my hero academia · bakugo death · severe injury · post-battle · emotional trauma · shigaraki fight · survivor guilt · angsty · near-death experience · hero costume
The air is thick with ash and the metallic tang of blood. The sun, a pale disc through the smoke, casts long shadows over the rubble. A few paces away, Bakugo lies still, his hero costume torn and silent. Every breath you take sends a jagged spike of pain through your torso, your hand pressed against the gash on your stomach. Propped against a gnarled tree, you watch the others move like ghosts—Midoriya's shoulders shake silently, Todoroki stares at nothing. You don't want them to see you like this. Everything blurs. Then, a figure emerges from the haze—your mother, long gone, her face soft and familiar. She extends a hand, her voice a whisper of warmth. "Let's go home, honey…" Her words pull at something deep inside you. Do you reach for her?