Barking up the wrong tree [Part Two]

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“He looks like a purebred collie, or at least close to it. And he’s a few years old, not a puppy, so it’s odd for him to be on his own. He doesn’t have a chip though, and we haven’t had any calls about a missing dog that fits his description, so it’s possible he’s been abandoned. I can’t imagine what would possess someone to abandon such a handsome boy, though!”

The dog gave Izuku a pitiful look, and Izuku hugged him lightly in apology.

“He really is handsome,” Izuku agreed. “And so smart, I had no idea dogs could be so clever. He’s obviously been raised and trained well!”

“Occasionally there are incidents where an older person loses their pet and doesn’t realise, or forgets they had a pet in the first place. Maybe when a relative goes to visit they’ll ask about the dog and someone will come looking for him.”

“I’ll take good care of him in the meantime,” Izuku promised, watching the dog’s tail wag tentatively. “I’ll leave you my contact info in case someone calls about him.”

“If no one comes forward within thirty days, you’ll have to register him and get him microchipped. If you decide you can’t keep him, you can give him to a shelter in that time and they’ll take care of it. I know he’s beautiful, but he’s a pretty high-maintenance breed, so make sure you’re prepared for what that entails.”

“I can handle it,” Izuku assured her. “My partner will be home soon too, and he’ll just adore him.”

“Collies should be getting a minimum of two hours a day of exercise, more is even better, and if they’re left alone for too long they have a tendency to bark a lot – they’re very social dogs. If you work long hours, I suggest you look into doggy daycare options, or hire someone to come walk him during the day.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Izuku grinned. “Kacchan is gonna love you even more, now. He can take you on his hikes! We’ll get you some little doggy hiking boots to protect your feet, and you can keep him warm in his tent at night if he camps out!”

With a clean bill of health and a few pamphlets to help them out, Izuku headed back out to the reception area. One corner housed a collection of foods and accessories, so Izuku led the dog over, taking a look at the collars and leashes hanging on one end.

“What do you think, little guy?” he asked, smiling when the dog just cocked his head to the side, as usual. “What’s your favourite colour?”

There was a dark teal one that looked a lot like Izuku’s hero costume, which he was a little tempted by, but he knew Kacchan would never let it go that he dressed the dog up like himself. Instead, he held up a thick red one for the dog’s approval, and when it didn’t get growled at or torn to shreds, he decided that was good enough. A navy leash made the perfect pairing, and he took them up to the counter to add to his bill, patting the dog’s fluffy head when it sat down beside him.

“I’m glad you’re going to keep him,” the receptionist said warmly, as she scanned the tags on his purchases. “You seem like a good match.”

“He’s very easy to love,” Izuku smiled sheepishly. “If his parents show up, I’m sure they’ll all want to be reunited, but I almost hope that no one claims him.”

“It’s definitely a tough spot,” she agreed. “I suppose he gets a happy ending either way, at least! Feel free to call if you have any questions, and we’ll see you back to chip him if no one comes forward in the next couple of weeks.”

“Thank you very much!”

He fastened the collar around the dog’s neck, despite the unimpressed look the dog gave him for it, and clipped the leash on to match, giving him a good ear-rub as a reward for allowing it.

“There’s a pet store just down the road,” he said quietly. “How about we go find you a nice bed and a few toys? And some food, of course.”

The dog’s ears perked up, and Izuku smiled, smushing his fluffy face fondly.

“Alright, sounds like a plan.”

He waved goodbye to the staff, then held the door open for the dog to lead the way, smiling to himself as the warmth of the morning sun fell on them. It was the first time in days that he’d felt like everything might be okay, like he might be okay, and while a small part of him felt guilty for being able to smile while Katsuki was still missing, he knew his Kacchan would have told him not to spend his life moping and depressed over him.

“Here we are!” Izuku pointed at a door, watching the dog’s head turn back to him, then follow his finger toward a glass door. “Make sure you behave yourself, okay?”

The dog ignored him, just heading through the automatic doors and looking around, waiting for Izuku to pick a direction to lead him. Izuku picked the beds first, leading the way to a shelf of every type of pet bed imaginable, from baskets to heating pads to big squishy donuts that Izuku thought might just have been the softest thing he ever felt.

“This one looks like a little sofa!” Izuku giggled, pointing it out to the dog who pointedly looked the other direction. “Or this one is super soft, do you want to feel it?”

The dog refused to look at him, so he pulled it down anyway, nudging him toward it in hopes of getting a response. He still refused, however, so Izuku put it back and grabbed a much simpler little mattress, with a smooth cover.

“How about this one, then? Is this better?”

The dog whined quietly, and Izuku sighed, returning it to the shelf and letting his gaze drift over all the options.

“Oh, what a cutie!”

Izuku turned to see a lady in a white shirt looking their way, smiling as she bowed politely, and Izuku quickly found the presence of mind to return the gesture.

“He’s so handsome” she said, taking a step closer but leaving the dog a little space to feel safe. “What’s his name?”

Izuku froze, his brain giving him nothing but that little swirling circle he got on the hero fan-theory videos when they had to buffer. He’d only had the dog for a day, sure, but he really hadn’t stopped to come up with a name?

“Dog Might,” he blurted out, face burning red. “After... Well, you know.”

The dog growled quietly, and Izuku gave the lady a sheepish smile, reaching down to pat the dog gently.

“He’s not mad, I promise!” he assured her. “He just does that sometimes when he’s trying to communicate, he’s very smart!”

“He looks it! Can I pat him?”

“Can she pat you, Dog Might?” Izuku asked, getting a look from the dog that he could have sworn was threatening to murder him for the name later. “You gonna be nice?”

With a little huff, Dog Might took a step forward, offering his head to the impressed lady for pats. She stroked his fluffy head fondly, and Dog Might leaned into it, resting against her leg as she giggled and gave him a good snuggle.

“Does that feel good?” she asked, getting a tiny noise in return that definitely sounded like he was agreeing. “You really are a big sweetie, aren’t you?”

When Dog Might had had his fill, he stood up and walked back to Izuku’s side, sitting down and lifting one ear at him like he was just waiting for the praise.

“You’re a good boy,” Izuku said obediently. “Good job on making a new friend.”

“Is there anything I can help you two find today?” the lady offered. “Are we in the market for a new bed?”

“Yeah,” Izuku smiled faintly. “I um, just adopted him, so it’s actually his first bed and I’m not sure what to get. He doesn’t seem interested in helping me pick!”

“Well, he’s a pretty big boy, so you’re probably better with one of these nice flat options here rather than an enclosed one, to give him the option of sprawling out. If he wants something to rest his head on, you can always put a pillow on top, or a rolled up blanket.”

She pulled down a few options, setting them in front of Dog Might, who just turned up his nose at them all stubbornly.

“A picky little man, are we?” she giggled. “I like a boy who knows what he wants! Okay buddy, how about this one?”

She retrieved a big square cushion from the top shelf, and as it moved, Izuku heard a familiar quiet sound come from inside it. Izuku had bought himself a beanbag on a whim in his last year of high school, and Katsuki had spent half his life on that thing, using it as his main excuse for why he hung out in Izuku’s room so often. It made him oddly nostalgic to think about it, and his chest hurt a little at the memory.

Dog Might sniffed it tentatively, giving it a little poke with his paw, and Izuku smiled weakly when he looked up at Izuku’s face pointedly.

“I think he likes it,” Izuku said softly. “Is this one okay, buddy?”

Dog Might didn’t object, so Izuku nodded, and the lady grinned as she picked it up.

“I’ll take this up to the counter for you. Is there anything else you need?”

“Um, some food? I think he’s gonna be super picky about that too, so I’m not sure what to get him. And I thought maybe we’d look at the toys too, see if there’s anything that catches his eye.”

“Why don’t I go have a look through the food and pick out some options for you, then?” she suggested. “You can go look at the toys while I see what we have that would suit him. He’s a collie, right? How old?”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded. “We’re not sure exactly, but a few years?”

“Great! I’ll go pull out some healthy options for him, and you can take a look at the toys in the meantime, if you like.”

“That sounds amazing, thank you so much.”

“My pleasure! I’m glad I can help!”

Izuku started toward the toy aisle, Dog Might following at his heels as always, and he shot a sheepish smile at the little guy when they reached the racks.

“Have a look, buddy,” Izuku said. “You lead the way.”

Dog Might wandered slowly down the aisle, sniffing at a few things but showing little interest, occasionally looking back at Izuku with a weird sense of disdain – the vet had said he looked like a purebred, Izuku realised, so maybe he’d been raised for shows rather than play? Did he even know what toys were?

“Remember my plushie you found?” Izuku asked, watching the ears perk up a little. “You can pick out one of your own, to snuggle with or throw around. See this big teddy bear? He could cuddle with you in bed at night!”

Dog Might turned away again, standing oddly still, and finally trotted over to a low shelf, delicately picking up a ball shaped like a bomb. It was round and black, made of thick rubber that gave a little under Dog Might’s teeth, with a thick rope sticking out the top like a wick. It made Izuku’s throat swell a little.

“You like that one, huh?” Izuku asked, voice a little choked. “Okay, we can get you that one. We’ll find a big park and play fetch with it, so you can get some good exercise.”

He let Dog Might carry it up to the counter with them, and the lady smiled brightly when she saw, offering out a hand that Dog Might dropped his toy into obediently.

“This is a good one!” she praised, ruffling Dog Might’s fur playfully. “Very manly.”

When she pointed out a few bags of food she’d selected for them, all small ones to figure out which he liked best, Izuku just pulled out his wallet, nodding faintly.

“We’ll take all of them,” he clarified. “So he can try them out.”

“Oh! Of course, Sir!”

It took a bit of effort to get the bed rolled up and stuffed in a bag, but soon Izuku held a handful of shopping bags, and Dog Might got his last goodbye-pats before they turned for home.

It was a short walk, thankfully, since Izuku’s hand was sore from the heavy food bag by the time they made it, and Dog Might went straight for the TV, looking at Izuku expectantly until he switched on the news. Izuku sat down to watch, Dog Might immediately hopping up beside him, resting his big fluffy head on Izuku’s thigh comfortably and falling asleep immediately. Most of the updates were things Izuku didn’t care about or understand – something about a lawsuit against some company he’d never heard of, and an interview with an athlete Izuku had also never heard of – but eventually, the bit he was waiting for came around.

“Among the still-missing heroes,” the news anchor said, when the inevitable update began. “is Japan’s Number One, ‘Dynamite’, known outside of his hero work as ‘Bakugou Katsuki’.”

Dog Might woke up in a hurry, whimpering, and Izuku whispered a quick apology. He always got sniffly when he heard that name, but he hadn’t expected to tense up so much that it even woke Dog Might.

“An influx of petty crime happened briefly in the city of Shizuoka, with a number of criminals trying to take advantage both of his absence, and that of his partner, Number Two Hero ‘Deku’. Thankfully for the residents, Number Four Hero ‘Shouto’ was on the scene to shut them down. Here’s what he had to say.”

The screen cut to a familiar scarred face, and Dog Might growled quietly, only stopping when Izuku’s hand moved to rub his ears gently.

“Dynamite being gone is certainly a blow to the heroes of the area,” Todoroki said, his voice as flat as ever – he never gave away an ounce of emotion on camera. “But I’ll keep it under control until he gets back, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“And what about this sudden leave of absence from his partner?” the reporter asked. “Do you think Deku has disappeared too? Or has he gone looking for Dynamite?”

“Deku is entitled to take leave whenever he needs it,” Todoroki said firmly. “It’s none of my business what he does with it, but I hope he’s taking good care of himself, and that he knows I’m out here making sure everyone is safe while he’s gone.”

“Do you think the heroes will reappear any time soon? Have any missions been planned to recover them?”

“That’s not my place to speculate,” Todoroki shrugged. “But I know Bak- Dynamite won’t go down without a hell of a fight, so I can’t imagine he’s not coming back. He’d have been heard from three countries over if he got in a fight that big.”

Dog Might snorted, pawing at Izuku’s leg demandingly, and Izuku leaned over to hug him, resting his cheek on Dog Might’s soft fur.

“If anyone can make it back to us, it's Kacchan"

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