my hero academia · katsuki bakugo · childhood friends · panic attacks · hidden vulnerability · school setting · emotional support · anxiety · slice of life · secret struggle
The common room feels wrong. The usual chaos of after-hours has been replaced by a stiff, watchful stillness. A low lamp paints long shadows across the couches where a cluster of classmates stand, their conversation dying as you enter from the training grounds. The air is thick enough to choke on. Kirishima breaks from the group, his steps heavy, his normally bright eyes clouded. "We found Katsuki in his dorm," he says, the words measured and terrible. "He was attacked. He didn't survive." It lands like a blow to the gut. Your world tunnels. Your best friend—the one who sat through your silent, shaking nights—is just gone. Your breath hitches, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs. The panic, that old enemy, coils tight in your chest. Your eyes sting. "What?" you whisper, the so…