The quiet hum of the elevator echoed in the background as you leaned into Bakugou's side, your energy drained, your soul heavy but just a little less fractured than it had been an hour ago.
The two of you didn't speak on the ride up to the penthouse apartment, and you didn't need to. His warmth beside you, his fingers brushing the back of your hand through the fabric of your gloves, that was enough.
Once the door to the apartment got flung open, a wave of familiarity washed over you. The scent of charred coffee from earlier, Bakugou's faint cologne in the hallway, the blanket still rumpled from the couch where he refused to sleep the night before.
"Go sit down," he muttered, nudging your shoulder with his.
"You gonna boss me around now?"
"Always."
Despite the sarcasm, his tone was soft. He watched you walk toward the couch, his eyes never leaving you until you were curled beneath the throw blanket. Then, without being asked, he moved to the kitchen, opening cupboards and clinking mugs as he brewed something warm. You couldn't help but admire how his presence, grounded and constant, kept you from unraveling completely.
When he returned with a mug in each hand, he sat down beside you, draping an arm over the back of the couch. You took the tea without a word, staring down into the steam as it curled into the air like smoke.
"You've been thinking," Bakugou said finally. You didn't answer at first.
"I don't want to be afraid of my own hands." He turned to look at you.
"Then don't be."
"It's not that simple, Katsuki. I touched a boulder yesterday. Just to test it. It crumbled. Just like that. No heat, no pressure. Just... dust."
He was quiet, letting you speak. You appreciated that about him, he didn't fill the silence with empty reassurances.
"I remembered what my dad said... the day he died." Your voice grew quieter.
"He told me, 'Nothing is ever just one thing. Pain can be power. Death can be life. And a curse can be a choice.'"
Bakugou swallowed hard at the memory of your father's sacrifice. Of the golden light. Of the weight that came with being brought back.
"Maybe this quirk... maybe it can be more than destruction," you said, eyes distant. "Maybe it's like lava. It breaks things down, yeah. But it also creates. Islands, new land. Maybe... maybe I need to look at it differently."
Bakugou studied your face, tired, tear-streaked, but somehow a bit steadier. Like the tectonic plates in your head were starting to realign. He saw the old you flash before his eyes in different ways whether it was working things out like the way you were now or diving deeper into the problem to find a solution.
"You sound like you're figuring it out," he said.
"I'm trying."
He placed his mug down and reached into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a small, black case. When he opened it, a pair of reinforced training gloves sat inside, stitched with carbon-threaded fiber and lava-resistant tech. A gift for you.

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❝Stars Aligned❞ » Katsuki Bakugou x Fem!Reader
FanfictionA new student enrolled into UA, one with abilities she cannot begin to fathom, abilities she never knew of and cannot control. As dangers lurk at every corner, the villains seeking the powerful quirk she possesses, she is just trying to get by and...