Chapter Text
“Do you think they remember us?” A masked figure asked as they leaned against a brick building.
“I wish I knew the answer to that. I guess we can only hope.” A white haired figure answered back. The two looked up at the stars. It was a quiet night with almost no activity.
“I wish we could go home.”
“We only had one home and it didn’t even last a month.” The white haired figure said. The deep sadness in its voice was hard to miss. “All we can do is look up at the stars and hope they’re watching us from above.”
“I know. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt.”
“I know.”
Across the ocean two other figures talk to each other. The sky is bright as the morning sun shines down.
One waves goodbye as they leave for work. Another heads back into the house, four cats weaving between their legs.
Both feel like they’re forgetting something important, neither have figured out what.
----
Soul bonds are weird, that’s what Izuku knows. There are four types; soulmates, parental, Platonic, and sibling. Most kids pop out with their parents’ bond wrapped around their wrists to their elbows. The two colors twist around each other, making intricate designs.
For parents, their children’s designs go on the left arm. Different colors combine and make shapes; some parents have the designs spell the child’s name out. Though if it spells their name out, it mostly means they’ll die young.
Then the soulmate bonds, a thick band on the ring finger. It could be the color of the soulmate’s hair or the first words they’ll say to each other. Some are downright funny, while others make you want to cry your eyes out.
The Platonic symbols are icons that match a person’s personality. Sibling bonds are harder to catch; they pulse in the veins, showing that person’s hair color. The colors only spark when the siblings grab each other’s hands.
So when Izuku was born with no color’s twinning up to his elbow, his parents were confused. How could a child be parentless? He had a mom and dad, they were right there. Even the doctors were confused as to why his right arm was stark white.
Even with their confusion, they raised Izuku. He was their son and no one else's.
Izuku’s third birthday hit and they watched as an orange explosion materialized on Izuku’s arm, just as a green cat materialized on Bakugo Katsuki’s arm. And as they’re ring fingers glew softly in the light. Not enough to alert the children.
Katsuki’s quirk was the first one to develop, the perfect mix of his parents’ quirks. Izuku watched as half his class got their quirks, and he waited and waited. Finally, on his fourth birthday, a quirk developed.
A black panther cub with toxic green eyes looked up at his daycare teacher. The teacher let his classmates gush over the new quirk development for an hour before Izuku shifted back. He had black ears on top of his head, replacing the ones that had once been regular ears.
Sharp nail-like claws took over his regular nails, and his canines were longer and sharper. His clothes were still on his body, which the adults were glad for.
Izuku went to the quirk doctor the next day to see the extent of his quirk. He could change into any big cat in the world, which Izuku was so excited about. He and Katsuki were already thinking of hero names and what they’d name their hero agency.
“Who’d you sleep with? You’re a worthless whore!” Hisashi Midoriya growled as he slammed the green-haired woman against the wall. Inko had just come in from taking Izuku to the quirk doctor. The boy in question had shifted and was hiding under the couch; could see only green eyes. “That’s not even close to the two quirks we have!” The black-haired man yelled as smoke poured out of his mouth, filling the small room.
“N-no one!” Inko stuttered in fear as she stared at her husband, whose mouth glowed a sickly orange. Izuku whimpered from under the couch, too scared to move. “You’re the only one I’ve been with! You know this!” she yelled back as anger gripped her insides. Fear vacated her eyes. Inko didn’t understand why the man she’d loved since middle school was accusing her of cheating on him.
“He’s just like the first one we had!” The older man yelled, causing Izuku to freeze under the couch. He had an older sibling? Why didn’t they tell him? Did they die? “So you must have cheated!” How could he have an older sibling? They must not have liked his quirk, just how they were fighting over Izuku’s.
“I didn’t!”
“Then why does he have such a different quirk?”
“I don’t know!”
Izuku watched from under the couch as the older man dropped his mother. He stalked over to Izuku’s room, slamming the door open. They both heard as drawers were thrown open and slammed shut. Izuku took this time to run out from under the couch and into his mother’s arms.
The green-haired woman gently stroked the panther’s back, watching the tension ease. Izuku started purring in his mother’s lap; fear retreated from his body. He could take on anything that was about to happen to him. Izuku would protect his mother from his father. He wouldn’t let the older man hurt his mother.
Izuku felt himself shift back, hugging his mother close. The two watched as Hisashi marched back into the living room, Izuku’s school bag in his hands. “Here!” Hisashi grabbed the back of Izuku’s shirt and ripped the boy away from his mother. He shoved the bag into the little boy’s arms, making sure he gripped it.
“Hisashi no! He’ll never make it alone in the world!” Inko cried as she raced behind as Hisashi threw their son out of the house. Izuku cried out as some flames hit his wrist. “Please!”
“No! He is not our son! We’ll try again and forget we ever had this abomination!” Inko stared at Izuku’s tear-stained face as Hisashi slammed the door in their son’s face. Izuku didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed back into the house. The four-year-old cried as he banged on the door, trying to get his parents to let him back in.
“Daddy please! I’ll be good! I’m hungry and scared! Please let me back in!”
“I don’t know who you are! Scram kid!” Izuku’s father yelled from behind the door, not opening it. Izuku cried himself to sleep on the entire mat, shivering as the night air hit his bare arms. The next morning, his parents went to work as if nothing had happened. Not even eyeing their son, who was curled up against the apartment wall.
“Hello Izuku-kun.” Izuku looked up to see the elderly neighbor that lived across from them. He was smiling at Izuku, which made the little boy feel better. “Are you heading to school?” Izuku nodded and the elderly man gave him a big smile. “Have a wonderful day.” The boy watched as the gray-haired man walked into his house, leaving Izuku alone once more.
Izuku sniffled as he picked himself up; he knew his dad wouldn’t let him back in the house.
----
“Watch it, kid!” Izuku sniffled as tears threatened to fall. He didn’t mean to run into the taller man, but it hurt to take a step. His legs burned and his feet felt like they were on fire.
“S-sorry.” Izuku’s mouth was bone dry and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. His lungs burned, and he even tasted blood. Izuku didn’t understand why this had happened, but he knew he couldn’t go back. His arms burned whenever he tried to rub them. He didn’t even realize he had stopped sweating.
Izuku wanted to take a nap in his bed, where the air conditioning kept him cool. Where he could walk to the kitchen and get a drink.
Izuku hadn’t checked his bag, but he knew his dad hadn’t given him any money. So he couldn’t even get a drink from a vending machine. He hated it. He just wanted to go back home. Izuku wanted to play with Kacchan and show off his quirk.
Izuku didn’t want to be walking for what felt like forever, only because his parents didn’t want him. He understood now, after thinking about everything. He didn’t have the quirk that they wanted him to have, just like his older sibling. Izuku finally understood.
“What are you doing out here, kid?” Izuku froze and looked up at the kid in front of him. He had blue hair that looked almost gray in the light. His eyes were red, just like Izuku’s father’s. He looked like he was about 9 and homeless.
Izuku felt tears start gathering in his eyes; he was homeless now as well. Izuku felt his ears pin back to his head as he stared at the boy in front of him. “Momma and Dad kicked me out; they didn’t like my quirk.” Izuku felt his lips quiver; they weren’t his parents anymore. They didn’t want Izuku. His dad had told him he wasn’t his son, and momma hadn’t tried to tell him anything different.
“Sucks, my parents did the same.” Izuku nodded and saw the colors that ran up the other boy’s arm. They were blue and black, just like Izuku’s. “We’ve got the same color parental bond.” The blue-haired boy pointed out before Izuku could, causing Izu to jump.
“I’m Izuku.”
“Tenko.” Tenko huffed and looked around as Izuku watched him. Tenko finally held his hand out for Izuku to grab. “You can stay with me. I’ve got a nice little place in this alley. No one will bother us.” Izuku looked down at the boys with calloused hands. He didn’t know if he should trust the other boy, but they had the same trauma.
Izuku took a breath before grabbing the older boy’s hand. The two watched as their veins lit up. Tenko’s green, while Izuku’s were a light blue. That solidified their decisions as Tenko wrapped his hand around Izuku’s smaller one, keeping his pinky out.
“Where’re your shoes?” Tenko asked as he looked down at Izuku’s bare feet. Izuku curled his toes, hating how much it hurt just to move them. The ground was hot, and he didn’t have any protection.
“Daddy didn’t let me put my shoes on.” Tenko ground his teeth before looking back down at the 4-year-old. He knew he wouldn’t be able to walk through the alleyway. There was broken glass everywhere, and he didn’t want Izuku’s feet cut up anymore.
“Can I pick you up?” Tenko asked as he stopped walking. They were at the entrance of the alleyway that led to his home. Izuku looked up at Tenko before nodding, holding his arms up. Tenko carefully wrapped his arms around the boy’s underarms.