~~A few hours earlier~~

Todoroki watched as Tora dashed down the hallway, a puzzled look on his face. The girl had just thanked him, for what exactly, he had no clue. He had called out to her, but she didn't stop, giving him no time to ask.

Todoroki decided to move on, knowing that dwelling on her strange behaviour would only make his head hurt. Tora was a strange girl, she did strange things, Todoroki probably wouldn't understand what went through her head anyway.

When he made it back to his seat he quickly noticed that someone was staring at him. He only had to look for a moment before finding who it was, his mismatched gaze meeting the large blue eyes of a child. He recognized the kid immediately, giving him a shy wave.

Tora's younger brother Kuse smiled at him, jumping out of his seat. He squeezed through the row of seats, making his way to Todoroki and politely excusing himself as he slipped past Todoroki's classmates.

When Kuse finally made it to Todoroki's seat he grinned, showing all of his teeth. Normally such a smile would be considered adorable, but something had put Todoroki on edge.

It was very apparent to him (and the rest of the class) that Tora loved her little brother. She would probably kill someone if they so much as touched a hair on his head. So why in the world had Tora gone running off in the opposite direction, leaving her brother here, by himself.

"Hi, Shoto!" Kuse chirped, rocking on the heels of his feet.

"Hello, Kuse," Todoroki replied, bowing his head slightly. "Why aren't you with Tora?"

"Tora said she needed to go somewhere." Kuse replied, still smiling innocently.

Todoroki paused. "... I see."

Kuse climbed into the seat next to Todoroki, swinging his legs out of boredom. He turned to look at Todoroki.

"Hey Shoto, what's your house like?" He asked.

Todoroki tilted his head in confusion, hesitating before giving an answer. "I'd say it's fairly large... And quiet."

"Must be nice, my house is small so I share a room with Tora... But she snores!" Kuse huffed. "I can't wait to see your house!"

Todoroki's body stiffened, his head robotically turning towards Kuse. "What'd you say?"

"I can't wait to see your house." Kuse replied, emphasizing each syllable as though he were talking to a toddler.

"Why would you be going to my house?" Todoroki sighed, holding his head in his hands.

"Because Tora said to stay with you until she comes to get me," He stated, then raising his voice a little. "Did you plan to leave me all alone? I'm only six years old!"

Todoroki held his hands up defensively. "Hold on a second, I never agreed to look after you."

"Tora did talk to you, right?" Kuse asked hopefully.

Todoroki stopped to think for a moment before groaning. "I mean, she thanked me, but I never actually agreed to watch you."

Kuse's eyes glistened, his bottom lip trembling. "I... I don't want to be alone..."

Todoroki panicked. "Okay! We'll go to my house after the Sports Festival is over!"

Kuse lit up, his tears drying up in a matter of seconds.

"Yay!" He cheered. "We should bring Izuku and Ochako too!"

Todoroki sighed, admitting defeat to himself. "Sure thing."

Todoroki's shoulders slumped. He seemed dumbstruck, understandably so. After all, he had just been conned by a six-year-old's crocodile tears.

~~After the awards ceremony~~

"So let me get this straight," Midoriya sighed, looking at Todoroki. "Tora asked you to look after her brother and ran off?"

"Sort of," Todoroki shrugged. "She actually didn't tell me anything. She thanked me in advance and ran before I could ask questions."

"Well you're going to look after him, right?" Uraraka asked, glancing at the child who was still holding Midoriya's shirt. "He's way too young to look after himself."

"Shoto promised I could see his house!" Kuse chimed in. "And I can take care of myself! I know how to use a microwave and make instant noodles! But Tora never lets me use the stove, she says it's dangerous."

Uraraka and Midoriya both shared a look. Uraraka had a very vague idea of Tora's home life, but Tora was a secretive person, so she didn't know all that much. Midoriya on the other hand had known her longer, seen her apartment, and was aware of Tora's dangerous jobs.

"Well if Todoroki promised to take you to his house, what are we waiting for?" Uraraka chirped, trying to bring the mood up.

Todoroki turned and started to walk away, turning his head to call for them to follow. "Let's go, I'll have my older sister pick us up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is so cool!" Kuse exclaimed once Todoroki opened the sliding front door. "It's so Japanese!"

Kuse entered the house first, sitting down so he could take his shoes off. He untied the laces quickly, placing his shoes neatly off to one side before dashing inside.

"Thanks for having us." Midoriya and Uraraka said in unison before taking their shoes off.

Todoroki nodded and his older sister smiled.

"It's no problem at all," Fuyumi, Todoroki's older sister, said. "Make yourselves at home, I'm going to make some food for everyone, so I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

Fuyumi disappeared further inside the home and Todoroki lead them inside, taking them to the living room.

Kuse had already wandered his way into the living room and was sitting cross-legged on the floor, curiously looking around the room.

Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka sat around him on the floor, looking at him awkwardly.

"How do you babysit?" Todoroki asked, looking at Midoriya.

"Don't look at me," Midoriya said. "I've never babysat before and I don't have any siblings."

Both both turned to look at Uraraka.

She chuckled sheepishly. "I've only ever babysat my cousins, and that was years ago."

The three teenagers all turned to look at Kuse, who was still quietly sitting on the floor, looking around the room.

Todoroki was grasping at straws, unsure of what to do. "There's a garden."

"Really?!" Kuse gasped, then covering his mouth before speaking again, but quieter. "Can we go there?"

"Good idea," Midoriya smiled. "I'm sure there's plenty of room to run around there."

Uraraka nodded enthusiastically and the four of them stood up. Todoroki led them out of the living room and down a hallway, sliding open a partition, revealing the garden.

Carefully, Kuse climbed down, his feet dangling for a moment before coming into contact with grass. He liked the feeling of grass brushing his bare feet. Kuse grinned, holding his arms out as he ran around the garden, taking in every aspect around him.

There were small statutes, rocks, and even a pond. He could hear the rhythmic 'THUNK' of a bamboo pipe that was filled with water from a stream before tipping over and spilling into the pond.

Suddenly, he felt his feet leave the ground, causing him to panic a little. But he soon calmed down, finding himself on Midoriya's shoulders, his small hands gently holding Midoriya's head to stop himself from falling.

"Hold on tight!" Midoriya exclaimed, beginning to run around the yard.

Kuse giggled with delight.

Uraraka joined in, chasing after them. "I'm going to tickle you both if I catch you!"

"No!" Kuse shouted, still giggling. "Faster, Izuku! Faster!"

Todoroki sat at the edge of his house, his feet just barely brushing against the grass as he swung his legs back and forth. He watched them with a conflicted expression, a thought crossing his mind.

"Is this what having siblings is like?"

It was an odd thought to have. He already knew he had siblings, like Kuse, he was the youngest. But a part of him was bitter.

Kuse was a bright and happy child, who could talk about his older sister for hours. He smiled when he spoke about her, and knew everything about her, and she knew everything about him.

Todoroki on the other hand, couldn't even remember the favourite foods or colours of his siblings.

"Food's done!" Fuyumi called into the garden, breaking Todoroki out of his thoughts.

Midoriya and Uraraka both stopped in place, and Midoriya gently took Kuse off his shoulders, placing him back on the grass. Midoriya smiled, watching as Kuse made his way towards the house.

Food had been mentioned, so Kuse quickly darted inside ahead of them, leaving the three teenagers alone outside.

Midoriya's smile fell. "Kuse weighed almost nothing."

"Well he's only six," Uraraka said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Plus you're strong, so that's probably why he was so easy to carry."

"No," Midoriya argued, clenching his fists. "Uraraka, I think I felt his ribs when I picked him up."

Uraraka's eyes widened and Todoroki cringed, feeling ashamed of himself. He felt pathetic for feeling envious of a child who has clearly suffered.

"Let's go inside," Uraraka decided, gritting her teeth. "I think it might be a good idea to try and get Kuse to talk about his home more."

Todoroki nodded, standing up. "Good idea."

The three headed inside together, making their way to the dining room. When they arrived, they found Kuse already eating, shoving spoonfuls of rice into his mouth. Fuyumi, who was sitting next to him, chuckled.

"Slow down a bit," She laughed. "Your dinner isn't going anywhere."

Kuse nodded, swallowing what was in his mouth before taking another, smaller spoonful.

Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka all took their seats around the table, digging into their food.

"Hey, Kuse," Uraraka began. "Want to play a little game while we eat?"

Kuse tilted his head, seemingly interested. "What kind of game?"

"A question game," Midoriya chimed in, glancing at Uraraka. "We'll all take turns asking questions and answering them. Whoever gets picked to answer a question gets to ask someone a question after."

"Sounds fun," Kuse smiled, stuffing a piece of tempura in his mouth. "I'm in."

"Then I'll go first," Uraraka decided, raising her hand slightly. "Kuse, what is your favourite food?"

Kuse hummed to himself for a minute, before answering. "I love chicken wings, but not the spicy ones. Tora loves spicy food, but I don't, so she always gets the mild ones so we can share. Now I can ask a question, right?"

Uraraka nodded. "That's right, ask anyone you like?"

Kuse was about to speak when suddenly, he froze, bringing his hand to his mouth. He spat something out, holding it up so everyone could see.

"Is that a tooth?!" Midoriya exclaimed. "Quick, Kuse, open your mouth!"

Kuse opened his mouth wide, revealing a gap in his bottom row of teeth.

"Tora's going to kill me..." Todoroki mumbled, hunching over the table with his head in his hands.

Uraraka and Midoriya both continued to panic until, Fuyumi abruptly began to laugh.

"It's just a tooth," She chuckled. "At his age it's perfectly normal to lose a tooth or two."

"It's my first tooth!" Kuse grinned, still holding his tooth up to the light. "Is the tooth fairy going to come tonight?!"

"Only if you put your tooth under your pillow tonight." Fuyumi replied, reaching over to softly pat his head.

Kuse smiled as she ruffled his hair. "I will! And thank you for dinner, Fumi!"

Fuyumi tilted her head. "Fumi?"

"Yeah," Kuse nodded, leaning into her hand. "Can I call you Fumi?"

"Sure thing," She chuckled, moving her hand away. "And you're very welcome for dinner, I'm glad you liked it."

"I did!" Kuse exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "I haven't had tempura in forever!"

"Come over again some time with your sister," Fuyumi added. "I'd love to meet her."

Todoroki got up from his seat, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Speaking of Tora, I think I should give her a call."

~~Tora's POV~~

Todoroki answered the door after I rang the doorbell, stepping outside and quietly shutting the door behind him.

I braced myself, knowing that he probably wasn't ecstatic to see me after I dumped Kuse on him. Yes, I felt bad, but I did what I had to.

"You owe me." Todoroki sighed, then turning around and walking back into his house, leaving me alone outside.

"That's it?" I muttered to myself. "I thought he'd be more upset."

I only waited outside for a moment before I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs. Kuse jumped for me, tightly hugging my stomach. I smiled at him, then crouching down with my back facing him. He quickly accepted my invitation for a piggyback ride, resting his head on my back.

"Did you have fun?" I asked, turning my head to look at Kuse.

"Yep!" Kuse grinned, revealing a missing tooth. "I even lost a tooth! Now the tooth fairy is going to visit!"

I chuckled, nodding my head. "That's right, if you're lucky you might get more than 200 yen!"

I turned my attention back to the house. Todoroki, Uraraka, and Midoriya all stood at the front door, along with a woman who had to be related to Todoroki.

I bowed deeply, careful to hold onto Kuse as I did so. I'm pretty sure I heard Uraraka and Midoriya make a surprised sound at my action, but I kept my head bowed.

"I can't thank you guys enough," I began, raising my head a bit. "I know I just dumped this on you Todoroki, but thank you for looking after him. You too, Midoriya, Uraraka."

"It's fine, Uraraka, Midoriya, and my sister Fuyumi all helped me." Todoroki replied. "Besides, I assume you had your reasons for needing to leave."

Midoriya nodded in agreement, smiling as he glanced at Kuse. "It was fun looking after him."

"He must be tired though," Uraraka whispered, softly giggling. "Look, he's fallen asleep."

I turned my head to look at Kuse, sighing with a small smile when I noticed he was drooling on my back, out cold.

"I better get him home then," I whispered. "See you guys at school."

I bowed slightly again before making my way back to Mrs. Iida's car. Tenya got out of the passenger seat and opened the back door for me, helping me carefully lay Kuse on the seat. I went around to the other door, sliding in beside my brother and gently placing his head in my lap. Tenya climbed back into his seat without a word and we were off.

The car ride was eerily quiet.

A/N

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! It's close to twice as long as usual but it felt weird to split it up, so I decided to make it one long chapters. Also look forward to next chapter, we're gearing up for the next arc and also still dealing with everything that happened to Tensei. So yay for ✨drama✨ I guess.