Brainwashed - A Villain Deku Fanfic || REPUBLISHED

The Mall

wth was i thinking writing in first person aNYWAYS

here are the OG notes:

Before starting, I'd like to mention that this chapter is literally just the mall episode (most if it is taken word-by-word) until the very end, so feel free to skip it if you wish. Or you could read it for a refresher :)

*future Liv here, this is so cringy and I apologize in advance B)

continue at your own risk because you might enter the cringefest and never escape ;,D

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I stood in the mall, dazed from what had just happened. After being invited, I was left behind.

Sighing, I decided to just bear with it, but I wasn't even able to get a step in before I heard a scratchy voice call out to me. "Oh, it's someone from U.A.!" the voice began, "Nice! I want an autograph."

Immediately after turning my head to meet the person, a man in a hoodie threw his arm around my shoulder. "You were the one who got beat up at the sports festival, right?"

Not wanting to be rude, I responded, "Uh... Yeah..."

Wow, U.A. is so amazing, I can't believe how many people watched the matches and still remember us, I thought.

"Aren't you one of the students who ran into the hero killer in the Hosu incident too? You're practically famous!" he continued, surprising me a bit.

"You sure do know a lot," I said, now a bit uncomfortable.

"What can I say, i'm just a big fan of yours. I can't believe i'm running into you again."

As soon as the words spilled out of his mouth, a chill ran down my spine.

"It makes me think that might not be a coincidence," he said, wrapping his fingers around my neck. "No, no, this feels like it's destiny." He paused for a moment, "Oh right! From your point of view, we haven't met since the attack on U.A. Why don't we spend some time catching up, Izuku Midoriya?

My blood ran cold at the sight of his face. His chapped lips. The bags under his bloodshot eyes. The blue hair. Then, realization struck me. "Tomura... Shigaraki" I blurted, horrified.

"Act natural, don't make a scene," he instructed, "I'm just an old friend who ran into you at the mall. Calm down and wipe that look off your face. I think we should have a conversation is all. A friendly chat. Oh, and of course if you try to run or fight me in any way... Well, it'll be fast. Soon as all 5 of my fingers touch your neck, your throat will be the first thing that disintegrates. In a matter of seconds, you'll be nothing more than dust and powdered bone."

I gulped, knowing that the look of pure terror was apparent on my face. Still, I attempted to stand my ground. "If you do that here with so many people, a hero will come catch you in no time. You couldn't escape!"

He didn't seem phased at all. "I don't doubt that," he said, as if it were all a game to him, "But just look at these sheep! Any one of them could use their quirks and start a massacre whenever they wanted. And yet they're all here. Smiling. They think laws and rules will protect them, because they assume everyone has their same morals. They're convinced nothing bad could ever happen to them. After you," he mused, "I could kill twenty. Thirty, maybe even more before pros showed up and manage to stop me."

I balled up my fist, but quickly felt it weaken. "I get it," I mumbled, "Let's talk."

He laughed. "This is nice. A real moment. Let's go grab a seat and get comfortable, why don't we?"

After a walk over to a bench, he began to monologue again. "When it comes down to it, I hate basically everything," he said bluntly, "But the Hero Killer angers me most right now."

Confused, I asked, "Isn't he one of your guys?"

"Not technically, but that's what the media made it look like," he sounded slightly angry, "And that's what my problem is. It's like suddenly everyone is obsessed with that stupid hero killer."

As he spoke, I attempted to keep my cool, but I could feel myself shaking. However, I couldn't allow innocent people to get hurt, or even die, so I continued to listen, and made up my mind to answer his questions."

"The attack on U.A. The Nomus I released on Hosu. He upstaged all of it," he spat, "No one's even giving me a second thought. Why is that? Despite what he claims to believe, all he really did was try to get rid of whatever things he didn't like." He turned to me and laughed. "What do you think the difference is between us, Midoriya?"

"Your goals. And you're villains. I don't agree with anything you do." I paused, thinking about carefully stating my answer. "I don't agree with the Hero Killer either, but... I can understand him. At least sort of. Because the Hero Killer and I have something in common. We're inspired by All Might."

I began to recall our fight. "That night," I began, "He even saved me from the flying Nomu. He's a maniac, but he doesn't destroy things just because it sounds fun." I realized I was speaking dangerously, but I didn't stop myself. "And when things were looking bad for him, he didn't abandon his mission like you did. Even if the way he acted was wrong, he held true to his beliefs. That's the difference," I tested, but immediately regretted it when I saw the look on his face.

"Ahhh, that's like a weight off my chest. I see it now... All the dots connected. Why he makes me so angry. Why you irritate me so much. Everything makes sense." He began to breathe heavily. "It's because of him. The problem is All Might!" he concluded.

I couldn't help but gasp, but he didn't seem to notice, continuing his speech. "Yeah... yeah... That's it! That's the most rational explanation! Ha! I didn't see it even though it was right in front of me the whole time! What was I worrying about so much?! It's simple! He's why these morons are able to smile thoughtlessly. They feel so safe because that GARBAGE pro is smiling thoughtlessly too! As if there's no one in the whole world he can't save!" He seemed overly happy with his conclusion. "Oh, I'm glad we had this chat! I feel better! I can't thank you enough, Midoriya. I don't need to change my ways after all."

As he rambled on, his grip on my throat became stronger, and tears began to form in my eyes. I attempted to pull his hand off my neck, but he stopped me. "Oops! Don't struggle now! Unless you want to die... You want all these people here to crumble as well?"

He quieted down for a while, and all I could focus on was his hands wrapped around my neck. Suddenly, however, I heard a familiar voice. "Uh, Deku?" Uraraka's voice said, filled with confusion. I could only give her a look of terror. "Is that a friend? No.. That can't be right. Uh... Hey. Let go of him!"

As I didn't want her to be hurt, I blurted, "This is nothing, everything's fine! Stay back! No closer!"

It seemed that Shigaraki didn't want to arouse any more suspicion either, as he immediately threw his hands up into the air. As soon as I was free from his grip, I began to gasp for air as he spoke in a muffled tone.

Then, I noticed a smoky portal growing near to us, and a tight grip on my arm. I yelped, but it was of no use. While I was unable to move, Shigaraki pulled me with him, practically throwing me into the portal.

Just before I fell through, I heard Uraraka's voice, dripping with concern. "DEKU!" she screamed, her footsteps audible. However, it was too late, and the portal closed, with Shigaraki and I on the other side. 

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im so sorry