Marshmallow |BnHA|

Chapter Two

"Put your shoes there Lettuce." The boy, hands gripping onto Shouta's trouser leg, slowly pushed his shoes off and neatly kicked them to where Shouta had said, pressing his body closer. 

Shouta awkwardly pat the green mess. "Do you want a tour or something to eat first?"

His reply was a stomach grumble, and he lead them down the four foot hall and into the room straight opposite the front door. The Kitchen had a general theme of silver and white. Cupboards lined the wall, a circular table with four chairs in the middle, and a sink beneath the window. To the left - in the corner of the room- was a fridge with a supply closet besides it, and the right of the sink was a corner counter. It lead to the cooker, a vent over the top, and a counter stopping half way along the wall with a coffee maker and microwave on. 

Lifting Izuku up gently and sitting him in a chair, Shouta looked through the cupboards. He didn't have a lot, food shopping still two days away, and he wasn't even sure what kids ate. He sighed.

"Do you want toast?"

He looked to Izuku, stifling a laugh. Apparently, Shouta's four cats had all come out of hiding and were official welcoming the kid into the house.

He sat stiffly, not wanting to do anything that would make the cats hurt or uncomfortable, arms slightly raised so two could rest their heads down whilst sitting in his lap. Those two were Shouta's older two - a ginger cat (Patch) and a tabby (Stray). Sat on the table in front of him, pawing at his curls, was a black cat with a white bow tie pattern on his chest was Skit. Finally, curling on his shoulders and nuzzling his neck was Shouta's newest member, and nearly adult Kitten, Paw. She was pure white, besides her four paws which were a muddy brown. 

"Scurry off." He gently shooed off the vats, freeing the boy who smiled sheepishly at him. "T-Thank you." His voice was slightly slurred, 'W's were they shouldn't be and a stumble at his words. 

"No problem Child. Now, toast?" He nodded and Shouta made quick work, looking over his shoulder every so often. 

Izuku was chewing on his lip, feet kicking high above the ground, and absently stroking Paw who hadn't followed her masters order. He seem entranced by it, green eyes like his looking to him in curiosity. When her tongue nipped out, catching his thumb, he startled slightly, before giggling.

That caught Shouta off guard, eyes flinging wide as he turned to the childish and innocent filled sound, knife hovering over the toast. Red had spread along the kids cheeks, eyes closed and hand still to his chest. It was a strange sound, and for a minute Shouta wondered whether Inko's death wasn't at the front of Izuku's mind. 

"Here." He placed the plate in front of Izuku, picking up Paw and putting her on the floor, before filling up his mug and leaning against the counter. "Thank y-you!" 

Smiling and nodding, Shouta ignored the burning sensation on his tongue as Izuku began messily munching on the food, crumbs dropping anywhere.

He held back a cringe.

It took only a few minutes for Izuku to finish, and he handed the kid a clothe. "Wipe your face." He did, not very officially, and he pretty much just smeared the butter across his cheeks. Sighing, he crouched down and did the job himself. 

Izuku's eyes were beginning to dip, and he lifted him off the chair and onto the floor. "We'll fix the spare room up for you. For now, you'll just have to have it the way it is." 

Izuku nodded, but he didn't look like her understood. 

"Have you got clothes to sleep in?" At the shake of his head, Izuku slipped his hand in Shouta's, and the stiff adult lead him to the bedrooms. The door to the living room was in the wall in the hallway, the room a few inches larger than the kitchen and mix and matched, the sofa second hand and furniture brought from charity shops. At the end of that room was the another hallway, the bathroom at the end and two bedroom doors.

The spare room was small, a single bed pressed along the wall beneath the window and besides the head was a bedside table with a lamp on top. There was a set of draws on the left wall, and a desk on the right, the room a blue theme. 

"Have a look around I guess, I'll go get you something to sleep in."

Izuku shuffled into the room, gently placing his backpack on the chair of the desk as Shouta vanished, his fingers pulling at the hem of his shirt. 

"Here you go kid, change into this and go to sleep." Nodding, Izuku thanked his Uncle and changed into the large hoodie, folding his clothes and putting them on the desk besides his bag. 

As he climbed into the bed, he took a shaky breathe. "Unkie Sho?" The man hummed a yes, still leaning against the door. "Can you - Can you read me a story?" 

Shouta nodded stiffly, moving to sit on the end of the bed - tensing when Izuku hugged his arm, and goggled a children's book on his phone. 

And that's how Shouta fell asleep, phone in lap and a six-year-old holding onto his arm like a life line.