i fINALLY HAVE A CHAPTER OF NIGHTMARE, WOOOOO XD

uhhh i also didnt edit this or anything so sorry if it sucks / there are any inconscinetjwskesjz (spelling?!) / whatever

to preface...

THIS IS NOT A VILLAIN DEKU.

yeah

xDD also

there are times where it seems like he has emotions but i have 2 excuses :D

either 

a.) im too lazy to fix it B)))

or (usually)

b.) he kinda trained himself to react to things so he didn't appear totally weird to people :////

anyways

pls continue ;,D

---

Izuku rested his chin on the palm of his hand, elbow pressed into his desk as he allowed his mind to wander. The green curls tickled his ears each time he moved his head, whispers creeping into his thoughts.

It would've been suffocating if he cared much. Their disgust was palpable. Even with all their differences, everyone in his school had something in common.

They all hated Izuku Midoriya.

He didn't let it bother him, though. In fact, his mind was focused on something entirely different. Something more important than anything going on around him.

What was he going to have for dinner?

But alas, his dinner thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his teacher walking into the classroom, lightly tossing the door closed behind him as he moved towards his desk.

As the man situated himself behind said desk, Izuku lazily moved his attention towards the front, letting out a slight sigh as he snapped his mind from his daydreams.

After a moment, his teacher straightened himself, taking a few minutes to bring the rest of the class' attention towards him. Izuku raised a brow as his attempts repeatedly resulted in failure, with half of the class talking over the man as he became increasingly frustrated.

Once a few minutes had passed, the freckled boy sat upwards, raising his hand and, slowly but surely, all eyes moved towards him. "I think the teacher's trying to say something," he said in a monotone voice.

The teacher awkwardly cleared his throat. "Ah, yes... Thank you, Midoriya."

Izuku ignored the man's clear nervousness, instead opting to toss him a simple nod, though his head only moved by a fraction.

"Anyways, class," the teacher brightened, eyes only occasionally flickering towards the freckled boy, "As third year students, it's time to start thinking seriously about your futures and what you want to do with your lives!"

Izuku sighed, knowing what was coming despite the irrationality of it all. "We can't all be heroes," he mumbled, though nobody bothered to pay him any attention.

"I could pass out some career aptitude test," his teacher smirked, leaning towards the class, "But... Why bother?!" He grinned, tossing the papers into the air, leaving Izuku to watch as they fluttered towards the ground, dancing in the air before sliding around the room as they touched the ground. "I know you all want to go to the hero track!"

The freckled boy's jaw tensed as he watched all of his classmates cheer and showcase their abilities. Most of them, he had noted before, didn't have quirks that were useful in any way.

Which is probably why fear clouded within the room.

Fear of not being good enough.

Fear of failing the tests.

Fear of being stuck in a dead end job for the rest of their lives.

Needless to say, it was quite gloomy despite the fact that it was all covered up by the students' plastered-on smiles and cheerful hollering.

"Yes yes," the teacher continued, eyes flickering towards some students with half-useless quirks with a slight tenseness in his eyes, "You've all got some very impressive quirks. But no power-usage allowed at school. Get ahold of yourselves."

"Hey teach," a voice chimed in, Izuku's eyes already having dragged themselves to none other than Katsuki Bakugou. "Don't lump me in with this bunch of losers. I'm the real deal, but these guys will be lucky to end up as sidekicks to some busted D-Lister," he laughed mockingly.

Although Izuku was less than impressed by the boy's clear arrogance, he wasn't wrong. So, against his better judgement, he chose not to say anything.

"You think you're better than us Katsuki?!" the class raged, earning a laugh from the blonde.

Bakugou grinned. "Let's go! I'll take you all on!"

"Huh...," the teacher caught the class' attention, reading over Bakugou's file - how he picked it up out of all the scattered papers, Izuku had no idea - "Maybe you will get into U.A. High."

Izuku's nose scrunched at the announcement of Bakugou's choice school. Not only had he given out a small bit of personal information - not that his grades were really hidden considering his chart-topping scores, but it was unprofessional nonetheless - but it had also been Izuku's choice in school.

Which meant that he couldn't avoid being called out.

Wonderful.

The freckled boy resigned himself to his fate, simply waiting as surprised whispers circled around the room.

"Wait? He's gonna try for the national school?!"
"That school has a .2% acceptance rate!"

"It's impossible to get into!"

Bakugou grinned, leaping onto his desk as he pointed his thumb towards himself. "That's exactly why it's the only place worthy of me! I aced all the mock tests! I'm the only one at this school who stands a chance at getting in!" Izuku pondered his last proclamation for a moment, glancing around his classroom before nodding to himself. "I'll end up more popular than All Might himself!" Izuku raised a brow. Ah well... Maybe not that popular. Of course, Bakugou couldn't actually hear his thoughts - or maybe he could, considering the slight turn of his head and the tiniest of glares pointed towards the freckled boy - and clenched his fist with an even wider grin. "I'll be the richest hero of all time! People all over the world will know who I am! And it all starts with U.A. High!"

"Oh yeah, Midoriya," his teacher said suddenly, causing Izuku to let out a small sigh in preparation for his verbal lashing, "Don't you wanna get into U.A. too?"

The majority of the class visibly stiffened, causing even more whispers to circulate around the room.

"Him?! No way!" someone whisper-shouted.

"Probably to get information on the heroes or something," another said nastily, "There's no way he can be anything other than a villain."

Bakugou's eye flicked towards Izuku, but he took back his glance before the boy had any time to think about it, instead choosing to ignore everyone's judging stares.

"Yes," Izuku answered simply, eyes lazily wandering the room and causing each person who was caught in his sight to shift nervously.

His teacher hummed in reply, not bothering to look at the boy. "Well... Good luck, then."

Izuku didn't attempt to reply, knowing that the teacher most definitely didn't want to continue their little conversation, even though he was the one who brought it upon himself.

For the last remaining moments of the class, it was entirely silent, only broken by the sudden sound of the bell.

Several sighs of relief went around the room, mumbling about Izuku. He, of course, didn't care as they left, barely noticing that tension in the first place.

"No way!" Bakugou growled, shooting up from his seat. The blonde shot Izuku a glare as he walked up to his desk, shoving his finger in the boy's face. "Listen, Deku! You're even worse than the rest of these rejects!" He glared at him, letting loose a slight snarl before practically spitting in his face. "What makes you think they'd choose someone like you," he spat, "Over someone like me?"

Izuku simply blinked at the blonde before pushing his finger down. "Maybe we'll both get in."

Bakugou twitched angrily, but unlike everyone else, he didn't stiffen at Izuku's touch. He began to open his mouth to continue berating the boy, but was interrupted by the boy to his side.

"What is this?" he asked curiously. He turned the notebook in his hand, causing Izuku's eyes to travel downwards to discover that his notebook was no longer on his desk. The boy then chuckled, raising an amused brow at Izuku. "Seriously? A Hero Analysis notebook?"

Bakugou's other friend suddenly snorted. "You're kidding, right? I thought he couldn't get any more suspicious." He turned towards Izuku, sneering. "What are ya tryna do? Gather info on the heroes so you can take 'em down later on?"

Izuku simply blinked, definitely not providing the reaction that the boy opposite him was looking for. After a moment, he turned towards the boy that held his book and held out his hand. "Give it back."

The boy looked taken aback, but he was quickly relieved of the awkwardness when Bakugou snatched the book from his hand. "I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic," he said, rolling his eyes. After a moment, he glanced up at Izuku, practically throwing the book back in his face. He then turned as the notebook fell into the freckled boy's lap, sighing as he walked towards the door. "I don't get why you haven't given up yet, Deku. You're just wasting your time." His friends walked out the door, waiting for him when Bakugou suddenly paused. "Nobody will ever want to be saved by a creep like you."

After a moment of silence, Bakugou rolled his eyes and walked out the door, hands in his pockets.

"Dude, what was that all about?" one of his friends asked, raising a brow.

Bakugou shook his head. "Just shut it, Stretch."
Once Izuku heard as the three made it down the hall, he looked down at the notebook in his lap. He carefully flipped the notebook open, staring at a page with a creased corner.

Scribbled roughly in the middle was a simple message from Bakugou - one that he had likely written while his friends were looking away.

"Try all you want, Deku. I'll still beat you."

Izuku's lip slightly twitched. The boy then sighed, closing the book and sliding it into his backpack. After knowing Bakugou for many years, he still didn't know how to figure the blonde out.

Still, he knew at least one thing.

Bakugou wasn't afraid of him like everyone else. No, it was simpler than that. That much was easy to figure out.

The blonde felt nothing more than pure, unadulterated hatred towards him.

He just didn't understand why.

---

Scrolling through his phone, Izuku caught sight of the morning news. He blinked as he remembered the incident he had seen before - one in which some sort of purse snatcher had blocked traffic after transforming with his quirk.

Izuku had been interested in staying, but had already been running late for school so instead took an alternate route (which, by the way, wasn't too far, so it was relatively confusing as to why nobody else bothered to try it).

The boy mumbled to himself about the incident, attempting to create the picture in his mind, scanning through the series of pictures in order to recreate it better. This would be much easier with a video, he thought absentmindedly, but continued nonetheless.

In the end, he ended up with a few extra notes for already sketched heroes as well as a new page for Mount Lady.

Not too shabby.

After putting his notebook back into his backpack, he stood from the curb and stuffed his earbuds into his pockets - seriously regretting the decision once he realized that he'd no doubt have to untangle them later - before walking towards the tunnel that led him back home.

However, just as he entered, he felt an awful sensation overtake him.

Fear.

It wasn't his fear, of course, but it seeped into his senses. Izuku cautiously stepped forwards, receiving the full brunt of the feeling as he stood before the sewer grate.

His stomach churned as a cloud of dread rose from the grate, followed by a slightly worrying shaking sound.

Of the grate.

Which, if Izuku had his physics and such right, didn't usually shake.

Stepping backwards after his wondrous realization, Izuku watched as sludge oozed from the gate, pulling itself into a messy heap before forming into a sort of monster. The slime continued dripping downwards, revealing sharp fangs and a wide set of teeth, along with huge, yellow eyes.

Izuku blinked at the situation, already sick of it before it even started.

Still, before he could even attempt to leave, the sludge monster grinned, baring his teeth as his vision centered on the boy.

"You'll make the perfect skinsuit for me to hide in, kid!"

"I'd rather not," Izuku mumbled, leaping away from the monster's attack and causing him to look over confusedly. After a moment, however, the villain grinned.

"Great, you're not totally worthless after all! This'll be much better for me, then!" he gurgled, letting out an ominous chuckle.

Before Izuku could move the second time, he realized that the monster's sludge was wrapped around his ankle, causing the boy to stumble slightly. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to pull his leg loose and, with a slight splash, he broke free.

Unfortunately for him, the sludge monster had already begun to work on moving towards his other leg, forcing his sludge to travel up much quicker than before.

"Not too bad, kid!" the villain laughed once again, "But in the end, you can't win!"

Izuku had no time to protest as the sludge encompassed him, helplessly watching as the tips of his fingers were covered.

The freckled boy narrowed his eyes - practically the only thing visible - and tried to keep himself from choking on the sludge as he raised his hands, all the while barely able to break them free as he grasped at the slime.

"Grab all you want!" the sludge villain grinned. "It's no use anyway - my body is made of fluid! It'll be easier for both of us if you don't fight back." His eyes just barely flicked towards the side as he lowered his voice. "Too bad we're stuck in this mess... If I had known he was in the city..."

Although Izuku felt as if his lungs were burning, his mind briefly pondered the comment.

It almost seemed like... The sludge monster was scared.

Squeezing his eyes shut, the boy stopped moving entirely, forcing himself to focus entirely on his thoughts. He didn't have much. But it was enough.

The villain laughed. "You're a real hero to me, kid!"

Izuku instinctively gritted his teeth, searching. He just had to keep looking.

The boy's eyes suddenly opened, a purplish smoke coiling around his wrists before leaving through his fingertips and flowing through the sludge.

"The hell...?" the sludge villain mumbled.

Slowly but surely, Izuku directed his quirk which, of course, was only made more difficult due to the fact that his vision was almost completely blurred. Nevertheless, he twirled it around before finally finding the sewer grate before forcing the smoke to travel downwards.

As the smoke drifted away, Izuku found it more difficult to breathe. He was weakening - and fast.

But, just when he was about to fall limp, he felt a new surge of emotion near him.

Hope.

Without bothering to think, the boy forced his smoke forwards in a rush, circling it around a figure. He felt muscles stiffen, the touch of skin sending a shock to Izuku back through the smoke. And, as soon as he had the man's attention, he began to pull the smoke back, ignoring the screaming of his lungs and dimming of his vision.

Almost... There...

"Knock it off, brat!" the sludge monster growled, shoving Izuku just enough to cause the smoke to disappear.

Izuku's jaw just barely clenched, unable to hold up the strength for more than a moment. No... I have to... I have to become a hero...

"S***!" he heard the monster curse, causing the boy's eyes to flutter. His eyes dragged themselves to the left where they fell upon a shadowed figure.

"Fear not!" his voice boomed. "Now that I am here, that is!"
Air.

Wind slammed into his body and, ignoring the thrumming pain underneath his skin, Izuku gasped for air, fingers twitching to his neck as he fell to the ground. He hissed slightly as his skin skidded against the asphalt, but found himself more preoccupied with greedily gulping as much air as he could handle.

"All... Might...," he whispered breathlessly, barely able to see the shadow of the man towering over him as his vision became black.

---

The snickering of children filled Izuku's eardrums as he took in a breath.

"What a freak, Deku," they sneered.

Izuku grabbed onto his shirt. I can feel your hearts pumping...

"Why don't you try doing something with a little passion?" his teachers suggested, trying to appear kind. He could hear the tone of their voice.

They were afraid.

And...

I can hear your rapid breaths.

"You shouldn't even be alive," a boy spat, his narrowed eyes trailing up Izuku's body, only pausing as they settled on the boy's face.

I can see your body twitch with fear.

"Heartless creep," he heard a girl mumble to her friend.

And I can create your worst nightmares.

"Why is he even here?" a girl whispered under her breath. "He's going to be a villain one day, anyway..."

As soon as her eyes met with Izuku's she froze, immediately looking away as she bit her lip.

But... I don't want to.

Izuku extended his hand out to Bakugou, ignoring the wet cloth pressing against his legs. "Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head. "I can help."

The blonde's nose scrunched up, eyes narrowing as he slapped away Izuku's hand. The boy straightened slightly, but displayed no other form of emotion. After the display, Bakugou seemed especially angry.

"I don't need any help from you," he hissed, venom in his tone.

I just want to help.

Izuku glanced over, a boy's cries catching his attention. With an added sense of urgency at the billowing sadness that seemed to escape from the boy's skin, he quickly walked over, eyes trailing upwards until they fell upon a colorful kite caught in between leafy branches.

With a slight smile to reassure the boy, Izuku lifted his finger, twirling purple smoke from around his fingertip before it began to branch out. The little boy's eyes widened as the shape grew and formed into a beast - showcasing a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Izuku didn't seem to notice, however, continuing to allow the smoke to grow and morph into a beast before sending it to fetch the kite.

The violet beast leapt onto the tree, using its claws to climb until it could reach the toy. After clamping down its teeth, the beast dropped from the tree before dropping it down at the boy's feet.

Izuku, grateful, pet the beast as it dissipated before turning towards the boy, brows furrowing as he watched his skin pale and breaths quicken.

It only took a moment to recognize the emotion radiating from the boy.

It was fear.

Izuku shook his head and crouched down, wrapping his fingers around the base of the kite before extending his arm in an attempt to cheer the boy up. "Here," he said simply.

However, tears simply welled up in the boy's eyes. He stood, petrified until the calls of his mother reached him.

"Come here!" she called, voice slightly shaking. And, without any hesitance, the boy ran blindly into the woman's arms, sobbing into her chest.

She began to lower herself, soothing the boy and ruffling his hair. After a moment, she shot Izuku a dirty look, her own heartbeats quickening.

The freckled boy simply lowered his arm, dropping the kite to the ground before walking away.

I want to be a hero.

Locks of green hung over Izuku's eyes, but he brushed them away upon hearing a booming yet kind voice. He froze for a moment, raising his head to see a large, blonde man on the TV.

Recognizing the man instantly, Izuku whispered his name. "All Might..."

"Now," a reporter spoke to him with a smile, legs crossed as the hero sat in the chair a few feet away, "We know you've saved countless civilians, All Might. But exactly why do you do it?"
Izuku felt his breaths become silent as he waited for the man's response.

Not even bothering to waste a moment, All Might grinned. "Well, because everyone needs a hero. And no matter the circumstances, I'll smile when they cannot. In their dark times, I'd like to be their ray of hope."

The freckled boy gulped, feeling a lump rise in his throat.

I want to be like him.

---

Izuku raised his head, eyes fluttering open to see his hero standing above him.

"Thought we lost you there!" the man grinned, standing up, hands on his hips.

Izuku didn't bother to hold his tongue. "I want to be like you."

All Might looked a bit surprised before chuckling. "Well I hope you'll succeed."

The freckled boy then sat up, beginning to stand before realizing his hero was leaving.

"Wait," Izuku said, "Where are you going...?"

"Being a hero means being busy, kid," All Might said casually, stretching.

Izuku stepped forwards, brow furrowed. "You can't leave."

The man stiffened at the boy's monotone tone.

"...Is that a threat?" he asked calmly.

Izuku, not having noticed his tone, simply stepped forwards once again. "I need to ask you something."

"I don't have time for this," All Might replied quickly, shaking his head. "Sorry kid, but I hav-"

The man froze as he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, a chill going down his spine as he met Izuku's eyes.

"You need to answer me."
All Might furrowed his brows in suspicion. "I don't appreciate that tone, young man."

"I just need to know," Izuku replied.

The man paused before tearing his arm from Izuku's grasp, rubbing his wrist and hiding his surprise at the boy's grip. "You're being awfully pushy."

"You're afraid of me."

All Might whipped his head around. "What?"

"I can see it, All Might," Izuku said quietly. "You're afraid that I'm going to hurt you."

"What do you-"

Izuku interrupted the man. "Fears can change rapidly depending on the situation. And right now," he said simply, "You think that I might be a villain, or that I might be trying to attack. Now," he continued, "You're scared that I'm being accurate with my analysis, and because I'm continuing you're even more freaked out and-"
All Might took his turn in cutting off the boy. "...What is your quirk, kid?"

"I...," Izuku paused for a moment. "I can create people's worst nightmares."

The man looked startled, stepping back from the boy.

"But...," the freckled boy glanced to the side, "I still want to be a hero so... You don't have to worry about me hurting you or anything..." He paused for a moment before staring into the hero's eyes. "...Who's All For One?"

All Might turned pale, ignoring everything said previously. "How do you know that name?"

"It's what you're most afraid of," Izuku answered. "Who is that?"

Thoughts ran through the man's mind at a million miles per minute. He wasn't about to trust some random kid on the street - especially considering how creepy he came off - but he also couldn't allow him to spread the name around.

"Ah, I see," Izuku said, breaking All Might free from his thoughts. "Now you're afraid that I'll tell people about him. Don't worry," he shrugged, "If it's that important, I won't mention it."
All Might felt his shoulders relax slightly. Still, his jaw was tense. Something about the kid in front of him was... unsettling.

Before he could continue his train of thoughts, however, the man's eyes suddenly widened as a sharp pain shot through his stomach, smoke rising from his skin. Panicked, he stumbled backwards into the tunnel, catching the attention of Izuku.

The boy raised a brow "Your true form...? Why are you afraid of-"

Smoke began to fill the area, sending Izuku into a coughing fit and breaking off his train of thought. And, by the time he could raise his head, all that stood before him was a frail man.

Izuku blinked, staring directly at the man.

"Well that's certainly strange."

---

it really is strange, huh, izu?

pffft

yeah

ok

also if you didn't understand the whole thing:

1. Izuku can create people's worst nightmares with his quirk

2. He can generally manipulate his smoke

At that moment, for example, the Sludge villain's worst fear was being caught by All Might

this is why Izuku could suddenly sense him

then he used his smoke to lead him back to the area faster

aaaaaaaaaaaanyways B)

Thanks for reading! <3

(also i might edit things later idk idk xD)

(also also: 3:15 am is a peRFECTLY reasonable time to update B))

yey