Ten Days of Katsuki (Todobaku)

Day 4, Part 1

I open my eyes and am surprised to find Bakugou still asleep. Every morning here thus far, he's been up and at the gym before I wake up. Perhaps he's decided to give himself a day to rest. Given what's in store for us today, he's going to need the extra energy.

It's our second and last day at Yasuragi Island, and most of us will spend it exploring the town, mainly the shops and restaurants. I'll be bringing enough money to buy souvenirs for my mom and siblings.

I tiptoe past Bakugou as he's in a deep slumber on the couch. Casting a quick glance at his face, I've never seen him so relaxed. All that usual tension in his forehead and jaw have dissipated. Even his breathing is less aggressive than usual, his chest rising and falling like a soft wave crashing along the shore.

My lips curl into a small smile before I enter the bathroom to shower and get ready. Not knowing how much time I have before Bakugou wakes up and has to get ready himself, I keep a quick pace. When I emerge back into the room, towel around my waist, he's still asleep with no signs of waking up. Because of this, I forgo going back to the bathroom and just get dressed by my closet.

After making my bed, I lie on top of the sheets and scroll through my phone. We still have plenty of time before we need to meet with our group to depart the ship. I'll probably sneak to the food court for breakfast beforehand, but there's still no rush. So, I take the time to relax and wait for Bakugou to wake up.

I had a lot of fun with Bakugou last night. We played a few rounds of chess again once we left the sports bar. Of course, he beat me every single time, but they weren't as humiliating defeats as they were the previous night. But more importantly, it was just nice to spend time with him. I could tell by the way he acted toward me that he enjoyed it just as much as I did. Sure, he was mostly smiling because he kept winning, but it was more playful banter rather than him outright mocking me. 

It felt like I had the old Bakugou back.

Suddenly, I hear a soft whimper from the couch. Setting my phone down, I sit up straight and peer toward the front of the room. I can only see the back of Bakugou's head from this position, but that noise had to have come from him, right? Maybe he's waking up.

Several seconds pass but he doesn't move. Perhaps I imagined the noise.

But then, surely enough, it happens again. It's much louder this time, so there's no mistaking it. And it's definitely coming from Bakugou. He's now craning his neck back and forth and I get a glimpse of his face. That relaxed expression he had minutes ago has transformed. His brows are furrowed and his lips are pursed. He almost looks in pain.

I jump from the bed and shuffle to the couch. I kneel beside Bakugou, not knowing what to do. If I wake him up, he'll probably punch me. But it also doesn't feel right to watch him suffer if he's having a nightmare. 

Before I can make a decision, he speaks.

"Just do it already," he mumbles. "Stop torturing me."

He clutches onto his comforter and lets out a few more small whines. It hurts to see my friend like this. Wait, are we friends? Oh, who cares? The point is Bakugou's almost certainly having a nightmare right now. 

It can be a number of things. Bakugou's dealt with plenty of traumatic events over the last few years. The last war being the most recent of events, but this goes back to even before we started at UA when he was attacked by a sludge monster. I remember he confided in me last year how scared he felt when it happened. He played it off in public whenever anyone talked about it, not wanting to be seen as anything less than brave.

And then he did the same when he was kidnapped by the League of Villains a few months later. That one hit him even harder because it was the night of his rescue that All Might fought his last battle and ended up retiring. Bakugou's really been through a lot, and I think because of his rough exterior people don't take it seriously. Maybe it's time someone does.