A Change Of Heart ✓

Fine

-x- Izuku Midoriya's POV -x-

"You'll never be happy. You're lying to yourself. Drop the act."

Thoughts kept invading my mind. Unpleasant thoughts. Unsettling thoughts. Thoughts that I wish would disappear. But the amount just increased every day.

And, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where they were coming from.

Dreams.

I had dreams, too.

Dreams of someone laughing as they brandished a knife.

Dreams of looking on as someone toyed with heroes, grinning as they scowled.

Dreams of seeing bodies, lying right before my eyes.

Thoughts and dreams.

Ones that felt wrong.

But they felt so real.

I felt as if, when staring at that knife in that person's hand, I could feel the wind whipping at me, the metallic sheen glinting in my eyes. I could feel the laughter rising in my throat. I could see the body's dull eyes.

And it was terrifying.

More than terrifying.

Did that mean there was something wrong with me? Was I some sort of freak? Did people know? Is that why everyone treated me so-

"Hey, Midoriya," a voice said, causing my body to become tense. The sound around me came back, and I turned around to see Kirishima with his hand placed on my shoulder. "You alright?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

I raised my head suddenly and quickly, eyes wide. After a moment, though, I let out a sigh. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Kirishima laughed slightly. "But seriously," he changed his tone to one that was more serious, "Are you okay?"

I hesitated for a moment before putting on a smile and nodding.

You liar.

"Cut it out," I whispered.

Kirishima raised a brow. "Huh?"

My face became red. "Sorry. I was just thinking of something." I gave him a nervous smile. "You can go, I'm fine."

Kirishima paused for a moment before nodding hesitantly, stepping back towards his seat. "Let me know if anything's wrong, alright?"

I nodded back, holding my breath until he looked away.

Taking in a deep breath, I sank in my chair. "I'll be fine. It'll be alright." I glanced around, smiling softly. "People care."

Do they?

My eyes widened suddenly, body stiffening. What was that? Why did I keep hearing whispers in my mind?

The voice spoke quietly yet menacingly.

You'll find out soon.

I felt a pit grow in my chest. What does that mean?

But the voice didn't respond.

I sighed, dragging my hands down my face. Am I going crazy?

---

"Hey, Izuku, are you okay?" Uraraka asked, catching my attention.