Author's Note: Given that I've turned All for One into a swan and a penguin, I was long overdue to write Tiger for One. Also I've been bullying Tomura on Sundays so I decided to let him get a happy AU (and a turn being a menace) today. Thank you to 2000DragonArmy for this excellent prompt.
Upon hearing a knock on his office door, Zoo Curator Yoichi Shigaraki called, "Come in."
Nana Shimura entered, twisting her hands. "Yoichi, I have worrying news. Inko has been getting worse." From the look on her face, it was obvious how much the cheetah caretaker worried about her charge. Inko was the first cheetah to live in Musutafu Zoo, and she'd been plagued with anxiety, often found pacing around her cage. Biting her lip, Nana said, "Today Inko deliberately ran her own head into the wall. She's not bleeding but if she keeps doing that, I fear her injuries will be dreadful."
"Oh, dear." Yoichi paled. He'd been aware of Inko's anxiety, and cheetahs' general difficulties, but this was beyond what conversations with other zoos had prepared him for. A bark from the box at his feet drew his attention. He scratched the little Labrador puppy behind the ears.
Kneeling down, Nana petted the puppy. "What a cutie," she crooned. Looking up, she asked, "Who's this?"
"Hopefully, the solution to our cheetah problems." Yoichi beamed. "This is Izuku. He lost his mother in a tragic car accident, and he's in desperate need of some maternal love."
Catching on, Nana asked, "Is it safe to put in a puppy with a cheetah?"
"Many other zoos have used dogs as therapy animals for cheetahs with anxiety problems. We'll keep a careful eye on the situation in case they don't take to each other. But every other zoo curator I spoke to assured me that their cheetahs love their emotional support dogs very much." Yoichi fetched a treat for Izuku. The puppy licked his hands after eating. "Just look at those big, loveable eyes. Who could resist?"
Nana smiled. "He's a fine puppy. It's certainly worth a try, Number One." That was her joking nickname for her boss.
Little did either of them know that the problem would be Izuku proving entirely too irresistible.
Nana introduced Izuku to the cheetah enclosure when she came for the next feeding. Yoichi watched from the balcony above. To their mutual surprise, Inko ignored the bucket of ground beef and ran straight to Izuku, licking him and grooming him.
"Aw. It's adoption at first sight." Yoichi beamed.
From below, Nana called, "You have the right to be smug, Number One. It worked perfectly."
Yoichi shrugged. "We'll have to see how it goes after a week or two."
A sudden flash of light behind him made him jump. Turning around, Yoichi saw it was only Tenko, holding up his camera. With a big grin, Tenko said, "My followers will love this picture."
When Tenko had first interviewed for a cleaning job, Yoichi had been skeptical about the teenager saying he wanted to work at the zoo in order to get behind-the-scenes photos for internet clout. Truthfully, Tenko had only gotten the job because his grandmother Nana had vouched strongly for him. Nana was one of the zoo's best employees. On the other hand, her grandson sometimes seemed as buggy as one of his favorite games. But Tenko had been a hard worker, even if he took pictures of everything. He'd also worked miracles in updating the zoo website and making it more interactive.
"You may be right," Yoichi said, thinking about how to include this in the zoo advertising.
Nana's words had been prophetic. Izuku thrived under Inko's gentle care. The two of them were very popular with the zoo visitors.
Until one evening after closing, when Izuku vanished from the cheetah enclosure.
Yoichi ran around the zoo, shouting, "Here, Izuku!" Who would have thought Labradors would be such good climbers? At the least, Yoichi should have realized a tiny puppy would be able to squeeze through the bars. As soon as he found Izuku, Yoichi would be ordering mesh online. Poor Inko was in a tense state without her baby, pacing and even growling. No one dared enter her enclosure even though she was usually very sweet-tempered.
Hikage ran over, waving. The zoo researcher usually stayed in his laboratory, but he'd come out to join the hunt. Bent over and panting, he blurted out, "I've found our puppy."
"Oh, thank you." Yoichi raced after Hikage.
They arrived to see the lion Toshinori curled up around the little puppy and licking his head. Izuku seemed perfectly content nestled between those massive paws. Banjo, the lion caretaker, was doing his best to lure Toshinori away with a steak.
Looking up, Banjo shouted, "Sorry, Number One! I don't think Toshinori will be distracted until he's done. Thanks for finding the zoo's baby, Hikage."
Always uncomfortable with praise, Hikage flushed, grunted, and melted into the shadows, presumably heading back to his lab.
Yoichi sagged against the railing with relief. "I'm glad Izuku is okay. Uh, he's not injured at all, is he?"
Banjo laughed. "Toshinori would never hurt anyone! He's one of the easiest animals to handle. Not like that troublemaker All for One."
After he finished grooming and ate, Toshinori finally fell asleep, letting them carry Izuku away. The puppy seemed quite cheerful about his little adventure. Yoichi took Izuku straight to En, the zoo veterinarian.
Scratching behind the puppy's ears, En said, "I've finished my examination. Little Izuku here is in excellent health. He's full of energy and no doubt ready to cause us more trouble."
Izuku barked and licked En's face.
Yoichi sighed. "I have the mesh arriving on overnight delivery. We'll get this problem solved tomorrow, and this will never happen again."
En raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like famous last words, Number One."
Yoichi glared. "If anyone just jinxed us, then it's you!"
As soon as Yoichi returned Izuku to the cheetah enclosure, Inko greeted him with happy chirps. She wrapped herself around her baby, purring. Izuku nuzzled her.
Yoichi smiled, happy to see the two of them reunited. Then he heard an angry howl from the tiger enclosure and realized he'd forgotten to visit All for One. Swearing under his breath, he took off at a run.
Born to a wealthy family with a mother who'd died when he was two, Yoichi Shigaraki had been alternatively spoiled and ignored as a child. His father had gotten him a white tiger cub as a birthday gift. It had been a selfish request made by a child who didn't know any better. No responsible parent would have let their child keep a very dangerous wild animal. Their home hadn't even had a particularly large backyard. However, Yoichi had stepped up to the best of his abilities, researching every bit of information about tigers to look after his new pet. It had been the start of his dream to work at a zoo.
As an adult, Yoichi had transitioned All for One to live at the zoo both because it was legal and because here his tiger could finally have a large enclosure as he needed. (And, although Yoichi would never admit it, because All for One had gotten increasingly difficult to handle as a full-grown cat. There had been an…incident with the mailman. Though Yoichi maintained All for One would never seriously hurt anyone, he just liked to play around.)
Having been raised together, All for One treated Yoichi like family. (And Yoichi was pretty sure All for One thought he was the older brother.) The white tiger certainly didn't see Yoichi as anything remotely like an owner. He acknowledged no authority figures. And he got very bad-tempered if Yoichi didn't visit him once a day.
Yoichi vaulted over the rail and into the tiger enclosure. (Breaking numerous rules, but he was curator so he could get away with it.) "I'm sorry I'm late!" he called.
All for One immediately sat on top of Yoichi, pinning him down with his bulk. This was how All for One would punish Yoichi when he didn't show up reliably for their family playtime. Sometimes All for One would keep Yoichi pinned down for hour. Sighing, Yoichi relaxed into the mass of fluff. When All for One got like this, there was no arguing with him. It was better to keep him appeased so he didn't cause any trouble at the zoo. Although Banjo was officially in charge of both tigers and lions, in actuality Yoichi did most of the care for All for One because the tiger would tolerate no one else. Purring, All for One licked Yoichi's hair.
While sweeping his broom along the walkway above, Tenko stopped and stared. "Dude, are you okay?"
Yoichi shouted, "I'm fine! This is how All for One shows he loves me. We've been very close since we were both children. Uh, don't try this with any tigers yourself."
Tenko rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid." Then he snapped a picture on his phone.
"Wait, you can't post that, it will damage the zoo's reputation," Yoichi shouted frantically. "Hey, don't walk away! Don't pretend you can't hear me! Get back here, young man!" No matter how Yoichi squirmed, Tenko didn't stop walking and All for One didn't let him up. Ugh, what a day this had been.
All for One growled, an inquisitive rather than angry sound. Then he waved a paw at the neighboring lion enclosure.
Yoichi took advantage of the shift in weight to scramble to his feet. "What is it? Is Toshinori annoying you again?" The lion and tiger had proven sour roommates, both deciding to hate each other at first growl. Although Yoichi had considered moving one of them, it was a lot of work and money to change the zoo enclosures. Besides, Yoichi doubted any other animal would get along with All for One either. At least Toshinori didn't get scared by All for One's howls.
All for One stamped on the ground, then pointed again.
Yoichi frowned. "What's wrong? Are you annoyed because Toshinori didn't pay attention to you when he had Izuku? That would be just like you, you glory-hound."
Most people would think Yoichi crazy for talking to a tiger. But All for One wasn't an ordinary tiger. He was larger than other white tigers, he was smarter, and he'd lived so long he was considered a zoology miracle. He'd been raised in a human family and sometimes seemed to think he was human. Moreover, Yoichi would swear sometimes All for One understood what he was saying.
All for One held up his paw as if measuring a very short height.
"That's Izuku's size. You're talking about Izuku." Yoichi narrowed his eyes. "You're jealous because Toshinori got a dog but you didn't." All for One was a possessive creature. Anything his rival had, he must have too. "Izuku getting out was an accident. Neither of you have a dog."
All for One huffed, sending his massive belly shaking.
"If I put a puppy in here, you'd probably kill and eat it. No." Yoichi crossed his arms.
All for One never liked the word no, so Yoichi petted him and played with him until the grumpy tiger seemed appeased. At least on the surface.
A week later, Nana dashed into Yoichi's office. Then she collapsed into the chair, panting and unable to speak.
Yoichi asked, "Did Izuku get out again?" He handed her a can of tea from his minifridge.
She nodded. After taking a sip, she said, "Inko is curled up in a ball and unresponsive. Her nerves can't take all this stress. We were trying to help her, not give her even more anxiety."
Yoichi sighed. "I thought for sure I'd secured the enclosure this time. Ugh, at least we know where he is. I'll fetch Izuku from the lion enclosure, while you watch Inko to make sure she doesn't hurt herself again."
But when Yoichi arrived at the lion enclosure, there was no sign of the puppy. Instead, Toshinori kept throwing himself at the wall and growling. Yoichi couldn't understand why, until he heard a dog's whimper coming from the other side of the wall.
Yoichi ran around and was confronted by the sight of All for One smugly sunning himself on a ledge with little Izuku trapped under one paw. This time, the puppy looked much less happy. Izuku whimpered and kept trying to struggle free.
"All for One, that is not your puppy! Let him go!" Recklessly, Yoichi hopped into the enclosure. He walked forward with his hands raised in surrender. "Come on, bro, I'll play with you to your heart's content if you let Izuku go."
Lazily, All for One inclined his head as if urging Yoichi to come closer.
"Yes, that's right. You've already succeeded in making Toshinori angry, now you don't need the puppy any longer." Yoichi approached slowly. He reached out to grab Izuku. The puppy whined.
At that moment, All for One lashed out a paw and dragged Yoichi into his embrace. Effortlessly, All for One pinned down both Yoichi and Izuku with the smugness of a big cat who had two paws.
From the walkway above, Tenko held up his phone. "Whoa, this is hilarious."
Yoichi shouted, "This time I do need help! Please get Banjo. Tell him that there's trouble in the tiger enclosure, and he should bring the net." Izuku barked for emphasis, too.
"Hold still, boss. I'm filming a video to show up everyone who said that my picture last time must be fake." Tenko moved around the fence to capture different angles. "This is going to be my top post yet."
"You little shit, I do not give you permission to post that video!" Yoichi shouted.
"Ugh, now you've cursed, I'll need to edit it out," Tenko complained.
Yoichi took deep breaths. (Not easy with a tiger on top of him.) He tried to reach a state of inner calm. "My dear boy, I understand that your social media accounts are very important to you. However, you're an employee of this zoo, and you're on the job. I need you to get help."
"Huh?" Tenko blew a bubble of gum. It popped loudly on his face. It was painfully obvious he hadn't listened to a word Yoichi had said. "Can you squirm a bit more? It's not as interesting a video if you just lay there with a fake smile. Eh, I guess I've got enough footage anyway." He turned around and walked away.
"Tenko Shimura, get your scrawny ass back here!" Yoichi screamed. A rough tongue laved against his neck. "All for One, stop licking me!"
Sadly, despite being zoo curator, it appeared Yoichi had no control over humans nor animals.
Eventually the screams and barks attracted the attention of the others. Nets and tranquilizers did not work on All for One, the giant white fluffy monster, but they finally got him with some drugged meat.
Although Yoichi wanted to make Tenko take down his videos, he couldn't find the boy anywhere. Leaving work early was grounds for firing, but he feared upsetting Nana by removing her grandson. He was so tired, he left the concern for later.
After taking a shower, Yoichi installed cameras in the cheetah enclosure. He stocked his fridge with snacks for a stakeout.
One day later, the cameras showed a figure wearing a black hoodie slip into the cheetah enclosure and pick up a sleeping Izuku. A few dog treats calmed down the puppy. They left together.
Yoichi raced down the path to confront: a shame-faced Tenko Shimura.
Holding the puppy and petting his back, Tenko said, "Hear me out."
"I already know why you did it." Yoichi crossed his arms. "For your silly videos."
"All for One bribed me," Tenko said. "He participated in a whole bunch of funny tiger videos in exchange for me stealing Izuku for him. It was as if he could understand my directions. He pantomimed what he wanted in return. I swear, that tiger is unnatural."
"I already know that," Yoichi said. "Tenko? You're fired."
A week later, Yoichi stepped into the zoo's kitchenette with bloodshot eyes and declared, "I've found the solution to all our problems!"
The others looked up from where they sat at a round table, eating their lunch. A stream of puppies followed Yoichi into the room.
"Aw, what a cute little guy." Banjo picked up a yappy orange Pomeranian.
Yoichi said, "That one is named Katsuki." He knelt down to pet a Dalmatian puppy. "This is Shouto."
En fed some of his lunchmeat to Shouto. "What a good boy." He smiled as the puppy rolled over to show his belly for a rub.
Nana giggled as a little brown terrier pawed at her legs. "How about this one?"
"She's Ochaco," Yoichi said.
"I like the name." Nana rubbed Ochaco's ears.
Hikage looked a tad intimidated as a Whippet puppy bounced over to him, but carefully petted the dog's head.
"The Whippet is Tenya." Yoichi smiled. "He likes you." A pretty Shih Tzu clung close to Yoichi's ankles. He knelt down to pet her. "And this last furry angel is Tsuyu."
En tapped his chin. "Hmm, puppies for Toshinori and All for One. But why did you get five new ones?"
Yoichi said, "I've decided Inko should have more than one puppy. Izuku is a little escape artist, this way she can still have company if Izuku wants to run off to spend time with Toshinori. If Inko gets more than one, the other cats will expect a puppy too. Our panther Aizawa has been lonely. And if Aizawa gets a puppy, then you know our favorite mountain lion Yamada and snow leopard Oboro will expect one. Those three are so competitive. Also, this way the puppies will be able to socialize with each other and keep each other company."
"And they were too cute for you to pick only one," Nana said knowingly.
"They were too adorable!" Yoichi wailed. "I barely left Shelter 1-A with only five puppies. I wanted to take them all home."
"Which one will brave All for One?" Banjo asked.
"Oh, I wouldn't trust All for One with a puppy." Yoichi whistled, and a black English Mastiff strode into the room. The 200-pound dog nearly came up to Yoichi's shoulder. "This is Gigantomachia, and I think he'll suit my brother—I mean, All for One."
Looking the mastiff up and down, Banjo said, "He'll certainly be able to hold his own."
"Too big to pin down with one paw. We'll try another dog if they don't get along." Yoichi clenched his fist. "I'll get this zoo back under control even if I have to adopt every puppy in Shelter 1-A!" He held out his phone, showing pictures of the remaining puppies. "Seriously, we should take them all. Every last one of these cuties deserves a home and their own big cat parent. Can you help me find excuses to adopt the rest of them?"
OMAKE TIME!
Yoichi: I'm sorry I had to fire your grandson. I hope this won't interfere with our working relationship.
Nana: Eh, Tenko had it coming. I only begged you to give him a job because he was driving his mother crazy with all his prank videos. She was desperate to get him out of the house.
Yoichi: I wish you'd told me that before I hired him.
#
Yoichi: Unfortunately, All for One and Gigantomachia appear to be getting along a little too well.
Banjo: What's wrong?
Yoichi: When we took Gigantomachia out of the enclosure for a walk, he kidnapped Izuku and brought him back to his master. Then he came chasing after me too. (Points at the giant dog biting his coat.) Help?
#
Yoichi: I need the meanest puppy for my tiger.
Torino the shelter owner: Can I interest you in Himiko? She bites.
Yoichi: No, no, that won't end well. Maybe I should give her to Tenko, he deserves it.
#
Yoichi: Sometimes I swear my tiger schemes against me. He also might have supernatural powers. Am I losing it?
All for One: The adorable puppy is useful both for annoying that buffoon of a lion and luring my little brother into my grasp. Time to commence operation tunnel out of my enclosure.
Yoichi: I liked you better as a swan.
