Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A walk to the store. That's what it was supposed to be. But of course something so mundane couldn't go well.

Not that he could have expected it.

Way too early that morning, Shouta had noticed 2-A's dorm fridge had been getting low, so he had gone out before breakfast to restock. It was only logical, especially since he didn't want to see what the class might try to create with the odd mix of items they had on-hand. Though, considering the hour, they'd have to go to a proper store later anyway.

Midoriya and Shinsou had been about to go on a run, as was usual for them since they started training together late in their first year, and decided to join him.

This was how he ended up carrying a few bags of convenience store groceries with his protégé and problem child in tow on a hazy morning at about 6 AM.

Then a villain decided that would be the best time to attack.

It was all a blur, really. One second he was walking and listening to his students banter. The next, he was dropping his bags to sprint at a person wielding a scythe while yelling something Shouta couldn't be bothered to care about.

It was a short fight, thankfully. At one point, Shouta did have to protect a cat-like middle-school boy by tossing him at his students to catch when the villain lunged again.

But by the time it was over, barely two minutes after tossing the kid, the villain was tied up and the police were on their way. Plus Tsukauchi with an extra cup of coffee. Lord knows he needed it.

Shouta looked back over at his students, who he had ordered to stay by the groceries unless it looked like he would need help. Yes, Midoriya had his provisional license, but it wasn't necessary for both of them to jump in. Especially since Shinsou had to wait until autumn to get his license and thus would have had to wait on the sidelines alone.

The cat-eared middle-schooler was talking to them animatedly, waving his now-gloved hands around in... panic?

Leaving the troublemaker a short distance away, but within sight, Shouta approached the boys.

"I'm so so sorry! I should have been wearing my gloves, but there wasn't anyone around and usually I have control, but I just panicked!" he said, cat ears pressed back into his honey-colored hair in worry.

The boy noticed him and was about to continue, but was cut off when Shouta raised a hand to stop him.

"Slowly, please. Your name, age, and quirk. I assume the last part will be why you're freaking out."

"Komiya Fuku, thirteen. My quirk is called Cat Morph but because of my parents' quirks, it's really kind of weird? If I touch someone while using my quirk, they turn into a type of wild cat after a few minutes," Komiya rambled, wringing his hands.

"What's the deactivation condition?" Shouta asked while trying to not let his urgency soak into his voice. "Are there any other details?"

The boy's golden eyes widened for a moment. "Uh, no, sir. It can last for at least a few days." He waved his hands around again. "Don't worry though! The time frame has never been longer than a week. I'm really super sorry about this since it only ever wears off on it's own.

"And I guess, uh, when you transform, it shouldn't hurt but we won't be able to understand you. Your clothes will just kind of disappear in the meantime, like, into some pocket dimension or something, we're not too sure."

Shouta waited a moment, but it seemed that was everything Komiya had remembered to say, so he started by reorganizing their groceries to make space in one of the bags.

"Midoriya, Shinsou, if you have anything on you that you don't want stuck in the void for however long this lasts, put it in here," he said, tossing his phone, keys, and other items into the bag along with their things.

No sooner had he stood back up after sorting out the bags, did Shouta feel a hot pulse run through his body. It wasn't painful. Not in the standard sense. It was more uncomfortable than anything. There was a shudder, the world was twisting, turning, tilting, and he had the vague awareness that Midoriya and Shinsou had dropped to their knees. It seemed he did too, but he wasn’t sure when that had happened.

When Shouta finally was able to focus again, he was on all fours, looking down at cream-colored paws with flecks of black. He stared for a moment, looking at claws he couldn't seem to retract completely.

There was meowing that he could understand, perhaps due to the nature of the quirk.

"Oh god, that was so weird, I never want to feel that again," said Shinsou.

"Definitely, but this is kind of cool! We should make the most of it!" Midoriya said cheerfully, ever the optimist about anything that didn’t directly involve his abilities or self-worth.

Shouta looked up at them, seeing a pair of... somethings that he knew were cubs. They weren't any kind of cat he'd seen before. Of course they were also the wrong color by matching their respective hair. One dark green bordering on black and one pale lavender.

Midoriya was busy spinning around and muttering, even in his new cat form, or looking at Shinsou while the other boy watched with light amusement dancing in his eyes. 

They both had black markings and tall ears. From what he could see of the spinning blur that was Midoriya, they had rather long legs and were relatively slim. 

Actually, now they felt familiar once he started looking closer. Where had he seen those ears before? A nature documentary? What were they called again? He couldn’t seem to recall.

Eventually, Midoriya remembered that Shouta was there and turned to him. "Sensei!" he gasped, green eyes blown even wider than they could in his human body. "What are you? You seem to be some form of cheetah?" He trotted over and tilted his head as he started to pace around him, looking at Shouta from all sides. "But it’s off? You have a bit of a mane and those don't look like standard cheetah spots."

Shouta shook his head as a pair of patrol cars rolled up to them. "We can worry about that later. Both of you come here."

They obeyed and automatically sat tucked between his front paws while a slightly bewildered Tamakawa and Tsukauchi got out of their cars. The former went to grab the villain and the latter walked over to them, flashing Komiya a confused look.

The boy explained, pausing at the end, ears flattening once more. He looked down at Shouta and his cubs. 

His cubs?

No time for that.

Komiya bent at the waist to bow to them. "Again, I'm really sorry." 

He didn't blame the kid and simply waved a paw, hoping it would come across correctly.

It did and Komiya loosened a bit when he straightened up.

"Alright, if you don't mind, could you give me your contact information?" Tsukauchi asked, scribbling in his notepad as Tamakawa walked up to them.

Shouta looked at him and pawed at the groceries, giving an insistent "mrrp" rather than trying to speak since he knew no one would understand him.

Tamakawa stared for a moment then collected the bags while tilting his head. He looked into them and made a soft noise of understanding. Shifting his grip around to hold them all in one hand, he gestured Shouta over to Tsukauchi's car.

He opened the door and placed the bags on the floor of the car as he said, "Hop in, the detective was going to give you guys a ride anyway since he was going to head past the school.”

Simultaneously, Shinsou and Midoriya crouched and launched themselves into the backseat. And into each other. They tumbled in and Shouta couldn't hold back a low huffing noise that came out in place of a laugh.

Then with a roll of his eyes, he climbed in after them, giving Tamakawa a thankful nod.

The door clicked shut behind him and he settled in, taking up the window seat and the center since he was too big to sit up. Despite the fact the two could probably share the remaining one, Shinsou playfully knocked Midoriya off the seat and onto the floor.

"Hitoshi!" his problem child squawked, putting two little pine green paws up onto the back seat.

The other boy made a noise that was probably a laugh before he shuffled along the seat toward Shouta. "Sorry, sorry, c'mon and sit up here."

It might be safer for them to be on the floor or tucked against him. Shouta pawed them closer and got them to curl up by his chest, between his forelegs, where he could protect them more easily. Once again, they didn’t protest.

It took another minute or so until Tsukauchi came and buckled into the front seat. The engine came to life and they started back to the school.

"Sorry I couldn't give you your coffee, Eraser," the detective said, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.

Shouta huffed. Of course, now that he was some sort of cat for the next few days, he couldn't drink coffee. Or jelly pouches. Or anything that he liked drinking besides water.

But maybe he could sleep a lot more?

Out of the question, he needed to keep his cubs safe. No, his students. Students.

They got to the school pretty quickly. Thankfully, Tsukauchi had given Nedzu a call already, so they went straight back to the dorms. The detective helped them take care of the bags and put the one full of their belongings in Shouta's adjoining flat before heading out.

When he was gone, Shouta ushered the cubs to the end of one of the couches and paced the room, sniffing around anxiously. It was familiar, yes, but nothing was right. He rubbed his cheek against parts of the wall and brushed up against the furniture.

Why was he like this?

Was being a cat weird? 

Izuku figured it was, at least a little bit. Except the quirk they'd been affected by was fascinating!

He couldn't recognize the species of cat he and his littermate had been turned into, but the fact they were the same was interesting. Possibly because when they caught Komiya, the boy had grabbed onto both of them at the same time to steady himself?

It also seemed their hair color affected them, making him and Hitoshi very strangely colored. 

But Aizawa! He appeared to be a cheetah, but not at the same time.

His markings looked more like a cross between the normal spots and a sort of tabby. There was even a short mane of dark brown, almost black, fur that ran down to a bit past his shoulders. Thankfully, his eyes were the same; a familiar slate color.

But now everything was weird. Too big and not right. Not to mention how anxious he felt when Aizawa had him and Hitoshi sit on the couch without him. Izuku wanted Aizawa to be curled around them like before, which was an admittedly strange desire.

Was it because they were cats now? Maybe the quirk also affected the person's mental state or natural desires? Something like that. He'd have to remember everything so he could write it in his journals when they returned to normal. Maybe he could even ask Tsukauchi for Komiya’s contact information?

But first...

After deciding that everything was as good as he could get it, and feeling minutely more comfortable in the space, Shouta sat in front of Midoriya and Shinsou.

Ears set back, he shifted between his paws and began, "While we're like this, I believe it's best for us to stick together." And not because he currently hated the idea of them leaving his sight.

The two nodded.

"Will we be able to go to class?" Shinsou asked, already formed into a sleek loaf and pressed against Midoriya’s fluffy side.

"That's possible." Not that Shouta liked the idea. What if they wanted to sit at their desks? That was too far from him. "You can listen to the lectures, but you’ll have to catch up on the work afterwards. If you have any troubles, you know that the other teachers and I can help with them."

Midoriya's tail twitched a little and he kneaded the cushion with little pinprick claws. "Uh, sensei, I realized something."

Shouta tilted his head and asked, "What is it?"

"I think this quirk has affected our minds somewhat. I felt anxious when you weren't next to us and I’ve called Hitoshi my, uh, littermate in my head a few times."

Shinsou snorted, but asked, "You too?"

Midoriya nodded.

It was nice to know he wasn't going crazy by calling them his cubs, but he couldn't tell them about that. Over his dead body. 

For now.

"I'll admit that I feel similarly," Shouta said. "I've been in these dorms with all of you for almost a year now, but I still feel uneasy. That's why I was walking around, though I didn't like being far away, so I didn't leave the room."

At least it wasn't just him.

Then, in the distance, there were a number of footsteps. More than one person, but not too many people. 

And Shouta remembered that almost no one could understand them.

Chapter Text

Shouta jumped onto the couch, front paws placed on the arm, to stand over Midoriya and Shinsou protectively. A low-pitched sound automatically rumbled from his chest.

Logically, he knew it might be better for the approaching students to see their classmates and connect the dots simply based on their fur color. But instinct prevailed and he watched Kirishima, Bakugo, and Kaminari walk out from the stairs.

"Do you think there's anything in the—OH MY GOD—" Kaminari jolted when he noticed Shouta.

He lashed his tail and bared his teeth but didn't move otherwise.

"What the fuck." Bakugo flexed his hand, but Kirishima saw and grabbed it.

"Don't move," he whispered. "Kami, maybe, uh, fuck. What do we do? Katsuki, what do we do?"

"Fuckin' get the literal animal whisperer. I'll stay here and keep an eye on it."

Kirishima shifted to the front. "No, you guys go. I don't want you to have to hurt it if it gets aggressive."

Did they not see his cubs?

Shouta glanced down, seeing them crouched and curled below him. The armrest was hiding them from view.

When he looked back up, Kirishima was alone and standing nervously in front of the stairwell. He shrunk under Shouta's gaze but wouldn't make eye contact, likely for fear of antagonizing him.

Upstairs, there were some noises and the two boys returned with a few more than Kouda. They had collected the rest of the boys, though they all hung back and stayed huddled together.

Slowly, Kouda approached enough to stop in front of Kirishima and spoke softly, "Hello there, could you tell me how you got here?"

Shouta tried his best to relax but couldn't. He flicked his tail anxiously. "It's me, Kouda. We were hit by a quirk."

"Aizawa-sensei?" the boy squeaked, causing a ripple of confusion behind him.

"Yes, Midoriya, Shinsou and I were hit by a quirk. It's best none of you come too close for now. Come back out after you eat breakfast, hopefully we'll have settled by then," Shouta said and tried to calm himself again, only managing to sit back with his cubs still curled between his front paws.

Kouda relayed his order to the other boys and led them into the kitchen, all of them failing not to stare at Shouta as he watched them leave the room.

Part of him felt bad for scaring them, but another part was glad. 

He kept his cubs safe.

Shouta looked back down at them. Shinsou and Midoriya were pressed together, fur slightly fluffed up and completely still. He leant down, giving them a slight nudge with his nose.

"It's safe."

They visibly relaxed and Shouta laid down to curl around them.

"That felt so weird," Midoriya said.

"How so?"

Midoriya kneaded the cushion a little. "You made that sound and we immediately crouched like that. We aren't even the same species right now."

"Maybe it's the intent? Like, we're not actually talking right now, but we know what everything means," Shinsou offered.

Shouta let them focus on analyzing how it could work while he paid attention to their surroundings. His mind wouldn't let him relax despite what he'd already done to familiarize his current form with the space.

Eventually, the cubs quieted and snuggled into his side. He let his mind wander slightly when he felt his stomach rumble. 

It was good the cubs had a snack before they had left the dorms, but he'd need to find something for them to eat.

No, not find something, he could send along a request to Lunch Rush. Fish, maybe? But he didn’t even know what Midoriya and Shinsou were or what they would need. Maybe beef or pork would be better? Or poultry of some kind?

Whatever, he'd just have Nedzu figure it out.

By the time the entire class finished eating, Shouta had become comfortable enough to set his head on the arm of the couch, watching the corner that led to the dining area passively.

Kouda poked his head out.

"You can come here," Shouta said, hearing it come out of his mouth as a high-pitched chirp. Well, that wasn't embarrassing at all.

The boy looked at him with wide eyes and a smile that threatened to blind Shouta before slowly walking over. The others hung back, settling by the entryway.

"Sensei, it's good to see you're feeling better," Kouda signed, stopping close enough that he could offer his hand. "It might make you feel better if you smell us," he explained quietly after a moment of Shouta staring at him.

He did, nose twitching and taking in the scent of Yuwai, the boy's rabbit, along with his own unique smell. Whatever it was, it was nice. Calming.

"Could you tell me why you smiled like that when I called you over?"

"That's the sound that cheetahs make to their young."

Of course. This was how he got exposed for caring about the rest of his kids.

"I won't tell the others," Kouda signed, as if he could read Shouta's mind.

He nodded. "Putting that aside, could you tell me what these two are? And apparently there's something off about my patterning."

He had actually looked at his reflection a little bit on the ride over, but whatever mane he had was barely long enough for him to see when he turned his head to look at it. The spots were definitely noticeable though, like someone tried to do them on a wet towel with a marker.

The boy shifted to look at the cubs silently curled against Shouta's side. "They're servals, a type of wild cat that lives mostly in Southern Africa and is known for their large ears and jumping height." Kouda made the sign for serval as he said the word then turned his gaze back to Shouta. "As for you, I believe you're a king cheetah."

Shouta tilted his head.

"It's not really a separate species, just a name for a rare cheetah coat pattern that’s sometimes accompanied by a short mane."

"Thank you.” He dipped his head. “‘Do you have any suggestions to help us relax around the others?" Shouta loved cats, but this was way out of his wheelhouse. Especially since wild cats were hardly the same as domestic ones, despite how some idiots kept them as pets.

Kouda glanced back at the rest of the class. "Perhaps smelling them as well?"

His ears drew back and he narrowed his eyes.

That would entail either leaving his cubs or bringing his cubs closer to them. Those both sounded like shitty options. But maybe it would be okay if Kouda stayed with them?

"Give me your hand again... please.”

Kouda obeyed and Shouta sniffed again before rubbing his cheek and head against him. 

This boy was safe. He wouldn’t hurt his cubs.

"Stay with them, but don't touch them," Shouta ordered as he stood, flicking his tail at Midoriya and Shinsou, who remained silent and curled together.

He crept down from the couch, stopping beside Kouda and watching him sign to his classmates. Once they nodded in understanding, he slowly padded over, tossing a look over his shoulder to ease his mind. His cubs were safe with Kouda. They were fine.

The kids, mostly Kaminari and Kirishima, if he was being honest, looked nervous. He couldn't blame them, since he didn't indicate who he was until they'd brought Kouda down. He also basically threatened them, Shouta remembered with a small stab of regret, even though he was glad to have protected his cubs.

Surprisingly, Ashido shuffled forward on her knees and put out a hand.

"Here, you gotta smell us, right?" she asked cheerfully.

Shouta let out a little huff and saw the kids relax a bit before he continued forward to sniff her hand. He started with her, worked around the outside of the group, then weaved toward the middle and ended on the two he'd frightened the most.

The two boys offered their hands at the same time. After checking one then the other, he rubbed his head against them and made the chirping sound again.

Kirishima made a little excited noise while Kaminari giggled.

"Sensei, are you okay? Did you hit your head or something?" Kirishima asked, brushing through his mane with one hand.

He shook his head.

"It's probably 'cause of earlier," Bakugo said from his place where he was leaning against the wall, hands tucked into his pockets.

Shouta nodded.

"Aw!" Hagakure wriggled by them in excitement. "You guys aren't still scared, right?"

"I'm not."

"Me neither," Kaminari confirmed as Shouta trotted out of the group of students.

"Good," Shouta said, despite knowing they couldn't understand him.

Now that that was over, he could be with his cubs again.

Kouda hadn't moved from his spot, but Shouta didn't bother to walk all the way back to the couch. He chirped, heralding the appearance of Midoriya and Shinsou's heads as they popped into view. The class cooed at them from behind Shouta.

"Come here," he said, gesturing with a paw.

The two cubs scrambled over the arm of the couch and plopped to the floor, scampering over to him and standing under his chest. He turned around, keeping them beneath him as Kouda passed to rejoin his classmates.

"You two feel better now?"

"Sorta," Shinsou said.

"It's hard to tell because it feels safest right here," amended Midoriya.

Shouta held back whatever happy noise he was about to make at that.

The class was already filing out, despite it being far too early, even with the walk to the classroom. They followed anyway, Midoriya and Shinsou being forced to trot alongside him rather than under him. Shouta let their classmates giggle and look at them but was soothed by the fact none of them made a move to touch his cubs.

They reached the classroom after passing through the empty halls.

“Kouda, could you come with us? You’re the only way for people to know what we’re saying,” Shouta said, standing in the doorway while holding back Midoriya and Shinsou with a paw.

“Of course.”

Now with Kouda in tow, on the opposite side of him from his cubs, Shouta led them to the faculty lounge. He braced one foreleg on the door frame and slid the door open with the other paw. Shouta crept in behind Kouda, putting himself more directly in front of his cubs, hiding them from view.

Chapter Text

All of the teachers were in the staff room… and immediately startled at Shouta’s presence.

Hizashi was the first to say something, “Hey there little listener, uh, who’ve you got there? And where did you get them?” He looked around at the other staff, confused.

Kouda glanced back at him.

“Just tell them that Midoriya, Shinsou and I got hit by a quirk and we’ll be like this for a few days. Sorry to make you play translator for us.”

“It’s alright, sensei.” 

He turned and signed to the other teachers.

“No way! That’s Shouta? Where’s the green bean and lilac?” Nemuri asked, practically bouncing toward him.

He raised his fur in warning, letting out that low sound again to his cubs as he backed away to stand over them.

Hizashi grabbed Nemuri by the arm and pulled her away, all of the teachers giving him concerned looks.

“Sensei seems to need to be more familiar with people like this,” Kouda mumbled, glancing back at him. “He’s still him, but more… instinct-based? Is that right?”

Shouta forced himself to lay his fur flat again and tilted his head from side to side. “More or less. Don’t know what to call this, really,” he said, the sound coming out as low meowing noises.

“Okay, I guess it’s sort-of right. Maybe, crouch down and put out your hand?” Kouda suggested softly.

Hizashi did so first, waddling toward him slowly with an arm out and palm upturned.

“Here, kitty kitty kitty.”

He snorted but edged forward to sniff his friend’s hand. This was much more familiar to him. The faint smell of Hizashi’s cologne was more powerful than it usually was, but still pleasant and it seemed like it would taste good. Though he firmly resisted the urge to lick him to test that theory since, in actuality, it probably didn’t. Shouta rubbed against Hizashi’s hand instead, letting him comb through his mane with thin fingers.

Despite himself, he stepped closer, snuffling into his friend’s neck to smell more of the cologne.

“Wait—Sho—” Hizashi giggled, “Your whiskers—”

He pulled back before he’d have to use his quirk, not that he knew if he could use it in his new form. When he moved, it was only enough to readjust and rub against Hizashi’s cheek with his own.

His friend was safe. Hizashi could be trusted with his cubs.

Shouta stepped away and snagged the cuff of his leather jacket with his teeth, gently tugging on it, making the “mrrp” sound he’d made at Tamakawa.

Excitedly, but silently for once in his life, Hizashi waddled forward again in his squat. The other teachers watched curiously as he let go and made a noise to his cubs, beckoning them with a flick of his tail.

Shinsou stayed back by his hind legs, but Midoriya wound around his forelegs and watched them with big emerald eyes. Nemuri squealed and was silenced by someone while Hizashi looked like he was going to explode from happiness after he adjusted into a sitting position.

His cub looked up at him and Shouta leaned down to nudge him forward with his muzzle. 

“He’s safe,” Shouta said with a low churr.

Midoriya bounced a little and pattered forward, sniffing Hizashi’s hand before climbing into his friend’s lap.

“Oh my god green bean, you’re so fluffy,” Hizashi whisper-shouted, likely so afraid of scaring them off that he was able to contain himself.

“No fair, I wanna pet them too,” Nemuri whined.

Shouta ignored her for the moment and laid down, pulling Shinsou in front of him with a paw and nudging him gently.

“Are you okay?” he asked, resisting the urge to groom his cub’s fur.

Shinsou nodded, settling in the space between his front paws. “Yeah, you said Mic is safe, so I’m not too worried about Izuku right now.”

“Shoutaaa,” Nemuri whined again.

He huffed, gesturing with his head for her to come forward as he curled Shinsou further into his chest protectively with a foreleg.

She shuffled forward, scooting the last few feet on her hands and knees like an excited toddler, accidentally mirroring what Ashido had done earlier. Hand out, she wiggled her fingers as he sniffed her hand. 

He could smell the small amount of her quirk that came off naturally. It was a bit like perfume, but relatively faint even to his feline nose. Like a fine mix of vanilla and jasmine, which was even more tempting to lick. Shouta gave in and rubbed against her hand before licking it, feeling the resistance of his rough tongue against her palm.

Nemuri looked like she was about to say something, very likely inappropriate, so he gave her his best glare and placed his very sharp claws on her arm. She had opened her mouth, but slowly closed it.

Shouta gave her another sniff then pulled back to nuzzle Shinsou.

“Do you want her to hold you?”

Instead of answering, his other cub slowly wiggled out of his hold and crept into Nemuri’s lap. Shouta trusted them, but he shifted himself into a loaf and kept watch over his friends as they pet his cubs and cooed at them.

“You two are so cute! Kouda, do you know what they are? And what’s up with Shouta?” Nemuri asked.

The boy repeated what he’d already told Shouta back in the dorms while Hizashi squealed at Midoriya’s purring and Nedzu trotted in through the door.

“Ah, it seems you’re here, Aizawa-san!” the principal said cheerily.

Shouta snorted, not taking his eyes off his cubs. “That’s why you came down, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. I wanted to arrange who would be covering your classes since you’re unable to teach currently.”

That made him start paying attention. He whipped his head to stare at Nedzu as he came toward them.

“Don’t look so surprised,” the principal said, waving off his reaction. “Anyway, I was thinking Yamada-san and Kayama-san could alternate? And Yagi-san can handle Hero Studies with your supervision, even in this form.” He clapped his paws together. “Does that sound agreeable?”

Shouta narrowed his eyes for a moment then huffed, nodding. His friends did the same, still partially distracted by the cubs.

“Midoriya and Shinsou still want to listen to the lectures,” Shouta said.

Nedzu nodded, his smile still in place. “That sounds just fine, so long as they can keep up with the material. I presume you’ll keep them on track when you all return to normal?”

“Of course.”

He glanced at his cubs again, Shinsou looking ready to wriggle out of Nemuri’s lap soon. The boy wasn’t big on continuous contact with most people, so Shouta stood and plucked him by the scruff from her lap and silenced Nemuri’s incoming protest with a look.

Midoriya freed himself from Hizashi as well, brushing between Shouta’s foreleg and Shinsou.

“I’m glad that’s settled. Class should be starting up soon, so I’ll be back in my office should you need anything Aizawa-san,” Nedzu said, turning to the door. “Unless there’s something I can work on preparing now?” he asked knowingly.

“Meals until the quirk wears off. I’m apparently a cheetah and these two are servals. We’ll sleep in the common room for now, so that’s all we should need,” Shouta said, leading his cubs and Kouda after the principal.

“Very well then, everything will be handled.”

Kouda slid the door open, letting the principal immediately disappear. His student took the lead on their way back to the classroom.

However, the closer they got, the more students there were around as class time drew nearer, and he had to pull them over against the wall. First, he tapped Kouda with a paw after scooping up Midoriya by the scruff, offering him to be carried. Too many people in the hall almost touched his cubs and he wouldn’t let any strangers lay a hand on them. 

Kouda carefully held Midoriya in his arms, finding the cub settled quickly there. Then, Shouta snatched Shinsou, who went limp just as he had when he was plucked from Nemuri’s lap.

They made it back to the classroom without incident, although Shouta came close to attacking some of the people who had the nerve to approach them. He had settled for a low, threatening growl that scared them off quickly.

Midoriya was set back on the ground and Kouda went in, waiting for them on the other side of the doorway with curious eyes. 

“Do you two want to sit in your seats?” Shouta asked reluctantly.

The cubs shook their heads.

“Kouda is fine but not everyone else,” said Shinsou, tail raised and puffed up. “Just the number of scents coming from the classroom make me want to hide behind you, sensei,” he admitted softly.

Not wanting them to be nervous, he nudged them to be toward the wall when they entered the room. After Kouda closed the door, everything went quiet.

He let the class be, pulled his sleeping bag from the lectern, then laid it out by the window. Immediately, Midoriya and Shinsou pounced onto the yellow fabric and began rolling around on it.

He watched them mess around and start to play when Midoriya batted at Shinsou’s tail with a playful chirp. A passing glance at the class showed that they were gathered nearby, most having moved from their seats to watch at a respectful distance. Even Iida, possibly because one of the cubs was Midoriya, wasn’t reprimanding anyone even though class should start soon.

The cubs were set into a fit of giggles, but then Midoriya stopped, catching sight of something before dropping to a crouch. He wriggled, earning quiet laughs from his classmates, before pouncing toward Shouta. Realizing a split second before, he swept his tail away to let Midoriya tumble across the tile. 

Focused on the green ball of fluff, this time his tail didn’t escape his cub’s littermate, who proudly caught Shouta’s tail. Little teeth closed around the end, but he barely felt it.

Lightly, Shouta batted Shinsou away then swept them both back toward the sleeping bag like a pair of little dust bunnies.

“Good job cubs, now you’re all dirty,” he said, managing to smirk with only his voice.

Midoriya sat on the end, confused, while Shinsou realized and tried to scramble away to no avail. Snatched before he could dart off, Shinsou dangled helplessly as Shouta settled onto their makeshift bed.

As he was set down, he tried to struggle as he meowed desperately, “No, I don’t want a bath!”

Shouta pulled him in anyway and set to cleaning, eyeing Midoriya, who had yet to try to escape. He also spared a glance at the class, who were unabashedly taking pictures and probably videos. Though aside from Kouda, none of them could have a clue as to what they were saying.

“Do I have to have one too?” Midoriya asked, dropping his tall ears and looking at Shouta with large pleading eyes.

“Yes, so don’t try to hide from it.”

He pouted but padded over to wait his turn while Shinsou started making his displeasure known with very loud meowing rather than squirming. 

Shouta finished and nuzzled his cub reassuringly. “That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?”

“You messed up my fur.”

He gave the cub another lick, pushing his fur up into a ruffled mohawk, and set the class into peals of laughter.

Shinsou whirled on him indignantly. “Dad!”

Shouta stared with wide eyes. The cub realized what he’d said mere moments later, but neither of them moved as the room stilled, the class noticing the change in atmosphere despite the language barrier.

Which also promptly revealed the motorboat engine that was Shouta’s purr.

He barely registered the students squealing and trying to pester Kouda to translate what had occurred. Blessedly, it appeared the boy refused, but that wasn’t the most important thing right now and neither was Shouta’s purring.

Haltingly—vulnerably—Shouta asked softly, “Did you mean that? Not just because of the quirk, but because…”

Lavender fur settled and step by tiny step, he came closer. 

Shinsou leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against Shouta’s as he mumbled, “Yeah.”

The purring only got louder.

Chapter Text

Izuku should be happy for Hitoshi. His friend had talked for the longest time about how he’d never had a father figure worth a damn.

Then Hitoshi’s favorite hero, the man he’d looked up to all his life, had scouted him after he did his best during the Sports Festival. That man took Hitoshi under his wing and trained him enough to transfer into the hero course—and said hero’s class—then kept spending time with him. He even trained Hitoshi how to use his weapon.

His signature, one-of-a-kind capture weapon.

Hell, Hitoshi had come to Izuku only a few months ago lamenting Father's Day and how much he wished he could give Aizawa a gift. Although he ultimately decided not to, claiming that their teacher couldn’t possibly consider him anything like a son.

Izuku couldn’t be jealous. He had Yagi. The literal Symbol of Peace had done the same for him, even if they had gotten off to a weird start when Izuku was still a scrawny, quirkless middle schooler. And the man was so close to him now, practically a father and more human than the mythic existence of everything Izuku wished he could be since he was a toddler.

That should be enough for him right?

But Aizawa had been to hell and back with Izuku and his classmates since the beginning of first year. He had bled and broken himself just trying to keep them safe with all the determination of the best heroes in the world.

Izuku saw how his wounds from USJ affected him sometimes, like how his own arms ached when it rained. A concealed shaky grip on a mug or powdery chalk, occasionally dropping it on the worst of days. Even telling Iida to hand out papers instead of doing it himself sometimes.

This man wasn’t All Might. He may have felt indifferent from the outset, cold and unapproachable at best, but they had quickly begun to see that he was always there for them.

Aizawa was human from the start, not some legend that Izuku couldn’t reach even with the tallest ladder or the highest-flying plane.

It should be enough.

He was allowed to wish his own father hadn’t practically dropped off the face of the earth by the time he was six. But he could never wish it had been both Yagi and Aizawa by his side when he was in the hospital or nurse’s wing, soothing his worried mother over the phone or in-person after his latest injury.

But now he watched Hitoshi admit to Aizawa with a single word how deeply he cared for his mentor. 

And Aizawa was purring so loudly Izuku thought he could feel the sleeping bag shiver beneath his paws.

Izuku was so happy for his friend, but the envy swirled anyway.

Hitoshi was fucking overjoyed.

Aizawa was purring the moment the word “Dad” had accidentally, traitorously, slipped from Hitoshi’s mouth. 

Then Aizawa scooped him in with a paw and was nuzzling him after Hitoshi confirmed that it wasn’t just the quirk, somehow managing a smile even in his cheetah form.

He couldn’t bring himself to protest this time, purring as loudly as he possibly could, not giving a single fuck about the people watching. Hitoshi cuddled into Aizawa’s fur, rubbing against his cheek as he felt the rumble of his mentor’s chest against him.

If this was a dream, he prayed he was in a coma so he would never wake up.

Aizawa’s still-soft voice broke through Hitoshi’s ecstatic mental yelling, “You can call me that whenever you’d like, cub.” He punctuated it with another nuzzle.

Slate eyes met indigo as Hitoshi wiggled away for a moment, placing little lavender paws on a large cream one.

“Call me Hitoshi.”

Aizawa nodded, still purring.

Thank god Shouta couldn’t cry in this form or it would have been the first time he’d have started sobbing in literal years.

Grooming forgotten, he gently tended to his cub as he tried to reign in the rumbling and rolling purr that had been escaping his chest.

The boy had been in the closest circle of people in Shouta’s life, only kept company by Shouta’s handful of friends, Eri, and the rest of his Hell Class. Not that he could openly admit to that last one.

Sure, they were too old to be his actual kids, or maybe he was too young, but they were still in his care. And after all the shit he’d been through with them? It wasn’t really a surprise that he felt that way. Least of all about Hitoshi, his protégé and the kid who felt so similar to both himself and Shirakumo in all the best of ways. And some of the bad ways. Really, Shouta should try to curb some of his worse habits.

But there he was.

Shouta had felt like his heart was going to melt from the warmth that flooded it the moment that quiet confirmation had reached his ears.

Then the classroom door rattled open and Shouta stood immediately, quelling his purr in a matter of half-seconds as he readied himself to defend his cubs. 

But it was just Hizashi. 

There wasn’t any danger. They were safe. 

Hitoshi looked up at him, apparently not satisfied after the excessive affection that Shouta never showed and was already blaming on the quirk. Not that he didn’t appreciate the excuse to smother his cub a little.

“Alright little listeners! I know they’re real cuties right now, but settle down for homeroom or I’ll start English class early!” Hizashi joked.

The class flew to their seats, eyes lingering on Shouta and his cubs as he laid down once more.

Right, his cubs.

Hitoshi cuddled up to his side, purring softly but just enough that Shouta could feel it.

“Midoriya,” he prompted, reaching out a paw to pull his other cub in if he tried to scamper off.

But instead he hesitated, puzzled, before settling in front of Shouta, who continued his grooming session. Ignoring the coo Hizashi gave him, he persisted. He couldn’t have just one clean cub.

Midoriya gave no protests, but seemed sullen. Whether it was from the bath or something else, Shouta couldn’t place. He filed it away for later, when there weren’t twenty-one pairs of eyes on them, particularly the ones that could understand what they were saying.

When he finished, he gave a nuzzle anyway, hoping to comfort Midoriya a little. The little green cub simply scooted around to Shouta’s other flank and curled up into a ball.

He didn’t like that, but was forced to let it be.

Later. Until the moment he could talk to him privately.

So he passed the time sunbathing, hyperconscious of the class and where everyone was. Sure, he was more comfortable now, but he didn’t want them close to his cubs quite yet. Though he did let Hizashi give his mane a parting tousle when it was time to change classes.

During the short breaks between classes, the students gave their corner of the room some very unsubtle glances. Thankfully, they still kept their distance.

Hitoshi had fallen asleep at some point, but Shouta’s worry over his other cub was eating him alive. After third period and the sunshine was giving way to clouds, he stood, feigning as though he were stretching so he could glimpse Midoriya’s still-curled form. He debated for a moment before nosing him across the sleeping bag to be next to Hitoshi before curling around them.

It seemed Midoriya was asleep and now that they were safely tucked against Shouta, he could afford to nap for a short while. Especially since there was only one block left until lunch.

The one who woke him was Kouda, gently speaking to him rather than trying to touch him or his cubs—a wise choice on his part—while the other students watched on with Hizashi. Shouta blearily opened his eyes but refused to show the fatigue, letting his tail swish up to rest over his cubs protectively as rain began to brush across the windows.

“Glad you’re awake. Present Mic-sensei brought your lunch.”

He yawned before responding, cursing his too-tired cat body, “Thanks for waking me. What’s everyone else still in here for?”

Kouda held back a giggle. “Well, they said you all looked cute but were afraid you might attack me when you woke up.”

“I’d be offended but right now that’s probably a warranted fear,” he deadpanned.

The boy smiled brightly, sensing that he wouldn’t actually attack him either way, and Shouta closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, Kouda had stood up and was signing to Hizashi for a moment, then the students protested when his colleague began shooing them from the room.

“I know they look cute, but you all have to go eat! You’ve got Heroics later and you need your energy! Or do you want Shouta to find a way to chew you out as a cat?” his friend said lightheartedly, but it made some of the students pale anyway.

They scurried out, leaving Hizashi to pull out a few plates from a bag he’d been holding. He set two with small portions of some mix of pork and chicken and a large plate with a pair of steaks. All of it was raw, which was to be expected, but part of him was disconcerted by how quickly it roused his hunger.

Once he was finished, Hizashi winked at him. “I’ll let you take care of the rest and drop by later to snag the dishes.” Then he trotted out with a little wave that Shouta returned with a churr.

Against him, one of his cubs stirred. 

They were probably really hungry. 

Shouta stood, nudging them with his muzzle as he chirped, “Hitoshi, Midoriya, food’s here.”

Midoriya moved first, waking faster when Shouta gave him another nuzzle and a softer chirp. He didn’t quite scramble, but he moved quickly to one of the smaller plates. 

Like he was running away.

Hitoshi could wait for a moment, right?

“Midoriya,” he rumbled, padding past his cub and toward the far wall, past the desks.

He didn’t want to be so far from Hitoshi, but he couldn’t wake him before he knew what Midoriya was thinking.

The cub followed him silently, plopping himself down by the legs of his own desk. “Yes, sensei?”

“There’s something bothering you.”

It wasn’t a question and Shouta wouldn’t give Midoriya the chance to insist he was fine when he could practically smell how not-fine he was.

The cub didn’t look at him, nor did he respond. He knew he couldn't deny it.

“Midoriya,” he prodded gently, trying to coax something out of him.

He stayed silent, barely a foot and a half from Shouta and thus he could see tiny white claws trying to dig into the tiles.

“Cub,” he tried again, leaning closer while he considered giving the boy a more physical nudge, but this snapped something instead.

Midoriya hissed, ears laying flat as his pupils dilated when he finally met Shouta’s gaze, “Don’t call me that.”

Shouta recoiled like he’d been burned.

“It’s just the quirk. You don’t mean it. Not with me, anyway,” Midoriya continued, somehow finding a way to look like he was simultaneously scowling and about to cry with his little kitten face. “Hitoshi is your cub—your son—not me.”

The words were drenched in… bitterness, sadness, and a tinge of... envy? But it was so thick that Shouta could practically feel it smack him in the face. His cub was so upset and he didn’t know what to do as he processed the statements.

Midoriya…

He tried once more, reaching out to pull his cub close so he could comfort him, but Midoriya swiped at his foreleg with a tiny growl.

Shouta held back the whimper or maybe snarl that wanted to force its way out of his throat. He was rejected and it hurt so badly when it came from the kid he’d come to consider one of his own, more so than any of the others besides Hitoshi and Eri.

All he could do was hold firm.

That was what he was good at, right?

“I do mean it, cub.” Shouta stepped forward so he loomed over his charge, not wanting to completely intimidate him, but enough to show how his lashing out wasn’t going to be tolerated further.

Midoriya crouched, eyes so unbearably wide that barely a hair’s width of grassy green surrounded his pupils.

He bent his head closer, but not enough that he couldn’t dodge another swipe. 

“You and Hitoshi both.”

That was met with a tiny flinch and a whimper. “What do you mean?” Midoriya asked brokenly.

Shouta sighed, wanting nothing more than to comfort his cub with a soothing purr and nuzzling. “I care for both of you more than you know. Your entire class, for that matter, but you two…”

They had always been different.

His mentee and problem child. Especially since he found out at the end of first year about Midoriya’s quirk, prompting Shouta to personally coach him on strategy and more hand-to-hand techniques so he wouldn’t solve everything with brute force like All Might. 

One labeled a villain and one Quirkless for most of his life, both enduring hardships that no child should be forced to bear.

Essentially, they were a lot like him.

Midoriya hadn’t budged, waiting for Shouta to continue, something glimmering in his eyes.

Hope?

“I…” 

He didn’t know how to say it. He could be mistaken. That what Midoriya said wasn’t some jealous stab at Shouta because he saw him accept Hitoshi so readily and immediately assumed there was no room for him. But he tried anyway.

“You’re like sons to me. Both of you,” Shouta said softly, like he was pleading with the cub. “If I misunderstood and you don’t consider me the same way Hitoshi does, I—I’m sorry, I just—I care. I do.”

At some point, he had crouched down, leveling himself with Midoriya’s tiny, fluffed up form.

Then his cub was trembling and had the approximation of the face he would always make when he cried, though no tears surfaced. But he couldn’t do a thing, forced to wait and keep his distance after Midoriya’s emotion-laden swipe at him.

Finally, he asked shakily, “Do you really mean that? We’re both like sons to you? Even though I have Yagi-sensei?”

Shouta tilted his head, edging forward. “You are, though I’m not sure what Yagi has to do with this,” he admitted.

“Because he’s like a father to me, too. You’re that for Hitoshi. I can’t—It wouldn’t be fair—”

Too. 

Like a father to him, too.

“Midoriya. I said both of you and I mean it. And I doubt Hitoshi would mind.” He edged forward more. “I can care about more than one person, after all. Why can’t you?”

The cub still crouched there, staring at the tile.

Shouta gathered up the courage to slide out a paw slowly.

“Izuku,” he said, curling it to pull his cub close, this time meeting no resistance.

A soft sob into his fur was the only sound and Shouta gently nuzzled him, trying to offer as much comfort as he could.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi wasn’t expecting to hear any of what he did upon waking up, finding consciousness just in time to hear Izuku hiss at Aizawa. Putting aside the aggression, which he was certain was more because his littermate was upset or sad than angry, he couldn’t say he was surprised. 

Izuku may have had a mother, but never a father figure until All Might. 

And he wasn’t an idiot, he could see how Izuku looked at Aizawa in a similar way. It was the same as him, after all.

So Hitoshi stayed curled, listening as Aizawa kept trying to stumble through his second emotion-heavy interaction for that day after being pulled as tight as a bowstring from the stress of their situation. This was decidedly out of the man’s comfort zone, especially if he was being included in it rather than just being a shoulder to cry on. Hitoshi felt a swell of pride at Aizawa trying to convey how much he cared for his cubs.

Then there it was, whisper-soft from where Hitoshi was resting on the sleeping bag, “Izuku.”

If his littermate tried to lash out again after all of that, Hitoshi would cuff him over the head himself.

Eventually, Izuku settled but pulled out of Shouta’s hold, looking much less distressed.

“Can I, maybe, call you…,” his cub tried.

“Whatever you like,” Shouta said, nudging him back toward their lunch. “It’s time to eat now, though, okay?”

Izuku walked back across the classroom, but eventually whispered, “Okay, Dad.”

Another throaty purr welled up unbidden until it was tamped down slightly when he went to rouse Hitoshi. His other cub woke and padded to his own plate, sniffing it curiously before tucking in. Shouta did the same with his own, finding it extremely strange that raw meat could taste good when he wasn’t a fan of it in his human body.

Sushi was one thing, but this? Definitely a bit odd, even knowing his cat taste buds were to blame.

They ate in silence, the only sound being the occasional students passing by in the hall and the sound of the wind and rain beginning to strengthen beyond the windows.

Once they were finished, Shouta pushed the plates into a stack then pawed at them until they were by the lectern. Afterward, he settled onto his sleeping bag, trying to decide whether or not to speak to his cubs.

But Hitoshi swiped at Izuku, initiating another play session. He figured the likely cause was because their last one had ended abruptly. Not that Shouta regretted it.

They tumbled across the open stretch of floor, meaning they would need baths again later, but Shouta watched quietly. If his cubs were happy and safe, then that was all he could ask for.

Eventually, Hizashi appeared to take the plates, disappearing almost as quickly, but only after taking pictures of Hitoshi and Izuku rolling around. The class returned soon after despite the fact that lunch wasn’t over yet.

Shouta chirped to his cubs, breaking them out of their wrestling immediately. They bounded over to him as the class gathered nearby.

“We wanted to know if you feel better now, sensei,” Kouda signed confidently, apparently taking up his duty as translator rather well.

He nodded. “Yes, I do.” He thought for a moment, considering, before he continued, “One or two of you can come closer.”

As the message was passed along, Shouta murmured to his cubs, “Only if you two want to.”

They nodded excitedly, subconsciously kneading the material beneath their paws.

Todoroki and Kaminari were pushed to the front of the group and Shouta had to hold his cubs back with his tail. Slowly, he approached the boys, who had settled on the floor between him and the class.

They offered their hands and the instinctual part of Shouta calmed even more after sniffing and pacing around them for a minute or so. Todoroki looked at peace with the situation while Kaminari looked like he was going to spark up from excitement and fear simultaneously. Getting circled by a large carnivore probably made most people nervous.

Appeased, he snagged Izuku by the scruff and deposited him in Todoroki’s lap, then did the same with Hitoshi into Kaminari’s despite how the cub protested. Sure, Shouta could let him move himself, but it was more fun this way.

Izuku took to Todoroki’s left side instantly, purring so loud he was probably shaking like a fluffy green motor. Hitoshi remained relatively still, leaning into the attention he was given and responding to Kaminari’s chatter with tiny meows.

While Shouta wanted to repeat what he’d done in the staff lounge and keep watch over them, Hagakure, Uraraka, and Ashido shuffled toward him while trying to give the cubs a wide berth.

“What are you three doing?” he asked warily.

They looked at Kouda for the translation then back at him.

“Your fur looks soft,” Ashido said with a grin as she made grabby hands. “Can we pet you?”

He gave her his best unimpressed look as he laid down and tried to raise a nonexistent eyebrow. But the girls scooted closer, finding that he didn’t try to shoo them away. 

Shouta felt a gentle hand press into his mane, trailing their fingers through it. A quick glance revealed that it was Uraraka and a flick of his ears tracked Hagakure as she made her way around to his other side.

“Soft,” Ashido whispered as her hand made contact with his fur then running it along his back.

He shook his head while fighting back the purr in his throat, turning back to the kids in front of him.

Kouda had settled beside the boys holding his cubs after receiving an affirming nod from Shouta, but didn’t move to touch them. He was probably experienced enough with animals and their young to know that Shouta wouldn’t take kindly to it.

When Todoroki made a small face, he noticed that Izuku had curled up into a little ball on the boy’s left thigh, now purring much quieter.

Kaminari, on the other hand, was acting as though he could understand Hitoshi when he very much could not. All Shouta could do was roll his eyes at the interaction but at one point, his cub turned with a huff.

“Dad,” he mewed.

“Yes, Hitoshi?” Shouta rumbled, tail twitching to the side as he tilted his head.

His cub wriggled mischievously in Kaminari’s lap. “Can you scare him for me?”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because it’d be funny.”

“Hitoshi,” he prompted.

His cub pouted, “Fine, it’s because he said he wasn’t sorry for stealing my snacks from the cabinet last week. I didn’t even know it was him until now!”

Shouta’s eyes narrowed and flicked to Kaminari, who stiffened minutely and stared back.

“I don’t know what he said to you but please don’t do it, sensei,” the boy whispered.

Slowly, Shouta stood up, stifling a laugh as Hitoshi hopped into Todoroki’s lap so he would stay in an approved area.

Kaminari tried to scrabble backward across the tile as he squeaked, “Kouda, help, what were they saying?!”

The other boy just giggled into his hand as Shouta placed a paw on Kaminari’s head, retracting his claws as much as he could, and the boy sat stock still. Shouta leaned in, realizing Kaminari had stopped breathing.

“Please don’t eat me, sensei,” he squeaked.

Then Shouta turned abruptly, lightly smacking Kaminari in the shoulder with his tail. He cast a glance over his shoulder at the stunned boy and let out a loud chirp before padding to his sleeping bag.

Kaminari made some unintelligible noises and the class looked between them for a few moments, as if they couldn’t believe that had happened before, slowly, they started giggling.

Immediately, Sero took the opportunity to razz Kaminari and echoed, “Please don’t eat me?”

As the laughter picked up, his friend blushed furiously and pointed. “Shut up! If you had him walk up to you like that, you’d think he was about to eat you, too!”

Shouta heard his cubs laughing before scampering back to him while the girls scooted away. However, they did wave and coo at Izuku and Hitoshi rather than go to pet them. The students behind him were slowly devolving into conversation, some still ragging on Kaminari when the classroom door slid open.

“Hello class!” Yagi said with his usual cheer, something that never left him despite his retirement.

They smiled at him and excitedly scrambled to their desks, leaving Shouta to quietly speak with his cubs.

“Was that alright? Not too overwhelming?” he asked.

They shook their heads, mostly listening to Yagi quickly go over the exercise for the afternoon before sending the class off to the locker rooms.

Yagi turned to them, crouching down so he wasn’t as unnecessarily tall as usual.

“Hello, Aizawa-kun! I’m glad to see you’re well and more comfortable than this morning,” he said, eyes lingering on Izuku.

That was right. Izuku considered them both parental figures and how his cub looked up at him with pleading eyes confirmed what Shouta suspected. He sighed, nodding to Yagi before moving closer and carefully sniffing him.

The scent of blood was weak, but still there, metallic and slightly bitter as Shouta paced around Yagi. The blond looked confused at first but smiled when he seemed to realize what Shouta was doing. 

When he finished, he jerked his head for Izuku to approach and the cub brushed up against one of Shouta’s forelegs before greeting Yagi with a purr. Izuku was collected and cradled gently to Yagi’s chest. Annoyingly, the sight made him want to smile at seeing how much he was cared for.

But he turned his attention to Hitoshi, asking, “So, do you want me or Yagi to carry you.”

Hitoshi flattened his ears and pouted, “I can walk on my own.”

“Even if that means people trying to pick you up like earlier?”

His purple fur fluffed up. “No! I just—It feels silly…”

“You’re a bit too small to keep up, Hitoshi. It looks like Yagi’ll be carrying Izuku and cheetahs have a maximum speed of about 128 kilometers per hour…”

“Are you saying you’re going to ditch the three of us?”

Shouta laughed softly and lowered his voice as he leaned closer, “No, I’m saying that if I carry you, we’ll be faster than them.” 

Hitoshi snickered at that, the sound coming out as an almost-wheeze. 

“Not that I’d do that, since I have to keep an eye on both you cubs,” Shouta said, snagging Hitoshi's scruff and leading Yagi out into the hall.

One more class until the end of the day.

Chapter Text

While the rest of the class had their Heroics lesson, Shouta and his cubs lingered by the open door of the gym, watching the rain fall. It was coming down pretty hard at times, the rich, earthy scent washing over them.

He’d always enjoyed the scent of rain, so the new strength of it in his temporary form was something he’d miss a little. But he’d enjoy it while it lasted, standing as he watched Izuku and Hitoshi creep closer to the edge of the awning’s protection so they could bat at the raindrops. 

Slight wind buffeted their fur and the sound of the students’ cheers and shouts and laughter filled the air. 

It was oddly peaceful, Shouta thought. 

Despite his, Izuku’s, and Hitoshi’s states, there was little open worry or concern over them—maybe because everything had been explained and Tsukauchi had a way to contact the kid who accidentally used their quirk. 

He’d take it over more villain attacks or anything like that.

Another gust of wind made him squint his eyes shut for a moment, blinking before he focused on his cubs again.

Sure, it might be a bit of a pain for a few days, but at least he knew that his cubs saw him as a father figure. He didn’t completely know how to feel about sharing that role with Yagi—for Izuku, at least—but it’d probably be fine. Especially since Yagi was a lot easier to get along with than ‘All Might’. Less booming laughter but still trying his best to support the kids.

Yeah, he could accept that.

So, he kept watch over the cubs and waited for Heroics to end, finding that the longer he sat and stared out across the lawn, the more he wanted to run.

It’d mean he’d get soaked.

But while he had this form it would be logical to test everything he could do.

Shouta stepped forward, bending his head down to murmur to his cubs, “Stay right here, okay?”

They turned to look at him with sad kitten eyes, Izuku asking, “Are you going somewhere?” while Hitoshi butted his head against Shouta’s foreleg.

He gave both of them a quick nudge with his nose. “No, not really—I just need to run. I won’t leave this area, but call for me if you need me, okay?”

Izuku and Hitoshi mewed their agreement and let him step out into the rain, the cool water quickly slicking back his fur. At first, he just padded around with the waterlogged ground squishing beneath his paws. It took a bit to get used to trotting on the grass since his claws hooked in to give him extra grip.

But slowly, he headed farther away to give himself plenty of space to run, not confident enough in his traction to do any tight corners.

Once he’d put enough distance between him and the gym, he turned and gave himself a moment to prepare before he started. 

From a walk to a trot to a sprint, all four of his paws leaving the ground every few moments as he ran as fast as he could.

Pat-pat-pat-pat—pat-pat-pat-pat—

If he could grin, he would, instead his mouth partly open to taste the wind and rain in his face as he dashed across the lawn.

Pat-pat-pat-pat—

Pat-pat-pat-pat—

When he got closer to the gym, he dug in with his claws to aid his turn, whipping past his cubs with all his legs outstretched for the briefest of seconds as he leapt.

He didn’t really know what it was like, but Shouta if he closed his eyes, he felt a bit like he was flying.

His paws hit the ground again.

Damn.

Pat-pat-pat-pat—pat-pat-pat-pat—

Pat-pat-pat-pat—

Pat-pat-pat-pat—

Jump.

It was kind of addicting even if it was tiring to sprint in the rain that way, clinging to the ground on each turn before he built his speed back so he could leap again.

Maybe it was childish or silly to be so excited about something like running around in the rain in a world with quirks, but honestly he couldn’t care less. He’d probably never know this feeling again so he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could. 

And he did, keeping an ear turned his cubs’ way in case they needed him, but with each pass, Shouta saw they were watching him and giggling. While they couldn’t do the same, they started to play and chase each other beneath the safety of the awning.

God, this was… fun.

Even if it didn’t last.

Even if once he was panting and hauling himself back to the awning soaked to the bone, and even if he realized his legs and underbelly were covered in mud and he’d need a bath of his own.

It was still fun.

So, Shouta ignored his students’ laughter and—once the kids had changed—he picked up Hitoshi again while Yagi scooped up Izuku.

Since that final class was over, they all headed to the dorms, the students making him sit in the entryway with his cubs just off to the side. Yaoyorozu made a towel rather than ruin one they already had and Shouta let himself essentially be wrapped up in it so Shoji could pick him up then carry him to the baths.

He tiredly chirped to his cubs, watching them run with their little paws to keep up with him through their giggling.

Only a few of the others followed along; Yaoyorozu was there to make soap and a spray nozzle they could use—a bit like one you’d find at a groomer’s so they wouldn’t have to touch him, Kaminari and Ashido to take photos and videos, as well as Kouda to act as translator if needed.

Once Shouta was finally set down, he sat down on the tile while the students set up the soaps and shower nozzle. Izuku and Hitoshi were a bit dirty again too, so the former didn’t hesitate to try and climb on him while the latter slotted himself between Shouta’s forelegs.

A bit exhausted from all his running, Shouta let his eyes shut, purring and following any directions he was given so he could be hosed down—sit up on his hind legs, roll onto his back, whatever.

When he started paying attention again, the kids were brandishing towels and hairdryers, so he checked out again. His cubs were within sight or hearing range, something he knew because they’d been chattering to each other or asking Kouda to translate for them. He caught fragments that told him they were explaining just how Shouta got so dirty, both his cubs and students amused by it.

Again, he didn’t really care.

But finally, they were clean and dry just in time for dinner, the kids quickly cleaned up before leading the charge back to the dining room.

Hizashi was waiting for Shouta and his cubs, receiving a short explanation about what they’d been doing and why before his friend was covering his mouth to hide his laughter. When he recovered, though, he brought Shouta and his cubs over to the adjoining apartment so they could eat in peace. 

Just before he left them, he tossed back over his shoulder, “Oh, and Eri’ll be back after dinner, Shouta! She’s already been told everything, but she’s excited to see you like this.”

He’d been passively purring for a long time, just a slight churr in the back of his throat. He raised it a little to let Hizashi know he felt the same even if the information might not have gotten across.

Maybe it did, but Shouta let his focus shift to eating, needing the energy after using it all to run around earlier.

His cubs weren’t talking much anymore, but they sat side by side as they ate and followed at his heels when he crept back out into the common room.

Not many others had finished eating so the couch was free for him to lie on with his cubs tucking themselves against his side to cuddle. Shouta shifted to let his tail lay over them, curling a bit more around them. Settling his head on his paws, he yawned and closed his eyes again.

A little nap before getting to see Eri wouldn’t hurt.

Shouta woke up to feel a small hand barely brushing over his fur. He purred loudly to show he appreciated it and pressed toward the hand. It took a few moments to register the little giggle and familiarity of the voice, eyes blinking to open halfway.

His first cub. Eri.

He chirped softly at her, shifting to plop his head closer to her, ignoring the sound of quiet laughter from his students. Swishing his tail contentedly, Shouta glanced to check on his other cubs to find Izuku and Hitoshi fast asleep where they were lying against his underbelly. Apparently he’d shifted to be more on his side as he slept, so he tucked his hind legs up a bit to stay curled around them.

“Papa?” Eri called softly, pulling his focus back to her.

He twisted to look up at her, chirping again in reply.

She was smiling at him, already dressed in her blue and purple cat pajamas. “You’ve said that when kitties purr, it means they’re happy. Are you happy right now?” she asked, tipping her head.

Shouta couldn’t really hum or anything, so he did his best to nod, blinking slowly at her.

“That’s good,” Eri said, practically to herself. “Are you tired?”

He nodded again before his mouth opened into a wide yawn and he stretched for a moment, ignoring the background cooing of ‘oh, big stretch!’ for the sake of his sanity.

“Me too,” his first cub said, scratching behind one of his ears as she looked away from him then back. “...Uncle ‘Zashi says we should let you go back to sleep, so go ahead, Papa.”

Shouta pressed further into her hand, chirping quietly. Hizashi was correct. More sleep sounded good so he purred his agreement while his eyes fluttered shut.

He had his cubs with him and they were clean, fed, warm, and…

…Safe.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi properly woke up curled against Aizawa and Izuku, sleepily blinking his eyes open and yawning to the morning sun already lighting the common room. There were voices coming from the dining area, helping him place the time somewhat though it wasn’t a school day.

Picking his head up and resting it on Izuku, he looked around for the clock—10:22 AM…

He’s not used to actually sleeping so much, even if he half-woke up once or twice at night. He’ll miss that part of being a cat.

Yawning, he shifted to look around a bit more, taking in the mess of blankets and pillows spread across the floor. His movements made Izuku stir, his littermate waking with a soft purr and butting his head against Hitoshi’s.

“Good morning, ‘Toshi,” he mumbled with a stretch, kneading the couch cushion beneath them. With half-open eyes, he looked toward Aizawa’s head. “Is Dad not awake yet?”

Hitoshi shook his head and—since Izuku was awake now—moved around to climb onto Aizawa, carefully walking without using his claws to sit on Aizawa’s shoulder.

Giggling, Izuku lightly hopped over Aizawa’s stretched-out forelegs to stand by his head, placing two little dark green paws on Aizawa’s muzzle.

“Wake up, Dad, it’s morning!” Izuku and Hitoshi chirped, the latter batting at one of Aizawa’s ears.

Grumbling, Aizawa turned his face to hide in the couch cushion, the two cubs continuing to pester him for another minute before he muttered, “ Fine, I’m awake. Just stop that.”

They paused before Hitoshi flopped to bat at Aizawa’s other ear and Izuku butted his head against Aizawa’s cheek, both of them purring. Rather than chastise them, Aizawa sighed, not trying to stop Izuku from cuddling up against his neck or Hitoshi from playfully attacking his ears even as he began to purr as well.

This was how the rest of the class, Eri, and Hizashi found them, some making little comments or giggling.

The laughter rose as Hitoshi was dislodged, plopping down onto the couch with a squeak while Shouta partly sat up. He bent his head down to nudge Hitoshi and Izuku as his purring started to peter off so Shouta could turn his attention to Eri and chirp at her.

She went to him immediately but waited for him to hop down from the couch before wrapping her arms around his neck in a gentle hug. “Did you sleep okay Papa?” she asked when she pulled back to pet Shouta’s head.

Nodding, he huffed softly in amusement as Izuku and Hitoshi plopped down from the couch so they could squeeze between Shouta’s front paws. Hizashi shuffled closer then, holding up a paper bag.

“Sorry Eri-berry, but Eraser and the little listeners need breakfast right now,” he said with a chuckle when Shouta bumped his forehead to Eri’s.

His daughter turned to blink at Hizashi with pleading eyes, but he promised she could cuddle Shouta after he and the cubs ate. It took a little more convincing before she acquiesced, letting them move to the adjoining apartment to eat their breakfasts while the students and Hizashi took her over to the dining area for omurice. 

After Shouta and the cubs ate, they crept back through to poke their heads in. Some of the students were still sitting and talking or eating in their usual groups while Hizashi sat beside Eri.

As they approached, Shouta could see Eri was making her way through her breakfast and could hear her chattering to Hizashi about how fluffy Shouta is in his current form. If he could blush like this, he probably would, considering she even called him ‘cute’.

The cubs pattered along behind Shouta, Izuku jumping occasionally to bat at his tail and Hitoshi was making his best effort to sleepwalk. When they reached Eri’s table and Shouta sat so he could lean his head against Hizashi’s hip, Hitoshi cuddled up between Shouta’s front paws as his littermate played with Shouta’s tail.

All in all, it was a quiet morning, Eri needing to be prompted to focus on her food instead of Shouta for the time being and some of the louder students needing to be reminded by Iida and Hizashi alike to keep it down. 

Shouta himself had to make his best effort to not purr constantly, letting the sounds and scents wash over him while feeling the faint rumble of Hitoshi’s purr against his forelegs.

It was just… nice. Calm.

And even when breakfast ended and the hellions started to trickle into the common room, the peace didn’t end with it. Shouta simply drifted after Eri while Hizashi took care of her dishes, ending up in an armchair curled around his first cub.

Hitoshi and Izuku squished themselves into Eri’s lap while Shouta rubbed his cheek against her shoulder and gave her silvery hair a tentative lick. It was almost too long to groom, making him huff and eventually resign himself to laying down again.

There were passing moments of excitement—mostly the students wanting to cuddle or play with Izuku and Hitoshi on the floor in front of the armchair or Hizashi helping the kids with their homework, nearly half of the class crowded around the coffee table to listen to him.

But Shouta remained where he was, letting Eri pet his head or read a storybook to him to pass the time.

When it came time for lunch, that was when Shouta moved next, resisting the urge to follow Eri since he and his other cubs needed to eat in the other room. Once they were done, however, it was just like breakfast—albeit his cubs had taken to playing a game of chase around their table.

“Maybe it’s time for the two of you to go outside,” Shouta huffed, moving his tail into the way of his cubs so they’d end up tumbling across the floor. The two initially squeaked in protest before registering his suggestion and then they were practically sprinting to the door.

Hizashi was close by—and while he couldn’t understand Shouta—he knew to follow along when Shouta bumped against his leg. A few of the students trailed after them, undoubtedly curious about where they were going.

The cubs just ended up racing around the yard with Shouta laying in the sun on the steps of the dorms to watch. While he was somewhat sleepy, he only dozed a little and enjoyed the scratches Hizashi gave him behind his ears. And this time, when he purred—fed and warm and surrounded by those he cared about—Shouta didn’t try to hide it.

As the afternoon passed him by, he found he didn’t mind although he idly wondered about the work he’d have to catch up on whenever the quirk wore off. He’d have some grading to do and things to say to his friends about the whole experience.

And he’d refuse to admit that he saw all the students as his cubs—Hitoshi and Izuku aside. He wouldn’t want to see the sad faces they’d make if he told them not to call him Dad.

But soon enough, his musing came to an end as it was time for dinner and for his cubs to take a bath after all their running around and rolling in the dirt.

Hizashi convinced Shouta to just let them get washed in the communal baths like he did and it was pretty amusing to see the two cubs all fluffed up after getting dried. Even their indignant looks when he chuckled at the sight only made it better.

The three of them were eventually ushered to Shouta’s apartment to eat what was delivered for them—more raw meat and Shouta decided that, despite how it tastes good to him now, he’ll be glad to have jelly packets and coffee once he’s human again. These thoughts eventually coaxed him into asking his cubs, “What’s the first thing you’ll do when we change back?”

Izuku and Hitoshi looked at him and tilted their heads, already finished eating.

“Uhm…,” Izuku hummed first before he chirped, “I want to write in my notebook! It’ll be nice to have hands again.”

Snickering, Hitoshi batted at his littermate. “Predictable.”

Pawing back, Izuku asked, “Then what about you?” He lowered himself a little, wriggling playfully as he readied himself to pounce.

“I’ll drink a mug of coffee— uwah! ”

“Predictable!” Izuku crowed, jumping at him and tumbling with him into a little heap.

If Shouta could smile like this, he’d be sure to hide behind his scarf as he watched the two roll around on the carpet, saying, “I think… Hm. Well, you’ll see.” His voice lowered to a mumble so the cubs wouldn’t hear, content to let them play until Hizashi poked his head in.

Stifling a laugh, he asked, “Hey Eraser, think you three are up for another mega-sleepover?”

Shouta nodded and finally got up to intervene, snagging Izuku by the scruff while he squished Hitoshi gently into the carpet with a paw. The two wriggled, still clearly giddy and he couldn’t help the fond chuff he made as Hizashi stooped to scoop Hitoshi into his arms.

Moving back into the living room, Shouta took up the couch he’d slept on the night before and his cubs cuddled up when they were put down.

The students were still setting up but they’d started a movie—something animated, but it was more background noise to him—and Shouta made himself comfortable as he watched on. 

Unfortunately, Eri couldn’t stay, practically asleep on her feet but was determined to give him a hug before Hizashi carried her back to her room for the night. She buried her face in his fur with a mumbled, “Love you Papa, g’night,” as he nuzzled into her hair with a quiet purr.

A little while after, the students were all laying down or curled up to watch the movie before going to sleep. Yawning, Shouta whispered his own ‘good night’ to them all, though only Hitoshi, Izuku, and a half-awake Kouda understood him.

He was asleep before he knew it.

Unlike the last few times he slept, Shouta woke early in the morning, just after the sun rose. Grumbling tiredly, he leaned his head back against the couch and rubbed his hand down his face.

He stopped.

His… hand.

Eyes opening wide, Shouta held it in front of his face and stared before he broke into a wide grin. Quickly looking to either side, he realized that Hitoshi and Izuku were back to normal as well, the boys curled up on their sides and were sleeping soundly.

He had half a mind to wake them up, a little swept up in the excitement of being himself again, but stopped himself just as quickly. No, he’d let them sleep.

Carefully, he slipped off the couch and padded to his room to check the bag of their belongings so he could get Izuku’s notebook then made his way to the kitchen. 

He brewed a pot of coffee, pouring some into a pair of mugs—black for himself and the other with a dash of sugar and milk—and backtracked to the living room.

Now, he didn’t want to make it all a big deal, so he set it all down on the side table before silently reaching to poke Hitoshi and Izuku awake. “Hey, Izuku, Hitoshi, wake up,” he murmured.

The two squished their faces into the couch cushions as they slowly started to wake up, freezing nearly at the same time. Both clenched and unclenched their hands, Izuku ghosting his fingers over his own cheek while Hitoshi wiggled his toes.

Heads snapping to look at Shouta, he couldn’t help but grin when their looks of shock morphed into wide smiles.

Holding out his arms, Shouta very quickly had two of his students sons, crashing into him.

And to himself, Shouta thought as he hugged them tightly, that while it wasn’t the first thing he did that morning, he was glad it was the first thing Hitoshi and Izuku did.