Chapter Text
Shouta took a large gulp from his ample travel mug coffee as he walked up to the green door obscured from the public eye on the side of the facility. It should be a crime getting up so early just to get here at the break of dawn. Reaching the door, he placed his ID card on the scanner beside the door and waited for the red light to change to green as the late summer breeze kicked up his long, messy black hair. He took another sip of his black coffee; today was going to be a long day.
He trudged down the long, familiar halls with the recognizable forms of animals, carved out, then filled in with a transparent surface so the floor was flat every other step. The off-white walls were littered with plaques, drawings, and the occasional photograph of researchers, office doors with tiny brass name plates scattered throughout the hallway. He was almost at his office at the end of the hallway, thankful that he would get a couple of minutes of respite not having to interact with the morning people, but fate wasn’t so considerate.
Fukukado bounded around the corner, and her dark green eyes immediately locked with his tired black ones, and her smile grew three sizes. “Do my eyes deceive me or am I looking at the King of grumpy faces, Aizawa himself? And on a Sunday no less!” The muscular woman with her signature orange headband practically skipped over to him.
Shouta groaned, moving past the sea-green haired woman. He didn’t get three steps before he heard the tell-tale signs of being followed on the pristine, freshly cleaned floors. “I’m only here because someone doesn’t keep proper notes and likes to write in the margins with a legion of horrendous jokes,” he said with a deepening grimace on his lips. A bald-faced lie both of them knew. He continued walking without stopping at his office’s door, which was littered with commemorations he earned over his tenure.
There was a surprising moment of silence from the normally chatty woman. A single, fleeting moment of understanding, before a halfhearted, “Tee-hee,” as she increased her pace to walk beside him, “Guilty as charged.”
Shouta sighed, tipping his travel mug back and finishing the rest of his coffee as he reached his door, but he wasn’t home free yet and Fukukado was too dense to realize he wanted to be alone. He turned the handle, remembering for once he actually went through the steps of locking it the night before, as if the added hassle would deter him from not coming in to work the following morning. But he had to be here. He took a breath before digging in his pocket for the keys.
“You’re not the type of man to laugh, but,” Fukukado smiled softly, encouragingly, a far cry from her normal ear to ear smile. “But one of them must have made you smile at least, right?”
Shouta slowly turned to her, keys in his door. “Does this look like the face of a man that’s ever smiled?”
The woman snorted, reaching up to give a friendly pat on the shoulder. “No, but you certainly act the part of a good straight man, even though you are everything but that.”
Shouta grumbled, his head pounding, and while the woman was trying to help, he was done with this conversation. He locked eyes with the green-haired woman as he stepped into his office, “Be ready in ten minutes,” before slamming the door.
“Alright boss.” Shouta heard her muffled response through the door, before the shadow under the door vanished back down the hallway.
Shouta waited to confirm she was gone before letting out a sigh of relief as he turned into his office. His office was the largest on site, with a tall dome reminiscent of the enclosures further in the facility, a testament to his status at the U.A. Hybrid Research and Rescue. He passed the clean-cut hardwood desk, the wall-to-wall bookshelves mirroring the windows, including an entire shelf dedicated to his own published works on his discoveries. There were a series of plants Hizashi got him in hopes to liven up the room that subsequently turned into a chore, lest they die of Shouta not having the time to water them. Finally, Shouta came to his heavily cushioned seat and sank in, closing his eyes as he regrouped his thoughts in his ten minutes of peace.
U.A., the world leader in research and rescue facilities for hybrids, the rare subspecies of beings that share this planet with humans. They are uncommon, even the ones that haven’t been pushed to near extinction by human presence continuously leaching into their habitats. For the average person, disregarding facilities like this, the chances are exceedingly low they would ever spot them in the wild, and if so, it’s often a fleeting glance. And places like the U.A. are a modern evolution of the past fifty years, so the knowledge on these creatures remains extraordinarily inadequate. Hybrids watch humans more than humans watch them. They study humans and not only learn, but teach their young how to avoid them. That’s why most of the hybrids they had here rescued or born into the facility itself as part of the breeding initiative for the critically endangered. They are smart creatures, Shouta’s research testifies near equal footing to humans.
Shouta slowly opened his eyes, staring through the dome at the light blue and orange sky, a sour acid building in his gut that had nothing to do with the six-hundred mL of pure caffeine in his otherwise empty stomach. He’s spent the better half of his life studying hybrids, their habits, behaviors, and of course the thing that’s made him famous in the hybrid research community, their intelligence. Humans believed these creatures were far closer to the wild animals that they resemble versus the common trait they all shared, humans themselves. Hunting them for trophies, furs, and supposed medicinal properties.
But Shouta witnessed the intellect in their eyes from the first time he observed a tall, golden lion hybrid stare at him through the glass. He was the first hybrid ever to be displayed to the public with his golden mane, his piercing blue eyes that became his name’s sake, Yagi. This was a proud creature, fierce, strong, but also caring with wisdom unknown. He captured Shouta’s curiosity and brought him back here a decade after he first encountered him as an intern. Yagi had lived most of his life here, inspiring children and adults alike to the wonders of hybrids.
Shouta started with the tamed lion, asking him simple things: colors, shapes, and even picking out which foods he wanted via laminated images. His mentors at the time thought he was too hopeful of any quality of results, even when tamed the hybrids only knew of the simplest of commands, no different from the average domesticated dog.
But Shouta kept trying until the old lion finally started to respond back. The researchers thought it was too good to be true, but within a week, Yagi was comfortable with the shapes and colors, scoring a perfect one hundred every time. But neither Shouta nor Yagi were done, as Shouta finished his degree in college. He continued his teaching with the lion through sign language, far superseding all expectations of limits of what was considered possible for a hybrid.
Shouta gritted his teeth, he proved time and time again with dozens of explanations of not only the hybrid’s intelligence, but their sense of self, a set of morals and a comprehension of their mortality. Creating a new standard for enclosures that properly met the needs of the hybrids as a comfortable home, and updating barbaric breeding projects that accommodated hybrids' specific needs. So why were they—
A knock on the door interrupted Shouta’s train of thought.
“So, um, it’s been thirteen minutes and forty-four seconds, now forty-five, six, seven…”
Shouta let out an exasperated sigh, grabbing his tablet and stylus before standing to his feet as Fukukado continued to count the seconds. He swung open his door, his eyebrows furrowed and glared at the green-haired keeper without a word.
Fukukado grinned, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand as she handed it to him before she said, “If my assumption is correct, you want to get to Bakugou’s enclosure before others get in, right?”
“Yes, that would be ideal.” He examined the presented coffee in his hands, taking a slip. “Only slightly burnt this time,” he muttered, “and not filled to the brim with sugar.” He looked up to Fukukado, genuinely a little surprised. “Thank you.”
“No jokes today,” Fukukado said, her smile slipping briefly, and her normally enthusiastic laugh ringing hollow.
“Somehow I find that hard to believe,” Shouta said flatly when she was done. He started back the way he originally came, before taking the first turn to the right a few doors down, heading further into the Rescue enclosures towards the main entrance. It was silent throughout the entire route, not even once did Fukukado try to start up an idle conversation, and before he knew it, they reached another green door.
It started warming up in the short amount of time Shouta had been inside. His feet hit the dirt paths that spiraled around the ten square kilometers of park and several dozen enclosures. To his left were the parked electric vehicles, like the ones that would ferry guests around in, but painted black with the words STAFF written across the hood, sides, and back. Fukukado spun the keys in her finger as she waited for Shouta to take a seat in the passenger seat, and they took off towards the big cat section of the facility, the quiet purr of the engine lulling Shouta into a stupor.
What should have been a quiet drive quickly turned south, however, as Fukukado said as they passed the green glass frog enclosure. “Ah, sometimes I wish I was a frog.”
Shouta knew where this was going before she finished.
“She’s always hoppy because she eats what bugs her!” The green haired woman smiled wildly, turning her face toward him.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to be telling jokes today,” Shouta grimaced.
“Puns and jokes are different breeds,” Fukukado smirked, her green eyes momentarily flashing to his.
“Just keep your eyes on the road,” he said, folding his arms and trying to ignore her for the rest of the trip.
“We should find a mate for our little bat cutie. She’s lonely and not afraid of a blind date!”
“Bats aren’t even blind.”
“That’s the joke.” Unfortunately for Shouta, she continued to spew one bad pun after the next until Shouta wanted to throw himself out of the car and into the enclosure housing the mated red and pink monitor lizards.
“Here we are,” Fukukado finally said, as they pulled up into the large cat exhibit and stopped the car.
Shouta took a deep breath and unbuckled his seat belt. At first, he didn’t want to look behind him, and instead kept his eyes forward into the enclosure of an old friend.
He took a few steps over to the lion’s home; the graying hybrid was surprisingly awake and out of his den. He was no longer the larger-than-life lion of his youth, his eyes sunken and his body withered. Even in his old age, each year he continued to prove the world wrong about hybrids. Presumed to only live a couple of decades, Yagi was well into his seventies and relatively healthy all things considered, after that emergency surgery to save his life over a decade ago.
The old lion greeted him with a quick sign, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Shouta signed back.
Blue eyes glanced over to the closure directly across from him, and then back to Shouta, and gave him a reassuring smile. “It will be okay.”
Shouta smiled bitterly and said “Maybe.” He turned back from the lion and towards the young Amur leopard’s home. He surveyed the enclosure, not surprised he was unable to find Bakugou.
Bakugou has always been a troubled cat since he was rescued almost a decade ago as a kit from poachers. They tried everything they could to save the life of his parents, but it was too late. The only thing they could do was keep their coveted furs out of the black market. Nothing they did warmed the leopard’s explosive disposition to humans, and at best he mildly tolerates Shouta’s presence, but he has learned not to test his temper. Other than recently recovered hybrids, he is the only one that regularly injures caretakers.
Despite this, Shouta has done his best with the problem kitty. He never responds back, nor even attempts to sign, but he knew the leopard was absorbing every detail like a sponge. He might even be a faster learner than Yagi in his prime. But the cat was stubborn to a fault, with pride unmatched, not even by their hybrid peacock Aoyama, and despite his teenager disposition, he’s been considered a fully grown Alpha for two years. An unmated fully grown Alpha and the biggest pain in Shouta’s ass.
Hybrid mating and breeding patterns are different from humans, especially since some hybrids have a secondary gender. People have come to call these secondary genders Alpha and Omega. The hybrids that don’t seem to exhibit any additional traits used to have no scientific name, but researchers throw the word “Beta” around. They could only speculate why there were only a few Alphas and Omegas, the leading theory now being they appeared to be less common in the past, so it was likely due to the falling population.
When Bakugou presented as an Alpha a few seasons back, his attitude only grew, and since he came of age, they have been searching for a partner for the young leopard. Unlike in the past, where a mate would be forced upon the poor hybrid against their will, a gradual process of introducing contenders is in place, thus allowing the hybrid to choose a mate on their own volition. Sometimes it takes years for a hybrid to pick a mate, and occasionally the researchers get it right on the first try, and then there are the few times the hybrid doesn’t choose one at all. Bakugou seemingly had to be the latter.
Normally that was okay, however, there were less than a hundred known living adults in Bakugou’s species, most in locations like the U.A., with only the rarest of sightings in the wild. Donors and researchers alike were getting nervous as Bakugou had turned away nearly every Amur leopard introduced to him. It didn’t matter if the partner hybrid was female, male, Omega, Beta, or even Alpha. He wanted none of it.
Shouta fought a losing battle to make sure the young leopard wasn’t forced into a breeding partner. The older, “traditional” methods have not been outlawed, but the need for forced breeding was rarely called for. And it finally came to a head last week, and the despicable “solution” was set into effect.
“Mr. Aizawa, Ms. Fukukado!” The two young interns, Shindo and Nakagame, yelled in union. Shouta looked up in time to see them run from the small building serving as an entrance to Bakugou’s enclosure. “He has arrived, we brought him over to where you said, and got everything ready in Bakugou’s enclosure,” Shindo said as Nakagame caught her breath.
“Thank you,” Fukukado said.
Shouta was already heading over to the trailer-like buildings erected alongside the enclosures. Every hybrid’s enclosure has one, decorated to match the fence and fauna for a seamless hidden-in-plain sight for guests and hybrids alike. He walked up to the heavy green door, using his keycard, well aware he was being followed as the door didn’t immediately close behind him as he stepped in.
All of them were set up the same, containers with supplies, toys, some food items or treats, and even basic emergency care along the walls. The wall facing the enclosure was like a garage door able to lift up, so only a fence stood between them. And finally, the last wall contained floor to ceiling monitors, because at the end of the day, his facility is first and foremost a place of research. Cameras are set in multiple locations throughout the enclosure, invading privacy, recording, and saving every moment of the hybrid's time here. It was a necessary evil, far better than the alternative, with a possibility of a better future if the knowledge gained can push people to give a damn about their lives in the wild.
Shouta took a deep breath, these little hideaways were normally one of his favorite places to evade annoying people and focus on his work. But his eyes immediately locked with the bulky container in the middle of the room, already set to line up with Bakugou’s enclosure dual gate. Shouta stepped around the container far too like a doggy kennel for his liking, until he could see through the metal bars at its front to observe the small hybrid inside.
Huge, green doe eyes stared back at him from under a mop of curly green hair. Tears dripping down his round, freckled cheeks, and his body pulled tightly in the corner of the cage.
“I still don’t understand why you would put a cute little Roe deer in there,” Shindo whispered.
“Because they believed it will stimulate Bakugou by activating some of his natural instincts,” Shouta scoffed as the deer shook from antlers to hoofs, his eyes never blinking as he watched Shouta kneel. The deer was terrified of the humans around him and being taken from his home, but if his nose movements were telling him anything, he also smells the scent of leopard.
“You mean, like, for food?” Nakagame asked, sounding justified, disgusted.
Shouta swallowed as the memory of that day came back to him.
“No, that’s insane, we are not doing that,” Shouta’s voice raised, but he was trying not to yell.
“What? It happens all the time in the wild, what’s the harm?”
“It’s not the same. They would be trapped together, nowhere to run, no possible escape. It’s cruel and unusual, and I cannot allow it.”
“But there are plenty of documented cases predator hybrids hunt, kill, and eat prey hybrids. That should perk Bakugou right up, and he’ll want to mate in no time. Might even make him more level-headed!”
Shouta took a sharp breath, “They are intelligent creatures, and those cases have only been documented in locations of extreme environmental devastation and substantial human disruption. Meaning, it was a last resort for their survival and not a normal behavior.”
“OR, perhaps it’s because hybrids are normally more secretive about their indulgence in their eating of fellow hybrids? But also humans normally aren’t able to witness hybrids in their natural environment, and how are we to know what is and isn’t common between hybrids? Merely food for thought.”
Shouta opened his mouth—
“But it’s already a said and done deal.”
“What?” Shouta questioned.
“A young buck is being transported next week. It originated from the same ecosystem as our young Bakugou, just to be sure he understands what to do.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I very much am. One Roe deer hybrid to kick Bakugou’s natural instincts into high gear? That’s well worth it, I would say.”
“It won’t work,” Shouta clenched his teeth.
“Maybe, maybe not. Better than doing nothing, hmm?”
Shouta was silent, having to bite his tongue or else risk getting fired.
“And maybe you are right. Maybe Bakugou won’t harm the deer and will simply chase it around for a bit, and we both win?”
There was nothing he nor the chairman of the U.A. could do to refuse the “request”, they’ve been struggling since it was sprung on them. Bakugou was too prized as a possible breeding partner that, if possible, they would love if he were to take additional mates. It made Shouta sick.
He stared sadly into the dark cage at the timid deer. He was plucked from his home against his will. Not a rescue, but stolen. How could he go home to Eri and tell her he was one of the good guys if he didn’t even attempt to stop it? To allow an innocent creature to be chased around like a game. He can trust in his research and that Bakugou wouldn’t diverge from that, but the deer will be panicked and scared for too long. Bakugou won’t kill him, but the constant stress will.
“Midoriya,” Shouta said, causing the ears of the deer to twitch.
“Midoriya?” Nakagame questioned.
“I’m naming him,” Shouta said.
“Aizawa,” Fukukado frowned.
“I promise you’ll be okay,” Shouta said to the deer, even though he was sure the young buck didn’t have a clue what he was saying. It was a promise to himself that he will do anything possible for both hybrids. He trusted what he knew about the leopard he has taken care of for so many years. But in case, his eyes flash to the wall, a large red box hanging there. The last resort if they don’t play nice.
The deer moved slightly, a small puddle beneath the dark green fur of his legs. For a moment, he thought the poor thing relieved himself in fright before the overpowering scent slammed into his nose.
“Ew, what’s that smell?” Shindo questioned as he plugged his nose.
“Your salami leg, their salami leg, his salami leg, or Carl’s shoes?” Fukukado said.
Shouta glared at her, “Really? Now?”
“Reference, not a joke,” she smiled.
“It’s salami?” Nakagame frowned.
“Midoriya is an Omega,” Shouta said flatly. Weren’t the interns meant to be the brightest students in their year? He was scared for the future. “He’s in heat, or well, just starting it.”
“Will that affect what’s about to happen?” Shindo asked curiously.
Bakugou has been around other leopards in heat before, much to the protest of Shouta. Young hybrids, barely coming of age, were known to lose control when around another in heat, but Bakugou? He didn’t even flinch. He was acting like a hybrid mated for years with the amount of self-control he possessed. “I don’t know, but we should get this over with,” he said staring at the interns. “Help with the container, get it over to the entrance, and then you two are dismissed. Go get some breakfast or something from the cafeteria, tell Rasshu to put it on my tab.”
Both frowned as they glanced at each other.
“This is not up for debate,” Shouta said sternly. He didn’t want them, if things turn for the absolute worst, to witness it.
Begrudgingly, the two students agreed, helping get the container with the deer into place. Shouta watched through the security cameras placed directly outside of the enclosure to make sure they left.
“Do you think they’ll actually go to get breakfast?” Fukukado asked.
“They are probably swinging around and coming back through the blind spot,” Shouta said.
“Remind me to never have kids,” Fukukado laughed.
The moment of levity quickly passed, and Shouta knew it was time. He couldn’t distinguish Bakugou, either in front of him or on the monitors, but he could feel his red eyes glaring. He patted the side of the box and worked the double gates open, and then the cage’s gate.
And for a dozen minutes or so, the world stood still. No movement from beyond the trees, none from within the box. Waiting for one to move first, but neither did for another several minutes.
Movement from within the box, a shuffling of hooves before Midoriya’s nose stuck out first. His ears on a swivel, his tail raised at attention as he took his first step out of the box and into the grass between the two gates. His small antlers clipped the top of the cage as he leaves, momentarily spooking the deer, but he quickly recovers, taking another step toward the small pile of fresh, flowering plants. Alert green eyes darted back to the humans before looking back to the food presented to him a couple meters away. His white tail swishes as he stalks closer to the food. As the deer exits the second gate, the gate lowers quickly, the noise shocking the deer.
Midoriya bounded away from the sound of metal crashing together, his little chest heaving. His eyes continued to watch the gate for further movement, however, his ears flickered behind him to something Shouta could never dream of hearing. The deer’s nose went to the air, his eyes growing impossibly vast as he let out a rasping whine. Neglecting the gate, his attention completely swallowed by the forest behind him. Through the monitor, Shouta watches the deer’s face as he scans his surroundings, his body tense for the unseen threat.
Midoriya bolted only moments before the heavy cat emerged from the shadows. Bakugou was far closer than Shouta imagined he would be, only a few steps behind the deer, before the deer sprinted away. Midoriya hopped over bushes, whirled around trees, but this was Bakugou’s territory, and the leopard knew exactly how to head him off within seconds, making the deer nearly trip over itself to stop in time before taking off in the opposite direction.
It was a repeat of before, with the nimble deer scurrying in wide circles, while Bakugou took the most direct route, knowing exactly where the deer was going to be. It lasted less than a minute before the leopard took the deer down. Midoriya kicked and fought in vain with his hooves and antlers, but there was no way the deer was getting any leverage to get a hit on the far larger hybrid. Bakugou’s enormous fangs were out, dripping just above the deer’s huge eyes.
Shouta felt himself shaking his eyes immediately darting over to the emergency tranquilizer on the wall. He had a clear shot of the two, Bakugou having chased the deer back to the clearing during his hunt. They didn’t need to let the hybrid die. They should be saving hybrids, not letting assholes make decisions as if they were gods. If he didn’t do it now, then—
“HOLY SHIT.”
In the few seconds, Shouta looked away from the scene in front of him, the world turned on its head. No longer was Bakugou pinning the deer to the ground with his size difference and strength, but holding the deer in what could only be described as ‘fervently’. His hands moved from pinning the deer’s hands in place over his head to one cupping the deer’s round cheek, and the other on his waist. There were no teeth, only the rapid nuzzles of the cat all over the other’s face.
It wasn’t only Bakugou acting odd, Midoriya’s disposition completely changed in the blink of an eye. His arms wrapped around the cat’s chest, bringing him closer. He lifts himself forward to touch the leopard, nuzzling possibly even more intensely against the cat with little licks and whistles. There wasn’t a hint of fear in his body as he allowed his legs to be spread.
The fur around the deer’s legs were completely soaked, and Bakugou didn’t wait to claim his open invitation, inserting his hardened member into the smaller hybrid and thrust inside. The first thrust was slow, careful, as if the leopard imagined it would break the deer. The deer's face twisted in momentary discomfort, followed by quiet caring licks from the leopard until the deer was ready. It was so unlike Bakugou to be caring that Shouta felt another wave of shock hit him. Midoriya made a small chirp, barely over the ecstatic noises from the basically oversized house cat now. Bakugou pulled out, before slowly before thrusting in, even and steady. Always watching the reaction from the deer, drawing out the little whimpers from the Omega buck. Nuzzling the deer, covering him completely with his musk to claim his mate. His pace started to pick up speed with each sequential thrust.
“What. The. Fuck?”
“I know right? I guess we didn’t have anything to worry about them playing nice together,” Fukukado said, nearly keeling over with her laughter.
Bakugou’s head popped up, his ears flickering in their direction. His glare was back in full force, his hair standing on end. He hissed, awkwardly standing on his back legs, so he could pick up the limp deer in his arms before disappearing into the trees, back to his den.
“And you were ragging on me about taking notes when you haven’t taken a single one?” Fukukado smirks, “First documented case of two different hybrid species getting down and dirty together, and all you could do was watch.”
Shouta continued to blink at the woman beside him, until, “You drugged my coffee, didn’t you?”