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“Good evening, this is MHA News, channel six. Breaking news! A villain terrorized downtown this afternoon, turning our community into a real zoo. Hundreds of pedestrians downtown were struck by her quirk, which transforms a human being into an animal. Thanks to our local Heroes, the villain has been apprehended, and only minor injuries have been reported. Victims are clear to return home until the effects wear off.
And now, for the weather.”
It was after dinner, and the common room in UA’s Heights dormitory was in utter chaos.
The flurry of excitement circled the coffee table in front of the couch, where class 1-A swarmed in a cacophony of noise and movement. At the center of it all sat Izuku, who was currently the size of a loaf of bread -- and also a rabbit.
“I’m so glad that you aren’t hurt,” said Uraraka, crouching to peer at him from his level. “That must have been scary.”
Hagakure giggled invisibly. “I can’t believe how cute he is!”
“He’s green,” said Kaminari, who was recording his umpteenth TikTok.
“Look at his puffy little tail,” said Dark Shadow admiringly. He loomed over the crowd like an ominous black beach umbrella.
“It’s the ears for me,” said one of Shouji’s ancillary mouths. “They’re floppy.”
“Let's not talk about him like he isn't here,” said Yaoyorozu before anyone else could put in their two cents. "He isn't a pet."
It’s okay , Izuku wanted to say, but instead what came out was a high pitched grunt.
There was a collective pause.
Ururaka’s face turned pink. Jirou pursed her lips. Kaminari made a noise like a balloon slowly letting out air, accompanied by a pterodactyl screech from Hagakure. Aoyama gave in, chortling in French, and that broke the dam and the room filled with a chorus of delighted laughter.
Even Tokoyami gave a baritone chuckle, swiping a hand over his beak. “What an unfortunate predicament. My sympathies, Midoriya.”
“So manly!” Kirishima said, flexing his bicep supportively.
“Just what about this situation is manly?” asked Jirou.
“Are you feeling okay, ribbit?” asked Asui, squatting next to Ururaka. “I’m sorry you got caught in that.”
Izuku was sorry, too.
Just a few hours ago he had been minding his own business returning from a visit home. Then a villainess appeared on top of a traffic light and announced herself as Kingdom Animalia. She advocated for increased animal rights -- a point that Izuku agreed with -- but then emphasized her stance by transforming three city blocks of pedestrians into a panicking zoo of fur, feathers, and scales, which Izuku agreed with less.
The police and heroes worked together to prevent a stampede and apprehend the villain. The rest was a blur. Izuku's mother was notified, Recovery Girl gave him the all-clear, and Aizawa dropped him off at the dorms, informing Izuku that his attendance was mandatory the next day.
So there he was.
He would just have to wait it out.
“Midoriya?” said Sero from his spot on the couch, ever mellow. “You in there, bud?”
Izuku sat on his haunches, swaying, and turned his head to look at Sero properly. He could see completely around his body, except for a blind spot in front of his nose. He nodded.
The room erupted into laughter again and, horrifyingly, a smattering of applause.
“Oh, goodness,” murmured Yaoyorozu. “Aizawa says that we should help him until the quirk wears off. Midoriya, have you had dinne--”
Ashido blurted out an accidental interruption. “OH! I have an idea! Why don’t we introduce Midoriya to your bunny, Kouda?”
Kouda wrung his hands. “I don’t know… Maybe we should give him some space?”
Oh.
Ooh, that whispery voice was like velvet to Izuku’s lapine ears. Now he understood why animals liked Kouda. He dropped to all fours and took a step closer, but his legs got tangled and he stumbled.
Hagakure cooed like a baby had fallen over. “Look at him! He’s trying to hop.”
Izuku shook off a frisson of irritation.
He liked Hagakure, but he didn’t appreciate being treated like he was a pet. Izuku worked hard to earn the respect of his peers. The last thing he wanted was to be a bunny rabbit and risk undoing all that hard social work. He was ready to be back in his own body, pronto.
The sliding doors opened and in came the two people Izuku least wanted to see. Kacchan and Todoroki were often seen arriving late after their remedial training, to get their provisional licenses. The crowd perked up, everyone speaking at once as the newcomers toed off their shoes.
“Kacchan! You’ve got to come see this!” called Kaminari, yelling over everyone else. He hip checked Kirishima to make room.
"Don't call me that, Dunce Face," grunted Kacchan, wrestling with his duffel bag. Todoroki came over first. Izuku sank into a pancake, pinning his ears back resignedly.
He would never live this down.
“Oh.” said Todoroki. He blinked at Izuku. His red and white hair was sticking to his cheek in silken wisps, the only indication that he had recently finished working out. “You’re a guinea pig now.”
“He’s a rabbit,” said Jirou, giving Todoroki a weird look.
“Guinea pigs don’t have big ears,” said Ojiro, from where he was valiantly attempting to read their homework assignment. “They’re smaller.”
“And a totally different species,” said Jirou.
“Dude,” said Kaminari. “It’s like you haven’t even seen an animal before.”
“Oh,” said Todoroki.
“What the hell?” demanded Kacchan, dropping his backpack to slouch over.
No. Izuku couldn’t do this. Why was this happening to him?
“... Holy shit,” snickered Kacchan.
Izuku looked for an escape route.
“Right?” grinned Kirishima, oblivious to the mocking note in Kacchan’s voice. He slung an arm over Kacchan’s broad shoulders. “It’s wild! Did you catch the news?”
“Yeah,” said Kacchan, staring at Izuku without sympathy. “Heard a UA student got hit by that two-bit villain’s quirk.”
“Don’t be mean, Bakugou. It’s not Midoriya’s fault! And he’s cute!” Ururaka bravely defended, but that only made Izuku sound extra pathetic. Kacchan melted into a nasty cackle. Izuku buried his face in his paws.
“Figures shitty Deku got turned into a bunny rabbit by a villain as lame as that!” said Kacchan.
“Aww, bro, don’t be like– hold on, Kaminari!” said Kirishima.
A spark of static electricity ruffled through Izuku’s fur, sharp and fast, and he squeaked and sprang away – but rabbits are known for their jumps, and Izuku was not known for being a rabbit. He slammed into Todoroki’s chest like a flailing salmon.
“Oof,” said Todoroki.
Once his body got started it was like he couldn’t stop, instinct zinging along Izuku’s spine like an invisible puppeteer, making him parkour off of Sero’s shoulder and onto a slippery pile of magazines on the table – which he shot right off of like an Olympian skier gunning for gold. There was a round of concerned gasps; a gauntlet of juggling hands flew out to rescue him.
Iida snatched him, lifting him triumphantly like baby Simba. Someone clapped.
“Kaminari, what the heck,” said Ashido. “You hurt him! He could have died!”
“Let’s not catastrophize,” said Yaoyorozu.
“I didn't mean to!” yelped Kaminari, looking vaguely panicked. “I just wanted to feel his fur. C’mon, Midoriya, I’m sorry.”
Swinging from Iida’s hands, bereft of dignity, Izuku glared down at Kaminari, who sat on his butt and scooted closer. He looked genuinely contrite. It was hard to stay mad at him, because Kaminari stimmed on just about anything that had a fluffy texture. Heck, Ojiro had given up trying to defend the puff on the end of his tail at this point.
Relenting, Izuku slipped out of Iida’s grip (and fell on the carpet, dusting himself off). He sat on his haunches before his classmate and waved his paw in a ‘don’t worry about it’ way.
Everyone aww’d. Kaminari’s face went from guilty to delighted. “Dude, look at his little face!”
Guys, stop making this weirder than it has to be!
“Everyone, focus!” chopped Iida, who was himself not particularly focused. “That’s enough! He may be as cute as a button, with fur as velvety as a baby seal’s, and eyes like two shiny buttons that, I confess, remind me of my childhood stuffie Engine-chan… but he is still our respected classmate. Let Midoriya go about his evening!”
“Engine-chan?” wondered Ururaka.
“Is there anything we can do for you?” asked Tokoyami politely.
Izuku considered this. He was hungry, but time spent in the kitchen as a rabbit would almost certainly turn into a sitcom. He could live without dinner. He pointed to his backpack and then pointed at the stairs.
“Somebody needs to let him into his room,” interpreted Tsuyu.
“I’ll do it,” interjected Kacchan, of all people.
Everyone’s head snapped up in surprise.
Kacchan sneered. “What? You losers are being all loud, freaking him out. He’s got sensitive ears. C’mon, Deku.”
He grabbed Izuku’s backpack and sloped away. Izuku hesitated. He could hear Yaoyorozu whispering something about rabbit safe food. Ashido was haranguing Kouda about his pet. If he stuck around in this crowd, Izuku would ping-pong back and forth until he collapsed from social and physical exhaustion.
He went after Kacchan, taking the stairs two at a time and feeling the vibration of the floor under Kacchan’s feet. Kacchan had not always been a stomper. He was actually a graceful person, naturally light footed with those insane combat reflexes. He chose to walk like an angry elephant.
Kacchan was amazing, but he was silly sometimes.
They came to Izuku’s room, and Kacchan paused. Izuku cocked his head to the side. What?
“You look dumb,” he said finally.
Izuku sighed. So much for a moment of connection. He glared at the dirt-smudged jamb of the door until it opened, weaving through Kacchan’s feet to get inside first as Kacchan flicked on the overhead light and tossed Izuku’s backpack on the bed. Izuku jumped after it, zinging way higher than he intended and nearly braining himself on the wall.
“Are you kidding? You’re so bad at being alive,” Kacchan muttered.
Izuku ignored that observation in favor of unzipping his backpack with his chunky white teeth. He had to shove himself halfway into the darn thing to get a grip on his textbook. They had assigned reading tomorrow.
“Seriously?” said Kacchan, feline eyes slitted with amusement. “You turned into a stuffed toy and you wanna do homework?”
Oh.
He had a point.
It wasn’t like Aizawa would call on him tomorrow if he was still stuck like this, unable to talk. Things were not normal, and there wasn’t any point to pretending there was. Izuku let go of his book sadly. If he had a human face, he would be tearing up.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” said Kacchan. “Don’t be a baby.”
Izuku sniffled.
He couldn’t do his homework, and he was hungry, and secretly he kind of had to poop a little but didn’t know if he could balance on the toilet without falling in. Emotional regulation as a rabbit was hard. He might as well go to sleep early and pray to transform overnight.
After a moment the bed sank.
“It’s seven forty-five,” said Kacchan, checking his phone. “What’re you gonna do with the rest of the night?”
I have no idea, thought Izuku, watching as Kacchan replied to texts. He wondered if he had any texts too. He toothed his phone out of a bag pocket and slapped it until the screen turned on. He put his paw on the fingerprint recognition.
No luck.
Kacchan snickered. Izuku slammed his face into the duvet, counting backwards from ten in English. He couldn’t read. Couldn’t do his homework. Couldn’t use the bathroom. Couldn’t do things on his phone. He couldn’t even eat dinner, and that was the real tragedy. Thinking about dinner made his stomach growl.
Loud. Kacchan looked up from his phone with a raised eyebrow, then did a double take.
“Ugh. Stop looking at me like that,” he said.
Izuku kept looking at him like that.
“I let you in your room, what else do you want?” he said, inching away uncomfortably.
Izuku inched after him, perking his heavy lop ears as far as they would go.
“There aren’t words to describe how freakin’ dumb you look right now. What the hell do you want?”
Izuku patted his own stomach.
Kacchan pinched the bridge of his nose.
Izuku batted his eyelashes, channeling his inner Disney character.
“Eew. Fine. I’ll get you food, but you’ll have to wait until after I shower. Keep up or I’m locking you out,” snapped Kacchan.
Sure thing! Izuku clicked his teeth. It was interesting how his body did certain behaviors on autopilot like that. He walked off the edge of the bed and hit the ground hard enough to make a noise like a squeaky toy.
Kacchan laughed then, a big sharp-edged sound that made something warm bloom inside Izuku’s ribs, like tea leaves unfurling in hot water. He missed that sound, enough that he wasn’t mad when Kacchan pushed him over with a socked foot. Izuku pretended to bite him and Kacchan power walked out the door, trying to dribble Izuku like a soccer ball as Izuku tripped him up by weaving angrily between his feet.
They passed Aoyama coming down the stairs, holding a small plate of brie like a waiter, which he nearly dropped in surprise. “Oh la la! Qu’est-ce que c’est ça? Un moment de camaraderie improbable?”
“Piss off,” said Kacchan. Aoyama pranced away in French, unbothered.
Kacchan! thought Izuku, but he was distractedly eager to see Kacchan’s dorm room. He bounced up and down on his hind paws impatiently, huffing when Kacchan nudged him with his foot.
“Ground rules, fluffball. One, don’t touch anything. Two, don’t poop anywhere–”
Izuku thumped his foot in indignant horror. He wasn’t an animal!
“-- and three, are you gonna come with, or do you want to stay here?”
Izuku had already made up his mind. Kitchen time was not worth another mosh pit. He shook his head ‘no’.
“Yeah, yeah. You don’t want to be around those loud extras, either. Makes me want to take out my hearing aids,” grumped Kacchan.
He was diagnosed as hard of hearing earlier that year, and now sported cool black hearing aids with orange X’s on them to match his hero costume. He owned his disability with the same ferocity he did everything else in his life, which made Izuku’s admiration burn all the brighter. Kacchan was amazing.
“I’ll get you something, dumb Deku.”
Rough phrasing or not, Kacchan was doing a sweet thing and if Izuku’s cheeks could smile they would be like two little apples.
And thus Izuku was left to his own devices in Kacchan’s room.
It was disappointingly minimalist; a bed, some plants, a bookshelf, a working desk. The place was obsessively clean with only a shelf of All Might paraphernalia high where Izuku could not reach, which was a shame because he was pretty sure he saw a limited edition Silver Age All Might figurine still in the box. There was a yoga mat rolled neatly in one corner with a set of dumbbells and a giant potted plant that Izuku recognized as having once been in the Bakugous’ living room when they were kids.
It looked delicious.
Izuku braved the attached bathroom, finding the experience easier than he expected. The hardest part was rinsing all of the soap out of his paws. When he was done, he went back into the room to hop onto the bed. It was made to military perfection, duvet tucked properly and pillow plumped.
Ooh.
It smelled good, like Kacchan. Burnt caramel nitroglycerin and something crisp and masculine from his shampoo. Izuku took the corner of the pillowcase in his mouth and started chewing. The fabric felt good on his blocky teeth, and he enjoyed the way threads popped and made satisfying ripping sounds.
This was good stuff.
Something about the rhythmic gnawing lulled Izuku into a dozy haze, head nodding forward into a slow face plant. What was he doing there again? Was time a concept that was relevant to rabbits? By the time he heard Kacchan’s familiar stomps returning in the hall, Izuku had eaten a full corner off of the pillow and was drooling into the ruff of his own fur. He jerked to his feet, spitting out the forbidden snack and flying to make it seem like he was chilling on the floor.
Kacchan kicked open the door. He had two bowls in his hands, one overflowing with something spicy enough to make Izuku’s whiskers curl, and one piled with salad.
Izuku sat on his haunches and waved his paws cutely. Kacchan grimaced. “Gross.”
Kacchan is a dick , Izuku thought.
Kacchan plopped the second bowl in front of him. It was a salad without dressing, but Kacchan did nothing by halves, and it was beautiful. A bone-deep animal instinct reared up within him demanding eat, eat, eat! Dewy fresh lettuce, crunchy chopped veg, berries plump enough to pop. Where did he get ingredients this fresh? Izuku’s eyes sparkled. He licked his chops, which made the corner of Kacchan’s mouth twitch.
Kacchan is the best, Izuku thought.
“It’s not like I have freakin’ hay in the pantry or anything, so you’ll just have to make do,” Kacchan said, defensive like he hadn’t just presented Izuku with a mini Michelen salad.
He sank to the floor and sat cross-legged with his tongue-melting curry in one hand, flipping open a textbook with the other and setting it on the edge of the bed to multitask. Izuku was too hungry to be embarrassed about eating off the ground like a pet. He shoved his entire head in his dinner and proceeded to vacuum clean the entire bowl. As he chowed, he felt Kacchan’s gaze on his back.
“Snrk. It’s just salad. Like it that much, huh? You still don’t know how to cook, dumb Deku?” he said over a bite of curry.
Kacchan is a dick again , Izuku thought, chasing after the final blueberry, scooting across the carpet until Kacchan automatically grabbed the bowl to steady it. Izuku munched the berry and sat back, wiping his paws clean on the carpet. God that hit the spot.
Was it his imagination, or did Kacchan chuckle? No, he was probably just blowing the steam off his curry, which he slowly ate while reading their school work. Blissed out after dinner, Izuku flopped on his belly and watched as Kacchan slowly forgot he was there. He was handsome when he wasn’t contorting his face into gremlin expressions. A black muscle tank inadvertently showcased his absurdly built upper body, broad shoulders tapering to a tiny nipped in waist that was made to be held– oh, nope nope nope , that’s enough of that line of thought.
Time to take an after dinner constitutional.
Izuku got up and slowly hopped around the perimeter of the room. On the floor, he noticed things that he never would see in his human form. The carpet was spotless, for one. Two, he could peruse the bottom shelf of the bookcase. Izuku positioned his head to read the titles. Kacchan had a combination of nonfiction and comics – and, oh my god, Kacchan actually had a copy of the award-winning All Might book: I Am Here: Essays on the Symbol of Peace .
Any fan worth their salt swarmed to get a copy, but the book sold out over and over again and Izuku had long since despaired. Even All Might himself didn’t have a copy. Izuku knew this for a fact. He asked.
Izuku slipped his paw into the bookshelf to dig it out–
“Don’t even think about it,” said Kacchan, flipping the page without looking.
Izuku reluctantly let go. He didn’t want to lose the privilege of being in Kacchan’s room. He stomped to the middle of the room and flung himself onto his belly, stretching out as far as he could go, until his spine arched in a long rabbity line. With nothing else to do, Izuku was getting sleepy again.
Being a rabbit was exhausting.
He must have nodded off at some point because pressure against his cheek woke him. Izuku jerked awake to Kacchan squatting over him, flicking his cheek gently; it was more of a poke than an actual flick.
“Shitty Deku. I’m going to bed. Get out.”
Izuku did not want to get out. The hallway was bright and loud, and in here it was calm and dim. Maybe, just maybe, Kacchan would let him..?
“Absolutely not,” said Kacchan. “Try it and I’ll be handing out lucky rabbit’s paws tomorrow.”
Izuku pancaked. He wondered if he could fit under the bed.
“No,” snapped Kacchan, pissed, and the next thing Izuku knew he was being tossed out into the hall by his scruff, door rattling shut behind him. He skidded halfway to the elevator on his fluffy ass, and there he sat, berating himself that his first opinion of that treatment was wow, Kacchan picked me up!
Kacchan’s hands were rough and warm and smelled like dessert. Izuku looked around. The hallway was empty, but most of the dorm rooms were left open a crack. There was an unspoken understanding amongst 1-A that open doors meant the occupant was receptive to spontaneous visitors.
Hmm. Might as well.
Izuku followed the scent of antiperspirant and protein powder next door. He peeked inside and saw that Kirishima was lifting weights and singing along to music in his earbuds.
“ It’s about drive, it’s about power, we stay hungry, we devour, ” Kirishima chanted. “ We put in the work, put in the hou– ”
Izuku sneezed a giggle.
“-- Oh, hey Midoriya! Aww, you surprised me little dude. So tiny and manly. You want to come in?”
Izuku shook his head. He didn’t want to interrupt Kirishima’s workout, and his rabbit nose was sensitive to, uh, smells.
“Suit yourself!” said Kirishima cheerily, unoffended. He flashed his wonderful sharky smile and went back to pumping iron and idolizing the Rock.
Izuku continued down the hall, past Shouji’s closed door, and then he heard voices coming from the stairwell.
“He’s not in his room, I checked,” said Hagakure. “Tokoyami says he didn’t see him leave the building, so he’s probably up here somewhere.”
What?
“Um, maybe we should just… let him have his space?” suggested Kouda.
“No way!” chirped Ashido, pattering on the steps signaling her ascent. “We’ve got to introduce him to your bunny. It’ll be cool. He’s going to love it!”
No! No, he is not going to love it! Why did they think that Izuku would be interested in interacting with a real life rabbit? Just because he was stuck as one didn’t mean he actually was one.
He raced up the stairs to the fifth floor, where Satou, Todoroki, and Sero lived, skidding to a halt on the threshold of Satou’s room because the door was wide open and smelled divine. The resident baker was taking out a tray of cookies from his mini oven, a youtube tutorial droning in the background.
He didn’t hear his hunters. Maybe he could hide in here. Izuku hesitated, then thumped his foot on the carpet to get Satou’s attention. Satou looked at the door. He squinted. Izuku stomped again, and this time he looked down.
“Midoriya?” asked Satou.
Izuku nodded. Yes, it’s me. Kouda’s bunny did not turn green and escape up here. Plus, Kouda’s rabbit had erect ears and Izuku was a lop. Satou’s face split into a smile.
“Gosh, you really are adorable,” he said kindly. “But that’s not any different than usual. Do you want to come in?”
Not any different than – wait, did Satou just say that he thought Izuku was adorable when he was in his regular body, too? Satou dusted his hands off on his baby blue apron, opening a bag of golden raisins.
“Would you like a snack?”
Izuku smacked his tiny rabbit lips.
Satou poured some on a paper plate, which he put on the ground somewhat apologetically. “It probably sucks to be stuck like that. I saw the news. Looks like a lot of people are coming home to their families as animals tonight.”
True.
Hundreds of mammals, birds, and reptiles had swarmed the streets. Izuku had witnessed an ostrich salaryman trip over his abandoned briefcase, a baby stroller occupied by kittens, and a hippopotamus clerk stuck in the doorway of the bank she worked in, unable to fit out the door. He supposed he ought to be grateful that he was a small animal and not an elephant.
Izuku ate his raisins, patient under Satou’s quiet scrutiny.
“Midoriya… Could I pet you?” asked Satou.
Izuku paused chewing.
Satou backpedaled. “Forget it, that was rude. You’re a person, not a pet. It’s just the ears, they’re – oh.”
There was something about being trapped in a cute animal’s body that made Izuku bolder than he ever could be as his regular self.
He had cuteness armor, and he wasn’t expected to explain his actions, and these factors combined gave him confidence. He went to lean against Satou’s knee, transforming into a green ball. Satou wheezed something that might have been oh my god , and then a giant hand descended to very carefully stroke his ear. Sugarman had hands that could snap a lead pipe like a pocky stick, but his touch was gentle. It felt kind of like a massage, getting places that he would not be able to reach on his own.
Izuku let Satou pet him for a while and eventually shook out his body and got to his feet, looking at Satou. Thanks for the snack, and thanks for being nice.
“Hang in there,” smiled Satou. “Let me know if I can do anything for you.”
Izuku nodded, his opinion of Satou greatly elevated. He saw himself out, going to see if Todoroki was in, but no cigar. His door was closed. Then, from the stairwell:
“He can’t have gone that far,” came Ashido’s voice. “There’s only one floor left, don’t give up!”
“Forget Midoriya! Are those cookies I smell?” said Hagakure.
Izuku zoomed across the hall and into the last room, which belonged to Sero. He shot right through a startled Sero’s legs, aiming instinctively for under the bed, but too late he saw that the space was being used for storage and he slammed into a wicker bin.
He flew back like a villain on Fatgum’s belly, stumbling dazedly.
“Whoa. Midoriya,” said Sero. Spidery fingers lifted him carefully, unbothered by the home invasion. “That sounded like it hurt.”
The ringing in Izuku’s ears spread through his sinuses in a painful itch; he couldn’t help it when he sneezed right into Sero’s concerned mouth. Izuku blamed Sero for holding him two inches away from his grinning face.
“Gnarly,” Sero commented, using the back of his sleeve to wipe his face. “Not that I mind, but you don’t usually come up here. Is there a reason why you’re visiting me?”
I seek asylum .
“Hey, Sero!” came Ashido’s voice, approaching fast. “Have you seen Midoriya?”
Izuku froze, one paw shoving at Sero’s too-close face. They looked at each other, Sero’s brows raising as he caught on. He tossed Izuku like a bean bag into the hippie floor hammock, just in the nick of time. Izuku heard Ashido, Hagakure, and Kouda in the doorway.
“Sup, fellow kids?” drawled Sero, voice smooth as butter. “What brings you to my humble abode this fine evening? If it’s Girl Scout Cookies, I am still working through last year’s Thin Mints. Try Todoroki.”
“Dork,” laughed Ashido, shaking her head. “Have you seen Midoriya? We want to introduce him to Yuwai-chan.”
“It’ll be cute,” sprayed Hagakure through a mouthful of cookie.
“I don’t know why I’m here,” said Kouda.
“Mmmm, Midoriya? Never heard of him,” said Sero.
Hagakure gave a disappointed sigh, but Ashido was not easily convinced. “You wouldn’t happen to be harboring a fugitive, would you?”
“Never! I am a law-abiding citizen,” said Sero, fanning out his fingers on his own chest with a mock bow.
“That’s a lie!” giggled Hagakure. Sometimes Izuku remembered that she swanned about in the nude fifty-percent of the time, which disconcerted him.
“Do you have a search warrant?” demanded Sero.
“You’re impossible!” said Ashido. “Just tell us if you have him! Midoriya, are you in here?”
“Sero said he hasn’t seen him, Mina, there’s no point in snooping,” said Hagakure, yawning. “I’m over this. It smells weird here anyway. Is incense allowed in the dorms?”
“It’s not incense,” said Sero.
“Candles?” asked Ashido.
“It’s not candles,” said Sero.
“What is it then?” said Hagakure.
“...A diffuser,” said Sero. “Say, is Satou still giving out cookies?”
“Yeah,” said Ashido.
“I think I need some cookies,” said Sero, shooing them with his hands.
“Objection! You just said that you had too many Thin Mints! Why would you need more cookies, unless you were lying about harboring an illegal classmate?”
Illegal – what?! Izuku slapped a paw over his face, wondering how he’d gotten into this situation in the first place. If only Kacchan hadn’t sent him away. He could have been cozy and snoozing right now. He cracked an eye. The sound of four paws shuffled toward his hammock hiding spot. He could smell that it was Kouda’s rabbit, sniffing him out.
Sero, a true hero-in-training, came to the rescue.
“Ooookay, no animals in my room,” he said, grabbing Yuwai-chan before he could get to Izuku’s hammock hiding spot. “I’ve got a no pet policy here. Don’t want to get fur on the interior decor. I’m allergic, probably.”
“Sorry, Sero,” whispered Kouda.
“I might forgive you tomorrow,” said Sero magnanimously. “Now everybody out.”
The defeated interlopers made their apologies and left. Izuku flopped in the hammock and stared at the ceiling, heart beating like hummingbird wings. Sero’s face manifested above, scotch tape smile fond. “Aww, poor Midoriya.”
He reached in and picked Izuku up again, pinching his cheek. “How long have you been dodging the fuzz?”
Too long , thought Izuku, halfheartedly pulling his cheeks away.
Sero clucked sympathetically. “Do you want to crash here tonight?”
Izuku considered this option, tolerating Sero’s bony fingertip petting the fur between his ears. What if he changed back in the night? It would be embarrassing to wake in Sero’s hammock, and more embarrassing if he was naked. He didn’t know how these things worked. Izuku shook his ears out from where Sero had started pulling on them a bit and kicked to be let go. Sero knelt, releasing him onto the Tibetan knot rug.
“Be free,” Sero whispered theatrically. “Free the whales.”
Izuku saw himself out of the patchouli paradise. The moment he left Sero’s room, it was like all the exhaustion of the day caught up to him in a crashing wave, a tsunami he didn’t notice until it was already on him. The hallway lights were dim, which meant it was after ten o’clock. He yawned so hard his jaw creaked. Izuku returned to his room, desperate to crash on his own bed, but when he got there he squeaked in dismay.
Someone had closed the door to his room. Because of course. His paws clenched with the urge to Detroit Smash the door open, legitimately, but if his human body could barely handle One For All, his rabbit body would probably disintegrate at 1%.
Izuku paced the hall. None of the neighbors had their lights on or their doors cracked. He was abandoned to his fate in the hall forever now. Unbidden, a memory floated to the top of his mind. As kids, before Kacchan’s quirk came in, they used to have sleepovers together. They would build a blanket fort and cuddle to sleep with All Might videos running on loop.
Izuku drifted on autopilot to the stairs, and found himself standing in front of Kacchan’s Very Much Closed door. No light was on under the crack. Lids heavy, Izuku thumped his hind foot. There was no response. Of course.
Izuku thumped again. Still no response.
Feeling very sorry for himself, Izuku squeezed himself against the corner of the closed door, compressing into a brioche bun of despair. He was prepared to spend the night there in the hallway, wallowing in exhausted self-pity, but then there was a creak.
The door opened.
There was a long silence.
Izuku didn’t move. At this point he didn’t care what Kacchan did. If he wanted Izuku to leave, Kacchan would have to Howitzer him out the window because Izuku was officially done with putting effort into anything.
There was a sigh.
A calloused hand scooped him up and airlifted him into the sacred stillness of the room, dimly lit by the bedside lamp. Izuku was surprised when he was dropped onto the bed instead of the floor. He waited to be told off, for Kacchan to snap and snarl and tell him how useless he was, but the insults never came.
Izuku squinted open one eye to observe as Kacchan whipped open the duvet. The light was behind him, outlining his hair in muted gold. He looked sleep rumpled and soft, making that weird inhaling noise people made when they were trying to swallow a yawn. He had not seen Kacchan like this in years, and it reminded him so much of when they were kids that Izuku found himself smitten. The ever-burning ember in Izuku’s chest flickered to life, little flames licking the inside of his ribs, flames that roared into a full bonfire when Kacchan got into bed with him , leaning over him to flip off the light in a cloud of smokey caramel.
I have died. I have died, and now I am in heaven. I was never hit by a quirk at all, that was just the fever dream of a dying man, for now I am here–
“Stop mumbling,” growled Kacchan, voice raspy and subdued.
Mumbling? Izuku paused, realizing distantly that he had been grunting and grinding his teeth. He lay there for a while, until he was almost positive that Kacchan was asleep, and then, daring greatly, Izuku inched closer. Kacchan gave a warning grumble. Izuku froze.
Eventually Kacchan rolled onto his side, huffing hot mint over Izuku’s fur. Patiently, Izuku bided his time until Kacchan seemed to be unconscious again and then he flung himself out against his side, stretching his entire body out as long and thin as it could go.
As he faded, Izuku felt a hand slide onto Izuku’s belly. Kacchan’s palm was damp and smelled like smokey caramel. It felt nice. For the first time, Izuku sort of wished he could stay as a rabbit for longer, if only to have Kacchan’s positive attention like this. However, the quirk wore off when Izuku hopped up to get a drink of water, leaving him stumbling nude in the middle of Kacchan’s room.
Tiptoeing like a ninja, Izuku streaked back to his own room using One For All.
The next day, Izuku went to class early and found a book waiting on his desk. It was a copy of I Am Here: Essays on the Symbol of Peace , pristine and gleaming.
Izuku’s nerves lit up like a billion tiny lights on a Christmas tree, excitement flurrying through his body from top to bottom. “Oh my God–!”
He frantically searched the room for Kacchan, who was just coming back in with a drink from the vending machine. Izuku inhaled deeply, a cascade of happy feelings rising up and ready to tumble out of his mouth, but then Kacchan disrupted him with a flick to the forehead.
“Don’t make it weird,” said Kacchan, stabbing his finger into Izuku’s forehead threateningly. He paused. “Or tell anyone.”
Izuku whistled out the air in his lungs slowly, like a deflating balloon. Kacchan watched him warningly. When all the air was out and his volume was normal, Kacchan withdrew the finger.
Izuku whispered. “Thank you Kacchan!”
“Tch. Don’t crease the pages.”
“I won’t! This is amazing!” said Izuku, eyeing the book like it was made of gold. “I’ve wanted to read it forever, oh my gosh!”
“Nerd,” said Kacchan, ears pink.
“You’re the one who actually owns a copy of the book,” Izuku pointed out, giggling. “Also, I wanted to say thank you for letting me slee–”
Kacchan made a sharp hissing noise like you would with a cat that was starting to vomit on the floor in the middle of the night. Izuku closed his mouth with a click.
“Shut up about that. Forget it happened. Forget it right now,” commanded Kacchan, glancing warily at the door.
“But Kacch-” said Izuku, unable to prevent the slow smile dimpling his cheeks.
“ Stop!” snarled Kacchan, the pink of his ears slowly spreading to his face and neck. “You’re so gross!”
“But I didn’t say anything yet,” Izuku said, hugging the book to his chest like a mother gibbon. “You won’t let me talk.”
“I have nothing more to say to you,” said Kacchan. He plopped down in his seat and made a show of taking out his homework.
Izuku slowly sat down behind him, beaming at the back of Kacchan’s neck, which was still red.
“Actually, there is one thing,” Kacchan said unexpectedly, not turning around.
“Yes?” said Izuku, perking up.
“I know you ate my pillowcase,” said Kacchan.
Izuku paled. “I- uh, what? Your pillowcase got eaten? Haha, wow, what do you mean, that is so weird, I wouldn’t do that!”
Kacchan snorted, looking over his shoulder. Izuku cringed.
“I’ll get you a new pillowcase,” said Izuku, as the rest of their classmates began to trickle into the room.
In front of other people, Kacchan’s faint smirk transformed into a default scowl. Izuku didn’t mind. He couldn’t stop smiling. As his classmates converged to offer their congratulations – and, in Ashido’s case, apology, Izuku decided that the greatest transformation occurred in his relationship with Kacchan.
Being a rabbit wasn’t so bad, after all.
“Good morning! This is MHA News, channel six! Yesterday, a villain attack downtown turned hundreds of innocent people into animals – myself included, in fact, for our viewers wondering why I am a hyacinth macaw.
“‘Kingdom Animalia’ was detained last night, but law enforcement informs us that she escaped early this morning while disguised as a stoat. Civilians are urged to remain calm and report any suspicious animal sightings to the authorities.
“And now, for the weather!”