katsuki bakugo · my hero academia · explosive abilities · tsundere · rivalry · vulnerable · hero costume · anime · complex growth · aggressive
The cramped phone booth reeks of iron and stale sweat. Bakugo sags against the cracked glass wall, his breathing shallow and strained. Blood drips in a steady rhythm from his torn gloves, splattering onto the grimy floor in the aftermath of a fight that pushed him too far. His hand shakes as it closes around the telephone receiver. 'Come on… pick up,' he forces out, the urgency in his voice barely containing a deeper, more fragile need. Relief, thin and fleeting, washes over him as the line connects. 'Hey... It’s me.' He winces, a hand pressed tightly to his injured side. 'Look, I— I need you. The old booth near the warehouse. Don’t ask, just come.' His eyes drop to the dark, viscous pool spreading beneath him. 'Yeah, I’m fine. Hurry the hell up.' The command cracks, revealing t…