Welcome back, Heroes! Rio here with the beginning of the last few chapters of Domestic Heroes! Hard to believe it's nearly over, eh? I know I'm surprised. I didn't think I'd ever get this far into a story, or challenge in this case, like this before, and honestly, I'm quite proud of myself for coming this far. I've been doing my best to try and provide some good, quality fluff for you all, along with mixing it up here and there, and I hope that I've been treating you all right with my content. It's been quite a trip that is now on the last stretch, and what better way to kick it off than with a story centered about a certain hairball that has been living with Ochako, Izuku and Eri this whole time...along with a certain blasty boy and his lit gf? Enjoy the story, everyone, and I will see you in the author's notes!

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction in dedication to a much grander work. As such, the author does not own the rights to any characters within this story, and any correlation between any original characters that may appear and people in the real world are merely coincidental.

My Hero Academia: Domestic Heroes

Clash of Beasts

The snow was gently falling from the sky as young Eri slowly sipped up her hot chocolate from her favorite mug, enjoying the warmth of the kotatsu her surrogate parents set up the day before. Winter had literally arrived just a few days ago and already there was snowfall practically all throughout the country. In fact, there were some areas where the sudden appearance of the cold, white powder made life a little difficult, if only for the intensity of its arrival. There had been a lot of calls for heroes as of late to help the public as a result; from taking down villains who thrive in such weather conditions to rescuing civilians who were victims of the frigid climate. It was for that reason that Eri now found herself without Izuku or Ochako, the pair being called out to help deal with a villain rampaging a ski lodge, resulting in her being in the watchful eye of one of their many friends until they return. However, due to certain circumstances…there was only one person that was available to watch over the ivory-haired child and the couple was very reluctant to leave Eri alone with their last-minute choice if it wasn't for a certain companion of the sitter volunteering to assist. With the caretaker business taken care of, Eri was able to enjoy her day off from school and relax in her home, enjoying her drink as she eyed the man who was supposed to watch over her with a slight amount of amusement.

…She had to admit, out of all the caretakers she had over the years, the one watching over her now was definitely one of her favorites. While the others were enjoyable in their own way, the one looking after her now would never cease to amuse her. He was funny. He was cool...sort of. He often brought his 'friend' (who she is convinced were just as close as her own parents were) to watch her. And most importantly, he always played with Mikan every chance he gets. Those were the moments that she looked forward to the most, since the other sitters don't really play with the family pet as much as he did…

"GAH! Get your damn paws off me you freaking hairball! I'm not a scratching post!"

"ROWL!"

"…This is too good, fam. Totes recording this for the guys. They'll love it." An amused voice laughed from the other side of the kotatsu, prompting Eri to turn her head to see her sitter's companion snickering away with a phone in hand.

"Can you send that video to me so I can show Kota and Satsuki?" Eri asked, smiling when the seemingly ditzy blonde gave her a thumbs up without tearing away from her phone.

"No worries, angel. I'll definitely send this to you later. Heck, I'm excited to show this to all our-"

"LIKE HEL-er, HECK ARE YOU SENDING THAT VIDEO TO ANYONE, ILLUSIONS!"

"YOW!"

"SHUT IT, CAT! AND STOP BITING ME!"

"Aww, and he's even keeping himself from cursing so that you won't hear it! He does care." Camie cooed with a cheeky grin, getting a giggle out of Eri in response.

The young girl couldn't help but be amused at the sight of the explosion hero Bakugo struggling against her pet cat. It happened every single time the man showed up without fail, even when Izuku and Ochako were here around. The blast-happy man would always pick a fight with the cat, and even when he didn't, Mikan would find a way to agitate him; bothering him by excessive yowling and even stealing his stuff, if the mask she found under the couch was anything to go by. By an outsider's perspective, it would seem that Mikan really didn't like Bakugo, but she knew that the cat was just playing around. It wasn't trying to hurt Bakugo at all, it enjoyed messing with him for the fun of it. She knew it. Her guardians knew it. Everyone else knew it. Even Bakugo was all too aware of how the little guy only bothered him just to be an annoyance.

And that only served to agitate him even further.

"Will you leave me alone, you good for nothing bag of hair!" The man practically roared as he jumped out of the way to avoid another pounce from the orange cat, before turning to Eri and Camie at the kotatsu. "I can't believe that those two had the audacity to leave me here to babysit their brat and stupid cat! Why couldn't they just get someone else!? Or better yet, have me go take care of the rescue! I'm better than those two by a long shot!"

"Because there is no one else around to stay here for the kid, babe. Didn't they tell you? Their folks are busy with that big move that's happenin' next month, and all the usual dudes are off on missions and stuff, leaving us the only ones left since it's our week off. Besides, you wouldn't be able to help all that much anyways. Your Quirk sucks in the cold." Came pointed out after taking a sip from her mug and quirking an eyebrow at him, smirking at his highly irritated expression while Eri giggled off to the side.

"Freaking woman. Why the heck am I with you again?"

"Because I make you laugh, fam."

"Tch…"

"Yowl!"

"Freaking cat, stop biting my pants!"

"Aaand there he goes. Wonder how long until Quirks are involved…" Camie said with a lazy smile while Eri continued to giggle.

"Not too long, I think. I just hope they don't break anything, this time. Mom's still mad that Mr. Kacchan broke her favorite family picture and Dad took away Mikan's treats for a week because he-."

*Fwoosh*

"HEY! NO FIREBALLS! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU LIGHT UP MY HAIR AGAIN!" Bakugo exclaimed at the cat on the counter, who was grinning mischievously with a collar of orange flames around its neck.

"Rowl yow…" Mikan snickered, a small burst of fire escaping from its mouth as it meowed back at Bakugo in a mischievous tone.

"You little hothead. When I get my hands on you, I'm going to force-feed you so much chocolate and onions, I'll-"

"They won't work, Mr. Kacchan." Eri spoke up, her title for the explosive hero causing his eye to twitch a little in annoyance before slowly turning his attention to the girl. "Mikan's body is different than other cats because of his Quirk. They just burn up in his body so that they can fuel his flames. He can eat all kinds of foods and not get sick. Mom's not really happy about that because he eats her mochi every time she makes some."

"Still, pretty lit that she and Deku went and got themselves a cat with a Quirk. They're pretty rare outside of Hawaii, ya know. Really happy that those two rescued the little guy from that mill during their first mission as heroes." Camie spoke up giving Mikan a wide grin as it appeared to be preening in pride.

"Speak for yourself, Illusions. Freaking kleptomaniac hairball's been on my case literally since the day we met. Stealing my crap and setting me on fire, all while having that stupid smirk on its face. I swear, it's like dealing with freaking Icy-Hot when he's hammered or something…" Bakugo grumbled, only to duck when a small fireball was shot at his head. "Will you cut that out!"

"Mow."

"…I'll never get tired of watching him picking a fight with the cat. It's just too funny not to enjoy." Camie whispered quietly to Eri as soon as the two beasts began going at each other again.

Eri nodded with a smile, silently agreeing with the woman's words as Bakugo and Mikan started to wrestle each other on the ground. The child herself was well aware of Mikan's past; how it was part of an animal mill, with Mikan itself being the oldest and most abused of the group due to its powers and high intelligence. Her parents' first mission together was actually to take down that mill and arrest those who were in charge of it. It was quite the mission, they told her, because the owners had special Quirks that allowed them to manipulate animals to their will, similarly to their friend Koda. They would've been overwhelmed, too, were it not for Mikan, who was somehow able to resist the animal control Quirk, and even fought alongside Deku and Uravity to take down the abusers before exhaustion set in. The couple was grateful towards the old cat, and after arresting the mill runners, they requested to keep it, wanting to take care of it for all the help its done. After getting the ok and taking it to the vet to get it treated, the first thing the couple did was show it to her and Aizawa. Both of them adored it, even if her former caretaker wasn't outwardly showing it, and the child was so surprised when the pair asked her to name it. It took a little bit for her to decide, but eventually Eri went with the name Mikan, because of its orange fur. Izuku and Ochako liked the name as well, and officially dubbed their rescue pet Mikan, who appeared to quite like it as well.

It had been two years since then and despite being older and more interested in sleeping than anything, Mikan was still living happily with Izuku, Ochako, and now Eri herself. It rarely used its Quirk outside of messing with Bakugo and was very well behaved, if a little mischievous at times with it's habit of hiding other people's stuff. It was part of the family, even getting the name Midoriya from the adoption agency, just like Eri after her savior and his girlfriend were given custody of her. In fact, the only one who wasn't a Midoriya yet was Ochako, but the child knew it will happen soon. It was only a matter of time before her father proposed…

*splat*

"…Did you just hack a hairball on my shoe?"

Eri's head snapped upwards the moment she heard the deceptively calm voice of Bakugo from the other side of the room, staring at him and Mikan with wide eyes as the cat looked up at him with a cocky expression and a smoldering wet hairball on the man's shoe. The child couldn't help but wince at the sight of it, having been on the receiving end of the molten spheres of soggy fur a few times when Mikan wasn't feeling too well. They were accidents at the time, so she wasn't too upset, but the cat did it on purpose this time, and she had a feeling it crossed the line now.

"Ooh man. Baku-babe's getting really pissed. Best that we intervene before things get hot and blasty around here." Camie suggested, now looking a little nervous as she and an equally unnerved Eri proceeded to exit the warmth of the kotatsu to try and calm Bakugo down. Or at least keep Mikan away from him.

Neither of them noticing, nor hearing, the sound of the front door opening, until…

"Alright, you damn waste of space, TIME TO DIE!"

"MROW!"

"Bakugo! Mikan! Stop this at once!"

The familiar sound of irate womanly fury immediately caused everyone in the room to freeze, knowing exactly who it was that was calling out to them. Turning their heads, the four stared at the entrance of the apartment, where they saw Izuku and Ochako, clad in wet snow gear, staring at all of them with matching irate expressions etched on their faces. It was enough to make Mikan and Camie to step back a little and Eri to shiver slightly at their stares. Bakugo, however, remained defiant, and proceed to growl at the now returned couple in massive annoyance.

"Stay out of this, Doll Face! This stupid fur face started all of this and I'm-"

"I don't care who started it! I'm finishin' it here an' now!" The furious looking woman interrupted, accent heavy and actually causing Bakugo to flinch as she took off her shoes and stomped her way over to the man sternly with a finger pointed at him. "What have I told ya about lettin' Mikan agitate you? You know he only acts like this ta rile you up! You don't have t' give in ta his taunts! You're a man, ain't ya!? Deal with it like the hero ya are instead of retaliatin' like a thug!"

"Shut it, woman, I do what I want…" Bakugo grounded out, growling when he heard Mikan snickering beside him before Ochako grabbed it by the scruff of its neck with all five of her fingers and raised it to her face before letting it go and have it hover before her, much to his amusement.

"And I told ya not to bother Bakugo while I'm gone! I know he's fun to mess with but ya have t' restrain yerself! Do you want me to keep you floating like this for the next hour again?" The woman chided, ignoring the indignant "Hey!" from the annoyed hero behind her as the floating cat stared at its owner with a hint of playfulness in its eyes. "Hey! I see that look of yours, mister! No treats for you for a week, mister! No complainin'! Understood!"

"…Mow."

"Ha! Suck on that you da-"

"And Bakugo, you hafta buy me a present for both Christmas and my birthday for nearly tearin' down my apartment again! You know how much we had to pay t' get this!? Deku sold some of his collection just for the deposit!"

"What?! The hell would I do that for?!"

"I see the scorch marks on the wall! They're from your Quirk! Not Mikans! Is either that or pay for the gear we need to fix them up! Take yer pick!"

Eri watched on alongside Camie with impressed eyes as Ochako continued to rip Bakugo and Mikan a new one. It usually ended like this after the explosive man was left alone with the cat for an extended period of time. The child couldn't help but be impressed by the sight of such a powerful pair being put down by her surrogate mother. It was quite the show for her, and for the blonde illusionist if her expression was anything to go by, and would've continued to watch on were it not for one last individual deciding to make his presence fully known.

"Eri. Utsushimi. Care to explain to me why you two didn't stop Kacchan and Mikan from attacking one another? Don't tell me you two were just letting them go at it while relaxing on the couch again…"

The stern voice of Izuku caused the two girls to jump, not expecting him to sound so bothered. Turning around, they were greeted by the sight of a very unamused Midoriya staring back at them, expecting an answer.

"Uh… Technically we were at the kotatsu. Not the couch. Totes different this time, fam, eh hehe…" Camie laughed nervously through her explanation but winced when the green-haired man simply glared harder at the woman, before Eri let off a reluctant sigh.

"We're in trouble, too. Aren't we, Dad?"

"…Not as much as those two, but yeah you are."

"Thought so."

Prompt 26: Pets

Author's notes: And here we are, Heroes! Mikan's origin and Quirk explained. Had this idea for quite some time now and I'm glad to have implemented. He's pretty much a sassy Litten from pokemon and I am happy to have implemented him into the story. He was initially going to have a metamorphosis Quirk that allowed him to shapeshift into different species of felines, but I decided to scrap it for a simpler power. Made for better comedy in the end and I'm ok with that, especially since it shows that even Eri can get in trouble at times. She's an angel, but she's also human, after all. Next chapter's coming up tomorrow with much more fluff involved, so look forward to that! With that said, thank you all so much for enjoying my work. I wish you all a fantastic day and I will see you in the author's notes.

Farewell, and remember: Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!