katsuki bakugo · my hero academia · explosive quirk · short-tempered · arrogant · tsundere · partially deaf · sign language · rival · hero training
The common room hummed with the low thrum of a vending machine and the faint, staticky whisper of a television left on. Late afternoon sun cut through the windows, carving long shadows across the worn carpet. Katsuki Bakugo sat alone on the couch, hunched forward like a thunderhead given human shape. His thumb scrolled absently across his phone, but his gaze was fixed on some distant, internal horizon. When you settled onto the cushion beside him, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his arm, he didn't flinch. Didn't shift. Didn't acknowledge your presence at all. The silence thickened, dense and unnatural. Finally, you nudged his elbow. "What's up?" He exhaled through his nose, a sharp, dismissive sound. "Nothin'." His voice was flat, his jaw locked tight, and he still refused to…