The books tumbled off the shelf. Izuku flinched, covering his head with his arms. The corners and edges of the hardcovers struck him hard enough to bruise.

Katsuki kicked the bookshelf again, sending the last books falling down. Behind him, a cluster of his hanger-ons made faces at Izuku. Perhaps they were supposed to be intimidated but they looked comical. On the other hand, Katsuki had plenty of intimidation to go around as he growled, "I can't study straight because of your mumbling!"

"Sorry," Izuku whispered.

"I said, stop mumbling!"

Izuku nearly apologized again, but defiance sprang to life under his chest. Why did he have to get treated like this? Ever since he'd been diagnosed as quirkless, everyone had looked at him differently. Izuku knew the librarian should have heard the fuss, but she hadn't come. She'd probably tell Izuku to clean up the books later as if this was all his fault. The staff at Aldera hated Izuku and treated Katsuki like a golden boy.

Katsuki had changed the most since the diagnosis. At first Izuku had hoped that his childhood friend would come around and they could still become heroes together. But as the two of them had grown into preteens and started middle school, Katsuki had only become angrier. Just the sight of Izuku's face seemed to set him off. Izuku had tried to make himself quieter and smaller. He'd done nothing except reading in the school library. Yet he'd still drawn Katsuki's wrath.

What would a hero do? Stand up to the bully, probably. Izuku had tried that before, and it hadn't ended well for him. Besides, an explosion in the library would be a terrible idea. Heroes didn't approve of book-burning. What would a clever, strategic type of hero do? Izuku liked to read pre-dawn of the age of quirks comic books because not all heroes had powers. Batman didn't have any special abilities, but he scared villains.

"How dare you glare at me?" Katsuki raised his fist. "You don't even have a quirk."

Izuku's gaze fell on a book fallen open. It had a drawing of a boogeyman, a shadowy faceless ink-black creature crawling out from under a child's bed. Though it was hard to read the words from a distance, the child had a speech bubble reading, All for One.

Holding his arms wide, Izuku intoned, "I may not have a quirk, but the boogeyman protects me."

"The what," Katsuki stated flatly.

"All quirkless people are attuned to the supernatural." Izuku was making this up as he went along, but he'd heard sillier stories about the quirkless. "There's a boogeyman lurking under my bed. No one else can see him, but I can. I can summon him by his name." Izuku dropped his voice an octave. "All for One! All for One! All for One! …He's here."

The other boys actually flinched away from his menacing certainty and dark glower. However, Katsuki only snorted and set off an explosion. The librarian ran over screaming about her books. Predictably, she blamed Izuku.

So much for that idea. Such miserable failures never happened to Batman.

That night, Izuku dreamt of a fancy house with a flat roof. He ran through the empty rooms, calling, "Hello? Is anyone here?" The house was clean and lived-in, with steam rising off the cup of coffee on the kitchen counter, but no one was there. The longer Izuku looked, the more frantic he became. He did not know why. But he had a strong conviction the people who lived here must be in danger.

After checking the yard, Izuku had nearly given up, until he saw movement in the dog house. He crouched down to look. He'd expected to find a dog, of course. But instead a little boy with messy black hair crouched with his arms wrapped around his legs. His neck was bleeding from scratch marks.

"Hello," Izuku said. "Are you lost? Where's your family?"

The boy wet his lips. "You shouldn't be here. You need to run."

Izuku held out his hand. "If it's dangerous, we'll leave together. What's your name?"

"Tenko. Or maybe Tomura. No, I think Tenko Shimura."

Izuku felt puzzled by the name change but didn't comment on it. He pulled the boy to his feet. "Come on. Let's find a hero." Even in a dream, he had a conviction that a hero could help.

"My dad doesn't like heroes," Tenko said glumly. "Neither does my big brother."

As Izuku tugged him toward the gate, Tenko asked, "Do you have a wish?"

"Uh, well, I wish the kids at school would stop bullying me," Izuku said.

"You shouldn't make wishes," Tenko said harshly. "He's coming."

Darkness washed over them, as if a heavy cloud had blocked out the sun. The air became colder, too. Izuku froze, afraid of tripping on something. He held onto Tenko's hand tighter.

Red light flashed across his eyes, then just before the darkness touched him, Izuku woke up.

He felt exhausted, as if he'd never slept at all. But judging from his clock, it was already morning. He shivered, as if the coldness of his dream had carried over to the real world. How odd. Izuku never remembered his dreams, but this one stood out in his mind clearly right down to the scratches on Tenko's neck.

Strangely, Izuku wasn't the only one in class exhausted. Katsuki was groaning and rubbing his eyes. The other boys in his group also kept yawning. Tsubasa scratched at a red rash on his neck.

When the teacher asked Katsuki a question, he stared straight forward for a solid minute, then went, "Huh?" This was enough to get even Katsuki a scolding. The inattentiveness of so many students took the teacher's attention off Izuku for once. He enjoyed the blissful peace.

As the students filed out of class for lunch, Izuku overheard Tsubasa complain to Katsuki, "I had the worst nightmare last night. A boogeyman crawled out from under my bed. I woke up just before it ate me."

"Only wimps have nightmares," Katsuki grumbled, rubbing at the bags under his eyes.

Whoa, what a convenient coincidence. Izuku couldn't resist. He brushed closer to Tsubasa and whispered, "I warned you."

At least two other boys overheard, looking up with wide, frightened eyes. They did not speak to him. But in the afternoon classes, no one hassled him. Katsuki's hanger-ons even directed him away from Izuku, keeping them separated.

Maybe the Batman Plan hadn't been a total failure.

That night, Izuku felt so exhausted that he went to bed early. But he only tossed and turned until he fell into a restless slumber.

He was standing outside the same house. The street was oddly quiet, with no signs of life from any of the houses in the neighborhood. With a creak, the gate of the house swung open as if pushed by the wind. But there was no wind.

Suddenly Izuku did not want to go into that house again. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Tenko! Where are you?"

The sound of footsteps made Izuku turn around. He did not see anyone. But this had been the first sign of life. So he chased in the direction of the footsteps, running down the street.

The stoplight ahead was green, with a walk sign. There was no trace of any cars in this dead city. Izuku ran across the street. But when he was halfway across, the light suddenly turned red without even flashing yellow. A white truck appeared out of nowhere, barreling toward him. The driver had blackness instead of a face. The boogeyman smiled, flashing rows of teeth—

Izuku woke up to his mother shaking him. He'd slept through his alarm, so he had to rush to school.

Batman probably didn't let his own scary stories get to him.

The homeroom teacher entered with an unusually somber expression. He shuffled his papers and cleared his throat a few times. "I have bad news. Tsubasa was run over by a truck while walking to school, and he…he passed away in the hospital. It appears the stoplight malfunctioned, showing green in both directions. A counselor will come to class later to talk—"

The class exploded into chatter, but it was all white noise to Izuku. A roaring had filled his ears. It was all a coincidence, right? That strange dream he'd had felt more like a premonition now. But Izuku didn't have the ability to see the future. His mother had taken him to several doctors, and they'd all repeated the quirkless diagnosis. Boogeymen didn't exist. Izuku had made up the story! It couldn't have happened because of him.

Izuku didn't have any good memories of Tsubasa. The winged boy had flown him up in the air and dropped him several times, hard enough to bruise. Still, Izuku hated to think of anyone he knew dying. He hated even more that he couldn't shake the suspicion this had somehow been his fault. In his dream, he'd wished for the bullying to stop. But he'd never wanted anyone dead!

The boys who usually bullied Izuku kept sneaking glances at him. They looked exhausted again. Even more so, they looked scared. Izuku tried to convince himself he'd been imagining it. His bullies would never be scared of quirkless him.

As soon as homeroom was over, one of the boys cornered Izuku. Fearing more bullying, he raised his arms defensively, braced for a blow. Instead, the boy begged, "Please, make it stop! Call off the boogeyman. I'm sorry for everything. Haven't you gone far enough? Look at my arms." He yanked up his sleeves. His arms were covered in a red rash. "I can't stop itching. Tsubasa…did you kill Tsubasa?"

"I…" Izuku gaped. "The boogeyman isn't real. I made him up."

"Is this your quirk?" the boy asked desperately.

Katsuki grabbed the boy and dragged him off, growling, "Shitty Deku doesn't have a quirk! You're all just freaking out over a bad dream. Stupid extras."

"This is your fault!" the boy screamed, rounding on Katsuki. "I never wanted to, you made me do it." Their other friends came over and soon they were fighting loudly. It was obvious that everyone was angry at Katsuki. Izuku couldn't understand it. Katsuki had always been the center of the group, the one everyone else listened to.

While everyone was distracted, Izuku slipped away and headed for the library. It was the first time he'd skipped class in his entire middle school career.

After an hour of combing through the shelves, Izuku finally found the book about the boogeyman. It was entitled All for One. The story seemed closer to a children's picture book than a comic book, oddly young for a middle school library. It started off with a little orphan boy named Yoichi, who was all alone in the world. He wished for an older brother, so the creature under his bed told him to say "All for One" three times, then it would become his brother. The chapter ended with Yoichi being dragged under the bed, never to be seen again.

Sweat formed on Izuku's forehead. He'd summoned the boogeyman. He reminded himself that this was only a story. Everything could have been a coincidence. Perhaps the other kids were having nightmares because he'd scared them. Tsubasa's accident…had been an accident.

Izuku flipped through the pages rapidly. There were numerous stories about other children or teenagers being dragged off by All for One. None of them were helpful for defeating the boogeyman, because the children never won. The only boy who survived was Kotaro, because his mother Nana sacrificed herself and got taken by the boogeyman instead.

The last story showed Kotaro as a bitter adult obsessed with the occult. He had two children. The oldest daughter dared her little brother to summon the boogeyman by calling All for One's name three times. In a fit of rage, Tomura wished for his family to disappear. All for One killed his family before dragging him off.

The book ended abruptly there. The last dozen pages in the book were blank. Izuku flipped through them, confused and wondering if this book had been defective.

Tomura. Where had Izuku heard that name before? Oh, yeah—Tenko had called himself Tomura once. It was such an odd coincidence that it made Izuku wonder. He went to a library computer and searched for Tomura, no last name. There were too many hits. Next, he searched for Tenko Shimura.

A news story popped up. About a decade ago, the Shimura family had been found murdered in their home. Only the youngest son, Tenko Shimura, had been missing. There had been a police search for him, but they'd never found a single trace. Nor had they ever caught the criminal.

Izuku's heart froze as he stared at a picture of Tenko Shimura. It was the boy from his dream.

This was beyond what could be dismissed as random chance. Izuku had definitely never seen this article before. The incident had happened when he'd been a baby, so the news coverage had long ago died down. How could he possibly have dreamed of Tenko? Unless…there was something supernatural about the book.

Izuku ran to the self-checkout with the book. It didn't seem to have a barcode and wouldn't scan. After several frustrated minutes, Izuku gave up. Even though he'd never stolen anything in his entire life, he stuffed the book into his backpack and left. And even though he'd never skipped school no matter how bad the bullying got, he headed straight home.

Inko looked up from her knitting. "Izuku? Why are you home early?"

Izuku gulped, trying not to break down into sobs. "M-mom, I've made a terrible mistake. I summoned a boogeyman, a-and now he's killing people." Rapidly, he poured out the whole story. He reached into his backpack to show her the book. But it was gone. "I-it was here a moment ago. I swear it!" He groped around in his bag, tossing items onto the floor in his haste.

From behind, Inko hugged him. "Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I know Aldera has turned out to be a very bad school. I've been applying for parttime jobs. I didn't tell you sooner because I didn't want to get your hopes up. But if I can make some more money, then we can transfer you to a better school. I've found some brochures for private schools with strict anti-discrimination policies."

Izuku gaped, confused. "Mom? I don't think the boogeyman will stop just because I'm in a different school…"

Inko sniffled. "I'm sorry. I haven't done enough to help you. I knew about the bullying, but you always denied it and I didn't know what to do. Why don't you take a few days off school? I'll tell the teacher that you're sick."

It dawned on Izuku that his mother didn't believe him. She thought he was making up this story to get out of school. "I'm not lying, Mom! I've been dreaming about the boogeyman."

Inko burst into waterfall tears. Hugging her son, she just kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Until Izuku started crying too, because if his mother didn't believe him, then he didn't know what to do.

As soon as he was alone in his room, Izuku tried calling the police. But they didn't listen to him when he told them about a boogeyman. He'd known they wouldn't listen to a child. They kept asking to speak to his parents before finally hanging up on him. Then he tried calling a hero helpline, but it turned out so many people called looking for autographs that they'd created a phone tree making it impossible to talk to a person.

Next Izuku researched how to banish boogeymen online. The lack of information was discouraging. He spread a line of salt around his door, but that might be more for ghosts.

Izuku was scared to go to sleep that night. But he knew he had to. The boogeyman didn't seem out to kill him—it wanted to kill his bullies. In some ways, that felt even worse, because Izuku knew this was all his fault. What if his mother might be in danger? Tenko's family had died. But Tenko had wished them gone, and Izuku had brought this curse down on his classmates instead. He had to take back his wish. A hero wouldn't hesitate to face down a boogeyman.

After hours of tossing and turning, exhaustion finally dragged Izuku under.

He opened his eyes to the same house. This time, he headed straight inside before it had time to creepily invite him. "Tenko? Please, I need to talk to you. You might be the only person who knows what is going on." According to his online sources, the boogeyman fed on fear. He tried to make his voice sound brave and confident. But he couldn't fool himself. He was no hero. He was terrified.

A thud came from the basement. Izuku trembled. No, no, he couldn't go down there, he'd seen horror movies, he wasn't that brave (or stupid).

Footsteps came up the stairs. Oh no, it was coming toward him instead, that might be even worse.

The door opened. Tenko stood at the top of the steps.

Izuku exhaled sharply with relief. "Thank you. Tenko, I'm sorry about what happened to you. To your family. I know I'm asking a lot, but I need your help. I need to talk to the boogeyman."

Tenko tilted his head sideways at an unnatural angle and said, "He's already here."

Darkness poured out of Tenko's mouth and eyes. Izuku screamed. Then, in a moment of what could only be described as insanity, he ran towards the boy instead of away, trying to help.

There was nothing he could do. The darkness washed over his hands, leaving him cold and frozen. A black shape completely overlapped with Tenko. It was tall, head scraping against the ceiling. Its arms and legs were too long. The claws from its hands reached down all the way to the floor. Its eyes were swirling, consuming pits a shade darker than black. The only color on its body came from the sharp white teeth. In a broken and gleeful voice, All for One said, "You're afraid."

"I-I'm not," Izuku lied, stepping backward. "What happened to Tenko?"

"Afraid for him too? How interesting. You're such a source of fear, but a different kind of fear than usual. Fear for others, not yourself. I like the flavor." All for One smiled wider. "Hear that, little brother? He's afraid for you."

A disembodied child's moan filled the air.

"Brother?" Izuku asked, confused and very concerned for Tenko.

"That's the terms of my deal. I'll fulfil your wish. In exchange, you become my new little brother. I got used to having one. It makes me feel human." All for One laughed in a way entirely devoid of humanity.

Izuku cried, "I wished for the bullying to stop! I never wished for you to kill them."

All for One shrugged, a gesture that sent cracking sounds down his spine. "Then you should have been more specific."

Be brave. Izuku swallowed and stood up straighter. "I'd like to cancel my wish. Please don't hurt my classmates any longer."

"If that's what you want," All for One said.

So easy? It seemed too easy.

All for One continued, "I wonder if I should let you out of paying your price. After all, I stopped partway through, and you weren't happy with services rendered."

Izuku nodded like a bobblehead. "Yes, I—"

All for One interrupted, "But on the other hand, I did kill a boy for you. Everything should have a price. What do you think, little brother? I think I'll leave the choice up to you."

Weeping came from the darkness in All for One's chest.

All for One smiled wider, more teeth sprouting from his mouth. "I only need one little brother. If I take you, then I'll release Tomura. But if you go free, then he stays here."

With a suddenly uncomfortable feeling, Izuku realized this explained why Tenko had told him to make a wish when they'd first met. He'd been tricked from the beginning. He only wondered why Tenko was taking so long.

Tenko blurted out, "Take him and let me go." Then his voice collapsed into sobs.

All for One laughed madly. "Done! But you'll never be free of me, Tomura, because the choice you made has forever stained your soul."

Izuku would never know what possessed him, but on an impulse, he shouted, "Don't listen, Tenko, it's not your fault." Even if it might not be entirely true, Izuku wanted to go down spitting defiance at the boogeyman.

The darkness exploded in all directions, filling the room. Black tendrils wrapped around Izuku, smothering his nose and mouth. Darkness poured directly into his ear: "My brave little hero, you really are an interesting one. I wonder how long it will take before you too break and are willing to sell out someone else to be free?"

Izuku screamed, no longer able to pretend not to be scared.

Inko Midoriya had known something had been wrong from the moment Izuku came downstairs for breakfast. He seemed unsure, nervous, not remembering where to find anything, tripping over his own legs. If it had only been that, she might have thought him ill. But something deep inside her screamed of wrongness. On a primal level she could not explain and could not prove, she knew this was not her son.

The new boy didn't like katsudon. Dogs had scared Izuku a little, but this boy stared at pictures of corgis online longingly. He barely spoke to her, remaining glued to video games instead. Once, after his character died, he hissed in annoyance and decayed his controller. Then he shot a frightened glance in her direction.

This new evidence silenced the last of her doubts and fears for her sanity. Izuku would have been delighted to get a late quirk, and he would have run to tell his mother right away. This boy was not her Izuku. A stranger was in her living room.

Inko sat the boy down at the kitchen table. Her hands twisted and wrung her handkerchief. She said, "I know you're not Izuku."

He stiffened. "S-sorry Mom, I've been feeling ill lately, I know I've been acting odd—"

"Don't." She held up her hand. "Don't deny it. You'll never convince me. I know. Please, I'm not going to hurt you." She could not imagine herself hurting any child. She'd never been a violent person. Yet a nervous energy itched under her skin that nearly gave lie to her words. "But I need to know. Please tell me. What happened to my son?"

Rapid emotions flashed across his face: fear, sorrow, and a deep guilt. Looking at the table, he said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm Izuku, Mom."

Inko wept endless tears. This was her punishment. She hadn't believed her son, and now no one would believe her if she told them that her son had been replaced by a boogeyman.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: The Tragic Tale of a Failed Only Child

Yoichi: I want a big brother—

The entire Firsts Club: NO YOU DON'T!

Yoichi: But—

The entire Firsts Club: SHUT UP.

#

Omake: Izuku's Worst Nightmare

Izuku: Wait, if One for All never existed in this universe, then what about All Might?

Author: There was never a hero named All Might. Toshinori Yagi was probably another boogeyman victim. But on the plus side, there was never a villain named All for One, so society as a whole might be better—

Izuku: Worst. Universe. Ever.

#

Omake: The Big Brother Contest

Tenko: I have a feeling I didn't win the big brother contest with Dabi this time.

Author: Dabi's last fic was "23 and Not Me," with one of the most brotherly versions yet, so yeah, he crushed you. What a one-sided, brutal beatdown. Your performance was sad, but not in a sympathetic way, more in a pathetic way. Frankly, even average Dabi is still better than you! I've written All for Ones who were better brothers than you in this fic.

Tenko: You can stop rubbing it in.

Izuku: You can stop possessing my body!

Author's Note: At some point in this series, it had to be Izuku's turn to cry wolf. Thank you to Gentrychild for the cool idea and Gfan97 for filling in the deliciously dark details.