Summer is at the doorstep and while Shouta is grateful for the warming weather, in hindsight, there was something he should have foreseen.
And that was his apartment turning into an explosion of green from the sheer mass of fur Izuku was shedding.
When he noticed the thin layer of fur coating his floors, he had contacted someone to come and clean his home. A service provided by the apartment complex, as the building only accepted hero residents and sometimes they simply did not have the time between their busy schedules to do it themselves.
It was a service that cost extra, of course. Usually Shouta had no need for it as his living space pre-Izuku was too barren to warrant for someone to come in, or he could just handle it himself.
So, the man had slapped down the payment and plus some the next morning and went off to UA with Izuku. And when they returned, the apartment was back to its fur-free self.
It remained fur-free when Hitoshi was dropped off for the night.
It remained fur-free when Nemuri popped in and plopped on the couch.
It remained fur-free when Shouta grunted a goodbye to the two playing children as he left.
When he returned back home the next day after his patrol? No longer fur-free.
In fact, Shouta could swear it was worse .
"How?" He had asked Izuku in horror. "How could you possibly shed this much?"
And then he gagged as several strands of fur somehow made its way into his open mouth.
He then tried to brush Izuku at UA.
Which ended up useless from the get-go as his thick mane was too much for the tiny little brush he wielded. One swipe and it had instantly gotten stuck.
Preventing him from shifting while at home was a no-go, either. It was not fair to Izuku to stretch his quirk just because Shouta was sick of finding strands of green fur in his morning coffee.
Izuku has been antsy the more he sheds. Shifting more often and rubbing his upper half along the carpeted floors, followed by excessive panting.
It's then that Shouta realizes that despite the cool temperature in the building, Izuku is probably sweltering under his winter coat.
So, for the sake of both of their sanities, Shouta made a phone call.
Izuku was excited.
Why?
Because Shouta had told him that they were going someplace new!
Shouta had also told him to "be on his best behavior" and if he was—he'd give him a special treat! That piqued his interest. Izuku has grown to really like sweets recently, but Shouta said eating too much is 'unhealthy'. How could something so delicious be bad for you?
And on that note, how could something like steamed carrots (gross!) be 'healthy'?
Two-leg's must have a backwards sense of what is good for you or not. Maybe he doesn't want to be healthy if it meant eating gross things.
…maybe Shouta will give him a dango?
Oh, he hopes it is a dango.
The harness around his chest tugs as the rope pulls taunt. Oops . He glances over his shoulder, catching Shouta's raised eyebrow and slackened his pace to sidle right next to Shouta again. He hadn't noticed he was starting to walk that far ahead of the man.
Between the back and forth trips to the school every day, Izuku could tolerate crowds to a degree where he could walk on his own—as opposed to being carried the whole time.
He remembers that the first time it had happened though, the boy had seen something that caught his interest and he rushed forward to dig up some pretty flowers in dark dirt next to the sidewalk. And when he had looked up, Izuku realized Shouta was nowhere to be seen. (The man had eventually tracked him down because Izuku was too scared to move from his spot as he eyed the moving crowd before him.)
After that, Nemuri had bought someone that looked like a little white bunny bag and slid it over his shoulders and clipped it into place. Attached to the bag was a white, flat rope with a loop on the end for a hand to wrap around and hold it firmly in place.
She had called it a "harness", and apparently it was something very young two-legs had to sometimes wear so they don't get lost from their parents. Izuku thought it was very handy.
Restricting at times, sure. But it wasn't like he wanted to run away from the only two-legs he was familiar with.
Sometimes, the streets and two-legs were too much and too overwhelming and he forewent the harness and cuddled into his dad's arms and blocked out the loud city noises.
His dad .
Izuku preens at that bit of information.
His dad! And he got the same second name as him!
Izuku wondered why two-legs had two names they went by. It was downright confusing sometimes! Why would they need two different names?
Well, according to Shouta, one name was their own (like Izuku!) and one was for families . Every member of the same family shared the same name to show they belonged together. Shouta's was 'Aizawa', so that was what Izuku got too.
Izuku adored the idea of sharing a name. It sent a happy little trill through his body knowing he belonged somewhere officially and knowing that Shouta would not abandon him.
Lost in his thoughts, Izuku almost missed the soft touch to his shoulder, preventing his continued stroll down the sidewalk. He looked up.
"We're here," Shouta nodded. Following his gaze, Izuku's eyes fell on a light blue building. Shouta gave his shoulder a small push and they both entered the building.
When they entered, a blast of cold air hit Izuku square in the face. He scrunched his face up against the chilly onslaught, fading as the duo walked past the entranceway.
The next thing that slaps the child in the face is the smell .
He sneezes violently.
Rubbing his nose, Izuku looks up and finally takes in the interior of the building.
It was filled with… large animals?
Except, the animals were shaped like two-legs (for the most part) and smelled like two-legs, but also… animals.
In one area he saw a man with the head of a dog calmly sitting in a chair without a shirt as a person with two round ears that reminded Izuku of a rat sat upon her head, twitching slightly every now and then as she made soft conversation with the dog.
In another, he saw a woman laying on her stomach. A mess of fur, no, quills on her back as one by one, they are carefully extracted. Another person getting their bushy fox like tail brushed. Every two-leg in this building had some resemblance to an animal of some sort.
Like him . He looks at his arms coated in fur.
Izuku's leg jerked. He wanted to know more!
He tugged Shouta's pant leg and showed off his arms to him and pointed to the other furred humans with unrestrained excitement.
His father figure smiles softly, huffing through his nose.
"That's right," he said, one hand ruffling Izuku's hair, "they're just like you."
Izuku's eyes shone like polished emeralds exposed to the sun.
"Hello! Do you have an appointment with us today?" Someone asked, walking up to them.
"Yes," Shouta grunted, turning his attention to the newcomer. "For Aizawa Izuku, my son."
Chocolate brown eyes met his own with a beaming smile. "Little Aizawa, is it? My name is Kegawa, and would you look at that," she tugged at her hair that was strangely a darker color than the rest. "We match! Both of us have bunny ears! Isn't that a lovely coincidence?"
Oh. Oh! They were dark brown floppy ears that hung downwards instead of perking upwards.
Izuku immediately dropped his ears down, earning a laugh from Kegawa.
"I'm jealous! I can't lift mine up like you," she chuckled. "You must be quite talented!"
Izuku curled his tail, pleased. Shouta and his friends said that word sometimes when he did a good job.
"Now then," Kegawa began again, letting go of her own ears, "are his arms the main focus of his visit here today?"
"They're a part of it, but not when he's like this," Shouta replied, and placed a hand on his hand. "You have an area for large users, correct?"
Kegawa's shot a glance at Izuku and back. "A transformation type, then?" At Shouta's confirmation, she nodded and gestured for the duo to follow.
They were led to the biggest mirror Izuku has ever seen.
It was also bright. Very bright. He should not have looked straight at the light ow…
He blinked rapidly, trying to expel stubborn afterimages.
"Alright, Izuku, go ahead and shift for me." He heard Shouta say from behind him. Izuku hummed and allowed his body to happily switch over. He couldn't stand to be cooped up in his human form for too long during the warmer seasons. His skin would itch , desperate to shift and get rid of his winter coat. Those first few weeks were always downright miserable! It would be hot, and the air would be stuffy to the point he was sweltering even with the help of the shadowed, cool forest. A lot of time was spent trying to become one with the river to soothe the itching and the heat in one fell swoop as White would laugh and call him the ugliest fish he had ever laid eyes on.
So, he shifts, letting out a small content sigh as he does so.
A sort of strangled choked noise comes from his side. Izuku glanced over to Kegawa.
She turned a bit pale and he wondered if she wasn't feeling well? Taking a deep breath, the floppy-eared two-leg forced herself to relax, expertly wrestling her feelings under control.
"Right, ok then!" She clapped. "Give me one moment to grab an extra hand and we'll get to work."
Get to work on what?
Beside him, Shouta guided him to lay flat on the cushioned, padded floor. He shifted his legs under him, and did so, sinking an inch or two into the soft padding.
Kegawa returns after a minute with a second person behind her. Tall and thin, the newcomer had short black hair, four arms, and five(?!) eyes with dark sclera and white pupils. Three of the eyes were on his forehead—sideways. It was both weird and fascinating.
The first thing they had Izuku do was lead him off to a huge tiled area that reminded him of a bathroom. When they started spraying the large rabbit creature with water, his suspicion was confirmed. Even though baths were more up his alley, he took great pleasure in getting thoroughly soaked in the cold, refreshing water.
Then they put that soap stuff that Shouta would wash his hair with during bath time. It was kind of weird because he never did that in this form. (No way could he fit in that tiny bathtub!)
The soap smells fruity and made his nose tingle when a bit fell on his snout. Lifting a paw to try and wipe it off he only succeeded in covering it in even more spuds. Uh oh.
For the second time since entering this weird building, he sneezed, sending soap bubbles scattering.
The four armed two-leg laughed, his voice echoing in a strange way. He was currently on top of Izuku's back, rubbing soap into his fur.
Twenty fingers were digging deep into his fur and scratching the back of his neck. It felt… nice. Good.
Izuku slipped his eyes closed when he started lathering the top of his head. He did not want any of that stuff to fall into his eyes, no way, no thank you. (The first time that had happened with Shouta, his eyes had stung forever! )
He could feel Kegawa working on his forelegs. Which was quite a feat when they were nearly as big as herself. It tickled a little when she dipped her fingers between his paws to clean them, but it wasn't unpleasant.
Once he was thoroughly soaped up, the male two-leg jumped off his back and they rinsed him off. The stream of water was at a strong level to penetrate his thick fur, and then ended with a soft drizzle before dying out.
"Ok, little Aizawa! Could you please shake out your fur for us?" He cracked an eye open at Kegawa's voice, seeing her and her friend standing in a far corner next to Shouta.
Izuku hefted himself to his paws and shook out his mane as well as he could. After he was certain he got most of the water out, he sat and flicked one foreleg for a full minute, before switching to the other.
He was soon led back to that large mirror again (this time he didn't look right at the bright lights! Ha!) and was asked to settle back down in front of it. Shouta sat in a chair about a foot away.
"Now, we're going to need you to hold real still, ok little Aizawa?" Kegawa told him with a pat. Izuku hummed and watched as she pulled out a long fat stick with a metal zig-zag tip and a long black cord from its bottom. A quick glance showed that four-arms grabbed two of that same item.
Kegawa pressed a switch and the stick started to make a loud buzzing. She then asked him if he could stretch his left foreleg out more, which he did so without issue.
She glided the buzzing stick over his fur and Izuku watched in fascination as his fur plopped right off., leaving a short strip. Seeing that Izuku made no complaint, she continued on as four-arms took on the task of his right leg, asking him politely to please raise it up so he could do the underside first.
Four-arms quickly got the underside finished and gestured for him to lower it again before tackling the rest. Shortly after, Kegawa requested for him to raise the arm she was working on.
He did so, and the boy couldn't help but to marvel at what she had accomplished. Never had he seen his fur so short before! It felt so relieving—as if his skin was getting some much needed air for the first time in forever. Were they going to do that to his mane as well?
His question was answered when four-arms finished up with his right foreleg, much faster with his ability to double wield the buzzing sticks, and informed Izuku that he was moving to the side of his neck. He eagerly lowered his head in response, looking at all the discarded wet fur around him, and knowing there was about to be a lot more.
Around his neck took a lot longer, of course. Even when Kegawa finally joined in to help. It was thicker and more unruly. Oftentimes they would pull away the buzzing stick and spray him with water. Izuku was not exactly sure why. Was it easier to cut when wet?
Pulling his gaze from the clippings on the floor, Izuku glances up to look at Shouta. The older man was sitting in a chair, watching the other occupants around the room. He must have sensed Izuku's gaze however, because with a blink he turned his head and gave him a small smile.
By the time the last of his fur was shaved off, Izuku was fairly sure he had a crick in his neck. It twinged painfully and he winced as he raised it. But he felt several pounds lighter than this morning.
Twisting his head, he looked in the large mirror to his side. His usually long mane was fuzzy, short and lighter in color. Which was kind of weird? Why is fur lighter when cut short? Also his neck now looked really slim.
It was a strange look.
He brought a paw up and lightly lined his claws into his fur. They sunk about their own length inside before he felt them against his neck. A few inches thick then.
"Do you like it?" Kegawa smiled. Did he like it? Izuku wasn't totally sure. It was vastly different from what he was used to, and the change was kind of jarring.
It doesn't look as sleek… Izuku was proud of his fur and kept it well groomed to the best of his abilities. Of course, it was usually hard to keep it like that, but that was besides the point.
Then he thought about how less itchy he was and how he had pretty much skipped shedding season in a single day. Besides, fur grows back.
Seeing his pleased expression, Kegawa continued. "Great! But we're not quite done yet. We still need to go over it one more time with a small trim. Wouldn't want to go out with uneven patches, now would you?"
Izuku looked in the mirror again. Uneven patches? What does she see that he can't? It looked perfectly even to him.
Movement in the mirror catches his eye. It was just Kegawa moving towards him again and he almost dismissed it in favor of examining himself once again, but a small sliver glint flashes in the two-leg's hands.
A hand holding him in place as white hot pain slices into him, a silver blade digging into his skin. It twists deeper, deeper, deeper as the figure above him laughs and laughs and laughs at his weak attempts to break free. It hurt. It hurt so much!
Izuku rounded on the threat with a vicious snarl. His pupils were slits, he drew back his fangs and tensed in preparation to leap—
Only for him to fall flat on his face as his body suddenly slams back into its small, weak, form. Before he has a chance to gather himself after the unwanted transformation, a pair of hands instantly yanks him off his feet. And for one terrifying moment, he panics .
He was slammed into the hard brick wall; he could barely register the cracking noise his head produced over the surmount of cotton and fuzz flooded his senses. He was held there—trapped, cornered—he couldn't move —
Izuku lashed out. Sharp fangs sank deep into the arm trapping him, his fingernails scratched uselessly at the hands—wanting them to let go of him stop trapping him let him go let him golethimgo-!
A weight settled on top of his head and he flinched and dug his teeth deeper into his captor's arm.
Instead of being stricken however, he could feel a deep hum vibrating against him. It wasn't threatening or making a move to do no more than hold him. There was no pain, nothing malicious from the action.
He paused. And blinked.
It took him a while to understand what he was looking at, but eventually the foggy haze in his mind cleared away as the boy became aware of his surroundings once again.
He wasn't in a dark, shadowed alleyway surrounded by cruel laughter as a stinging blade sinks itself between his ribcage as his limbs refused to move.
No, it was too bright for one. And there was no pain in his side except for a slight twinge brought up from the memory.
He wasn't hurt. He was—trapped yes, but—
Wide green eyes blink back at him. Facing a mirrored wall, the boy could get a full look at himself.
His hair was bristling and unkempt, his pupils still slitted dangerously as his lips were coated in red blood.
The blood that came from the arm his teeth were still sunk into.
The arm that belonged to—
Tears sprang into Izuku's eyes as his body went limp in the hold, carefully unclenched his jaw. His fangs letting go with a soft squelch , lapping at the blood that welled up soon after. The humming, he realized, were words. But he was too upset to understand them over his shame and guilt.
I attacked Shouta , he thought in miserable horror. I hurt him.
When Izuku went limp in his grip, Shouta reassured him with gentle, calming words. His arm stung in pain even as almost two dozen small dagger-like teeth unfastened themselves out of the muscle, followed by a rough tongue gently stroking itself over the injury.
He's calming down. Good.
But Shouta was confused. What had caused him to freak out so badly?
Looking over his shoulder, the two fur stylists were backed far away, their eyes stretched wide in fear at the scene they had just witnessed. It wasn't just them, either. It seemed nearly everyone in the building was staring in his direction. Shit, he needs to get Izuku out of here before someone freaks out enough to call the police over Izuku's relapse.
Shouta shifts the kid in the crook of one arm, allowing Izuku to bury his bloodied face up against his neck with a sniffle. He realized that at this angle, those sharp teeth could easily rip out his throat. He shoved the thought away, trusting that Izuku was back under control.
Turning towards Kegawa, he apologized for the trouble he caused and paid double of his payment, despite it being unfinished. The kid most likely wouldn't care too much about a few uneven patches. Kegawa seemed to understand, to a point at least, and shakily offered to wrap up his injured arm before he could slip away.
Shouta thanked her for her time and effort and, still carrying a crying Izuku, he left.
Rather than heading straight for his apartment, Shouta decided to take a walk. He rubbed Izuku's back in reassuring strokes until his crying petered out into soft sniffles. After a while, he had come across a small park. It was old enough that children usually avoided it, in preference for one of the newer, more fun parks. Which was perfect, he thought. Izuku didn't need to be around other people at the moment.
Walking over to a rather large tree, he eyed a rusty old bench and debated against sitting on it, his back leaning on the bark of the tree as he slid down to settle on the grass. The shade under it was nice and cool, and the slight breeze, refreshing.
Izuku hadn't said a word during their little walk. His small body trembled against his own, green eyes refusing to meet Shouta's gaze.
He's probably scared I'm mad at him. Or— A looming forest stretching for miles, home to a small boy barely able to survive on his own—Shouta swallows down his feelings of contempt of the boy's parents. Izuku must know he would never abandon him—right?
"Izuku," a flinch, "look at me."
He could feel Izuku swallow thickly, then oh so reluctantly, pried himself from the crook of his neck. He still didn't meet Shouta's eyes, however. But he decided not to push it since the boy was already left trembling after the simple act of pulling away.
"I promise I'm not mad at you, ok? I understand you were scared, and I'm not going to fault you for that."
Izuku pointedly looked at his bandaged arm, a faint tint of red starting to surface through the cloth. With an inward wince, Shouta realized he might need stitches. But he'll deal with that later, not wanting to freak Izuku out even farther.
He raised his arm lightly. "It doesn't hurt," he lied and was rewarded with a disbelieving stare calling out on his bullshit. But the kid did end up relaxing, if slightly.
"Can you tell me what frightened you?" He tried to coax out.
Izuku glanced away, and that was when Shouta realized he still had yet to take on his more animal-like appearances, giving him the rare sight of seeing the fuzzy elf-like pointed ears. They twitched slightly as he lowered his head.
"Knife," he said softly, and, oh .
Clouded eyes stare up at him as the hero steps closer to the beast, it's breathing uneven and wheezing through every exhale. A puddle of blood steadily staining the forest floor, too weak and exhausted to move, the stab wound harshly visible on its side.
Back at the salon, Kegawa was coming at Izuku with a pair of silver scissors while his attention was elsewhere. It must have startled him, Shouta realized.
Izuku has been making great progress in trusting others, but seeing a stranger come at him with what he thinks is a sharp object might have been too much for the young boy.
"It wasn't a knife, it was a pair of scissors," he told the boy, running a hand through his curls. "Like the ones I used to cut your hair. It's good that you can protect yourself, but you can't attack people. I would never allow anyone to hurt you while I am nearby, alright problem child?"
"…promise?"
"I promise," he nodded. "You can put more trust into me looking out for you."
Izuku was silent for a moment, but then gave a small nod. "Ok."
They stayed like that for a while, just sitting under that tree while enjoying the nice day as Shouta gave Izuku time to get his emotions under control.
When Izuku started to get restless, Shouta figured it was safe to move on.
"Hmm… if I remember correctly, I believe I promised you a treat." Izuku's ears perked and good, he was starting to return back to normal. "Any idea what you want, kiddo?"
The answer was instantaneous. "Dango! I want dango!" He shouted, bouncing up and down on his lap.
Dango it was then.
Hizashi met them at the convenience store, glaring at Shouta with disappointment that he had waited so long in not getting his arm treated. And instead of going to treat it, he was buying treats at the local grocery store.
"I'll treat it when we get home," he said, bah! Was his friend insane? Absolutely! And what's more, he refuses to say how he even got the injury! Choosing to fix him with a red-eyed glare anytime Hizashi tried to bring up the subject. Eventually, he got the point that Shouta didn't wish to say so in front of the little listener and backed off.
For now!
He'll get the answer yet, just he waits!
In the meantime, the radio host will send a discreet text to Recovery Girl and coo over little Izuku stuffing his cheek full of dangos.
"You're supposed to eat them one at a time, you know," Hizashi chuckled from behind Shouta's back, little Izuku visible from over his newly acquired dad's shoulder.
Izuku either didn't hear him or didn't care as he tried to chew with difficulty over his mouthful. He hopes the little listener won't end up choking.
He watched as those rabbit-like ears suddenly jolted upwards just as a cat came barreling down an alley, yowling up a storm. Towards them.
"Er, Shouta, is that one of your cats?" He asked as it stopped in front of them, glaring insistently.
"You know what my cats look like," the dark haired man grunted. "Just ignore it, I do not need a fourth cat invading my home."
"Aw, and here I thought little Izuku was your fourth!" Hizashi jokes, stepping around the still meowing cat. It had two different colored eyes, huh.
Shouta have a small snort. The funny thing was, Shouta never willingly adopted any of his cats. With more or less two of them breaking into his apartment (somehow?) and injecting themselves into his living style. If Hizashi remembers correctly, Juice Box, the newer of the trio, was the only one Shouta picked up and that was only to save it from a pair of teenagers abusing the poor animal. His friend had then nursed the feline to health, and when it was time to release the orange kitty, the thing was so enamored with its savior, it refused to leave.
"I'm starting to believe you have a second, secret quirk," Hizashi loudly added in, amusingly watching the small kitty as it continued to follow them. "'Cat Lover' perhaps? Or maybe 'Feline attraction', or—"
He was interrupted when little Izuku finally managed to swallow down his mouthful of dango and let out a shrill excited cry and tried to vault himself over Shouta's shoulder, who was surprised by the movement and trying his best that he didn't accidentally drop the kid face first.
"Jesus Christ kid, what's gotten into you all of a sudden—" Shouta grunted out over an armful of a struggling Izuku.
The cat, fed up at being left behind, takes a running leap and claws at the back of Shouta's black shirt. And the sight that greeted Hizashi almost sent him doubling up with laughter.
His usually stoic grump of a friend was crouching, his back arched and eyes nearly popping out of his skull as a cat tried to scale him like the Eiffel tower and a rambunctious child flailed in his arms. Poor, poor Shouta. He just couldn't catch a break.
Eventually the cat made safe passage and neatly balanced itself on the man's shoulders, looking incredibly smug as it did so. It ignored him, however, and focused its attention on little Izuku who was—
Responding to it?
That wasn't exactly strange , per se, Izuku actually does that a lot to Shouta's own cats when he's playing with them. And when they would (sometimes) meow back, Hizashi just assumed they were doing what cats would do when offered attention.
But then, why would a random stray play along? It's weird behavior for one to go up to a random person like this.
Onlookers were throwing the trio both amused and annoyed glances as they passed them. Izuku paid them no mind, seemingly content on having his full blown conversation with the animal. He eventually caught notice of the two adult's bewildered looks and stuttered to a stop. But rather than embarrassed, his green eyes only lit up more, like a child who wanted nothing more than to tell their parent something that brought them joy.
"This is White!" Izuku introduced with an excited wave. "He live with me in—in—" his features scowled as he tried to recall the word with his limited knowledge. He groped around for a bit more, before giving it up with a shrug. "Live with me."
Live with him? That didn't really make sense. Hizashi opened his mouth, about to say that Shouta didn't have a white cat, but before he could, Shouta cut in.
"You mean in the forest?" and oh, that would make more sense.
Izuku gave an eager nod. "Yes! That!"
"Aw, he had a little cat friend in there? No wonder he got along with yours quicker than me and 'Muri." Not that he was still pouting over that little fact.
… ok he totally was still pouting over it. Little Izuku liked Bastard more than Hizashi! There are not enough words in the Japanese and English language to express how hurt he was by that fact.
Oh, wait a minute!
"Shoooouta! Do you know what this means!"
"That I need to start accepting the reality that my kid can talk to my bastard cats?" Shouta replied, looking a bit pale.
"No! Wait— yes that too— but also! Izuku has a friend! Could you really be cruel enough to deny them from seeing each other?" Hizashi voiced out loudly, shaking his friend's shoulders. "Little Izuku has been separated from his friend for over half a year-! How sad is that?"
He says all this as if the blond is trying to convince his friend to keep the cat, despite the fact they both know Shouta has no say in the matter.
If the cat decides to stay, then it will . This is not an option.
Shouta was forced to accept his fate when the small white cat jumped neatly from Izuku's shoulders and started exploring around the apartment, with the boy happy to be his guide.
Bastard, who was watching the two with a critical eye from the top of the bookcase, yowled loudly at the newcomer, his black fur bristling and shit! —he forgot how territorial cats are!
His legs jerked and Shouta was just about to swoop in, grab the angry feline, and toss it in another room before Izuku would have to witness his little friend getting torn to shreds by the jackass of the feline world. That was, until Izuku turned, gave Bastard a wide grin, and happily chittered something to him.
To Shouta's surprise, Bastard backed down immediately, albeit grumpily. His black ears twitching as his attention goes from the exploring duo to narrowing his eyes when meeting Shouta's gaze. He could see a plot brewing in those icy blue eyes, but honestly Shouta could not bring himself to care.
No, he was too busy slapping himself for not noticing the child who has been living under his roof for nearly seven months— could speak to cats.
How the hell did he not realize this?
"Can you stop moving and let me examine your arm?" Recovery Girl scolded, whacking his knee with her cane. "Unless you'd rather I cut it off, instead?"
"No, ma'am."
From the couch, Hizashi sniggered.
["And in here, this is where food is kept! It's really cold inside for some reason? But not as cold if you bury something in the snow and keep it there all day—well the top cold box is there cold, actually I think it's even more so! But there's this tasty frozen treat inside the colder box that Shouta gives me sometimes, he calls it ice cream and it's soo good and it's really soft! Though one time, I bit down on it and my teeth really didn't like that. Uh, um, oh yeah! In the bigger box there's some of that cream that we would always find near the edge of the forest! There's the thick cream, and then some milk! But it's not like the milk Queens would feed their kits? Or at least, I don't think so? There's a lot more of it and it's really refreshing—and oh! There's also—"]
["Do you ever breathe?"] White interrupted with exasperated amusement.
["Of course I do?"] Izuku stumbled to a stop and shot his friend a confused look. ["I kind of need to. To like, live and stuff."]
["Really?"] The feline blinked teasingly. ["And here I thought your lungs vanished from under your rib cage. Take it slower, I'm excited to see you too but I can hardly follow what you're saying!"]
Izuku ducked, embarrassed. ["Sorry,"] he chuckled, ["it's just been a while—y'know?"]
White's eyes softened. ["Yeah, I know, you furball."] He lands softly onto the counter and neatly sits down. ["So, are you going to open the weird 'cold box' or not? If there's food inside, I want to see."]
["Ah, I uh, can't,"] the green-haired boy grins sheepishly, ["Shouta locked it so I couldn't get into it, after I got sick from eating everything inside one time. Actually—"] he looked around the small kitchen. ["… mostly everything in here I can't get into. All the food cabinets have, er, 'child locks' on them,"] Izuku said with a small pout.
["And that's a huge shame, because now Izuku can't sneak me some treats when Shouta isn't looking,"] Juice Box complained from the fridge top. Oh huh. Izuku didn't see the cat there when he walked in.
White blinked his blue-green eyes in confusion. ["Izuku?"]
The boy's tail shoots straight up. He couldn't believe he forgot to tell his friend the most important thing of all!
["That's my name!"] He told the cat with pride. ["Shouta gave it to me! I'm Aizawa Izuku now! Shouta gave me his second name, because that's what humans do to show you're apart of the same family."]
["Having two names sounds a bit silly, though,"] White remarked with a tilt of his head. ["But… I can see it makes you happy, and besides. Hm… yeah. Izuku suits you, I think."]
Izuku flicked his tail. His toothy grin showing how both pleased and embarrassed the boy was at his friend's praise.
"White can't come with us, Izuku," Shouta gave a tired sigh when he saw the small cat wrapped neatly around the boy's shoulders.
Big green eyes looked up at him and blinked. "Why?"
"I'm not sure if Nezu will allow it. White might run away and get lost on campus."
Izuku frowned. "He won't."
"But he might. Maybe you could ask Nezu about it today," he negotiated as he lifted the cat from his son's shoulders. White gave an indignant yowl as the man gently tossed the creature back inside the apartment. Shouta felt a small pang of guilt when Izuku let out a sad noise at the sight.
Shouta adjusted his hold on the child harness so it was loosely looped around his wrist and they both exited the building.
Despite the scare at the salon yesterday, its job held through as they both slept through the night and Shouta did not wake up to bright green fur coating his bed and clinging to his skin. Though, Shouta has a sneaking suspicion the fur had already grown a few centimeters.
Does the fur stop growing when it reaches a certain point? He doubts the kid was groomed before this. That would have been convenient for the boy if that were the case. There were some cases of dogs suffering with years of mistreatment and overgrown fur that blinds their eyesight and overheats their bodies. Shouta is glad Izuku did not have to go through that, at least.
Their morning walk went without an issue, and it was not long until UA's walls were within sight.
It was when Shouta had passed through the gates that he heard an assertive meow from below.
He paused, blinked once, and looked down at the child beside him.
And the cat resting neatly around his shoulder.
God fucking dammit.
"How,"
Exasperation seeped into his voice as he continued to look down at the feline.
He had tossed the cat back into his apartment, and then closed the door behind him.
So, how the hell was it here?
"You know what? Sure. This is fine."
If anything else, maybe it'll cause Nezu a bit of chaos.
"Hey, you guys would not believe what I saw on my way to school this morning," a student whispered scandalously.
"Oooh! Do tell!"
"I hope it's not more drama from the other classes," someone said dubiously. "That kid from business is still peeved at you for spreading unnecessary rumors."
"Hush! It has nothing to do with them, no what I saw was Aizawa-sensei."
Unimpressed looks passed between the small group.
"…and what's so special about that? We see him every day. In fact, we're about to see him in a few minutes."
"Has anyone else noticed he started bringing a yellow sleeping bag to the teacher's lounge?" A boy interjected. "He's been looking exhausted for months now, I wonder if he's trying to squeeze naps while at school now."
"Oh, who cares what he does during breaks!" The gossiper snapped back. "I'm trying to tell you guys that I saw him with a little kid! Aizawa-sensei has a child!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Wow, you were right," someone whistled, breaking the few moments of silence, "we totally do not believe you."
The group laughed at their classmate's scowl.
I mean, could you imagine?
Grumpy Aizawa-sensei having a kid?
What a ridiculous thought.