Orphan Nanny

the boy in the alley

Contains spoilers for the characters Toga Himiko, Todoroki Touya, and Shigaraki Tomura that may or may not have already been covered in the anime or released in the manga. I apologize for any inconvenience

Dark, heavy clouds blotted out the sun with lingering whisps as sunset creeped upon them, leaving only the faintest glow of dull oranges and reds on the horizon. The few people left out on the street at the time had newspapers, bags, and cases hovering over their heads as they kept throwing anxious glances at the sky, waiting for the downpour to start at any moment.

One woman, with cotton candy-blue hair shaved into a messy side-do, walked at a leisurely pace, not at all bothered by the threat of rain hanging above her. Hoodie tied around her amble waist and grocery bag in hand full of junk snacks and candy, she marveled at the cold air that whisked past her and tickled her exposed shoulders. Even after three years of living in Japan after moving from Arizona, the colder weather was still a fresh break for her.

The air smelled crisp with fallen leaves and of the approaching storm, and she began to quicken her pace at the reminder of snacks in her hand.

Humming a mournful tune to match the weather, the woman skittered a pile of trash left out on the sidewalk that wasn't properly disposed of. Nose wrinkled and close to home, she wondered if it would rain enough to stay home tomorrow, but she quickly brushed the thought off, and just tightened the grip on her bag. She really didn't feel like trekking all the way back through the cold to replace her snacks if they got ruined. She didn't have a car of her own, and she despised any form of public transportation. Pace quickened, the woman stopped beside an alley when she noticed a figure out of her peripherals.

Head turned cautiously and body poised to make a break for it - she's seen far too many American slasher films to be that stupid - and spotted a lump of darkened, dirty clothes sitting on the far end of the alley. Hesitation stopped her from entering right away, but the size of the person was far too small to be a grown adult, and the figure looked weak enough as it was without sitting in the trash heap. Against her better judgment, she slowly approached the child - it was, indeed, a child and not a rat in rags - and crouched down beside them, scooting her bag behind her in case it was all a trick to grab her food and run off with it. She cringed internally at the cold mud seeping into her pant legs, but pushed the feeling aside.

Before her crouched a malnourished little boy. Dull, eclectic-blue hair clung to the sides of his head, and she just barely glanced pale, almost ashen skin beneath his fringes. Worry gnawed at her gut at the state he was in, and she felt alarm course through her at the sight of the rusted-brown stains on his shirt. Only one thing she knew could make that color...

With the air of someone approaching an injured wild animal, the woman reached forward, slowly, her hand in the boy's direct line of sight. Crimson eyes flicked to her hand, then to her face, before flicking back to her face.

Pain and sorrow and rage glittered in his eyes like dew in a spiderweb, and her heart ached for the boy that had clearly been abused. If she were to duck her head and activate her Quirk from the dimness of the alley, she could make out scrapes on his knuckles and fingers, and dark blue-purple bruises along his collarbone and a nasty one decorating his face—the only bit of color on his hunched form.

Retracting her hand at the look in his eyes, she murmured in a hushed voice, "What happened to you?"

The moments before the boy answered stretched long in the silence, with not even a breeze to disturb it. Finally he blinked slow and long, and his eyes focused on her a bit more, before the rage she saw in those startling red eyes grew and his lips pulled into a snarl.

She pulled back at the hostility in his eyes, and the fight immediately dissipated as he realized what he did.

Head hanging low, fringes covering his eyes, and hunched shoulders drawn in close, he asked in a hoarse voice cracked from dehydration, "Are you here to help me?"

She was surprised he would even consider she wouldn't help him, and reached her hand out again to lay it on his shoulder. His whole body tensed at the contact, but he did not lean into her nor pull away. Growing more confident and sad for this poor boy in only seconds, she asked in the softest voice she could muster, "Would you like me to?"

Slowly, hesitantly, like he was scared she would be gone if he looked, he raised his head to look her in the eye, a silent question playing upon his face: Why are you helping me?

Rage surged through her at the implications.

How long had this young boy, who couldn't be older than five or six, been sitting here in the trash and cold? How many people had seen him and ignored him like he wasn't even worth their attention?

How long had he suffered before she found him?

Bile creeping up her throat at the swirl of anger in her head, she forced her face to remain gentle so she wouldn't startle someone who was clearly abused and hurt.

Tears in his eyes and body shaking, the boy nodded once, but his eyes never left hers. Yes.

A small smile tugged at her face, and she was happy he would let her help him. "Alright then," she grinned, standing up and dusting off the dirt on her jeans with little success. Reaching down with a hand to haul him up, she mustered all the sunshine lollipop energy she could to chirp, "I'm Julie."

He stared long and hard at her hand, and reached out to take it, but alarm flashed in his eyes and he quickly withdrew. Saddened that he rejected her offer, she turned haltingly to find someone to come collect the kid, but she felt her smile grow again when he stood and looked up at her, fear in his eyes but also relief. Smiling warmer than before, she rested a hand on his shoulder and began guiding him out of the alley.

Thunder cracked in the distance as the downpour began, soaking Julie in an instant. She shivered at the sudden chill, but the boy beneath her hand was like stone to the cold.

Sky dark and rain pelting the two, Julie and Tenko were oblivious to the man on the other side of the street, watching their departure in interest.