"Speaking"

:Thoughts:

'Sign'

Izuku's POV

When he woke up it was slow at first. His brain was foggy and he couldn't remember anything after he left the warehouse. Unfamiliar scents were all around him. At first, he considered that he was at the pound again but the silence was too much for that. Even if it was still night there would be some kind of noise. On top of that, he was laying on something too soft to be a kennel.

Warily he opened a single eye to survey his surroundings. He was laying on a plain couch and there was a coffee table in front of him. There was a small TV on the other side of the room. The walls that surrounded him were fairly plain and unassuming. A single window was to his left too small for him to get through in either form. It let some light in through it telling the boy it was nearing dawn.

Izuku tried to stand on the couch only for his right front leg to give out. He tried whimpered in pain but no sound came out then glanced down at his leg. It was in a cast and he could not for the life of him remember why. Checking the rest of his body he found about thirty stitches in his side. What the hell had happened to him?

His ears perked up when he heard movement in another room. There was a groan followed swiftly by a curse. Even muffled he could tell the voice belonged to an adult male. Did this person know what he was? Would he be used for experimentation? If they thought he would lie down and take it they were in for a rude awakening. Injured or not he still had a bite that would do damage.

A door opened from behind him and Izuku shifted so that he could see what he was dealing with. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. A tall man with short, black hair and somewhat-rectangular onyx eyes walked in. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black sweat pants.

The man's eyes widened with surprise. Then they softened as he walked over Izuku. Ears folded against the side of his head and he lifted his lips revealing his fangs. This human could not be trusted. If he did not heed the warnings he was going to get bit.

A bemused look crossed the man's face as he said in a low soothing tone, "I guess I wouldn't be too happy with the person who hit me with a car either. I'm glad you're awake though. You gave me quite a scare jumping out in front of my car like that. Don't worry the vet checked you over and we are working on getting you a home."

If he had not learned that humans only looked after themselves he might have trusted that tone. Humans killed his mother and made him an orphan. There was no way he could trust anything this man said. He had to get out of here before the man realized he had a human side. Or the fact that he was a dog at all.

Being hit by a car though did explain his injuries at least and his amnesia. That would also explain why his leg was in a cast. It must have happened not long after he left the warehouse.

The man suddenly stepped forward and Izuku wanted to growl. Nothing came out unsurprisingly. He had been unable to make a sound in over a decade. Not since his mother was murdered.

Izuku gave another lift of his lips to warn the man off. If the man wasnt careful then Izuku would bite him. The man froze in his walk toward the wolf.

The man said with a gentle look, "I didnt notice last night but you are really skinny. You must have been on the streets for a long time. Or someone has been very unkind to you. Don't worry I'll make sure you have all that you want to eat."

Then surprisingly the man moved around the room keeping a safe distance from him and into the kitchen. Izuku rolled until he fell off the couch. Wincing he stood on three legs keeping the weight off his bad leg.

Tsukauchi glanced past the counter at him. Worry was clear in his eyes but kept working in the kitchen. Izuku's nose twitched as he could smell the scent of cooking chicken. His stomach rumbled with hunger. It had been almost 24 hours since he last ate. Not that he would trust the man at all with his food. If anything the man would poison it. All he was, was another wolf to be put down.

The man continued to speak in low soothing tones as Izuku moved around the apartment. He found the main bedroom which held a nightstand with a phone on it charging. The bed was unmade it held the man's coffee and gun powder scent on it. Surprisingly there wasnt any other scents. As far as he could tell the man lived alone. Despite having two bedrooms as he found when he continued the search.

The second bedroom was pretty much turned into an office. It had two large windows that he could easily fit through in his human form. In the second room was a large desk and after some careful maneuvering, he was able to see the top. Police folders were scattered all across and one was open. Case files his mind supplied. That must mean the man was a detective. Great now he really needed to get out of here before the man realized the truth.

Black ears twitched back when he heard movement in the kitchen. He turned so that his back was towards the desk and crouched low to the ground. If the detective thought he could sneak up on him he was in for a surprise.

The man's footsteps were loud and obvious as he approached the room. A dark head stuck itself into the room and tired eyes fell onto his wary form.

"Come on. Food is ready," he announced. Then he left heading back towards the kitchen.

For a long moment, Izuku debated with himself on following. He was starving and could not really afford to miss any more meals. A loud rumble of his stomach sounded in agreement with his thoughts. Then again it could be the last thing he ate.

It was a tough choice but in the end, he decided to stay in the room. He would risk not eating for a few more hours. When the man left he could sneak and try to find food out on the streets. He was not above dumpster diving to survive.

Izuku chose to stay in the room rather than trust the other. He could not trust the food or the man offering it to him. So he put his back into a corner near the window.

After a few moments when it became obvious that he wasnt coming out, there was a sigh from the other room. Shuffling could be heard and the door opened slightly further. A bowl was put on the floor for him. Plain white rice with chicken in the bowl. It smelled heavenly to him and he couldn't pick up any scents that didnt belong.

Warily he brought the bowl over to his corner. It was too dangerous for him to change back to his human form at this point. He would have to make do with eating as he was. His sense of smell being on par with that of a true wolf he would be able to smell if the food was drugged or poisoned.

Tsukauchi's POV

It was not surprising to Naomasa when the dog did not follow him into the kitchen. When he woke up that morning it was far later than his normal time. He called into the station saying that he wouldn't be in for a few days. Sansa promised to bring him any paperwork that was important.

Naomasa knew that his coworkers were relieved he was taking a few days off. In the entire time, he was on the force he had only missed work twice. Both times he was running a high fever and refused to get anyone else ill. With that in mind, he knew Sansa would be over later with a cup of chicken noodle soup. His subordinate didnt care about social niceties.

Not that he really blamed the other. Sansa didnt have the nicest of childhoods. He had been bullied for the mutation quirk. It was what made the younger want to become a police officer and a damn good one. Out of all his subordinates, Sansa was the one he trusted the most. So, he overlooked some of the social niceties that would be normal to give.

His thoughts were cut off by his phone ringing. After retrieving it from his bedroom he answered, "Tsukauchi."

"Detective sorry to call you so early but I thought you would want an update," came the voice of the vet.

There was no way that the other had already found a home for the dog. Right? For some reason, a pang went through him. He couldn't get attached not when he just met the dog. It was a temporary situation anyway.

Even as he thought that his mind went to the shape the dog was in. It was a miracle that he was even still alive. Naomasa could count its ribs from across the room. It was severely underweight to the point of starvation.

Banks inquired, "You there?"

Naomasa shook himself from his thoughts as he replied, "Yes I'm here. Did you already find him a home?"

"No. You see when I had him sedated I took blood for a DNA test and had one of my friends rush it. Detective, I can confirm two things and you're not going to like them. First, he is not a dog in that form but a wolf. Second, he is in fact human. You're dealing with someone using their quirks. Most likely a child who is unable or too scared change back."

That explained a lot. The wo... boy had intelligence in his eyes that wasnt common in animals. Full transformation quirks were rare but they did happen. It only made the condition he was in more worrying. How long had he been stuck in that form? Was he being abused at home? Did he even have a home?

So many questions running through his head. Banks interrupted before he could delve too deep, "Listen you should call Recovery Girl. She is a friend of yours right? She would be able to heal his wounds even in his current form. Maybe that will bring out some trust towards you."

"I will. Thanks, Banks."

"Its no issue. You are a good friend and I wish you the best of luck."

With that, the line went dead and Naomasa was already dialing the number for Recovery Girl. She picked up on the first ring, "Detective Tsukauchi I hope you are well?"

Naomasa replied with a small smile, "I am but I have a bit of a situation and was wondering if you could stop by my apartment later."

After a few moments explaining what happened last night and the state of the boy she agreed. She would have to wait until school was out but she would be by in the afternoon. He would feel better when she gave him the okay to continue. This was the first time he had to deal with such a thing himself. Reports and checks but never having to try and help an abused himself.

He debated with himself for a moment before heading to his office. The bowl that he left in the door was gone. That made him smile slightly at least the boy ate. It wasnt much but it was something.

The boy in wolf form was on the far side of his office under the window. His back was in the corner and his tail was wrapped around him. The had been practically licked clean. There was a twitch of the wolf's nose and then his head rose. Green eyes stared at him with mistrust. This time though there wasnt any anger with the mistrust. That he would count as a win.

Naomasa put himself by his desk where he could eye the kid from the corner of his eye but not be in his personal space. There was a clear line to the door if he decided to leave the room.

Naomasa began in the low soothing tones he had used earlier, "My name is Tsukauchi Naomasa. I know that you are not actually a dog or in this case a wolf. But that you are human. Most likely a child if your size and reluctance to leave that form are any indication."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the form stiffen and try to shrink in on himself. That wouldn't do. He didnt want the child to fear him. Quite the opposite in fact.

He continued gently, "You don't have to return back to your human form now if you dont want to. Recovery Girl will be stopping by later to heal your wounds with her quirk. I understand not trusting a stranger. But you should know that I'm a Detective with the Mustafa police department. You are safe here."

The wolf child gave him a look of pure disbelief. That was expected but hopefully, he could wear down the other's defenses and earn some trust. All it would take was some time.