For once, the Aizawa household was surprisingly quiet. Aizawa stood by the front door, adjusting his coat, while Hizashi bounded around in a bright red holiday sweater covered in jingling bells.
“You really don’t need to wear that,” Aizawa muttered, sighing as the jingling grew louder.
“It’s festive, Sho!” Hizashi beamed, striking a pose. “You can’t stop the holiday spirit!”
“I can if it’s giving me a headache,” Aizawa grumbled.
Hizashi ignored him, turning to Hitoshi. “Alright, kiddo. You’re in charge tonight! Keep the little gremlin alive.”
Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. “Do I get hazard pay?”
“You get the satisfaction of being a responsible older brother,” Aizawa deadpanned, grabbing Hizashi by the arm to drag him out the door.
“Don’t burn the house down!” Hizashi called over his shoulder as the door closed behind them.
But before the door could fully close, Souto came sprinting from his room, tears streaming down his face.
“Don’t leave me!” he wailed, clinging to Aizawa’s leg like a koala.
“Souto—” Aizawa began, but the boy’s sobs grew louder.
“I wanna go! I’ll be good, I promise!” Souto cried, his grip tightening. “I don’t trust Hitoshi! He’s boring!”
Hitoshi, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Souto, we’re going on a date. It’s not a place for kids,” Aizawa explained, trying to pry him off.
“Then take me instead of Hizashi!” Souto declared dramatically, throwing a glare at the blond.
“Rude!” Hizashi gasped, clutching his chest.
After several minutes of negotiation—and a promise to bring back dessert—Aizawa finally managed to extract himself from Souto’s grip.
The second the door closed, Souto flopped onto the floor in defeat, his face scrunched up in a pout. “This is the worst Christmas ever.”
---
It didn't take long for something to happen. Hitoshi, who had just settled on the couch, barely glanced up from his phone. “What are you doing now?” Hitoshi asked, already suspicious.
“Nothing,” Souto replied, which was always a lie.
Moments later, there was a loud snap.
Hitoshi’s head shot up just in time to see the Christmas tree wobble precariously before crashing to the floor, ornaments shattering everywhere. Souto stood frozen next to it, holding a now-broken branch.
“I was trying to fix it!” Souto defended, though it was clear he’d been yanking on the tree.
Hitoshi stared at the chaos, then slowly got up. “What did you do..” the older boy was lost for words.
"We can fix it!" Souto yelled, nervously.
"Dad's gonna kill you."
---
While Hitoshi cleaned up the tree disaster, Souto sniffed out Hizashi's hidden stash of holiday chocolates. He climbed onto the counter, rummaging through the cabinets like a raccoon.
“What are you doing?” Hitoshi asked, exasperated.
“Nothing!” Souto lied, stuffing his cheeks with chocolates like a chipmunk.
Hitoshi sighed and walked over. “Spit it out.”
“Never!” Souto shouted, bolting out of the kitchen at full speed.
Hitoshi chased him through the house, dodging furniture and stepping over scattered tinsel. Souto cackled like a maniac, running in circles until he tripped over the coffee table and faceplanted into a pile of pillows.
Hitoshi casually walked over and plucked a chocolate wrapper out of his hair. “You’re the worst.”
“You’re boring,” Souto shot back, muffled by the pillow.
---
After dinner—which consisted of Hitoshi throwing together instant ramen while Souto claimed he was “starving to death”—it was time to get the little menace to bed.
“Alright, time to sleep,” Hitoshi announced, dragging Souto toward his bedroom.
“No way!” Souto protested, flailing like a fish. “It’s Christmas Eve! I have to stay up and see Santa!”
“You’re not seeing Santa. Go to bed,” Hitoshi said, shoving him toward the bed.
Souto clung to the doorframe like a barnacle. “I’m nocturnal! You can’t make me sleep!”
“Watch me.”
It took fifteen minutes of wrestling, bribery, and threats before Hitoshi finally managed to get Souto under the covers.
“I hate you,” Souto muttered, glaring at him from the bed.
“Good. Sweet dreams,” Hitoshi replied, turning off the lights and closing the door.
---
Hitoshi barely had time to sit down before Souto came sprinting back into the living room, dragging his blanket behind him like a cape.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hitoshi groaned.
“I can’t sleep!” Souto whined, climbing onto the couch.
“Then sit here quietly and don’t bother me,” Hitoshi said, scrolling through his phone.
Souto didn’t sit quietly. He poked Hitoshi in the side. Then again. And again.
“Stop,” Hitoshi warned.
Poke.
“I mean it, Souto.”
Poke.
“Alright, that’s it,” Hitoshi growled, grabbing Souto and tossing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Souto screamed with laughter, kicking his legs. “Put me down, you giant gorilla!”
Hitoshi carried him back to his room, dumped him on the bed, and tucked him in so tightly he couldn’t move.
“Stay,” Hitoshi ordered, pointing a finger at him.
Souto lips curved in a grin that said it all, but Hitoshi had already caught up.
"You wanna see Santa?" Hitoshi matched Souto's grinning face.
"Of course!"
Hitoshi took notice of Souto's eyes going pale, "Go to sleep then."
All it took were those words for Souto to sleep like he never did before, an easy tactic Hitoshi wanted to use but never got the chance.
...
Thx.
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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...
