Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku swallows, looking around warily at the heroes surrounding them. “One villain did all this?” He asks, nerves clear in his tone.

“Be on your guard.” Shouto answers coolly. “He could still be around.”

Izuku nods and then leaves his boyfriend’s side in an instant to check on the injured. Though, as he nears them he’s hard pressed to describe them as injured . “You -” He kneels down beside one hero, one he knows he recognizes but there is something distinctly wrong with him - he has little, soft, round ears protruding from the top of his head. “What happened to you?”

“His,” He starts, breath ragged from fighting, “his quirk, it changes people.” The hero coughs and props himself up weakly to look around at the damage done - property wise there wasn’t much but people wise? Fifteen, maybe 20 heroes were strewn about - all taking on some sort of animalistic characteristics that didn’t have before. 

“Are you okay? Can you walk?” Izuku took him lightly by the arm. “We have to get you guys out of the middle of the road.”

The hero nods, getting to his feet with Izuku’s help. “Thanks, Deku.” He flexes his hands a bit and brings one up to his new ears, wincing a little when realizing they are very much attached to his head. “Hope this wears off soon.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Izuku nods.

“I’ll help get people off the road.” He says before lowering his hand and looking determined. Izuku has half a mind to tell him no, that he’s too injured but he knows all too well the mindset of a hero so he keeps his mouth closed and lets the man help. 

Meanwhile, Shouto wasn’t faring so luckily, having encountered the villain who did all of this. He’s annoyed but the guy seems harmless ability wise, a well-aimed shot of ice should deal with him pretty quickly. It’s especially important to capture him just in case his quirk doesn’t wear off on it’s own. That would be a nightmare. 

“Look at those eyes!” The villain laughs. “You’ll make an adorable addition to my zoo!” He fires a beam of yellow light at Shouto, which is easily dodged. “Hold still!”

Shouto doesn’t humor his quips and instead asks, “Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

“Hah! Curious too, I can see it already. You’ll make a perfect little kitty-cat!” He fires another beam, again Shouto dodge-rolls away. “I’m Zookeeper! I can make people part animal!”

“But why?” His tone is flat, classic for him but almost insulting to The Zookeeper.

“You're aloof as well. Purrfect.” He grunts, frustration showing on his face that he hasn’t hit this nuisance of a man yet. “It’s simple,” He finally answers, “Animals are better than people. They’re… easily trained. More obedient. And not to mention cuter.” 

Shouto takes his moment of monologue to shoot a prison of ice towards the deranged man, but just as easily as he had dodged, Zookeeper jumps out of the way too. Shouto wastes no time firing another beam of ice, this time firmly locking the man’s feet into place. “There.”

The man’s face changes in an instant, looking down at his feet and then back up at Shouto, who is nearing him now. “Hahaha! You got me!” He laughs, his voice crazier with every syllable, “It’s a good thing I don’t need my feet for my quirk!” And with that he fires off one more yellow beam at Shouto, who, at this distance can’t evade like before. 

He’s knocked back and sent skidding across his own trail of ice - the wind knocked out of him and a quick moment of confusion before he’s… he’s back on his feet in an instant? A quicker reaction than he’s ever had before. He thinks nothing of it, somewhere in his subconscious chalking it up to the pressure of the moment, and he immediately fires off more ice to bind the man’s hands.

“Ohohohohahaha!” The man laughs maniacally, his voice taking an unnatural almost grating pitch. “Got ya!”  He hoots and hollers. “Got you! I got you!”

“Wh-” Shouto starts but he’s cut off by -

“Shouto!” Izuku skids to a halt next to his boyfriend and his eyes go wide. “Oh shit. ” 

“What?” He asks, left cat ear now perched atop his head twitching slightly. 

“You -” And despite himself, despite the seriousness of this situation, despite the fact that his boyfriend has cat ears and a tail, Izuku cracks up laughing. “Oh my God , you look so cute. Oh my God.” He doubles over, holding his stomach. “Your little ears! I can’t! Shouto, what!? What happened!?”

“What -” He raises his hand to touch where his ears should be and finds the spot eerily empty. “Where are my ears?”

Izuku looks up, wiping tears from his eyes and pointing to the empty space above his own head. “You’re a cat!”

“Wh-” Shouto whips around to the cackling villain. “Undo this!”

“No can do, kitty-kitty. That’ll last for a few days.” He is delighted that the other hero is having such a field day with this too. It’s the exact kind of chaos The Zookeeper was looking to create. 

“Sh-Shouto,” Izuku sputters between fits of laughter. “I got all the others - the other people off the street - they’re all -” He busts up laughing again. “Pffffahahaha, they’re part animal now too. But you -” He can’t even finish his sentence from laughing, it’s not a cruel laugh, he actually thinks Shouto looks endearingly cute.

The now-catboy’s face flushes red and he scowls at Izuku. “This isn’t funny.”

“It’s a little funny! Nothing like this ever happens to y-” He’s cut short by cop cars finally rounding the corner, sirens blaring. The two of them explain to the police that the villain said the effects would only last for a few days and then leave it in their hands to tell the other heroes before heading home. The walk is filled with giggles from Izuku, who can’t stop looking over at his boyfriend’s fluffy new ears.

“Would you stop.” He grumbles in response to one fit of giggles.

“Are you embarrassed?” Izuku asks, reaching up and touching the ear just a little bit - dying again when it twitches. 

“A little bit.” He huffs.

“It’s cute!”

“It’s humiliating.” His tail is swishing in agitation - another reaction he can’t control. Izuku is fascinated. He watches for a minute before rushing around to face Shouto and walk backwards.

“How does it feel?”

“What?”

“The tail!” He gestures towards Shouto’s backside. 

“I didn’t even notice it until you pointed it out.” 

“It’s moving so much!” Izuku says. “Like when a cat is annoyed.” He laughs again.

“Yeah, I wonder why.” He rolls his eyes.

The two of them reach Izuku’s apartment building only garnering a few stares from people who recognize them and know that Shouto is not supposed to look like that . They collapse onto the couch together after they’ve changed - Todoroki taking longer because he had to figure out how to make his pants work with the tail. A few seconds of silence is all it takes for Izuku to fire up again, turning to face his boyfriend.

“Do you feel like a cat?”

“I don’t know what a cat is supposed to feel like.”

“Do you feel different?”

Shouto shrugs, eyes falling onto a piece of Izuku’s hair that’s being particularly bouncy right now and he - without thinking he reaches for it and bounces it himself, provoking another fit of laughing from Izuku. Shouto realizes what he’s done immediately and turns red, the rest of his skin almost matching his scar. “Stop.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just - you know I have a thing about quirks and this one is just so-” He sits up again, trying to quell his laughter and softens his face when he sees Shouto looking genuinely upset. “Hey.” He says, getting onto his knees and scooting closer to his boyfriend. “I’m not making fun of you, alright?”

“I know.”Shouto says, crossing his arms stubbornly.

“I think you look cute actually.” He puts a hand under Shouto’s chin and turns it so that they’re making eye contact. Todoroki’s pupils are huge and it takes every ounce of willpower Izuku has not to giggle again. “So cute I could kiss you, even.”

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing, Sho!” And to prove his point he leans forward to peck Shouto’s lips gently, this sets his tail in motion again and Midoriya can’t help but notice it from the corner of his eye, making him smile into the kiss before pulling back. “It’s only for a few days, yeah?”

Shouto sighs, “Yeah.” He says, resigning himself to his reality for the next handful of days - Izuku would no doubt be asking tons of questions and if he’s being completely honest… Shouto is kind of enjoying the extra attention, even though he’s pretending not to. The thought alone sets off a feeling deep in his stomach, almost like butterflies, and he can’t quite put a finger on what’s happening before Midoriya giggles again.

“Are you purring?”

“I - shut up, I can’t help it.” He huffs again.

“So cute.” Izuku says, standing at his full (available) height on his knees and rubbing Shouto’s head - the purring gets louder. “I wonder how this quirk even works!”

Shouto makes a face when his head is scratched but does not withdraw, he will not admit it but he does like that. His tail moves from one side to the other again. “Who knows.”

“I bet it’s like that one quirk that got me a couple years ago.” Midoriya sits back and contemplates, pinching his lower lip. “You know the one where I got-” He blushes. “You know.”

Todoroki sighs. “I suppose I did make fun of you a lot for that one, didn’t I?”

“Exactly!” Izuku points. “Besides I’m not making fun of you. I’m just - it’s cute.” 

“Yours was cute too.”

Izuku blushes again, brighter. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious and that se-”

And before he can finish his sentence, Shouto’s boyfriend is on top of him, pinning him down and covering his mouth. “Purely experimental! We don’t need to talk about it!”

Shouto licks his hand and Midoriya shrieks, pulling it back.

“Are we going to be experimenting with this one too, then?” He asks, tilting his head to the side questioningly.

“I- what- no! Probably not!” Izuku shuffles backwards off of him and wraps his hands around his head in flustered embarrassment. “You’re always so forward!”

“We’ve been dating since high school, Izuku, I think it’s normal.”

“Yeah, well.” He huffs and lowers his hands. “You know I’m easily flustered.”

“I know.” Shouto smirks. “It’s pretty cute.” He yawns, revealing that his canines are now… much sharper. Felines, Izuku thinks to himself, laughing again in his head a little at the joke. “I’m so sleepy.”

“Cats do need to sleep for like eighteen hours a day.” Izuku notes, once again leaning forward and inspecting Todoroki again. “And you do seem to have picked up some other cat-like traits.”

“Like?”

“You licked my hand! And played with my hair!”

“Well, it’s bouncy.” He shrugs, brushing off his previous embarrassment. Just like a cat! Izuku thinks again.

“How did this happen anyway? How did he do it?”

“He shot yellow beams of light from his hands. He missed me a few times and kept saying things about how I’d be a cute cat so I think he can choose what animal you become.” 

“Interesting.” Midoriya leans over to grab his latest notebook off of the coffee table to jot it down. “And he said it only lasts for a few days… what on earth could his motivations have been? Certainly he gets no benefit from doing this kind of thing. I wonder if he can give people characteristics of animals that could help them - like giving an amputee the regenerative powers of a lizard? Or could he give somebody the ability to camouflage like a cuttlefish? There are so many questions - I wonder if what he does to people is similar to how Asui - er - Tsuyu was born? Now that’s an interesting conc-” 

Izuku is pulled from his train of thought by a sudden pressure on his lap. He raises his hands in surprise and looks down to see that Shouto has decided to take a nap. He giggles a little and rests a hand on Shouto’s head, inciting more purring from his catified-boyfriend. “Yeah. That’s cute.” He says quietly and puts his notebook to the side, opting to also take a nap… though he suspects he won’t be able to match the amount of sleep Shouto is going to get in the next few days. 

Chapter Text

Izuku is yanked from his peaceful slumber by a loud crash somewhere in the house. He yawns and sits up, stretching and then reaching for his boyfriend beside him. “Shouto? Did you hear that?” His hand falls on empty air and he pats the bed a few times before turning to look at the alarm clock. With another yawn he stands and goes to find his boyfriend - and the source of the crash. He opens the bedroom door, turns on the hallway light, and there is Shouto. Standing there like a deer in headlights, eyes wide. “Sho…?” Midoriya asks, confused.

“Did I wake you up?” He asks, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Sorry.”

“What are you doing? It’s like three in the morning?” Izuku rubs his eyes and folds his arms. “Come back to bed.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I’m just… so full of energy.” His tail swishes. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I need to do something.”

“I - okay.” Izuku eyes him carefully. “Did you hear that crash?”

“Yeah, that was me.” He stiffens again, embarrassed. “I knocked the lamp off the coffee table.”

“What?!”

Shouto jumps, hair floofing ever so slightly when he does. “It was an accident. I’ll clean it up.”

Izuku stares at his boyfriend seriously for a few seconds before he falls into another small fit of laughter. “You’re really becoming more and more cat like every hour!”

“I know.” His eyes go wide again. “I think I know how cats feel now.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah. I’m not myself right now.” He huffs. “But I can’t help it. I laid on the floor and played with that springy thing that stops the door from hitting the wall for thirty minutes earlier. It was just so… entertaining.”

“How long have you been awake?” Izuku yawns. “I guess I’m not surprised, you napped for hours earlier.”

“An hour, maybe a little more?” Shouto steps closer to Izuku. “Do you want to stay up with me for a little while?”

“I-” He sighs, “I guess, sure. I’m already awake.”

“Awesome!” Shouto yells - that takes Izuku by surprise but his boyfriend is grabbing his hand and dragging him into the living room before he has time to say anything about it. “I want to show you the springy thing.” 

Izuku laughs. “I’ve seen it, Sho.”

“But you haven’t, not really .” He stops next to the front door and drops to his knees, tugging Izuku down with him. “Watch.” He pulls it back one direction and watches it set off bouncing and wobbling, eyes going even wider than before. Izuku is more entertained watching Shouto’s reactions more than the spring itself. Before it can stop moving Shouto bats at it again and looks over at Izuku expectantly. “See?”

Izuku gives a small laugh, humoring him. “Yeah, I can totally see how entertaining this is. Hours of fun.”

Shouto frowns at him, bristling a little. “You’re making fun of me.” 

“What - no!” Izuku raises his hands in surrender. 

“Yeah you are.” Shouto turns his head stubbornly. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone then.”

“Sho?” Midoriya asks, so confused by these mood swings. “Sho, come on.” Todoroki has very pointedly turned away from his boyfriend, arms crossed and nose turned up. He’d rather stare at a wall right now! “Sho!” Midoriya whines. “Hey, come on.” A determined look crosses his face and he walks closer on his knees. “Fine, I’ll play your game.” He puts a hand on top of Shouto’s head and the bi-color-haired man flinches just slightly. 

“What are you doing?”

“Petting you!” He curves his fingers and scratches Shouto’s head just a little. “That’s how you get a real cat to stop pouting.”

“I’m not-” He stops, growing embarrassed when he realizes he is in fact purring again, enjoying the head scratches. “I hate you.”

“Aw, you like that, huh?” Izuku laughs and ups the ante just a bit, scratching hard towards the base of his boyfriend’s new ears. “Who’s a good kitty!”

“S-Stop.” Todoroki whines but there is no conviction in it, the closer Izuku gets to the ear the better it feels. His tail swishes and the ear twitches a few times. “Izu,” he says softly, “oh my God.” He pushes his head further into Izuku’s hand.

“Oh, now you’re done pouting, huh?” He laughs again and sits back on his heels.

Shouto turns to face him, beet red and more embarrassed than he’s ever been in his entire life. “We are never talking about this again when it’s over.”

“We’ll see.” His boyfriend smirks.

“I mean it.”

Izuku hums playfully and then gets to his feet. “Come on, since we’re up I’ll make breakfast. What do you want?”

“I’m craving fish.” He frowns, also getting to his feet.

“Of course you are.” Izuku rolls his eyes. “What did I expect? Would you like some milk too?”

“Shut up.” The two of them enter the small kitchenette and Shouto takes up a seat on one of the two barstools at the counter.

“I’m kidding. Adult cats are actually lactose intolerant, you know.” He laughs and starts gathering ingredients - some frozen grilled tilapia, eggs, and rice - a humble but filling breakfast. “Considering your current condition, I’m going to say you’re not allowed to help cook.”

“What?” 

“Curiosity killed the cat.” Izuku tuts.

“I’m not a cat.” Shouto huffs, looking indignant once again.

“You are right now!” He gathers a couple pans and sets to work cooking up breakfast. “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, Sho, I’m sorry. You are seeming very sensitive right now, though,” he chuckles a little, “it’s very out of character for you.”

“Like I said, I can’t help it.”

“I know. And it’s cute. A nice change of… I don’t know, the norm?” He ponders, cracking a few eggs into one of the pans.

“You think I’m boring normally?” Shouto frowns.

“No! No no no, of course not! I love you just how you are but it’s just funny and cute to see you acting so silly.” Midoriya looks back at him. “I like it too. I guess I just like all versions of you.” 

Todoroki blushes just slightly at this, Izuku was the one who was usually easily flustered but sometimes he said sweet things that made the other turn red. It made Shouto feel good to know that even in such a weird situation he was still loved but damn if it wasn’t mortifying. He didn’t like wearing his feelings on his sleeves so openly - especially when those feelings were being so coy and standoffish! He isn’t normally like this! Shouto knows how to keep a cool head and think things through but like this? He just feels so disoriented and everything is a distraction. 

“Hey?” Midoriya waves a hand in front of his face slightly, pulling him out of his spaced-out state of mind. “Food.” He sets the plate down in front of him with a small click. “It isn’t much and I’m sure the rice is not great but it’s three in the morning, I’m not all the way up yet.”

Shouto looks up at him briefly and then down at the plate, the smell of the food - especially the fish - filling his nostrils in a way that food has never done before. “I’m sure it’s fine. It smells so good.” And he realizes just how hungry he’s been, his stomach grumbling a little as he picks up his fork - only now realizing his fingernails have grown out some. Claws?

Izuku sits down beside him and starts on his own food. “What were you thinking about?”

“Huh?” He answers, mouth full.

“You were zoned out for awhile there.”

“It didn’t seem like that long to me.” Shouto shrugs. “Guess that’s just another cat thing.”

Izuku nods. “That’s true, cats do seem to just stare off into space sometimes, don’t they?”

The two of them eat in a mostly comfortable silence, aside from Shouto briefly apologizing again for waking his boyfriend and Izuku reassuring him that it’s totally okay. After they’re done, Izuku goes to clean up, only rinsing the dishes and mentally making a note to wash them later, before returning to the living room with Shouto.

“You know who we should talk to while you’re like this?” He says as he squeezes into the spot beside Todoroki on the couch, laying his head on his boyfriend's thigh and closing his eyes.

“Who?” Shouto asks, quirking an eyebrow, “I’d really rather not have a lot of people knowing about this.”

“Aizawa.” Midoriya hums. “He’s basically a cat expert, right? I bet he could explain away some of your more random imp-”

Speak of the devil.

Midoriya opens an eye to Shouto curiously placing a hand on his cheek. His boyfriend is mostly expressionless but when he realizes what he’s done he snatches his hand back.

“Sorry, I don’t know why I did that. Your mouth was just moving and I-” He shakes his head.

Izuku laughs. “Hang on, I have an idea.” He sits up and goes to their bedroom to look for something, leaving Shouto to sit on the couch alone and simmer in his own embarrassment. Midoriya takes a few minutes to return but when he does he laughs a little before dangling something in front of his boyfriend’s face. 

“What are you-” He asks, but the impulse outweighs the common sense and he reaches for the piece of yarn. Izuku jerks it back at the last second and then repeats the process. Shouto’s eyes go wide as he realizes what’s happening - Izuku is playing with him! He is absolutely horrified at this but… at the same time that yarn does look kind of fun, doesn’t it? He moves to grab it again, Izuku again pulling it away.

“You’re going to have to try harder than that kitty-cat!” Izuku laughs. “Do you want it or not?”

“Stop!” Shouto whines but continues batting for and trying to grab the string. “I do want it.” 

“Come on then.” He jerks the yarn back again and waves it around. “Come get it.”

“Izuku this is so stupid.” He says but continues playing along. “I hate you so much right now.”

“I can tell.” He smiles and then pulls the string back and hides it behind himself. “Where did it go?!”

Todoroki’s eyes go wider than before and he looks around frantically. “You-” He growls and pounces, now he’s the one pinning Izuku backwards onto the couch, reaching for the hand behind his back and snatching the string. “ Mine. ” 

Izuku cracks up and smiles up at his boyfriend. “Okay, okay. You got it. You can have it.” 

Shouto scowls down at the green-haired man before pinning his other hand above his head. “You’re so mean.”

“I was just trying to play with you!” 

“Yeah, well.” He sticks out his tongue. “I got the string so I won.”

“I conceded.” Izuku nods. “You’re the one still obsessed with it.”

“Shut up .” Shouto huffs and leans down to kiss his boyfriend - an attempt to get him to shut up but also his smug little face was looking entirely too cute like that. Izuku can’t help but laugh into the kiss, which causes Todoroki to pull back. “What? What’s funny?”

“Just you.” He grins. “I think you’ve got the zoomies.”

Chapter Text

“Give it to me.” Shouto hisses, ears flat against his head. “I’m serious.” He has his boyfriend pinned to the floor, straddling his stomach with one knee firmly on his chest and one hand above his head, holding his wrist in place. Shouto’s other hand is outheld expectantly, waiting.

“I’m sorry, Sho!” Izuku laughs and concedes, handing over the little metal object with his also-free hand. “You’re just so funny like this.”

Shouto rolls his eyes and snatches the laser pointer from Izuku’s hand. “You’re making a fool out of me.” 

“It isn’t hard to do.” Izuku hums contemplatively and then smirks up at his boyfriend when he frowns. “Get off me, you big baby.”

“Hmph.” Shouto lets go of Izuku’s hand and rises from his position.

Izuku sits up and rubs his chest, the space where Shouto’s knee had just been aching slightly. “You have to admit that was kinda funny, huh?”

“If you don’t delete the video I will freeze your phone solid.” He looks down at Izuku, brow twitching and ears still pushed back, annoyed. “I mean it Izu.”

Izuku frowns, “Really?”

“Really.” 

“But -”

“ Please. ” Todoroki pleads, stepping back a little, his expression softening. “It’s one thing for you to see me like this and think it’s cute but it’s embarrassing to think about other people seeing it.”

“I wasn’t going to send it to anyone!” He argues but not in genuine. He’s already moving to delete it. “It was for my eyes only, a fond memory.”

Shouto huffs and holds out a hand to help Izuku up off the floor. “Thank you.”

Izuku takes his hand and is pulled to his feet. “Why are you so embarrassed anyway? You’re usually not the type.”

“I honestly think it’s another cat side effect… I’ve just got this overwhelming feeling of indignance in my chest, you know, like a cat.” He frowns again, this time playfully.

A laugh can’t help but escape Izuku’s lips before he leans in to kiss the scowl off of his boyfriend’s face. “I get it. I’m sorry for bullying you.” Shouto just hums in response, leaning to return the kiss, and then return it again… and again. The two of them topple onto the couch in a fit of short, gentle kisses that slowly turn into more passionate ones, the lingering thought of purely for experimental purposes on Izuku’s mind, but alas…

They are yanked from their closeness by Izuku’s phone sounding an alarm that makes Shouto jump and lay his ears back again. “Turn it off!” He cries with a cat-like hiss.

“I am, I am.” Izuku fumbles out from under his boyfriend and grabs his phone off of the coffee table, swiping to cancel the alarm but sighing as he does. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Hero stuff?”

“Yeah.” Izuku confirms and stands, he isn’t annoyed by his hero duties but man they could be inconvenient sometimes. Like right now. When he was so close to -

“Good luck.” Shouto gives him a quick kiss. “I’ll probably take a nap.”

Izuku chuckles. “Of course you will, kitty-cat. I’ll be home soon.” He gives Shouto a quick playful scratch behind his ear before going to get changed into his suit.

It’s not long after Izuku is gone that Shouto is fast asleep on the couch, curled into a tighter position than he would sleep under normal circumstances. His tail waves idly until he falls into a deeper slumber and all that can be heard in the quiet apartment is the soft purr of his snores. 

Meanwhile, Izuku is finding himself face-to-face with the same man that put Shouto in this awkward position. He can’t help but let an annoyed groan escape his mouth as he dodges a haptic beam of yellow light. “Zookeeper!” He yells. “How did you get out!?”

“If it isn’t the hero who couldn’t stop laughing!” The Zookeeper hollers in delight. “I wonder if it will be so funny when it happens to you!” He fires off another beam that Izuku evades easily. “Hold still, my little pet, stop hopping around!”

“As if!” He retorts and goes in for a firm (but controlled) punch to the Zookeeper’s jaw. “This time you’re going to jail and staying there!”

“Is what I’m doing really so wrong!?” He asks, sounding deranged and recovering from the punch without much issue, only slightly annoyed that Izuku has him by the collar of his shirt. “You yourself thought it was funny when I did it to your friend!”

“You're causing chaos! You’re doing this to unwilling people.” Izuku frowns. “There is such a thing as consent, you know?”

“Oh?” The Zookeeper ponders. “Well then tell me this, hero Deku, do you consent?”

“Huh-” But it’s too late, Izuku was distracted and didn’t notice The Zookeeper put a hand up to his chest. Before he can react a beam of sharp, yellow light fires through him and engulfs his entire being. Ow. He’s thrown back, slamming into a brick wall and crumbling some of the masonry as he slides down it. Izuku inhales a sharp breath before trying to stand, but the proximity of the blast and the impact of the wall works against him and blackness feathers the edge of his vision. He barely manages to stay awake long enough to hear The Zookeeper cackling at his expense.

The next thing Izuku hears is the faint sound of sirens buzzing somewhere in the distance and -

“ Oi. ” He is nudged in the side with somebody’s heavy boot. “Deku, fucking wake up.” All Izuku can muster is a pained groan before his eyes finally flutter open and he sees Bakugo towering above him. “Nice going idiot.” Bakugo snorts.

“Kacchan?” He says, head still spinning.

“You got got by that dumbass villain.” He holds out a hand to help Izuku up. “You look stupid as hell.”

“I- what? The Zookeeper?” Recognition comes flooding back to him and his eyes go wide. “Oh God.”

Bakugo lets out a sharp, quick laugh as he hauls Izuku to his feet. “Aren’t you supposed to be the number one hero, Deku? How’d you get hit by such a lame quirk.” 

Izuku grimaces, “Is it bad?”

“Well…”

Shouto is pulled from his nap by the sound of the front door opening, Izuku coming inside and looking utterly defeated. It takes Shouto a second to understand why in his sleepiness, but as soon as he does, a smile cracks across his face.

“Don’t. Say. A. Word.” Izuku says weakly, bunny ears drooping and tail twitching slightly.