Return To You

Summary:After the press conference, Deku and Bakugou face the storm together—but not everyone reacts with support. When a villain targets them out in the field, things take a deadly turn, and Bakugou is forced to confront just how much Izuku means to him—publicly or not.

U.A. Dormitory – A Few Days Later

Their names were trending for the fourth day in a row.

#MidoriyaAndBakugou#ProHeroPowerCouple#ExplosiveRomance

Izuku scrolled through the headlines with tired eyes. Some were sweet. Some were grossly invasive. And some—

Well, some were cruel.

"Quirk Bias and the Rise of Hero Favoritism: Is U.A. Pushing a Gay Agenda?""Explosion and Sympathy: How Bakugou Is Using Midoriya's Popularity to Rehab His Image."

Izuku exhaled and shut his phone off.

Across the room, Bakugou sat in the window frame, hood up, jaw tight.

"They're picking you apart," Izuku said quietly.

Bakugou didn't look up. "They're picking you apart. I can take it."

Izuku stood and crossed the room. "We're not doing that thing again where you protect me by pushing me away."

Bakugou scoffed. "Didn't say I was pushing."

Izuku sat beside him. "You're seething. I can hear it."

Bakugou didn't deny it.

Finally, he muttered, "They don't know you."

"Then let them watch us prove them wrong."

Bakugou's hand found his under the blanket.

Not flashy. Not dramatic.

But there.

Downtown Hosu – Provisional Patrol Assignment

They were only supposed to observe. A week-long program, shadowing local heroes in the field.

No combat. No danger.

But villains don't read rulebooks.

Izuku and Bakugou were on a routine patrol when it hit: a sudden explosion, a collapsing overpass, civilians screaming.

"Move!" Bakugou shouted, already in the air, catching falling debris mid-blast.

Izuku followed, arms glowing with green lightning.

But then he saw it—a figure in the smoke.

Grinning. Watching them.

And holding a stolen support item that shimmered with unstable energy.

"I came for the lovebirds!" the villain cackled. "Let's see what breaks first—his quirk, or his heart!"

He aimed the weapon straight at Bakugou.

Izuku didn't think. He moved.

One for All surged, and he was in front of Bakugou in a flash—taking the hit full force.

The blast threw him into the side of a delivery truck, shattering the windshield.

"DEKU!" Bakugou's scream split the air.

Everything went red.

Five Minutes Later

The villain was down.

Bakugou's fist was cracked and bloody from punching through a concrete barrier to get to him. The cops said he used "excessive force." Bakugou told them to shut the hell up.

Izuku lay dazed on a stretcher, coughing but conscious.

"You're an idiot," Bakugou hissed, crouched beside him. "You don't get to throw yourself in front of me."

"I saw him aim," Izuku said hoarsely. "I wasn't gonna risk—"

"I'd rather take a damn hit than lose you!"

The medics froze. Civilians stared.

Bakugou didn't care anymore.

"I don't care if cameras are on," he said, gripping Izuku's hand. "I don't care what they write. If they try to use you to hurt me, I'll burn the world down before I let it happen."

Izuku smiled faintly, bruised but alive. "Then we protect each other."

Bakugou pressed his forehead to his. "Always."

That Night – News Recap

The headline read:"Midoriya Injured While Saving Bakugou — Hero Couple Defends Each Other on the Field"

And the quote from a witness at the scene?

"If that's what love looks like… maybe we need more of it in hero society."