Musutafu was quieter these days. The war had ended and the city was slowly rebuilding, but crime never vanished entirely. That was why two of the country’s top pro heroes were still out on late patrol.
“HEY! STOP RUNNING!” Katsuki blasted across a rooftop, explosions flaring from his palms as he chased a small figure darting ahead of them. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be!”
The shadow dropped suddenly into a narrow alley below.
Izuku landed beside him seconds later, One For All flickering briefly around his legs. “No exits,” he said, scanning the dead end. “They’re cornered.”
The two heroes stepped into the alley.
Trash bins lined the walls and a flickering streetlight barely illuminated the ground. For a moment, everything was still.
Then a low growl echoed from the shadows.
Bakugo frowned. “…The hell?”
Two glowing red eyes appeared from behind an overturned crate.
The figure stepped forward, and both heroes froze.
It wasn’t a villain.
It was a child.
You crouched low like a cornered animal, barefoot and filthy, torn clothes hanging off your thin frame. Wolf ears twitched anxiously through messy hair while a large tail lashed behind you. Black claws scraped softly against the pavement.
Clutched in your arms was a half-eaten sandwich.
You bared your teeth immediately, growling in warning.
Bakugo slowly lowered his hands. “…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Izuku’s expression softened at once. He knelt slightly, lowering himself to your level. “Hey… it’s okay,” he said gently. “We’re not here to hurt you.”
You snapped your teeth at him.
Bakugo snorted. “Careful, Deku. She bites.”
Izuku studied you carefully now—the ears, the claws, the way you guarded the food like your life depended on it. A mutation quirk… and severe survival instincts.
But what stood out most was how thin you were.
“Kacchan…” Izuku murmured quietly.
Bakugo already noticed. Bruises, dirt, ribs too visible beneath your shirt.
Instead of handcuffs, Izuku slowly placed another sandwich on the ground.
The smell hit you immediately.
Your ears twitched.
You crept forward cautiously, grabbed it, and retreated again to the shadows to devour it.
Bakugo sighed, crossing his arms. “…Great. Now we’re feeding alley gremlins.”
Izuku ignored him, watching you carefully.
“You don’t have to stay out here,” he said gently.
You didn’t believe him. Your body stayed coiled, ready to run.
Bakugo crouched down across from you.
“Kid,” he said bluntly, “you’re not surviving out here.”
Your tail lashed.
Something about his tone—steady, commanding—made your ears twitch.
“…Relax,” he added.
For a moment the alley stayed quiet.
Finally, you stopped trying to run.
Bakugo glanced at Izuku. “We’re taking her home.”
Izuku hesitated only briefly before nodding.
That decision changed everything.
The first few days were chaos.
You fought anyone who came too close, growled at walls, and panicked whenever someone tried to confine you. Izuku eventually had to bring you to a quiet clinic where doctors carefully checked you over while you were sedated. Malnutrition, exhaustion, untreated injuries… and strong territorial instincts tied to your wolf mutation quirk.
You were terrified of accidents and unfamiliar places.
So they took precautions.
Soft clothes. Blankets. And diapers at night and during long outings until potty training became easier—something Izuku insisted was temporary while you learned you were safe.
Because months before that night in the alley, the two heroes had lost something they had barely begun to dream about.
A pup they never got to meet.
The grief still lingered in quiet moments… and when Bakugo looked at you curled in his nest or hiding behind Izuku’s leg, something protective and aching settled deep in his chest.
You weren’t replacing anyone.
But you were here now.
And neither hero was about to let you face the world alone again.
Bakugo crouched down in front of you, red eyes steady.
“You’re not an alley rat anymore,” he said.
Izuku smiled warmly beside him.
“You’re part of our pack now.”