A couple of days later, classes continued as the months shifted from September to October. While Izuku would have loved to check on precious Eri, they didn't allow any visitors while they studied the intricacies of Eri's quirk. The only exciting event was the return to class after their brief hiatus from the disastrous work-studies.
But a certain feeling lingered with him throughout the morning as he got ready for the eventful day ahead of him. Izuku would have loved to avoid it, but it was bound to happen as Ashido said it would.
Izuku was the earliest in the classroom, sitting in his seat. Nobody else was there until Iida and Yaoyorozu walked in simultaneously. The moment Izuku made eye contact with them, he shrank in his chair. Unfortunately, sinking in his chair did so much, and it didn't hide his cat ears. He twiddled with his fingers nervously as Iida stared at him.
"Midoriya..." Iida trailed off, adjusting his glasses as he inspected the top of Izuku's head. "Am I seeing things?"
Yaoyorozu smiled at Izuku as if to say she was going to take care of it. "Oh, Iida. Don't worry about the cat ears on the top of his head. Surely you heard the rumors by now, haven't you?"
"I did... But I didn't think it was real." Iida admitted.
"None of us thought it was real, either. But sure enough, it is. Please don't tease him about it."
Iida scrunched his face in confusion. "Like I would do such a thing! I support my classmates in everything they do because that is my duty as the president of Class 1-A! And Izuku having cat ears is of no concern to me... Except, huh, it looks cute?"
Izuku hid his face behind his hands. So multiple people were having the same first impression. How could he be that cute because of some stupid addition of cat ears? In all seriousness, just how cute could it make someone?
"T-Thanks for the compliment, Iida..." Izuku said.
Iida smiled and adjusted his glasses to appear serious. "There's nothing to worry about, Izuku. Quirks can affect people in weird ways, so this isn't anything new. If others make fun of you for it, leave it to me to keep your new looks safe."
"Oh, thanks... Again." Izuku said, his cat ears flickering with some hope.
Iida was about to answer, but the door opened to reveal the next barrage of people. Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero joined the party to discover Izuku's cat ears while the rest of the girls from Class 1-A shuffled in after them.
"Huh..." Kaminari trailed off, putting a hand to his chin. "I knew my eyes weren't playing tricks on me! You really have cat ears! Why didn't you confirm it sooner?"
"No way... The rumors have proven themselves now that I see them." Sero said, walking toward him out of curiosity.
"Why is Midoriya still cosplaying?!" Mineta shouted though the girls of Class 1-A glaring at him with indignant looks silenced him in a heartbeat. Until he opened his mouth a second later to defend himself. "Okay, I said something wrong! But I'm not taking it back! It looks weird! Hey, wait! Stop! I said nothing wrong-"
While Sero and Asui taped Mineta's mouth shut, Izuku's eyes tracked Kaminari and Jiro as they wandered his way to inspect his cat ears. For Jiro, it was the second time, but he digressed. Izuku gulped nervously as his cat ears imitated his sentiment and tilted down.
Without hesitation, Kaminari touched the cat ears and marveled at the soft feeling. Izuku restrained himself to the best of his abilities to not rub against Kaminari's hand. "Yo, can we hear the story of how this happened to you? I think it's safe to say everyone's curious about it!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"I… I'm going to tell the story when everyone's here, so I don't have to repeat myself too many times." Izuku muttered, hoping Kaminari would stop.
"Oh, yeah! That works!" Kaminari said, still touching his cat ears, much to Izuku's chagrin.
It wasn't until Jiro noticed Izuku's discomfort did she gently slap Kaminari's hand and berate him for annoying Izuku.
Izuku reached to touch his cat ears to adjust them from the ruffle of Kaminari's fingers while gazing at an interesting, imaginary speck of dust on his desk.
Their reactions to his cat ears weren't bad, but he knew the worst was yet to come. Would it be wrong to say he was talking about Bakugo? How was he going to react to his cat ears? Despite the bravery Izuku was displaying, he wanted to curl up and hide underneath his bed.
It didn't take long before everyone filed in through the doors to Class 1-A, their curiosity bouncing around the room. Especially the boys. As predicted, he was the center of attention.
"Wow, there are cat ears on top of his head..." Sato said.
"Cuteness does not revel in darkness," Tokoyami said.
"Midoriya? I thought you only had one quirk. You never told me you possessed a second quirk." Todoroki said.
"Huh? N-No, I never did!" Izuku exclaimed, raising his hands to wave it in the air out of desperation.
"What? Come on, guys! No need to crowd poor Midoriya! You're going to overwhelm him with too many questions and statements!" Ashido blurted, coming to his defense rather quickly.
"Yeah, and the more important question is how he got those cat ears! Tell us the story, Midoriya! Otherwise, I'm going to stick my grape balls on your cat ears!" Mineta shouted.
Everyone stopped talking and stared at Mineta with disappointment.
"Woah, dude, phrasing!" Sato cried out.
"How did the tape come loose?" Jiro asked, walking to Mineta's location with a fresh piece from Sero.
"I licked it so I could speak! Now answer us, Midoriya!" Mineta hollered but protested when Jiro placed the tape over his mouth. "Ah, wait! Don't close my mouth! I have a right to speak! Mmph!"
While everyone focused on Mineta's protests, Izuku snuck a peek at Bakugo. But the moment he did, he found his childhood friend staring daggers at him. Bakugo's look almost exterminated Izuku on the spot. Izuku panicked and averted his gaze, opting to stare at the very interesting floor.
It was blue and vibrant. And very smooth.
"So Midoriya... What is the story of how you got those cat ears?" Shoji asked, one of his tentacles forming a mouth to speak.
"Oh, yeah! You said you would tell the story when everyone was here! So what is it, Midoriya?" Kaminari asked.
"Well, um..." Izuku trailed off, glancing around himself. "I-It happened on the day when I went to Musutafu City to buy some supplies and snacks. I ran into a criminal, stealing a purse from a woman, and I gave chase. When I caught him, he threw a sparkly powder on my face and you guys can see how that turned out... Uh, with everyone looking at me, it's difficult to go into details since it's embarrassing, but this is the bare bones of the story-"
Ashido cut Izuku off. And he couldn't even be upset because she saved him from rambling.
"And that's how we have a Midoriya with cat ears! And if anyone messes with him, looking at you Bakugo, the MPS group will not hesitate to defend him at all costs!" Ashido declared, a smug grin on her face as she stared at Bakugo.
Bakugo uncrossed his arms and stared at Ashido with literal swords hurling from his eyes. The outburst of vulgar words he wanted to convey was evident from the way he grit his teeth. Luckily, Kirishima limited Bakugo from showering everyone with his filthy curses.
"Hey, what's MPS? It sounds kinda manly." Kirishima said.
"Midoriya Protection Squad! And I apologize, Kirishima, but we have a rule that only girls can join this group because we think he looks the cutest this way!" Ashido gushed as she reached to touch Izuku's cat ears with both hands.
But she only got so far when Aizawa opened the doors to the classroom, forcing everyone to freeze from his presence alone. Pressure cratered on everyone's shoulders as Aizawa stared at every one of them with intensity.
"Why is everyone standing around? Today is the first day of class back from work-studies. Get in your seats and prepare to learn."
"Yes, sensei!" Everyone said as they dispersed from Izuku to sit in their seats.
"And Midoriya, I want to see you after the homeroom period is over," Aizawa said as he took attendance.
"Y-Yes, sensei!" Izuku exclaimed.
He could feel his heart sinking into his stomach in apprehension.
Aizawa stood outside the hallway, staring at Izuku, who awkwardly avoided Aizawa's gaze until he spoke. "So it's true. They're real cat ears. I thought you were wearing a headband with cat ears when we went to Nighteye's funeral, but my intuition told me you wouldn't disrespect him like that. And with an attempt, my quirk can't erase them since they are physical incarnations of that man's quirk."
"Right... So what do we do now, Aizawa sensei?" Izuku asked.
Aizawa covered his mouth with his hand as he pondered the situation. "As long as it interrupts nothing, then we're fine. I'll tell the other teachers about it, though they probably know. I don't want them surprised when they enter Class 1-A to teach, wondering why your looks suddenly changed. That's about it."
"Really?"
"Yes, go back."
Izuku nodded his head but heard a familiar clack of heels hitting the floor. Izuku froze in place when he heard an alluring voice drift through the air. Like a siren calling to a sailor.
"Oh, I heard rumors of cat ears on a special student from several students in Class 1-A, but I didn't think it would be Midoriya of all people. He really is a troublesome child, isn't he~?" Nemuri sang as if she was serenading him.
Izuku turned with rigid motions. "M-Midnight sensei?"
She laughed and walked over to Izuku. Nemuri lifted both her hands to experience his fluffy cat ears. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, afraid of her touch and flirtatious personality, but the gentleness eased his eyes back open.
Nemuri's demeanor changed to take on a softer expression. "I knew your cat ears would be fluffy, but this... This is something new. It feels like my hands are melting into the fluff!"
Aizawa stood on the side with an expression that spelled he was done with Nemuri's antics. "Midnight, get a move on. Students are waiting inside Class 1-A for you."
"I know, but it's my turn to teach, so that means you have no authority here. Just leave it to me to do whatever I want with my students."
Aizawa rolled his eyes. He nodded his head and walked down the hallway, prompting Izuku to look at Aizawa in shock and dismay.
"Eh, Aizawa sensei?! D-Don't leave me alone!"
"Aww, you're like a stray cat longing for an owner! I can be that for you!" Nemuri said, her eyes throbbing with hearts.
Izuku stared at Nemuri with confusion and horror. What in the world did that mean?
Over the next week, Nejire found time to visit Izuku. She didn't need to do so, but given Nejire's curiosity, she was bursting with anticipation to experiment with the newfound quirk that affected Izuku.
So when Izuku opened the door to let her into his room for the third time, and he saw she had a myriad of different cat toys in her hands, something didn't feel right. Izuku tilted his head in confusion before his brain deciphered it. Still, he wanted to tiptoe around the idea suggested by her curiosity.
"N-Nejire? What are you doing with all those cat toys?"
"Oh, you know. I just have a few questions I want answers to." Nejire responded, a smile dancing on her face.
Now that was concerning.
Not only did it validate Nejire's intention, but it compelled Izuku to say something to avoid such a situation. "Y-You realize I'm not actually a cat, right? I don't think I'll be motivated to imitate a cat's behaviors just because of these ears. You know that, r-right?" Izuku asked.
"I'm well aware~!" Nejire sang, but clearly not listening. "But from how you pushed your head against my hand while I scratched your ears was apparent. You behave identically to a cat, so I'm just excited to test it out! Maybe you have a heightened sense of smell or night vision! Or maybe keen hearing?"
"I-I guess we'll learn all that in due time…" Izuku said.
She looked for a place to place her cat toys and chose his bed, dropping them with a clatter. Then she turned to face him with a toy she specifically chose for the experiment. It was a jumble of feathers attached to the end of a cat wand. With a smile, she waved the toy in front of him and waited in anticipation for a reaction.
When Izuku felt a need to leap at the toy, he knew Nejire's experiment was anything but incorrect. While his newly found cat instincts told him to do what it wanted, his human analytical side battled against the quirk affecting him. It took everything to restrain himself from pouncing on the toy and playing with it.
"Hmm... Nothing. That's interesting... I thought you would at least jump in my direction and try to play with it." Nejire said, monitoring him before she giggled.
"Y-Yup! Haha, no reaction from me!" Izuku exclaimed nervously.
However, his gaze remained fixed on the toy waving around in the air. It looked enticing. Dangerously so.
Nejire must have noticed because she stopped waving it and stared at Izuku. When she held it to the side, Izuku's eyes followed, much to his frustration, but to the satisfaction of Nejire. She moved the cat wand to the other side and watched as Izuku's eyes pursued the jumble of feathers.
Against his will, Izuku jumped toward the bundle of feathers and landed on his bed with dissatisfaction when Nejire moved it away in time. Izuku turned and pounced on the toy again, but because Nejire was there, he crashed into her.
When the commotion settled and Izuku opened his eyes, he found himself on top of Nejire. Izuku's vision swirled as millions of sequences flashed through his mind. Nejire was going to report him to the teachers at U.A. High School, wasn't she?
But it wasn't his fault! It was the dumb quirk of the criminal!
"Oh, N-Nejire... I'm so sorry! I... Oh, gosh!" Izuku stuttered, panicking at the possibility of being kicked out of U.A. High School.
Nejire just smiled at him. "I guess you do have the instincts of a cat, huh~?"
Izuku stared into her eyes. Even if it was impossible to read someone's thoughts, Izuku felt like Nejire wasn't angry at him in the slightest. Or maybe that was what he wanted to think.
Izuku scrambled off Nejire's body and stood on his two feet, averting her gaze while fidgeting with his fingers. "Look, Nejire... I didn't mean to. I did something messed up. I promise I won't do it again, so please don't report this to anyone-"
Nejire stood and looked at him, rambling off with his apology. She interrupted him with a laugh. "Don't you worry, Izuku. It was my fault, considering I goaded you with the cat toy. I will tell no one and I'm the one that should apologize, so sorry and shh! Don't be telling everyone around U.A. High School you fell on top of someone so pretty." She said, putting a finger to her lips and winking at him.
Izuku swallowed nervously, unsure how to feel. What she said was true. And it was even more embarrassing. Meanwhile, Nejire put the cat toys underneath his bed to hide them from his eyes before she faced him again.
"So... Did you grow a tail yet?" Nejire asked, back to her normal self, despite the incident not even happening a minute ago.
"Eh? Oh, um..." Izuku trailed off as he reached behind his back, but his fingers felt nothing extraordinary. "I don't think a tail is going to grow according to the quirk he affected me with."
"That's an odd detail to be missing though, right? Just cat ears and some instincts, but no tail... Do you think it'll grow later? Hey, hey! You should text me if you grow a tail! Maybe this quirk works in phases!"
"Text you? But I don't even have your phone number...?" Izuku asked.
"Oh, yeah... You want it?" Nejire asked, pulling her phone from her pocket.
"Is that okay?"
"Of course! Here, put your phone number on my phone! I'll be the one to text you first when the time is right!"
Izuku had a feeling her last sentence was going to happen promptly.
With hesitation, Izuku took Nejire's phone in his hands and typed his name into her list of contacts. Once he pressed save, his name became permanently embedded in the phone of Nejire Hado until she changed it, though she would carry her list of contacts to her next phone.
It was an interesting thought to entertain. His name was on a girl's phone for a long time. And someone as cute as her, no less? It was madness, but then again, so was the quirk affecting him.
"Hey, hey, Izuku. I heard the teachers found out about the cat ears on your head. How did Aizawa sensei react when he saw the cat ears?"
"What...?" Izuku didn't think anyone told Nejire about Aizawa's reaction to his cat ears. So how did she know? "Um, how did you know?"
Nejire smiled, but she hid the smile by holding her phone in front of her mouth. "I have my sources."
Izuku stared at her with curiosity. Someone was feeding Nejire and Midnight information about the journey of his cat ears. Though it was probably Ashido. "Well... He was pretty kind about it. W-Were you expecting something harsh?"
Nejire giggled. "Of course not! But I guess I expected him to be more harsh... I guess even Aizawa sensei had a soft spot for someone who looks this cute with the addition of cat ears!"
"C-Could you stop calling me cute? It's embarrassing..." Izuku protested as he covered his face with his hands.
As a bonus for Nejire, his cat ears flopped downwards.
"But you are cute! Just look at how cute you are! It makes me want to gobble you up!"
Izuku froze in place. Now, what in the world did that mean?! "P-Please don't!"
"Ahaha! I jest, Izuku!"
Author's Note: Some bad news. I got in a car crash with a deer last week, so I couldn't post this fourth chapter until now. Good news, I am completely fine with no signs of lasting injuries, so yay!
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this fourth chapter! And don't be afraid to leave any interactions! It'll help ease the scare of crashing into a deer for this frightened boi haha
With love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!