Chapter Text
The Bakugou family had always been the outdoorsy types. They loved traveling, and did it often. One particular vacation, however, would change the course of their lives in a strange, unnerving way.
When Katsuki was 7 years old, his mother decided that he was finally old enough to go camping. She had always held off on allowing him to go, ironically, because of the dangers in the woods. Being the risk takers that they were, his parents decided on going camping in the middle of the woods, as opposed to a campsite. They had decided on a secluded spot near the base of Mount Tate. It was a few hours' ride from Musutafu, so they left early in the morning.
They reached a small village near their camping spot at around noon, and Mitsuki had allowed Katsuki to play in a nearby park while she and Masaru got lunch. She shouldn't have let him.
Katsuki was so excited! He was going on his very first camping trip, and the hag had allowed him to play in the park with the other kids. He marched up to a group of local children, head held high, and hands popping to signify his arrival. The older kids turned and waved.
“Hi! I don’t recognise you! Are you new here? Or just passing through?” One girl asked
“My parents and I are going camping on the mountain! What's it to you?” The extras looked confused, and kinda scared.
“Are you stupid!?! Haven't you heard about The Thing?” the what? “It's a monster that lives in the woods and kills children!” The girl sounded distraught, but Katsuki was more curious than anything.
“I heard that if you get lost in the woods, it will appear, and ask if you need help! If you say yes it will eat you, but if you say no it will rip you to shreds and leave your body at the edge of the woods!”
Honestly, the more Katsuki heard, the more he wanted to find this thing. He talked to the local children for a few more minutes, learning more and more about The Thing in The Woods. Eventually he heard his parents calling him, and ran back to the car. They piled back in and ate their lunch on the road. They finally made it to their ‘campsite’; a small, empty clearing a few miles up the mountain. Naturally, in true Katsuki fashion, he only half helped set up the tent, before dashing into the forest.
He ignored the calls of his mother and his fathers hushed “let him explore honey, he’ll be fine.”. He walked past all sorts of wildlife, past fallen trees growing mushrooms. Past a small, but startlingly deep creek. Once. twice. Three times. He was going in circles. Shit. The sky turned shades of pink, orange, red and purple, before finally turning pitch black. Katsuki was panicking now, and he turned and tried to retrace his steps. His breath was quickening, and he was running, jumping over fallen logs, ducking under branches, and cutting up his face and arms by running into briars. He popped off small explosions to light his way, but his hands were starting to burn, and no matter how hard he ran, he couldn’t get his hands sweaty enough to make the explosions go off easier.
He was so lost in his panic, that he didn't notice how the crickets stopped chirping, and the fireflies were no longer blinking in and out of existence. He didn’t notice the way even the sounds of the creek that he should have been passing soon were muted. No twigs snapped, no leaves rustled, no owls hooted, nothing. Tears were streaming from his eyes, and his feet hurt. He sat down at the base of a tall tree, pulled his knees to his chest, and sobbed. Again, in the midst of his panic, he didn’t hear the unnaturally soft footsteps slowly drawing closer. He didn’t even notice the oddly bright lantern being set down by his feet. He didn’t notice the glowing green eyes either, until-
“Hello.” Katsuki screamed as his fist connected with the face of the young man in front of him. The stranger stood up to reveal the most ethereal person Katsuki had ever seen. He looked to be about 16, and had long, moss green hair, tan skin, and was wearing nothing more than baggy pants and a slightly tattered tunic. His hair and neck were decorated with ancient looking jewelry, and he wasn’t wearing shoes. Katsuki and the stranger stared each other down for a moment, before the older boy smiled, and crouched down again.
“Hey there, would you like some help getting home?” At that point, Katsukis instincts were shot, and so he nodded.
“Ok then! Well, my name is Izuku, and it’s lovely to meet you.” Izuku's voice was bubbly, and soft, and it sounded like something someone would hear in a dream.
“‘M Katsuki.” Despite the situation, Katsuki was determined to seem tough. He was the future number one hero after all. Izuku seemed undeterred by Katsukis gruffness, and held out his hand.
Izuku grabbed Katsuki and then his lantern, before traipsing confidently through the brush. Izuku asked why Katsuki was even in the woods to begin with, and Katsuki told the truth. He told the older boy that he and his parents were camping, and that he had wanted to explore. After about 30 minutes of walking, the two boys saw the smoke of a fire, and the beams of flashlights through the trees. Katsuki heard his parents calling for him, desperation lacing their voices. He started to run ahead to meet them, before stopping.
How the hell did Izuku know where his campsite was? They had walked in a straight line from the tree to the camp, even though Katsuki had taken many, many turns. He whipped around to question the older boy, but all he saw were twisting shadows and gnarled trees. The path of destruction from them ripping down vines and stepping on plants was only wide enough for one person. There was only one set of footprints in the mushy ground beneath Katsuki’s feet.
He decided not to ask any questions, and turned back in the direction of his family. He raced forward into his mother’s arms, too dazed to focus on anything other than sleep. He could worry about the mysterious boy in the morning.
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When Katsuki woke up the next morning, he didn’t give his parents time to protest when he ripped open the tent and ran into the woods. He ran and ran, taking twists and turns, and getting himself unfathomably lost. He did it in hopes of seeing Izuku again, but as the sun drew high in the sky with still no sight of the other, he was beginning to panic. He had taken such a strange route that there was no possible way that he would even make it out on his own. As his brain was filling with thoughts about ‘how stupid he was, and how he must have imagined the boy from the night before’, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
There was only one person that it could be, so his tears dried up immediately. He whirled around so fast he swore it gave him whiplash, coming face to face (more like face to stomach) with Izuku. Naturally, Katsuki couldn't be bothered to be polite, so instead he asked,
“Are you the Thing in the Woods?”