Marshmallow |BnHA|

Chapter Three

"Lettuce, please stop interrogating Nem."

Four days had passed since Shouta took Izuku in, and it was safe to say the boy had opened up. The Uncle had come to realise the boy was practically full of energy, from the second he was dragged out of bed -at least they shared common ground there - to the moment Shouta pried the sleeping boy off his arm after tucking him into bed.

The Hero needed time with someone who wasn't a six-year-old child, and since his boyfriend was still three days shy of coming from his conference, his old friend Nemuri had taken the fall.

After finding out the poor women was a Hero, Izuku had all but screamed - then cried - and was now bouncing up and down in his seat, asking her questions after questions and writing down the back of the paper he had been previously drawing on.  

Cocking his head to the side, Izuku furrowed his eyebrows and turned his attention on his uncle. 

"What does in-terro-gat-ing mean?" Pinching the bridge of his nose, he lowered his mug from his lips. "To keep asking questions to someone." Another thing about the kid was that he had questioned Shouta about every word he didn't understand. Apparently there was a lot.

"Oh! Sorry!" 

Smiling and laughing softly, Nemuri shook her head. "No, No, it's okay. You like Heroes then sweetie?" 

Izuku's head nodded so fast Shouta was worried he'd get whiplash, but nothing prepared them for what came next.

His mouth opened and closed at great speed as he went on a tangent about all the things he'd learned about Heroes, his murmurs incoherent and face going red. Shouta placed a hand on his head, falling into the curls.

He shivered at the memory of soaking the kids hair in an attempt to brush it, the thing springing back to it's mess less than thirty minutes after.

"Lettuce, take a breathe." 

Izuku did, laughing nervously. "S-Sorry! Kacchan says I murmur too much!" Another mention of 'Kacchan'. He'd asked Izuku who that was, but the kid had fell into another fit of murmurs about his 'best friend'. 

"It's adorable! Now, who wants sweeties?!"

Shouta let his head fall to the table with a thump as Izuku squealed, dread filling him. "Nem!" He whined, looking up in time to see the women shoving sweets into the kids pockets. 

"Nem!" She stopped, both of them looking up in shock, before she ushered him out the room with the order 'hide them in your room'. He ran off with a laugh, and the Hero sat back down with a grin. "He's so cute!" 

"I hate you."

She laughed, suddenly growing serious. "How are you?

Shouta groaned, rubbing both his hands down his face - he was sure he didn't do that as often before the Problem Child.

"I don't know. I mean, my sisters dead and I'm now supposed to look after a kid." He dropped his head as he heard a slight crash, clenching his eyes shut. "Said kid won't stop jumping off things." He muttered, moving to stand in the living room as Izuku sheepishly scurried out his room.

"What did you jump off?" Izuku shook his head, rocking on his feet. "I d-didn't! I was t-trying to hide the sweets and I fell off my b-bed!"

Sighing, Shouta crouched and beckoned the boy over, checking his face. "Are you hurt?" Izuku shook his head, looking away and moving his left leg back slightly. The adult picked him up, dropping him on the kitchen counter and pulling him trouser leg.

"If you're hurt Izuku, don't lie to me. You're not in trouble for hurting yourself." Nemuri watched with an amused grin as Shouta dabbed the carpet burn. "But you shouldn't climb on your bed, okay? And you don't have to hide your sweets." Izuku was fidgeting slightly, pouting and crossing his arms.

"But you won't let me have t-them if I don't!" 

Shouta flicked the boys nose, who yelped in surprise before swatting his hand. "You can eat them after lunch and dinner, as long as you behave. And only one, got it?" The kid, wincing as Shouta put a plaster on his knee, looked to the clock, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"So can I h-have one now?!" Putting him back on the ground, Shouta gave one nod. "If you walk to your room, and stop climbing." Jumping on the spot, he grabbed Shouta's leg into a hug before speed-walking out.

"You understand all of that?" Dropping into his seat, Shouta shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Most of it, I can kind of guess what he's saying in the gaps. Do you think I should find a speech therapist?" 

Nemuri laughed, waving her hand and sipping her drink. "It'll probably wear off soon. He's still a baby." Shouta yawned.

"You're doing well, Shouta. Don't worry yourself." 

Shouta looked up sceptically for a minute, before dropping his voice and leaning forward. "What if I screw up? And he turns out like me? Chances are there won't be a loud, overly-excited, blonde to help him through life."

Nem put her hand on his, squeezing and smiling. "Sho, you won't screw up. Plus, your loud, overly-excited, blonde will be home soon. Izuku will be fine, besides, I've not seen this much colour in your face since your Mother stayed."

He laughed, hearing Izuku giggle and drop onto the sofa, turning the television up a little. "Yeah, well try telling a child to eat their greens when you are sat there with a jelly-packet." 

Nemuri laughed, before looking at her phone. "Anyway sweet, this hoe's got a date. I'll drop in tomorrow morning, give the kid something before school. He is going in, right?"

Shouta nodded with a sigh. "Yes Nem, I've got about eight alarms set. You don't think it's too early, do you?" She shook her head, stretching her back.

"That's a matter of how he handles tomorrow. He needs more social interaction, and if it's to much you can alter it for how long he needs. Izuku sweetie! I'm off!" 

There was a patter of feet and Izuku barrelled in, lollipop in hands and arms stretching to wrap the woman's leg in a hug. 

"Bye Bye Auntie Nemy!"  Hugging him tight - and slipping another sweet in his pocket, she patted his head and clutched her heart, looking to Shouta with wet eyes. "I will kill for him." Then, she left, and Shouta locked the door, ruffling his nephews hair.

"Now, a movie?"