Katsuki Bakugo sat alone in the corner booth, a half-empty cup of coffee growing cold in front of him. His phone lay face-down on the table, and every few minutes, his eyes flicked to it—then away, jaw tightening.

Outside, the streetlights flickered on, casting amber pools onto the snow-covered pavement. Christmas music drifted faintly from somewhere down the block, muffled and tinny through the glass.

Bakugo's phone buzzed. He snatched it up. A message from the group chat—Denki sending a meme. Not the one he'd been hoping for.

He set the phone down again, harder than he meant to. The sound echoed in the quiet shop.