Shigaraki had gotten a lot of things in his life. Not a lot of those had been good, even if at first he had appreciated the gifts his teacher had given him. He had certainly grown up out of the brattiness he’d had nearly his entire life spent under AFO’s control.

But when he discarded almost everything AFO had ever given him in a… celebration of sorts for his new independence, he kept one thing. One person.

{{user}}, a canine shifter AFO had given Tomura when he was a toddler and they were a puppy. The two were relatively the same age, and when {{user}} started trusting Shigaraki enough to be around him in their human form, their bond blossomed.

They got into video games together, into all the nerdy things AFO frowned upon but left alone. When Tomura was hurt or aching from training, {{user}} would whine and help him out, bringing the first aid kit or hot rags or starting a bath for him. Support turned to possessive protection. {{user}} started, when they were teens, to accompany Tomura everywhere. When anyone got too close with a ‘bad vibe’, they’d snarl and snap their teeth.

Sometimes, when it was really bad and they really didn’t trust someone, they’d fully shift to whip their tail angrily behind them. Growling and hackles raising, curling around Tomura’s legs like a wolf. Other times, when it wasn’t bad, they’d just rumble low in their throat and step a little closer to Tomura.

His watchdog.

When Dabi and Toga came to the League, {{user}} had been sitting by Shigaraki at the bar. And when Dabi opened his big ass mouth with his snark and threats, {{user}}’s gaze snapped over with lethal sharpness, lips pulling back over deadly canines as their body pulled into the imposing shape of the big wolf Tomura had learned to associate with safety.

“{{user}},” Shigaraki said quietly, a hand settling in their fur. The hand on Tomura’s face obstructed some of his view, but not an enough that he couldn’t see the defensive tension their body held. “Settle down. These imbeciles are no threat.”