Chapter Text
"You don't have a quirk, baby."
His mom's desperate voice had Izuku tilting his head in confusion. "But I do now! Didn't you see? I can turn into-"
"No!"
Izuku jumped. His mom had never yelled like that before, even when Izuku accidentally broke a plate just last week. Big tears welled up in his expressive green eyes and he sniffled, one chubby arm reaching up to rub at them.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," His mom sounded frantic. Izuku, confused and scared, sobbed harder. "Don't cry, Izuku, remember what I told you about crying?"
His sobs slowly died, and he wiped his eyes roughly, trying to get rid of the tears.
"Okay, look sweetie. Your quirk is...no one can see it, okay? It's not a good quirk." Izuku missed the pained wince that passed over her face at the words.
"Not a good quirk?" He echoed, pure despair coating his voice. "But-"
"If you do it again, you'll be permanently stuck in that form, okay? And-and you don't want that, do you?"
Izuku thought for a minute. It had felt strange to be a cat, but it also made him feel warm and happy. But his mom wouldn't be happy if he was a cat...and plus, he could never meet All Might, or hug his mom, or even play with Kacchan! It felt wrong to never do that again, it had felt so good. His mom wouldn't be happy, though. And more than anything he didn't want to be the one to make someone else unhappy.
"No, Mommy," he said obediently, ignoring the small pinch in his heart. The relieved smile on his mom's face made up for it.
"Good! And-and daddy would be really upset if he ever saw it, okay? So you need to promise me that you won't tell him, or anybody! Okay?"
She'd never sounded this serious before. Izuku's head moved in a nervous nod, and he was rewarded with a warm hug.
"Good! Good boy! Now. Don't forget, no one can know." She squeezed him tighter.
"Okay, Mommy," Izuku's smile was rather fake, a startling expression for a 4-year-old, but if his Mommy noticed she didn't say anything.
"Since you're being so good for me, I'll make you katsudon for dinner!" And with that, Midoriya Inko bustled to the kitchen, rattling dishes around as Izuku's lower lip wobbled.
Don't cry, Izuku. It won't solve anything and it'll only frustrate Daddy. Do you want him to be mad at both of us?
Izuku bit his lip harshly, fitting the same smile into place. He could do it. For Mommy. He waddled into the kitchen, determined to help.
~~~
"Mom, I'm home!" Izuku called, slinging his backpack onto the couch. He traipsed into the kitchen, careful not to irritate his injuries, and began searching for a snack. A low groan sounded from his parents' bedroom and he frowned, concerned. Dad was on a business trip. Was Mom hurt?
"Mom?" His call was nervous, and he quickly grabbed the nearest weapon in case of an intruder. It happened to be a wooden spoon. A wooden spoon. He stared at it before another thump came from the room. He walked slowly down the hall, ears perked and heart pounding.
"Mom..?" He opened the bedroom door, before shrieking.
The large man turned, showcasing whiskers, leering green eyes, and striped orange and black fur where his hair was. "Who's the runt?"
"Izuku!" His mom yelped, wrapping herself up in a blanket. Was she cold? "What are you doing home?"
"I'm always home at this time," Izuku frowned, staring at the man suspiciously. His mom looked very nervous, gaze flicking between him and the tiger man.
"Wait... is this the kid?" The guy's head tilted, nose twitching as he pulled his pants back up and clambered off the bed. He lumbered toward Izuku, who backed up automatically and raised the wooden spoon, stopping when his back bumped into the hallway wall.
"Akio..." His mom's voice was ignored as the cat crowded Izuku. He sniffed the boy's fluffy green hair, looking intrigued. Izuku flinched back, curious at the man's behavior, but confused as to why his mom was being ignored. Then again, Hisashi ignored her too, so it was smart to keep his eyes on the unknown male in case he was aggressive.
"He is mine, is he not?" Akio didn't look away from Izuku. A tail flicked behind his shoulder, momentarily distracting the boy.
"Akio, you need to leave." Inko tried to sound firm, but it was weak. Akio snorted, his breath disturbing Izuku's front curls. Izuku felt a strange stirring in his chest, like some different part of him accepted this man without any hesitation.
"How old are you?" The cat-man asked, and Izuku found himself responding before his mind could really catch up.
"Seven and a half." He puffed out his chest slightly.
"Akio." Inko's voice held a warning now.
"Fine. But I'll be back for him. Once your husband finally sees the truth," Akio decided, before a hand delved into his pocket. He produced a candy Izuku had never seen before, with strange characters. "It's an American candy. They call it a lollipop."
Izuku narrowed his eyes at the tiger cat, but curiosity won out, and he hesitantly took the candy, dropping the spoon on the floor.
"See you around, kid. Inko." Akio graced his mom with a nod before waltzing out the front door.
Inko appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, sloppily dressed with her hair mussed. She stared at Izuku, who stared right back at her.
"Who was that, mom?" He asked, not bothering to keep the suspicious tone out of his voice. Inko burst into tears.
"Baby, you have to promise me not to tell Dad, okay? He would get very upset, and he wouldn't understand why Akio is helping, okay?" Inko hurried forward, pressing Izuku to her chest as she stroked his hair with quick, worried movements.
Izuku stared at the candy in his hand. Was it really so bad that Akio visited? He was rather nice. A lot nicer than Hisashi, that was for sure. He even gave Izuku candy! Maybe, if he was quiet about it, he could come back next time his dad was out of town.
"Okay, mom," he agreed easily enough, fist tightening around the candy.
"That's my good boy!" Inko beamed a watery smile at him, patting his cheek. "Now, run along and do homework. Remember, we don't tell dad."
"Just like I don't tell him about my quirk," Izuku nodded, looking serious.
"You don't have a quirk, silly!" His mom smiled, ruffling his hair as she stood.
Izuku's head tilted and his brow furrowed. "But...I can turn into-"
"Izuku!" She snapped, smile falling from her face, a disappointed frown taking it's place. Izuku didn't like that. He wanted her to smile and be happy with him. "I told you, you don't have a quirk!"
Izuku's head bowed down at her harsh tone, and she softened it. "You must have had a dream, or just imagined it baby. You don't have a quirk. Remember the doctor?"
Izuku did remember. The doctor had been so mean, telling him so harshly he was quirkless. Tears threatened, but his mom tutted at him and he quickly pushed them down.
"I don't have a quirk," He decided, and his mom's smile made up for any confusion he might have felt.
"That's right! I'm glad you remember now." She turned, walking to the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?"
Izuku opened his fist to stare at the lollipop in his hand. Kacchan did always tease him about not having a quirk. Kacchan and his mom couldn't both be wrong, so Izuku ignored the sense of wrongness that rested heavily on his chest, and softly padded into the kitchen behind his mother.
~~~
"How many fucking times do I have to fucking tell you-"
Izuku curled up under his bed, in the very corner. It was dusty, and he sneezed once or twice, but his heart was racing and his hand gripped his stuffed tiger to his chest.
It had been a gift for his recent 10th birthday, and he treasured it dearly. Something crashed in the kitchen and he jumped, pushing himself further into the corner.
Sobbing and yelling swirled around him as he tucked his head into his arms, hands clamping down on his ears as he tried to block it all out.
The door slammed open after a while, and Izuku flinched, green eyes wide and fearful as he watched his dad's feet stomp around.
"Izuku!" He barked, but strangely enough Izuku didn't want to respond. "Inko! Where the fuck is he?"
His mom's reply was too quiet for him to make out, but it drew Hisashi out of his room and into the kitchen where he kept yelling.
Izuku shut his eyes, whimpering a quiet, "I'm not here. I'm not here. I'm not here. He's not here."
A long time passed, long enough that his belly growled and his muscles got too tired from tensing and he ended up relaxing into the safe corner. Soft footsteps had his head snapping up, hands gripping his plushie again. They were uneven, though, and lighter than his father's.
"Izuku?" His mom's voice had him sobbing in relief and he crawled to meet her, slamming himself into her chest and crying loudly.
"Izuku, no crying." Her voice was soft, but her tone was tired and disappointed. He swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat as he blinked hard, forcing the tears down.
"Good boy." She crooned, and Izuku flashed a fake smile. "Daddy was just...upset today, okay? What's important is you were quiet and stayed hidden. If he's ever mad at you and I'm not around, you need to be quiet, hide, and wait for me to find you, okay?"
Izuku nodded seriously, wiping the evidence of tears off his face. "Okay, Mom."
She smiled, kissing his cheek before rising and limping out of the room.
~~~
"Kacchan! Wait up!" Izuku panted, chasing after his (best)(only?)friend through the deserted streets. "Please, Kacchan!"
"Fuck off, Deku! We don't want you around! Why don't you go find some other useless idiots to hang out with?"
Izuku's lip wobbled but he pushed down the sadness. Kacchan only sped up, and soon he and his friends were disappearing from the boy's sight.
Izuku's head hung and he sat on the ground beneath a street light. It had gotten darker while they were playing, but Izuku hardly noticed.
He'd only been sitting for a minute before a sharp pain pricked his neck. He automatically slapped at it, wondering if it was a bee or something similar. His wandering fingers didn't feel anything other than a slight bump in his neck.
It hurt when he touched even lightly. Frowning, he dropped his hand from his neck and stood. He didn't really want to go home since his dad had just gotten back from another long trip, but his mom would worry if he was gone for too long.
When he walked in the house, he knew something was wrong. He felt dizzy, and his head hurt, and his body felt all tingly everywhere. It was really quiet, too, which made Izuku nervous.
He clutched his backpack tighter to himself and snuck through the house, peering around corners before stepping around them. He'd just made it to his room when a heavy hand fell on his neck, jerking him back with a startled yelp.
"Where have you been?" His dad's voice was hard as steel. Izuku trembled in his grasp, feeling remarkably like a kitten as his dad held him up with a hand on the back of his neck.
"Pl-playing with Kacchan," Izuku stuttered. It was hard to keep his eyes on his dad so he let them drop to the ground.
"Who the fuck is Kacchan?" Hisashi was louder now, and Izuku had to bite his lip to force back tears.
"My f-friend."
There was a long silence. Izuku squirmed around slightly - the hold was painful and he didn't like it. The tingles worsened as his nerves grew, until the shaking wasn't just due to his fear.
"Where's your mom?"
Izuku didn't answer for a minute, trying to figure out why his hands where shaking. So were his dangling legs. His dad's finger was digging into the spot where the weird prick had happened earlier and it felt like it was burning! Izuku's eyes started to fill up with tears.
"Where's your mom?!" His dad was yelling now, shaking him like a dog would a toy. "Where is that goddamn lying little bitch?"
Izuku screamed when he was thrown across the hall, slamming into the opposite wall from his door with a loud slam that forced the air from his lungs. He tried to breathe in, his panicking worsening as his mouth opened and closed, unable to breathe.
His dad was raving mad, ripping his hands through his hair like a man possessed. Izuku finally gasped a gulp of air, body now violently shaking as he huddled against the wall. His dad took notice and stalked closer, until the pressure on Izuku's heart grew and grew until he couldn't breathe again and his dad got closer and closer and why was his backpack strangling him and was he going to get hurt again and where did his mom go did she really leave him she would be back she had to be she'd never leave him but maybe Akio would come and save-
Like the thought of the name flicked a switch previously turned 'off' in Izuku's brain, the tingles turned into agony and he screamed, writhing on the ground as his bones started to break and reform, over and over again. His eyes burned and there was a really, really sharp pain above his butt and slowly his clothes started to grow bigger and so did his dad until it just...stopped.
For a long second, the only sound was Hisashi's panting, and Izuku struggling inside the mountain of clothes he found himself stuck in.
Then his dad was ripping the clothes off the boy, and Izuku stared up at the giant that was his father.
"That fucking bitch cheated on me." His dad's scoff was one of angry disbelief. "She fucking cheated."
His dad stalked away, but when Izuku tried to call after him ask him what was wrong, a strangled "mrrrow?" came out instead.
Izuku froze. Was it- It wasn't- Did he really....?
Suddenly scared, he glanced down at himself. Furry paws, a fluffy chest, and...whiskers? His heart was beating faster, thrumming in his chest like a hummingbird's wings. The painful tingles were gone, thankfully, but so was his dad.
Izuku felt almost numb. Like his brain couldn't take in information and his heart couldn't handle any feelings. He just stared down at his paws as a fog settled over his mind.
And stared.
And stared.
When the tingles came back, Izuku didn't know whether he felt relieved or scared or angry. This time when the pain hit, it was a lot less as powerful as it was the first time, but it left him kneeling naked in the hall outside of his door, surrounded by his clothes, his backpack, and an empty home.