-x- Izuku Midoriya's POV -x-

"You'll never be happy. You're lying to yourself. Drop the act."

Thoughts kept invading my mind. Unpleasant thoughts. Unsettling thoughts. Thoughts that I wish would disappear. But the amount just increased every day.

And, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where they were coming from.

Dreams.

I had dreams, too.

Dreams of someone laughing as they brandished a knife.

Dreams of looking on as someone toyed with heroes, grinning as they scowled.

Dreams of seeing bodies, lying right before my eyes.

Thoughts and dreams.

Ones that felt wrong.

But they felt so real.

I felt as if, when staring at that knife in that person's hand, I could feel the wind whipping at me, the metallic sheen glinting in my eyes. I could feel the laughter rising in my throat. I could see the body's dull eyes.

And it was terrifying.

More than terrifying.

Did that mean there was something wrong with me? Was I some sort of freak? Did people know? Is that why everyone treated me so-

"Hey, Midoriya," a voice said, causing my body to become tense. The sound around me came back, and I turned around to see Kirishima with his hand placed on my shoulder. "You alright?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

I raised my head suddenly and quickly, eyes wide. After a moment, though, I let out a sigh. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Kirishima laughed slightly. "But seriously," he changed his tone to one that was more serious, "Are you okay?"

I hesitated for a moment before putting on a smile and nodding.

You liar.

"Cut it out," I whispered.

Kirishima raised a brow. "Huh?"

My face became red. "Sorry. I was just thinking of something." I gave him a nervous smile. "You can go, I'm fine."

Kirishima paused for a moment before nodding hesitantly, stepping back towards his seat. "Let me know if anything's wrong, alright?"

I nodded back, holding my breath until he looked away.

Taking in a deep breath, I sank in my chair. "I'll be fine. It'll be alright." I glanced around, smiling softly. "People care."

Do they?

My eyes widened suddenly, body stiffening. What was that? Why did I keep hearing whispers in my mind?

The voice spoke quietly yet menacingly.

You'll find out soon.

I felt a pit grow in my chest. What does that mean?

But the voice didn't respond.

I sighed, dragging my hands down my face. Am I going crazy?

---

"Hey, Izuku, are you okay?" Uraraka asked, catching my attention.

"Huh...? Oh, yeah," I mumbled. "Sorry."

Iida straightened himself, which should've been impossible given his already perfect posture. "If there's anything wrong, you can let us know."

They'll never believe you.

I bit my lip, hoping the pain would suppress the voice.

They'll think you're crazy.

I bit down more, teeth digging into my bottom lip.

They'll leave you alone.

More.

Forever.

Uraraka's eyes widened, and she sat upwards quickly. "Izuku, are you alright?"

I turned towards her, letting my tension drop. "What?"

I realized what she was worried about when I began to taste iron in my mouth. I had managed to draw blood.

My eyes widened as well, and I frantically wiped the blood away. "Sorry, sorry!"

"Is something going on, Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu asked, concerned.

"No, no," I lied, laughing nervously. "I'm totally fine."

Suddenly, an image flashed in my mind.

Every one of them lying on the ground - bloody and beaten.

I slapped my hands over my mouth, suppressing the urge to puke. I stood quickly, stumbling forwards as I attempted to escape my seat. Who did that?!

"Midoriya?" Todoroki furrowed his brows.

I shook my head, sprinting out of the cafeteria. Unfortunately, I only made it as far as the hallway before letting everything spill, falling against the ground once I was done.

Pressed against the wall, I heaved, eyes closed as sweat dripped down my skin.

On the other side of the hall, I heard the sound of shoes clacking, picking up speed once they rounded a corner.

I raised my head, disoriented, and squinted to see the figure running towards me. Through a blurry gaze, I was able to make the person out to be All Might. My body felt hot.

I offered a nervous smile, coughing. "Hey, All Might," I practically slurred, feeling horribly nauseous.

"Young Midoriya, what happened?" he asked frantically.

"I don't know," I mumbled, closing my eyes. "I was just sitting there and suddenly felt like I was going to puke."

All Might furrowed his brows, pressing the back of his hand against my forehead. He cursed under his breath, mumbling. "You've got a fever."

"How'd that happen?" I whispered, but I felt myself fading before I could get an answer.

You're just hurting everyone you meet.

---

Opening my eyes, I saw the white room around me. Falling back, I sighed and mumbled. "Not again..."

"This does seem to happen quite a bit," an older voice said - who I immediately recognized as Recovery Girl.

I sat upwards, turning towards her. "What happened?" I asked quietly.

She paused before returning a question. "How were you feeling before passing out? What happened?"

I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to remember. My heart fell once I realized what had happened.

You can't tell her the truth.

"I...," I hesitated, "I felt awful. My heart was beating like crazy and I felt terrified," I finished, settling for a half-truth.

"Anxiety-induced sickness, then. Must've been a bad case if you became so nauseous," she sighed. "What exactly caused you to feel like this?"

I froze for a moment. "Uhm... Well...," I paused. "I'm not sure. I guess... I guess I've just been afraid that everything was all just a dream, and I'll wake up at any moment. And then... Everybody will be gone." My throat felt dry.

"I see," Recovery Girl said softly. "Well, I assure you that this is reality. And you'll be alright, Midoriya. Just get some rest. Your friends are worried about you. Not to mention that brute, All Might. He stayed by your side with any chance he had. Not to mention the fact that he kept asking how you were doing." She shook her head, sighing. "I eventually had to kick him out."

Surprised, I sank back onto my pillow.

Friends.

And All Might.

I smiled softly, closing my eyes.

There's nothing to worry about.

I'll be fine.

Fine.

---

pOSTING THIS AT 12:34 AM LEGGOOOOO pfft

hecc

there are a lot of breaks in this chapter rip- 

xD

aaand I debated on whether or not to post it because idk, it's kinda bad compared to some others

I might edit it later who knows yey

ok

Thanks for reading! <3