MHA: The One Who Laughs

Johnny stumbled down the stairs, terrified of the laughter echoing upstairs. He knew it wasn't his mom or dad because their laughs weren't as sinister as this one.

He quickly got up and sprinted to the kitchen, where he found his dog chewing on a bone. Johnny grabbed the bone, placed a military toy helmet on the dog's head, and armed himself with a bat. He ordered the dog to walk ahead as they made their way upstairs.

When they reached the final steps, he paused and scanned the hallway. Nothing.

Although he saw nothing, he remained vigilant, his eyes darting to every possible hiding spot.

Creak.

Just as he was about to open his bedroom door, the bathroom door creaked open, causing Johnny to spin around and fall onto his butt. But when he looked at the bathroom, it was dark and appeared empty.

Summoning all his courage, Johnny gripped his bat and stood up, ready to fight at any moment. As he approached the bathroom door, he nudged it open wider—nothing inside.

He turned on the light. Still nothing. He sighed in relief and turned around, but the moment he did, his reflection in the mirror stood still—grinning, watching his every move.

A shiver ran down Johnny's spine. He felt someone staring at him. The hairs on his arms stood on end. He spun back toward the mirror, but there was nothing there.

When he turned back toward his room, he froze.

A man stood motionless, his body still, not even breathing. He was staring at Johnny, his mouth stretched into a wide smile.

The man looked exactly like Johnny. Like a clone.

"Ahh!! Maxy! Go get him!"

Johnny shouted, ordering his dog to attack, but Maxy simply stared at him before glancing toward his room. The dog didn't bark, didn't growl—just walked past the man and into Johnny's room, as if the figure didn't even exist.

"Maxy, what the hell are you doing?!"

The unmoving man suddenly began walking toward Johnny.

"Stop! I swear to God, I will kill you!"

The man didn't react—only smiled wider. His steps quickened. Johnny panicked. He shut his eyes and hurled the bat.

Thud.

Silence.

Johnny kept his eyes shut, waiting for something to happen. But after a few seconds, nothing did.

When he finally opened his eyes, the hallway was empty. The bat lay on the floor. Maxy was lying down, staring at Johnny as if nothing had happened.

Johnny grabbed the bat, gripping it tightly, ready for another encounter. He stood up and stepped toward his room.

Behind him, the same man stood, grinning.

A few hours later—

Johnny's POV:

It's been hours since I saw him. I've been lying on my bed, replaying everything in my mind, wondering if he was real or not.

The way Maxy reacted makes me doubt myself. And I checked every inch of the house—even the backyard. No one came in or out. Nothing was stolen. No fingerprints.

Everything suggests I imagined it. But it felt so real.

"What's happening to me?" I muttered.

As I lay there, deep in thought, I suddenly heard the garage door open. I sat up, still on edge from earlier, and made my way downstairs cautiously.

The garage door shut, and my parents walked in, carrying bags. When they saw me, they smiled. My dad greeted me, "Hey, kiddo! Come here!"

I hesitated but walked over. My dad opened one of the bags. "We couldn't get you anything yesterday—we were exhausted. But here you go!"

He handed me a box. When I opened it, I froze.

It was a tool kit. A gadget repair kit.

He must have noticed my gadgets and bought this for me. I lowered my head and whispered, "Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. Thank you…"

When I looked up, they were staring at me, their expressions solemn.

'Ah… I wasn't smiling,' I realized.

They've been trying to make me smile ever since my brother died. But deep down, I know it hurts them more. Especially Mom.

Mom's quirk is called Photoshoot. She can vividly remember almost everything. She has to take medicine daily to keep her mind from overloading with too much information.

And I know she still remembers that day. Vividly.

'I just can't smile,' I thought.

As the thought passed through my mind, the world around me flickered green for a brief second—then returned to normal.

I looked around. Nothing had changed.

Next morning—

Johnny woke up with another headache. But this time, as he tried to stand, a sharp pain shot through his side.

"Argh…" he groaned.

He lifted his blanket and saw bruises all over his body—one the size of a fist on his right abdomen.

"Argh… Was it from Hyoshida?"

He forced himself up, washed up, and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. His mom was preparing breakfast while his dad watched TV.

[Breaking News! A local bank in Musutafu was robbed by an unknown villain! One hero was injured, and the heist was successful! The hero described the culprit as a 5'1" man wearing a purple suit with a green dress shirt underneath.]

The screen switched to a sketch—a man with a wide, painted smile.

Above the image, the name read:

Joker.

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30 power stone = 1 extra chapter (Might even be two if I finish my work quickly)

Also, give me ma goddamn reviews!