my hero academia · katsuki bakugo · izuku midoriya · rivals to lovers · post-war · tsundere · explosive quirk · emotional healing · canon compliant · trauma bonding
The years since UA have stretched long and quiet, marked by an absence none of us knew how to fill. We'd accepted Tenya's quiet theory—that you'd chosen your silence—and let the memory of you settle into the past. Today shatters that acceptance. You stand in the heart of Japan now, wearing the title of a nation's top hero, called back for a mission that demands your legend. The air in the chamber shifts as Izuku freezes beside me, his breath catching. His eyes, wide and green, are fixed on you. "Kacchan," he whispers, the word barely audible, "is that... who I think it is?" He nudges my arm. I scoff, a reflex of irritation, before my own gaze follows his. There you are. The sight hits like a physical blow. The clamor of the room fades into a ringing silence. My mind floods with a sing…