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Izuku sunk into his bed. As he lay, he sighed, knowing all to well the tortures he would have to bear the minute he fell asleep.
But you need to sleep. He firmly reminded himself.
I mean, technically you’ve only been awake for three days straight. You’ve got seven more that you could survive without having to worry about any medical issues. An all too familiar voice pointed out, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
Yeah, real helpful there, Echo. I’m sure being awake for ten days straight is extremely healthy.
It’s not healthy, but it’s possible.
You’re such a great influence, you know that?
Hey, I’m just doing the same thing you’ve been doing. Avoiding my problems.
You’re really annoying.
Indeed I am, but at least I’m also competent.
Your level of competence is debatable. Deku grumbled, letting his eyelids drop despite the fear that twinged in his chest. He needed sleep, and if he didn’t go to sleep when he could, he was going to end up falling asleep in class, and the last time he did that he woke up with his hair covered in spitballs.
It didn’t take long for him to drop into sleep. A few seconds passed, then, without warning, a falling sensation overcame him and he was forcefully thrown into the dreaming world.
He hit the ground standing up. Where was he? Glancing around, he noticed it was the roof of a building. Not just any building... He thought, his stomach sinking. It was the building. His building.
He stood at the edge of the roof, staring downwards at the small amount of movement below. A lone care drove down the street, coming into view only briefly whenever it passed under a streetlamp. Eventually, it disappeared from the edge of his vision, and Izuku was too tired to bring his gaze to follow it.
Thoughts ran through his mind. The same thoughts that had run through his mind that night.
Dangerous.
Worthless.
Lost cause.
Quirkless.
Deku gulped. Or, at least, he tried to. Of course, his dream self refused to comply.
Maybe I should just jump...
The hopelessness in his gut tugged at it’s chains, yearning for nothing more then to end it’s own existence. And Izuku along with it.
Even Echo had abandoned him. He didn’t make a peep, and had elected to close his emotions off from Deku’s mind. He could try to feel them if he really wanted to, but why would he? All he would get would be more confirmation of how useless he was.
I mean, I doubt that we would be in pain for long... Izuku thought, before belatedly realizing that he wasn’t only speaking to himself. He was speaking to Echo. Some small part of him wanted someone, anyone, to tell him it was a bad idea. He wanted it so much that it made his chest hurt.
But there was no answer.
The shadows from the bottom of the building began to rise in a swirling cloud of darkness. His chest was made of ice as the dark creatures that inhabited his mind arose. Not Echo, but his own demons.
”Just jump.”
”It would be so easy...”
”No more worrying.”
”No more Kacchan.”
”No more pain.”
A thousand voices spoke, saying a million different things, and all of it grimly ringing true to Deku’s ears. His heart pounded in his chest, hard, but slow. Each beat squeezed his lungs, forcing him to give up more and more air to the darkness that was pressing in on him from all sides. A tunnel, black as pitch, formed. He could only see downwards, down into the icy depths. Down to the pavement below that was calling. Beckoning for him to come forward. Just one step...
All at once, the voices harmonized into one, breaking into a singular caphony that chanted the same words over, and over again.
”They’ll be happier without you.”
”You’ll be happier without you.”
He was perfectly calm as he stepped forward. Why wouldn’t he be? It was a perfectly rational decision. You throw away broken glass and empty bottles. He was no different. He was empty. Broken. He had outlived his use. In the wild, animals that couldn’t take care of themselves were culled. It was exactly the same.
Deku desperately tried to stop it, but his stiff body wouldn’t cooperate. And then he was falling. Not just falling, choking.
There was no wind in this desolate place, even as he fell at what must have been hundreds of miles downward. But there was no need for wind. The darkness took the place of that.
It rose, writhing in Izuku’s terror, reaching out towards him as a starving man reaches for food. It engulfed him, wrapping tentacles of shadow around his neck and constricting with a strength that Deku couldn’t describe. A strength that held unmeasurable fury within it.
Anger was often described as hot. This anger wasn’t. It was ice cold, so cold that it burned more than any flame ever could. It stabbed into his chest, and forced his breath out of his lungs, filling his throat with frost.
Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped.
Izuku blinked, staring at his surroundings with wide eyes. Or, the lack of them.
Everything was darkness. Not the darkness from before, no, this darkness was still. Calm. Like a blanket of shadows had settled over everything around him, warming the air from the previous icy chill. It almost felt calm.
The calm was swiftly torn from Deku’s heart the minute he sniffed the air. A sharp sting stabbed into his nose. He knew this smell. He knew it far better than he should have.
”No.” Izuku whimpered. He couldn’t be back there. That was impossible. There was no way-
The shadows began to recede, revealing a stark, white tiled floor, cleaned until it gleamed in the bright lighting, which burned at Deku’s eyes.
“No.”
Figures began to appear, smiling warmly, but he knew it was a lie. It always was, always would be. The smile was merely a mask. A mask for the monsters.
”No!”
Deku couldn’t hold back the yelp that ripped itself from his lips. Hands were reaching out from the labcoats, pushing him backwards. He tripped, and fell onto a hospital cot with a sickening thump as gut wrenching fear writhed in his stomach. Tears pricked at his eyes as he flailed, trying desperately to escape their grasp, but their grip didn’t waver.
Out of the corner of his eye, he say one of them grab a syringe, filling it with a thick, clear liquid. Fear and anger churned in his chest, making his throat burn from the turmoil. “NO!” He screamed, flames leaping out of his mouth and hitting the nearest figure, who fell backwards with a stumbling motion. The inky shadows covering her face disappeared, revealing the creature’s, no, the woman’s, face. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at her burning hand, mouth wide open to scream, but no sound came.
The fire spread, engulfing everything and everyone, within sight. Scarlet flames were all that existed. They licked at Izuku’s arms, sending smoldering burns up his skin. And he was burning. Burning to ashes. His skin crumbled, and blew away in the wind, starting at his feet, then rising, rising to eat away at his legs. Torso. Chest. Arms. Hands. And as it came to his head, he stared forward with water eyes. He couldn’t see the figure that stood in front of him, choking on their sobs as he burned away completely.
With a blinking of tears, Echo collapsed to the ground, wailing.