Chapter Text
Izuku looked around anxiously at the alleyway, the pork chop he stole from an unsuspecting diner attendee still clamped in his mouth. He ducked behind a pile of trash bags, clearing a small space to set his prize down. He set the pork chop on the ground and started ripping into it, it was still a little warm and Izuku relished every bite. He hadn’t eaten in three days so this meal was a feast. After he’d devoured the whole pork chop, he sat back, still behind the trash bags and licked his lips with a small purr of gratitude to the person he was able to steal this from.
He soon slunk out from behind the bags and crouched in the alley to groom himself, his fur was beginning to grow matted and very knotted. He cleaned himself up as much as he could, he was still dirty and his fur was far from tidy but it worked for now. He stretched out, enjoying the calm buzz of foot traffic in the background.
He padded down the alley, peeking out at the sidewalk where people were bustling around. Waiting for the right moment, he then darted out into a break in the crowd of people. He calmly padded in the shadows of bags, under strollers, against the wall in the shadow of someone on their phone. He came to a small neighborhood soon, Izuku didn’t really have a home. He was the runt of his litter and so his mom, who was an everkit, threw him out once he’d been weaned. He’d been on his own since he was nine weeks old, his mom probably expected him to just die but somehow, the grey-green kitten survived. Izuku was nearly one year old now and had been living on the streets, bouncing from one location to the next at whim the whole time.
Izuku strolled around, taking in the sights of the neighborhood he’d stumbled upon, not a lot of people were out and about anymore. There were lots of houses with tall fences and some people paying attention to their own lives and not the cat walking along the sidewalk. I hope there are no dogs in this neighborhood… Izuku thought; he'd had bad run-ins with dogs in the past. The sun had started setting by the time he came to a quiet part of the neighborhood, his paws were tired and he was hungry again, he also needed to find water soon. He found a small gap in between two fences, he could fit inside easily, it was a perfect spot to rest for the night in.
Or so he thought. About two hours after Izuku fell asleep, he was harshly awoken to rain. Rain pouring down onto him and soaking his fur, he hissed up at the gods-forsaken perspiration. Great, now I’m wet, cold, hungry and thirsty. Just wonderful. He then noticed a broken board on one of the fences and darted through it. The yard was decently normal, bushes, some flowers and two small trees growing in it along with some yard furniture. Izuku settled inside a bush under one of the trees so he could sleep, drinking the rain off leaves before doing so. He tucked himself up into a ball, settled his nose into his front paws and laid his tail over his head and drifted off the sleep with the help of the rain.
Izuku woke up to an unfamiliar scent surrounding him. Another cat. He sat up, fully alert now as the scent got closer, the other cat had scented him. He crouched and prepared for whatever came at him from inside the bush. Soon, a black nose poked into the bush and a voice followed. “Who are you and why are you in my yard?” Before Izuku could process the question a paw reached in and pulled him out of the bush and in front of the other cat. The cat standing above him had a fully black pelt and red eyes, it was obvious the cat was an older cat, plus obviously an everkit. the yellow collar around his neck and the fact he’d said “his yard” gave it away.
Izuku was snapped out of his analysing trance by the older cat's voice, “so? You gonna answer my question kit or just stare like a lunatic?” His voice was gruff and serious. “I-“ Izuku tried to croak out, his voice hoarse from his lack of water yesterday. The other cat sat down with a serious expression and waited for his reply, “I- I needed a pla-ce to rest…” he managed to get out through the pain in his throat. The older tom sighed, “can’t you just sleep at your owners house? Why you gotta sleep in random people’s yards?” He questioned. Izuku rolled his eyes with a sadder expression, “I, I’m… I’m a street cat.” He replied meekly, normally whenever everkits found out he was a street cat they flinched back in disgust and started yowling at him to get away.
“You? A street cat? You’re a kit!” The older cat exclaimed, looking shocked, not disgusted. “I just needed somewhe-re to hide from the rain for a night, I-I’ll get going now.” Izuku meowed with a cough before standing and starting to move towards the gap in the fence he came from. The older cat said something as he slid through the gap but Izuku didn’t bother to listen, he needed water. Lucky for him, there were puddles everywhere so Izuku stopped and had a long drink from a puddle in the grass, sighing in relief at the hydration.