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Dadzawa Gets a Cat

Summary:

Aizawa Shouta had always wanted a cat, but something (or someone) always got in the way from him getting one, whether it be his mother when growing up or his husband hating the whole idea of pets with a passion... but how could he possibly leave an abandoned kitten out in the rain? All alone...
Aizawa hatches a plan to get his family on his side to keep the adorable little kitty: just let cats be cats. 'Tis be foolproof.

 

(Note: Although this is part of a series, these can be read individually)

Notes:

Sorry it's a lil late, but happy birthday, KhaoticKat!

(Note: 'Touchan' means 'daddy' in Japanese. Little kids use it)

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

 

This was probably the worst part about being an active pro hero: actually working. Or to be more specific: recon missions based on a whim. Granted it was for the League of Villains and trying to track down their inner connections of the city and it all went towards protecting his students and children, but he’d much rather be curled up in bed than running across rooftops in the freezing cold rain.

 

Aizawa had decided to check the abandoned buildings in the warehouse district for any activity, but that turned up a whole load of nothing.

 

“Drenched to the bone for nothing. Fantastic,” he mumbled as he kneeled perched on the lip of the roof. Aizawa was about to turn away to head back home to UA in defeat when he heard a soft, muffled meow from down below in the alley. As enticing as a warm bed was, Aizawa couldn’t help but climb down the fire escape to investigate. 

 

There was that meow again. There was no doubt that it was a cat, but where it was…

 

A cardboard box caught his eye. Fully sealed shut with several layers of duct tape and it looked like it was recently placed there as it was relatively clean. 

 

Meow. 

 

The cat was definitely in the box! 

 

Scrambling around for his knife, Aizawa hurriedly slit across the tape, careful not to cut too deep lest he accidently hurt the cat inside. As soon as he ripped the flaps apart, curious yellow eyes, as luminescent as gold, met Aizawa’s. A jet black cat with short, ruffled fur and a little, stubby tail. He did not hesitate in picking the cat up to cradle it in his arms. The tiny ball of fluff did not resist as it curled up, shivering slightly. 

 

If he hazarded a guess, it was probably no less than a couple months old, perhaps even the runt of the litter given its minuscule size. A kitten. Left all alone. Trapped in a box. Left to die... Not many things truly made his blood boil, but garbage people who hurt innocent creatures, whether human or animal, was at the top of his list of ‘Shitheads That Need To Die’. 

 

“What kind of motherfu-?!” Aizawa started, but then realised … Katsuki is really rubbing off on me. As much of a son he had become the past year or so, there were some habits he really wished he didn’t pick up on. Especially with Eri around as well.

 

The kitten was now rolling around on its back in the palm of his hand trying to swipe at Aizawa’s straggly, damp hair, stretching up as far as it possibly could before nearly falling off his hand. That nearly gave Aizawa a heart attack.

 

“Playful little one, aren’t you?” The kitten purred, obviously in agreement.

 

He was never allowed a cat growing up. His mother had allergies and hell, even if she didn’t, she still wouldn’t have let him have one because he wasn’t really allowed anything beyond bare necessities, but perhaps that could change today... 

 

With a devious grin, Aizawa tucked the little kitten into his scarf to keep it warm and leapt across the rooftops back home. 

 



* * * * * * * * *



 

Shouta said that he would be back by 9 o’clock at the latest in time to put Eri to bed, but he was already half-an-hour late. Of course his husband was very much capable of looking after himself if he ran into any kind of trouble, but Hizashi still couldn’t help but worry. The torrential rain and low rumbling of thunder outside certainly did not quell his fears.

 

“Where’s Touchan?” Eri nervously tugged at the hem of his shirt, all ready in her Disney princess pyjamas.

 

Katsuki, who was splayed on his back across the sofa reading one of the school literature books answered for him, “He’s probably out kicking butt somewhere.”

 

If Hizashi wasn’t much mistaken, there was a slight hint of bitterness in that explanation. As much as he could have accompanied Shouta, as it was only a recon mission so he could let off some steam, Katsuki had homework to do. 

 

Hizashi checked his phone for text messages, but all that met him was a mocking ‘No New Messages’ display.  

 

Where are you, Sho?

 

Just as he was about to click the green ‘call’ button beneath the unwanted, embarrassing but adorable photo of his husband (Hizashi had promised he’d deleted it, but of course five years later, he still hadn’t), the front door clicked to swing inwards and in came a dripping wet Shouta.

 

“Touchan!” Eri ran up to Shouta about to give him a hug, but stopped short at the realisation that he was so drenched that water was pooling at his feet. 

 

“What took you so long?” Hizashi asked worriedly. He couldn't help the slight scolding tone.

 

“I--” Shouta began before Eri tried to grab his hand, “Careful, Eri.”

 

Ever since their daughter started living with them, she became particularly clingy whenever they would leave her for a period of time. On the one hand it was adorable and made his heart swell, on the other hand it was telling just how many attachment issues Eri had. 

 

“Yeah, he’s all wet at the moment, so there’s no point in getting you wet as w--”

 

At that moment, Shouta’s carbon scarf thing rustled and just at the base of his neck, a tiny black ball of fur popped its head out like one of those whack-a-mole games... Was this seriously what made him late back home?

 

Katsuki leapt over the back of the sofa to take a closer look, “...Is that a cat?”

 

Shouta scratched at the little kitten’s ear affectionately, “That depends.” He glanced accusingly at Hizashi, “Am I going to get a lecture?”

 

It really was far too late to get into any sort of confrontation right now and it wasn’t like the cat would be able to stay anywhere else this time of night… plus Hizashi really did not want to deal with a grumpy Shouta in the morning. As adorable as his grumpy-butt times were, he did not want to resort to dragging Shouta to his class the following morning. 

 

Hizashi sighed, “No, you’re not getting a lecture.”

 

“Then it’s a cat.”

 

“No sh-- duh,” Katsuki corrected himself as he glanced at Eri before lightly stroking at the kitten’s fluffy cheek.

 

Speaking of Eri, she was awfully quiet. Now that he thought about it, she had probably never seen a cat before or at least one up close. It would certainly explain why she looked so lost as to how to respond.  

 

His husband seemed to have noticed this because he knelt down to Eri’s level to encourage her to pat the kitten on the head. Although she squeezed her eyes shut, apparently expecting the worst, her features immediately softened when she was met with a soft meow in return. 

 

“He’s so cute,” Eri barely whispered as she continued to pet it. The little kitten was now trying feverishly to reach for more cuddles as it lightly headbutted the palm of her hand, sending Eri into a mini fit of giggles.

 

“She’s a girl,” Shouta corrected her. 

 

It really was starting to bug him by this point. While his family was distracted, Hizashi slipped to the airing cupboard to retrieve a clean towel, which he unceremoniously lobbed at Shouta’s head, “You look like a drowned rat. Go dry yourself off and get changed.”

 

Shouta scrambled out of the towel and nodded at the little kitten still perched in his scarf, “Doesn’t she get one?”

 

His patience really was dwindling thin. Now, it wasn’t like the street cat was going to get any of their nice, clean, white towels; there was probably an old tea towel in the kitchen drawer that it could use. Hizashi reluctantly passed the nasty-coloured brown tea towel to Shouta to wrap the kitten into, who immediately offered Katsuki to hold it while he went in the shower.

 

As Katsuki comfortingly held the cat in his lap on the sofa, Eri kneeled on the floor to fawn over the kitten. Surprisingly, Katsuki was actually quite gentle and quiet with it, which was certainly a surreal sight.

 

Hizashi never really understood the idea of pets. They were smelly, they were needy, they broke stuff, they demanded so much of your time… granted, Hizashi basically just explained a human child, but this was definitely different! Pets just crashed the vibe that Hizashi had going on. One might call it being a perfectionist, but whatever. Eri was adorable and deserves everything positive in this world… the cat on the other hand would just be something to constantly clean up after. 

 

“Alright, Eri, time for bed now,” Hizashi called.

 

“Aww no, please, daddy, I want to stay here with the cat!” Eri pouted, a mannerism she picked up from her brother, no doubt. Hizashi tried so hard to play the part of the stern parent, but his plan was quickly crumbling down. The way she lovingly called him ‘daddy’ always made him feel bad. 

 

“Pleaaaaase?”

 

When Eri made those puppy eyes, it was so hard to say no, “...Okay, you can stay up until 10, but no later, Princess.”



 

* * * * * * * * *



 

Of course Aizawa knew about Hizashi’s animal issues; they had known each other for about fifteen years and been in a relationship for ten of those years, for crying out loud. What he hadn’t expected was how avoidant his husband would be. Even as someone as cold-hearted as Hizashi should have been slightly affected by the adorable, fluffy kitten, but nope. Nothing. There was still time to change that, though. Cats always had a way of persuading even the most stubborn of people. 

 



* * * * * * * * *



 

The kitten waddled around the living room, plodding along at an even pace and sniffing every surface it could reach with its wrinkled, pink nose.

 

Pleaaase don’t piss on the furniture. 

 

Or was it dogs that did that? Hizashi had no idea.

 

At least with kids you could actually teach them not to do things and nine times out of ten, they’d listen, or perhaps that was just Eri… she was certainly mature for her age. Katsuki was an entirely different matter, of course; a ‘free spirit’ as that Mina girl would put nicely. 

 

Continuing its exploration, the kitten seemed intent on getting onto the coffee table… which was about three times its height. Surely there was no way it would try to get up th--? 

 

Never mind. There it went. Well, sort of. It got its front paws up okay, but now it was just dangling helplessly. It shimmied its hind legs and wiggled its tiny butt and stubby tail, unable to get a secure grip. After a few more tries, it eventually hoisted itself onto the coffee table… the really expensive , antique coffee table. And the kitten had the audacity to look proud of its achievement, craving praise and attention from the kids. Hizashi couldn’t help but internally cringe at the imagery of the cat ruining the coffee table with claw marks-- there was probably going to be an ulcer or two in his near future.

 

“Having fun?” Shouta teased as he strolled in with a towel draped around his shoulders. At least that was one annoyance out of the way: how drenched Shouta was, but now there was something else that bugged him.

 

Sho’s enjoying this. He knows how painful this is for me. 

 

As much as Hizashi tried to keep up his casual appearance in front of the kids, he couldn’t help but quietly groan into his hand.  

 

“What’s wrong, Eri?” Shouta asked, concerned.

 

Hizashi looked up to find that Eri was fiddling with her hands, a sure sign that she was incredibly anxious right now. Something was definitely bothering her.

 

“I don’t understand… why would someone abandon her?” She asked, confused. Aaaaand here came one of the tough real-world talks Hizashi always dreaded; without exception, they always ended up making Eri sad and he hated putting her through that. It was necessary, of course, but it was still painful for all parties involved, nonetheless. Thankfully Shouta took the rein on this one.

 

“A lot of people have a negative opinion of black cats,” he frowned, but continued, “Think they’re unlucky.”

 

“Why?” Eri questioned tilting her head, looking even more confused.

 

“They’re associated with witches from hundreds of years ago and the superstition just never went away,” Katsuki explained. He wasn’t having a great time rolling out the hard topic either.

 

“Witches? Like in Harry Potter?”

 

“Yeah. But bad ones.”

 

“Oh…” Eri pondered, “But she’s really cute. How can she be bad?”

 

“It’s just people being idiots. None of it’s true.”

 

Of course the superstition was all nonsense, even Hizashi could acknowledge that much despite hating the idea of keeping animals in the home. Just why did the cat have to be in his home? 

 

Movement caught his eye as the kitten became insistent on exploring the contents on top of the coffee table in which it made a beeline for the empty glass that once held Eri’s milk. It seemed dead-set on rubbing against it affectionately as if hoping for the milk to reappear, each rub more vigorous than the last.

 

Don’t you even dare.

 

As if challenging his words, the kitten rubbed against the glass so hard that it began to topple off the edge of the coffee table, but not before Hizashi made a nose dive to catch it. There was still a dribble of milk at the bottom of the glass and there was no way that that was getting on the carpet!

 

Hizashi sighed, exasperated as he sat up to kneel next to the coffee table, glass in hand, “I have another theory on why it was abandoned.”

 

“She’s just doing what cats do,” his husband pointed out, barely hiding his amusement at Hizashi’s expense. 

 

“Uh huh...”

 

The cat really wasn’t doing a good job in making Hizashi feel bad for it.

 

It was probably thinking ‘ Hey, why don’t you like me? Everyone should love me by now.’ Well too bad, cat! The ball of fluff was already Hizashi’s hell on Earth, destroying everything.

 

That didn’t stop it from trying a different tactic, though. Looking at him with its wide, curious eyes, it tilted its head questioningly before spotting the TV remote wobbling precariously on the edge of the coffee table.

 

Noooo. I know what you’re thinking; don’t you--

 

Without remorse, the cat swiped at the remote, sending it clattering to the floor. The cat looked back up at Hizashi as if to say ‘ Are you going to pick that up?’ 

 

“Don’t look at me like that,” Hizashi said. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Katsuki smirking on the sofa, Eri looked merely intrigued at the rather bizarre interaction… Shouta, on the other hand, seemed on the verge of triumph. But it wasn’t like he’d won anything-- just what was he trying to achieve here?

 

Apparently Hizashi was too boring for the cat as it plodded along the coffee table (each tap from its tiny claws sending a chill of anxiety down his spine) until it apparently decided it wanted to try to jump the gap towards the sofa. It was an ambitious cat, he’d give it that. But if it could barely climb onto the coffee table, there was no way that it could jump th-- 

 

Sure enough with a dramatic Superman-like leap, it fell to the floor in a heap with a soft thud, not even close to touching the sofa. Without meaning to, a short burst of laughter escaped Hizashi’s mouth, “And that is what we call karma.”

 

His family joined in with laughing at the kitten’s antics until Katsuki picked it up to plop on his lap and popped the big question. The question which finalised this strange situation they were in, “So what are we going to call her?” 

 

It certainly looked like Hizashi was going to be outnumbered in keeping this thing. However, the decision wasn’t just about him-- he realised that. The cat seemed to be making his family happy, so perhaps this could be just one of those sacrifices he would have to make… but there was no way Shouta was going to sleep with it in their bed. Hizashi definitely wouldn’t put it past him to try that. 

 

Hizashi thought that he may as well put in his two cents in the decision, at least it might make him look less like a sour puss, pardon the pun, “...How about Kuro?”

 

“Do you realise how common that name is? It literally means ‘black’,” Katsuki groaned. Did it look like Hizashi ever named anything in his life? He thought that most people gave pets non-human names like ‘Spot’ or ‘Cinnamon’, so how was calling it by the colour of its fur any different to that?

 

“Well I was going to suggest just calling her ‘cat’,” Shouta stated plainly.

 

“...You’re hopeless,” Hizashi sighed. His husband merely shrugged-- he never really was the creative type. Thank god their kids were adopted otherwise, left up to Shouta, they’d just be called ‘Kid 1’ and ‘Kid 2’, or something.

 

“Queen Explosion Murder,” Katsuki suggested with vigor, which made Eri giggle.

 

...Wasn’t that basically his hero name? “Hard nope.”

 

“How about Kat with a ‘K’?” Shouta suggested, staring intently at the cat who was now rolling around on the sofa like a pig in slop.  

 

Okay, now he’s just reaaaally fishing for loopholes here.

 

“That’s just going to confuse everybody with my name,” Katsuki pointed out.

 

“How many people even call you ‘Katsuki’ let alone ‘Kat’?”

 

Hizashi mused for a moment; that name actually reminded him of someone from years ago, “I knew a Kat from when I was travelling in the US right after graduation. Real clumsy and always getting into trouble…”

 

Back then, pretty much every time he saw Kat, there was a story of a hospital visit involved. How any human could sustain so many injuries in such a short life was anybody’s guess. That definitely reminded him of this cat, the chaotic creature that it was, giving him heart attacks with everything it did.

 

“Perfect. ‘Kat’ it is.”

 

“That wasn’t an invitation to--”

 

“Too late, it’s stuck,” and with one fell swoop, he scooped the cat up, now confusingly named ‘Kat’.

 

“Do you really think we’d be allowed pets here, though?” Katsuki asked, mildly offended that it was taken away from him. He had a fair point, these were the faculty apartments, after all-- they weren’t much different from ordinary rented accommodation in regards to policies and rules. However, this was UA they were talking about; to say that it was a flexible school with ever-changing standards would be an understatement. 

 

Hizashi started slowly, “I mean… we could say that it’s an emotional support animal for you two. Nezu could probably make an exception.”

 

It was obvious that Shouta was trying not to let his emotions be shown, but Hizashi could never be fooled. Shouta won.

 

“Yeah, that’s a good excuse,” Aizawa said as the cat snuggled into his arms, a symbol of affection which he returned in kind.

 



* * * * * * * * *



 

True to his word, Hizashi made Eri go to bed at 10 o’clock and after all of this excitement (or, extreme fluctuations of nervousness to be more accurate), he was probably going to go to bed, too. However, first he had to read Eri a story, something which Shouta decided to sit out on just for tonight, so Katsuki took his place, joining Hizashi in sitting up in bed on either side of Eri.

 

“Maybe Touchan can read to you tomorrow, Eri. You know what he’s like after a night out,” Hizashi reasoned. Eri hung her head low, saddened and disappointed, but the mature girl that she was, she accepted it.

 

Given that Shouta had been left alone with the cat for a good twenty minutes, he really shouldn't have been surprised at the scene before him as he returned to the living room, Katsuki trailing behind.

 

There, sprawled across the sofa was Shouta, one arm covering his eyes and the other completely encompassing the kitten that was snuggled right up against his neck, seeking as much warmth as possible. Even Hizashi had to admit that it was kind of adorable, but what was this weird feeling? Jealousy? Was he seriously jealous of a stupid cat ?

 

Well at least he’s not sleeping with it in our bed… 

 

"Why do I get the feeling he just wanted the cat for himself?" Katsuki crossed his arms accusingly. Hizashi sighed-- he was probably going to be doing a lot of that in the future now.

 

Because you’re right. 

 

 

Notes:

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!

And sorry, not sorry for the roast, Kat haha

(P.S My brain's dead so couldn't think of a particularly creative title for this... just as bad as Aizawa apparently haha)

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