Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

02: New Family

"Kai, do you want to eat lunch together?"

It comes as no surprise, but Chisaki responds by scrunching up his nose.

"Go away," he sighs. "I don't have time for stupid little kids."

He barely even spares you a glance before burying his nose in the book he's been reading. You've come to discover that he is nine years old, seven years older than you, but that being said, he's still a kid himself. You find it funny that he's acting as if he's a full-grown adult, when in fact, you've lived for longer than he has.

But for all his hasty reprimands and how eager he is to get rid of you, still you remain undeterred. You've decided that you want to change his life for the better. To ensure that he won't become a villain and go on to hurt countless people-including a helpless little girl.

So, you plop down next to him, still smiling brightly, then unwrap the sandwich one of the caregivers handed you earlier. Admittedly, it doesn't smell great, and it's warm, for some reason, but considering how much of a dump this place is, you know it's the best you're going to get.

You bite into your sandwich and make a face. "This tastes a little funny."

"Stupid kid," Chisaki mutters, shuffling away from you. "The meat is probably on the verge of spoiling. You're going to get sick, and then you're going to get me sick. Ugh."

There's not really much you can do about your limited dining options here, and you just hope that you won't end up with food poisoning.

"The beginner's guide to human anatomy," you mumble, reciting the title of the book Chisaki has in hand. This seems to catch his attention, and he stops reading to peer over at you with arched brows.

"You know how to read?" he blinks. "But you're only two."

Oh. Right. I'm supposed to be a toddler.

Up until now, everyone at the orphanage just assumed you were flipping through books for the hell of it, but you've nearly just given yourself away.

"I'm smart for my age," you decide upon, making sure not to oversell it. "Does that book have nice pictures to look at?"

Chisaki shrugs. "I guess. Mostly just diagrams and stuff. Nothing a little brat like you would understand."

He's challenging you, or at the very least mocking you, and even though you shouldn't let his words get under your skin, you suddenly feel the need to prove yourself.

"I bet I'll be able to understand," you insist, then snatch the book right out of his fingers.

"Give that back," he grimaces. "You're so annoying. This is why I hate kids."

Once again-he's also a kid, although you certainly wouldn't know it at first glance, based on his pretentious attitude and the complicated books he's already reading.

You trace your finger over one of the pages. "The aorta is the largest artery of the body, and it carries blood from the heart to the rest of the circulatory system. Blood first leaves the aortic valve, then it travels through the aorta, allowing other major arteries to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the brain, muscles, and various other cells."

By the time you're finished, Chisaki's jaw is hanging open.

Crap. You probably could've afforded to hold back a bit.

"Told you I'm smart for my age," you say, then gently place the book back in his hands. Well, it must come as a shock to him, since you appear as a toddler, but you're actually a teenager mentally speaking. Being able to read is hardly that impressive. What's actually impressive is that he's reading complicated stuff like this, despite only being nine years old.