Chapter Text
It was a tragic accident.
A once happy and healthy boy lost his parents to a fire; whether it was an accident or arson, they have yet to find out. Having millions to his name that he didn't have access to until he was eighteen brought a swarm of money-thirsty relatives to his doorstep and somewhere down the long and exhaustive process, he was entrusted to an uncle named Shigaraki.
At first, the grey haired man seemed kind, child-like even that little Izuku easily warmed up to him. They would spend long hours at the barn, meeting many of his uncle's "animal friends" such as goats, pigs and horses but Izuku's favorite were the dogs; gentle giants whose "houses" were big enough for a kid like him to play in.
He loved them so much, he took naps with them at times and even wished to live with them and once the court finalized their decision to name Shigaraki his official guardian, that was exactly what would happen. Although Izuku meant bringing the dogs into his uncle's cabin, he didn't think it was all that bad when he was the one to move into their pen. He didn't think much of it either when his uncle placed him in what he referred to as a "no bark collar".
But the fun and games ended on a freezing winter evening when Shigaraki decided Izuku need not go inside and when the boy so much as tried to protest, he was instantly shocked— literally— by the bling around his neck. He couldn't forget the feeling of electricity crawling under his skin and making his small body shake like a leaf. It taught him in no time to stay quiet and whimper like his furry friends.
Left with a thin blanket and a bowl of his own, little Izuku began his new life as a member of a new family; one that provided him warmth and comfort during his darkest times. And soon, he'd accepted them as his own kind, learning how they eat, walk and communicate.
By the time Izuku hit the age of eighteen and his late parents' aged lawyer had come to bestow him with his inheritance, what he would find was nothing short of devastating. The last Midoriya, dirty, feral and behaving like a mongrel; licking his "paws" and pacing around in a cage on all fours with scarring around his neck where the shock collar remained unadjusted as he grew into a young man.
Shigaraki was nowhere to be found. He'd ran with the hefty allowance that he received monthly and so did the social workers whom he paid to remain hush up until the previous month before they knew the legal counsel would pay them a visit, leaving Toshinori to find a way to fix the broken boy and turn him back into a human.