Nightmare or New Perspective?

I feel cold concrete on my face. My cheek is plastered to the floor with sweat and it stings to pry it off. I stagger to my knees, attempting to bring feeling back to my legs. Was I taking a nap? Who takes a nap on the floor? I attempt to analyze the room but my eyes just won't focus. Everything's so blurry. The color of the roof and walls match the grey floor, so I must be in some massive, empty storehouse. There's no windows, just fluorescent lights. Why am I here?

"Izuku? Darling, is that you?"

That voice. Mom?

The blurriness in my vision disappears as I sharply turn towards her voice. She's there. She's leaning against a wall on the other side of the room, at least 50 feet away. The expression on her face is a mixture of joy and weariness. She must be hurt because she doesn't move, even though she sees me.

"Mom!, I yell back, burning off all the fatigue I was feeling. I fight the weakness in my legs, forcing myself towards her with all of my willpower. She's safe. I don't remember why but I was so worried about her. I thought that she was in serious danger , but she's completely fine. I laugh at my baseless anxiety and allow my eyes to wander the room for a moment. Directly to the left of my mother, I see a tall figure in dark brown suit. As my eyes focus more on him, I see that the suit seems to be made of some sort of brown cloth, covered with plates of jagged stone. From this distance, he strongly resembles a stone golem, as if his very skin is a mineral. Except for his head, which appears to be made of flesh and not rock. He has a human face, so all of the rubble that he's wearing must be a costume. In a flash, I recognize him. It's the Pro Hero, Tremor.

The fact that he's here confuses me. I try to push that from my mind, but I begin to feel my skin tighten. This is wrong. He's supposed to be a hero, right? So, why is he making me so nervous? My legs start moving faster, purging all of the weakness I was experiencing. "Izuku!" my mom bawls as she keeps beckoning me towards her. But I can't take my eyes off of Tremor. He's been keeping his gaze glued to the floor, as if he was uninterested in either of us. However, now his sight turns towards me. I expect a reassuring look, or maybe a wide smile, like All Might.

Instead, he looks genuinely bored. His face rests in a totally platonic expression. But only for a moment. Then his eyes open wide and his straight face contorts into a grin. Not a happy grin, or even an awkward grin. A grin that's overflowing with malice. I stagger as I feel a wave of hate radiate from his smile. He raises his left hand and balls it into a fist.

In a clean motion, he drives his fist into the wall behind my mom. The shock seeps into every nerve as the joints in my legs lock in place. It takes a moment for Mom to realize what happened. Just like the jagged fissure creeping up the wall, Mom's worried smile gradually shifts to a distressed grimace. The cracks in the wall climb all the way to the roof. For a brief moment, nothing happens.

But all at once, the wall collapses. Hunks of concrete fall to the ground, fracturing the floor beneath me. As if in slow motion, slabs of stone rain down, blocking Mom from my vision. Despite the catastrophe occuring right in front of me, I can't hear anything. What should be an audio calamity is totally silent. All I hear is

"AGHHH!"

Mom's screams. I rush through the broken foundation, but my body is bogged down by all my thoughts. Why is this happening? Why would Tremor try to hurt her? Is it… is it my fault? I drive those thoughts from my brain. It doesn't matter. There isn't a spot of brown among the grey rubble. As if Tremor just faded into the background. I can only hope that he doesn't come back. My feet carry me over to where the rubble has trapped Mom, crushing her lower half.

As I struggle to raise the slab of stone that's resting on top of her, I experience a sense of perverse nostalgia. A part of me remembers this feeling, this cocktail of despair and inadequacy.

No matter how I strain my body, the lump of rock remains stagnant. I exert more and more pressure, desperation sinking into my skin. Sweat cascades down my face, but despite that, my body shivers with an indescribable cold. I can still only hear my mom's pained grunts. But a new sound is getting closer. The noise of feet gradual striding over the ground. Fear creeps into my mind. What if it's Tremor? A part of me wants to run, but I can't abandon my mom. The sound stops. I turn to the source of the footsteps. It's him.

All Might.

All the dread that was forming in my body instantly dissipates. The Number One Hero is here, so why would I need to be afraid? He bears his signature wide stance, and even wider smile. I look at him eagerly, waiting for him to step in and blow all this rubble away with ease. But he doesn't. He's just standing there. Anxiety starts to permeate my thoughts once again. Why does this keep happening? These are Heroes. Why am I so scared? That's not how it should work. "Please, please" I plead to him. "Please help me". His expression doesn't change.

He just turns… and leaves.

I'm left dumbfounded. I can't push my body anymore. No one will help me.

And I can't do anything.

I feel a jolt travel through my body. For a moment, my lungs tighten as I'm stunned by the juxtaposition between cold concrete and warm cotton sheets. Sheets? I pry my eyelids open and instead of rubble, I just see the white walls of my room. A sigh escapes from my mouth as I wipe sweat from my forehead. It was just a nightmare.

I swing my legs off the bed, grab my phone, and check the time. 8:15 am. School starts at 8:30. But I don't think I'll go today either. For a moment, my mind wanders to the dream I had. I shake my head vigorously and roam over to the kitchen. I can't afford to stop and think about it. If I do, then there's no way I'll be able to muster up the effort to do anything. Today is Friday, which means I have to talk with Mr. Takahashi. The thought of who else might be there almost paralyzes me.

Breakfast is just the usual. I steam some rice and mix it with some of the grilled fish that Mrs. Bakugo brought me. She's the only person who's bothered to visit me. I chuckle a little, remembering her last visit. She was teaching me how to make a stir fry, when the reporters showed up again with more questions. I had already told them that I was never going to talk about it, but they remained persistent. After an extensive conversation between the cameraman and Mrs. Bakugo's fists, their resolve petered out. I really do appreciate how much she's been helping me, but the one thing that I really want is to be alone. I've had to deny several offers to talk with news outlets and psychiatrists alike. I don't think I could ever tell anyone about the dreams. If my own thoughts terrify me, then how would someone else react?

I glance at the clock on the wall. 8:32. I need to be at the office by 9:00. That means there's no time for my morning workout. It'll have to wait till I get back. I toss the dishes in my sink and rush to my room. After a few minutes of considering an outfit, I change into jeans, a plain shirt, and green sweatshirt. A few splashes of water on my face, and a gargle of mouthwash has me looking and smelling somewhat presentable. As I race through the door, I check my phone. 8:39. It'll be close but I think I can make it.

The foot traffic was rough but the clock hits 8:58 just as the elevator arrives at the third floor. Mr. Takahashi is sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting lounge. He looks just as nervous as the day that I met him.

"Midoriya!" he exclaims, with the air of someone who was extremely uncomfortable. "Hello sir," I respond, trying to stay as polite as possible. He directs me to an ornate door in the center of the back wall."If you'll follow me into my office, we can get through this quickly,". I simply nod and follow him, navigating the field of cubicles. I attract a few nervous glances as I walk through the door.

Oh geez. The sight that greets me as I enter the office is an enormous glass case, filled with… rocks. The whole thing is filled with radiant gems and minerals. "Oh, uh. Sorry about that. I'm a bit of a rock maniac," he explains, noticing my quiet state of shock. I just respond with an affirmative grunt. That makes a lot of sense, considering the hero that Mr. Takahashi's agency works with.

Anyone who would put in all the work required to publicly represent Tremor would need to be a bit of a fanatic.

He guides me to one of the plush chairs in front of his desk as he eases into his own. After a moment of searching in his drawers, he slides a relatively thick stack of papers towards me. Mr. Takahashi clears his throat and begins to speak.

"Although the law demands you read through the entire contract, I can assure that nothing in the agreement has changed. What happened was a tragedy and I would never attempt to back away from giving you the aid that you are owed. I can only hope that you understand this is not some sort of bribe in order to brush the accident under the rug. We will be taking significant actions to ensure that this never happens again,". His words are firm and cordial. I really do believe everything that he says. But I still skim through the papers, just to check. Beyond all the law gibberish, all of the the terms match the offer that Mr. Takahashi described last week.

In plain text, "As compensation for the damage caused by our Pro client, Tremor, we will be covering the living costs of Izuku Midoriya for the next seven years". It stings me a little, to see my Mom summed up as "damage". Still, I force my way through the rest of the document and it all checks out. I sign where I need to and hand the papers back. Mr. Takahashi looks uncomfortable as he takes them. "I know that I've said it a million times, but I am truly sorry. That must sound so insincere," he sighs. " Especially since Tremor couldn't make it,".

"That's fine!" I answer with a little too much enthusiasm. He must have noticed because he looks alarmed. "I j-just mean that-um-I understand how b-busy the life of a hero is, so it's ok, really!". I push the words out violently, hoping that I can cover up my mistake. I guess that I was convincing enough, because the worry on his face dissipates. "If that's all sir, then I'd like to get back home" I say, keeping any anxiousness from spilling into my words. "Oh, of course. You're free to leave," he responds. I give him a respectful bow as I turn towards the door. Just as my hand reaches the handle, he starts speaking again. "I appreciate how understanding you've been, Midoriya. Things like this happen" he says, offhandedly. I involuntarily grip the handle a little harder.

I whisper under my breath."I'll bet they do, sir".

I let loose a deep sigh the second I leave the building. The meeting went better than expected but the whole thing was still an ordeal. I don't know what I would've done if Tremor was there. I scheduled the appointment for the morning, when he's always out on patrol. Still, he might've shown up. The thought of him being right there tightens my chest so much that I have to lean on a nearby building just to catch my breath. An endless crowd of people bump into me as I let the knot in my throat unravel. The foot traffic is much worse now. I won't be able to force my way home through the surge of bodies. Instead, I resolve to take a path through some of the back alleys. While they are more dangerous than the main path, the alleys have never actually been that scary for me. A bit dirtier than the sidewalk, but definitely not dangerous. The occasional tough guy looking for cash, but . Keeping that in mind, I weave through the crowd until I burst into the empty corridor between a burger place and laundromat. I take another deep breath and move forward, quietly hoping that I don't get lost.

Eventually, I recognize the back sign of a ramen shop that's only a block away from my apartment. I breathe a sigh of relief. After fifteen minutes of walking, I was starting to think that I had wandered downtown. I let my body loosen up a bit as I start to exit the alley.

"JUST CALM DOWN, MAN! DON'T HURT ME!"

I hear the scream echo through the cramped walls. That sounded like someone in trouble. I start to move in the direction of the yelp, but my body freezes up. I should be rushing to help that man, but something stops me in my tracks.

"You can't be a hero without a Quirk".

All Might's words ring through my brain. He's right. I couldn't save her. Why should this time be any different. But… but I won't be able to live with myself if I don't try! I don't care what All Might says! I will save someone or die trying!

I let those thoughts linger in my mind as I dash towards the source of the howl. The alleys are like a maze, and I'm on the verge of losing hope until…

"AGHH! WE CAN MAKE A DEAL!"

That one was much closer. Now I can hear the sound of a fight. A very one-sided fight. I follow the noise until I spot what must be the victim in the junction between two alleys. He's a middle aged man with disheveled gray hair and just a little bit of facial hair. He's in pretty bad shape with a gash on his face and what looks like a black eye. His outfit consists of a white button-up shirt with a purple blazer, both of which are coming apart at the seams. I watch him stagger over to a nearby wall, glancing back nervously. His assailant is still hidden behind the corner from which the man emerged. "What do you want?" the man pants. "I've got money," but he's cut off by a gruff voice. "The only thing that I want is to see you beaten to a bloody pulp!". That's it. I can't let this guy be hurt right in front of me.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" I yell as I sprint towards the injured man. With all the confidence I can muster, I take a protective stance between the man and his attacker. I expect some kind of thuggish looking guy. But instead… it's Tremor.

For a moment, he looks surprised. But then his expression changes. Into a smile. A smile that makes me wonder if I'm dreaming again. "Looks like one of your Villain pals came to help you," he exclaims in a gravelly voice. Wait, Villain? Before I can react, he clenches his fist and raises it. "B-but I'm not a…" I weakly stammer. He interupts.

"NO EXCUSES KID!" as he aims his fist straight at the ground. My legs falter as my mind goes back to the night.

I can feel the tremors beneath my feet. I hear the massive brawl raging behind me. But all I can focus on is how cold Mom's hands are.

All of the frustration and grief builds in my chest until it explodes. "RAGHH!" I roar violently. Tremor is caught off guard. In that moment, I charge forward and place my foot straight between his eyes. Tremor recovers quickly and stares at me with burning resentment.

I can't afford to care about how much trouble I'll be in after this. He may be a Pro Hero, but if I don't fight, then me and the man behind me will die. I switch to a defensive stance and fight back my fear the only way I know how.

With a smile.