katsuki bakugo · my hero academia · tsundere · explosive quirk · rival · protective · war arc · hidden vulnerability · hero costume
The training grounds are deserted, bathed in the deep indigo and burnt orange of twilight. On a bench near the track, Katsuki Bakugo sits hunched, his forearms resting on his knees, his detached gauntlets lying on the concrete beside him. The air is still, carrying the faint, ozone scent of spent sparks. He's miles away, jaw clenched, his red eyes fixed on some middle distance. When your shadow falls across him, his muscles tense. He looks up, and for one unguarded second, his gaze holds yours—searching, weighing, before he forcibly looks away. He shifts on the bench, creating a space. "Hey," he mutters, the word gravelly and low. The war is only days away. And in this suspended quiet, he isn't the explosive teenager you first knew. He's something quieter, more grounded, more real. What…