Chapter Text
You’d only been working at UA for a few weeks when a stray shot of some villain’s quirk hit you as you sipped your coffee on the way to school. You didn’t even notice anything amiss, with your headphones in, blasting music at a deafening volume. Small puffs of smoke rose in the sky a couple streets away, you ignored it. I’m sure some hero will take care of it, you thought. With your own quirk, you were invincible.
You’d almost made it to the teacher’s workroom when your head started itching, badly. You frantically looked around, making sure no students were in sight, then rigorously scratched your head. A sudden case of lice? Is that how that works? Before you could hit the spot, something sharp nicked your scalp.
“Ouch!” You looked down at your hand. Your fingers elongated into claws. Two feline ears popped out the top of your head, where it itched the most, and you felt your nose twitch as whiskers grew.
“What the heck?”
You looked down and almost jumped out of your skin when you saw a tail curling around your feet. You looked around to see if someone was around to help. (There wasn’t. You were going to have to figure this out on your own.) Having no idea what to do, your items slipped from your hands (your precious $5 coffee!) and sprinted to the infirmary. Recovery Girl would be able to fix this, right?
Just as you pulled the sliding doors open, you shuddered as fur sprouted all over your body and your spine elongated, forcing you onto your knees.
You were now a tiger.
That stupid online quiz of “what type of animal are you” had not prepared you for this.
Thankfully, Recovery Girl had seen the final phase of your transformation.
“Oh dear,” she said. “Let’s get you to Principal Nezu.”
How are you so calm? You wanted to yell, but looked at her with an exasperated face. Can’t you fix this?
“No, I don’t think I can fix this,” she said, as if reading your mind. “I could try, but I’m not getting any younger. What will happen to the children if I get too tired out and someone gets injured?”
You rolled your eyes but didn’t have a sarcastic reply to that sound logic. You had a soft spot for class 1A, not that you would ever tell them that.
Recovery Girl waited with you outside Principal Nezu’s office. You could hear the television running inside; the news was playing. Your tail swung back and forth in agitation as you sat back on your haunches.
Finally, the door opened. Principal Nezu blinked slowly at you. His fur bristled slightly, and he passed a hand over the top of his head to smooth his hair down.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Minutes later, you and Recovery Girl were sitting on the plush leather chairs in the Principal’s office as he finished brewing a pot of tea. You looked around, bewildered. Hello?? What is going on here? Is anyone going to turn me back? He placed a cup in front of each of you.
“I’ll take the liberty of adding milk for you,” he said to you. “Sugar?”
All that came out of your throat was a garbled sound, akin to a croak. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”
You lapped at your teacup, trying to be as proper as you could in this form. Principal Nezu steepled his fingers under his chin, a look so serious in deliberation as it strikingly opposed the cushion he was using as a booster seat.
“Ah, so this is not a case of an animal manifesting a quirk. What a pity.” You looked at him sharply. A pity? You couldn’t catch your breath, and the itch had spread over your entire body.
“I apologize. I did not intend to appear unsympathetic,” he said.
He held a hand above your head. “May I?” You bowed your head, and he gently patted it. “There, there.” It had been a long time since anyone had touched you, and you were surprised when you didn’t mind it too much.
“If it’s quirk-related, I’m sure it’ll resolve itself in a few days,” Nezu said. “These things usually don’t last very long. Would you like to stay on campus or return home for a couple days off? Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to make your way home alone. If someone were to see you, they’d likely assume you were a wild animal. Sentient animals are quite rare.” He winced, the eye with a scar running over it twitching.
It must be lonely. Again, you tried sounding out a word, but your vocal cords refused to communicate. You licked his face.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ once more,” He chuckled. “Come on, let’s get you to the teachers’ lounge. I’ll inform the other instructors, and as long as you stay on campus, you should be fine. With all of us looking out for you, you will be safe until this wears off.”
He hopped of his cushion and made his way to the door. You followed as well, stopping to lick Recovery Girl’s face on your way out.
“You’re not a dog, silly girl,” she said. You huffed in response.
“Yes, thank you Recovery Girl for bringing this to my attention. Rest assured that this situation will be taken care of.”
“You’re in good hands with him,” Recovery Girl said to you. She lightly bonked your head with her cane, and your eyes crossed with surprise. “If you need anything else, come by the infirmary. That’s where I’ll be.”
As Principal Nezu patiently waited for you to make your way over the threshold so he could lock his office behind you, you remembered the image of him sitting in Yagi-sensei’s lap. They had looked so close. It’s not like you were jealous, but the Principal was in such a high position of authority, that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to butter him up just a little (although it was beneath you to suck up. You would never stoop to that level.)Being an animal with such a high IQ must be lonely at times. It couldn’t hurt to play nice.
You laid your head flat on the ground, paws on either side. You nudged Principal Nezu’s small foot with your head and indicated to him that he climb up on your back.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked.
You chuffed.
“Alright. All aboard!” He laughed at his joke, and you rolled your eyes. He respectfully climbed on your back, and you straightened up. How do you like me now? It was as though you were escorting him, not vice versa.
Let’s see what the other teachers have to say about this.