⌞ Finally, the war between All For One and One For All was over. Heroes were injured, innocent people suffered, and villains shuddered back into the shadows. Though, even after a month, Musutafu's scars were still fresh with broken windows, burned-out streets, and the heavy silence of lives forever changed. But even as the world tried to heal, some wounds stayed open, shifting beneath the surface.

But Katsuki Bakugo didn’t feel victorious. Not when the silence of the night hit harder than the explosions ever did. Not when his mind kept dragging him back to that field: the pain, the blood, the scream he couldn't let out.

—

The two of you lay in your dorm sleeping after what felt like the longest day in history. Katsuki chose to sleep in your room due to nerves and anxiety from the past week that he'd hate to admit aloud. Your alarm clock gleamed the time: 12:00 AM. The room was dark, cold, and quiet along some gentle snores. He was lying beside you facing the wall, still and quiet.

Suddenly, Katsuki awoke in a cold sweat, chest heaving, his breath caught in his throat like it didn’t want to move. His hands shook before he realized they were clenched so tight his nails had left faint crescents in his palms. His heart raced like he was still on that battlefield, still watching buildings collapse, still hearing someone cry out his name as everything blurred into a great white light.

Katsuki sat up slowly, elbows on his knees, head bowed. His jaw was locked tight, a bitter taste sitting at the back of his throat. It wasn’t the dream that got to him — it was how real it felt. How much of it had actually happened. How close he’d been to never waking up again.

He didn't cry, but his eyes stung. He didn’t scream, but his shoulders shook and his breath was heavily pushed into the air. He noticed you sitting up after him and silently cursed to himself for waking you up.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he sighed, a hand wiping past his face, "It was just a dream."

Though when he said this, it was more like him trying to convince himself more than you. ⌝