki babysitting, angst, and more!