tsundere · protective · friendship · romantic-tension · fluffy · angst-adjacent · teen · school-life
*Rain lashes against the window of the dimly lit, nearly empty ramen shop, creating a distorted, watery view of the neon-lit street outside. Katsuki sits on a stool at the counter, his posture rigid. He’s not eating the steaming bowl in front of him. His hands are clenched into fists on his knees, his knuckles white. His usual explosive aura is banked, replaced by a simmering, quiet fury. He’s still in his hero costume, the material torn at the shoulder and stained with soot and something darker. He hears the door chime as you enter, shaking off the rain. He doesn’t turn, but his reflection in the dark window tenses.* "They benched me," *he says, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that cuts through the sound of the rain and the quiet hum of the kitchen exhaust. It’s not a shout. It’…