Chapter 7
Living with a Monster
Once school started up again, things got harder. Izuku was determined to keep Dakota a secret until he figured out what to do with her, but at the same time, he was aware of the fact that each day was one step closer to her wounds healing completely. The thought made him suppress a shiver as he wandered down the halls, the hustle and bustle of the students creating a dull roar in the building that allowed Izuku to drown out all other thoughts. He made his way carefully to the lunchroom, his mind was just vaguely aware of Iida and Ochako who were chatting idly beside him. His eyes scanned the mass of students in front of him and he suddenly felt fearful and self-conscious. He twitched his hand so that the blue mark was hidden behind his back and his unmarked fist tightened a little on his backpack straps.
"Hello? Earth to Deku…"
Izuku was suddenly aware of the fact that Ochako was trying to get his attention, her hand resting on his shoulder. He flinched involuntarily and she removed her hand quickly with a light blush dusting her cheeks.
"Deku are you alright? You seem kind of skittish," She said, her eyes glittering with worry.
"Yeah, Uraraka is right, you have seemed awfully worn out and concerned lately, are you taking your meds?" Iida chimed in, his glasses glinting with the reflected light of the windows as he turned his head to look at Izuku properly.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry guys, I'm just really tired is all, those meds don't have a sleep amplifier in them so my mind keeps me up at night sometimes," Izuku replied, his hand retreating to rub at the back of his neck nervously.
"Are you sure? You seem a little more than just tired, you know that you can tell us anything right?" Ochako asked, her voice filled with a worry that made Izuku blush slightly. Izuku looked at his two closest friends, his heart torn between keeping Dakota a secret and settling his friend's worries. He bit his lower lip and took the time to think while their conversation was interrupted by the act of getting food from the lunch line. Eventually, though, the trio made it to a table to eat and his friends were still staring at him as if he were about to drop dead. Finally, Izuku sighed and made a decision.
"Mom, I'm home, and I've brought friends!" Izuku called once he had entered his house and locked the front door behind Ochako and Iida. There was no answer to his call, and upon entering the kitchen, Izuku found a note from his mother that said she had gone out to buy some supplies from the store and to contact a veterinary office about having someone come by to check out Dakota. Izuku crumpled the note and threw it away before opening the fridge door and ducking in to see what food they had available.
"Iida, Ochako, do you guys want anything? Any snacks or drinks?"
"I am alright, thanks Midoriya."
"I'm good too, Deku!" His friends called from the living room. Izuku pushed some food around in the fridge before finding some fish in the back, fish that Izuku knew his mother was not planning on using anytime soon. He found his friends standing in the living room, exploring the space and admiring the apartment space despite the lack of things to admire.
"This is a really nice place, Deku! Hey, what is that fish for?" Izuku was about to respond that his home wasn't much when he remembered how little money the Uraraka family had so he swallowed down his first answer and smiled.
"Thanks a lot, Uraraka! It is small but it is cozy and it is the perfect home for both my mother and I. As for this fish, I am going to use it in a moment because it has something to do with what has been keeping me up at night."
Iida and Ochako glanced at each other before nodding for him to go on. Izuku took a deep breath and sorted his thoughts in order. He planned to tell them about Dakota but he meant to keep her true identity a secret. He did not need them panicking or getting themselves killed, he still had no idea how Dakota may react to him bringing new people to the house to see her. He did not want to accidentally let on that she was not actually a dog.
"You see, about two days ago or so, I went out with my mom for dinner in hopes of relaxing a little and taking my mind off of some of the recent events that have happened to me. We had a great time but on our way home, we encountered this dog. She had black fur and these beautiful gleaming eyes, it was almost as if a piece of the night sky had wandered out of those bushes. She was a really impressive animal but she was horribly injured, to the point where she collapsed in front of us. We didn't want to leave her there and all of the nearby veterinarian offices were closed for the night so…"
"You took her home didn't you, Midoriya?" Iida asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose, his eyebrows furrowed as he processed what Izuku said.
"Yeah, we did. That is what has been making me so skittish and anxious. She is a little on the aggressive side but she is mostly just scared for her life. I have been cleaning her wounds and trying to heal them as much as possible as there is no way we could ever take her to a vet, she would never in her life let us pick her up again. That is why my mother is gone today, she is trying to see if a vet would be willing to stop by the house to see what is wrong with her, but until then I've been taking care of her basically twenty-four seven."
"But what about school then?" Ochako asked worriedly.
"Yeah, well that is why I was so anxious and out of the loop today, I've been stressing all day about her. I know my mother has been here for most of the day but you just never know with a strange dog you've just met at your house. I honestly don't know how she will react to meeting you guys but I thought I'd give it a shot because I trust you guys and I needed someone to confide in."
Ochako and Iida were silent for a moment before Ochako stood up and leaned in to give Izuku a tender hug. Izuku was a little bit shocked at first, his arms hesitating awkwardly over her back, but then he threw caution to the wind and returned her affections.
"Thank you for trusting us, Deku. I promise we will help you in any way possible with this injured dog, alright? We don't want you to get too far behind in class right?" Ochako said as she released him and smiled at him. Izuku looked at both of them and smiled genuinely.
"Alright then, thank you so much, guys! Are you ready to meet her?"
"Yeah!" Iida and Ochako stood up and followed Izuku down the hall to his bedroom. Izuku blushed a little at the fact that he forgot to clear out some of the All Might memorabilia in his room, and tried to ignore the fact that his bedroom was even labeled with an All Might sign. Forcing down his nerves as the trio reached the door, Izuku finally turned the door knob with one hand, his other hand holding the plate of fish up high. He opened the door a crack and peered in carefully, checking to make sure Dakota had not healed enough to be waiting by the door for an ambush. He only felt himself relax a little when he saw her curled up in her makeshift bed, as usual, her eyes watching him warily but somewhat less coldly. Izuku then pushed the door all the way open so that the dog and his friends were able to see each other clearly.
Dakota tensed immediately but did not growl or bare her teeth, she just watched. Iida and Ochako peered through the opening and looked down at the dog, Ochako bringing her hands up to her mouth and Iida nervously readjusting his glasses again. Ochako then mumbled something behind her hands and Izuku turned to her, worried that she was scared of the dog.
"What was that, Ochako? Are you alright?"
"She is beautiful," Ochako said, removing her hands from her mouth so that everyone in the room could hear her clearly. Dakota's ears perked a little at that and her tail thumped twice and then stilled.
"Oh my god, Deku! I can't believe you found this dog just wandering around the streets, injured and alone! She is the most gorgeous dog I've ever seen! I bet she will be a real prize-winner when she is fully healed," Ochako gushed, her eyes never leaving the black dog. Dakota lowered her head a little, Izuku could almost describe it as a bashful move and licked her lips slightly. Her tail thumped twice more and Izuku's eyes widened.
"Wow, congrats Ochako, you are officially her favorite person, I have never seen her wag her tail that much in one go."
"Granted, you have only had her for two days, Deku," Ochako said with a light blush decorating her cheeks but she smiled anyway and took a slow, tentative step forward. Dakota raised her head again and lowered her ears slowly but still did not act outwardly aggressively. Ochako still stopped once she saw the dog tense and turned to Izuku.
"May I feed her?"
"I don't really know, Ochako, she is still pretty aggressive, this is the most calm I've ever seen her."
"I understand that Deku but I would like to try something and I need to be able to feed her to make it happen. I promise I won't go through with it if she starts getting agitated."
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck as he hesitated, his eyes roving over Dakota and her more relaxed stance. She was definitely still tense but at least she wasn't trying to tear anyone's hand off. Yet.
Finally, he sighed and nodded, handing the plate of fish over to Ochako.
"Promise me you won't let her hurt you?" Izuku asked.
"I promise," Ochako responded, taking the plate and facing back towards the dog again. The dog eyed both the fish and Ochako but did not react when Ochako took a slow step forward.
"Deku, what is her name? Does she even have one?"
"Yes, I have been calling her Dakota. She seems to like it, or at least, she tolerates it."
Ochako nodded and took another tentative step, her body position slack and relaxed, and her eyes shifted to the side so that she could still watch the dog but avoid making eye contact with her. Finally, Ochako was close enough to lean down and place the plate in front of the dog's face, her body remaining lax as she barely bent down at the knees and pushed the plate to the dog. The dog hesitated but then lunged at the plate, the fish caught in her jaws before she leaned back into the dog bed and began ripping at the meat. Izuku and Iida both flinched a little when the dog went for the meat but then felt the tensions drift away slightly once she settled back down into the bed. Izuku and Iida were both expecting Ochako to slowly back away from the dog, but to their horror, she leaned down closer to the dog. She was not an idiot, she knew that even though Dakota was busy eating, she knew that the dog was watching her every move and would not hesitate to strike despite her injuries.
Izuku and Iida beckoned for her but she ignored them and raised her hand slowly until it was at the same height as her stomach so that the dog could see it clearly but was also not threatened by the idea of being hit. The boys wanted to launch in and stop her but they knew that that would only make it worse so they waited and watched, ready to bolt in and grab her should everything go downhill.
Moving at the pace of a snail, Ochako slowly snaked her hand past the plate and came to hover over the dog's shoulder. She waited for a moment and took a deep breath before resting her hand ever so lightly on Dakota's fur. Dakota immediately froze, a piece of meat hanging limply from her lips but she did not attack.
"Shhhh… shhh… easy girl, my name is Ochako Uraraka. Your name is Dakota, right? That is a very pretty name, very fitting for such a beautiful creature," Ochako spoke in a barely audible whisper, a blanket of determination and courage fogging over the fear in her eyes so that they shone. "I am here to help you heal so that you can be free to do whatever you please. You are a good dog, a really good dog."
Ochako moved her hand at an even slower pace than before, her hand able to detect each and every piece of fur that passed beneath it. She kept her hand on the shoulder, just twitching her fingers as a form of petting. At first, Izuku didn't notice it as his mind was clouded with fear for his friend, but then he felt it. Very lightly, very softly, he felt a warm, pleasurable sensation drift from his shoulder and flow down his arm as if someone had poured liquid gold over his skin. He didn't know why he felt this way and he stared at his arm as if there were an alien attached but he wouldn't say that he hated the sensation, in fact, it felt… nice.
As soon as the Izuku realized that the sensation was there, it was gone, just as Ochako lifted her hand from Dakota's shoulder and leaned back on her heels before standing very slowly and backing away from the dog. The dog continued to watch Ochako, ignoring the fish clamped in her claws until she was all the way back at the door with her friends. Then, just before the floaty hero in training turned away, Dakota thumped her tail two more times and went back to eating her fish. The trio left the room and closed the door softly behind them. As soon as the door was shut, the three of them let out a breath they each didn't know they had been holding.
"Uraraka! Are you out of your mind!?" Iida exclaimed. "Midoriya, no wonder you don't sleep at night! That was some of the highest stress I've ever felt and we are heroes in training for god's sake!"
Izuku shook his head, his hair swaying as if he were shaking rainwater off of him.
"Yeah, Uraraka you could have gotten really hurt, I told you she was aggressive. I don't really know why she liked you so much in particular, but I was really worried about you. Please don't do that again without letting us know what the plan is first," Izuku said. Ochako felt her face flush, she was embarrassed to have caused so much trouble even though nothing really happened and she knew that she should have told her friends what she was planning but she was happy she got to try out what she wanted to do.
"I'm sorry Deku, Iida, I won't do that again, I promise but I am glad that she let me touch her like that. I wanted to test something out."
"What was it that you were testing for?" Iida asked, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, the anxiety having caused a light sheen of sweat to build up.
"I think part of the reason why she is so aggressive is that not only do her wounds suggest that she has been seriously abused by a person, but I don't think she has been lovingly touched in her life, ever. When I pet her, she was wary but I could also tell that she was just scared and so desperately lonely. She may not understand Japenese, but you saw her reaction when I complimented her, I don't think she's ever even been looked at without fear or aggression. She just wants someone to love and for someone to love her back. She wants to know kindness. I was testing to see how she would react based on how I approached her and since she was wary but still let me touch her, I'd say she is willing to give it a chance." Ochako had been speaking to both boys but now she turned her whole attention to Izuku.
"Deku, please don't ever give up on that dog. She is one of the most unique creatures I have ever met, I can just tell just from having this one interaction with her. Treat her like someone who hates heroes because of some kind of accident, someone who needs help but pushed everyone away. I've seen the look in your eye when you see someone in need, promise me you won't ever lose that spark, especially when it comes to this dog."
Izuku stared right back into Ochako's determined eyes, his heart racing and his body trying to force his breathing into a normal rhythm again.
"Ochako, I promise."
