Chapter Text
Shouta had no idea how they ended up in this situation.
Midoriya had come to him earlier, asking if he could accompany him to the store because the students tasked with this week's grocery run had forgotten a few things. Shouta joined him, of course, because Midoriya really is a magnet to trouble, which led to him now running down a dirty alleyway with four legs, fur, and an injured kitten in his mouth. Two villains were hot on their tails, each one grumbling higher than the other.
Midoriya was whimpering in pain as his injured limbs dangled back and forth. Shouta knew he couldn't slow down, or else the villains would catch up, yet the painful sounds made his heart clench. He needed to find a safe place to take cover, treat his kit student, and get back to UA as fast as possible. Running out of the alley and onto the sidewalk, he hurries down the path in the direction of UA, hoping to either find help or a safe place to hide. The sound of civilians yelping and falling to the ground could be heard behind them, but he didn't dare turn around to make sure they were okay.
He didn't have to run for long before he saw a café with its doors open. Not caring if animals were allowed in or not, he made a sharp turn into the establishment. He stalks over to the empty table in the corner, tucking himself into the corner. He watched as the villains ran past the windows before disappearing down the road.
Shouta slumps in relief, carefully laying Midoriya down inbetween in paws. He tried his best to get a look at his injuries, though it was difficult with the thick, green fur. He could see patches of darker colorations, likely blood from smaller cuts. What was more concerning was the kid's ribs. He could count multiple, even through his fur.
"Izuku?" He nudges the kit's cheek carefully, earning a low whine in response.
"'Zawa?" he mumbles, clearly disoriented.
"I'm here," he soothes, trying to lick the bloodied fur. When he caught sight of one of the workers making their way toward them, however, he stills. "Do you think you can hold out until we're back at UA?"
"I-I think so."
Shouta didn't waste another minute, grabbing Izuku by the scruff before bolting toward the door, earning a yelp from the employee as he ran between their legs. They made it out the door and down the road, ignoring everyone in their path. Some brought their phones out, while others whispered between themselves as they ran. While it wasn't unusual for strays to walk the streets, the sight of a hurt kitten being carried by a feral-looking cat wasn't.
It took longer than he would have liked to make it to UA, but at least they didn't run into any more trouble on the way. Shouta ran through the gates and toward the main building, hoping that Chiyo was still in the infirmary. Students were lining the hallways as he made his way through, either reaching out to try and catch them or pointing and whispering. When he makes it to the infirmary, he slips through the partly open door, happy to be out of reach of the other students. Chiyo is sitting at her desk, typing away at her computer. Shouta is quick to jump onto one of the beds, carefully laying Izuku down, before meowing to gain the old woman's attention. He can only hope that she will connect the dots on who they are, though a black cat with a gray scar under his right eye, and a dark green and black kitten must be obvious enough, right?
Chiyo whips her head around at the sound, her eyes widening in surprise before narrowing.
"Aizawa?" Chiyo asks incredulously. Shouta gives a firm nod in response before leaning down and gesturing to Izuku lying limply before him.
The stillness of his kit student makes his heart stutter in panic, however, Chiyo is quick to remove the kitten from his hold to inspect him.
"And I'm going to take a wild guess and say this is Midoriya?" Shouta nods once more, moving over to try and get closer to Izuku. Chiyo gives him a look before gently pushing him away, making him glare at the older woman. "Oh, don't give me that look. I am just making sure he is okay."
While hesitant, Shouta sits down and waits for the woman to be done. She carefully parts the green fur to check the superficial injuries, shaking her head at the deeper ones. She gives the kitten mild pain relievers before she gently cleans the wounds, only having to stitch one on his right shoulder. When she's done with the superficial injuries, Izuku is put under the X-ray to make sure he doesn't have any broken bones. Of course, with Izuku being the Problem Child that he is, he has a fracture in his right hind leg. Chiyo bandages the leg before laying the sleeping kit down before Shouta.
"Make sure he doesn't jump off any high furniture or put too much pressure on the leg for the next few days. He doesn't have the energy for my quirk at the moment, but a few days with food, water, and rest should do well with that. Bring him back in three days, and we'll re-evaluate if I can heal him or not," Chiyo explains, walking over to her computer before typing away.
Shouta ignores the older hero, lying down with the kit in between his front legs before gently starting to clean off any remains of blood in the green fur. Shouta is relieved that the kid isn't seriously injured, though the cuts and broken leg anger him enough already. Izuku doesn't stir for the next ten minutes, the adrenaline leaving his body, as well as the painkillers, draining the little one's energy. Shouta doesn't stray far away, feeling uneasy about taking his eyes off his kit student. It is only when Izuku stretches out one of his legs and blinks his eyes open that Shouta moves. He stands to take a reluctant step back, not wanting to crowd Izuku when he wakes.
"Hey, how are you feeling, Izuku?" He asks, not able to control himself as he nudges his head to the kitten's cheek.
"'M tierd," Izuku mumbles, leaning into the touch, reassuring Shouta that his touch was welcome.
"You can sleep a little longer if you want to. I'm not going anywhere," Shouta promised, lying back down, this time surrounding the kitten with his body.
"It's okay," Izuku answered with a yawn before looking around. "Are we back at UA?"
"Yeah. Recovery Girl has already looked you over. You have a fractured leg, meaning you have to take it easy for the next few days." Shouta said, laying his head down on his front paws. Izuku pouted at the response, hiding his head into Shouta's stomach, as if he was embarrassed. Shouta could only chuckle at the kit's act, nudging him in the side. "Don't worry. Chiyo should be able to heal you in a few days."
"Do you think she's mad at me?" Izuku mumbles into his fur, not looking up as he asks the questions.
"Why on earth would she be mad at you?" Shouta responds incredulously. After a moment, Izuku lifts his head from Shouta's fur to guiltily meet his gaze.
"Because I got injured again."
"Izuku, this wasn't your fault. If you went out of your way to find trouble and then got injured, that would be a different conversation. Today, you came to me because you needed to leave the school grounds, didn't run into a fight or disagreement without permission, and didn't engage when we were attacked. You did everything right, and no one has any reason to be angry with you," Shouta explained, trying to reassure the kit that no one would be angry with him. Though he didn't look convinced, Izuku didn't argue further. Instead, he snuggled back into Shouta's stomach, small purrs leaving the tiny ribcage only a minute later. Shouta let himself relax a bit as well, though he kept a vigilant eye on the door.
It was only when Shouta began to let his guard drop, and his eyes were slowly falling shut, that the sound of a knock on the door rang through the room. Shouta shot to his feet, a low growl already escaping his lips as his back arched. Izuku scrambled his way underneath him, a whimper escaping him as he moved his hind leg too fast.
"Calm down, it's your husband," Chiyo scolded softly, moving to open the door.
"Where are they?" Hizashi's excited voice came from the other side, making Shouta calm down a bit, but he didn't lie back down.
"They're on the bed, though, be careful. It seems like their thoughts are clouded by instincts. Aizawa seems to be very protective of Midoriya," Chiyo said before opening the door entirely.
His husband and Principal Nedzu came through the door, both acknowledging the statement. Hizashi made his way over slowly, a soft smile on his face. He didn't reach out to touch either of them, though Shouta knew his husband likely wanted to. Instead, Hizashi bent down before the bed, putting his hand forth to let Shouta inspect him.
"Hey, Sho. It sounds like you had an adventurous trip to the store," the blond teased, a small grin on the other's face. Shouta made himself familiar with the scent of his husband. Usually, Shouta would only be able to smell Hizashi's favorite perfume. Now, the fresh scent of citrus was mixed in between. When he was satisfied, Shouta nudged against the outstretched hand, having a deep purr with his next breath. Hizashi squealed in response, scratching him under his shin. "Kami, you're adorable!"
Shouta left the heavenly scratches to turn to Izuku, still hiding underneath him, small tremors running through his body. "It's okay, Kit. Hizashi is my husband. You can trust him."
Izuku gave him an unsure look before slowly moving out from underneath him, slowly making his way toward Hizashi, who was keeping still. Then, much to Shouta's surprise, the kitten walked into the blond's palm before lying down, purrs ringing through the air seconds later. Shouta let out a mixture of a snort and a huff, happy to see that Izuku was that comfortable with his husband and that he trusted Shouta enough to make the call for his safety.
"Shouta, look at him! He's just a baby," Hizashi said with glee, bringing his other hand over to brush his thumb over the green fur.
"They truly are!" Nedzu suddenly piped up from where he still stood beside the door, a grin on his face. With Hizashi here, Shouta didn't have to protect the kit all on his own, so he didn't hiss at the intrusion, though he did glare at the rat. "I can see what you mean by their instincts acting up, Chiyo. I will presume that you taking them both until the qirk wears off won't be a problem, Yamada?"
"Of course! Letting the Little Listener stay at the dorm would be too risky, and with Shouta being such a mother hen, I don't think he would let Midoriya far out of his sight," Hizashi teased, making Shouta give an annoyed huff and turn his head away from them both, though he didn't protest. Not that he could, either.
"We won't know how long the quirk will last before the police are able to capture the villains that did this. I have already made contact with Detective Tsukauchi, who has gathered a team and is out looking for them. I will be contacting All Might to cover your classes, Aizawa, until you can return," Nedzu explains, crossing his fingers together in front of him. This time, Shouta did hiss at the Principal, hating the idea that the number one hero would be covering his classes. Nedzu only gave him a single glance before continuing. "Do let me know if there is anything you need help with during the next few days. Aizawa, I do recommend you accompany Midoriya-kun to his classes to make sure he doesn't fall too far behind, considering we don't know how long this quirk is going to last." With that, the possum was out the door, sipping a cup of tea that appeared out of nowhere. Shouta was ninety percent sure it was a second quirk.
"This is going to be great!" Hizashi beamed, fussing over the green furball in his hands. Shouta only gave him a look before jumping off the bed and making his way toward the door, only turning to make sure the other brought their kit with him. "Don't give me that look!"
He really needed a nap.