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Izuku’s dad backhanded Izuku, sending waves of stinging pain across his face. Izuku dimly noted that he used the hand with the ring. He backed up the stairs, his flight instincts kicking in. He wasn’t quite sure why his dad was angry in the first place. Had he done something wrong?
“Get back here, Izuku,” his dad screamed, advancing slowly. Izuku froze in place, fear taking over his entire being.
He could feel his cat ears emerging against his will, his senses sharpening as it did. He winced as the sharp scent of fresh blood entered his nose; the ring had definitely done some damage.
“Put your stupid fucking years away before I cut them off myself,” his dad roared, and Izuku cringed. Superior senses were more harmful than good at times. “God I can’t fucking stand you.”
“I … I c-can’t help it.” Izuku whimpered. He could usually transform at will, but if it was caused by stressful situations, he would lose all control. He could try until his face turned blue but his ears will remain.
“Go to your room then. I don’t want to see your stupid face.” His face was beet red, and Izuku knew if he stayed any longer, he would be beaten to a pulp. “No food for you this week, and if I catch you stealing some, I’ll kill you, got it?”
Izuku nodded and scurried back to his small bedroom, a dull relief filling him. It was over, finally.
As he relaxed, his body shifted some more. His bones creaked as they morphed, and a few seconds later, he had turned completely into a cat.
Ever since his quirk manifested, he’s always felt more comfortable in cat form. It felt more natural as if he was meant to be that way. His human body felt too big, too clumsy. His dad didn’t like it when he shifted though, so he doesn’t use it much.
Curling up on his bed, he buried his face in his fur. It had all started when his mom died. His dad had gotten violent, always blaming Izuku for her death. Izuku wished things would go back to how it was desperately, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
Izuku fell asleep with his stomach growling angrily. At least with his cat form, he could last a little longer without food than in human form if he didn’t run around too much. It was one of the few good things about being a cat.
Izuku slept through the next day entirely, and when he woke up night had come once again. His hunger had worsened and his stomach was racked with pangs of hunger. Even with his cat form, he wasn’t sure if he could last the week without any sustenance.
After a moment’s deliberation, Izuku leaped out his open window, landing somewhat clumsily on his feet. He hadn’t had to do this for a long time, but he had no choice — he had to go out to look for food. If he was lucky, a nice Samaritan would give him some cat food and a few scratches, but he couldn’t count on that.
Padding silently through the quiet neighborhood, he kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings. Sometimes, the meaner neighborhood kids loved to pelt strays with rocks; Izuku wasn’t sure if he could take any in his current state, he might just drop dead on the spot. All the trashcans he had come across had been sadly devoid of any edible foods. Searching through them only netted him dirty paws.
Izuku wandered around more until he came across a man sitting on his porch. He paused, studying the man quietly from a distance. This was the first person he had come across so far and a potential source of food.
The man was wearing entirely black, and he was staring straight back at Izuku with dark eyes. After a moment of the two staring at each other, he beckoned at Izuku, and Izuku hesitated. Sniffing the air, he took in the man’s scent. It smelled faintly of soap and cinnamon. Perhaps it was the hunger making him desperate, but Izuku felt like he could trust this man. Slowly, he approached the man, watching him carefully for any sudden movements. The man remained still.
Once Izuku determined that he wasn’t a threat, he leaped up on the bench next to him.
The man smiled at him gently, then reached up and scratched him behind the ears. Izuku let out a small purr. The man’s hands were comfortable and soothing, the complete opposite of his dad’s; his were nothing but violent.
“Hello,” he said. Izuku merely blinked back.
After a little while of being scratched, the man scooped him up. Izuku let out a small yelp of surprise at being lifted off the ground all of a sudden.
“It’s okay buddy,” the man murmured, so quietly that he was sure he’d have missed it without his sharp ears. “I’m just bringing you to my house, alright? You look like you’re starving.”
Izuku relaxed a little. His hands were gentle and warm; Izuku didn’t think he was going to hurt him.
He unlocked his door and stepped in with Izuku in tow, placing him down on the floor before disappearing into another room.
When he came back, he was holding a bowl of cat food and water. Izuku eagerly crouched down next to where he placed it down, lapping thirstily at the water before moving on to the cat food. Sure, it was a little degrading to be reduced to this, but he couldn’t complain. The man sat down at his sofa, watching Izuku silently as he munched down on the hard pellets.
Once he was finished, he looked around the house curiously. While being in his cat form meant his perspective was different from usual, his enhanced eyesight allowed him to see every detail with enhanced clarity. From what he could tell, his living room looked quite normal. However, what was odd was that there didn’t seem to be any other cats around. The man must just love to feed stays.
The man beckoned at him again with his finger, and this time, Izuku was more than willing to comply.
The couch was soft and comfy, and Izuku relished the way his paws sank into the cushions. It felt like he was on a bed made of clouds.
“I’m Shouta,” the man said suddenly. “What’s your name?”
Izuku filed his name away in his memory. It was good to finally put a name to his face.
“Hmm… What about Dusty? You have a lot of dirt on you,” he continued, absentmindedly stroking his fur.
Izuku meowed in alarm. He didn’t quite like that name.
“You don’t like it? I’ll think of something else then,” he said. “I’ll have it ready the next time we meet, so be sure to come around again, alright?”
Izuku nodded his head, and Shouta’s face lit up with mild surprise.
“You’re smarter than you look, aren’t you.?” he asked. “Well, it’s quite late. Do you want to stay the night? You can sleep on the couch if you want.”
A quick glance at the clock told him that he had been out for too long. Any longer and his dad would surely notice his absence. He wished he could take Shouta up on his offer. He hadn’t felt this comfortable in a long time.
Leaping off the couch and walking to the door, he looked back at the man expectantly. Without missing a beat, he opened the door, allowing Izuku to slip out into the night. He looked back at him, trying to express his gratitude without words. It was the first time anyone had shown him such affection, even if he was in cat form.
“Be careful out there Dusty,” he called, waving his goodbye.
An entire week later, Izuku hadn’t had the chance to visit Shouta at all. His dad had put him on errands constantly, like the one he was currently on. It was to buy him snacks from a nearby convenience store.
The clerk had given him a very strange look as he checked out all his items, probably confused as to why a seven-year-old boy was buying chips and soda at this time of night.
The bags felt like they weighed more than Izuku, and he stumbled as he pulled them along. His house wasn’t too far away from here, but with these bags, they felt like it was infinitely far. He longed to eat some of it, though he knew if he did, his dad would go into a rage.
Absentmindedly, his mind wandered to Shouta. He wished he could thank him in human form, but he probably wouldn’t like that very much. He’d feel like he was tricked. The idea of Shouta hating him was more upsetting than he’d like to admit.
He was so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed the man who had stopped in front of him. He bumped into him hard, tumbling backward and falling to the ground with a small yelp. In the process, his hands had slackened, and the bags fell to the floor, scattering everywhere.
“You okay, kid?” the man he had bumped into asked, crouching down next to him. Izuku looked up to find a pair of familiar dark eyes. It was Shouta, with the same black outfit, except this time, he had a long white scarf around his neck.
“Um… y-yeah!” he stammered, reminding himself that he wasn’t a cat anymore and Shouta was expecting a verbal answer from him. “I’m so sorry! I should’ve been looking in front of me.”
“It’s fine, but that looked like a nasty fall. Are you sure you’re okay?”
He nodded, looking down to where his bags had fallen. He was more concerned about them than he was about himself. The packaged goods were strewn all over the ground, and Izuku panicked. What if they had gotten damaged? Getting down on his knees, he started to gather them back into the bags.
“Here, let me help.” Shouta crouched down next to him and began to help him.
When they were almost done, Shouta suddenly stopped and instead stared at Izuku’s bare arms. With a pang, he remembered the fresh bruises that still littered them, and he hastily pulled down his sleeves to cover them up. However, Shouta’s narrowed eyes were lingering at the exposed area, his expression unreadable. He hadn’t seen, had he?
“Hey… are you hurt?” he asked.
“No! Um…I’m so sorry for bumping into you, sir,” he said, bowing. “Thank you for helping me, but I have to go home now!”
He frowned, evidently not buying it. “I’ll walk you home then. It’s late.”
“N-no! It’s okay!” he said, shaking his head violently. “My house is super close. You don’t have to waste your time.”
Giving him a wave, he grabbed the bags and sprinted off without waiting for a response. The lack of footsteps following was both relieving and sad.
The next day, Izuku finally found the time to visit Shouta. His dad had deemed him incapable and stopped giving him errands after his screw-up yesterday. While it was a great boon for Izuku, he had also left him a few bruises and cuts over his face and arms that didn’t go away even when he morphed into his cat form.
Shouta wasn’t on his porch this time, and Izuku hesitated. Should he scratch on his door until he lets him in? The lights were on inside, so he had to be home.
Izuku sat on his porch for a little longer before deciding to head home. Perhaps it was for the best. After meeting Aizawa in real life, he was paranoid that he would find out he was actually a person.
As he was walking away, his ear picked up on the sound of a door being opened. He turned around and saw Shouta walking toward him briskly.
“Hey, there you are. I was wondering when you’d show up,” he said, kneeling in front of him. His eyes were immediately drawn to Izuku’s wounds. “You’re injured! What happened?”
Without giving Izuku a chance to respond, he gently lifted him up, his hands carefully avoiding his injuries. Izuku let out a small meow of protest.
“Calm down. I only want to take a look at your injuries.” He patted Izuku’s head gently as he talked, and he felt soothed despite his discomfort at being lifted so suddenly.
He placed Izuku down quickly on his soft couch again and went rummaging in a cabinet, returning with a first aid kit.
As he was applying some medicine to his injured paw, he looked at where his wrist would be in interest. It was the exact same bruise Izuku had accidentally shown him in human form yesterday. His expression was thoughtful, and Izuku feared he was connecting the dots. He knew it would be a huge stretch for Shouta, but he couldn’t risk it. Panicking, he pulled back his paw from his grasp. Shouta didn’t say anything, merely looking back at Izuku.
Springing to his feet, Izuku decided it was time to leave. Standing next to the door, he waited impatiently to be let out.
He glanced back regretfully. He couldn’t risk coming back here next time. Shouta was too close to figuring it out.
As he was about to start sprinting home, he saw to his immense horror and shock, his father standing right out the door, his hand poised over the doorbell. How had he known where Izuku was?
“Hello.” His voice was polite and cool, the one reserved for people other than Izuku. “I believe you have my son with you. I’m here to bring him home.”
“Your son?” Shouta asked, glancing down at Izuku, who had started to tremble. He tried to shift back to human form — his cover was busted anyway — but found that he couldn’t! His emotions were too on the fritz for him to get the focus needed for the undertaking, and he was stuck until he calmed down. The idea of that only served to make him panic even more.
“Yes.” The smile on his dad’s face was chilling. “The cat next to you is actually a seven-year-old boy. He’s been pretending to be a stray cat as a hobby to get more food from people. It’s a dumb quirk he inherited from his mom. I’m sorry. If I had known, I would’ve put the tracker on him much sooner.”
Izuku
“Excuse me? You put a tracker on your son?” Shouta responded, folding his arms. “Besides, when I first saw him, he was so close to starving. You aren’t feeding him at home, correct?”
Izuku stared at Shouta with shock. Why wasn’t he turning on Izuku for tricking him? He barely even looked surprised, in fact, he looked like he expected it.
“No, what? That’s not the point. Aren’t you angry? Isn’t it disgusting what he’s doing?
Shouta pursed his lips, a look of pure rage entering his usually gentle eyes. Izuku felt the fur on his back rise — so he was mad after all. He didn’t blame him, really. He was just disappointed that he probably wouldn’t be able to come visit him again. It was yet another reason for him to dislike his quirk. Why couldn’t he have something more useful or hero worthy, like Kacchan’s?
“What’s so disgusting about a kid asking for some food when his dad’s starving him at home? I think the only one disgusting one is you.” Shouta’s glare was aimed straight at his dad. “You know child neglect is a crime, right?”
“Whatever, weirdo,” his dad said, a look of unease entering his eyes finally at the threat. “Come on Izuku, we’re leaving. You better turn back before I get mad.”
Izuku was about to follow, but Shouta stopped him by stepping in front of him, blocking his dad from his sight.
“No. If you think I’m letting him, you’ve got another thing coming. Be thankful that I’m not arresting you on the spot. I might not look it, but I’m a pro hero. So, if I were you, I’d drop that attitude.” Shouta’s voice was steady and calm, showing no sign of the anger Izuku had seen in his eyes earlier.
“Fine!” he shouted. “Keep the stupid brat. Just don’t come back to me begging to take him back, because I won’t.” Izuku couldn’t see his dad anymore, but he knew he was furious.
A second later, Shouta turned back towards Izuku, closing the front door behind him. Izuku looked up at Shouta with wonder. He had actually managed to get his dad to back off and leave Izuku alone.
“He’s gone,” he said, his angry expression morphing back to a soft one in an instant. “That’s what you wanted, right?”
Izuku tried to respond with a yes, but he could only meow. He couldn’t help but be frustrated at his quirk again.
“He’s the reason why you were hurt, isn’t he?” Shouta continued, staring pointedly at where his injuries were. “I’m sorry kid. I should’ve noticed sooner. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure he won’t ever hurt you again. You’re safe here.”
He wasn’t sure what it was about Shouta — they had only known each other for an extremely short time — but Izuku believed every word he said.
“You know, you can turn back to your human form, right?” he said. “I’m not mad at all that you’ve been pretending to be a cat, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
It wasn’t that Izuku didn’t want to turn back — he kept trying and failing, no thanks to his anxiety. Even though Shouta had stood up for him, he was still afraid that he would get mad as soon as he turned.
“Or…you could stay like that forever. I won’t mind. But you would have to eat cat food all the time.”
Izuku frowned, unable to tell if he was serious or not.
A long stretch of silence followed, but Izuku didn’t find it awkward at all. He took the time to calm himself down so that he could finally shift back. Shouta didn’t try to rush him at all, just as he said. He merely sat back, keeping his gaze on Izuku lazily.
Finally, his fears and anxieties melted into the background and Izuku shifted. Shouta would accept him, even if he wasn’t a cat anymore. He knew that for a fact.
Shouta smiled. “Ah, there you are,” he said, reaching his hand out and ruffling Izuku’s hair.
Izuku thought for the first time, that maybe his quirk wasn’t so useless after all.