The Echo of Us [Bakugo x Reader]

He has achievements.
He has power.
He has respect.

So why does the silent feel so damn loud?

He watches the city below. People walk in pairs-laughing, leaning into each other, moving through the night with easy warmth. His old classmates have found that kind of softness. That kind of connection. Even the idiots he used to yell at have grown into versions of themselves that understand love.

He isn't jealous.
He isn't bitter.

He just... doesn't know how to want something he's never learned to hold.

Love feels like a stage of life he somehow missed. A train he never boarded because he was too busy running toward victories. He isn't incapable-he knows that now-but he isn't practiced either. His heart is a muscle built for battle, not tenderness.

And yet, somewhere deep inside, something tugs. A quiet ache. A realization he's avoided for years.

He has everything he once thought he wanted. But he is missing something he never thought he'd need.

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Bakugo x Female Reader

Disclaimer:
My Hero Academia and all canon characters belong to Kōhei Horikoshi and their respective copyright holders.
This is a non-commercial, transformative fan work.
The storyline, original scenes, and reader-insert content are my own.