Rabbits and Foster Homes

by Tribi Ponyfeathers

He knew that he had been gone for a long time, living captive in a soundproof house designed to be his own personal hell. He didn't know that he'd been gone for seven years, or how much the world had changed since then. But he was rescued, and he had time to learn. -Bakugou kidnaps Izuku at thirteen and holds him captive for the next seven years, Todoroki is suspicious. Tododeku.

1. Cages and Crying and Hoping for Dying

"What did I say about leaving, Deku?" he yelled, dragging the younger boy back into the soundproof house. "You're going back into the Cage."

"N-no, please! Please, please, not the Cage, sir! I'm sorry, so sorry, please, anything but the Cage!" he pleaded, crying as his weak hands went up to pull at the stronger one gripping the back of his shirt.

"You will be sorry." was the only reply he got before he was thrown back into the Cage, a small dog crate in the corner of the bedroom. The Cage door was locked, and while he was in the Cage his hands were tethered to the far wall. Master also locked the soundproofed bedroom door, so he was alone with nothing but suffocating silence and the dark. He hated the dark. Left in the dark with nothing but his thoughts and the tiny hope that maybe today is the day he finally kills me. He knew now, knew that he absolutely hated his captor. Before, before Here, when the two were younger and all Bakugou had done was beat him half to death once a week, he hadn't known for sure, just knew that he still had hope that the two of them could be friends. Then came The Day, when Bakugou had asked him over again and he had thought that maybe, maybe they were going to be friends again, and everything would be okay.

Instead, he had been knocked out and taken to the first Here, where Bakugou used to visit every other day, until he said he was out of school. Then he was taken to a new Here, where he wore a collar and Bakugou was always there. Except when he was doing his job of being the #4 hero, just behind Endeavor and two others from Bakugou's class. He wished he would get more outside news, but other than what he could gleam from Bakugou's complaining he had nothing. The curtains were too heavy for him to move, and every time he tried he would just be exhausted. This Here was almost worse than the last one, because that Here he might've never had the temptation of light, but at least he could see better and had time where he could move and was alone, so he could check for ways out.

This Here, he could move better sometimes, but he was only alone for eight hours or less, sometimes not at all, and was always unable to see at all. At least he had comfy stuff to sleep on, and Bakugou actually asked if he wanted particular foods when he'd been good for awhile.

The reason he'd been trying to leave today was because he hadn't heard the click that meant that the door was locked, and his blindfold had been taken off and not put back on. He thought that he might've actually had a chance to get out. He scoffed to himself. Load of good that did him. He idly wondered when his next meal would be. He hoped soon. Something warm would be nice, but that only comes when he'd been good. He thought that maybe today he would've gotten katsudon, but that hope was dashed once he decided that he'd actually try to escape. He didn't know why he even tried to leave anymore, because he'd never been sucessful before. What was the definition of insanity again? To do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. He'd been doing that a lot lately, hadn't he? Oh well. Now, he'll get more training, and maybe this time he'd actually break completely. He knew he was already cracked, and wondered what sort of test Bakugou would use this time. Last time he had left the door unlocked and open, said if he wanted to he could just walk out, then beat him every time he tried. Then, once he had gotten the message, he was rewarded with a bath and katsudon. Then he got asked the question again, and left the door alone.

He wondered when he had gotten used to not wearing clothes. He knew it was a long time ago, but didn't know when, exactly. Maybe sometime before they switched Heres? He thinks it was sometime around then, so before three years had passed. He knows he must've been away for at least five years, because he came to the first Here before their third year of junior high, so then four years he'd been in the old Here, before moving to this one. Then maybe a year in this Here, so five years.

Why was he even trying to keep track of time? He knew the only way to escape was death, so why know how much time he'd been in his own personal hell?

'To keep yourself sane.' A small part of him whispered. But hadn't he just established that his behavior was that of one not sane? He was crazy, that's all there was to it.