Regress || bnha x op!reader

30: The Laughter We Repeat

I decided to add more trigger warnings for this chapter, because this might be the most draining chapter ever in this story.

There will be a death here, and no it's not yours, and no blood will be described. You can read the first part and when you get past the banters of the first part in this chapter, you can skip until the author's note! I described into detail what changed in the storyline so if you can't handle those kinds of things, then please don't read them. It's crucial for MC's development, but it's not as important as your mental health on the line here.

Once again, heed the warning here very seriously. Thank you!

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❝ The scarred heart will always remember. ❞

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When you opened your eyes, the first thing you saw was a sight of a burning city. 

There were multiple sounds; the sputtering of the fire, the falling of scorched wood and broken stones, and then your quiet breathing. Calm amidst the chaos, calm because you still haven't processed where you were just yet. The ground was warm and uncomfortable, and you were alone in a place that looked as if hell had been unleashed, 

A place just like the past.

You shot straight up from the ground. 

Where is this place? You stood hastily, tripping over your own shaky legs as you looked around. Everything was burning. The acrid smell of smoke stung your nostrils, and you instinctively covered your mouth and nose with your sleeve to filter the air. The way your mother had told you to do in situations like this. 

Your chest ached, but it was different from usual. It was as if some sharp thing had ripped a little hole right through you and now you felt a gap. A vulnerability. 

A knife.

But there wasn’t any knife in your chest and there wasn't any blood. There wasn’t anything else in this world that showed you were back in your past yet everything was eerily the same. All that came then was a static in your head and the heavy breathing that you barely noticed.

You’re alright, you told yourself steadily, but it did nothing to calm you. The mist just teleported you, and you’re somewhere in the USJ. 

So breathe. 

In.

And out. 

You breathed through the smoke, convincing yourself that this is just you reacting from a familiar situation.

But what if you weren't in USJ anymore?

What if everything that you did… what if all of your pain, all of your silent battles, 

What if everything was gone? 

No. You don't even want to entertain that thought, especially not when you're in a place like this. The burning city stretched out in all directions, and the sight of this chaos twisted your guts into mush. You had to find safety. Fast. 

With cautious steps, you navigated through the rubble and wreckage, trying to avoid the most intense fires. Your mind was uncomfortably silent, and you always tasted the tang of blood when you’re like this. Iron. Bitter. You licked it off, because this was just your mind telling you that you experienced something like this before, and now you're back, but you're not really back because you're okay, and you—