CONTENT WARNING:
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Shinso practically ran across town once Izuku told him what animal shelter they were going to. By the time they reached their destination, Izuku was out of breath and Shinso, surprisingly, was as bright as day like he had just taken a leisurely walk.
"How...can you...run...so fast?" Izuku said between deep breaths. He was hunched over and propping his upper half up on his knees. Shinso gave him a sarcastic look and said, "practice."
Snorting, Izuku straightened up before a wave of subtle confusion washed over him. "How did you know where to go?" Pushing open the glass pawprint covered door, Shinso said behind his back, "I know the locations of all animal shelters within a 15 mile radius of my house."
Izuku followed him, shaking his head. "Why?"
Shinso turned around and looked him dead in the eye. "Because cats are the closest thing I will have to a spirit animal." "Okay, okay. I was just asking." Izuku said backing up.
The two boys walked into the shelter in tandem. Not much had changed since Izuku was in the establishment last; the waiting room had the left wall lined edge to edge with cheap foldable chairs, the far wall contained the front desk and a door to the back, the right wall held drawers full of pet toys, leashes, and treats as well as a cat tree and the door to the clinic and kenels.
This time, the scraggly man from before was sitting in a far corner in addition to a young lady reading a magazine and a child playing with a small dog. Shinso and Izuku walked up to the main desk and rang the bell.
Mrs. Amami peered out from behind the door. "Hello! I've got Wisp ready for you! Just give me a sec." She disappeared behind the door for a couple minutes before reappearing with a crate and bag. She handed them to Izuku before picking up a stapled stack of papers. "This is the diet plan, checkup schedule, and certifications." She said before placing the packet in the bag Izuku had slung on his arm. "I think you will find her excited to see you again."
"What's all this for?" Izuku said, struggling to hold all the heavy objects. Mrs. Amami gave him a smile before explaining.
"Mr. Aizawa and I noticed how much you didn't want to leave Wisp, and I have noticed that you've been a nervous little bugger ever since you first set foot here, so we decided to gift Wisp to you." She said, nodding to the dark man in the corner.
"But, how?" Izuku said, tugging the heavy bag off his arm and giving to Shinso.
"Mr. Aizawa adopted the furry baby, first, and he is giving it to you. We are both willing to pay for any expenses as long as you take good care of her."
"But, I can't accept this! I don't even know the first thing about caring for a pet!" Izuku exclaimed.
"You have me." Shinso said from behind his shoulder. "And you can contact the shelter if you have any questions, right?"
"I guess..." Izuku said, trailing off.
"Then, it's settled!" Mrs. Amami said, clapping her hands. "Now, you boys better shuffle on home. It's almost dinner time." She said, waving them out the door.
Izuku giggled and fell in line with Shinso.
----
"Well. That was unexpected." Shinso said, still carrying the heavy bag.
"Yeah," Said Izuku, "She's always been nice like that."
"Okay. But did you see that Mr. Aizawa dude? Do you know who he reminds me of?" Shinso said, nudging Izuku's free arm.
"Who?" Izuku said, curious.
Shinso dropped his voice to a whisper. "Eraserhead."
Izuku whipped his head around so fast, you could have mistaken his skull for a bullet train. "Really?"
Shinso nodded. "Yeah. He had the long messy black hair, thin grey scarf, and eyebags that challenge mine."
"Huh." Izuku said, trying to remember what the man looked like.
They turned a corner and started walking up the stairs to Izuku's apartment complex. "Oh shoot." Izuku said, pausing halfway up the stairwell. "What?" Shinso asked turning back. Izuku readjusted the carrier in his grip. "We never asked mom."
Shinso's eyes widened. "You're right.... We can't turn back now..."
Cautiously, the boys continued up the stairs. The moment Shinso creeked open the door, Inko was there. "I just got a call from Mrs. Amami, explaining everything."
The boys turned to each other and back to Inko. Izuku was the first to speak. "Can we keep them?"
"Of course!" Inko said, bringing them inside. "I've wanted to get one for a while...but..." She trailed off. Izuku knew why.
They couldn't afford it before.
"Anyway!" Inko said, taking the bag from Shinso, "She said she gave you a packet?"
Izuku handed her the papers and set the carrier in the living room, unlocking it. When he came back, Shinso was digging through the bag and placing the contents on the table.
There were several cans and bags of cat food, a small cat bed, kitty litter, a tray, food and water bowls, a brush, some soap, and a vest.
Izuku picked up the vest and examined it. It was greyish-blue and had ESA embroidered on it in white. "What is this for?" He asked his mom.
She fingered through the packet before reading aloud. "'Because we noticed how jittery Izuku is, I thought it was a good idea to have Wisp trained as an emotional support animal.' There is the certification on the next page." She continued down the page before reading aloud again. "If Wisp is wearing the vest in public, she will be allowed in pet restricted areas by law."
Izuku hummed. He didn't have any particular emotions towards that, but he did appreciate the sentiment. He knew he was a shifting ball of anxiety riddled static. It was kind of off putting knowing that people noticed.
Shinso nudged his shoulder. "Is the furry baby up yet?"
"I don't think so, but the crate is in the living room." Izuku said, knowing his friend was dying to see the ball of fluff.
Shinso quickly made his way into the adjacent room and set himself on the couch. Izuku and Inko joined him shortly after they finished putting things where they belonged.
They sat down to wait.
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AN:
Thanks for reading chapter 18! Sorry for the delay. I had the usual phone difficulties as well as summer family fun going on, but I managed.
ALL THE FLUFF! I feel like not enough fanfics give Izuku an ESA. That boy deserves one.
I'm just going to reference random vines as titles from now on.
UPDATE NEXT WEEKEND.
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Verb: Fusillade (Mha)
قصص الهواة- A pyrokinesis Izuku AU He lies to himself, and he knows it. At one point it was the only thing keeping him afloat besides his mom's kind nature. That is, until the universe decides that he can't ignore himself any longer. Standing in the mirror, c...
