It was a rather peaceful Saturday morning in the Aizawa household—a rare event considering the chaos that usually unfolded with Souto under the roof. The sunlight streamed through the windows, birds chirped outside, and Aizawa sat at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee in blissful silence.Shinso trudged into the kitchen, his hair even messier than usual, and poured himself a bowl of cereal.
“Where’s the gremlin?” he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Still asleep, miraculously,” Aizawa said, savoring his coffee like it was the last bit of sanity he had left.
But, as if summoned, Souto barreled into the kitchen a second later, still in his pajamas, his hair sticking up in every direction.
“Morning, losers!” Souto announced, slamming his hands on the table dramatically.
“Speak of the devil,” Shinso muttered.
“I’m starving!” Souto declared, climbing onto the chair next to Shinso. But instead of pouring his own cereal, he stared at Shinso’s bowl with an intense, unblinking gaze.
“What?” Shinso asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You gonna finish that?” Souto asked, already leaning closer to Shinso’s cereal.
“Yes, I’m going to finish it,” Shinso replied, pulling the bowl closer to himself.
“C’mon, just a bite!” Souto said, reaching for the spoon.
Aizawa watched this unfold with the patience of a man who had seen it all before. “Souto, eat your own cereal,” he said, not even looking up from his coffee.
“Fine!” Souto huffed, pouring his own cereal and aggressively shaking the milk carton like it had personally offended him.
Breakfast went on as usual, with Souto and Shinso trading sarcastic remarks while Aizawa half-listened, ready to intervene if things escalated.
But then Souto, true to his nature, decided to stir the pot.
“You know, for a big brother, you’re pretty weak,” Souto said, smirking at Shinso.
Shinso paused mid-bite, narrowing his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, I totally almost beat you yesterday during our fight,” Souto said, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place.
Shinso laughed—an actual laugh. “Almost beat me? You bit me, and I still won.” Shinso shot back with a smug grin.
“Take it back!” Souto demanded, standing up on his chair to seem taller.
“Make me,” Shinso said, crossing his arms.
And that was all it took. Souto launched himself across the table, aiming straight for Shinso.
Souto clung to him like a spider monkey, his tiny hands trying to wrestle Shinso’s much larger frame. “Admit I almost won!” he shouted.
“Not happening,” Shinso replied, effortlessly holding Souto at arm’s length.
“You’re the worst brother ever!” Souto yelled, squirming furiously.
“And you’re the most annoying little vampire ever,” Shinso retorted.
Souto picks up a couch cushion, ready to chuck it at Shinso’s head.
“Enough,” Aizawa said in that calm-but-terrifying tone that made both boys freeze instantly.
“But he started it!” Souto whined, pointing at Shinso.
“Doesn’t matter,” Aizawa replied, crossing his arms. “You’re both responsible. Now sit.”
Grumbling, both boys sat back on opposite ends of the table, glaring at each other like two angry cats.
Aizawa sighed. “You two need to learn how to get along. You’re brothers now, whether you like it or not.”
“I didn’t ask for a little brother,” Shinso muttered.
“And I didn’t ask for a boring big brother!” Souto shot back.
“Enough,” Aizawa said again, but not silencing them both.
You’re like a stray dog,” Shinso continues, “Loud, messy, and impossible to train.”
“And you’re like a rock,” Souto shot back, his arms crossed and his fangs bared in a scowl. “Boring, useless, and just sitting there.”
“Alright, here’s the deal,” Aizawa continued, his tone firm. “You’re going to spend the rest of the day together. No fighting, no bickering. You’re going to figure out how to get along, or so help me, I’ll make you clean the entire house.”
Both boys groaned in unison.
---
The rest of the day was... tense. Aizawa made good on his promise, assigning them to tasks they had to do together, like folding laundry and cleaning the backyard.
At first, it was a disaster. Souto complained about everything, and Shinso kept muttering under his breath about how much easier it would be to just do it himself.
But somewhere along the line, things started to change.
Souto made a game out of folding laundry, turning socks into “sock puppets” and narrating their imaginary battles. Shinso tried to stay annoyed, but eventually, he cracked a smile.
By the time they got to the backyard, they were actually working together—well, mostly. Souto tried to climb a tree and got stuck, and Shinso had to help him down, but at least no one got bitten this time.
That evening, as the three of them sat on the couch watching TV, Aizawa noticed a subtle change in the dynamic.
Shinso and Souto were still bickering, of course, but it was... lighter. Less venomous. More like playful teasing than actual fighting.
“See?” Aizawa said, smirking slightly. “I told you two could get along.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Souto grumbled, though he was leaning slightly against Shinso.
“Yeah,” Shinso added, ruffling Souto’s hair. “He’s still a gremlin.”
“And you’re still boring,” Souto shot back, but there was no real heat behind it.
Aizawa sighed, leaning back. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress. For now, that was good enough.
...
Appreciated.
YOU ARE READING
BNHA | A Bite-Sized Problem
Fanfiction.ᐟ Comic relief / Slice of life. Eraserhead, pro hero and notorious insomniac, adopts an 8-year-old vampire delinquent with an attitude problem? Chaos, that's what. Souto, a loud, abrasive troublemaker with a biting temper (literally), finds himself...