Let me protect you [Little Sh*t Part 7]

Bakugou wasn't even sure how it had happened. One minute they'd been walking through the gates after grabbing a late breakfast, and the next minute sirens had been blaring. The heroes were on top of them instantly, shielding them from the chaos, and as Bakugou struggled to drag Midoriya away, he'd felt the hand in his turn ice cold.

"Deku?" he asked, voice oddly quiet.

"I'm okay," Midoriya assured him, his smile wobbly. "J-Just- Let's go to the dorms, okay?"

When he heard the familiar cackle behind them, the heroes already dragging him away as he yelled nonsense, Bakugou finally understood. And when Midoriya's grip went limp, his steps slowing considerably, Bakugou caught him in his arms.

"Did he get you, nerd?" he asked uselessly, pulling a face. "How the fuck? I didn't even see him."

He hauled the limp body up, draping him halfway over a shoulder, and carted him over the threshold to finish their journey.

"Bakugou!" Ashido yelled, as soon as he arrived. "Did you hear?! Aizawa just told us that kid-villain is-"

"They were capturing him outside," Bakugou nodded. "I think Deku got hit, I didn't even see it."

"He looks pretty normal," she mused, eyeing him over. "Maybe a bit smaller?"

Bakugou glanced down at him, nodding faintly as he conceded that yes, the nerd was a little shorter, and much, much skinnier. He'd beefed up a ton since they started high school, which meant the quirk must have brought him back to-

Oh, no.

"Hey," Bakugou said softly, as he laid the body across the couch and settled a cushion under his mop of curls. "We're friends, right?"

"What?! Of course, Blasty! I'm so happy to hear you say-"

"Do me a favour," he cut her off. "Stay here with him. Be nice to him. I'm gonna send Round-Face down or some shit to help."

"Don't you want to-"

"Remember that day of hell you had with me?" he asked flatly. "This is the Deku who only knows me like that."

"Oh," Ashido said softly, face falling. "Okay, give us a minute to talk. I'll explain everything to him."

"Thank you. I'll send some people to help."

"I'll text Uraraka," she offered. "Send Kirishima down too, okay?"

"Sure."

"It'll be fine, Bakugou. It'll be over again soon."

"Yeah."

He trudged up to his bedroom, knocking on Kirishima's door on his way by, and the moment he opened up his face turned serious. Bakugou must have looked real bad, if Kirishima reacted to it so quickly.

"Deku got hit again," he explained. "He's, like, fourteenish."

"Oh, dude, I'm sorry," Kirishima understood immediately, planting a solid hand on his shoulder. "I'll go talk to him, it'll be alright."

"Just take care of him, okay? It'll wear off soon, I can survive two days of him hating me as long as he's safe and relatively happy."

"But-"

"Kirishima, please."

The hallway fell silent, and Kirishima conceded a nod, taking his hand back slowly.

"I'll do my best, bro. Don't beat yourself up over this."

He closed himself in his room, and Kirishima hurried downstairs to the common room, watching as Midoriya slowly sat up on the cushions. Everything about him was so small, so frail, and Kirishima just wanted to wrap him in a big, tight hug.

"Hey, bud," Kirishima grinned. "Good morning!"

"W-Where am I?" he asked nervously, wide eyes darting around the room. "Are you- Do I know you?"

"Yeah!" Ashido grinned. "I'm Ashido Mina, that's Kirishima Eijirou. We're your classmates! There's this weird quirk going around where people get, like, de-aged? So I know you don't remember us, and that's okay!"

"We're at U.A. high school," Kirishima continued. "You've been our classmate since the beginning! Your quirk is super cool, and you're the most hard-working and dedicated guy I know! If you need help with anything, just let me know, okay?"

"M-My quirk?"

"Yeah! It's amazing! You didn't have much control when we started, but you're incredible now! Total badass!"

"O-Oh. Uh... Kirishima," Midoriya repeated softly. "And Ashido?"

"Right!"

"Th-Thank you. Um, I'm just... I'm really tired, I'm not sure I understand. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry! We just want to- Oh! Uraraka!"

Midoriya looked over his shoulder when the pair grinned, surprised to see a small girl with a huge smile coming their way, doing his best to return to expression.

"Deku-kun, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"D-Deku?" he asked, his face falling a little. "Um, th-that's-"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! That was a mean nickname, right? Um, you kind of changed what it meaned and used it as- you know what? It doesn't matter! It's good to see you, Midoriya! I'm Uraraka Ochako, you're my best friend! Is there anything you want to know right now?"

"Um, I kind of just- I want to go home and sleep, I'm sorry."

"Oh! Actually, we live in the dorms on campus!" She gestured to the building around them, and Midoriya's smile wavered. "I'm sure Kirishima could take you up to your room, right?"

"Yeah, of course!" he agreed, offering Midoriya a hand to help him up. "Take a nap, and we can fill you in on everything when you wake up!"

"The quirk only lasts a couple of days," Uraraka assured him. "It'll be over before you know it! This actually isn't the first time, did the others mention?"

"Y-Yeah, kind of," he nodded. "I don't remember it."

"This villain – if you can really call him that, he's more asshole than villain – he decided he didn't like you because you helped put him in jail. So he's been showing up and hitting you and Bakugou with his quirk. Kirishima too, the other day! And All Might and Aizawa-sensei before that, and some other heroes too, it's been kind of a mess! But you're safe here, I promise! Oh, speaking of Aizawa-sensei!"

"Midoriya," the tall man spoke, his voice low and almost frighteningly serious. "My apologies, I was under the impression that the heroes had it handled, but he must have slipped through their defenses. I'm sure your friends have filled you in?"

"Y-Yeah," he nodded awkwardly, ducking his gaze. "Um, I know we live on campus, but I- I-"

"Yes?"

"I want to go home," he admitted, blushing. "C-Can I go stay with my Mom until this is over? I'm sorry."

"Of course," Aizawa nodded. "I have to fill out some incident reports, and I may need you to sign some things, but then you are free to go home. I'll call your mother as soon as I've finished the paperwork and then I'll escort you home."

"Can't I just-"

"It's not safe for me to release you on your own at this time, I apologise." He turned to look at the group surrounding them, considering each of them in turn. "Do any of you know the way to his house from here?"

Midoriya looked up at his classmates for an answer, eyes a little watery.

"Bakugou does," Kirishima mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck when Midoriya tensed up. "Midoriya, how about me and Bakugou both go with you? We'll protect you, if anything happens."

"K-Kacchan?" he asked, his voice barely a squeak. "Go out of his way to h-help me? He wouldn't."

"He will, I can ask him right now."

He pulled out his phone before Midoriya could even really process the words, the long, low ring echoing through the room.

"What, Shitty-Hair?" the familiar voice grumbled. "You lose him already?"

"Hi, Bakubro! You're on speakerphone!" he grinned, practically hearing Bakugou regret his words. "Midoriya has decided he wants to go home until it wears off, but none of us know where he lives! I thought you and I could take him and then come back together, yeah? We're not meant to travel alone right now."

"Oh. Yeah. Uh, give me a sec," Bakugou agreed, and the group heard shuffling on the other end of the line. "I'll be right down."

By the time he hung up, Bakugou was already at the elevators, and despite the look of fear on Midoriya's face, he was with them in moments.

"Hey, nerd," he said softly, keeping a safe distance. "You ready to go?"

"Y-Yeah," he squeaked, jumping to his feet. "Th-Thanks, K-Kacchan."

"No problem."

Uraraka wrapped Midoriya in her arms, giving him one last big hug and making him promise to text if he needed anything, and then Kirishima's hand was on his back, guiding him to the door.

"We'll take good care of him!" he promised. "Don't miss us too much!"

"If anything happens to him, you're dead to us!" Ashido returned with the same brightness, her smile oddly menacing. "Take care, Midoriya!"

Kirishima chattered away happily as they walked toward the station, still keeping close to Midoriya's side in hopes of reassuring him, but Bakugou just walked two steps ahead, leading the way down to the right platform to wait for the next train.

"Six minutes," he informed them, as he glanced over the list of coming arrivals. "Come sit."

He fell onto a bench to wait, sitting right at one end in case Midoriya wanted to keep his distance, and Kirishima teared up a little when he saw a silver band around Bakugou's finger, resting in his lap.

"This isn't the first time you've gone home to your mother after weird shit happened," Bakugou spoke up, as Midoriya sat down nervously across the bench. "She didn't want you to come back, last time."

"W-What?"

"You told me, after. You argued with her, told her you wanted to come back. All Might begged her on your behalf. Good thing you've got such a good hero on your side."

"Y-Yeah, um, wow."

"All Might is such a good guy," Kirishima laughed, dropping between them on the seat and hoping it might make Midoriya feel a little safer. "He took a real liking to you! Must be a dream come true, right? With what a fanboy you are?"

"I guess so," he mumbled, ducking his head. "I d-don't r-remember."

"Every time this happened to you, when you met him again, you cried," Bakugou smirked. "Three times he met little toddler Deku and watched him blubber because he was so happy to meet his hero."

"Three?"

"Mm-hm," Kirishima nodded, counting off on his fingers. "You were a screaming little toddler, the first time. Then you were like six? You and Bakugou both got hit, so you were this cute little kiddy-duo getting into trouble. And last time was me and you, we were really young again. You saved my life!"

"I- I did?"

"Yeah! You were amazing, dude. I can't thank you enough."

"I'm g-glad I could help. U-Um, w-why didn't my Mom take care of me?"

"Because you couldn't possibly let go of your Kacchan for two days," Kirishima teased, ruffling Bakugou's hair. "He was such a good boy, taking care of you!"

"Get off me, Shitty-Hair," Bakugou scowled, shoving him off with little effort. "Who else was gonna stop the kid from screaming?"

"I'm so sorry," Midoriya sniffed hard, tears finding their way out despite his best efforts. "I must have been such a burden on you all."

"Nah, you were the cutest!" Kirishima grinned, clapping him on the back. "I have photos still!"

He dug out his phone, and despite a sharp glare, Bakugou didn't stop him.

"You cried and insisted you needed to wear his costume," Kirishima grinned, showing him a photo of little Midoriya dressed in a black and orange tank top. "So you got to be Lord Explosion Murder for the rest of the night."

He flipped through photos of Midoriya playing with his classmates, all of them grinning from ear to ear, a black mask slipping down Midoriya's face.

"But then you got tired and just wanted cuddles."

Midoriya tensed up when he saw himself buried in Bakugou's lap, hiding his face in the cushions, but still Bakugou didn't say a word.

"You weren't in the way, I promise."

"Th-Thank you. And u-um, K- K- Um, B-Bakugou? Thank you f-for taking care of me."

"Haah?" Bakugou scowled, watching Midoriya shrink a little. "What's this Bakugou shit?"

"Aww, he's not your Kacchan anymore?" Kirishima teased.

"S-Sorry? I didn't think you'd like it..."

"Sounds stupid, from your mouth," Bakugou pouted, his cheeks flushed a little pink. "I only wanna hear that shitty nickname, everything else sounds weird."

"O-Okay, Kacchan."

When the train pulled into the station, Bakugou stood up, nodding them toward it faintly.

"This is us. Come on, it'll take us a while."

The trio fell silent again when they sat, a lot closer together this time but still with Kirishima in the middle as a barrier.

"U.A. has been your dream since you were a little kid," Bakugou pointed out quietly, staring out the window. "You even have All Might there to learn from. I know it's scary and shit, not remembering anything, I had to do it before too, but I'm surprised you don't want to even try."

"I don't know anyone there, and I'm tired, and-"

"And you're making a whole lot of excuses," Bakugou finished for him. "You know she might not let you come back, right? If you show up all freaked out about this quirk, which is frankly the least weird thing that has happened since we started school, she's gonna panic and not let you come back when everything goes back to normal."

"What?!" Kirishima demanded. "Bakugou, stop trying to scare him! It's okay, Midoriya, we understand if it's too much for you!"

"I got kidnapped," Bakugou said bluntly, finally meeting Midoriya's fearful gaze. "You two shitheads and your little buddies came, against police orders, to rescue me. God I fuckin' hate that word."

"You were kidnapped," Midoriya said breathlessly, staring into the stern rubies aimed his way. "Were you hurt?"

"No, they fuckin' thought I would join them."

"You?" Midoriya asked, disbelieving. "I know you yell a lot, but a villain? You don't even let your friends smoke around you because you're scared you'll get in trouble by association!"

"I'm not scared of anything, you piece of shit!" Bakugou glared, blushing when Kirishimna laughed. "Don't give me that bull!"

"When was the last time you stayed up past nine p.m., Kacchan?"

"Shut the hell up!"

To Kirishima's amazement, Midoriya smiled.

Bakugou pouted, huffing quietly, and for a moment the train car fell silent again.

"I don't want you to lose out on your dream because of something so stupid," Bakugou mumbled, Midoriya's head jerking up to look over at him. "Let me protect you."

"W-What?"

Kirishima excused himself in a hurry, ducking into the next train car, and Midoriya could only sit frozen, staring at his old childhood friend, grown to be much bigger, bulkier, stronger, than he had ever imagined.

"I know I've done some shitty stuff to you," Bakugou said sincerely, turning to face him. "And I'm sorry for that. We're friends again now, proper rivals in class, and I promise I'll never bully you ever again. You know that, in the future. You've forgiven me, for some insane and probably ridiculous reason. And I know that's not you, yet. I know you don't remember any of the things we've been through. But I promise I will never let anyone hurt you, Deku."

Bakugou fidgeted with the ring around his finger, as he waited, and Midoriya's eyes dropped to watch it awkwardly.

"I know that ring," he said faintly, cringing a little. "I... Did I see it before? When this happened?"

"Yeah," he nodded, sliding it off his finger and pushing it across the seat to Midoriya. "It belongs to you."

"T-To me? W-Why are you wearing it, Kacchan?"

"Because the only Kacchan that you know is an asshole. I was worried you might throw it away or smash it or some shit, if I gave it to you."

He picked it up carefully, holding it to the light to see the engravings, and once again his eyes filled with tears.

"Did you buy me this?"

"Yeah."

"Are we...?"

"We've kind of been hanging out," Bakugou huffed awkwardly, looking away. "Our plans keep getting interrupted by this stupid villain."

Midoriya slid it onto his finger, too big to really be practical as it slipped off immediately, but he tensed up when Bakugou watched it fall into his lap.

"I won't lose it!" he said quickly, sliding it back on in a hurry. "P-Please let me wear it, Kacchan!"

"Of course you can, idiot. It's yours."

Midoriya's face finally found some colour, as he spun it around his finger, and Bakugou had to resist the urge to reach out to him.

"You'll protect me, right?" Midoriya asked softly. "If I'm your... Uh... B-Boyfriend?"

"Wife, idiot."

"You're still doing that?" Midoriya asked, genuinely surprised. "Kacchan, you're practically an adult now, we're... You know what, never mind. Wife is fine."

"I'll always protect you, nerd."

Midoriya's smile wobbled again, but this time it was with the tears that leaked down his cheeks – and this time, Bakugou knew they were the happy kind.

"Alright, nerd, you wanna punch me or something?" he asked with a smirk. "Would that make you feel better? Wanna give me a good spanking?"

"Kacchan!"

Bakugou grinned at his wide-eyed horror, face burning bright red as his emerald eyes darted around the empty train to make sure no one had suddenly shown up to hear it.

"Let's go back to school, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Bakugou grabbed him by the hand, careful to secure the ring in their grips as he dragged Midoriya through the little train doors, shoving Kirishima toward the exit.

"Come on, Shitty-Hair, we're changing trains."

"O-Oh! Sorry! I didn't know we needed-"

"We're going back to school."

"Really?!" His eyes lit up, clapping Midoriya on the back. "I'm so proud! I promise we'll all take good care of you!"

At the next stop, they stepped off the train, heading across the platform to catch one going the opposite direction. Bakugou still kept Midoriya's hand firmly in his grip, and Midoriya found himself smiling faintly, sneaking a peek at Bakugou's thick biceps and full chest. Against his better judgement, he leaned in, resting his head on Bakugou's shoulder, and to his surprise, no sparks fired from the warm hands.

"I'll show you where your room is, when we get back," he said quietly, squeezing a little tighter at his hand. "You could probably use a nap."

─────

When Midoriya left his All Might shrine of a room, trudging his way back down the stairs, he was quickly hit by the sound of laughter and general fun erupting in the common area. He tried to slink past unnoticed, but immediately people were calling out to him, inviting him over to join the group.

"Uh, thanks," he mumbled, managing an awkward smile. "Actually, um, I was kinda hungry, so-"

"Don't worry, Blasty is cooking!" Ashido grinned. "He caved and agreed to cook for eeeeeveryone!"

"M-Maybe I should go offer to help?"

He trembled when heavy footsteps came toward him, but when the familiar face rounded the corner, surprisingly soft other than a crease between his eyebrows, he managed to keep his balance a little easier.

"Hey, you sleep okay?" Bakugou asked, his voice almost unrecognisably quiet. "I'm making dinner, come hang out."

Midoriya nodded faintly, following him down the hall while their classmates heckled Bakugou – some nonsense about "always stealing the cute ones", Midoriya wasn't even sure what that was supposed to mean.

"Oi, shut the hell up!" he yelled back over his shoulder, finally sounding a little more like himself. "You tryin' to scare the fucker off?! Drop it, assholes!"

He wound an arm around Midoriya's waist, dragging him into the kitchen and pulling a chair up beside him.

"Sit," he instructed, turning to stir a pot. "You doin' okay?"

"You're being weirdly nice, Kacchan."

"Haah?!" he demanded, eyebrows dropping low. "The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"That's more like it," Midoriya giggled, covering his mouth quickly. "S-Sorry."

Bakugou immediately forgot about his annoyance, setting his spoon down and wiping his hands on a tea towel before he crouched in front of Midoriya. There was still so much fear in his eyes, no matter how hard Bakugou tried.

"I'm doing my best, nerd," he grumbled. "Don't want to fuckin' scare you off."

"Are you always like this? To me?"

"Hell no! The you I usually have around is more than willing to fire back at me when I'm an asshole. I mean, hell, even when we were both in middle school, you weren't this scared of me! You were always so damn bored of my shit, resigned to it. It infuriated me to no end that I couldn't scare the shit out of you!"

"It's not you."

"Haaah?!"

"I'm not scared of you," he clarified, looking away nervously. "I mean, you scare me sometimes, in middle school, but not now! It's... It's just not you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good," Bakugou smirked, ruffling messy green curls. "Just stick with me then, alright? We have school tomorrow and shit, but I won't let anyone give you a hard time. Not that they'd try, everyone fuckin' loves you here."

"They said, um... My... My q-quirk," he stuttered, blushing bright red. "I know that sounds stupid but they said...?"

"It's kind of a long story," Bakugou offered weakly. "Um, if you want to come by my room later, I can explain it to you? But it's, uh... private."

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll visit before your bedtime."

"Shut up, nerd!" Bakugou growled, pulling his hair a little more roughly. "You can hang out with me tonight, anyway."

"Okay."

He watched as Bakugou finished throwing together meat and vegetables and rice, loading up massive serving bowls and handing them to Midoriya one by one, directing him to the tables nearby. When he finished, Bakugou began digging out plates and utensils, handing stacks to Midoriya to carry again and carting over a few loads himself.

"Grab as much as you want," Bakugou directed, offering him a plate. "We'll grab ours and get out of the way before the madness starts."

"B-But I wouldn't want to take more than-"

"Trust me, nerd, there's plenty to go around. Fill that damn bowl as high as you can balance it, and we'll come back for seconds later."

Midoriya loaded up his dish obediently, squeaking every time Bakugou reached over to add one more scoop of rice, one more piece of pork, some extra mushrooms and broccoli.

"Eat it, you're too damn skinny," he complained, poking Midoriya in the stomach. "You're gonna have a long day tomorrow, we need the calories."

"O-Okay!"

They stepped out to the living room, and Bakugou jerked a thumb over his shoulder, moving out of the doorway pointedly.

"Go get it, extras."

Midoriya felt like the room was clear before he even blinked, the noise shifting instantly to the next room, and Bakugou rolled his eyes as he took up their spots on the couch. He leaned back against the arm, kicking his feet up on the cushions, and Midoriya couldn't help but crack a smile as he squeezed himself in on the end.

"Still as rude as ever," Midoriya mumbled.

"Damn right," Bakugou smirked, nudging him with a socked foot. "Dig in, nerd."

"It smells really good, Kacchan. Thank you."

"Any time."

They ate quietly for a while, listening to the excitement and laughter that trickled in from the dining area, but when Midoriya got halfway through his bowl he paused to look up.

"Do you cook for me often?"

"Not really," Bakugou shrugged. "I probably should. What's that dumb expression about winning a guy over through his stomach?"

"I'm pretty sure your biceps do that already."

He flooded red when Bakugou choked on his rice, realising too late that the words had slipped out, but when he opened his mouth to apologise, Bakugou was laughing.

"Yeah? That easy?" he teased, flexing one of his arms pointedly and watching Midoriya's eyes glue to it instantly. "Good to know."

"S-Sorry," he squeaked finally. "I shouldn't have said it."

"Haah? You damn well should have," Bakugou snorted. "I'll put something sleeveless on after dinner."

"K-Kacchan!" Midoriya insisted, hiding his face. "Stop teasing me!"

"Who said I was fuckin' teasing? You're my wife, you're allowed to perv at my arms."

"I'm not!"

"Okay, fine, not yet, because it seems stupid to get married in high school – that's if we're even allowed. I bet our parents would help make it happen, though."

"Please stop teasing me!"

Bakugou froze, staring for a moment before he leaned forward and swiped a tear from the freckled cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he asked, heart sinking. "You don't want to marry me?"

"You would never."

"Haah?! Of course I would! I always planned on marrying you! I mean, maybe there were a couple of stupid teenage years, but come on, Deku. We've been together our entire lives, how the hell would I cope without you around?"

Midoriya sniffled, wiping his eyes stubbornly with the heel of his hand, but when the tears kept flowing Bakugou set his food aside. He dragged Midoriya into his arms, hugging him tight for a moment before he put Midoriya's plate down with his own. He pulled the skinny frame into his chest, draping him awkwardly over Bakugou's much wider body, and stroked his back lightly.

"I won't say it, if you want me to stop," Bakugou murmured into messy curls. "But I'm not teasing, Deku. I still want to marry you one day, if you can forgive me for all the stupid shit I've done."

Midoriya continued to sob and sniff for a while, soaking through Bakugou's shirt like it was tissue paper, but still Bakugou held him, just rubbing up and down, up and down on his spine, hoping he could convey some kind of sincerity with his touch, since his words never seemed to work.

"I'm sorry," Midoriya sniffled. "I- I don't know what's come over me."

"It's okay. There's a lot of big dumb feelings in that scrawny body of yours, even if you can't quite understand them right now."

"I've missed you."

"I know. It's okay, I'm here now. We've been through a lot of shit since we started high school, but we've always gotten through it together, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Bakugou glared daggers at the intruders who tried to rejoin them in the living room, watching them quickly scramble back down the hall, but thankfully Midoriya didn't seem to notice.

"Kacchan?" he asked softly, when the tears finally slowed.

"Yeah?"

"I'm still hungry."

"Eat your damn dinner, fuckin' nerd."

─────

Considering their experiences over the past few weeks, Midoriya's first set of U.A. classes went surprisingly well. He just stuck his head down and scrawled notes, occasionally flipping to a previous page in the hopes that he might figure out what was going on. Every so often Bakugou leaned back to help, pointing out the right notebook or page, and the little mumbles behind him as he worked were weirdly comforting.

When new teachers came in or people were asked to read aloud, Midoriya tensed up – but the one time his name was called, Bakugou's hand was in the air immediately, picking up his own book.

"I'll do it," he said firmly, not giving them a chance to protest before he began reading.

And so, every time Midoriya got nervous, he reached to his ring. When Bakugou glanced back, he found the nerd spinning it around his finger carefully, relaxing immediately as he smiled faintly at the little metal band.

When they headed for the lunchroom and the crowd began to grow, Midoriya reached for it again. Bakugou's hand landed on his back, guiding him forward, and the warm touch was surprisingly comforting.

When a group of their classmates sat down at his table, introducing themselves eagerly and demonstrating their quirks, his hand balled into a fist, thumb stroking over the metal. Bakugou's hand touched his shoulder, and he softened immediately, leaning into his warmth.

And when they made their way out to a fake city for heroics class, as All Might was standing before them, he didn't wait for the touch. He stepped closer to Bakugou's side, leaning in a little, and Bakugou wound an arm around him like it was the easiest thing in the world.

He'd spent the evening prior explaining All Might's downfall, the way he'd passed his quirk on to his successor – to Midoriya – and had subsequently burned himself out saving Bakugou from the League of Villains. Bakugou had teared up a little as he explained, cursing himself for still being so weak over it, but Midoriya had just snuggled into his side, crying along with him.

Thank God he wouldn't remember that when he changed back.

So when Midoriya faced All Might, he knew what the man meant to him – more than just as a hero, like he always had; as a teacher, a mentor, the man who put his faith in him and pulled him up to stand with heroes.

He also knew there was a power lingering inside of him somewhere, even if he wasn't quite sure how to access it.

"Your costumes have been repaired and cleaned, they're waiting for you in the changing rooms! Get changed and meet back here so we can get started!"

Bakugou gripped him a little tighter when people began to move, holding him back, and Midoriya trembled again when All Might walked toward them confidently.

"It's good to see you, Midoriya my boy! I trust Young Bakugou has been taking good care of you?"

Midoriya nodded, not quite trusting his voice yet, and Bakugou stroked his side lightly.

"You remember what he was like," Bakugou offered pointedly. "Not exactly as confident as we're used to."

"I remember it like it was just yesterday," All Might agreed, crouching down closer to Midoriya's height – lower, even, letting Midoriya look down at him. "I know this must be a lot to deal with, but it won't be for much longer. I have faith in you, my boy, never forget that."

"Th-Thank you!" he stumbled, tearing up again already. "I-I'm sorry if I'm not, um, much good today, b-but I'll do my b-best!"

"I know you will. You go get changed now, take your time, and I'll let you watch a few others before you have your turn, alright?"

"Thank you, All Might!" he squeaked, bowing stupidly low. "I'll do my best!"

Bakugou led him away, still holding him close, and Midoriya finally began to breathe again when they moved toward the changing rooms. Everyone else was beginning to clear out, dressed in their wide array of colourful costumes, shooting smirks at the pair cuddled up together, but Bakugou just returned them with silent glares, daring them to say a word.

He pulled out both their costumes, handing one over to Midoriya with a quick explanation of what everything was, then turned away to put his own on. With his baggy pants on and his boots fastened, he glanced over his shoulder to check on the quiet nerd, surprised to find him blushing bright red.

"What, nerd? What did you- Oh." He caught on quickly when he saw the phone in a shaking hand, a smirk slowly stretching across his lips. "You taking photos of me shirtless, you shitty little perv?"

"I'm sorry!" Midoriya bleated, squeezing his eyes shut and flinching away, just waiting for Bakugou to punch him. "I shouldn't have, I know! I have no excuse!"

"Is it a good photo?" he asked, plucking the phone from Midoriya's hand. "Blurry as fuck, were you shaking as you took it? Idiot."

Midoriya cracked an eye open, fade flooding with disbelief, as Bakugou leaned against the wall and found the right angle for a good selfie. He flexed his arm, winking at the camera as he snapped a picture, then tossed it back into the nerd's hands. Midoriya fumbled the phone, almost dropping it, breathing a sigh of relief when he managed to secure it; when he looked at the screen, though, he messed it up all over again, his phone crashing to the concrete floor.

"Are you serious?" Bakugou asked, scooping it up and inspecting it for cracks. "You got lucky this time, idiot. Be more careful."

"B-B-B-But-"

"You want me to delete it?"

"No!" he squawked, pulling it away in a hurry. "Please!"

"Idiot," Bakugou snorted, ruffling his hair fondly. "Have fun with it."

"R-Really?"

"Uh-huh. You sorted now?"

"Y-Yeah. Um, are you... Are you gonna put a shirt on?"

"Do you want me to?"

Midoriya dithered like it was the hardest decision he'd ever had to make in his life, and Bakugou smirked, shoving him lightly. He pulled his shirt over his head, tugging it into place, and Midoriya practically drooled as he watched.

"Shall we go to class?" he smirked, "or do you want to stare a little longer?"

"Class is fine!" Midoriya cringed. "Sorry."

"Whatever, nerd, it's not like I can blame you. I'm fuckin' hot."

"Yeah," Midoriya agreed, nodding so hard Bakugou thought his neck might snap. "You are."

"Good answer."

He dragged the nervous nerd back out to the training grounds, where All Might was beginning to explain the task for the day, everyone splitting off into teams for the exercise. Midoriya began to slowly shrink away, but Bakugou dragged him right on back, ignoring the pitiful look on the freckled face.

"Oi, half and half," he spoke up, watching the entire class turn to watch curiously. "Come work with us."

Todoroki took one look at Midoriya's distraught expression and nodded right away, heading over to join them. He was torn on who to pick as their fourth, but when he saw Kirishima and Ashido already planning together, it made his life a little easier.

"Sparky," he demanded, as Kaminari contemplated the little clusters. "Here, asshole."

Kaminari lit up despite the harsh words, thrilled to be hand-picked by the most picky asshole in class, and he grinned as he clapped Midoriya on the back lightly.

"Have I introduced myself?" he asked, as bright and friendly as ever. "Kaminari Denki, me and Blasty are buds. When he's in a good mood he even lets me call him Kacchan without punching me for it."

"But that's his name," Midoriya answered innocently. "Why would he be mad?"

Kaminari blinked at him, but when Midoriya smiled, he laughed along.

"You had me going, dude. Alright, so how are we gonna do this thing, Boomboy?"

"You two are in charge of keeping other teams away," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Me and Deku are gonna charge in and get the flag before anyone else can, you just have to keep them off of us."

"You think you can beat Iida there?" Todoroki asked, genuinely curious rather than scathing – for once, Bakugou thought. "He's gonna rush it too."

"That's why you need to freeze him up. Make the ground too slippery, seize his engines, whatever."

"Alright," he agreed, humming to himself as he mulled it over. "Midoriya, watch everything you pass, you might end up in charge of escape routes."

"Y-Yes, Sir!"

"Huh? Sir?" Todoroki blinked at him, genuinely surprised. "What are you- Oh. Uh, it's Todoroki. Todoroki Shouto. I do this stuff."

He lit up a burst of flame in one hand, a little flower of ice in the other, and Midoriya gawked at him.

"That's amazing," he said finally, when the silence stretched a little too long. "If you get thirsty, can you-"

"You've already asked me that," Todoroki smiled surprisingly genuinely. "I haven't tried it out yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do."

"O-Okay! Um, thank you!"

"Can you use your quirk at all?" he asked bluntly, surprising Kaminari a little with the question, and making Bakugou flinch. "You had trouble, when you started out here."

"N-No, I don't think so," Midoriya admitted, ducking his head "I'm sorry, I don't want to hold you back."

"You're on intel, then," Todoroki nodded. "Tell us if you come up with anything while you watch the others, and when we're out there just keep your eyes open. Think strategies to counter everything you see, and let Bakugou know the moment you think of anything."

"I'll try my best."

They followed All Might into a room full of surveillance camera feeds, watching the first group get into position for their turn, and Midoriya locked his eyes on the screens to study them intently. He wished he a had a notebook on him, something to make sense of his thoughts when they all came tumbling out, but his costume case had lacked anything of the sort.

"Here," Bakugou said softly, obtaining a few sheets of paper from the front desk and handing him a pen. "In case you want them."

Midoriya could have kissed him on the spot.

When the round began, he was quickly distracted watching the incredible quirks, wondering how he was ever supposed to measure up when he couldn't even use the quirk he'd obtained. Still, though, he analysed every piece of the mock city that he saw, noting every crevice, every nook and cranny he might be able to slip away into, every rooftop Bakugou could blast himself over to get away.

Finally it was their turn, and as they set up at the gates, Midoriya heard a resounding crash from inside. He wondered if maybe they were changing the scenery, making it a little harder for those who had already seen the tricks, but when Bakugou reached for his hand he suspected that was not the case.

"Students, please return to command immediately," All Might's voice boomed over the arena. "All students, report back to command centre."

Midoriya felt himself trembling even with Bakugou's hand in his, even with the ring safely stowed away in his jumpsuit pocket. He had no idea what was happening – it could just be an environment malfunction, for all he knew – but not knowing made it so much worse.

"Same rules apply," Bakugou muttered, eyes darting back and forth as they rounded the arena walls again. "Don't let anyone near him."

"Well duh," Kaminari smirked, holding up a hand with his fingers clearly carefully positioned, yet weird to look at. "Take care of your wife, dude."

"Let me go in front," Todoroki spoke up, striding ahead of the group. "If anything happens, run and send more people. I can hold them off."

Bakugou's worst fears came true when he saw smoke rising in the distance, teachers and students alike running back and forth with urgency. They hurried back to the group, and when Bakugou saw All Might's frail form waiting in the doorway, he hated himself for what he knew he had to do.

"I'm staying here," he said firmly, the moment people began to discuss the commotion. "When it's all clear, you can come get us, but I'm staying with Deku and All Might until then."

"Kacchan, you can't!" Midoriya insisted. "What if they need you?!"

"You need me more."

"I can't let other people get hurt because of me!" he insisted, tears already spilling over. "Go be a hero, Kacchan!"

"Win to save," Bakugou told him softly, cupping his cheek. "Save to win. The most heroic thing I can do is take care of the people I care about most in the world. You would do the same for me."

He turned around, locking eyes with Todoroki, and pointed stubbornly into the distance.

"I swear to God, if any of you get hurt because I wasn't there, I'm gonna make fun of you for the rest of my damn life. So either come back safe, or don't come back at all."

"Got it!" Kirishima grinned, dragging his friends with him as they strode off into the school grounds. "Have fun, man!"

With a few last nods, the group dispersed, and Bakugou pulled a sobbing and whining Midoriya into his arms. He dragged him into the building, waved All Might ahead as he locked the door behind them, and then he sat in front of the camera feeds to watch.

All Might hit a few buttons, pulling up various cameras in different training areas so they could keep an eye out, and they sat in silence other than Midoriya's feeble protests.

"It's okay," Bakugou whispered, when Midoriya shook. "I trust our classmates, they can handle it without me."

"No one is as amazing as Kacchan," he sobbed. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. You'll hate yourself for the rest of your life if you try to shoulder all the blame."

"But-"

"Shh. No buts. I promise, everyone is gonna be fine. Don't you trust me, Deku?"

"I do."

"Then relax for me."

Midoriya nodded faintly, settling a little as he leaned in to Bakugou's touch, the arms around him oddly familiar. He couldn't remember being held like that in a long time, not by Bakugou, but somehow it felt so right.

"Don't let go," Midoriya mumbled, squeezing him tight. "Stay with me, Kacchan."

"I would never let you go," Bakugou smirked. "You'd probably run off and get yourself hurt if I did."

"I wouldn't!"

Even All Might laughed at that, and Midoriya's eyes widened, peering up to see the sniggering faces.

"What? What did I say?"

"You're never not getting yourself in some kind of mess," Bakugou chuckled. "It's the only reason I keep you around, you keep life exciting."

Midoriya reached into his costume, digging out his metal band and sliding it onto his much-too-small finger. He settled comfortably in Bakugou's lap, still a little surprised that he didn't get shoved off or berated for it, but Bakugou just hitched him up a little, pulling him in against the strongest chest he'd ever felt. Together the three of them sat in silence, watching the cameras, a metal band spinning round and around a slim finger.

Crashing outside jolted him back to reality, and Bakugou set him aside with an apologetic look. He trembled, watching as Bakugou picked up his gauntlets and glanced at the screens up above. Three men were approaching their hiding spot, dressed in dark uniforms, and Bakugou shot All Might a little nod as he stepped out the door, a conceited smirk plastered on his face.

"It's okay," All Might assured him, when the door swung closed between them. "They've been sending dozens of villains at us lately, just to try and overwhelm us. None of them are any good, Young Bakugou is more than capable of taking care of them."

Midoriya nodded, turning to look up at the screens, and a strange sense of deja vu washed over him as he watched Bakugou step out to meet the men. Despite his nerves and concerns, there was a weird excitement bubbling inside of him, and All Might smiled when he saw the shining eyes locked on the image.

"When you were a toddler," he began, his tone strangely fond. "When you got turned into a toddler, I should say. We sat in this room and watched Bakugou run through his simulation with your classmates, and you spent the entire time babbling about whether he would be willing to wear his hero costume to your wedding."

"Oh no," Midoriya groaned, covering his blushing face with his hands. "Did I really?! Does he know?!"

"Yes, he thought it was very cute. We all did."

"I'm so embarrassing, oh my God," he whined. "And everyone knows about this?!"

"Don't worry, all your classmates were very supportive of your wedding plans."

With a long whine he fell back in his seat, slumping pathetically, and cracked his fingers open to peer at the digital Bakugou. At some point his smirk had turned into a scowl, glaring at the men and arguing with them, voice somehow low enough that Midoriya couldn't hear him from where they sat.

He held his breath when the first punch was thrown, but Bakugou ducked under it easily, slipping through and countering with his own blow. His hand sparked as it connected, blasting the man clear across the training grounds, and he was whirling around to hit the next guy before Midoriya even had a chance to squeak in his fear.

Bakugou made the entire fight look easy, weaving between the two men and ducking and dodging, countering with his own explosive hands. When the third man returned, he launched himself into the air, and Midoriya heard a distinct thud as he landed on the roof above them.

With an ear-shattering roar, Bakugou pulled the pin in his gauntlet, and one by one the camera feeds blinked out as Bakugou's fiery blast caught them in its wake.

When the door handle clunked, Midoriya leapt to his feet, still shaking but holding his hands up all the same – if any of them had laid a single hand on his Kacchan, they were going to pay.

"It's just me," Bakugou said knowingly, as he shoved the door open and stretched his arm. "Do we have rope or some shit in here?"

All Might produced a few lengths of it from a supply closet, and Midoriya hovered at Bakugou's shoulder, watching him bind the villains up tightly. All three were breathing but unresponsive, and Midoriya found himself wondering if they would even survive, left alone that way.

All Might was making a call, though, and soon there were police swarming them, exchanging polite bows with All Might and thanking Bakugou for his work, assuring them it was safe to leave before they carted the bodies away like it was no big deal – like a school of teenagers hadn't just been attacked by some collection of half-assed villains.

"They must want something more," Midoriya found himself mumbling. "They know it's not going to work, they just want to distract everyone while they do something worse."

"Look at you, my little detective," Bakugou cooed, ruffling his hair.

"Don't patronise me, Kacchan, it's not nice," he pouted.

"Everyone is well aware that they're setting up for something big, don't you worry. The heroes are already on it, they don't need a bunch of high schoolers to help."

Bakugou knew even as he said them that the words didn't sound like him. They sound more like something Iida or Yaoyorozu would say, even Aizawa on a good day. Someone much more sensible than himself, at any rate.

All Might noticed too, from the look he shot Bakugou's way, but he didn't say a word, and Midoriya seemed to buy it.

"Come on, nerd, let's go check things out."

It was only then that Midoriya realised the sirens had stopped – the wailing he'd tried so hard to tune out was suddenly gone, though his ears were still ringing a little in the aftermath.

"We'll walk you back," Bakugou said quickly, when All Might opened his mouth. "Come on, we'd better see what happened."

"Thank you, Bakugou."

─────

When night fell, and everyone had cleaned themselves up, Aizawa showed up at the front door of the dorms. Everyone tensed up when they saw him, preparing for the worst, but when he carted in an armful of pizza boxes they erupted with cheers instead.

"You all did some good work today," he acknowledged. "With all that has been happening lately, I thought you deserved a small treat. We'll be working off the calories in class in the morning, so make the most of it while it lasts."

He showed himself out just as quickly, leaving the class to bury themselves in pizza, laughing and exchanging stories from the fight. Everyone had come back near enough to unscathed, only a few minor burns and scrapes to deal with, and after five minutes with a first aid kit they were all just about back to normal.

"What happened to your face, anyway?" Midoriya asked finally, as he settled in Bakugou's lap. "You never told me."

"Ah, last time I fought someone I got burnt a little. It's okay though, it doesn't hurt, it's just kind of weird looking still."

"It's not gonna scar, is it?"

"I doubt it. Why, you don't want me to have scars?"

"Kacchan has a pretty face, it would be sad if it was scarred."

"Shut up, nerd."

He ran his fingertips over Midoriya's shoulder, caressing the smooth skin, and Midoriya leaned into him a little more. Bakugou's hand always seemed to go to the same spot, slipping under his sleeve and rubbing up and down his bicep lightly. Midoriya wasn't sure what was so special about that one spot, but Bakugou's hand felt good on his skin, so he didn't dare to question it.

"How much longer do you think I'll be here?" he asked quietly, when Bakugou looked down to shove another slice of pizza at him. "You said two days?"

"I guess it's been a day and a bit now," he acknowledged, nodding faintly. "So any time between now and tomorrow lunchtime it could end. Just let me know if you start to feel hot, that's the only real sign it's coming."

"How hot?"

"Super hot. Like, you'll want to throw all your clothes off."

"You remember it happening to you?"

"No, but I saw it happen a few times. To you, and Kirishima, and even All Might once."

"Okay. I'll let you know."

He opened his mouth, letting Bakugou shove a pizza slice in it, and took a big bite obediently. Bakugou took a bite of his own, nodding his acknowledgement that yeah, despite the grease and the calories and the lack of nutrients, the occasional pizza was a pretty good treat.

"I'm gonna stay with you tonight," Bakugou said firmly. "Since you didn't sleep well last night."

"How did you know?"

"You've been tired all day, it was pretty obvious. Plus, how the hell would you sleep well, alone in an unfamiliar place? So tonight you're coming to my room, you can share my bed."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, nerd."

"Okay!"

His eyes shone, and Bakugou couldn't resist a smirk, hugging him a little tighter.

"Ahhhh," Midoriya hummed, opening his mouth wide. "Pizza, Kacchan."

Bakugou held it out, just out of his reach, and Midoriya pulled a face as he leaned in. Bakugou twitched it away as he went to take a bite, getting a little pout as he tried again and missed once more.

"Okay, okay," Bakugou smirked, shoving it between his lips. "Eat."

"Thanks, Kacchan."

Midoriya was yawning by the time they finished eating, and with a little smirk Bakugou leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"You ready for bed?" he asked quietly. "I go to bed pretty early myself, anyway. You wanna go chill in my room?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, come on then."

He threw Midoriya over his shoulder, ignoring the protests and whines, and smirked when their classmates laughed at them openly.

"Past your bedtime, Bakugou?" they teased.

"Past the nerd's. He's still a child, remember."

"I'm fourteen!" Midoriya protested, pouting. "I'm not a child."

"Of course you're not. Come on, time for bed. Need some warm milk first?"

"Kacchaaaaaan!"

He shot a nod back to the room and headed for the elevator, Midoriya still draped across his shoulder, hanging half upside-down as he thumped indignantly at Bakugou's lower back.

"You're mean," Midoriya whined, when they reached Bakugou's floor and he still refused to put him down. "I'm getting dizzy."

"Sure you are."

He unlocked his door and threw Midoriya at the bed, amused by his nervous squeak as he hit the mattress. He bounced back a little, grabbing for the sheets to steady himself, but then Bakugou was sitting beside him and his frown softened.

"Can I have a hug, Kacchan?"

"What? Yeah, obviously, why are you asking permission?"

Midoriya flung his arms around the slim waist, dragging him in close, and Bakugou smiled faintly as he returned it. With a shiny ring slipping down his finger, he curled his hands into Bakugou's shirt, and Bakugou stroked his back lightly.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me," he murmured, face buried in Bakugou's shirt. "I know I was scared at first, and I should never have been scared of you, it was silly, so thank you for proving me wrong and showing me how amazing you are all over again."

"You're a cheesy little fuck when you're tired," Bakugou sneered. "Here, let me take these off."

He stripped off Midoriya's baggy t-shirt and cast it aside, reaching for his jeans next, and when Midoriya's trembling hands moved to do the same, he allowed it. Nervously, Midoriya dragged his tank top off over his head, hands smoothing over the warm skin beneath.

"You got so strong," Midoriya explained, blushing when he caught Bakugou watching him. "Your arms and your chest are... insane."

"Not the first time you've told me that," Bakugou smirked, shedding his sweatpants so they both lay side by side in their boxer shorts. "Is this okay?"

"Perfect," Midoriya answered immediately, blushing a deeper shade of red when he realised the word had left his lips. "C-Can I hug you still?"

"Obviously."

He pulled Midoriya close, running a hand over that same spot on his shoulder, and with his face hidden in Bakugou's pecs Midoriya finally deigned to ask.

"Why there?" he mumbled. "It's always the same shoulder."

"Oh. Uh, sorry?"

"It's not bad, I just wondered."

"Um, you have a scar there, usually."

"Oh. And it feels softer now so you're making the most of it?"

"What? No. I do it all the time," Bakugou frowned. "You say it doesn't hurt, but it looks painful, so I..."

"You what, Kacchan?"

"I guess I hope I can make it feel better," he mumbled, voice suddenly overrun with embarrassment.

"Kacchaaaan," Midoriya hugged him tighter, summoning all his courage to plant a tiny kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

"Thank you for forgiving me," Bakugou returned easily. "I'm still surprised that you could, let alone more than once."

"Of course, Kacchan! I could never stay mad at you!"

Bakugou kissed his curls, and Midoriya whined quietly, snuggling in with a smile.

"I should have taken care of you a long time ago," Bakugou mumbled. "I'm sorry it took this long, but I promise I'll make it up to you."

"You already have, Kacchan."

With mostly-happy tears pouring down his face, Midoriya quickly drifted off to sleep. For a little longer Bakugou continued stroking his back and shoulder, but eventually, with his cheek resting on Midoriya's head, Bakugou joined him in his slumber.

The next time he woke was with sun blazing through the windows, and he shifted his hand up to a broad shoulder, smiling faintly as he stroked a familiar scar. Cracking his eyes open, he leaned over, pressing a kiss to Midoriya's warm cheek.

"Morning, nerd," he said softly, watching soft lips curl into a smile. "I missed you."