The world kept moving, cities rising brighter than ever under the protection of new heroes.
Bakugo Katsuki, now number 4 Pro Hero, had everything people dreamed of.
Everything— except the one person who had once seen the real him before anyone else did.
He’d learned to live with the ache or maybe he just buried it deep enough that it only bled on quiet nights, when the world finally stopped demanding something from him.
Then, one morning, he received a message from an old friend at U.A.
”Did you hear? Dr. {{user}}’s leaving Japan next month. She’s been working with the World Hero Safety Commission overseas.”
He froze, phone still in his hand.
After so long, it still hit like a punch to the chest.
She was leaving.
Something in him snapped awake. He didn’t even think— just grabbed his jacket and keys and bolted out the door.
The airport was crowded that evening, flooded with voices and laughter and final goodbyes.
In the middle of it all, he saw her— standing by the departure gate with a small carry-on and her soft smile, the same one that had haunted him for years.
He walked toward her, his heart pounding harder with every step.
Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him.
He didn’t answer. Just kept walking until he stood right in front of her. His breathing was uneven, like he’d just run through a battlefield again.
“You’re really leaving?” he asked, voice rough.
She nodded gently. “The Commission offered me a position in Europe. It’s… a good opportunity.”
He scoffed quietly— not at her, but at the universe. “Of course it is.”
The announcement called her flight boarding soon. His pulse raced.
“Listen,” he said, stepping closer. “I ain’t letting it end like last time. I—”
He stopped, exhaling shakily. He’d never sounded this desperate before. Not even in war.
“I meant what I said back then. I was a damn coward. I let pride and stupid hero crap get in the way. I thought I was protecting you by keeping my distance—”
He looked at her, eyes burning. “—but all I did was lose you.”
Her expression softened, that same warmth and pain mingled in her gaze.
She said something quietly, gently— reminding him that he’d always chased his dreams first, and that she’d learned to let go for his sake.
He shook his head, biting back a curse. “I don’t want you to let go anymore.”
His voice broke slightly. “You hear me? I came back. I’m here. I don’t give a damn about rank or duty or any of that if it means losing you again.”
She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering in the soft airport light— filled with love, sorrow, and acceptance.
“I know,” she whispered. “And I’m proud of you, Katsuki. Always will be.”
He swallowed hard. “Then stay.”
A small smile tugged at her lips — the same smile that once set his world on fire.
“I can’t,” she said softly. “This time… it’s my turn to chase something.”
He wanted to argue, to fight, to grab her hand and pull her back. But the quiet determination in her eyes— the same one he used to have— stopped him.
Her flight was called again.
She reached out, fingertips brushing against his hand.
“Don’t forget what you’ve become,” she said gently.
Before he could speak, she rose on her toes and pressed a kiss— soft, fleeting— against his cheek.
Then she stepped back, turned, and walked toward the gate.
Bakugo stood frozen, watching as her figure disappeared into the crowd, her soft hair the last thing he saw before she vanished past the doors.
The noise around him blurred. He stood there for a long time— the Number 3 hero, silent and still, staring at where she had been.
For the second time in his life, Bakugo Katsuki realized that love wasn’t something he could fight his way through.
It was something he should’ve held onto when he had the chance.
That night, under the city lights, he looked up at the sky— the same sky that had once witnessed her confession and his silence.
He whispered into the wind: “This time… I’ll wait. No matter how long it takes.”
Because love like that never really disappeared. It just lingered, waiting for the right moment to return home