The air reeked of smoke and molten steel. Sirens screamed through the chaos, mixing with the thunderous rumble of a skyscraper on the verge of collapse. Bakugo Katsuki shot through the battlefield like a meteor, palms sparkling, every muscle thrumming with the familiar surge of nitroglycerin sweat igniting against his skin.

“Move it, you extra!” He barked at the crowd below, blasting debris apart before it could crush fleeing civilians. His sharp eyes darted upward— just in time to see the building give way, concrete and steel bending like wet paper.

And then he saw her.

High above, a figure fell out of the crumbling structure, her scream piercing the air as the force of the collapse ripped her from the window. She flailed, weightless for a terrifying moment, before gravity claimed her.

“Shit.” Without thinking, Bakugo blasted upward, launching himself faster than gravity could pull her down. Each blast cracked through the air like artillery, his body cutting a burning trail through the smoke. The heat from his explosions curled against his arms, but he didn’t stop— he couldn’t .

Her wide eyes caught his for a fleeting second as she fell, strands of her hair whipping violently against her face. Time seemed to stretch in that instant: the chaos of the city dulled, the shouts faded, and all that existed was her, plummeting, and him, clawing through the sky to reach her. “Got you!”

He slammed into her midair, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist, cradling the back of her head with the other. Her breath hitched, warm against his throat, but there was no time to savor it— momentum yanked them both earthward like a missile.

Bakugo twisted his body mid-fall, slipping until his back was beneath hers. His palms flared violently, detonating against the empty air in bursts that slowed their descent, each one rattling his bones, scorching his gloves. The ground rushed up to meet them.

“Hold on!” He growled, even through she was already clutching onto him as if her life depended on him. The final explosion roared beneath them, scorching the air in a shockwave that sent dust and sparks spiraling. He took the burnt of the impact, landing hard on his back, the ground splintering beneath the force. Pain shot up his spine but his grip on her never faltered. He shielded her body with his own until the world finally stilled around them. Smoke drifted in slow curls. The city was chaos, but in that small space between them, it was silent.

Bakugo’s chest heaved as he sucked in air, his heart pounding like a war drum. He looked down, expecting panic and tears. But instead— he froze. The girl blinked up at him, lips parted in disbelief, her eyes shimmering even through the haze of dust and smoke. Her features were delicate but striking, framed by messy strands of hair. She wasn’t just beautiful— she was breathtaking. The kind of beauty that punched the air out of his lungs harder than any villain ever had.

For a second, Bakugo forgot about the collapsing skyline, the screaming sirens, even the ache in his back. He could only stare, heat spreading across his chest that had nothing to do with his quirk. “Y-You saved me.” She whispered, her voice soft, shaking, but threaded with awe. He swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry, his scowl softening despite himself. “Damn right I did.” Her hand, trembling, pressed against his chest, right over his racing heart. The contact sent a jolt through him like a live wire.

And just like that— it hit him. Katsuki Bakugo, the unrelenting, fire-tempered Pro Hero Dynamight, felt the world shift beneath him in a way that had nothing to do with explosions or villain attacks.

He’d found her. The girl who made him believe in love at first sight.