The day started innocently enough.
“Can my friend come over?” Souto asked during breakfast, barely waiting for Aizawa to finish his coffee before blurting it out.
Aizawa looked up from his mug, his usual half-lidded expression not betraying the surprise he felt. “Friend?”
“Yeah, Kenji,” Souto said nonchalantly, though his twitching foot under the table betrayed his excitement. “You know, from school. He said he’d come!”
Shinso, half-asleep and staring into his cereal, muttered, “You're already bringing friends over? I’ve been here for years, and I can’t even invite people.”
Aizawa arched an eyebrow at his older son. “Because the people you want to bring over are my students. It’s awkward.”
“Is it awkward, or is it because you don’t want them to see you sleep in a caterpillar cocoon on the couch?” Shinso shot back, smirking.
Aizawa sipped his coffee without answering, a clear sign that Shinso had won this round.
“Can he come over or not?” Souto asked again, practically vibrating in his chair.
“Fine,” Aizawa said, already regretting the decision.
Souto grinned.
---
Kenji showed up precisely at noon, the small, quiet boy clutching a neatly packed backpack. His demeanor the exact opposite of Souto’s—calm, polite, and cautious.
“You live here?” Kenji asked as Souto dragged him through the front door.
“Yeah, cool, right?” Souto said, grinning ear to ear. “C’mon, let me show you my room!”
As the two boys disappeared down the hall, Aizawa leaned back on the couch, his instincts already on high alert.
“This is going to end in disaster, isn’t it?” Shinso said, flopping down in the armchair with a sigh.
“Most likely,” Aizawa said, closing his eyes. “Just hope they don’t break anything important.”
---
The first sign of trouble came about fifteen minutes later when Souto burst into the living room holding a blanket tied around his neck like a cape.
“We’re playing heroes!” he announced, striking a dramatic pose.
Kenji shuffled in behind him, looking thoroughly embarrassed but sporting a paper mask Souto had hastily drawn on.
“Who are you?” Shinso asked, amused despite himself.
“I’m Vlad King!” Souto declared, pointing to his imaginary foe—Shinso. “And you’re the villain!”
“Pass,” Shinso said, going back to his book.
“Too late! Kenji, attack!” Souto yelled.
Kenji hesitated, clearly unsure about this plan, but Souto didn’t wait. He lunged at Shinso, who dodged barely, sending Souto crashing into the couch.
“Do you even know what subtlety is?” Shinso asked, tossing a pillow at Souto’s head.
“Nope!” Souto said proudly, throwing the pillow back with double the force.
Kenji, trying to be helpful, started picking up the pillows that had gone flying during the scuffle. Unfortunately, this led to Souto deciding he was also part of the “battle.”
“Kenji, get him!” Souto yelled, pulling his friend into the chaos.
Kenji awkwardly threw a pillow at Shinso, clearly uncomfortable but too polite to refuse.
The noise eventually drew Aizawa into the room. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, watching as Shinso missed to deflect a pillow that hit a lamp.
“What part of ‘don’t break anything important’ did you not understand?” Aizawa mumbles, his tone dangerously calm.
Souto froze mid-pillow throw, his blanket-cape trailing behind him like a guilty flag. “Uh… we were just… bonding?”
Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples. “Clean this up.”
“Yes, sir!” Souto said, saluting dramatically.
Kenji immediately started picking up pillows again, mumbling, “Sorry, Mr. Aizawa.”
Aizawa glanced at him and gave a rare, reassuring nod. “Not your fault, kid.
After the pillow war cleanup, Souto decided it was snack time.
“Let’s make something awesome!” he declared, dragging Kenji into the kitchen.
“Like what?” Kenji asked nervously.
Souto rummaged through the fridge and pulled out a random assortment of ingredients: a loaf of bread, a jar of pickles, jam, leftover spaghetti, and a block of cheese.
“A masterpiece,” Souto said proudly.
Kenji looked skeptical. “Are you sure about this?”
“Of course! Trust me, I’m a chef!”
By the time Aizawa peeked in to check on them, the kitchen looked like a tornado had hit it. Spaghetti sauce splattered on the counter, cheese shredded across the table, and Souto triumphantly holding a “sandwich” that defied all logic.
“Want some?” Souto asked, holding it out to Aizawa.
“Absolutely not,” Aizawa said, backing away.
Kenji, meanwhile, was staring at his own creation—a much neater, though equally questionable, concoction. “I think I’ll just eat the bread,” he said quietly.
---
By the end of the day, Kenji looked equal parts exhausted and amused.
“You're… lively,” he said as Souto walked him to the door.
“Yeah, I'm awesome,” Souto said, grinning. “You’ll come back, right?”
Kenji hesitated, then nodded. “Sure. Maybe.”
Souto beamed. “Cool! Next time, we’ll play villains!”
Kenji gave him a small smile before heading off, leaving Souto to turn back to his family with a triumphant expression.
“See? I can have friends over without breaking stuff!” he said.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. “The lamp says otherwise.”
Souto laughed nervously. “Okay, but next time, it’ll be perfect!”
Shinso rolled his eyes. “Next time, I’m staying at a friend’s house.”
“Wait, you have friends?” Souto teased, darting out of Shinso’s reach as he lunged.
Aizawa sighed again, already dreading whatever chaos “next time” would bring.
...
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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...
