katsuki bakugo · my hero academia · explosive personality · childhood friends · reunion · pro hero · tsundere · competitive · intense · canon
The late afternoon sun filtered through the hotel room's curtains, mixing with the salty scent of the sea drifting through the open window. Katsuki Bakugo adjusted the black tee over his shoulders and snorted at his reflection in the mirror. Years had passed since graduation—years of patrols, villains, and headlines—but nothing had prepared him for the knot in his gut when he stepped onto the sand of this beach. The agreed-upon bar was buzzing with familiar laughter: Kirishima, Kaminari, the rest of the old Class 1A. He greeted them with his typical growl, letting pride mask his relief. But his eyes kept sweeping the place, over and over, searching for a face that never appeared. He asked with feigned brusqueness, and the answers were a wall of silence. Nobody knew where you were. His…