The family ended up at a cozy, family-style diner downtown. It was relatively quiet—perfect for a low-stress dinner. Or so Aizawa hoped.
The moment they walked in, Souto’s energy level skyrocketed. He darted between tables like a pinball, nearly colliding with a waitress before Aizawa grabbed him by the back of his hoodie.
"Stay. Here," Aizawa said, pointing to their booth.
Souto reluctantly slid into the seat next to Shinso, who immediately slid as far away as possible. Hizashi, ever the optimist, beamed at the waitress as she handed out menus.
"Anything you want, kids!" Hizashi said, ignoring the glare Aizawa shot him.
Souto’s eyes lit up. "Anything?"
"Within reason," Aizawa clarified.
Souto scanned the menu like he was planning a heist. "I want... four milkshakes. All different flavors."
"No," Aizawa said without looking up.
"And a triple bacon cheeseburger with extra pickles!"
"No."
"And—"
"Order something normal or I’m picking for you," Aizawa interrupted, his tone brooking no argument.
Souto pouted but eventually settled on a more reasonable choice (though he still whispered to the waitress to add extra pickles).
It started small.
Souto fidgeted while they waited for their food, stacking sugar packets into a precarious tower. When the waitress brought their drinks, he loudly declared his lemonade tasted "weird" and tried to swap it with Shinso’s soda, only to get a straw jabbed in his hand.
"Stop stealing my stuff," Shinso muttered, pulling his glass away.
"You’re so boring," Souto retorted, sipping his lemonade with exaggerated disdain.
When the food finally arrived, things escalated.
"Why are there onions on this?!" Souto exclaimed, poking at his burger like it had personally offended him. "Can I trade with Shinso?"
"No."
Souto sighed dramatically but took a bite anyway—only to accidentally smear ketchup on his cheek. Shinso snickered.
"Nice aim," Shinso said, tossing him a napkin.
Souto ignored it. "You’re just jealous 'cause my burger’s bigger."
"Jealous? Of that mess?"
"It’s not a mess!" Souto shot back, gesturing wildly—knocking over his lemonade in the process.
Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose as the liquid spread across the table. Hizashi jumped up to grab napkins, while Shinso muttered, "This is why we can’t have nice things."
"Oops," Souto said, though his grin suggested it wasn’t entirely accidental.
By the time dessert rolled around, the staff was giving their table a wide berth. Souto had managed to bump into a waiter, spill salt across the table, and argue loudly with Shinso about who got the last fry.
"Can we get the check, please?" Aizawa asked, looking like he aged ten years in one sitting.
The waitress handed it over, giving Souto a wary glance as she did. "Uh… everything okay here?"
"Define okay," Shinso muttered.
As Aizawa paid, Souto decided it was the perfect time to "stretch his legs."
"Where are you going?" Hizashi asked as Souto slid out of the booth.
"Bathroom," Souto said innocently.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "Don’t cause any trouble."
Souto smirked. "Who, me?"
Two minutes later, Souto was not in the bathroom.
Instead, he was by the dessert counter, poking at the display case with great interest.
"Hey, kid, don’t touch that!" the cashier called.
"I’m not touching, I’m looking," Souto said, pressing his face against the glass.
Before anyone could stop him, his hand "accidentally" bumped into a stack of napkins, sending them cascading onto the floor.
"Oops."
"Souto!"
Hearing Aizawa’s voice, Souto bolted back to the table, slipping into the booth like nothing happened.
"Did you wash your hands?" Aizawa asked suspiciously.
"Of course!" Souto said, his grin not fooling anyone.
---
As they left the diner, Hizashi couldn’t help but laugh.
"That went about as well as I expected," he said cheerfully.
"That was a disaster," Aizawa muttered, pulling Souto by the hood to keep him from running into traffic.
"I think it was fun," Souto said, licking ketchup off his hand.
"You think chaos is fun," Shinso said, shaking his head.
Souto shrugged. "Chaos is exciting."
Aizawa sighed. "No more dinners out for a while."
"Aw, c’mon, Dad!" Souto whined.
"No."
Hizashi grinned. "Don’t worry, Souto. Next time, we’ll try a buffet. What could go wrong?"
Aizawa shot him a look that said don’t even think about it.
...
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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...
