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Only after Uraraka and Deku’s relationship failed to take flight did Deku realize his feelings for the blonde. She had been in love with someone else, a certain someone who perished in the war. And Deku was a vessel for those feelings to take shape, but not the right one. He’d taken it in stride at first, until he realized how deeply lonely this situation had made him. Everything he’d dedicated his young life to was gone. His quirk. His friends. His love life.
Years passed after the class 1-A reunion. It had taken a long time for the cracks in Bakugou’s heart to mend. That day when Deku walked away from him rarely crossed his mind, but only due to his eventual apology. Deku’s suit, which he’d pinched pennies for years to acquire, was the thing to bring them back together. Bakugou’s offer to join his agency was still standing, even if it had been stagnant since the words had left his lips on that day so long ago.
That was how the agency Two Heroes came to be. The largest hero agency in all of Japan, owned and operated by pro heroes, Deku and Dynamight. Dynamight worked primarily on patrol, whereas Deku handled press briefings and appearances at UA as an adjunct faculty. He occasionally joined patrol, but not always. The situation had grown complicated as his relationship with Bakugou blossomed. The public eventually learned the true nature of the number one heroes’ relationship, that it had progressed into one far removed from platonic. Luckily the rings on their fingers didn’t show while they were in uniform, but villains knew. Everyone knew. Their feelings for one another held a potentiation for exploitation. Taking one of them hostage in hopes of making deals with the other was a constant threat. And that was what had happened.
“What?!” Deku yelled into his phone. He had stepped outside of the classroom to answer, given that the agency had his class schedule and only called him during emergencies.
“He got some blows in on the villain. After being grazed by the quirk, he’s been knocked completely unconscious inside of the building- we sent the drone in to check on his condition, but the villain said he would only speak to you and destroyed it. The villain seems to have some sort of anesthetic quirk. Multiple heroes are unconscious inside of the building as well, and we don’t know their conditions.”
Deku tried to get his breathing under control. He rubbed the wedding ring on his finger with the pad of his thumb. It couldn’t happen again. The image of Bakugou battered, bloody, dead, on the battlefield… it haunted him. Time could not heal all wounds, especially the mental ones he had taken from the fight.
“Class, I have a situation I need to attend to. Please standby!” He told them before running to grab his suit, rounding a corner entirely too fast. Aizawa had been coming with a cup of coffee, which he’d managed to pull out of the way just in time.
“Deku– what’s going on?”
His eyes were beading back and forth rapidly, but not filled with tears. Aizawa had seen them enough times over the years to recognize it… it was murderous intent. Murderous intent that Deku had developed following the war, in which the tough reality had set in: not everyone could be rehabilitated.
“It’s Kacchan. I need to go. Watch over my class, please.” He cut past him and ran even faster than he had been before. Aizawa looked over his shoulder for a moment before doing as he said. Trying to stop him would do nothing but make the entire situation worse.
-_-_-
“Pro hero Deku has emerged from the building! He- he appears to be carrying Pro Hero Dynamight!”
The news vans and reporters had swarmed the area surrounding the police blockade. Vultures. Behind them were pedestrians and traffic backed up blocks and blocks. The entire situation was being broadcast live on national television, but people were also taking private videos and posting online. Seeing Dynamight incapacitated was a national security concern.
“Deku! How is he?!” The police chief ran up to the pair, all while other pros rushed inside to secure the scene and attend to the wounded.
Deku clutched Bakugou closer to himself. His face was sullen with blood spattered across it. He wasn’t sure if the villain was dead or just gravely wounded, but he didn’t have the capacity to care right then. His husband was unconscious in his arms, limp, and bleeding. He was the only one in the world whom he could focus on.
“Where’s the ambulance?”
The police chief held her chest and her face fell in concern. She had worked with Deku a lot, but had never heard his voice that low. She yelled behind to the paramedics, and a stretcher was rushed over immediately.
“S-Sir? Can you set him on the stretcher, please?”
Deku didn’t want to let go. He was half tempted to just run him over to the hospital himself, but he didn’t want to add trauma to the wounds by jostling him around. He reluctantly set him atop the stretcher, but didn’t step aside while they strapped him down. He didn’t ask if it was alright to ride with them, because he sat on top of the ambulance the whole way to the hospital, all with his face in his hands, the siren in his ears, and the wind wicking blood off of him. Though being the symbol of peace was a job he now shared with Bakugou, he couldn’t bring himself to smile right then. All that played over in his brain was the dire situation on the battlefield. Even if he’d assessed his husband’s pulse at the scene and his heart was still beating, that could change at any moment. His heart was never quite right again following the incident in high school. A hard hit to the chest, electrical shocks, or oxygen deprivation were all a lot more dangerous than they used to be.
Later, after he’d been medically cleared, Deku had been allowed to sit in the waiting room. Time didn’t work the same way. Everything was a muffled distant hum outside of his tunnel vision. Deku wasn’t sure how long he’d been there, staring at the laminate flooring, spiraling, when a white blob obstructed his vision. A lab coat. It caused him to spring up from the chair, standing within mere feet of the doctor.
“Thank you for your service, Deku.” The doctor bowed to him slightly, then adjusted the papers on his clipboard. That wasn’t uncommon. He got stopped all the time. “Bakugou is alright, medically speaking. We stitched up some of his deeper lacerations and he received three units of blood. His CT scan, EKG, and X-Rays were unremarkable. It really appears that the quirk is the issue. He is awake now, but he’s delirious at the moment. In an abundance of caution, we discharged him from the ED to the PCU for further monitoring of his vitals. I would imagine that it will wear off with time. He should be clear for visitors, but only immediate family. I think other people might agitate the situation.”
Deku heaved and clutched the front of his partially unbuttoned dress shirt. He’d changed back into his lecturing clothes by then, but everything was loosened. Though it made him appear disheveled, he didn’t care. The relief that washed over him was so immediate, like a tidal wave filling him from the top down. His shoulders shrank and he finally exhaled the stale air trapped in the base of his lungs.
“Thank you for everything, doctor. I can go see him, then?”
“Yes, I will have the nurse escort you.”
The elevator dinged as Deku and the nurse arrived on the PCU. There were lots of very sick patients there requiring a high level of care, but it didn’t stop staff from gushing about the number one hero being on their unit. They luckily frenzied amongst themselves and didn’t approach him for pictures.
“He’s been pretty out of it, sir. Please let us know if it gets worse while you're here. We make rounds every fifteen minutes as well.” He explained as they paused outside of the room. Deku nodded and thanked him before stepping inside. The lights in the room were dimmed all the way down. Bakugou was laying in bed, but he turned toward him at the sound of the door quietly shutting. His red eyes were beading back and forth, but not because he was happy to see his husband. Right then, he wasn’t comprehending much. He knew he wanted to see Deku, but he was too hazy to realize he was right in front of him.
“Kacchan…” Deku exhaled, then dragged a chair over. He laid his head on the bed and held his hand with both of his own. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Bakugou’s eyes cut to the lower corner of his vision suspiciously. That voice… he knew that voice, right?
Deku’s jaw clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut as the stayed close to him. He ran his index finger over Bakugou’s gold wedding ring and did his best to hold back the tears. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought he’d lost him. When the call came in, he had briefly had to contemplate what his life would look like without the blonde in it. If that were to be what he was reduced to, he didn’t want it. He would have followed him. No, he couldn’t ever tell him that. Tears began creeping from the corners of his tightly shut eyes, slipping down his cheeks, moistening the starchy hospital sheets. Soon he choked back some sobs as he remained next to him.
Though he wanted to ask him what happened, Bakugou wasn’t of the mind to answer right then. The last thing Deku wanted was to overwhelm him further. He hiccuped and swallowed thickly as he forced himself to stop crying. Listening to his heart monitor, feeling his chest rise and fall beside him, the smooth texture of his wedding ring on his skin… it soothed him.
Eventually, he sat up and wiped his eyes, mustering a smile at his husband. He leaned his elbow onto the bed and rested his chin into his palm, but his other hand caressed Bakugou’s chest gently atop his hospital gown, moving in soft circles.
“My husband, he’ll get upset if he sees you touching me like that on my chest…” Bakugou side eyed him, his face partly contorting. He wanted to pull away, but for some reason he couldn’t.
Deku’s smile softened. He really was confused, wasn’t he?
“I am your husband…” He reminded, continuing to massage him. Their eyes made cautious contact and he watched as Bakugou’s red ones widened significantly. His cheeks flushed and the beeping of his heart monitor sped up, even skipping a beat. He looked away and halfway mushed his face into the pillow behind him.
“Really?” Bakugou murmured. “We’re married?”
“Of course we are.” Deku let out a quiet snicker. Despite the circumstances, he hadn’t seen him so silly in a long time. He was adorable with his crimson stained cheeks. He leaned more over the bed in an attempt to look at him better. Bakugou stole another glance at him and his heart rate accelerated once more. It was reminiscent of the first time he realized he liked Deku. So much had changed since then, though.
Deku lifted up Bakugou’s hand to show him the gleaming gold band on it, then compared it with his own.
“You proposed to me last year. It wasn’t long after the press found out about our relationship. We were at a hotel in Okinawa. All of our friends told us to take a vacation, since we were basically getting harassed on patrol.” Deku explained. “And even when we went to the beach, people were constantly asking if the rumors were true. We were walking in disguise, hand in hand, right past an oceanfront restaurant. You got down on one knee, and you proposed to me in front of a crowd of onlookers. There was a beautiful orange sunset behind us. I-... I remember being so shocked. You just had a ring ready.” Deku laughed to himself. Recounting it was enough to make him blush and reminisce. Bakugou had actually been planning on proposing at the end of their trip, but he’d lost his temper. It seemed like the rumors would never stop until he settled things once and for all. And so he had. Impulsively. In public. And Deku? Of course he’d said yes. That led to the two sharing a very blatant kiss in public, something so taboo the news talked about it for weeks. Pictures of them in hats and sunglasses, a ring on Deku’s finger, all while Bakugou leaned him back and met their lips were all over the internet. It was a beautiful memory even in spite of that.
Bakugou blinked a couple times. He’d proposed. And this hottie had said yes? This absolute hunk of man had said YES? He could melt. His heart was doing backflips.
“Everything okay in here?” A nurse knocked on the door and poked their head in. The monitor had gotten high enough to tip off their alarms at the station.
“Yes, it’s fine.” Deku assured. He looked back to his husband once they were alone. “I’m so happy you’re okay, Kacchan. You’ve been through a lot today. Try taking some deep breaths and getting some rest, okay? You’re safe. I’ll be here all night.”
Bakugou would have done anything this pretty man asked right then. He snuggled back into the pillows and closed his eyes, and gradually the heart monitor slowed back down. The thought of him being there was enough to lull him off to sleep.
Nobody enforced the visiting hours limit with Deku. None of the nurses wanted to ask the number one hero to leave, and likely the members of the security team would be more interested in an autograph than escorting him off the premises.
“What time is it…?” Bakugou muttered later on, his eyes struggling open. Deku was sitting beside his bed still, listening to the TV on low volume. It was some random American movie he’d never seen, but he was trying to keep up with it. Until that voice broke him out of it. Nothing else mattered.
“Kacchan, how are you feeling?” He turned his whole body to face him in the chair, his brows lacing together in concern. Hopefully enough time had passed where he was feeling better, right?
“Like I got run over by a truck.” Bakugou muttered and adjusted in bed, sitting up and elbowing the pillow behind him. “What happened? Did somebody get that bastard?”
Deku sighed in relief. There he was. His husband. His irritable voice and his low brows. He loved him so much it drove him mad sometimes.
“Yeah. I took care of it.” He replied in a hushed tone. Not EVER would he tell Bakugou that he was used as a bargaining chip. Not unless he asked about it directly.
“How long was I out?” Bakugou rolled over and faced him, grimacing a bit. He brushed the stitches in his side just right to make it sting, but it was nothing compared to other pain he’d felt in his life. He glanced over Deku’s shoulder and to the window, where the moon sat above some taller buildings in the skyline.
“Maybe six hours.” Deku caressed his cheek, running his thumb over the scar below Bakugou’s eye. He pressed a lengthy kiss onto his forehead, petting his fluffy blonde hair back against his head. “Do you want some pain medicine? I can get the doctor.”
“You know I don’t like taking that shit.” He grumbled back, but ever so lightly leaned against Deku. Fuck he loved it when he played with his hair. It didn’t matter that they were married now. He would never admit to such sappy things.
“I know, but I’ll still ask.” Deku whispered, still stroking his hair. He always made sure to do that when his husband was stressed. It seemed to cut down on his tension, touching him in some way.
Bakugou surveyed him for injuries and didn’t see any, but Deku’s wrinkled suit, disheveled hair, and the bags under his eyes caught his attention. It had happened again, hadn’t it? He wasn’t conscious to witness it this time, though. His mind jumped back two years prior. That was how long it had been since he’d had an incident with a villain, though it had been due to injury, not merely being hit with a debilitating quirk. He remembered Deku’s ragged breathing as he frantically put pressure over his wounds, his heart bounding so badly he could see the bulging vessels in his neck and face. It had stuck with him, as Bakugou had genuinely wondered if Deku might have a heart attack from worrying.
Guilt began eating him up from the inside out. If only he’d been able to land a better blow on the villain to begin with, none of this would have happened in the first place.
“I’m fine, Izuku… you’re gonna worry yourself to death. Something like this isn’t enough to hurt me.”
It wasn’t like he was talking about himself in vanity. He needed Deku to believe that he was okay, since he put other people first at all times. Especially him, as he’d shown time and time again. Luckily it wasn’t a public safety concern anymore. It wasn’t like Deku could manifest quirks and fly off the handle if someone so much as made fun of him, but it was still damaging.
“I’m okay, Kacchan. Don’t worry about me.” Deku forced a smile back at him.
Bakugou had a deadpan expression as he kept staring his way. It put dents in his armor. A nervous bead of sweat formed on Deku’s forehead as he felt the gaze piercing into him. There was nothing he could do but admit it to him, otherwise he would only worry more.
“I’m sorry. It just scared me. I’m okay, I promise.” He murmured while petting his hair down. And Bakugou sat up, pulling his husband’s face into his chest. He hugged him against himself and leaned their heads together. It only took a few seconds for Deku to start quivering.
“I’m sorry.” He sniveled. “This isn’t a-about me… you’re in the hospital and here I am, crying-”
“Shh… tell me about what happened. Let it out.”
“I didn’t know you were alive until I took the villain out.” Deku whimpered. “Th-The whole time I was f-fighting… I thought you c-could be… be…”
Bakugou pulled him more securely to himself. His heart ached. He didn’t have words to fix this. It wasn’t like either of them could take a major step back from hero work. But also, it did sound like they needed a break. The last time Deku had a severe panic attack while on the job, he wasn’t right for weeks. He valued himself as the number one hero’s stability, his support system. He needed to be present for him. He couldn’t do that if they were both working full time. And Deku would never acknowledge his own limits before he burnt himself out completely.
“Izuku… let’s get out of here for a couple weeks.” He murmured. “As soon as they discharge me and things calm down.”
“It might be a while…” Deku sniffled. “Your mom called me because there’s videos all over the news and online. People are even making memes of me carrying you out of the building. Our relationship is front and center again.”
“Okay, so as soon as I’m better, we get the fuck out- no matter what. I don’t want it to get bad again. You’re my priority. The nation will survive for a couple weeks.” Bakugou huffed. He tried his damndest to push down the humiliation of being all over the news again. Ever since middle school with the sludge incident he’d been a hot topic in Japan. This wasn’t about him, though. He knew Deku well enough to recognize when he needed a time out. And that was now.
“The people need us.”
“And I need you. I’m going to put you first.”
“Heh… that makes you sound like a villain.” Deku chuckled a bit and wiped his eyes, sniffing. “Watching the world burn for one person. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”
“What is ‘supposed’ to be doesn’t matter when it starts impacting you like this.” Bakugou let Deku mush his face into the front of his hospital gown as he slipped down. “I made a promise to you, and I keep my promises.”
Deku wasn’t a selfish person. Quite the opposite, actually. It was a harsh pill to swallow that he needed a break. His codependency on Bakugou had masked it for so long, but they were both in deep shit mentally.
“How long has it been since we’ve gone on a date?” Bakugou scoffed. “I don’t even remember– Valentine’s?”
“Uh… yeah. But you got a call.”
“We’re going. We’ll figure out the details later. You need to rest.”
Deku settled against his chest as he moved to fully embrace him. His nerves were shot. As cute and delightfully confused as Bakugou was earlier, he still preferred this. His stern tone of voice keeping him grounded when his anxiety felt like hundreds of balloons trying to carry him away.
“Okay?” Bakugou reiterated when he didn’t hear him say anything.
Deku peeled his face back from him and they stared into each other’s eyes in the dimly lit room. It was ambient in some twisted way. His favorite color… a deep maroon. There was no other color he could look at forever. He wanted to drown in it. As for Bakugou? His favorite was whatever the fuck shade of green Deku’s eyes were- emerald but not, regal– but homey and welcoming. He leaned forward as Deku murmured back an “okay,” and bridged the gap between their lips.
Deku’s eyes fluttered shut and any residual tension melted off of him. His husband. Him. Only him and nothing else. The best medicine, his best friend, his reason to keep going. He had nearly forgotten where they were.
Two knocks were placed on the door before it opened, and a nurse let out a squeak before averting her eyes.
“Um-!! Mr. Bakugou, are you feeling alright? Good to see you’re awake- I was stopping by to check in on you-” She awkwardly fumbled.
Deku felt as though he could disintegrate. Blush ate him up as Bakugou pulled back and stared at him, a smirk tugging at his lips. Even if he was embarrassed as well, all his eyes spelled out was stability.
“Everything’s fine.”