Chapter Text
“That settles it then,” Izuku sighed as he made his way home. He let out a heavy breath as he gulped. He stopped near an alley and rubbed his face.
Fourteen and already the world around him was beginning to crumble. He made his way into his home, barely hearing his overly worrisome mother greet him. It wasn’t that he hated her. It was more he needed some space for the moment to clear his head.
He laid in his bed and scowled, seeing all the All Might...everything in his room. He groaned and turned, hiding his face in the pillow.
It wasn’t until far later into the evening that he finally left his room, stomach growling. His mother had already gone to bed. To be fair though, it was nearly midnight. With a sigh, he left a note and headed out, going to the nearby market.
He hummed as he made his way through the neighborhood, looking up at the starlit sky. He felt his shoulders slump a slight.
“There’s always the police force,” All Might had said.
Izuku shook his head and sighed, clenching his jaw. “Maybe he was just saying that to cheer me up,” He realized with a groan and rubbed his face again. He could almost hear his mother scolding him that he’d rub away his youth.
A loud hiss and crash startled him before a soft yowl echoed from down an alleyway. He blinked and looked up, gulping as he shakily watched the darkness before a small blond cat came limping out.
“Oh...Oh hello there,” He sighed in relief. “Are you lost?” He knelt down and blinked. “You’re hurt.”
The red-eyed cat blinked up at him, practically screaming “Fuck you” in the silence.
Izuku chuckled. “Wow. You’re a bit broody, aren’t you?” He said, holding out his hand. “You’ve got weight so you must be somebody’s cat,” He hummed, trying to think. The cat hissed and he hummed, dropping his hand. He hummed, studying it before smiling. “Can you understand me?” The cat blinked at him, calling him Stupid as it meowed. He hummed. “I’ve gotta grab a snack. Wait here and I’ll bring something for you. Hmm...I wonder what cats should eat.”
He muttered softly as he went into the convenience store and hummed. “Excuse me,” He said to the clerk reading a book. “Where would cat food be?”
He straightened. “Back wall, far left. Can’t miss it, kid,” He said as he pointed.
Izuku nodded and headed for it, looking around. He grabbed the cheapest can of wet food before grabbing a corn dog from the rotating heater, a soda for himself, and a small water bottle. He hummed, looking around for a small dish he could use.
He groaned and sighed, trying to think before approaching the counter. “I’m sorry, but do you possibly have like a disposable bowl I could use?”
“Sure. Everything alright, kid?” The clerk asked.
“Oh yeah. I just found a lost cat outside and I was going to feed it and take it to a clinic in the morning was all. I think it got hurt and thinking maybe there’s a chip.”
“Good thinking,” The clerk agreed, scanning his items before finding a bowl. “If you put up flyers, just call my manager and we can hang one up here in case the owner lives nearby.”
“Thank you,” Izuku said, taking the small paper bowl and his bag before heading out.
Izuku hummed, looking around near the alley. “Let’s see. Here kitty-kitty,” He called, clicking his tongue softly. There was a low meow beside him, making him jump. “Oh. You did wait,” He beamed before smiling. “Let’s go sit in the light. It’ll be safer.” He led the cat, blinking when it followed quietly. He hummed, thinking. “You belong to someone.”
He sat on the sidewalk and popped the cooling corn dog in his mouth, freeing his hands as he set down the bowl and filled it a bit with water before the cat quickly began to lap it up. He blinked and smiled, filling it more as the cat purred happily. He opened the can and set it beside the bowl. The cat blinked and sniffed at the food before slowly eating it. He could tell by his hesitation the poor thing didn’t like it.
“Sorry. That was what I could afford for now,” He confessed as he ate. He watched the cat curiously and hummed as he ate, relaxing a bit. He slowly drank his soda as he watched the cat eat more than half the can before licking its lips and blinking up at him, tail flicking. He smiled. “All done?” He chuckled. He hummed and reached out. The cat hissed again and he pursed his lips. “Rude. You remind me…” He shook his head. “I should take you to a vet. See if maybe we can find your owner and get your leg looked at.” He smiled sweetly as the cat stared at him.
『• • • earlier that day • • •』
Katsuki pursed his lips as he walked with the extras. He couldn’t exactly remember their names, to be frank. Not that he’d ever admitted that.
“Didn’t you go a little overboard on Midoriya, man?” The extra with the stupid finger said.
“He shouldn’t have gotten in my way,” He said simply.
“Still, telling a guy to take a swan dive?” The other said. “You know if he does, you could be liable, right?”
“Like he ever would. He’s too much of a coward to try that crap!” He huffed as he crushed the soda in his hand. He scowled as they suggested the arcade and made to follow them when they came out of the alleyway. A little girl was crying, clearly panicked. “Hey, hey, hey!” He snapped. “Why the fuck are you crying?”
“Dude, maybe she’s lost. Let’s take her to the police station,” Finger Extra said.
“He’s got a point. It’s not a bad idea.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You two go ahead. I’m going home after this.” They waved and went off and he sighed, looking to the crying girl. Not much older than maybe three or four, he concluded, especially with the daycare uniform on. “Where are your parents?”
“I--” She hiccuped. “I don’t know. I was waiting and I saw a cat and followed and now--now--” She began to bawl again, making him sigh and rub his forehead.
He pursed his lips. On one hand, he mulled. He could walk away. On the other, All Might would never think to do that.
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go. I’ll take you to the police and they can call your parents, alright?” She kept crying. “Hey! Listen when older people talk to you, brat!”
She sobbed harder and held her hands out. He blinked hard as he grew dizzy, grabbing his head as it began to pound. He stumbled back into the alley and collapsed, grunting and moaning in pain before he finally blinked.
The sun had fallen lower into the sky. He wondered briefly how long he’d been out and sighed. “Damn quirk,” he grumbled as he got up. “Kid probably can’t…” He blinked as he noticed how much bigger the alley was and gaped, looking to his clothes, then noticing his body and felt his blood run cold. “Fuck!” He snapped.
He studied his body and gulped thickly, seeing paws instead of hands and seeing his clothes and bag on the ground before looking around. He hurried to the edge of the alley, gasping as he dodged someone’s feet. “Hey! Watch it!” He snapped, making the businessman jump before the man scowled.
“Stupid fucking cat,” The man growled before carrying on.
Katsuki gulped and hurried to the nearest store window. He jumped on the ledge and let out a breath, watching the glass fog a slight. Sure enough, his reflection was a blond cat with red eyes. He stared for a long moment.
“Shit,” He finally whispered.
“Hey, kid!” A deep voice said. He blinked and looked around. “Behind you.”
Katsuki blinked and sat a rather scraggly looking cat glaring at him. “You can talk?”
“Are you fucking stupid?!” The cat hissed. “This is my turf. Leave. Now.”
“I’m just lost,” He scoffed before jumping down. “Leave me alone. I just wanna go home now,” He sighed. He let out a yelp as his leg lit up in pain, realizing the cat had scratched him. “Hey! Fucking asshole!”
“I said leave!”
“Now I’m going to take longer to leave because your dumbass went and fucking injured my leg! What kind of bullshit tactic is that?!” He snapped, approaching the older cat, making the stray flinch. “You want to tell people to leave your turf but then you go and attack people trying to leave! You’re a fucking coward! You’re nothing! Shit is better than you! So fuck right off!”
The cat scurried away and Katsuki panted before limping away. He blinked hard, trying to think before groaning. Not only was his train pass still in his bag, but he would have to take a train to get anywhere quickly. Trains don’t allow animals.
“I’ve gotta walk,” He groaned.
Night fell and stayed for a long while as he limped. He groaned tiredly, his throat dry as he swallowed again. His stomach growled loudly and he sighed. “Shit.”
He hummed and did his best to jump up on a trashcan, trying to get a better view of his surroundings as he neared the convenience store near his neighborhood. However, his sudden weight made the can fall with a clatter as he hissed in pain.
He heard movement and blinked, seeing a figure at the end of the alley, fists raised shakily. He blinked and approached, seeing the green hair come into view, and scowled.
“Of all people,” He grumbled as he stared at Izuku. He let out a slow breath and straightened himself, not wanting to seem weak as Izuku blinked at the cat coming into view.
“Oh...Oh hello there,” He sighed in relief. “Are you lost?” He knelt and blinked. “You’re hurt.”
“Fuck you, Damn Deku,” Katsuki snarled, fully aware the boy couldn’t understand him in this state.
Izuku chuckled. “Wow. You’re a bit broody, aren’t you?” He said, holding out his hand. “You’ve got weight so you must be somebody’s cat,” He hummed, trying to think. Katsuki hissed and he hummed, dropping his hand. He hummed, studying it before smiling. “Can you understand me?”
“Deku! It’s me, Katsuki!”
Izuku only hummed. “I’ve gotta grab a snack. Wait here and I’ll bring something for you. Hmm...I wonder what cats should eat.”
Katsuki blinked as Izuku stood and headed into the store. His eye twitched in irritation as he shouted in frustration. “Dammit, dammit, dammit!”
He let out a breath as he sat down, stomach growling. He pursed his lips. The boy had mentioned food, he realized and his stomach groaned in protest.
He sighed and nodded. He’d deal with it to get something in his stomach. He regretted having a light lunch in favor of his usual afternoon training.
“Here kitty kitty,” Izuku called, clicking his tongue softly.
Katsuki sighed heavily as he called out, “Over here!” He smirked a bit when Izuku jumped before smiling.
“Oh. You did wait. Let’s go sit in the light. It’ll be safer.”
Katsuki sighed as he followed him in front of the convenience store and sat on the sidewalk with him.
He watched Izuku pop the corndog into his mouth and groaned, jealous of a damn fried meat stick. He wanted it so badly but perked when Izuku had set a bowl in front of him and poured cold water into it. He happily began to drink before Izuku had even finished pouring the drink.
Katsuki felt as though he could cry from joy as he drank, tail flicking about happily. He blinked when the can of wet food was laid next to him and grimaced. He sniffed at it and sighed.
“Better than starving,” He concluded, eating it. He winced at the taste and bit back his gag reflex as he forced himself to eat.
“Sorry. That was what I could afford for now,” Izuku confessed as he ate.
Katsuki was more focused on eating, wanting to get his fill. As his stomach whined in protest, he licked his lips and sat back on his haunches, tail flicking happily over a full belly before he went to drink more water to at least wash the taste out.
“All done?” Izuku chuckled before reaching to touch him.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” Katsuki hissed at him, making the boy pout a bit.
“Rude. You remind me…” He shook his head. “I should take you to a vet. See if maybe we can find your owner and get your leg looked at.” He smiled sweetly as the cat stared at him.
Katsuki sighed as he watched Izuku before stepping close to him. “Better than dying,” He concluded as he sat beside him. He blinked as he felt a hand gently brush against the top of his head. He forced himself to relax before Izuku began to pet him.
He hated that it felt nice despite his protests. He blinked when Izuku stopped and huffed, glaring at the boy as he cleaned up their mess before throwing everything away. He sighed as he approached Izuku, body aching from his long day.
Izuku smiled and carefullybelong picked him up, adjusting him as he needed. “You’re really clean. Definitely not a stray. You’re lucky tomorrow’s Saturday. I don’t have class and Mom has work early. I’ll take you to a clinic to have that leg looked at.”