Chapter Text
When Izuku agreed to stay the summer with his father, he wasn't expecting.. this. Izuku loved his father, don't get him wrong, but when the man moved to America after his divorce all those years ago he had assumed it was to live a life of luxury- fast cars and city lights, sky scrapers towering over bustling streets with a celebrity on every block- had assumed his summer to be filled with sight seeing and fancy restaurants.
What he was not expecting was to be shoved onto another plane not even an hour after he had landed, his father feeding him pamphlet after pamphlet on wilderness survival, raving about the fun they'll have together at the cabin he had recently renovated in the middle of the forest. A chance to take a break and detox from civilisation. Fun..
But still, he had a forced a smile and nodded along to his fathers excited rambling, flicking through the pamphlets and trying to force his jet-lagged brain into retaining the information on what to do if he came in contact with a black bear or mountain lion.
Izuku's worries about the general safety of camping in the middle of nowhere were slightly lessened when he actually got first sight of the cabin, a small modern looking thing surrounded by a quaint looking garden. His father gave him a short tour of the inside; two small bedrooms, an open kitchen that lead into the large living room-dining room-combo. It actually seemed a nice place to spend the summer, although..
"Where's the bathroom?" He asked, looking back at where his father was unloading their bags from the rented truck.
His father laughed at the horrified look that must've taken over his face as he was told he'd have to venture into the woods and find a hole to use.
And maybe he would've been more offended when his father teasingly nudged him, claiming "We're all animals out here, son." But..
But it had been years since he last heard that warm laugh without the crackling static of the phone line, years since he had that strong arm flung over his shoulder as his father showed him the small waterfall they would be using to collect water. So he just laughed along, following after his father and listening intently to the many facts about the local flora and fauna his father was spitting out, and when the jet-lag finally caught up to him, he let himself lean into the larger Midoriya, feeling as though he was nine again as his father easily took him off his feet, trekking back to the cabin and tucking him into bed.
--
Izuku takes back any good things he said about this trip as he wraps his new jacket tighter around himself, shivering as he curses the cold morning.
His father had woken him up at 5AM sharp, claiming there was no point in wasting the day away in bed as he shoved two buckets into Izuku's sluggish arms and sending him off to fetch water for their breakfast and morning showers. Right, Izuku had almost forgot, no running water.
His eyes were still bleary from sleep as he shuffled his way through the still-dark forest, he had barely three hours of interrupted sleep before strange noises and lights had woken him up. The sound of engines and trees falling kept him in a light sleep, although his father said he never heard anything.
"It's just your imagination, 'zuku," He announced. "You're so used to the city noise that your brain is trying to fill the quiet of the forest."
And.. it had made sense to his sleep-deprived brain at the time, but now, as he neared the waterfall, he wasn't so sure. A subtle smell of smoke filled his senses the closer he got, drifting over from the other side of the lake stretching in-front of him.
Frowning, he set the buckets down next to the lake, walking down the edge to try and get a better view of the other side, eyes straining in the darkness of the dawning morning.
A rustling filled his ears as he got further away from the crashing water, something on the other side of the lake moving through the shrubbery. He's about to call out when he remembers one of the pamphlets his father had shown him, something about making low, continuous chatter rather than sudden loud noises in order to not scare the local predators into attacking. So, glancing around nervously, he did what Midoriya's do best. A slow strain of nervous mumbles fell from his lips as he kept his eyes trained on the rustling bushes across from him and- a glimpse of dark fur and the scrape of claws were the only sign that there was even an animal there as it scampered away from the lakeside.
Izuku let out a relieved breath, his heart calming from the thunderous pace that had previously taken hold of it. The animal seemed larger than what he remembers reading about mountain lions- so a bear? He really needed to reread those survival guides with a clear head.
He shook his head to get rid of lingering nerves, dragging the buckets through the water before making his way back to the cabin, he doesn't know how long he had spent staring at the mystery animal, but he knew it was long enough to cause his father to worry about him, something that happened all too often no matter which parent he was staying with.
He grinned as he finally spotted his father pacing outside the cabin, already asking about what had taken so long. Following his father inside, he relaxed as the door clicked shut, the feeling of eyes that had followed him from the lake finally dispersing.