Izuku Midoryia One-Shots

An Innocent Little Game

"Today we are going to play a simple game of hide and seek." Aizawa's voice rings in Izuku's head like a broken record. He feels his hands start to shake and the big urge to run. The panic, one he hasn't felt in years, comes back so naturally it's like breathing.

Class-1A is right next to a fake village with trees surrounding it. It's about ten blocks worth of hiding spots for the students.

"Son, let's play a game."

"You'll be given ten minutes to hide and I will have an hour to find you. Once I find you, you will go back to this spot and wait until the game is over. The ability to hide is an essential ability as hero's and may prove to be life saving in the future."

"You hide and I'll try to find you within thirty minutes." Izuku knew what would happen if he was found.

Izuku tried to tell himself that this was a training exercise for heroics and not the hell-game his father made him play. But it was already too late and his brain had already switched to that time when everything was dark and lacked the warmth he has now.

It was too late to tell himself that everything was okay.

"Your five minutes starts now." And just like that, Izuku listened to his body and ran. He had to remind himself not to use One For All since the green lightening could easily give himself away. So he ran without a quirk and discarded his shoes somewhere he doesn't remember because shoes created noise and noise was bad. His running was silent and he easily blended in with the shadows.

"It'll be fun, right Izu? An innocent little game." Izuku wanted to scream at him that this wasn't fun, but if he did that than he might hurt mom.

So he played.

Izuku hid under a tree that was shaded and that blended in with the rest of the fake village. He slowed down his breathing and hid his presence. He saw some of his classmates walk by him trying to find a hiding spot still. No one noticed him; just like they should.

And then the game started; as did the silent tears that fell from Izuku's eyes. He just had to do this for an hour, he could do that. All Midoryia had to do was stay silent and move from his spot if his teacher came a little too close for comfort.

Izuku has been trained to hide since three. He could do this.

He played and he lost, he gained more scars. He played and he lost, he gained more scars. He played and he won, he gained a smirk and a few bruises. He played and he lost, he gained a broken bone. He played and played and played until-

Vaguely, Izuku saw some of his friends walk back with solemn faces from getting found. Izuku's tears just ran down faster because he realized this wasn't the game he played before, his friends weren't being kicked or punched or cut open and having bones broken.

But what if? What if this was some kind of messed up test for him, what if he was found before the time was up and he just had to endure another torture session? What would happen if he was found before the time had gone to zero?

Every instinct told him that something really bad would happen, so Izuku hunched his shoulders together to make himself even smaller than he already was. Midoryia was good at hiding, good at concealing his presence, good at making himself invisible.

Until one day his dad had left. He doesn't know why, he just did. And Izuku is terrified for the day he might come back. It's a never-ending dread that hangs on his shoulders everyday. Because for five years he had to hide under beds and desks and he had to hide in the dark even when he used to be deathly afraid of it. Because for five years Izuku was taking hits and glass and burns. And then... He just leaves.

All those years of fear and pain stayed with him no matter how hard he tried to shake it off. He's learned to ignore them, and it works. Until something happens that sets him back that makes him spiral into a sea of memories that he want's to forget.

"The time is up. Remaining students come back to the meeting place." Izuku lets out the first real breath for the entire hour. He had made it, but now what? Midoryia wipes the remains of tears from his face and gets up on shaky feet. He walks until he see's everybody already there.

It's only then that he realized he forgot to find his shoes, but he doesn't really care. Winning the game means less punishment.

"Congratulations, problem child. You were the only one I couldn't find." Izuku tries to smile, but his shoulders are too hunched and his hands are too shaky. His eyes itch from the hour of crying and all he wants to do is forget. Forget about today, forget about this game and all the memories that came along with it.

"It's just an innocent little game."

No one seems to notice Izuku's eyes that are just a notch too dull and the redness around his cheeks. They're probably talking about how hard or even how fun that game was. While all Izuku could do was tell himself that he's safe and his dad isn't here.

He jumps at the sudden contact of a hand being placed by his shoulder.

His father used to do that when he found him. Right before he-

He meets eyes with Aizawa and forces to the best of his ability, to relax. Izuku notices how his teacher's eyes are glazed with curiosity and worry. Worry that shouldn't be there.

-Right before his father beat him until he passed out.

"Midoriya, how did you learn to hide so well?" Because Aizawa had never had a student that went the full hour without being found. Aizawa, who searched everywhere couldn't even sense Midoryia's presence. Which was worrying, since the only way you could learn to hide that well at his age is if your life depended on it.

Aizawa tried not to think that was the case with his student.

He was far too young to deal with any of that.

"You want to be a hero, right son? Think of this as some sort of... training."

Izuku's eyes hardened with the walls he surrounded himself in. He had never told anyone what his father did to him; he was planning on keeping that secret to his grave.

"My father used to make me play the game with him all the time." It was the truth, but it was also far from it.

Aizawa dropped his hand from Izuku's shoulder and sighed. Something seemed... off about the way he said it. He said his father made him play the game. And the way Midoryia's eyes hardened and his voice turned cold and void of any emotion. Nothing about this was settling right with Shouta.

When Izuku started to walk away, Shouta called after him, "Hey, Problem child." Izuku stopped walking and turned to face him, "Did anything... Happen? When your father made you play hide and seek?"

Midoryia sent a smile towards him. The smile was nothing like the grins he usually displayed. This one was cold and betrayed none of his thoughts or feelings. It sent cold shivers up and down Shouta's spine. This was not that Izuku he knew, this one had secrets and was guarded with walls that were near impossible to reach.

"Nothing happened, Sensei. After all, it is just an innocent little game."