Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Kitten
"Deku-kun, look out!"
Izuku whirled around at Uraraka's cry, only to see her pointing to something on his right.
"Uaah!" He jumped out of the way of the charging villain, but half a second later someone snagged him from behind, fingers digging into his arms. He fought, yelping as nails broke the skin. The villain chuckled and bit down on his neck. Izuku yelled in pain and the whole world went black.
"I got him, I got him!" Kirishima assured the others for the ninth time, securely holding the smaller villain in his rock-hard arms. The wiry man squirmed, but got nowhere. A few feet away, the other villain, Battering Ram, roared from the chair he was tied to.
"Let us GO, ASSHOLES!"
Aizawa drummed his fingers on his arm, seeming bored as ever. "Tell us how to reverse that quirk and we will," he said dryly.
Uraraka sniffed in the background. "This is all my fault," she muttered. Iida patted her arm reassuringly.
"It's alright," he said. "Next time, we work on calling the direction of the attack. It's only practice." She gave him a watery smile.
Mic handed everyone noise-cancelling headphones, placing them on Kirishima himself, and the ground shook as he yelled "HOW DO WE REVERSE YOUR QUIRK, VILLAAAAAAIIIN!?" The villain wailed, thrashing helplessly in Kirishima's arms.
"N-No!" he begged. Aizawa smirked, an expression that made everyone but Present Mic move back unconsciously.
"This," he said calmly, "is Hizashi. He's also known as Present Mic. That was whispering. Now, how do we reverse it?"
"IT WEARS OFF ON ITS OWN, LET ME GO!" cried the burly one from the chair.
"Finally," huffed Aizawa. "Go on, Kirishima, take him to All Might." The villains' cries faded into the distance.
"Everyone go home," Present Mic said. "We have to figure out who's gonna look after Midoriya-san until this wears off."
"Uraraka?"
"Too teary and high-strung."
"Iida?"
"Didn't we just establish that high-strung is a problem?"
Uhh... All Might?"
"I'd love to, but I would have to take leave."
"His mother?"
"Inko is currently out of town."
"WHY do you know that?"
"We are good friends."
"Well, who, then?"
Bakugou heard the sound of muffled arguing as he stormed angrily down the hallway on a quest to determine the knowledge of why exactly no one had fucking come to get him from the goddamn gym when the villains attacked.
Now everyone was fucking whispering about Deku and honestly, Bakugou was beginning to worry that the shitty nerd was dead. It was one thing to get injured and end up bedridden again, but apparently Recovery Girl 'hadn't been able to help him' and they would 'just have to wait it out and see.' What had it been, a poison quirk? Was Izuku going to die? Could he already be dead?
"Mew!" A small, completely out of place sound echoed through the hall, interrupting the increasingly agitated blond's downward spiral of a thought train. Bakugou stopped. There, outside the principal's office, sat a tiny little kitten with giant emerald eyes. Its fur seemed black at first, but when it stretched, it revealed itself to be a dark green colour.
"The fuck?" wondered the blond aloud. "They don't allow pets. Who are you?" He held out a hand to the kitten, who sniffed it and climbed into the palm. It was unbelievably tiny. Bakugou double and triple-checked the hallway to make sure they were alone, then cradled the tiny creature to his chest.
"Shit, kitty, you're cold as ice." He stroked the little cat, who purred against his hand. "Where'd you come from, hm?"
Never in a billion years would Bakugou Katsuki admit to his fondness for cats. They were just so sweet and fluffy and cute and somehow evil and terrifying at once. He fuckin loved 'em.
Inside the office, Aizawa nearly fell off his chair in shock. That much of a reaction instantly garnered the attention of the whole room.
"Look at the cameras," he hissed. "Right outside the door."
Hizashi leaned over him, one hand on his shoulder, and gasped. All Might hummed.
Bakugou fucking Katsuki sat on the floor facing the door with the kitten that was their quirk-affected problem child curled up asleep against his chest. And the look he was giving it... he was smiling. His eyes were soft and open, his features relaxed in bliss as he stroked the little creature.
"Huh," said All Might. "Never thought I'd see a smile on that boy's face."
"Wasn't sure he could," agreed the principal. "Somewhat like Aizawa-san, here."
"I can smile," Aizawa deadpanned, and promptly offered up the most terrifying, wide-eyed, ear-to-ear psychopathic grin the others had ever seen.
"For the sake of their ability to sleep at night, honey, stop that," begged Hizashi. His husband snorted and the smile dropped away. "Fine. Nezu, verdict?"
"He should stay with Bakugou-san until the quirk wears off," declared the white-haired man, "but no one is to tell him that it is Midoriya Izuku, or that cat will be dead in seconds."
The others nodded their approval and it was settled. Bakugou had, at some point, disappeared with the cat anyways, so there was nothing to do but wait.
"Here, kitten," Bakugou said. Izuku stretched on his shoulder, curling further into the warm neck. A rumbling chuckle vibrated through his seat and Izuku purred. "I made you a little nest. Also, you need a name."
"Mrrw?"
"Yeah, stupid. I gotta call you something. You have the same eyes as that nerd... how do you feel about Izuku?"
Izuku froze. Kacchan never called him that, hadn't used it since the mocking and the teasing stopped. The sound of his lifelong crush's lips forming his real name in a way that wasn't hateful... it felt strangely... right.
"Mew?"
"I call him Deku, so... you could be Izuku." The piercing red eyes narrowed slightly, worry and something else dancing there for a fleeting second. "Everyone's talking about him. Apparently, he's... missing? Or... or maybe dead." He curled up around his new friend. "Fuck, you tell anybody and I'll kill you, but I really hope he's not dead."
"Miaow!" Bakugou? Care? Why on Earth would he?
"It's almost like you speak Japanese, you know that?" teased the blond. "I can't let him die until I properly apologize for the way I treated him in middle school. And elementary school. Because I have to do that before I confess my feelings for him. Once he knows everything, it's his choice what to do about it, but I have to tell him and I'm so scared I'll never get the chance. Again, you spill, I kill."
Izuku sat rigid on Bakugou's shoulder, little heart pounding in his chest. The person he'd admired since early childhood, the person who hated every bone in his body, loved him. And wanted to apologize for everything. Slowly, he leaned in and rubbed his cheek against the blond's, already looking forward to being human again as fast as possible.
Bakugou sighed and laid down, pulling the covers up over himself and relocating Izuku to the little nest of blankets he'd created. "If I find him," he said seriously, "I'm gonna hug him and never let go. If I do that I can protect him and no one will ever hurt him again. Right?"
Izuku blinked, hoping his eyes conveyed the depth of the emotions swirling around inside his heart like tiny hurricanes.
"Goodnight, kitty," Bakugou sighed, and reached over to turn off the light.
Five days passed uneventfully. Bakugou let Izuku roam freely, even putting him in a fenced-in garden every morning while he did his workout. Izuku found he only had to use the bathroom once a day, and so he never had to touch the litter his crush had bought. Food? Well, eating cat food wasn't much fun, but Izuku's Kacchan fed him dutifully, making sure water was always available. Izuku spent the days wandering around inside the dorm room, exploring things and learning more about how his body worked in this state. He noticed quickly that Bakugou tended to come back around six or seven, despite eating in his room and going to bed at eight-thirty. What was keeping him out so long?
Every night, Bakugou woke up two or three times and clutched at the blankets, heart pounding with fear, breath coming short and fast and shirt soaked in sweat, until at last he just started sleeping in his boxers. Sometimes, he cried out for Deku, for Izuku, to wait, to hang on.
Each time, Izuku curled up on his chest, kneading the muscle softly beneath his paws to ground his friend, and purred softly until the poor boy fell asleep again, usually with at least one hand still on top of Izuku, fingers crooked to stroke at his deep emerald fur.
As time went on, Izuku started getting used to the occasional pets and rides on his classmate's shoulder and the rise and fall of a strong chest when he slept on it. He quickly came to enjoy the constant love from his idol.
And every night, Bakugou would come home late and frustrated, mutter to himself as he stomped around making himself dinner and finding something for Izuku, and then fall into bed where he would inevitably wake, terrified and restless once more.
"Bakubro?" A knock sounded at the door. Bakugou shoved his books back and pushed the untouched litter box under the bed. Why had he even bought that thing if the cat wasn't going to use it? "Hey, you in there?" There was another knock. Where was the damn cat? Ah, well. As long as he was out of sight.
"The fuck you want, Shitty Hair," he growled, yanking open the door.
Kirishima stared at Bakugou's shoulder for a minute, open-mouthed. Bakugou's heart sank as he felt his new pet shift in its sleep. How in All Might's name had he NOT noticed that!?
"Oh, YOU have him!?" Kirishima's voice was laced with relieved surprise.
"Eh!?" The fuck?
"Well, it's been a whole week since Midoriya disappeared," he explained. "After he got turned into a cat 'cause Uraraka gave him some... vague... directions, we all started thinking he'd run off. But you're taking care of him! That's great!"
Wait. This... was... "This kitty is shitty Deku!?"
"Wow. Never thought I'd hear you say 'kitty'. Yeah, it's him. Did you... not... know...?"
"NO," Bakugou barked, "I didn't fucking know! What the fuck!?" He turned to the kitten, who stood up warily, fur bristling in fear. "I've been feeding you for days! No wonder you fucking listen when I talk! What the fuck!?"
Frightened by the noise, Izuku tried to jump down. Kirishima's hand reached for him, but he dodged it and bolted under the bed.
"Fuck," Bakugou muttered. "Fuck, okay, that's okay. I... I'm looking after him until you find a cure, then. Fuck. Oh, this... this is not how I thought this would go, Izu-- Deku."
Kirishima raised an eyebrow. "You just... you... OH MY GOD, YOU TOTALLY NAMED HIM AFTER MIDORIYA DUDE THAT'S SO FUCKIN CUTE OH MY G--!!" Kirishima quickly found himself with a faceful of fire and door. He pressed the side of his now slightly crispy face to it. The noise had drawn several concerned class members up the stairs and now they stood gathered at the end of the hallway in confusion.
"What are you doing?" asked Uraraka, raising an eyebrow. Mineta licked his lips. Mina cocked her head. Jirou and Kaminari grinned suggestively.
"Shhhh," Kirishima hissed. "Listen!" They pressed their ears to the door.
"C'mon, Deku, it's okay. Look, baby, I already told you everything. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? I want to take care of you, not upset you. I've been coming back so late because after classes I go around and ask anyone I can find about you, about whether they've seen you and if you're okay. Teachers, upper classmen, anyone. I've been worried. So c'mon, get out from there. That's right. Come on. Good, good kitty, good job, Izuku!"
"Oh my god," whispered Mina, "He's got Deku!"
"And they're getting along real well," noted Jirou.
In the dorm, Bakugou held the kitten close. It trembled in his palm, green eyes wide, but he gave it his kindest look and continued murmuring those little reassurances to it. Eventually, it started licking its lovely fur into place and Bakugou set it beside him on the bed.
"Goodnight, kitten," he whispered to it.
"Miaow," it replied softly, and yawned, tucking itself against his side.
Bakugou fell asleep. For the first time all week, he didn't wake up.
Two days later, it happened.
"Mmh..."
Bakugou woke to a soft moaning from beside him. There was a shapely back, slender and defined, leading into built hips and the top of a really nice ass. The skin was smooth, mostly pale, dotted with clusters of freckles like dark stars.
"Ow..." There were scarred hands in the wild nest of green hair, rubbing at his temples. "Wh-wh...?"
"Morning," said Bakugou, voice rough with sleep. He curled an arm around the beautiful waist in front of him, pulling it flush with his own body and ignoring the flash of ice cold skin touching his own. "How'd you sleep, kitten?" He wasn't a pervert. This, however, was too good an opportunity to pass up.
"Mm... Kacchan...... Kacchan. Kacchan!?" The voice quickly became panicked as Deku wriggled in his arms, turning to look at him. Bakugou took a moment to thank his past self for switching to boxers for sleepwear. Already a pale pink stained the freckled cheeks. "Wh-wh-what h-ha-happened!?" He squeaked.
Bakugou raised an eyebrow, ducking in to bump their noses together. "You don't remember, kitten?" He asked.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" He was shaking like a leaf. Bakugou snickered.
"Damn nerd, you got hit by a rogue quirk. You've been this tiny cat for a good week now. I've been taking care of you." He pushed himself up. "What do you want for breakfast?"
A hand came to rest delicately on his shoulder. "Wait. You... I remember. It's weird, but I remember. You took care of me?"
"Obviously, nerd. What do you want to eat?" Bakugou's heart pounded in his chest. Would Deku remember what he'd said? All the nightmares he'd had?
"I... I dunno," Deku said quietly. "I don't usually eat breakfast. Or lunch."
"No wonder you're so fuckin weak," Bakugo said, but his voice held no malice. He ruffled the green hair as he stood, cracking his back and heading for the kitchenette in his dorm.
"Umm... Kacchan...?"
"What?"
"I-I don't have any..." Bakugo turned to look. Deku had the blanket pulled up to his chest, cheeks pink and eyes downcast.
He looked like a fucking vision.
"Oh. Grab something from the drawer behind you, then." He turned back to making omlettes. A minute later, he turned to check and oh god, that ass. He turned away quickly, pinching the bridge of his nose to stem the nosebleed.
Izuku padded up beside him, wearing a shirt that was too damn big for him and nothing else.
"Couldn't find pants?" Bakugou grumbled.
"Tried a couple. My hips are wider than yours, but your legs are longer," Izuku explained. "What's for breakfast?"
"Omelettes." Bakugou handed him a plate stiffly and dished it out evenly between them, then led the other to the bed and crawled back onto it.
Izuku toyed with his fork for a moment before blurting out, "I remember what you said." Bakugou put his fork down, but the other boy wasn't done.
"Before you say anything, I really want you to know that I've loved you since we were three, and my love was innocent then but it grew and grew as we got older and now I... I'm really in love with you. I want everything that's part of relationships and stuff."
"Wh-- like... what?" Bakugou asked, stunned.
"I wanna hold hands and, and k-kiss you. And-- and um. Um. I-I want... I want you to touch me. I want to go out on dates and I want to c-c-cuddle? A-And I'd like to eat lunch with you sometimes. I just want to be with you, Kacchan. I love you."
Bakugou paused, frozen solid. Then," I'm so damn sorry," he blurted.
"Kacchan, it's okay," Izuku started, but Bakugou put a hand over his mouth.
"No, let me say this," he all but begged.
"I treated you like dirt, like you were less than nothing, for so long. I was such an asshole to you and I definitely don't deserve you now but for some reason you like me, you love me, and I love you too. I didn't know how to deal with my feelings for you back then and I went about it in the worst way possible. So, because you've already told me that you feel the same, if you'll have me, I swear I'm gonna be the best damn boyfriend in the whole fucking world for you. Okay? I can never make up for what I did to you. But I hope maybe you'll find something in me that's really worth the love you've given me."
Izuku sniffed and scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand. "Okay, Kacchan," he said, nodding. "Okay. Then... then be my boyfriend and love me like you said. I forgave you a long time ago, you know."
"I know," Bakugou murmured. "But it didn't feel right unless you knew that I needed to say it." He picked up his fork and after a moment, Izuku did the same.
With a long sigh, Bakugou put the empty plates aside and flopped back onto the bed.
"Thank fuck," he sighed. "It's Saturday. What was all that about wanting things...? I thought I heard kisses, cuddles and touching in there somewhere." As he spoke, he pulled Izuku up the bed to lay on his chest, laughing quietly and trying to hide his blush.
The position was warm and comfortable, and the two fell asleep again, staying in bed nearly half the day.
The other half? Homework. Also consoling a blubbery Uraraka. Izuku had missed a lot over the past week.
Ah, well. He'd gotten the love of his life.
And, he thought as he screamed Kacchan's name into the pillow while the blond panted above him, that was the best thing the universe had ever given him.