Zero - A Vigilante Deku Story

Chapter 15 - Ugh! Bad cat!

POV Zero

When Shouta had spoken of his apartment on campus, Zero hadn't assumed it would be a complete house, though admittedly it was only one story, it was still surprisingly large - especially by Japanese standards.

Did it mean the other UA teachers lived in the neighboring bungalows?

"Are you coming in?"

Zero woke up from his stupor and stepped over the threshold. There he took off his shoes and sought Shouta's gaze. The teenager didn't know what to do. The situation was overwhelming him. Shouta had said 'home'. Besides, he seemed to have somehow become his legal guardian during the course of the day. That was probably Nezu's doing.

Part of him hoped this arrangement would last. At least until he graduated. Would Shouta want him here that long? What about the rest of his family? He had spoken of a husband and a son. Would they accept him too?

"Follow me," the hero said, walking down the hallway.

Zero pulled in his wings and clutched the strap of his shoulder bag. Then he went after the man. In front of them, the room opened up into an open-plan living room. From the right, he heard something rattling and the scraping of metal on metal. His gaze followed the sounds and he spotted a tall man with long blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail, standing in the kitchen area, cooking.

The many stimuli literally flooded him. Sometimes he cursed his heightened senses. At least until he noticed the smell. When was the last time he had eaten something warm which wasn't instant ramen?

Zero's stomach let out a loud growl. Shouta laughed briefly.

Embarrassed, Zero clawed his hands into his hoodie and lowered his gaze.

"There you are," an unfamiliar voice called out.

The teenager risked a glance through his thick curls, which hung down his forehead. The blond came out of the kitchen and dried his hands on a towel.

Zero tilted his head. The face looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. How did he know those glasses with the small colored lenses?

"Hello Little Listener. How nice you're finally here."

His eyes widened and he looked back and forth between the two heroes. "Present Mic? You two are married?"

The blonde smiled broadly. "Exactly. You can call me Mic or Hizashi, whatever you like." So he had understood him. It reassured Zero the other hero also knew sign language. Turning to Shouta, he said, "Dinner will take another twenty minutes. Why don't you show Zero his room? I've put a little something out for him. That should be enough for today. We should probably get a few more things for him, though."

Zero swallowed. He felt small under the gaze of the two men and pulled his wings a little tighter around him.

"I was going to take care of that tomorrow." Shouta walked past him. "Come with me, Zero. We can talk about it over dinner. It's been a long day and you must be tired."

The teenager quickly walked after him and they entered a hallway with several rooms leading off of it. Shouta pointed to the first door on the left. "This is the bathroom. Opposite is our son Hitoshi's room. He's with his partner's family today. That's just as well. I don't know if I have enough energy for any more loud blondes right now."

"I heard that, Shou!" Mic exclaimed.

Shouta sighed in agony, whereupon Zero chuckled softly. The hero walked on. He pointed to the left again. "Here's Zashi's and my bedroom. If you need anything, you can always come to us, even at night." Then he opened the door opposite, switched on the light and entered the room. "This is your room."