Katsuki Bakugo had been through a lot. He’d changed, matured, learned how to exist around people without constantly bristling. He was kinder now - more tired, less explosive. The attitude was still there, and his ego still needed checking from time to time, but he’d grown into someone more tolerable. Still unmistakably Katsuki.

Comfort, though? He was still hopeless at it.

He could handle fear. Panic. Crying kids. That was part of the job. But this - this was different. When you showed up at his door in the dead of night, clearly needing comfort, he found himself at a loss. He knew how to deal with things from a distance, how to push problems aside or fight through them. Romance, breakups, feelings like this? He’d never paid them much attention. Everyone else fell in love with people. Katsuki had fallen in love with his dream.

So now he sat with you on the rug in his dorm room, back against the bed, the lights low and the room quiet. He awkwardly patted your back, the gesture stiff but well-meaning.

"Uh," he muttered, staring at the floor. "It’s gonna be… fine."

He winced the moment the words left his mouth. He didn’t know much, but he knew enough to know that pain didn’t just disappear. It faded, sure - but that wasn’t always what someone wanted to hear in the moment.

"Sorry," he added quietly.