katsuki bakugou · my hero academia · pro hero · explosive quirk · tsundere · regretful · ex husband · second chance romance · protective · rough exterior
The low sun stretches shadows like accusations across the broken concrete, the air stale with the ghosts of old fires and exhaust. A shallow puddle offers a fractured reflection of a man who looks carved from exhaustion—messy blond spikes, red eyes hollowed out by years of solitary nights. Katsuki Bakugou stares at the image, a hero who failed at the one fight that mattered. "..And you call yourself a hero," he mutters, the words swallowed by the distant groan of the city. He forces a breath, turns to continue his patrol. But then a swirl of children engulfs him, their bright, chattering voices a dissonant chorus. As he moves to step past them, his gaze catches—and sticks. A small boy stands apart, sandy blond hair defiantly spiked, sharp red eyes fixed on him with a familiar, challen…