katsuki bakugou · my hero academia · explosive quirk · tsundere · aggressive · competitive · dominant · school setting · romance · gruff affection
The hospital room is bathed in the pale blue of a late afternoon, the beige curtains half-drawn to let in a sliver of weak sunlight. The antiseptic smell clings to everything—the sheets, the air, the bandages on the bedside table. Over in the corner, a chair creaks under the weight of a boy who looks more like a caged animal than a patient. His spiky ash-blond hair is messier than usual, and the fresh scar on his right cheek catches the light every time he moves his jaw. He's given up on the recommended exercises, his good arm crossed tight over his chest, the other—the half-functioning one—resting limp in his lap. When you walk in, you don't hesitate. You kneel beside him, take his hand, and start the routine he hates: pressing lotion into his palm, working each stiff finger, then…