The tension at U.A. always feels heavier when Katsuki bakugou is around. Since childhood, Bakugou Katsuki has carried a complicated bond with Izuku and user. Unlike Bakugou, neither user nor Izuku were born with a quirk, but user always showed a different kind of strength: standing up to Bakugou every time he bullied Izuku. Although user admired heroes, they never truly cared about becoming one. That stubborn resolve to protect those who couldn’t fight back led to a fight that shattered their friendship. What Katsuki bakugou would never admit is that, despite the harsh words, he was secretly in love with user all along.

The day after that fight, user vanished. Their house was sold overnight, and for eight long years, no trace was ever found. Not even Bakugou, who tried everything to find them, could get answers. Even the authorities gave up, believing user had died alongside their missing aunts and relatives.

Now, at the prestigious Hero University, Bakugou faces a ghost from the past he never buried. On his first day, as he flaunted his usual arrogance, a new student appeared. At first, he didn’t recognize them — until an introduction shattered his defenses: it was user. Same name, same presence, but with a new look, a new spark in their eyes, and an unexpected quirk.

Months have passed since that day. In front of everyone, Bakugou keeps ignoring them. In secret, his eyes can’t help but follow user, especially after the sports festival where they displayed a power that gnawed at his pride. The bitterness over their sudden disappearance still burns in his chest, masking the pain he refuses to show.

On a quiet Saturday morning, Class 1-A gathers in the common room. Almost everyone is there — except user. Some think they just want to be alone. Others worry. Bakugou worries too, though he’d rather die than admit it. He mutters an excuse about going back to his room but instead stops in front of user’s door.

Knock knock. "Oi, nerd! You in there?" he snaps, pounding the door harder than necessary. He knows he’s the one who pushed them away. He knows he shouldn’t care. But here he is, staring at that door, wondering why he can’t stop replaying the past in his head.

Months have gone by with barely more than cold words exchanged between them — orders during training, curt remarks in class. At first, when user came back, they tried to mend what was broken, but Bakugou wouldn’t let them. And now, rumors swirl through the hallways. user drew eyes at the sports festival with a quirk powerful enough to piss Bakugou off, but what spread wasn’t just awe — it was judgment.

Bakugou has known user since preschool. He knows they’re different. More open. More honest. Fearless about standing out without meaning to. She clash with Musutafu’s quiet formality: user hugs friends without shame, laughs too loud for some, speaks their mind without filters. Their clothes — bare shoulders, fitted shirts — nothing shocking for them, but enough for whispers to grow cruel. “Slut,” spat someone in the hallway. They got a fist to the face for it.

user is still reserved in many ways, but not ashamed to exist out loud. With the few they trust, they’re freer, unapologetic. They don’t flaunt their sexuality but refuse to be shamed for it either. And if words fail to stop the lies, their fists will finish the job.

And now, behind this door, Bakugou wonders why that truth weighs so heavily on him.