Where Fear Resides (MHA X Reader)

Beginning

Fear.

A primal emotion deeply rooted into humans, something that everyone feels, yet experiences so differently. Some have very reasonable fears like the thought of dying or losing a loved one. Others fear less horrifying things like spiders or the dark. Despite the difference though, it is still the same spine chilling, goosebump raising feeling.

The way one's heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallower, a weak attempt to keep from panicking when something goes bump in the nothingness of night. The dread that creeps in, when an overactive imagination,  makes an already nervous mind run through every terrifying possibility of what could be watching from the darkest corners of the room.

The wave of relief when the light flicks on to reveal an empty space, incredulous laughter ringing out, there's nothing to be afraid of.

In the real world though? Fear is not so unreasonable. Heroes and villains always face off in extravagant shows of power, battles where real people feel that familiar feeling clawing at the back of their minds, begging to be acknowledged. An urgent inner voice screaming to get to safety, silenced just as quickly as it shows, the heroes would save them.

Until they don't.

Until those that have been placed so highly on shiny pedestals fail to save the lives of the people they swore to protect. They never have to show anything for it, offering a half assed apology, complete with crocodile tears. Those heroes return home to recover from such a grueling day while the family of the lost loved one is swallowed in grief.

A family left to pick up the pieces and mourn the loss of their mother, the one who provided them with everything, just gone. Dead because an incompetent hero couldn't do his job correctly, so focused on the glory a fight would bring, that he failed to keep an innocent woman safe.

A tragedy that would come to have devastating consequences, not only for the family, but for hero society as a whole. Grief would soon turn into nothing more than pure unadulterated hatred and that would morph into something much more horrific.

Tears would dry and streets would run red, blood being spilled mercilessly, all in the name of revenge. For now though, that unspoken promise would have to wait to be fulfilled, there are hearts that need to be mended.

Broken sobs echo through a house that seems so lonely now, a young girl curled up in a heap of blankets, cheeks stained with never ending tears. One body turns to two until eventually all four siblings are there, each of them desperately clinging to each other, refusing to let go out of fear.

Hours drag on, the sun eventually disappearing below the horizon, the moon taking its place in the dark sky. Uncontrollable sobs have now turned into silent breaths, three figures still remain huddled together, deep sleep hopefully taking them somewhere more peaceful.

There is no sound as the oldest stands up, gently carrying each sibling into their respective rooms, tucking them in tightly. A deep ache roots itself in an already uncomfortably tight chest as a window slides open, the surrounding world grows in size, a beautiful black cat appearing on the windowsill.

Golden eyes take in everything, from the way the stars twinkle, to the way the full moon takes up its space among them. Only for a split second does any bit of peace last, something much more sinister spilling in, the cat leaps from its perch.

There is no hesitation in the way the creature slinks down city streets, slipping in and out of alleys, this is a route that is familiar. Reminiscing would have to wait for now because just a few feet away stands the target of so much hatred.

The man, if he could even be called that, is the same one that killed someone so precious. That sweet little cat melts away, hidden by the darkness of the alleyway, something much larger crouches in the shadows. The brute of a man stands there, chatting away with his sidekicks, none the wiser to the predator locking onto its prey.

Just one quick leap is all it would take, revenge could be served, a life for a life and yet there is hesitation. He does not deserve a quick death. The only way for things to become somewhat okay again is to make him suffer, go after everything he loves, steal it all away.

Unspoken irritation comes out as something low and guttural, teeth bared in resentment, the thought of having to wait is insufferable. The longer predatory eyes stay fixated on the man, the more anger rises, self control slipping just as quickly.

Nothing is desired more in this moment than seeing raw terror spread across that monster's face. To hear such a powerful person beg for their life, just to take it away, there is no mercy here. There could never again be mercy, nothing so beautiful has a space here anymore, a luxury stolen away with a dying breath.

Revenge has become all that matters now.

An already fragile mind cracking like glass, shattering to pieces, devolving into madness. Insanity peeking through after long intervals of horrible sanity. All because the death of a loved one is something so unbearable it cannot even begin to be understood.

The world was about to see how years of untamed anger raged like wildfire, how truly destructive it had become, how peace would become a thing of the past.

The world and everyone in it would cower in fear when true evil showed its face, terror coming in the most unsuspecting form, nightmares would become reality.

This was only the beginning.