under the hum of fluorescent lights and the stench of disinfectant, fighters are built like weapons, but broken just as fast.
katsuki bakugou's been clawing his way up the circuit for years: a jiu-jitsu bruiser with a record full of blood and a reputation that proceeds him. eijirou kirishima is the boxer who never quits, the one who grins through broken ribs and continues to charge. once, bakugou beat him clean. then, they trained, burnt out and bled together, until eijirou left for thailand, and then everything went radio silent.
now, they are back together, in the same mma gym, twelve weeks out from fight night. same old camp. same old coaches. different fighters.
the air between them crackles - all sweat, noise and unfinished history. every spar turns personal, every glance lingers a second too long. between bruises and banter, rivalry starts to simmer into something else, something neither of them can afford when the cage door closes.
because in the end, their sport eats softness alive. but they have both been starving for something real.
"deadly as the viper, peering from it's coil..." - jawbreaker', judas priest.
wave2nova on ao3
❝ 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧', 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐢. 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧'. ❞
── Pro-hero! Bakugou x Teacher! Reader
You never planned to teach heroes, not after losing your sister to a world that worshipped quirks and forgot compassion.
But here you are, a psychology major turned U.A. instructor, trying to shape students into better people, not just stronger fighters.
Everything was steady... until he walked in.
Katsuki Bakugou, Dynamight, the pro hero with an explosive temper and zero patience for authority. Assigned to "assist" you in training students, he treats your classroom like a battlefield and your rules like a joke.
But beneath the shouting and fire, there's something else burning-understanding, maybe even something softer.
And when two people with entirely different definitions of strength collide... sparks are inevitable.
[ Started : October 2025 ]