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riahlynn101 · 2 months

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"Lost and Found" (3).

Chapter 3

Thank you, guys, for the support on this story :D!! I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am. Sorry for the late update, and happy Valentine's Day!

Yoichi looks around, hands in his pockets to offset some of the biting cold. It’s been a couple days since he’s gone to look for his brother, but he can’t seem to find him. He knows that Big Brother can defend himself. But Yoichi is a natural worrier, and he can’t provide for the two younger boys by himself (he hopes they’re doing okay. He made sure to tuck them in before leaving, but what if that wasn’t enough?)

On the third day he spots his brother.

“Hey!” Yoichi shouts, equal parts mad and concerned. His brother startles for a second, palm clasped over someone’s forehead. A reddish hue emits from his hand, and the person gasps.

“Hello,” he says, pulling his hand away. The person shakily pulls crumpled bills from their pocket. They turn and leave, head bowed as they pass Yoichi. His brother waits until the person is gone to explain himself.

Where the hell have you been? Yoichi demands.

Big Brother clicks his tongue, and rolls his eyes. Apparently finding some amusement in his younger brother’s words. “Making money.” A smile stretches across his face. He lunges for Yoichi, grabbing him by the wrists. “Oh, I finally found a way out.”

“A…way out?” Yoichi repeats dumbly.

“That’s what I said. I’ve made enough for several days in a nicer hotel. We can finally experience what it’s like to sleep in beds. I already booked a room for all four of us….speaking of which.”

I left them in the alcove.

For several long seconds, the two brothers stare at each other.

“You left them alone….?”

Yoichi shifts. He shrugs his shoulders. “They were…asleep-”

“Are you stupid?” Big Brother asks, and Yoichi winces a little at his tone. “In these temperatures they could very well die.” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “When did you leave them?”

Yoichi says nothing.

“Yoichi?”

“A…couple days….ago.”

Big Brother purses his lips. “In this weather?”

He bows his head, fidgeting with a loose thread on his shirt sleeve. His brother scoffs, and something in his tone makes all the annoyance Yoichi’s been suppressing for the past week-and-a-half come bubbling up to the surface.

“Where….have you….” he racks his brain for the word he needs. “ Been?”

Big Brother starts in the direction of their “home,” grabbing Yoichi by the wrist to yank him along. He doesn’t say anything, even when pressed for an answer. His eyes remain fixed on the road ahead, shoulders squared and head up.

If Yoichi were anyone else, he would assume his brother’s demeanor would be indicative of a lack of remorse or guilt. But he isn’t anyone else, and he knows that the only thing on his brother’s mind right now is getting back to their brothers. The only reason he (likely) isn’t booking it across town is because it might make Yoichi sick.

They arrive at the alcove close to dark. The tiny hideaway is quiet. Too quiet.

Yoichi is suddenly afraid of the only place he’s ever called home. He plants his feet on the patch of sand just outside the alcove, refusing to budge even when his brother yanks on his arm. “No,” is all he says. And for the first time in Yoichi’s sixteen years of life, his brother listens to him.

Big Brother goes in, and he holds his breath in anticipation. There’s a slight rustling sound, followed by the sounds of Big Brother trying to rouse Tenchan and Izuchan. Sounds that grow more desperate the longer neither of their younger brothers respond back.

Yoichi’s heart sinks. All he can think about is that it’s his fault. If he hadn’t abandoned them, then none of this would be happening.

A tiny voice in his head tells him that none of this would be happening if their older brother explained his plan before galavanting through the city.

He finds it hard to listen to that voice. It feels insignificant and small in the face of his own faults.

A cough pierces the silence.

“Yoichi, I need your help,” Big Brother says, and he practically lunges for the door (or what qualifies as a door).

Inside, he has to slouch down a little, too tall for the sloped interior. Everything is the exact same as he left it. Right down to the two little boys he tucked in before leaving. He swallows past the lump in his throat.

Big Brother points at Izuku. “I’ll carry Tenchan, but I’ll need you to carry Izuku. Can you do that?”

Yoichi doesn’t have much faith in his ability to carry a bag of groceries, let alone a preschooler for god knows how long. But the alternative is leaving one of the boys here until Big Brother can come back for them, and by then, it will be much too late.

He gives a curt nod.

“Good. Wrap him in that blanket there. We don’t want them getting any colder.”

Yoichi does as instructed, pulling Izuku into his arms. He finds that his youngest brother is weightless in his arms, which in spite of his previous statement, doesn’t make him feel better. His older brother does the same for Tenchan, and then makes a beeline for the exit.

Outside again, Big Brother just starts walking towards town. He says nothing to Yoichi, but he doesn’t have to. Yoichi knows to follow him.

They walk for a long while, all the way back to where Yoichi found his brother earlier. Izuku shivers in his arms. His little body tucks as close as humanly possible to Yoichi’s chest, as if seeking out the little bit of body heat that he’s giving off.

They make it to the hotel his brother was rambling about earlier right as the sun rises. The parking lot is nearly empty, but the place itself seems nice. (Although, maybe his definition is different from other people’s). His older brother walks through the lobby as if he owns the place. The receptionist ignores them as well, reading a book at her desk.

Big Brother navigates the winding hallways, stopping at a pair of metal doors. He adjusts his hold on Tenchan, pushing a button off to the side. Yoichi stares in amazement, as the double doors pull apart with a resounding ding!

He’s so amazed, in fact, that he almost misses his brother entering the weird metal contraption. Big Brother pulls him in by his sleeve, shaking his head.

Yoichi looks around, eyeing the wall of buttons (particularly the bright red one). The floor jolts a little, startling him. He looks wide-eyed at his older brother who is barely containing his laughter. “This is called an elevator. It’s a convenient way for people to get from floor to floor.”

He nods at the floor. “El-ah-v-eh-tor,” he tests the word out. It feels so silly on his tongue, that he can’t help but smile.

The doors open with a ding again, and Yoichi follows his brother down another never-ending hallway.

Big Brother stops at a door, sliding a piece of flat plastic into a weird-looking doorknob. He props the door open with his foot allowing Yoichi entry. The room is cool (not as cool as outside, but still not warm).

Yoichi is struck by how clean and tidy the room is. There’s two beds, a nightstand between them, and even a tv. The room has a distinct smell that he can’t place. It’s flowery but not in a way that makes his nose itch.

It smells clean, he realizes.

“Bring Izuku into the bathroom. A hot bath might warm them up a bit.”

Yoichi’s excitement over this strange quasi-fantasy place that he’s only ever heard of in story books thrown away in the dump, is slightly quelled at the reminder of the life they literally hold in their hands.

Big Brother helps him draw the bath, and gets the younger boys settled in the water. “Make sure that they don’t sink underneath the surface. I’ll be right back with clean clothes.”

Yoichi idly watches his two younger brothers. Occasionally, he brushes their foreheads with his fingertips, letting them know in his own way that they aren’t alone. Their bodies untense and their faces relax until finally they open their eyes.

Tenchan rouses first. His eyes flutter open, and he stares up at Yoichi for a solid minute before coming to his senses. He freaks out, confused as to why he’s submerged in water.

His splashing wakes Izuku, who in turn (seeing his brother freaking out), also freaks out.

Big Brother comes back to the two younger boys crying and splashing, and Yoichi kneeling just outside the tub with a frantic expression. “Okay,” he says, announcing his presence. “Yoichi, sit right there.” He points near the sink. “I’m going to take over cleaning them up.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but finds he has no argument to give.

“And you two.” The two youngest halt their splashing. “Calm down. You aren’t in danger, and all you need to do is sit still.”

-x-x-x-

Izuku is still shaking, even in the warmest water he’s been in since….

Tenko-nii and him are scrubbed head-to-toe with sweet-smelling soaps. Big Brother empties the tub, only to refill it. He mutters something about getting rid of all the dirt, but Izuku can’t think of anything beyond the ache in his stomach. His throat feels dry as well, almost to the point of being unbearable.

He steals a drink from the tap every time Big Brother refills the tub. The hot water burns his mouth a little, but it’s worth it.

Izuku is eventually pulled from the tub. Big Brother helps him into new clothes. He smiles widely. The footie pajamas warm him up right away. His enthusiasm is muted only because of his lack of energy. Still, he finds himself wrapping his arms around Big Brother’s neck. “Thank you.”

It takes a moment for Big Brother to hug back, but that’s okay. Because when he does, he squeezes Izuku super-duper tight. “You’re very welcome, Izuchan.”

When they’re done getting dressed, Big Brother scoops him up. He’s brought into a room with an extremely large bed. Yoichi-nii has a bewildered look on his face, pointing at the bed.

“I pushed them together,” Big Brother explains, which seems to satisfy him.

Izuku is set down in the center of the bed, followed by Tenchan. They look up at their oldest brother, waiting for any indication as to what this place is. But he doesn’t look at them, instead turning to Yoichi-nii.

“Go take a shower. I’ll place some clothes on the sink counter.” When Yoichi-nii leaves, Big Brother turns to them. “As for you two, I have a little surprise.”

He turns his back to them, and goes over to the TV stand. Big Brother opens a cabinet of some sort, but no amount of craning their necks helps them see what he’s doing. They wait patiently as he rummages around the cabinet.

When he returns it’s with two containers wrapped in cloth decorated with an animal. Tenchan is handed one with pictures of cute dogs that vaguely resemble Mon-chan, and Izuku is handed one that has ducks on it.

He looks at Big Brother.

“Are these bentos?” Tenchan asks, a note of excitement in his voice that Izuku hasn’t heard since their family disappeared. When Big Brother nods, Tenchan gets even more excited. “Izuku, these are the things that momma used to make Hana and I for school.”

“For lunch?” He asks, staring down at the ducks. Izuku can kind of remember his momma rushing around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on his siblings’ and daddy’s lunches for the day.

“Mhm,” Tenko says.

“Here, you can eat them on the floor. We don’t want to get the bed all messy, do we?”

“No,” they answer in unison, shaking their heads. Big Brother helps them off the bed, and gets them each a cup of water. He leaves them to go help Yoichi-nii, so Tenchan has to help him with undoing the wrapping.

He also teaches Izuku the basics of eating with chopsticks, but when Izuku starts eating with his hands, Tenchan doesn’t stop him. They eat everything in their bentos, even the veggies that both of them used to push off to the side of their plates. By the time that Yoichi-nii and Big Brother emerge from the bathroom, they’re full.

Izuku rubs his eyes, yawning. Big Brother scoops him up again, wipes his face and hands with a damp rag, and places him in the center of the bed (again). Tenchan is cleaned off as well, and then placed right next to Izuku.

Yoichi-nii and Big Brother don’t follow, which concerns him. What if they leave again?

He sits up slightly. “Don’t leave.”

“We won’t,” Yoichi-nii says, brushing his bangs back. “We’re going to eat some food, and then we’ll be right behind you. Okay?”

“Okay,” Izuku murmurs, laying back down. He still feels unsettled, especially when he feels the weight on the side of the bed let up. Tenko-nii strokes the back of his hand softly.

“Rest now, little brother,” he says. “ I’ll be here when you wake up.”

And, for the little Izuku truly knows about this big scary world, he does know that Tenchan would never lie to him.

….Right?

#cross posted on ao3 #mha fanfiction #mha au #young izuku #young tenko shimura #young yoichi #young afo

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