Little Angel

Honorary Big Brother

Izuku walked beside Keigo, who was chatting about his day and the villains he took down.

"There was this one guy who could control water, kinda weak though considering the fact that he couldn't control a lot of it at one time. He was easy to take down, one kick to the stomach and a punch to the face and he was out like a light. Easy peasy." Keigo laughed, looking over to get Izuku's reaction.

Izuku grinned up at him and giggled. He liked hearing about how heroes took down the bad guys. It made him feel just a little bit safer somehow. 

"That's so cool!"

"Isn't it?" Keigo chuckled. "Well, here we are."

Izuku glanced up to see the sign for the café that said in bold letters, Cozy Café. The aesthetic in the café was full of various pastel colors. Pink, purple, blue, and green. All of this combined with the smell of coffee and pastries made Izuku feel warm and fuzzy. 

"I love this place!" Izuku said softly in awe. 

"I'm glad." Keigo walked over to a booth. "Because it's where I'm gonna be taking you when we hang out."

"Hang out?" Izuku questioned, sitting down across from him.

"Yeah!" Keigo grinned. "You're cool, kid. I like you. You're adorable and sweet, how could I not? I've already decided that I'm gonna be your honorary big brother! How does that sound?"

Izuku just blinked at him in confusion. "What."

Keigo let out a booming laugh. "You should see your face right now!"

Izuku blushed slightly and ducked his head. "Well, how was I supposed to react when you said that." 

"You're so cute! I can't wait to spoil you!" Keigo grabbed the menu and gave it to Izuku. Izuku looked up in confusion.

"Order something, anything."

Izuku carefully took the menu from Keigo and looked through it. He periodically glanced up at Keigo just waiting for him to start laughing again and ripping the menu away. He didn't deserve this kindness, or any kindness at all. At least, that's what his parents always told him.

"Why are you being so nice to me? You don't even know me." Izuku asked softly.

Keigo's smile faltered. "Well, I've always wanted a little brother and you looked like you needed someone." Then he grinned widely. "And you can't do anything about it. You're stuck with me!"

Izuku smiled behind the menu and giggled. 

"So, have you picked something out?" Keigo leaned over the table.

"Mhm." Izuku set the menu down. "I want...I want p-peach tea a-and a chocolate chip s-scone. If that's okay."

Keigo waved over a waitress. "We're ready to order now."

The waitress walked over. She smiled at them sweetly. "Hello, Takami. It's good to see you again. And you," She glanced at Izuku with a sweet smile. "what a cutie you have here! What's your name sweetie?"

Izuku looked down at his shoes then back at her with a nervous smile. "I-Izuku. My name is Izuku."

"What a darling name!" The waitress cooed. "What would you like sweetheart?"

"Um..." Izuku looked over at Keigo, who grinned at him and nodded. "I w-want some peach tea and a...and a chocolate chip scone, please."

"I'll get that for you right away!" The waitress turned to Keigo. "I'm assuming you want your usual?"

Keigo nodded. "You know it."

The waitress smiled. "Okay, that will be out in a few minutes."

"Thank you!" Keigo called after her.

Izuku softly added his thanks.

"So, tell me about yourself." Keigo folded his hands, setting them on the table, a wide grin on his face.

Izuku fidgeted in his seat. "Um, I'm pretty boring to be honest."

"Aww, I'm sure that's not true!" Keigo disagreed, shaking his head. "Come on, just one thing."

"Well, All Might is my favorite hero, and...and I love being outside and my favorite animals are birds." Izuku wrung his hands nervously, avoiding Keigo's calculating eyes.

"Birds, huh? That makes me feel special." 

"What...what about you?" Izuku asked soflty.

"Hmm..." Keigo scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I love the color red, and I love flying more than anything. It's so freeing."

Izuku stared longingly at Keigo's wistful gaze. He seemed really happy talking about flying. It sounded so much fun. He wished he could fly too. Maybe if Keigo knew about his wings, he'd take him flying. That's what brothers did, right? Do fun things together? He would give anything to go flying with Keigo.

"Flying sounds really cool. I wish I could fly." Izuku frowned at the ground. 

"You told me the other day you don't have a quirk, is that right?" Keigo inquired quietly. 

Izuku nodded. "Mhm."

"That must be difficult." Keigo murmured. "Do you get bullied for it?"

Izuku flinched, and kept staring at the floor. "Yeah, sometimes."

Izuku glanced up briefly, just in time to see dark shadows flash in Keigo's bright eyes. 

"Hmm...If they continue giving you trouble, just tell me okay?" Keigo smiled at him. "I'll make sure they never try anything like that again. That's what big brothers are for, right?"

Izuku giggled. "I guess? I mean, I wouldn't know. I'm an only child."

"Perfect!" Keigo exclaimed. "That means I have zero competition." 

"Here are your oders." The nice waitress form before set down a steaming mug of tea in front of Izuku, and a plate with a freshly baked scone. He couldn't wait to try it. His mouth watered as he reached for the scone. 

"And here is your usual." The waitress turned to Keigo, placing down a steaming cup of what looked like coffee.

"Thank you so much, Himari!" Keigo took a sip of the coffee. "Mmm...sickly sweet as always."

"You're welcome." The waitress, Himari, smiled and waved at them before leaving.

"So," Keigo began, "How do you like what you got?"

Izuku happily chewed on his scone, a bright smile on his face. "Mmm."

Keigo laughed, smiling softly at the sight. "Well, it seems this outing was a success! We need to do this again."

Izuku swallowed down the bite of scone. "Y-yeah! I love this! Is this what having fun feels like?"

Izuku immediately regretted his choice of wording when he noticed Keigo's confused expression. 

"Well yeah, of course, but why would you ask that? Don't you do things like this with your friends and family?"

Izuku hesitated before shaking his head. "Umm...well, I don't have any friends and...and my parents are busy a lot, s-so we, uh, don't do things together m-much. I'm usually all alone."

Keigo gave him a sad look. "Oh no, this won't do! You're a kid! You should be having tons of fun and be making friends! Well it's a good thing I ran into you, huh? I'll make sure you're never alone! Because I'm gonna be the best big brother in the whole entire world!"

Izuku giggled at Keigo's dramatic proclamation. "You already are."

Keigo grinned widely and stood up from his seat to give Izuku a bone-crushing hug. "Aww! That means so much to me, little bird! I'll make sure to do my best to always be here for you."

Izuku's heart warmed at the nickname Keigo gave him. Little bird, he liked that. Izuku hugged Keigo back, feeling happier than he had in years.

Maybe things would finally start getting better.