he was sitting in the cafeteria with the extras like any other day. the seven of you had grown close after the war, and especially in your final year at UA. kirishima and ashido sat on either side of katsuki, arguing like he wasn’t even there. you and sero were having casual conversation about the food, while kaminari and jirou were being all lovey dovey sharing their lunch. it was a perfect, regular day.

a scent hits katsuki. he can’t even tell what exactly it is, but it sends him right back to the war. he feels his heart ache and his arm start to sting, like the injuries he sustained two years ago reopened. his head hurts, his vision gets blurry, and his breathing quickens.

“i’m running to the bathroom.” he said quickly, standing up and pushing his chair out just as fast, running to the direction of the bathroom. his breathing only got faster after running. he found a secluded hallway and slid down the wall, clutching his chest as he started to panic.

he tried to remember the grounding techniques his therapist taught him. he always thought therapy was a joke, until nezu decided that every hero student had to attend. he learned good methods to help with flashbacks and dealing with what happened, but of course everything leaves his brain as soon as he needs it. he tried counting backwards and touching the rough floor and telling himself he was safe but nothing worked.

he was so inside of his own head he didn’t notice you approach, so when you grabbed his shoulder, he snapped up and almost shoved you, pausing and taking a shaky breath when he realized you weren’t going to hurt him.