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Izuku woke up with an aborted scream on the tip of his tongue.
He gasped, clenching his blanket in his fist. His heart pounded in his chest, desperately keeping him alive. He’s here, he’s buried in the rubble of a flattened apartment building, a rebar piercing his lung—
No, he was in his dorm room at UA. Izuku inhaled. He could feel the slightly chilly air drifting in from the window, the weather in the awkward ever-shifting phase between seasons. He exhaled. His blanket was soft and warm under his palms, a little damp from his sweat. Izuku was here, not buried within rubble. He was alive. He wasn’t dying.
He could still taste blood on the back of his tongue.
This wasn’t his memory, no matter how realistic it felt. It was just another one of the nightmares he dreamt with increasing frequency, ever since he could communicate with the vestiges without being in what they called ‘the dreamscape’.
“Sorry,” En murmured. Izuku could feel his apology, a bit of guilt, and pain—so much pain—
A cruel laugh. Someone caressing his head—salvation? No. The hand pressed down, a splitting pain—and his skull cracked open.
“Not helping, Sixth.” Izuku grumbled, his tone a little more annoyed than he meant to. It was just—it had been a long day, and he had a test and a patrol with Endeavor tomorrow.
En sent his apology again, and then retreated within One For All.
Izuku sighed.
It was—his thoughts were all over the place, and he just—
He wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.
Holding out his hand, Izuku let a bit of his quirk slip to the surface. He watched as green sparks danced over his skin, illuminating his dim bedroom. One For All buzzed, ready to burst out of his body, but Izuku reigned the quirk in with practiced ease.
Normally, One For All humming in his skin would be grounding—something that would clear his mind and calm his heartbeat—he was here, he wasn’t powerless, he wasn’t in the past—but today—
A hand around his throat, the thumb pressing into the larynx, he couldn’t breathe couldn’t breathe couldn’t breathe—
Izuku gasped, stuffing the quirk’s power back within his bones. His heart hammered away in his chest, thumping and screaming, proof that he was still alive.
Normally, One For All’s presence would be a calming one. Tonight, it was just suffocating.
There wasn’t much point staying in the stifling darkness of his bedroom, where villains could jump out of the shadows and grab his still-beating heart out of his chest—
Izuku swallowed, his heart beating a rhythm into his skull. He was—he was fine. Those memories were just dreams—just nightmares—they weren’t his—not yet at least—would that be his fate someday?
No. He shook his head. He wasn’t wallowing here.
Izuku opened the door to his room and walked towards the common room.
“Kid…” Nana muttered softly, apprehension and guilt weighing down her normally cheerful voice.
—his home destroyed, a mangled corpse among the rubble and what did that man do to her husband?
“I—I’ll be fine, Nana.” Izuku said. It was mostly true. Dawn would chase away the shadows and most of the pain, and the presence of his friends would do the rest.
He just had to survive the night.
Izuku pressed his forehead to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the common room.
The cold panes of glass—chilled from the night air—helped sooth his budding headache.
Laughter—a hand dug into his stomach, pushing and pushing and pushing—split splat—red sludge spilling onto the ground—
He exhaled, watching his breath fog up the windowpane. The dimmed lights of the common room helped chase away the shadows—not a lot, but it was better than his bedroom.
Muted footsteps echoed in the empty room. Izuku flinched. Which villain—
He spun around, knees bent and arms held out in front of him. He had to stop them—he wasn’t going to let the villain hurt his friends in their sleep—he wouldn’t go down without a fight—
…oh. It was just Shinsou.
Shinsou raised his eyebrows at Izuku’s stance. Izuku blushed. He forced himself to relax.
The man twisted and slammed him into the wall. Something snapped and pain shot up his back—
“Nightmares?” Shinsou asked.
Izuku nodded silently.
A hand around his neck, growing tighter and tighter. His lungs burnt burnt burnt—
Almost absentmindedly, Izuku touched his throat. It wasn’t a bloody mess.
He swallowed the taste of copper in his mouth.
Shinsou nodded, rubbing his jaw. “Me too.”
They stood in silence.
(Hitoshi found Midoriya’s silence unnerving. He was such a bright presence, loud and cheerful and lighting up any room he was in; the shadows clouding his face didn’t suit him.)
(Hitoshi didn’t push. He knew how draining nightmares were too.)
“I’m making tea.” Shinsou finally said. “Do you…want some?”
Izuku shrugged. His throat cried with phantom pain.
Shinsou frowned but went to switch on the lights of the kitchen.
(An old terror reared in Hitoshi at the silent response. It was stupid. Midoriya was one of the first to believe in him, to believe that he could be a hero. He wasn’t staying quiet on purpose. Midoriya didn’t fear him. That was like saying puppies were terrifying.)
(Hitoshis jaw ached with pain he hadn’t felt in years.)
“…sorry.” Izuku murmured. His voice was rough and scratchy, as if he had been screaming. He hadn’t been; otherwise, the entire dorm would’ve known. “I…ah…”
He rubbed his throat again.
(Hitoshi wondered who had once wrapped their hand around Midoriya’s throat and squeezed.)
(Had they been punished for hurting a prodigy child with such a bright future? Did people care more when it was someone with a quirk like Midoriya’s…?)
(Phantom straps of a muzzle dug into his cheeks.)
“It’s fine.” Shinsou said. He dug out two tea bags, and then set the electrical kettle to boil.
Izuku sat down at the kitchen table. “…thanks.”
Shinsou shrugged, seemingly nonchalant, but Izuku could see a little tension melt off his shoulders.
The silence wasn’t peaceful, exactly, but it was...not draining, not like the memories or his quirk’s presence right now.
The kettle whistled. Shinsou poured the boiling water into two cups, then put the tea bags into the water. He set the cups onto the table, and Izuku grabbed his with thanks.
The warmth seeped into his skin, easing the weary ache of his bones. It was a different kind of comfort compared to the cold, but soothing all the same.
Izuku blew on the liquid, then took a sip. He blinked. It was lavender tea, his favourite. Did Yaomomo get this blend the last time she went on a shopping spree? It hadn’t been there last week.
He didn’t think Shinsou would remember what sort of tea he liked to drink.
“It’s lavender.” He said, as the warm drink made its way down his throat, warming his core.
“Yes.” Shinsou inclined his head. He didn’t seem inclined to speak further.
Izuku could see Shinsou’s pronounced eyebags, now that the warmth was beginning to drive the terror away. It stood out starkly against his pale skin, much more obvious than usual.
“Do you…” Izuku hesitated. “do you want to talk…?”
“No.” Shinsou replied, not unkindly.
Izuku nodded, and let silence resettle like a weighted blanket around them.
They stayed like that until morning, when the dawning sunlight drove lingering aches from Izuku’s bones, and the chatter of his other classmates washed away the screams ringing in his ears.
He smiled at Shinsou, grateful for the other boy’s quiet presence.
Shinsou nodded. He went away to prepare for class.
The nightmares would return, maybe not tonight, but it always did. Izuku would wake up sweating and in tears again, a day or two from now—maybe three if he was lucky.
But for now, Izuku put those painful memories at the back of his mind.
It was time for the new day.