Chapter Text
Swallowing the pit in his throat, Izuku sighed. He couldn’t allow himself to feel disappointed, or he’d become upset. Raising his head to face the ceiling, he let out a hefty sigh. To pass time, he began to count the familiar cracks in the roof’s stone, the lines that ran across the whole surface, almost resembling a spider web.
Eventually, he grew bored of counting, and his eyes drew toward his door like it was a magnet. Frowning, he admired the dented metal and scratches that decorated it. No matter how hard he tried, every night he lost self control and always ended up facing his only escape route. His five inch thick metal door. If he really wanted to, he could leave. He knew the code for its lock, after all. He’d seen them enter it into the keypad day after day.
But he knew better.
Shaking his head as if it could get rid of his filthy thoughts, he quickly tried to think of another topic. Immediately, it landed on what had been sitting in the back of his mind since the morning.
He turned 7 today. At school, no one commented on his growth, and when he got back, he came straight into the room, with no other choice. But he became a big boy today. He wasn’t a kid anymore. He wasn’t. He was grown.
Smiling, he reassured himself over and over of his new worth. Maybe this year will be different. Maybe he’d be given some trust. Maybe he’d be allowed outside. After all, he was already 7 years of age! He was basically a grown up! Nodding to himself, he built up his courage and decided to take action. He lifted himself off of the filthy concrete, only trembling slightly. His legs were healing! Not allowing himself to be distracted, he took slow and steady steps toward the worn door.
Each step he took, his stomach acid gurgled more and more. Warning him. Only a few more feet left. His feet were quiet, and he was extra careful to not make any noise as he approached closer. Once he was finally in front of the door, he grinned. He ran his fingers over the freezing, crooked iron.
“You can do this, Izuku.” he whispered to himself.
Curling his fingers into a fist, he knocked on the door once. It wasn’t a loud knock, and he was sure it was barely audible through the thick material of the entrance. So, he took a deep breath, filled his lungs, and rapped once more, this time much louder. Slowly, he lowered his fist, staring at the large door in shock. He’d done it. He’d knocked. Distantly, he could hear footsteps approaching the other side. Urgently, he scrambled away from the door, giving it space to open. Not even a second later, the door shifted open the slightest it, a voice filtering in.
“What do you want?” his mother’s detached tone filled the room. He lit up, still yet to approach the gap again. He knew better than to come too close.
“Hi,” he exhaled, stomach doing flips, as he gaped at the misshapen metal in awe.
“Is that all you wanted to say? What’s wrong with you?” an agitated voice broke through the air of happiness around him.
“N-no! I wanted to ask something!” he fretted, praying she didn’t close the door on him.
“Go on.” The door shifted another inch wider, allowing him to see a strand of his mother’s viridian green hair poke through.
Gulping, Izuku shifted foot to foot. “Can I go for a walk?”
A deep, disappointed exhale could be heard. “You already know I can’t allow that, Izuku.” She paused for a few seconds. “He’s out in a meeting right now, and I’m going grocery shopping, so just sit here and behave, okay?”
Immediately, Izuku lit up. He’d be alone for at least two hours after she left. He already knew he wouldn’t be allowed to leave, but he at least wanted to ask. Who knew, maybe she would’ve let him if she remembered it was his birthday! But he understood that she couldn’t. Too risky for her.
“Alright ma’am.” he replied in his usual compliant tone, feigning footsteps back to his corner. The door shut closed, and not even seconds after, and Izuku practically ran to lean his head against the door, listening to whatever was going on outside.
He could hear faint shuffling, his mother humming a song to herself, and finally, the telltale noise of the front entrance opening and closing.
Just to play it safe, he counted to 300 until he raised his fingers to the keypad on his side of the door. Body shaking in anticipation, he crooked fingers reached over the numbers to enter the sequence. 73950. The light above flashed green for a split second, before the familiar click of the lock opening.
Sweating, he reached onto the edge of the door, pulling it ajar. If he wanted to make use of the limited time he had, he had no time to think. He popped his head out into the hallway, making sure it was empty. Then, he quickly ran out, shutting his door behind him. Immediately, he ran for the balcony door. Using the front one would be too obvious, they had cameras installed after all. He jammed it open, taking a step out into the fresh air.
He took a deep inhale of the crisp night, tasting smoke and dirt on his tongue. He grinned, closing the balcony behind him. He looked down off of the edge, brainstorming ways he could make it down. His eyes locked onto a black pipe running down the building. They lived on the fourth floor, so it could be a little difficult, especially with his leg injury, but he was sure he would do it. First, he hopped onto the balcony railing, then, he leaned forward dangerously and tried to reach the black pipe. It was roughly four feet from the ledge. Huffing, he furrowed his brows, doing the maths in his head. Finally, he rubbed the sweat off of his palms and took the leap. For a split second, he was in the air, but in the next, his body was wrapped around the thick black pipe like a koala. A small veil of fear fell over him, wondering if he had enough body strength to be able to hold on.
But, he was already there, so he had to try. Hesitantly, he shimmed down the pipe slowly, getting the hang of it very quickly. One hand would be gripping the pipe, and the other would be gripping the bricks around it, his legs balancing on the very small edges of the bricks below him, and he would slowly but surely climb his way down.
Once he was safely on the ground, he grinned, and immediately took off into the distance. The whole ordeal had taken him approximately ten minutes, so now he only had about an hour and forty-five minutes until he could be safely back into his room to be safe from being caught.
Needless to say, that night had been his best birthday in years. And if he struggled clambering himself back up to their balcony, he reminded himself time would give him experience.
-
The moon was beautiful. It wasn’t full that night, but nonetheless it was still jaw-breaking. For some reason, walking through the polluted air of his district at dangerous hours always gave him a sense of relief after long days. After the first time he snuck out, it became a safe haven.
If others knew, they’d call it a bad habit. But to him, it was the best discovery he’d ever made. It’s been roughly 8 months since he started sneaking out, and he had yet to be caught. Even the thought of his relatively new established routine put a small smile on his face.
Halting to a stop in front of the familiar building, Izuku let his eyes rake the structure once more. It wasn’t the tallest building in the area, but it was definitely glamorous, especially for him. The sides of the building were plagued with overgrown shrubbery and a few specimens of mould here and there. The bricks underneath the leaves were barely visible, but from what he could see, they were ordinary red bricks. Integrity wise, the building was sturdy, Izuku was pretty sure the building was pretty new, having been built a few months before he was born. There weren’t many windows, only a few scattered randomly, with no particular pattern.
Running his fingers over the rock, he trailed his fingers behind him as he paced toward the fire escape. Already used to the workout, he travelled up the stairs, counting each staircase as he always did. He just reached the number seventeen, as always, when he finally made it to the rooftop. There were no railings restricting him from dangling his legs over the side, and there was no door to exit from. The only entrance and exit was the fire escape staircase.
He swung his legs back and forth, listening to the satisfying thump of his feet against the sides. Inhaling through his nose, he took note of the autumn air crisp on his tongue. Then, he stared up at the sky for hours, admiring the way the stars twinkled and the crescent moon hung beside all his hopes and dreams.
Shameless, he sat there for hours, barely moving, until he could see the telltale orange hue of the sun beginning to rise. Only then, did he pick himself up and retreat back onto the land of despair.
-
On his eighth birthday, Izuku did not go for his special alone time. Instead, he stayed locked in his so-called room and wept. He wept for hours and hours. He cried until he felt like his eyeballs were about to burn into tiny dots and fall out of his skull like expired petals. He cried until his mouth was permanently placed in a horrendous frown, and his hair was coming out in chunks from his execcent tugging. He cried until his airway was blocked from all the snot backed up in his nose, dribbling onto his clothes, some even entering his mouth. The salty taste made him cry even more.
The worst part of it all, was that he had no reason to be crying. Today had been a completely ordinary day. Nothing different had taken place at all. Perhaps that's why he was so upset. It had been four years exactly, and absolutely nothing had changed.
He was starting to lose hope. After all, if no one else could save him, how could he? If no one else thought he was good enough to need help, why should he? If no one else believed in him, why should he?
If no one else cared, why should he?
-
The following days were even worse. He awoke in the morning, used the small bathroom in the corner of his room, got dressed, and waited. He waited for the click of the door to open, and he immediately crept out of the room as quietly as possible and made a beeline straight for the front door. Dreadfully, he sprinted the whole two miles he had to take to school, unwilling to be late, like every other day. Except, these times, he had no more eagerness or hope that today would be different left lingering in his chest. His heavy backpack slammed against his back with every step, surely leaving behind a book shaped behind, forever ingrained into his skin.
Upon arrival, he walked through the office, passing the group of parents fretting over their children, ushering them into the building. From there, he took the familiar route to his classroom. A few girls jeered at him when he walked by, giggling and pointing. He paid them no mind, far too used to much worse. He dropped his bag at his desk, and took a seat in his elementary school classroom. From there, he sat silently, ignoring the disgusted looks and shouting from behind him. When the teacher arrived, he took attendance, and swiftly started the lesson, picking on Izuku for every single question.
The day passed accordingly, and after the bell rang, he followed the rest of the class outside, watching as each mother and father wrapped their children in hugs and walked off into the distance. He didn’t wait, slipping out of sight easily, and began his trek home. Deciding on taking the long route, he tightened his bag straps and pushed his body forward.
Halfway home, he came across a villain attack. There was a massive crowd around a small convenience shop, a villain with two red horns trying to get past the bulky hero. Everyone had their phones out, recording the interaction cheering on the hero, who seemed to be putting on a good show for the audience whilst throwing punches.
He debated walking over and checking it out just for the sake of tradition, but decided against it. He sighed and turned away, continuing his hike. Throughout his whole way home, not a single thought of the commotion ran through his mind.
For the first time in his life, he walked away from a hero fight.
-
That night, Izuku didn’t cry. Instead, he bitterly imagined a life where everything was perfect. Where he was still friends with Bakugou, where his parents loved him, where he had a normal life, where he was able to experience affection.
And if his door burst open, like always, and he was left battered and blue hours later bleeding on his concrete floor, like always, whilst he dreamed of a parallel universe, it was no one’s business but his.
-
The next time he had dangled his legs on the rooftop of the old building, it was late at night as usual. This time, though, it was slightly more chilly. Each time his feet thudded against the side, he felt a new bruise being broken in. The mean breeze of the wind travelled through his white socks, causing him to shiver. There were no stars anymore. The moon wasn’t full, it was in its late stages of eclipse. Placed on the space next to him, his red shoes kept him company.
-
A week later, he returned. The first thing he did when he reached the barren rooftop, was take off his blindingly ugly red ankle tops, throwing them to the side. However, this time, he didn’t take a seat on the edge.
Instead, he pulled out a water battle he had stolen from the kitchen before he left. He prayed his parents didn’t find out. Taking a seat a little further away from the ledge this time, he popped off the cap, dashing it out of sight. Severely dehydrated, he took a large gulp of the water. However, as the liquid travelled down his throat, leaving a slightly hot sensation in its track, and sat comfortably in his stomach, with a weird burning feeling, it dawned on him that this was not water.
He had taken it from the freezer, despite it already being opened. It must have been the drink his mother was always having. She usually had beer, Izuku knew that much. But sometimes, she would pour some other types of drinks into water bottles to take with her to work. Izuku had only caught glimpses of the bottles, as he was always locked in his room, but sometimes he’d see them on the kitchen counter as he left for school. Normally, they read something along the lines of ‘vokada’.
Shaking his head, Izuku knew that wasn’t quite right. Spelling it out on his tongue, he said it over and over again. “Vokada. Vokada. Vokada.”
With a puzzled expression, he continued. “Vokada. Vookada. Vookad. Vodak. Voadak. Voodak? Vodka? Oh! Vodka!” he praised himself, staring back to the drink in question. Sure, it burned a little, but it didn’t hurt. It kind of tingled, in a good way. And it didn’t taste too bad. Not like he had many other options.
Shrugging, he took another swig, making a sour face. Nonetheless, he finished the bottle in seconds due to his thirst. Not even ten minutes later, he was stumbling down the fire escape, still shoeless, trying to see straight.
Once on the floor, he accidentally found himself in a dark alleyway. Swivelling his head, he tried to find the exit, but that only made him feel ill. He took a second to steady himself, and it was then he was graced with the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
A tiny calico kitten with ginger fur and white stripes was huddled in the corner of the alleyway, licking its stomach. Izuku let out a gasp, slapping himself with his hands on either side of his face.
“Oh my gosh!” he slurred.
Looking up from its grooming session, the kitten stared up at him with curious violet eyes. “Meow.”
Squealing, Izuku dashed forward, nodding vigorously. “Yes! Meow!”
“Meow?” the cat purred flabbergasted.
“Meow meow!” Izuku said back.
“Meow mrow mrow,” the cat enthused.
Izuku chuckled, “You’re so funny, Mr.meow!” pausing for a second, Izuku lowered his head to the ground to get a good look at the kitten. Then, he lifted his head back up. “My bad, Miss meow.”
“Meow,”
“Right, where’s your mother?”
“Meow, mrow, meow.”
Izuku sighed, taking a seat next to the cat. “Word to that, sister.”
“Meow?”
“No, my mother isn’t here either.”
“Meow meow.”
“I know right?”
Silence. Then, Izuku let out the most ghastly burp he’d ever experienced.
“Well, excuse me Miss meow,”
“Meow! Meow!”
“Hey! It’s a natural bodily function.”
To that, the kitten locked eyes with Izuku, perched in his direction, and began to relieve her bowels. She wasn’t aiming at him of course, but a small piece of brown dropped in the gap between them.
“Ew! Disgusting, Miss meow! Have some shame, do that in the corner!”
“Meow, meow, mrow!”
Izuku laughed and shook his head. “Fair enough. I guess pooping is also a natural bodily function.”
“Meow.”
“I have a question, Miss meow.” Izuku turned his head to face the ginger. “Meow or meow? Which do you go for?”
The cat seemed to ponder for a second, before responding. “Meow.”
Letting out a scandalised gasp, Izuku smiled. “Miss meow! Good for you!”
“Meow?”
He chuckled. “Hm, that’s a tough one. I’d have to say, meow.”
“Meow! Meow! Meow!”
“Right?” Izuku gulped. Silence fell over the two, like a cold blanket on a summer night. There weren't many thoughts running through his brain at the moment, but as Izuku stared out into the dark night before him, a few sad thoughts managed to slip through the crack of his alcohol-ridden brain.
Frowning, Izuku wiped his hands on his trousers anxiously. “What am I doing?”
Tilting its head to the side, the cat replied quietly. “Meow?”
“Why am I sitting here talking to a cat? I’m so pathetic.” Izuku huffed. “I should go.” Clambering to his feet messily, he took a few steps away, before he heard something crunch satisfyingly beneath him. Looking down, he realised he had stepped in a puddle of broken glass, small and large pieces embedded into his left foot, piercing through his sock.
“Ah, man, these were my only pair of socks.” he muttered.
“Meow!” the cat ran up to him wearily, pawing at his injured foot.
“What are you doing Miss meow?” he inquired, furrowing his brows, before realising. “Oh, you’re right! I need to go get my shoes!”
Attempting to keep walking, he only took a single step before the implications of his new injury hit him. How was he meant to climb the stairs to get his shoes with glass sticking out his foot?
“Oh, I know!” Crouching down, he shamelessly plucked the several pieces of glass out with an unbothered expression, even as some pieces cut his fingertips as well.
“Meow?”
“I’m alright, don’t worry about it Miss meow. I’m going now, okay? Stay safe,” he slurred once again, before exiting the alleyway, red colouring his left sock with each step he took.
As he made his way toward the building, at first, he didn’t realise he was being followed. Only as he reached the fire escape on the side of the structure did he clock. Turning around, he frowned deeply, bending down to scold the culprit.
“Miss meow! I told you I need to go, why did you follow me! SIlly girl!” he tutted, shaking his head slightly. The ginger made no move to leave, letting out a confident purr as Izuku sighed and focused back on the task at hand.
“Fine, but just make sure you don't fall off the sides, alright?” he spoke as he continued his ascent to the rooftop again. From time to time, he would steady himself on the railings, but other than that, it was a smooth journey, with his new friend following him diligently.
Once he arrived at his destination, his sock was drenched in crimson, leaving suspicious footprints in his trail.
“Aha! There they are!” he cheered, running up to his ugly red shoes.
“Meow.”
“I know you’re probably exhausted, but don’t worry, I’ll carry you down!” he exclaimed, as he pushed each foot into the correct shoe, without wincing as his blood-riddled foot’s wounds became compressed against the bottom of his shoe.
“Ah golly gosh, here we go.” he complained as he pulled himself back onto his feet once again. Just as he made a move to pick up the kitten, his eyes drifted off to his usual seat on the ledge that seemed to be calling his name.
“Miss meow, do you see how beautiful this view is?” he whispered, afraid to break his trance. He took a few progressive steps toward the edge.
“I come here nearly every week, y’know? It’s really nice having some alone time. Away from everyone, looking down on the city that I unfortunately live in. The city that does me wrong every chance it gets.”
He took another step.
“Each time I come here, I think that it might be the day. Might be the day I finally free myself, since no one else is going to come help me.”
Another step.
“But why do I keep waiting? Why do I always slow myself down? Why do I keep allowing myself to hope that something will change?”
Another step.
“I’m kind of tired, Miss meow.”
Another step.
“I don’t think I’ll make it down all those stairs.”
The final step. He was at the very edge now. If he peered forward, he could faintly see the ground through the pitch of blackness that hid it.
“Why don’t we take the quick way down?”
He chuckled, a small smile sitting prettily on his face. Leisurely, he lifted his right foot, pushed a little forward, and-
“Meow!” the mismatched kitten yelled, biting the fabric of Izuku’s trousers and attempting to yank him backwards. Losing his balance, Izuku fell straight on his bottom, the cat’s strength having surprised him. Sure, he was rather skinny for a seven year old, but to be caught off guard by a kitten was rather shameful.
“What was that for?” he spat, not moving from his position on the floor. Jumping onto his lap, the kitten rubbed herself against his stomach, purring delightedly.
Sighing, Izuku gave the edge one last longingful look, before shaking his head and clambering to his feet, kitten in hand. And as he climbed down the staircases, he decided to switch from counting each staircase, to counting each step. After all, he was a growing boy, and he was getting smarter! He should challenge his mind by using really big numbers.
Once he had reached the bottom of the stairs, becoming more and more sober by the second, he dropped the kitten back onto the floor saying his goodbyes.
“See you Miss meow! It was nice talking to you today, maybe I’ll see you next time as well!” he cheered, shaking her paw, before turning away and beginning his journey home. He had barely made down the dingy street when he felt his left shoulder suddenly become heavier. Still slightly tipsy, he tried to shrug it off, but no matter what he did, the weight wouldn't go away. So, he tried to use his hand to swat whatever it was away. However, he was met with fangs chomping on his middle finger, and his head immediately whipped to see the culprit.
Not looking even the slightest bit guilty, was the same ginger haired, with blinding white stripes resembling a tiger, and the mischievous violet eyed kitten perched on his shoulder with his finger in her mouth.
“Miss meow! I told you I have to go home now!” he scolded, withdrawing his limb away from her dentures.
“Meow!” she cried, using the cutest look she could muster against him.
“Oh, don’t give me those eyes! We’ll both get in trouble if I bring you home!” he exasperated, but decided to continue his walk as he tried to talk some sense into the cat.
“Meow?”
“Yeah! Who knows what they’ll do to you Miss meow!”
The kitten began to tear up, going silent.
Pondering on any solutions, Izuku rang his brain for any ideas, still pacing closer and closer to his apartment. Only when he was past halfway home, he finally had an idea.
“Okay Miss meow, how about we keep you out of the apartment? Like, we’ll build you a little shelter behind the building, where I usually leave from, and every morning you can walk me to school!” he enthused, staring into the calico’s hypnotising purple eyes as he spoke.
“Meow! Meow!” she purred, licking his face.
“Okay, let's find something to build you a house out of before we get back!” he exclaimed, looking into each alleyway he walked past, his critical eyes scanning each wall for anything that could be of use.
“I don’t have any money, so even if we find a cardboard box and a blanket of any sort, that would work before I could give you an upgrade!” he explained, as he dug through a large green dumpster, searching for any type of fabric.
Eventually, he found a small cardboard box, a little worn and dirty, but with more than enough space to fit the tiny kitten into. After that, they gave up their search, since they didn’t want to get hurt, and the night was always the time villains popped out of their hiding shells. Especially in their area.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the rundown apartments Izuku was meant to call ‘home’. They snuck around to the back of the building, carefully avoiding any cameras. Once there, Izuku looked up to the first set of balconies for the second floor residents, and placed the cardboard box directly beneath the one in line with his balcony, further up. He backed the box to the wall, and tilted it sideways so the kitten could leave whenever it wanted.
“Here, this way, you get shelter if it rains as well!” he whispered, aware of their nosy neighbours.
Taking the last few feet into her new home, the kitten purred, making herself welcome.
“Meow,” she purred, rubbing her head against Izuku’s outstretched hand.
“No problem, Miss meow. Oh, wait!” he whisper-yelled, remembering something. Reaching down to his pant leg, he ripped off the bottom of his left pant leg, only about halfway up to his knee, and laid it on top of her.
“There you go, now you have a blanket.” he smiled, standing to his full height. “Alright, see you tomorrow, Miss meow! Have a good night's rest, alright?”
Trekking toward the black sewage pipe connected into the firm ground beneath his feet, he wrapped his right arm around it for support, and used his three other limbs to scale the building. He had become much quicker at this task, due to its frequency in his schedule now. Eight months ago, it had taken him ten minutes to get down from his balcony, and fifthteen getting back up. However, now, it only took him five minutes to get down and seven to get back up.
As he reached his balcony, he carefully and quietly slid the door open, quickly running back into his room, using the code to lock himself in.
From there, he retreated into his corner, and tried to drift off to sleep, but was proved unsuccessful. Frowning, he decided to try and think of a topic that bored him, like geography, and eventually sleep crept up on him.
-
The next morning continued as usual, and before he knew it he was out the door and running to go collect his new furry friend. Once they had shared their greetings, they began to make their way to Izuku’s school. However, the boy had forgotten one crucial detail.
The kitten didn’t have his stamina, and was left behind as he did his morning jog to school. Over time, he had grown more accustomed to it, and what used to be a mad sprint to school, was now a jog.
“Miss meow, we have to get going, or I’ll be late, and I really don't want sir to embarrass me in front of everyone again!” he whined, still jogging on the spot as his cat dramatically purred.
“Meow! Meow, meow, mrow…” she cried, rolling on her side and using her claw to clutch her stomach.
Huffing, he swiftly picked her up into his arms and continued his jog. “Shame on you, Miss meow,” he mumbled, continuing his pace.
Unfortunately for him, he only had a few choices for outfits, his school uniform, (that had many repairs already sewed into it, so much so that you could see the thread popping out for each time he ‘tripped’), his spare uniform, that he was already wearing, and his apartment outfit. However, his apartment outfit consisted of a pair of tiny shorts and an oversized, short sleeve plain white t-shirt that was stained in all sorts of substances and had multiple holes and tears. He was only required to wear it whilst he was in his room, but Izuku tried to avoid wearing it any time he could, for reasons he’d rather not say. So, a lot of the time, even when he went for his weekly nighttime strolls, he was still wearing his school uniform.
That included last night, where he utterly decimated his left sock with the glass incident, and the bottom of his left pant leg, by using it as a blanket for Miss Meow. Ultimately, this meant he was going into school with a battered uniform, and he couldn’t even switch to his other uniform, as he was letting it dry on his room’s floor. He was required to wash all his clothes on his own time, in his tiny sink in his room. That meant he also had to let them dry off the filthy floor, and just get them dirty again. It was a never-ending cycle.
It was 7:47am, and he was almost at school. The good thing was, his foot injury wasn’t even bothering him anymore! He had completely forgotten about it until he looked down and saw crimson bleeding into his last pair of socks. He couldn’t even feel it, even as it was happening, he hadn’t felt it. He wondered why that was for the rest of his school journey.
Upon arrival, he paused in front of the school gates, kitten in hand. Pondering on what to do, he hummed in contemplation.
“Miss meow, what am I meant to do with you now?”
“Meow!” she exclaimed, stretching herself in his arms.
“You want to try coming to school with me today?” he queried, an excited smile bestowing him.
“Meow.”
“Okay, but you have to be extremely quiet, okay?” he emphasised, dropping his bag off his shoulder and onto the floor. He opened the zipper, and allowed the kitten to jump inside, in front of all his different books. Then he zipped up his bag most of the way, but left a good amount of his bag unzipped for air. Not enough space for her to jump out, but enough for her to be able to look through.
Carefully hooking his bag back onto his back, he quickly walked through the school and made it to his classroom with five minutes to spare. There, he sat down in his seat, and kept his bag on the floor, instead of on the back of his chair like usual.
Then, he sat there patiently, stomach growling, waiting for the teacher and his classmates.
-
After the first couple of lessons, it was lunch time. And as usual, he quickly placed his books back into his bag, sending a smile to his kitten, and practically ran out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. From there, he debated on whether or not to try and get lunch today or not. His stomach chose for him, rumbling loudly. Dashing to the cafeteria, he acknowledged the lack of people there, and ran to the front of the queue. Giving the lunch ladies a small considerate smile, he waited for them to finish their huffing and puffing and finally pick up a tray for him.
“Potato or rice balls on the side?” one mean lunch lady asked, giving him a cruel look.
“Rice balls, please,” he politely asked, holding onto the straps of his bag tighter. Grumpily, the woman picked up one rice ball with her bare hands, foregoing the utensil not even a foot away, and plopped it onto his tray. He was pretty sure rice balls were plural, and he was supposed to get more than one, but he didn’t say anything. He knew better. From there, he finished retrieving his free school meal and grabbed a water bottle and ran for it once again. By now, people were filtering in in their friend groups, and some were lingering in the halls, but he paid them no mind and dashed past them as quickly as possible without dropping his food.
From ahead of him, he could sense someone waiting around the corner he was about to pass, but had no other choice to try and get past them quickly, with other students blocking up any other way of exit. As soon as his body moved any more forward though, a hand gripped onto the back of his bag and yanked him backwards.
“Hey, Deku. Where are you going in such a hurry?” Bakugou taunted a few of their classmates standing by him, laughing, like he had just told the most hilarious joke in the world.
“Just going to eat lunch, Kachaan,” he mumbled, keeping his gaze on his lunch tray, meanwhile his mind was worrying about his poor kitten.
“You’re actually eating something for once? Normally you just cower in whatever space you hide during lunch.” Bakugou crossed his short arms across his chest, a smug grin plastered onto his face.
Having nothing else to say to that, Izuku stood still, waiting for them to leave him be.
“Not gonna say anything, huh?” He took a few steps toward Izuku, leaning forward to mock him. Then, he scoffed, and threw Izuku’s tray to the floor with a slam of his hand, his food scattered across the floor.
Bursting into laughter, the two other classmates followed bakugou’s exit, shoving him with their shoulders as they walked away. With them officially out of sight, he frowned, looking at his spoiled food on the floor. Not all of it was on the floor, but most of it was scattered around.
And that was exactly why he hated having to get lunch at school, and tried his best to avoid it as often as possible. Bending down to pick up his tray, he began to pick up the pieces of lunch on the floor, putting them back onto his tray. He was fully aware of how many germs the food had probably picked up, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. His stomach roared along with him, justifying his point.
Once his food was back on its plate, although with a few pieces of lint and hair he had yet to pick out, he quickly ran into the stairwell, double checked to make sure no one was looking, and opened the janitor closet. Sliding his back along the back of the door, he sat down, placing his plate in front of him, and opened his backpack.
Immediately, the cute calico leaped out, purring in his lap.
“Hi Miss meow, sorry that took so long, I had to get us some food.” he whispered.
“Meow?” she tilted her head, then looked down to the tray of slightly dirty food. There was one small rice ball on the side, with a small spoonful of pasta on the main meal section of the tray, and a miniscule slice of cake on the side. Splitting everything except the dessert in half, he placed his cat down across from him with her half of the tray, along with the cake. After all, if he had any sugar, his parents would definitely find out and punish him.
They both readily dug into their meals, devouring it at the speed of light, both extremely famished. It didn’t taste very good, and he had to pick out a few pieces of dirt from his mouth multiple times, but food was food. Opening the water bottle, he poured a respectable amount into the now empty tray for Miss meow, and dawned the rest for himself.
By the time both of them had finished dining, the warning bell rang overhead. Gathering all their stuff, and with Miss Meow safely tucked back into his bag again, he took off to his next class.
The rest of the day flew by, with minimal interactions with anyone else.
With school over, Izuku made his way home, once again holding his new cat in his hands. Once again, he took the longer route home, beginning to limp on his left foot.
Once he got home, he placed Miss Meow back into her shelter, and began his climb up the stairs to his apartment. Opening the door quietly, he tried to sneakily enter his room like he always has.
Just as he began to type in the code for the large metal door, he was caught off guard by his mother.
“Izuku.” her cold voice called from a few feet behind him. Twirling around, the boy in question froze, wondering what he could have done wrong.
Had she found out about his late night walks? Had she figured out he wasn’t in his room last night? Did she find out one of her bottles had gone missing?
Millions of worried thoughts ran through his head, preparing himself for a beating, or worse, an extra punishment tonight. Through his exasperation, he bit out a weary response.
“Yes, ma’am?”
Inko stood with a stern look on her face, features contorted in disappointment, her hands sitting on her hips, her sage hair falling graciously onto her shoulders.
“Why did your elementary school call me today?” she asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to torture Izuku even further.
Izuku gulped. “I don’t know, ma’am.”
Wrong thing to say. Inko’s face shifted to one of anger, as she took a step forward. Izuku only stood up to her hips, with his age.
“You do know, Izuku.” she frowned, “Tell me, why did they call me whilst I was working?”
Izuku did not back down. “I don’t know, ma’am.”
The sound of skin meeting skin silenced them both. His cheek beginning to redden from the impact, Izuku dared not to turn his head back to face his mother.
“Tell me why, Izuku.” she repeated, raising her hand for a second strike.
“I don’t know, ma’am.” he repeated, the same tone and volume as the last two times, knowing if he changed his stance, his mother would only grow angrier for trying to get her to pity him.
Another strike made his head turn the opposite direction, now facing the balcony doors.
“You want to know why they called me, Izuku?” she asked, raising her hand once more.
Izuku did not falter. “Yes, ma’am.”
Another slap. Both of his cheeks were beginning to turn the colour of his sock.
“Apparently, you tried to scare the other children again.”
Strike. He couldn’t speak.
“Is this true, Izuku?” she asked, a fake sweetness falling into her voice.
“No, ma’am.” he bit out, barely hiding his fury. How could his teacher tell his mother so untrue?
“Liar.” she bellowed, striking again. “Are you telling me your teacher is just making this up?”
“No, ma’am.” he spoke with a toneless voice now. There was no right answer to that question. There never was.
This time, Inko struck him with all her strength, her blow throwing him to the floor with a thud.
“So what’s going on?” she waited for him to respond. He didn’t.
Storming toward him, she raised him off the floor by his collar, opening her mouth to speak, but pausing as her eyes caught something on his uniform.
“What’s that?” she asked, eyes widening. Peering down to see what she could be speaking about, Izuku came up with nothing.
“What do you mean, ma’am?” he asked, face bruised.
“That!” she dropped him back onto the floor, letting him land on his shoulder. He did not cry out in pain. He knew better. Pacing toward him, she bent down and plucked a single hair off of his trousers.
On closer inspection, Izuku realised what it was. It was a short strand of ginger fur stuck onto his clothes. Looking down, he realised it was all over his stomach too.
“Is this cat hair?” She examined the specimen like it was a disgusting virus between her two fingernails.
This time, Izuku actually panicked. “No, ma’am!”
A heavy foot pushed him flat back onto the floor harshly. “Don’t take that tone with me! You fucking liar!” she spat, loud enough that surely people across the country could hear her.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” he whispered, giving up.
“You bringing furry creatures home, now?” she said with a venomous look. “You know animals are filthy, Izuku. They’re disease ridden and dangerous.”
“I know, ma’am. I’m sorry.” he weakly whispered.
“So it’s true? You brought a cat here?” she was fuming. If she was angry before, now, she was furious.
“No ma’am. I would never.”
“You keep lying to me!” she threw a fit, throwing her hands into the air. “You know I hate animals, Izuku!” another kick to his stomach, causing him to cough up a bit of saliva.
“Where is it?” she quizzed, hands on her waist again.
Izuku paused. His eyes widened, afraid. “What?” he murmured.
“The cat. Where is it?” she spat, crossing her arms across her chest.
Silence sat like an anchor on both of their heads. WHat was Izuku supposed to say?
“Tell me!” she shrieked.
Pulling himself up to his feet, Izuku panicked silently. “It’s not here. I just saw a cat on my way home, and petted it a few times, that’s all ma’am, I promise.” he lied through his teeth.
“DON’T FUCKING LIE TO ME, IZUKU!” hollering, she stormed off into the kitchen, grabbing something from the counter and coming back to face Izuku.
It was a phone. She opened it angrily, furiously typing something in, and turning it to face Izuku. Typed across the screen, was a number, and Inko’s hand hovered over the call button.
“You tell me where the fucking cat is right now Izuku. Or I’m telling your father about this.” she threatened, looking high and mighty, still with a stern expression.
Izuku’s lungs shrivelled, leaving him breathless. He had no strength to reply.
“Fine. You leave me with no choice. He’ll be angry you interrupted his day shift.” she replied, pressing the horrifying green button, and placing the phone to her ear. It rang a couple of times, before the person on the other side picked up.
“Hi sweetie.”
Murmured response from the other line that Izuku couldn’t quite catch.
“You see, Izuku’s school called me today. He’s been trying to scare his classmates again. But not only that, but he tried to bring a cat home. He has fur all over him. He won’t tell me where he’s hidden it.” she explained, staring into Izuku’s soul with her piercing icy gaze.
Izuku was scared. Father was going to be cross.
Another muffled response from the other line.
“Alright, thank you love. I’ll tell him.” Inko cooed, ending the phone.
Immediately, her manner changed, turning away from Izuku in coldness, only rotating her face to look at him in distaste.
“You father is coming home early, he’s on his way now. He has a surprise for you. Go to your room and get changed into your apartment clothes. Now.” she commanded, going to the kitchen counter and opening another bottle of alcohol.
Sighing, Izuku turned back to his metal door and typed the code to open it, steeping inside and shutting it behind him. He hastily took off his school uniform, throwing it into the sink to wash later. He picked up the now dried spare uniform he had washed the previous night off of the floor and folded it, placing it in his corner. Then, he pulled on the small shorts that rode up his thighs uncomfortably, and pulled on the horrendously filthy white t-shirt that went down to his mid-thighs. All he could do now was wait.
He need not wait too long though, because not even minutes later, his door was opened.
In came in his father, with his scarily tall height, white curly locks that remind him too much of his own, and deep obsidian eyes that sucked the life out of you. He was still in his business suit, but he pulled his blazer off and pulled the sleeves of his white button up to his elbows, loosening his tie.
“Izuku what’s this I hear about your school? And the cat?” he queried, voice ever steady, leaning against the wall.
Backed up onto the wall, Izuku huddled his knees to his chest, praying to every god there was out there for mercy.
“I’m sorry.” he whispered, eyes refusing to meet his fathers.
“Is that all you have to say for yourself?” the man asked, a small smile gracing his handsome face. Izuku knew not to respond.
“If that’s all, let’s begin.” he chuckled, and a haunting unique shade of red mixed in with night coloured tentacle-like beam shot straight for Izuku.
-
Waking up, Izuku swiftly changed into his school uniform and freshened up, his body only aching slightly more than usual. Pressing his ear to the door, he double checked his father had left already, before opening the heavy metal and dashing for the front door, with his yellow backpack firm against his back.
Officially out of the apartment, he huffed an exhalation of relief, and clambered down the staircase, avoiding any cameras as he turned the side to make his way to the back of the building. Hopefully Miss Meow hadn’t run away from all the commotion. He would treat her with a good meal today to make up for it. He’d just have to make sure he got rid of each piece of fur off of himself before he got back from school.
As he turned the final corner, he spotted her cardboard box in the distance. Smiling, he limped toward it, already taking his bag off of his back and unzipping it, ready for her after yesterday's outburst from her unfitness.
However, as he went to greet her, crouching down on his knees to usher her into his bag before they were any later than they already were, he stopped in his tracks.
His mouth stayed agape, the smile on his face paralysed unnaturally. His bag fell from his fingertips, hitting the ground nearby with no sound. He felt weak in the knees, collapsing the small distance left between the grass and his knees. Alarmingly, his heart seemed to stop working, as he felt no warm blood being pumped across his body. With shaking hands, he stopped himself from falling completely onto the floor, eyes locked onto the catastrophe before him.
Still in her box, the one ginger calico was now ruby furred, her four legs chopped into equal lengths and places next to her head, her once full of life violet eyes plucked out, a small string of flesh still connecting them to her insides. But worst of all, a precise incision went along her underside, her organs pulled out. Her small intestine surrounded her in a satanic circle, her spleen laying in the middle, and her actual stomach was thrown carelessly in the corner of the box, another slit going through it, revealing a mush of acid and food. But as the centrepiece, her heart was yanked out, laying in the middle of the incision, with a note laying atop of it. It read three, dreadful words that drove the knife through Izuku’s heart even further.
‘Surprise, my son’
A cry ripped from his throat, the stench overwhelming his nostrils as well.
“M-miss meow?” he cried, in shock.
No one replied.
The stone in his throat was too big to swallow, and his eyes watered the grass beneath him in small trickles. His eyes and mouth were widened, and he willed himself to scream, but no voice came out. Gaze forever locked on the mess in front of him, his brain engraved it into his memory.
No matter how hard he wanted to sob, whine and beg her to come back alive, his body didn't do anything more than expel a few pathetic tears. But even those didn’t last long. Once his face had dried, Izuku gulped, eyes wild. Carefully, he plucked the horrid note off of the cat, pocketed it, and with as much tenderness his body could manage, he tucked the cat further into the box, along with her organs. As he turned the box upright, the powerful thump of her body falling down caused his movements to splutter. Sealing the small box shut with some tape, he closed his bag again and put it on his back, holding the concerningly light box in his two arms, standing up. He turned the corner of the building and walked along the street.
Today, he wouldn’t run to school. Instead, he walked at a slow, leisure pace, gaze locked in front of him, the box in his arms still present. A few passers-by gave him weird looks, but they always did that. It didn’t bother him. His limp only slowed things down even further, but even so, his natural walking pace was relatively fast either way.
He arrived at school at 9:13am. He walked through the office, ignoring their scoffs and questions. He made his way to the same classroom he went to every single day, box still in hand. As he stood outside the door, he didn’t waste a single second, using his foot to nudge open the door. He felt everyone inside go silent, and next thing he knew all eyes were locked onto him. All his classmates snickered as they saw his dishevelled state, with multiple bruises peeking through the neck of his uniform, and matching blues on each cheek. None of them seemed to notice the different look in his eyes though.
“Midoriya, what time do you call this? You’re an hour late.” sir scolded, throwing him a disgusted scowl. “Your parents were meant to drop you off before 8am, and no one called in for an appointment, so where were you? And what’s that in your hands?”
Izuku ignored him. He took the familiar path to his desk, hugging the box closer to his chest. He saw someone stretch out their leg to trip him up as he walked past, and usually he’d give them all a show, and fall for it. But not today. Instead, he stomped down on his leg, ignoring the cry of pain his classmate squealed, and took his seat, placing the box carefully on his desk, eyes never leaving it.
“Midoriya! What is this behaviour? Apologise to your classmate immediately!” his teacher yelled, storming toward him.
“Sorry.” he admitted out of habit, his brain not registering what was actually happening.
“What’s in that box?” his teacher asked him, now standing directly over his desk. Izuku didn’t reply. All eyes were on him. Huffing in anger, his teacher reached forward to pick up the box, but Izuku was faster. He placed his right hand on top of the box, not letting his teacher pick it up.
“Midoriya, this is ridiculous. Give me the box. Now.”
“No.” he replied, eyes still shot forward.
Stunned by his rebellion, the teacher groaned, walking away from Izuku and back to the front, muttering under his breath. “Null.”
The rest of the lesson, everyone mostly forgot about him. Everyone except one person. Bakugou. He kept kicking Izuku’s chair from behind, throwing papers at his head. Once the bell rang, Izuku didn’t rush to leave as usual. Instead, he stayed sitting for a moment. Then, as most people were leaving, he rose and threw his backpack on, grabbing the box and made his way to the door. Only, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder turning him around.
“Hey, Deku!” Bakugou grinned, a few of their classmates surrounding them in a circle.
Izuku didn’t greet him back.
“What’d you got in that box, there? Auntie finally packed you lunch, huh?” he taunted, leaning close. “I don’t think you deserve her lunch, Deku.”
Izuku stayed silent, gripping the box with both his hands, and staring straight at his old friend.
“Maybe you should give it to us, Deku!” He attempted to swipe the box away from him, but Izuku caught his wrist with ease, with them both being children, their arms were still small and skinny.
“What the hell? Get off of me!” he screeched, pulling his arm back. Their classmates all giggled and began to chant for a fight they were sure their friend would win. However, Katsuki’s eyes were locked onto Izuku's, trying to figure out what was going on. Why was he standing up for once?
“Get out of my way, Kachaan.” Izuku spat out his nickname with venom, shoving past them all, leaving the classroom, leaving his classmates to laugh at his ugly behaviour and Katsuki in the centre in confusion and anger.
That lunch time, he sat in the janitor closet with the box sitting in his laps, his eyes never leaving the seal, hoping a weak paw would start scratching at it, trying to get out. But that didn’t happen.
-
Once school had ended, Izuku slipped through the crowds of children and peers and left the premises as quickly as possible. From there, he deviated from his usual route home, instead he walked toward the forest area near his apartment.
It didn’t take too long, with his legs working in override, taking him as fast as possible, so he would still make it back to his house in time. Once there, he went in a decent amount away from civilization, until he reached a tiny clearing. There, he gently placed the box next to one of the many trees, and began to dig into the ground with his bare fingered, eyes locked onto the solid grass that ripped out in small chunks, seeping under his overgrown fingernails.
Once he had dug a big enough hole, although not with ease, he reached over and grabbed the box. His fingers ached slightly, red from overuse and brown with wet mud stains. Carefully, he lowered the box into the hole, giving it a kiss before he dropped it.
He swiftly covered it back up with dirt, reaching into his bag to pull out a piece of paper from his books. On it, he wrote a few words, and used the dirt to prop it up. It would almost certainly be soiled in a few days, from other animals, rain or something of the sort. But for now, it was perfect. Rising to his feet, bag back on his back, he appreciated his work.
In the middle of the clearing, an uneven patch of dirt was left, with a paper stuck in the middle with only three words, just like before.
‘Dear Miss Meow.’
He felt like he wanted to cry. But his body would not let him. Looking up to the sky, he noticed he had to be back soon, or mother would become angry. He turned, not giving the new grave a second look back, and ran home.
He should’ve known better.