Behind the Smile | TodoBakuDeku | Book 1

Chapter 17

Midoriya's POV

Blood. I was drowning in blood, as the mysterious room from past dreams began to fill rapidly. Hundreds of pictures of children covered the perimeter like wallpaper. Their eyes, all blackened, bled inconsolable, crimson tears.

The children from the photos were calling out for me. Their voices begged for me to save them from the never-ending hell they'd been trapped in. Beginning to climb out of their prisons, the children took real form, sloshing through buckets of their collective blood to surround me; to make me understand the pain they were in.

The feeble children were lonely, fearful, and heartbroken, that much was obvious. But they were also trying to tell me something, to show me something more, but they were restrained from doing so. When one tried to pull me in their direction to reflect on their agonizing misery, another frantically took their place.

It was clear that they needed a hero to protect them; to smile through the tortured self-affliction and join them. To console them. To try to free them. I decided I had no other choice. I couldn't just leave them there to suffer indefinitely. I decided to give them what they wanted: a hero and a friend. There was only one way to make that happen, and that was to accept the inevitable. I needed to join them in order to save them.

My eyes sprung open from the nightmare I'd had. Normally, when I woke from such a terrifying dream, I began to go into panic mode, but that time was different. I remembered every second of it and wasn't afraid of what I thought I needed to do. In that moment, something inside me took over and rejected the fear of death and what comes after. It was as if I was in a trance, and the only thing on my mind was the wellbeing of those poor children desperately calling to me. They needed a hero to rescue them from hell they'd been trapped in and so I'd give them one.

I carefully crawled out of bed while attempting to avoid waking Kacchan and Todoroki. They looked so peaceful in their sleep. After making my way off the bed, they subconsciously filled the void I left behind by snuggling in closer to one another. I hope they'll forgive me for what I need to do. At least they have each other.

"That's right, Deku, it's time to live up to your dreams. Those lost souls need a hero don't they? They are so lonely without you," Dark Deku appeared from the shadows, coaxing me to follow through with my plan. At the time, I wasn't able to think straight. What I thought was true felt so real and so I took another step towards the door. Then another.

Eventually, I found myself barefoot on the roof of the Heights Alliance. A cool breeze cut through the air, making my unruly curls dance in the wind.

"There you go," Dark Deku encouraged. "It'll be all over soon. You're making the best decision for everyone involved. It's obvious you can't be a real hero in this life. You just don't have what it takes. Afterall, you're a quirkless kid who had to borrow one because you couldn't accept that you were weak. It's time to start over, so maybe in the next life you aren't such a waste of space."

"Take a swan dive off the roof..."

"Take a swan dive off the roof..."

"You know, if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way. Just pray that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building!"

Off the roof...

I stepped onto the ledge. My mind was transfixed on a decision to start anew. If I could have broken free from thoughts, I would have run back to my life; back to my Kacchan and Shochan. But I couldn't break free and there was no turning back. In that moment, all I wanted more than anything else in the world was to die.

I closed my eyes one last time, before stepping out into the openness.

Memories flashed through my mind.

Lost hopes and dreams.

Kacchan.

Shochan.

.....

....

...

..

.

Wait! No, I don't want to die. I want to be a hero alongside the two people I love most in this world. I can't die.

I tried activating blackwhip, but I was too weak. I was too weak to use any of my quirks. My body was still exhausted from trying to heal and from my mind fighting against itself. So, I continued to fall helplessly.

Todoroki's POV

I don't usually dream. It's just something that I've gotten used to over the years, but that night was different. It was as if my mind subconsciously sensed the danger and forced images of Midoriya into my head. He was lying on the ground face down, body mangled; a grisly blood-soaked mess, just like the boy from the bridge.

"No!" I shouted as I shot up from my sleep. It must have been louder than I thought because my scream woke Bakugo up, and he slept through everything.

"What?! What the actual fuck?" Bakugo raged as his eyes took a second to adjust. He reached for his phone and groaned, "It's two-fuckin-AM! What is the–"

He paused, then began to look around the room frantically, realizing Midoriya wasn't where he left him. "Where the hell is Deku?!"

Todoroki just looked at Bakugo like a deer in the headlights. Tears of frustration and worry filled his bi-colored eyes. "Oi, snap out of it! I need you focused, got it?"

— — — — —

"Dammit! He's not here!" Bakugo growled. He and Todoroki tore up the dorms looking for Midoriya, looping in a couple of classmates in the process. Kirishima and Denki were in the common room playing videos late into the night when they heard the commotion.

"Bakubro, what's wrong? It's like way past your bedtime!" Kirishima chided.

"Yeah and why are you two all sweaty and out of breath?" Denki paused to think before sprouting a giddy grin across his face. "Oh my god! Did you guys just–"

"Get your damn brain out of the gutter Dunce Face! Deku's missing and we think it could be bad," Bakugo said.

"Really bad. If it has anything to do with Psycho Flip's quirk, he might already–" Todoroki broke down before he could finish his sentence. Bakugo pulled him into his chest and rubbed soothing circles on his back.

Kirishima and Denki looked taken back. It took them a second to process what exactly was going on. "Wait, the quirk from the news? They cut the live feed when the kids jumped, so we didn't know what happened. Little information was shared but they said it was a quirk that caused them to...Oh my god. Midoriya..."

Suddenly the four boys simultaneously had the same exact thought. "The roof!" They scrambled up the stairs frantically, fearing what they would find. Todoroki nor Bakugo would ever forgive themselves if something happened. It would be like a part of them died and they'd have to go on living a shell of a life.

Unfortunately, all hopes of saving Midoriya were soon shattered. As they swung open the door to the roof, they saw the last glimpse of their greenette, having taken a final step off the ledge.

"Nooo!"

Author's notes:

I just want to say thank you for reading so far! This is my first fanfic and I am thrilled to see the love and support coming in.

I know I've been posting a little sporadically, but I am going to start posting on a fixed schedule. For now, chapters will be released every Wednesday and Friday. Be sure to follow my page to get updates and find out about my other projects!