Chapter Text
Izuku’s paws beat heavily against the hard pavement. His breaths come out short and laboured. It’s hard enough to breathe as is most days and with how long he’s been running his body begins to sway with dizziness. But he doesn’t stop. Can’t. Not when his keen senses still pick up on the sound of angry footsteps maybe ten paces behind him. He’s lucky, he thinks, that he’s so small and agile still. But the lack of meat on his bones and the weariness in every step hinders him. He needs to find a place to hide and soon, lest he lose his footing and face abuse he’s been running from for what feels like an eternity.
Okami, his wolf, has been eerily quiet since Izuku took off running. He knows that Okami is still alert, ready to take over and protect his pup at a moment's notice. But the lack of reassurance or angry growls makes his heartbeat pick up and stutter in his chest. He wants to sleep. Wants to curl up somewhere warm and forget about the pain in his muzzle and the fear and the hunger.
He turns a corner, nearly tumbling in his haste, and spots a dark looking car idling on the curb. The engine purrs as it waits for its driver. The back door is propped open but there’s nobody inside. It’s late, not many pedestrians on the street to see the way his eyes linger and his paws bring him closer. There’s only one man, clad in dark colors with a long gray scarf wrapped around his shoulders as he stands in wait at a small hole in the wall coffee shop. The type that has no lobby, where you have to wait in the elements for your drink but you know that the purchase will be a good one. The car must be his.
The man spots him just as Izuku crouches by the curb and watches Izuku jump clumsily into the backseat. Not even a beat passes before his assailant round the corner Izuku had just come from. He shifts further into the car, curling up small and tight on the floor behind the driver's seat and covering his muzzle with his fluffy tail. The man at the cafe says something to the barista at the window before walking back over to the car and standing in front of the open door just as the man Izuku had been running from approaches.
“Sorry to bother.” The assailant starts, taking a second to catch his breath. “You seen a little white wo-dog run through here?”
The dark man tilts his head slightly, arms folded, and while Izuku can’t see it he gets the feeling this man’s eyes are narrowed. “No. Sorry.”
His assailant makes a noise of frustration, grumbling something Izuku misses before storming back off down the street. The dark man waits a few beats before turning his white eyes on Izuku. He presses himself further back into the car's safety and growls, the sound muffled as worn leather digs further into his snout. The man crouches slowly, hands out in a placating manner as his gaze softens.
“Shh. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
He slowly reaches forward, palm out and inviting. He rests his hand on the carpeted floor just a couple inches away from Izuku’s snout. Izuku doesn’t move, growls and snarls still escaping him as his hackles rise and his claws dig into the carpet below him. And with every passing minute of aggression and patience and distrust the man still remains, a steady presence of reassurance and safety and warmth.
‘Dark pup seems kind.’
‘He’s a grown up. Grown ups are mean.’
‘Not all, pup. Let Okami sniff. Will determine if dark pup is good or not.’
‘No. I just wanna go sleep.’
‘Yes. And we will soon, pup. Okami will not let you be hurt. Trust Okami.’
So Izuku does. He slowly slides his tail away, revealing the dark muzzle too small for his growing wolf. The man inhales sharply at the sight of it but says nothing. Izuku slowly inches forward, tail tucked and body trembling as fearful whines escape him. He looks pathetic. So sad and scared. He presses his snout into the man's palm, breathing deeply through the leather to catch his scent. Okami relaxes at the safe, warm smell the man gives off. That’s all Izuku needs to press back further into the car again and lay his dead down on his paws, tail covering the muzzle once more. And while his tiny frame still trembles violently, the growling ceases.
The man slowly pulls his hand away, eyes taking in Izuku’s curled up form. He’s tiny, only a baby wolf, and he’s all skin and bone. He knows the knobs of his spine and the ridges of his ribs are visible even through the thick white fur that keeps him warm at night. His claws are long and curved in a way that’s often painful when he walks. Blood crusts to his snowy fur around the muzzle where it digs into his skin. His green eyes are dull where streaks of wet fur from his tears frame his snout. He’s just a baby. And yet, he looks as if he’s lived a lifetime.
The man stands, closing the door over enough to provide safety and security from the outside world without trapping Izuku in the confines of a strangers car. He walks back over to the window of the shop, speaking briefly to the worker at the counter before watching the car door as he waits. Izuku stays, too tired to run again as the adrenaline slowly bleeds out of him. His eyes droop slightly as he watches his savior. And before long the worker hands the man a small container and two cups before the man climbs into the backseat with him and shuts the door.
“Will you let me take that thing off of you so you can eat?”
Izuku’s stomach growls at the promise of food. He stares up at the man for a moment, trying to identify any fleeting feelings of a threat or dishonesty. He finds none. The safe feeling from before still settles deep in his chest and eases some of the fear that’s made a home in the hollowed out parts of his soul for so long. He shuffles forward, tail tucked once again, and lifts his head as high as he can manage.
The man gives him a funny look, something curious and maybe a little sad, before slowly reaching forward and beginning to carefully cut away at the thick straps that wrap around Izuku’s head, resting just below his still slightly floppy ears. Once the straps are cut, he reaches forward and slowly pulls the muzzle away, wincing at the way it pulls from damaged skin. Izuku whimpers as fresh blood runs down his fur and drops onto the clean rug below.
“Sorry pup. Should feel better now though. I’ll clean you up later. For now, let's get some food and water into you.”
He pops the lid off of a decent sized bowl and sets it down on the floor in front of Izuku. Water. Fresh, ice cold water. Izuku dips his head down, lapping the water up a little messily. It quickly pinkens from the blood still caking his muzzle but Izuku can’t bring himself to care as his throat finally soothes from dehydration and the thirst quickly eases. When the water is gone he licks at the bottom and sides of the bowl as if doing so will somehow refill it. The man watches him with a sad expression before gently pulling the bowl away and replacing it with a small container full of fishy smelling rice balls.
Just like with the water, Izuku scarfs the warm food down greedily, rice sticking in his fur as he goes. He licks this container clean as well, pinning it down with a sharp clawed paw and a growl when the man tries to take this one too. He heeds the warning with no complaint, pulling his hand away to sip at the cup of what Izuku thinks is coffee as he watches Izuku try to create something out of nothing. He’s still hungry but his stomach doesn’t hurt as much anymore and he’s satisfied with the warmth that settles in his belly.
“My name is Aizawa Shouta, by the way. Not sure if you can understand me but you seemed to understand just fine when I asked about the muzzle. If you’re ok with it, I’d like to take you back to my apartment to get you cleaned up and take a look at those injuries.”
Izuku glances up at him, still licking at the empty bowl. It’s starting to taste less like rice and more like cardboard so he settles for biting it a couple of times before pushing it away. He moves back to his corner, laying back down and curling up the way he had before. Okami still seems content, curled up in the back of Izuku’s mind with a happy rumble over a full belly. So he doesn’t try to argue. He doesn’t run when the door opens again. He doesn’t growl when Aizawa slips into the driver's seat and pulls away from the curb. He just curls up on the warm, comfortable floor and lets his eyes slip shut as sleep takes him.
–
Izuku isn’t quite sure how much time passes before he begins to wake. He’s swaying slightly, curled up in something much less comfortable than the car floor but no less warm and safe. He peaks his eyes open, staring first at the moving floor several feet below him before he trails his eyes along the strong arms that hold him steady up to the passive face of Aizawa above him. He’s shifted gently to free up a hand before a door opens and closes and he finds himself being carried into a cozy looking apartment.
Aizawa kicks off his shoes at the door before carrying Izuku down the hall and into a small bathroom. He flicks on a light and gently sets Izuku down on a tiny, cushiony rug. He doesn’t move, just allows himself a quick stretch before watching Aizawa’s every move. The bath fills with warm water. A folded towel is placed on the floor beside them. Aizawa pulls his hair into a small ponytail before turning off the water and kneeling beside Izuku on the floor.
“I’m gonna give you a quick bath and then we’ll take a look at your muzzle, ok?”
Izuku doesn’t fight it as Aizawa gently picks him up once more. His hold is a bit uncomfortable as big hands press into Izuku’s exposed ribcage but Izuku pays it no mind. As he’s gently lowered toward the warm water his paws instinctively begin to shift in the air, curling back and forth as if paddling through water. Aizawa huffs a small chuckle as Izuku is lowered into the bath. And then he just stands there, his underbelly already wet. All four legs are spread out, wobbling slightly where he stands, and his tail tucks between them as he peers up at Aizawa.
Izuku thinks, as water begins running through his long white fur, that maybe he should be a bit embarrassed that a stranger has to bathe him. He could just as easily shift back and do it himself. But by now Izuku isn’t sure he even really remembers how to. He’s not sure he even remembers how to stand on two legs anymore. Okami has been caring for him for so long now that being a wolf feels more natural than being human. And really, as much as he loves Okami, it is nice to be cared for for once.
‘We can trust dark pup. We are no longer alone.’
So he just stands there, dripping and wet and only slightly miserable, as Aizawa slowly works the dirt and grime from his long fur. He doesn’t seem too put off by the amount of fur he needs to wash, just simply lathering in more soup and scrubbing his calloused hands through the slightly curly coat. Izuku watches in mild fascination as the water slowly darkens and blood and mud swirl in the pool below him. And by the time he’s being lifted out of the bath, a soft towel wrapped around him, Izuku feels refreshed and clean in a way he hasn’t in a long time.
Aizawa sits on the floor with Izuku in his lap, gently scrubbing the towel through his fur to dry him. He frizzes a bit when he steps out of the towel, Aizawa laughing softly at the little fuzzball before him, before Izuku offers a tiny glare and shakes his fur back into place. Aizawa pulls something from below the sink before grabbing a wet towel and beginning to gently tend to the muzzle scars on Izuku’s face. He whimpers softly every so often but does his best to sit still. His body still trembles with the effort it takes to stay upright and as soon as the first aid kit is returned to the cabinet he allows himself to tumble sideways until he’s laid out on the floor once more.
“Alright pup, lets get you somewhere warm to sleep for the night.”
Aizawa scoops him up just as gently as he has every other time. Izuku’s paws hang loosely over Aizawa’s arms and he tucks his face into the bend of the man's elbow, breathing in his comforting scent and allowing the feeling of safety to wash over him once more. And then Aizawa lowers him onto a plush bed thick with that same scent and Izuku makes quick work of stumbling into the mess of blankets and curling up in their warmth. A few minutes pass before the light turns off and the bed dips nearby. A gentle hand scratches at his head, running down his back before repeating the process and Izuku falls asleep feeling safer than he ever has before.
‘Hey Wolfie?’
‘Yes pup?’
‘Thanks for always protecting me.’
‘Okami is honored to care for pup. Okami will always protect him.’
‘Good night, Wolfie.’
‘Sweet dreams, pup.’