Whumptober 2021

Hide and Seek

Hitoshi decides that Izuku needs to see the hard work he put into the haunted house 1-C created. It doesn't go exactly to plan.

Hide and seek
Escape | Flight | 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴

TW!

Panic attack and some minor disassociation.

"Izu, you've gotta try the haunted house!" Hitoshi exclaimed, grasping at Izuku's arm. "I spent so long slaving over wood trying to make pop-ups. And I mean, just look at me," Hitoshi gestured to his torso, pointing out the fake blood that covered him. "You seriously can't avoid a haunted house when your date is quite literally dressed up as a zombie."

Izuku laughed at his antics, shoving him playfully as he traversed between the crowd. Hitoshi laughed as he followed Izuku before jumping behind him and grasping Izuku between his arms. He squawked at the sudden contact, almost falling over in the process.

"Fine!" Izuku said after a moment, "I go to your haunted house but only if you walk with me"

Hitoshi nodded, a small smile on his face as he gripped Izuku's hand. Hitoshi tugged him along through the various stalls before arriving at the 1-C classroom which had been converted for this special occasion. He waved at his classmates before pushing the door open before pulling Izuku in.

"No turning back now," Hitoshi announced as the door behind them shut close. Izuku let out a yelp, darkness filling his vision. "But don't worry, I know the ins and outs of this place. It won't be that scary."

Izuku just shuffled closer to the taller teen, gripping his hand as they slowly traversed the classroom. Izuku's form was stiff as he leaned against Hitoshi, almost expecting something to pop out at any given second. Which is fair, that's what 1-C had hoped to instil in their participants.

"Why you gotta do me like this Hitoshi?" Izuku questioned after a sudden jumpscare, catching his breath as he did so.

"'Cause I love seeing you suffer, Izu," Hitoshi responded a shit-eating grin forming on his face. Izuku pouted, once again digging deeper into Hitoshi's side as a form of comfort. "Aren't you supposed to be the fearless hero student who survived multiple villain attacks?"

"Doesn't mean that I like haunted houses." Came the quick response.

As they neared the end, the scares got more and more frequent, Hitoshi snickering at the screams that came from Izuku. Varying from simple 'ghosts' popping up in front of them to Hitoshi's classmate popping down from the ceiling, the same ceiling tile that he himself had sat a few hours before. And damn, everyone was scared shitless when he popped down from there claiming that he was a zombie. The exit was in sight, the door lay in front of them. But sadly for Izuku, there was still one last jumpscare to come.

A sudden light flashed in their eyes for a split second before disappearing again. A smoke detector activated after a small clip of an explosion played on the speaker hidden behind a fake ghost.

Izuku looked almost unfazed by the sudden jumpscare, standing completely still. He flinched as Hitoshi placed his hand on his shoulder, attempting to break him out of whatever haze he was stuck in. Except, it had the opposite of the desired effect. Izuku snapped his neck over to look at him, his eyes glazed over. He backed away from Hitoshi, pushing himself into a corner before shielding himself with his arms while simultaneously attempting to get behind one of the fake ghosts.

"Izuku?" Hitoshi questioned the shorter teen as he attempted to get closer to him. He frowned when he got no response. Slowly, he got up, walking over to the door before switching the lights on. Hitoshi ignored the confused sounds of his classmates who were located at various stations around the classroom, instead opting to try and calm Izuku down.

Hitoshi stuck his hand out in a small fist before sticking it out to Izuku. It worked with cats so it would probably work on him. He practically was a cat. His hair was fluffy, he loved getting head-pats and always managed to nap on Hitoshi's lap.

Back to the problem at hand, Izuku hadn't moved an inch. Hitoshi sighed, attempting to get closer while making himself look as friendly as possible. He even smiled at him . Hitoshi never smiled.

"C'mon Izu, it's me. Hitoshi." Hitoshi said, his voice a slightly higher pitch than normal. "Can I come closer? I don't bite, I promise."

Hitoshi slowly advanced, making sure to announce any slight movement he made towards the freckled teen who was slowly backing deeper into the corner he was attempting to hide in. He was a mere meter away from him when something seemed to click in Izuku's mind. A deep breath was inhaled by the green-haired teen as his eyes became focused once again. Silent tears fell from his eyes, Hitoshi quickly advancing and wrapping him in a tight hug all while whispering reassurances in his ear.

"I'm uh, sorry you had to see that," Izuku said as they exited the makeshift haunted house. "Usually I have better control over my emoti-"

Izuku was silenced by Hitoshi's finger being jammed over his mouth.

"No need to appologise Izu. It happens to the best of us." The purple-haired teen said, a small smile forming on his face. "All I want to know is how I can prevent it from happening again."

Izuku stuttered as he attempted to formulate a response to Hitoshi, his face flushing all while it was happening.

"Explosions," He said quietly after a few moments of their footsteps echoing throughout the empty halls. "I just... I have bad experiences with them."

"'Kay Izu. You don't need to tell me anything you're not comfortable with." Hitoshi responded, nodding while wrapping his hand around Izuku's midsection.

"Thanks."