Izuku Midoriya | Pro-Hero AU | 172732014

Night Terrors & Fever Dreams | Going In Blind

There was only silence against four white walls, empty and scarce of anything around you. There were no windows, but only one door. It was as if sound was dampened inside, with hardly an echo from your footsteps or from your cries.

"Hello?" you called out, your voice hardly bouncing against the walls. You've checked thrice with nothing new, only these walls and that one door. Tried as you might, the door did not budge, locked from the outside leaving you trapped within.

Static caught your ear before you turned towards a television screen, staring at the white noise without questioning its presence. It faded in and out before the familiar sounds of an All-Might rerun pierced through. You had seen this one before of his feats in his prime, yet the words were mangled amongst the sound of the static that overwhelmed the announcer's tenor.

The creak of the door behind you crawled up your spine before you noticed it open, inviting you into the darkness. You hesitated at the sight, staring into the abyss with not a sound emanating from within. You hated going in blind, trawling through the dark while that television still blared every once in a while. You checked the room again with nothing more for you except for the door's invitation, swallowing your fear until you took a step inside.

Or rather outside.

You emerged into the dark of gnarled branches and the cold night blanketed by snow. The crunch of leaves and moss pressed against your feet, releasing the chill that ran up your spine that was only satiated by something warm around your neck. As if by instinct, you grabbed hold of your cloak, wrapping it around your arms to keep the warmth inside. It felt natural, despite the length of the cloth, again without question about the state of it, or its make. The woods only brimmed with distant howls and the snapping of branches from the wind or something else. Your eyes darted around, confused and distraught. Your heart leapt into your throat, feeling the burning sensation of your blood almost thicken against your ears.

You hated going in blind.

The dark overwhelmed you with a large shadow looming above, its shape menacing while its eyes stared down at you with a piercing gaze. Behind another shadow approached, its haunches raised while it stood tall, its red glare hungrily watching your every move. Both shadows circled you, their shapes heightened by the little moonlight that illuminated them. You couldn't see them, staring at their forms without shape.

"Who are you?" you called, darting between one shadow and another. "Show yourself!"

Still clutching onto your cloak, you twirled to keep your sights, but your back would always be showing to one or another. With a leap and a dive, both shadows crashed towards you, their roars deafening your ears before you hunched down with cloak in hand. A crash of their bodies dove before they dissipated into nothing, swept away like leaves and petals against the wind. From under your cloak, you slowly peeked, finding no darkness but light that shone brightly and almost blinded you.

The light breeze caught you unaware, despite you standing amongst tall bookshelves and high ceilings. You were inside a large space filled with cascading light that poured from a large hole in the ceiling. Sunlight captured the beauty of travelling vines and nature overgrown across the vast shelves that housed volumes of all sorts. Amongst this abandoned library, a figure appeared before you, her hand outstretched with a gentle touch against your forehead. A warmth permeated from her fingertips, blocking your view of her face yet you could not pull her hand away, surrendering to her hold.

"Who are you?" you whispered, entranced by the warmth that showered across your face. You could only see her clothes, prim and proper by design, and yet colourful in its distinction. Striped blouses and dark high-waisted pants, yet her face was obscured by her very hand that encapsulated your vision. Why could you not see?

"My name is–"

A rush of cold air woke you from the imminent slumber, finding yourself no longer standing upon the soft tufts of grass or within the warmth of that woman's hand, but along moveable and winding sand. The air blew with a chill while the sand pittered across your skin, staring towards a large tree that stood alone amongst the dunes. Ahead of you, another figure ran through the sand, kicking it from behind with ferocity as if he were fleeing. His green eyes glistened through the gold twilight lights, rushing with a heavy step towards you, his hand reaching out in panic.

"Run–"

A loud smack caught you off-guard before his body flung across the sands, crashing elsewhere and disappearing behind rolling dunes. The creature that took his place stood tall, his dark skin mottled with something sinister, as black as ink. He turned his head towards you, his golden stare piercing into your eyes before he stalked on approach. Black claws, white mane, large fangs, and those golden eyes - a creature that seemed to grow in size the closer he stepped. You backed away, tripping along your cloak before you shambled across the sand, staring upwards at the looming figure of this man who bore his fangs with a large crown of antlers atop his head.

"You weren't meant to exist," he hissed, arms raised with his claws at the ready.

You continued to crawl against the sand, unable to turn your sights away from the creature before he swiped with a mighty swing, his claws rupturing the very skin across your face, and the world instantly going blind.

"Ahh!"

A loud gasp sharply pierced your lungs with a jolt from your bed, waking Izuku Midoriya beside you. You blinked profusely, wiping your eyes and touching your skin, hoping that your vision would return. You saw your hands, then the windows that overlooked the city, watching the light pour into the bedroom. Soon enough, amongst your panic, large hands grabbed a hold of your shoulders while the sleep from your eyes disappeared.

"Cutie? Are you alright?" asked Midoriya, watching you heavily breathe from the sudden jolt in bed. He soon placed his hand across your forehead, the warmth of his palm engulfing your senses while you tried to breathe slowly and deeply.

"You're burning up," he commented, his fingers gripping your skin a little.

"I'm fine," you slowly replied, catching your breath a little. "I just..." You stared back at your hands, clenching your fingers if only to notice the movement in them. You could see, despite the darkness, your eyes have acclimatised and you had your vision. That feeling left behind was frightening, and yet you could not recall what you had dreamt of. It only left you lost, as if you were still swimming in darkness.

Midoriya's hands trailed down your back and your shoulders, rubbing them with a comfort you familiarised with. His slow movements helped ease your breathing, calming you and lulling you from the tension that coursed through your chest.

"Let me grab a glass of water for you," he motioned before he slid out of bed, making his way towards the bedroom door with a slight drag in his step.

"Izuku?" you called out, wanting to keep your sights on him, fearing to lose him even though the kitchen wasn't far away. Midoriya stopped, waiting on you, his emerald eyes almost glowing in the dark. Those eyes...

"Don't take long," you finished, clutching onto the linen.

A soft and gentle smile tugged on the corner of Midoriya's lips, his eyes lovingly watching you before he continued on his way to fetch water. You hoped he wouldn't take long, confused by these unfound feelings that left you alone. You contemplated what had happened in your dreams, trying so hard to recollect even the most minute details, but nothing appeared, as if they were struck from a record. All that you could recall were those eyes, frightened and panicked, only reflected in those that were Midoriya's.

It wasn't long until Midoriya returned with a glass of water, something to help whet your parched throat from the scare. A quick check of your temperature again left you feeling forlorn while his large palm engulfed your forehead, the feeling warm and safe.