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Midoriya had stayed very late at UAs training facility. Usually someone was with him (typically Iida), but with finals having just passed, literally yesterday, no one wanted to train with him. Not even Kirishima wanted to. Midoriya had tried relaxing in his room like the rest of the class, but he was antsy.
Would UA grade his finals like his old school? Just give him a C and be done with it all? What about if they—no. Stop thinking like that. UA proved over and over again that it was not going to be like his old school. He knew this.
Really he did, but old habits die hard, and besides what if they had just been trying to gain his trust so they could make him fail for being a quirkless, worthless, and useless person?
But wait—he had a quirk now. Didn’t that mean something ? They wouldn’t just treat him like trash now that he was normal would they?
But—but what if they saw through? Would they know? Did All Might tell the teachers about the quirkless loser he felt sorry for?
Stop.
He couldn’t do this, he needed to move and now. He changed into workout clothes and went to the training facility Gama.
So now, here he was, leaving the facility at 2 in the morning. This is pretty typical for him actually. On a normal day he stays until he can’t lift his arms or move his legs and Iida, or Uraraka, have to carry him back to the dorms.
Today he’s alone. Not too bad it’s been like that before. Last night made today different though.
Last night he saw a horror movie. Midoriya was never one to willingly see a horror movie, but his classmates were insistent.
His terror over them dropping his ass and finding a new friend played no part in his decision to watch the move.
It didn’t.
But didn’t it?
So now he couldn’t help but feel...nervous about walking through the wooded area to get to his dorm.
He didn’t feel
. He felt safe at UA.
He took a breath and let it out, watching the mist of the cool air he inhaled leave his mouth, and head up into the sky.
It was nice. He felt kind of peaceful looking at the stars.
He moves his head to look at the shadowy trees branches drifting with the wind. He heard the whistle of the wind as it went through the trees.
He started to walk.
The cold night air (or was it morning?) pinch at his cheeks, nibble at his nose, scrape up against his arms and legs.
He shivered.
“Should’ve brought a sweater,” he mumbles as he rubs some warmth into his arms.
The wind's response is to pick up in speed.
Just his luck isn’t it?
He picks up his pace. The sooner he’s at the dorms the sooner he can get into the shower and warm blankets to sleep.
He’d have to make some tea first though. He had read you shouldn’t just jump into warm water after being in the freezing air. Something about sending your body into shock. He hoped Yaoyorozu wouldn’t mind a tea bag missing—who the hell did he think he was?
Did she even like him enough for Midoriya to be able to take a bag of tea? He wasn’t too sure… They would study together sometimes… maybe she wouldn’t mind.
Yaoyorozu always shared tea with anyone who asked—
but they were like able
—he’d just have warm milk. (Did he have milk? He wasn’t sure).
The wind whistle got a bit louder in his ears and he stopped to listen to it. It would have sounded pretty, had he had someone here with him, but he didn’t, so it only sounded creepy.
This kind of felt familiar. His heart started thumping. Wasn’t this the scene in the horror movie he saw yesterday..?
The man on screen was walking through a gravel road between a clearing of trees. The wind had been picking up and so had the sounds of gravel beneath the heavy boots the man was wearing. In the background, just visible to viewers, were three figures. No definable features could be seen other than a small glint that would appear under the bleary moonlight.
The man picked up the pace.
The figures walked.
The man moved faster.
The figures walked.
The man started to run causing the figures to pause.
Then the figures jumped.
And they jumped.
And they jumped.
The man's faces became more desperate, the sounds of gravel becoming unbearable to the viewers' ears.
The man started to scream and the closer he got to, the now visible, house the more desperate the screams and his expression became. His fingers grasp the door knob and the relief on his face, and the relief the viewers feel is instant. He opens his mouth to announce himself to the lit up house, just pull the door open—
The figure in the center grabs his neck. The other two grab either arm.
The man's face falls.
The glints were knives raised to strike at his back, the one in the middle aiming for his neck. He opens his mouth to scream, the winds howl drowns it, and the knives plunge—
Midoriya violently shakes his head.
He turns around, the howl of the wind in his ears, and his heart drops because there’s something there— he blinks—it’s gone.
Midoriya had felt fear before. He knows he has, but this feels like, like a newer level of fear. He clutches his chest and listens. He strains his ears but all he can hear is the stupid howl of the wind.
Each shadow he sees makes his heart thump faster.
Da-Thump
Da-Thump
Da-thump
His heartbeat is filling his ears. He feels stiff all over and his hands are grabbing his waist so hard he thinks it’ll bruise.
Be rational, he thinks. Your brain is playing a trick on you. It was just… it wasn’t what you think it was. Take deep breaths and then keep going.
He breathes in and out watching the misty air leave his mouth and rise to the sky again. He watches the stars and when his heart doesn’t feel like it’ll burst out of his chest, he turns to walk.
He turns to walk...but chooses to run with all the will to live he can muster. (It’s quite a lot surprisingly).
If anyone saw Izuku running for his life through the grounds of UA that night, they should have looked closer. If they did they would have seen a single shadowy figure just behind him.
Walking.
———————
The mornings are when Iida feels the most pride. To see all of his classmates arriving on time with their uniforms neat and their homework complete he can’t help
but
feel pride.
They’re students of UA! They’re supposed to be the model for a students behavior! So to see his classmates well groomed and prepared only makes his heart soar.
When Uraraka comes in and walks over to him he smiles and prepares to offer her a “good morning!” and share his good mood with her about how amazing their classmates are.
Her frown and lip biting stop him short.
He hasn’t know her for long, but she only does that when something’s wrong.
He waits for her to speak. No use jumping to conclusions. Perhaps she didn’t understand something on their test yesterday!
His gut tells him he’s wrong.
He ignores it.
“Hey Iida, did you see Deku get back to the dorms last night? He never got back from wherever he went.” Iida narrows his eyes and frowns.
Good feelings were gone.
His hope that it was simply something about their test yesterday is also gone.
Did he see Midoriya get back last night? He saw him leave for the gym [he assumes this, but Midoriya was wearing gym clothes so he can’t be far off. He also kind of remembers Midoriya asking him about going to the gym, he regrets saying no now] while in the living room, but when he went to bed around 10 he wasn’t back yet. Not that he saw anyway.
“No, I don’t believe I did.” Uraraka looks panicked. “But I think he went to the gym last night, so him arriving late isn’t unusual. He’ll likely arrive soon for class anyhow. He’s never missed any days unless he’s been injured and he wasn’t injured yesterday was he?” Uraraka shakes her head and opens it to speak, her eyebrows still creasing.
A quick peek at the clock reveals ten minutes to the bell. Not unusual for Midoriya, he always arrives exactly one minute before the bell.
Why he did so was a mystery he has yet to crack.
(Midoriya started this in Middle school so the bullies wouldn’t be able to harass him until later in the day. It offered him a peaceful morning in the library, hidden in a shelf).
“ So ,” he cuts off whatever negative thought she was about to reveal,” he should be here soon. If he isn’t here by the second period we can tell Aizawa-sensei okay?” Uraraka only nods. He can see it in her eyes that she still believes something is wrong.
He really hopes that she’s wrong, but a small part of himself thinks that maybe she isn’t.
They chat for a bit until it’s five minutes before the bell. She heads to her desk and Iida moves to sit at his own.
With each minute that passes on the clock it feels like the lead in his chest gains another pound. Another pound to be dropped into his stomach.
And another pound.
And another pound.
And another pound.
And another pound.
It’s Midoriya's time to arrive.
The bell rings.
The weight drops.
It hurts.
When Aizawa-sensei enters and his eyes glide over everyone, he notices a pause in the direction of Midoriya's desk. Aizawa-sensei mumbles something about problem children and continues with homeroom. Eyes glancing at the door every so often, just like Iidas own eyes.
Just like Urarakas eyes.
He notices the frown on Aizawa-sensei’s face grow as the minutes tik away.
Iida tries to focus. He really does, but…
Where was Midoriya?