I Don't Know a Shoto

Chapter 3

Third person pov

Shoto had run screaming like Tensei was the boogie man the moment the teen started asking him questions, diving into Etsu's arms like he'd been running from a gladiator in a ring and she was going to fight him off herself. 

He had sobbed and practically begged not to be sent back, which was about as heartbreaking as it sounded, shrieking that he wanted to stay with her at the absolute top of his tiny lungs. The violent reaction wasn't one Tensei had been expecting, and honestly, Etsu hadn't either from how quiet Shoto tended to be. 

Tensei had watched with his mouth partially agape in shock as Tenya ran over to comfort his wailing friend, shooting dirty looks at his older brother. Etsu wasn't sure what to do with an armful of crying child, but she guessed it worked out because Tensei just came and quietly sat back down without another word about kidnappings or heroes. 

Shoto had never really had a meltdown before. Most kids his age had them regularly over small things, like not getting the toy they wanted, or having to wait until after their meal to have their favorite ice cream. 

Shoto had simply... never done that. He was well-behaved and quiet, and beyond mature for his age. It made taking care of him easy. To see him break down in such a raw, age-appropriate way was oddly cathartic. 

It felt more and more like he was coming into himself. The trauma from his previous life was still starkly present, but he was working past it and finally able to act his own age. Etsu was honestly glad.

Tensei continued to bring Tenya to the park, and Etsu continued to bring Shoto. The half-and-half boy still didn't seem to like the older Iida much. Tensei seemed pretty put out by this, apologizing up and down to the kid to no real avail. 

Even his own little brother shot him cold looks when Shoto was around. Etsu thought it was pretty hilarious. Plus, she had the added bonus of being the favorite. A perk she could definitely flaunt whenever Tensei was feeling full of himself. Shoto had warmed up a little to the older boy now that he was forced to interact with him everyday, but there was still an air of weary mistrust. 

Overall, Etsu and Tensei became pretty decent friends. He'd bring food for all of them to sit down and eat, and he'd help Etsu with her homework if she needed it. Etsu appreciated it. It was nice to have someone to talk to who knew about the whole Shoto situation. Not that anyone they ran into seemed to notice the abducted child in her possession. 

Seriously, she had no idea what the hell was going on with that. It was beyond weird. They'd walked past a cop on the way back to their little hovel yesterday and had gotten nothing more than a polite nod. Shoto didn't seem concerned with it, so Etsu supposed she shouldn't be either.

Tensei wasn't as anal about the rules as Etsu had originally thought he was. After his initial worry over Shoto, he'd seemingly recovered and wasn't having any other doubts-- a win for them. Etsu had (admittedly) been tempted to ghost the guy and hope she never ran into him again. Can you really blame her?

She would've if not for the unmatched Wi-Fi connection she somehow managed to get from this spot in particular. Tensei seemed to take her sitting there everyday as an invitation for him to join her. That wasn't the case, but she stopped minding after a couple weeks. Tensei got into the habit of bringing his schoolwork over too, so it was almost like a little study session.

Now came to their current issue. Tensei had informed Etsu of what preschool Tenya had enrolled in. Had even helped her forge documents and agreed to come with her to try and enroll Shoto. 

He truly went above and beyond helping her break the law. For Shoto, Etsu could never go too far. Besides, why bother holding back this far in? She'd already kidnapped him from a literal hospital. Might as well make sure he got the education he deserved to boot.