pyromania

saved.

Backstreets and alleys were never meant to be home to children. They are cruel and unforgiving, the sites of murders and assaults and god knows what else; they are the places you're taught to avoid early on in fear of becoming the shadows' next victim. They are the places that no one dares to look into for fear of what may be staring back at them.

Winter is harsh for those without a place to call home. Even for those who live in better parts of the cities, it's a hellish reality for any who have to survive off odd jobs and pocket change. It's mother nature running by Darwinism, her unrelenting hold upon the world's environments making sure no one forgets that she is the one who holds their lives in the palms of her hands.

Luckily, as he has a fire quirk, Izuku only partially had to worry about freezing to death.

It was nearing a year since he'd been left to fend for himself, and while he wasn't thriving, he was surviving. An old couple who owned a small flower shop were the main reason he hasn't starved; he would help them during the store hours and they would pay him a little every day, as well as feed him and teach him what he needed to know academically. They didn't have the space for him to live with them, though. The guilt always shone in their eyes as he'd leave for the night, but he was just thankful that they did so much for him.

It could be worse and he was just thankful that it wasn't.

Yeah, his living conditions were non-existent, and life liked to throw shit into his face and laugh at him, but he was making the best of it. Well. He was trying to, at least. Doing his absolute best.

While he didn't have human friends, he'd grown close to the stray cats who would keep him company on nights when all he could do was cry. They were enough. More than enough, if he was being honest. They treated him the same way his mother had treated him; with love and affection, and with unspoken promises to take care of him.

There really weren't many of them where he would stay, so the old couple would allow them to come inside their shop and roam around as long as they didn't make any messes or break anything. Izuku named the three who'd stuck with him and the old woman would always laugh when she heard him scolding them, simply because their names were ridiculous.

The first one was a large tom-cat with long, fluffy silver and white fur that hid scars and strong muscles. Izuku had named him King Explosion, a reference to his old friend, as the cat was temperamental but very sweet at the same time.

Second came a short legged molly, her fur short and spiked up at odd angles, giving her the appearance of a demon with her jet-black pelt. She was the most protective of the cats, especially when it came to other humans; it had taken a while for her to warm up to the couple. Her name was Princess Nightsky, the name given to her when he began noticing silver hairs flecking her fur.

The last one was another molly, though she didn't look like one; scars covered her muzzle and her ears were shredded, but her gray eyes held a warmth that promised safety. Her fur was the shortest of the trio, barely enough to keep her warm, and she had a dark tabby pattern that stretched over the ginger base color. Even King Explosion submitted to her, which Izuku found absolutely hilarious. She earned the name Queen Wildfire.

They were as much of a family as he'd had for a long time, the couple and the cats both.

xxxxx

It was only around a month until the first day of spring and Izuku was sure that things were starting to look up for him. His luck had seemed to change, as he hadn't ran into trouble for a few weeks, and his studies were going smoothly. Even his cat family had been thriving, as he'd been getting a little more money than usual from other small jobs he'd do around the city, so he could spoil them a little with cat food.