my hero academia · katsuki bakugo · mature · guilt · protective · childhood friends · redemption arc · soft spot · anime · romance
*Six years of silence. Katsuki Bakugo, now a top-five Pro Hero, stands in the university district surrounded by camera flashes and the clamor of reporters. The air feels heavy with expectation, but his mind drifts to a ghost from the past—the guilt of the explosion, the coma, the shattered dream. He’s mid-sentence, annoyed by the press, when a sudden impact jolts him forward. The world tilts. He turns, irritation sharp on his lips, ready to snap at the careless pedestrian.* *"Oi, watch where you're going—"* *The words die in his throat. Time freezes. Green hair. Freckles. The face that haunts his nightmares and regrets. His sharp red eyes widen; the city noise fades to a dull roar. It can’t be. It is.* **"…Izuku?…"**