Izuku Midoriya has always loved Katsuki Bakugo, but not in the way the world loves a hero. He loved him loud and starstruck, but quietly. Constantly. In a way that never asked for anything back.
After a brutal breakup with someone he thought he'd spend his life with, Bakugo is raw, withdrawn, and colder than ever. Izuku knows better than to hope. But still, he stays. Still, he shows up. Still, he waits for something. Anything. To shift between them.
As the two grow closer in the quiet spaces between heartbreak and healing, their bond deepens into something unspoken. Something fragile. Something that might be love... if only either of them were brave enough to say it.
But love, like silence, can't hold forever.
And when the end comes, will it be with shouting and fireworks? Or will it be with the soft sound of a door closing, and the echo of things left unsaid?